Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

JESLED Lighting (98% positive lifetime feedback) via Amazon is offering a 2-pack of its Solar LED Landscape Spotlights for $14.63 Prime shipped with the code BEBETNIV and when you clip the on-page coupon. Down from its regular rate of around $25, this is among the best pricing that weve tracked all-time and is the lowest available. Spring is just around the corner, so its time to start preparing to spruce up your landscape. These spotlights are powered by the sun, meaning it takes just a few hours of light to keep them going all night. Rated 4.2/5 stars.

Govee US (98% positive lifetime feedback) via Amazon is offering a 2-pack of its Dusk to Dawn LED Light Bulbs for $10.39 Prime shipped with the code QTVQSZCF at checkout. Down from its regular rate of $16, this is among the best pricing that weve tracked all-time. Rated 4+ stars from 60% of shoppers.

Instead of illuminating your landscape, brighten up a walkway with this $13.50 Prime shipped LED solar light. Just remember toclip the on-page coupon to redeem the discounted price. While it wont shine a light on your landscape, itll easily let your guests know how to get to the backyard for spring parties.

Dont forget to check out our daily Green Deals roundup. Today, its headlined by a 56V backpack blower at $99 thatll make cleanup a breeze when it comes to yard work. Youll also find an electric pressure washer and more there, so be sure to give it a look.

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Brighten up your landscape with a 2-pack of solar LED spotlights at $14.50 - 9to5Toys

Theyre back, but migrating hooded orioles hardly got the welcome mat this week as they arrived amid cold temperatures, rain and generally miserable weather.

These beautiful songbirds may be wondering why they bothered to leave the comfort of more tropical conditions in Mexico.

But theyre back, having started dribbling into the county late last month, and now showing up in most areas.

The earliest reports were about three weeks ago when the colorful birds were reported in Borrego Springs and at a few scattered locations along the coast.

Its an annual homecoming I anxiously await, and the thrill of seeing the first hooded oriole of the season is hard to describe.

Id have to say its about as exciting for me as Winnie the Pooh finding a honey tree.

Sure, we have flocks of white-crowned sparrows and yellow-rumped warblers who brighten up bouncing around in our gardens all winter, but the arrival of the orioles is nothing less than magical.

The neon-yellow and orange along with jet-black coloration make the hooded oriole one of our most colorful summer visitors. Like clockwork they arrive in numbers around the first week of March and with equal punctuality depart about the first week in September.

Over the last several years I have recorded the first male arrival on either March 7, 8 or 9.

Males return first, followed by the less colorful females about 10 days two weeks later.

For the next few months the orioles will begin nest building, generally in palms, and by mid-summer their population will noticeably increase as fledglings begin feeding to build strength and energy for the fall migration.

Keep an eye on fan palms or broad leaf plants such as banana trees or rubber trees. The orioles use the fiber strands from palms for both nest construction and to sew the pouch nest into the broad leaves where eggs and chicks will be protected from rain.

Orioles add both color and animation to your bird feeders and will keep you busy providing fresh nectar, grape jelly or slices of orange.

Residents who want to attract the birds can do so easily by offering several types of oriole feeders available at local bird supply outlets.

Most popular are nectar feeders, because they will provide food for several days. The nectar is a mixture of one-part sugar and four parts water, mixed in boiling water and allowed to cool. Clean feeders well when refilling.

Hooded orioles are also just plain crazy about grape jelly. Thats a bit more expensive than nectar, and they arent very neat about eating it, often flinging it about. Its a good idea to put jelly feeders out in the garden away from patios or walkways.

Oranges cut in half or quarters can be placed on a tray or on a spike and the birds will also enjoy that, however, try to keep them out of hot sunlight.

In the natural environment, hooded orioles also feed on insects by hanging upside down to examine the underside of leaves.

One of the most appealing things about these summer visitors are their antics. They are the clowns of the bird world, also hanging upside down from your feeders, sliding down the string or wire holding a feeder, chattering and bickering with each other.

