BAR HARBOR A surgeon at Mount Desert Island Hospital whose humanitarian work includes providing surgical services to disadvantaged, underserved South American populations, has been selected as this years Maine Hospital Association Caregiver of the Year.

Charlie Hendricks, MD, of Seal Harbor, chief of surgery at the hospital, exemplifies MDI Hospitals core values of compassion, community, improvement, integrity, respect and teamwork, according to the nomination sent in by Arthur Blank, the hospital CEO.

Dr. Hendricks received the award at a meeting in Rockport Wednesday evening.

Charlie Hendricks always finds time for needed consultations, procedures and surgeries, said Edward Gilmore, MD.

He frequently practices after hours and on weekends to provide timely, needed care for patients.

Dr. Hendricks established the Hancock County Medical Mission in 1989 to provide surgical services in South America. For the past 25 years, he has used personal time to travel there to perform surgery. His humanitarian work has inspired countless area medical professionals and others in the community to donate their time to his cause.

He also founded a scholarship program that funds the medical mission trip for high school students throughout Hancock County.

Link:
MDI physician is caregiver of year

Dear Angie: My gardening clippers are dull, but when I asked someone at the local hardware store about getting them sharpened, they suggested I just replace them. I'd rather not. Does anyone do this kind of service? Linda M., South Burlington, Vt.

Dear Linda: Good tools are worth keeping, and worth keeping sharp. There are a variety of possible sources for this service, including yes hardware stores, handyman businesses, and tool repair and lawn mower repair shops. Some services will come to you; others require you to bring implements to them.

Among items that benefit from occasional sharpening are scissors, knives, garbage disposals, lawn mower blades, pruners, hedge shears, shovels, hoes, grass clippers and machetes.

Tool sharpening is usually a good value. Top-rated pros told our team that their charges are often $10 or less per item. One said that a new turbo saw blade costs $55, but he can sharpen one for $7.

A sharp tool provides a cleaner cut, while a blunt or dull one may rip or tear. This is important for pruning and shearing; a clean cut helps a plant heal faster.

Also, keeping your lawn mower blade sharp will prevent grass from ripping or tearing, which can stress your lawn and make it harder for it to bounce back from pest infestations or drought.

How often you decide to sharpen implements and blades depends on how often you use them, experts say. Many tools are fine with annual sharpening.

Lawn mower blades should be sharpened at the start of the mowing season, but more frequent sharpening as often as every eight to 10 mows is even better.

Hedge trimmers ideally should be sharpened a couple times a year.

There are three basic types of blade maintenance techniques:

Go here to read the rest:
Ask Angie: Tips for tool sharpening

Dan Gross/The Gazette

I come from a long line of entrepeneurs, says Lyn DeWitt, who founded Solar Mowing, a Bethesda company that uses solar-powered mowers and trimmers. Working behind her are her daughter Anna Kelly and employees David Jimenez and Dylan Reilly. A solar panel on the trucks roof charges the equipment.

Before Lyn DeWitt used to mow her lawn, she would take her children inside her Bethesda house and shut the windows to escape the mowers fumes and loud motor. As the communications director for the Audubon Naturalist Society and generally an environmentally aware citizen, DeWitt decided that she had enough of the gasoline-powered mower.

Thats when she decided to harness the same sun that helped the lawn grow in the first place and her company, Solar Mowing, was born.

In 2009, DeWitt bought her first battery-powered mower for roughly $400. Although it cost about $200 more than the average gasoline mower, she said it was worth the investment because it was quiet, convenient and did not pollute the air. She then found a small company in Virginia that outfitted her truck with a photovoltaic solar panel and storage batteries. Thanks to the solar panels, she could charge her mower all day as she worked.

I come from a long line of entrepeneurs who always had their own businesses, so it felt very natural for me to start a business out of this, DeWitt said. My uncles had a lawn equipment business, my father sold Christmas trees in the winter and flowers in the spring and summer, and my uncle owned a small fruit farm.

She invested about $30,000 on the truck, solar panels, mowers and other equipment. She enlisted the help of her 14-year-old daughter, Anna, and several young adults.

Since 2009, the company has grown to six mowers, eight trimmers, three trucks with solar panels and a dozen employees. A year ago, it was certified by the Montgomery County Green Business Certification Program, signifying its effective environmental stewardship. It received a runner-up award at Bethesda Greens gala in 2011 in a category recognizing local green services.

According to the Solar Mowing website, the company abides by a few distinctive standards. First, it mows, not according to a set schedule, but when it is best for the lawn.

Lyn is mowing the lawn so its best for the lawn in the long term, unlike some services who just do it on a schedule and theyre not really thinking about the best interest of your lawn, said Andrea Witt of Bethesda, a customer for three years.