They are nervous and animated birds, dashing in and out of feeders and exploding in a flurry of flying feathers at the appearance of a human. Ive found the best way to watch them is from a window. You might get a view if sitting perfectly still near a feeder, but generally they seem to recognize the human shape and bolt immediately.

I have nectar feeders on my patio by the kitchen window, right at the window of my office, and by my bedroom window. This gives me a good view as they come to feed.

Hooded orioles are a beautiful addition to any landscape. With a little effort, you should be able to attract them to your home.

Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.

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Column: Attracting the colorful hooded oriole to your yard - The San Diego Union-Tribune

The contemporary colonial house at 22 Flower Farm Circle sits at the far end of the cul-de-sac on a gated and level property of 2.46 acres.

The contemporary colonial house at 22 Flower Farm Circle sits at the far end of the cul-de-sac on a gated and level property of 2.46 acres.

Photo: SR Photo, LLC All Rights Reserved

The contemporary colonial house at 22 Flower Farm Circle sits at the far end of the cul-de-sac on a gated and level property of 2.46 acres.

The contemporary colonial house at 22 Flower Farm Circle sits at the far end of the cul-de-sac on a gated and level property of 2.46 acres.

On the Market: Colonial blossoms on former flower farm site

WESTPORT Thoughts of past agriculture that occurred in Westport and surrounding communities usually brings to mind the onion farms that once proliferated there.

Less well-known is the large flower farm that once existed in the Turkey Hill neighborhood of Westports Greens Farms area. That sweeter smelling farm is long gone, replaced by a street named Flower Farm Circle. What has sprung up in the farms place is a bouquet of upscale houses, all built about two decades ago, including the contemporary colonial house at 22 Flower Farm Circle, a private road.

This 10-room, 5,944-square-foot blossom sits at the far end of the cul-de-sac, on a gated and level property of 2.46 acres. Its privacy is enhanced by the abundance of trees that border this property and its placement far down the long driveway.

Yet, this house is only minutes from the Post Road (Route 1) shops and restaurants in one direction, and the Greens Farms train station and local beaches in the opposite direction.

Built in 1997, this taupe-colored clapboard and red brick house features custom, stacked windows and multiple sets of French doors to the private grounds, which include a bluestone patio lined in Belgium block.

The builder clearly anticipated the modern lifestyle people live today. The house has spacious rooms, an open floor plan, and a first-floor master bedroom suite that would allow its owners to age in place or invite aging parents to move in. The dark hardwood flooring throughout the house adds dimension to the fresh and airy style.

A bluestone path leads past shrubbery and perennial flowers to the covered front entrance, which is framed by fluted pilasters and tall sidelights.

The door opens into the sizable two-story entry foyer, to the right of which is the office and to the left is the formal living room. The office features a tall vaulted ceiling and is separated from the foyer by French doors. The entrance into the living room has sophisticated millwork and molding. From the living room there is a wide entryway into the formal dining room, which has wainscoting on the lower walls.

The white eat-in kitchen features a two-tiered center island with seating, granite counters, built-in desk area, and double ovens. The eat-in area has sliding doors to the patio and yard.

In the two-story family room, there is a floor-to-ceiling stacked stone fireplace, an interior balcony and two floors of windows the custom stacked windows mentioned earlier, and French doors to the patio and yard. A pass-through area is perfect for setting up a bar when entertaining. A large mudroom contains a number of built-in cubbies, and provides access to the laundry room and the attached two-car garage.

ABOUT THIS HOUSE

STYLE: Contemporary colonial

ADDRESS: 22 Flower Farm Circle

PRICE: $1,299,000

ROOMS: 10

FEATURES: 2.46-acre level and gated property, located at the end of a cul-de-sac, bluestone patio, proximity to Greens Farms train station, short drive to local beaches, easy commute to Post Road (Route 1) shops and restaurants, wood shingle roof, one fireplace, attached two-car garage, homeowners association, central air conditioning, zoned natural gas heat, public water and sewer connections, full finished basement, attic, five bedrooms including first floor master suite, three full and one half baths

SCHOOLS: Greens Farms Elementary, Bedford Middle, Staples High School

ASSESSMENT: $1,215,200

MILL RATE: 16.86 mills

TAXES: $20,488

HOA: $750, paid annually

This house has five bedrooms. The master suite is complete with custom closets - including a walk-in, a tall tray ceiling, a huge master bath with a jetted tub, shower, double vanity, and water closet, and a separate sitting room with French doors to a side yard. The remaining bedrooms are on the second floor, where there are two full baths, as well as large storage and linen closets.

On the finished lower level, there is flexible space; plenty of room to accommodate a media room, gym, and a recreation or play room.

For more information or to make an appointment to see the house contact Judy Michaelis of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage at 203-247-5000 or Judy.Michaelis@coldwellbankermoves.com.

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On the Market: Colonial blossoms on former flower farm site - Westport News

The dormers and mansard roof all signal Victorian, but beyond the cheery yellow double doors, this circa 1900 Brookline Victorian is a synergistic mix of modern and period styles.

Offering four bedrooms, two full baths, one half bath, and 4,269 square feet of space, 91 Francis St., our Luxury Home of the Week, has hit the market for $3,250,000. Benna Lynch Rondini of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth Real Estate has the listing.

Hardwood flooring and spectacular Moooi ball lighting add warmth and drama to an interior that is sleek with clean lines, statement tile, tall baseboards, and crown molding under ceilings that reach up to 13 feet. The black-and-white cement tile in the kitchen sets a playful tone other spaces in the home emulate. The kitchen which shares an open layout with a dining area that has built-ins boasts a quartz-topped, 14-foot-long island at its center that seats five, smooth-front cabinetry, a door to the mahogany deck, and a pass-through with glass shelves to the family room. A wall-to-wall workstation offers an unobtrusive place for children to do homework within view and earshot of the kitchen.

The dining area opens into a family room with a new wood-burning fireplace and exposed dark beams a pleasing contrast to the white walls found throughout the home. Natural light pours in through a myriad of windows. All of the windows in the home are new, as are the staircases, baths, and the plumbing, heating/cooling, and electrical systems. The floors in the kitchen, baths, and mudroom have radiant heat.

A stairway with oak treads and rails and glass sides leads to the second floor, which houses all four bedrooms. Neutral cement tile offers a blank canvas in the master suite. The walls of the adjoining bath are clad in white subway tile; the flooring, however, is a gray-and-white cement tile with a design that may be a nod to the Southwest. The space also features a floating dual vanity, a shower with a frameless-glass door, a soaking tub, and a water closet.

The second bedroom also has an en-suite bath, but this one is accessible from the main hall. The third bedroom offers a loft that can accommodate a queen-sized mattress.

A spiral staircase leads to a walkout lower level with doors to the patio.

A 650-square-foot space that has a separate entrance has been plumbed and is ready to finish, Rondini said. That square footage is not included in the main tally.

The yard of the 0.22-acre property boasts no-maintenance synthetic turf and off-street parking for five vehicles.

See more photos of the home below:

Take a virtual tour.

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Luxury Home of Week: Brookline Victorian with synthetic turf yard - Boston.com

Classy and Casual describes the look and feel of this ranch home in the Fieldstone Neighborhood! Popular split bedroom design with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and great entertaining spaces inside and out! Features include 9 and 10 foot ceilings throughout with transom windows, crown molding and tray ceilings in DR and Master bedroom. Beautiful new hardwood floors throughout the living & dining room! You'll love the granite counters, heated tile floors, stone/gas fireplace, covered deck off the master bedroom, Trex Transcend (no maintenance) deck off the nook, 5' tile shower and jet tub in master. Downstairs you'll enjoy the family room with a large wet bar, home theater, exercise nook, and pool table area. The LL also features 9' ceilings, daylight windows, two additional bedrooms and a bathroom. The outside is impressive with extensive landscaping, large trees for privacy, brick patio/fire pit, irrigation system and pond-less waterfall. Other high lights include the insulated 3 stall garage with epoxy floor and hot/cold water, extra garage under the deck, central vacuum, Anderson Windows, Heat Pump and 95% efficient furnace, solid core 3 panel doors, pantry, and great drop zone with lockers! So much to love and enjoy here!