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Cutting grass the green way: Bethesda woman grows Solar Mowing -- Gazette.Net

Christina Bell, Ashland's director of development and chief party planner, is in the final stages of preparing the biggest fundraiser of the year. In her office, Bell is surrounded by auction items. There are 40 for the silent auction and 10 bigger-ticket items a year's lease on a BMW, a Greek coin necklace, dinner for eight at Botherum, another historic home in town that the foundation hopes will get bid up in frenzied competition. HERALD-LEADER|BuyPhoto

A casual visitor to the Henry Clay Estate this week might have no inkling, but behind the serene, historic faade, it's crunch time for the people who work there.

Saturday is the Lawn Party, the biggest day in the Ashland Foundation's fund-raising calendar. Banners at the four corners of the grounds declare it "Summer's Best Party," doubling down on the pressure as if raising a quarter of the annual operating budget in a single night isn't enough.

"There's a ton of things to do," says Christina Bell, director of development and chief party planner, who's pretty much camped out this week at work, keeping her finger on the elevated pulse of the preparations.

Besides the catering and the tent and the musicians, there are weeds to banish, bricks to clean, mosquitoes to discourage and 17 acres of grass to cut. The estate hires outside services for the spraying and mowing. But for the other sprucing-up tasks, and for generally keeping a cool head amid the frenzy, Bell and curator Eric Brooks know they can rely on one man: Shawn Goheen.

What, me worry?

"I just wait for my list," says Goheen, looking surprisingly serene for a go-to guy days before the big bash.

Or maybe he hasn't fully woken up. It's just after 8 a.m. and he normally doesn't clock in until 10.

Goheen, 46, grew up across the road on Sherman Avenue, and as a boy climbed Ashland's trees and played Frisbee on its lawn. His memories of the place include seeing the long-departed cat Gypsy, one of Ashland's favorite residents, sitting in a window, surveying her domain. But he'd never been inside the building until five years ago, when he was hired as the estate's maintenance technician. It's a job title that is elastic enough to include almost anything.

"Shawn does an incredible number of things in a few hours and does them well and cheerfully," says Brooks. "He often finds problems that we don't know about."

Continued here:
It's all hands on deck at Ashland for major fundraiser

JOPLIN, Mo. If you think you are having a hard time staying on top of your mowing, you should talk to Paul Horton, of the Lawn Guy. He takes care of 150 lawns. When conditions for mowing are favorable, like they were late last week, he has two crews mowing from sunrise to sunset.

We have to work around it. It gets too wet, he said. In our case, most of the yards are already irrigated. They get so saturated you cant get on them, and these are nice yards. When its dry, we go like gangbusters. We mow as much as we can.

When the mowing season started in April, it was really dry. Horton is thankful for that now.

If we would have had normal rain in April and then the rain weve had for the last two weeks, we would have been really sunk, he said.

In early May, the Joplin area and parts of Southeast Kansas were classified as being in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The deficit for the year was more than 9 inches.

Nearly two-thirds of the moisture that Joplin has received this year has fallen in the last few weeks. The rain started falling in mid-May, which logged 4.77 inches. So far this month, 3.41 inches have been recorded. Joplin has received only 12.12 inches since the beginning of the year. The deficit stands at 8.86 inches.

Last Thursday, because conditions had improved so dramatically, the U.S. Drought Monitor downgraded Joplins drought to moderate.

Horton is not the only one feeling the impact of so much water.

Scott Garrie, manager of Schifferdecker Golf Course, said, We use less water to irrigate. The rain helps in that regard, but on the flip side, it restricts our maintenance the things that need to be completed. Its hard to mow without rutting when its this wet.

And when its raining, people arent playing.

Visit link:
Drought conditions downgraded to moderate; lawn services, farmers, golf courses feeling effect of rain

Its that time of the year again, when the temperatures rise and the smell of freshly-cut grass fills the air. If you thinking about hiring a company to do the lawn care work for you, Better Business Bureau has a few tips to keep in mind.

In 2013, BBB received more than 3,400 complaints against lawn care services. Many of the complaints were about shoddy workmanship, damage to lawns, failure to honor warranties, and billing and collection issues. Another issue is ghosting, in which lawn care employees show up, put some signs on the lawn indicating they did work, and simply drive off.

Consumers can avoid most of these problems by researching prospective lawn care companies and keep the following tips in mind:

Know what you want Have in mind the types of services you are seeking (fertilizing, weeding, aerating, mowing). Ask about the products used (seed, fertilizer, weed killer), request a lawn inspection and estimate, and be wary of any company that quotes a price without first seeing your yard.

Understand pricing While price is certainly a major factor in any purchasing decision, find out exactly what you are getting. Do you pay by the mow or by the week? What happens when it rains? Does mowing include edging? Do they mulch or bag the clippings? Are services performed by employees or sub-contracted out?

Check first Make sure the company has an up to date license as required by your jurisdiction, when appropriate. Always check the companys BBB Business Review at bbb.org. Ask for references and check the companys affiliation with national franchises or associations.

Scrutinize the contract Some contracts automatically renew unless you specify otherwise If you do choose to sign a long-term contract, make sure you get information about cancellation rights in writing, in case you find the services to be unsatisfactory.

Understand the warranties and guarantees If the service is not to your liking, or the lawn doesnt look as you anticipated, understand what recourse you may have.