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2 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls Area - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

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New windows and siding can save you energy costs and increase the value of your home - 9News.com KUSA

Fantastic Brick Ranch home offers a fabulous open floor plan w/a Sun Room, Patio & in-ground Saltwater pool, perfect for entertaining! Great Room flaunts a coffered ceiling, skylight, 2-sided gas fireplace & HD ceramic plank flooring! Sitting Room w/wet bar & French Doors. Kitchen reveals a vaulted ceiling, two skylights, custom cabinets w/pull-outs & slow close drawers, under cabinet lighting, granite counter tops, ceramic tile back splash, Pantry, Island w/ table. Appliances include stainless steel gas range w/pot filler, wine cooler, ice maker, dishwasher, wall oven, microwave & refrigerator. Master Bedroom Suite features tray ceiling w/chandelier, French doors that open to the Pool, double door walk-in closet & crown molding. Master Bath has an extended vanity w/twin sinks, lots of storage, French doors, Air Massage Tub, separate shower & pocket door to walk-in closet. Secondary Bedrooms provide overhead light, fresh paint & large closets. Come take a look, before it's SOLD!

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30 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the Park Hills Area - Daily Journal Online

He learned on Monday that the seating areas would be closed. I was really bummed, he said. Now he plans to work from home, where it will be easier to get distracted by the refrigerator, the television or the dog.

But Mr. Frank, 63, said he understood the reason for the change. All demographics visit Starbucks, and its just an incubation ground for anything that might be going around, he said. So I think it was a prudent decision on their part.

The coffee chain, which has more than 10,000 company-owned outlets in the United States and Canada, is not alone.

Tim Hortons, the popular Canadian fast-food chain, announced that it would close its dining areas beginning Tuesday to focus on takeout, drive-through and delivery service. Dunkin said on Monday that it was reducing hours, removing tables and limiting its service to drive-through and carryout at its restaurants in the United States.

On Monday, the governors of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York announced broad restrictions on public life in those states: Casinos, gyms and movie theaters will be closed starting Monday evening, they said, and bars and restaurants will be limited to takeout and delivery.

Some Starbucks locations in high-traffic areas, like malls and campuses, will be temporarily closed entirely, the company said.

As we all know, the situation with Covid-19 is extremely dynamic and we will continue to review the facts and science and make the proactive decisions necessary to protect our partners, customers and communities, said Rossann Williams, the executive who oversees the companys 200,000 workers in the United States.

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Starbucks Goes From Sip and Stay to Grab and Go - The New York Times

In response to COVID-19, Banshee Atlanta has created a menu of comfort items including a Virgin Hot Toddy, Bone Broth, and Chicken Noodle Soup to be served via its makeshift drive-thru starting Wednesday, March 18.

Opt out at anytime

News of Banshees special menu arrives on the heels of guidance out of The White House Monday to suspend in-dining patronage of restaurants and bars for the next 15 days.

As of this writing, the guidelines are voluntary and are not ordered.

The East Atlanta Village restaurant and bar that replaced My Sisters Room will block off two spots on the Gresham Ave. side of building, so guests may pull in to get their ordered food delivered to their window by a server.

Since Banshee does not have traditional to-go food on their menu, this is a specially crafted menu for the current situation, a spokesperson for Banshee shared with What Now Atlanta over email Monday

Banshees drive-thru workaround comes on the heels of unveiling its second bar and new patio dining room digs.