Shop around Get written estimates from at least three different companies. Keep in mind that the cheapest estimate is not necessarily the best option. You may have to invest a little more for higher quality products and services.

Read this article:
BBB Offers Tips on Hiring Lawn Care Services

Before Lyn DeWitt used to mow her lawn, she would take all of her children inside of her Bethesda house and shut the windows to avoid the mowers fumes and loud motor. As the communications director for the Audubon Naturalist Society and a generally environmentally-aware citizen, DeWitt decided that she had enough of the gasoline-powered lawn mower.

Thats when she decided to harness the same sun that helped the lawn grow to help cut it her company Solar Mowing emerged.

In 2009, DeWitt bought her first battery-powered lawn mower for roughly $400. Although it was more expensive than the average gasoline-powered lawn mower by about $200, she said it was worth the investment because it was quiet, convenient and did not contribute to air pollution. She then found a small company in Virginia that agreed to outfit her truck with a photovoltaic solar panel and storage batteries. Thanks to the solar panels, she could charge her mower all day as she worked.

I come from a long line of entrepeneurs who always had their own businesses, so it felt very natural for me to start a business out of this, DeWitt said. My uncles had a lawn equipment business, my father sold Christmas trees in the winter and flowers in the spring and summer and my uncle owned a small fruit farm.

She invested approximately $30,000 on the truck, solar panels, mowers and other equipment. She enlisted the help of her 14-year-old daughter, Anna, and several young adults.

Since 2009, the company has grown from one to six mowers, eight trimmers as well as three trucks outfitted with solar panels and a dozen employees. On June 20, 2013, it was green-certified by Montgomery County Green Business Certification Program, meaning that the program decided the company had demonstrated effective environmental stewardship. It received a runner-up award at Bethesda Greens Gala in 2011 in a category recognizing local green services.

According to the Solar Mowing website, the company abides by a few unique standards First, they do not mow according to a set schedule but instead, when it is healthiest for the lawn.

Lyn is mowing the lawn so its best for the lawn in the long-term, unlike some services who just do it on a schedule and theyre not really thinking about the best interest of your lawn, Bethesda resident and client of three years Andrea Witt said.

Also, the company leaves the grass at 3-3.5 inches tall, which prevents the germination of weed seeds and increases nutrient uptake.

Finally, Solar Mowing makes sure to leave clippings on their customers lawns. The clippings, which workers mulch into a fine product that falls between the cut grass, are beneficial to the lawn because they feed the soil.

Go here to see the original:
Cutting grass in a green way: Bethesda woman grows Solar Mowing -- Gazette.Net

June 13, 2014 12:01 a.m.

Took Aunt Olive to the doctor yesterday to see about a lump that has been growing on her knuckle. She has been calling it her "button." She was in fine form, telling one nurse that if it got any bigger they would put her in a cage and charge 25 cents to see her at the county fair.

The lump is not cancer, but we'll get it removed in an outpatient procedure at the end of the month. That was a relief.

Memory problems are making daily life a little less calm for Olive, there is no denying it. She maintains her good attitude, but it is difficult for her to sort out her dreams, which are pretty vivid, from reality, which is anything but vivid. So, you know which perception wins: The more vivid.

We went for a drive around the countryside the other day--such plush green this time of year. She knew where we were as we drove and enjoyed seeing the light green of the sprouting crops. This is a vivid time of year, and if Olla got out every day, I suspect she would be better off. Alas, we don't have such priorities.

Speaking of lush green, this is the season of mowing.

Living in town has taught me one thing: Mowers go all day long! And another thing: Almost nobody sharpens their blades! How they can stand to do all that work only to have the lawn look like it got a bad haircut from a four-year-old is beyond me. Even one of the mowing services has a mower which cuts a groove every pass.

Of course, I am spoiled. I have been doing a lot of mowing at the nursery with a brand-new zero turn radius Husquvarna with a 60-inch deck. You want fun. That's it. Almost got depressed this morning when I realized there was no more grass to mow out at the nursery. If it rains tomorrow, we'll have plenty to mow next week.

However, my campaign literature will have arrived by then, which means I will be out doorknocking. That will be when this campaign really turns into an adventure. I have never door-knocked before, and I have always been thankful that I am not a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness so I would have to door knock just to be keep the faith. But! Door-knocking is a politicial necessity, and so I will venture forth, hoping that I enjoy and and take to it. Practice run in East Grand Forks tomorrow.

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Eric Bergeson's The Country Scribe

We Provide Some of the Top Lawn Mowing Services Calgary Can Offer
We provide some of the best lawn mowing services Calgary has to offer, and it #39;s one of the services that everyone can enjoy all summer long.

By: Peter Singleton

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We Provide Some of the Top Lawn Mowing Services Calgary Can Offer - Video

North Canton Lawn Services 44720 | Alpine Landscaping 330-896-5640
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By: BestLandscaping InAkron

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North Canton Lawn Services 44720 | Alpine Landscaping 330-896-5640 - Video