When full operations resume, the patio with a 15-seat bar and 18 dining seats will be used as a private events space from Tuesday through Thursday.

On weekends, it will be used as an extension of the restaurant since the full food and beverage menu will be available out there.

Blue Heron Studio did the design and stencil, and architects DeCarlo Hawker, B10 Union commandeered the bar top, tabletops, and banquettes.

Luke Mounts was the general contractor for the build-out, including the garage doors.

Though no state-level or federal mandate has been rendered to close restaurant operations, a slew of Atlantas restaurants like The Nook andShake Shackare responding to the COVID-19 threat in creative ways, including shifting to mobile models, altering operating hours and, like Banshee, fashioning drive-thrus with healing remedies at the ready.

Scope the new Comfort Menu beneath the patio re-do.

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Banshee Serving 'Comfort Items' Menu in Drive-Thru as COVID-19 Response - What Now Atlanta

Later that year, another employee who had attended the Ocasio-Cortez fund-raiser at Gelmans home tweeted a note of discomfort about the radical-chic gathering. When Gelman spied it late at night over a weekend, she summoned her to her office the next Monday morning. The employee deleted the tweet and apologized, and Gelman responded benevolently. Your intelligence and depth are beyond your years, Gelman wrote the employee in an email. Of the Wing, she said: I am honestly very down to hear your unvarnished opinions on it, and ideas you have to improve it and make it better. I really mean that. But a few months later, when the employee emailed Gelman to ask about raising wages, and then began to inquire among staff about their working conditions, a Wing disciplinary write-up signed by Kassan rebuked the employee for expressing negative views about an event at Audreys home, sending reactive emails directly to the C.E.O. and interrogating staff about their pay and benefits. The employee was warned that the company wanted to see a significant improvement in her impulsive and reactive behaviors or face corrective action up to and including termination.

Once, Gelman noticed a few dirty dishes in the beauty room of a club while Venus Williams was visiting the space, according to an employee who was working the event. She said Gelman shut the doors to the beauty room and raised her voice, saying a C.E.O. shouldnt have to clean. The employee left rattled and crying. Two employees who were present in the club that day confirmed that the employee tearfully described the incident to them shortly after it happened. (The Wing spokeswoman denied that it occurred.) Last year, Gelman told the website the Cut that the most fun Ive had in the last few months involved rolling up her sleeves and doing dishwashing shifts at the Wing. She washed three dishes and Instagrammed it, a former employee says.

On a recent Thursday morning, I followed a trail of curvy white Ws painted along a Williamsburg sidewalk up to the entrance of the Wings newest club. In the elevator, I witnessed a real-life Winglet meet-cute: One woman read auras for GOOP; the other made $45 soaps for GOOP; they bonded over a healer they both knew. An eager young Wing employee met me at the front desk, and then I headed into the pink belly of the club, where Audrey Gelman was waiting for me.

Gelman wore a golden Wing necklace and an inviting smile. Flanked by the Wings senior vice president for operations and an outside public-relations professional, she listened to the accounts of her employees and nodded thoughtfully. Despite their intention to build a womens utopia, she acknowledged, the ills of society at large had seeped in. Its hard to hear that people have had this experience, she said. These are familiar themes for us. Every employee concern, she assured me, had already been incorporated into a sweeping business recalibration. Even as it expanded, the Wing was overhauling its organizational structure, raising wages, extending benefits and instituting a code of conduct for members which, if violated, could result in the clipping of wings termination of membership.

Gelman reiterated an article published on Feb. 26 in Fast Company, in which she wrote that she had tried to play the role of the perfect girlboss, promoting the fantasy that a female founder could have it all. But behind the scenes, she wrote, her fear of failure had led her to obscure the real challenges unfolding at the Wing. Wing workers, who had for years raised those very issues internally, wondered why the Wing only seemed to acknowledge them as members spoke up and journalists circled. But when Gelman posted her mea culpa on Instagram, glowing reviews flooded into the comments: So important. I didnt know I could love and admire you even more. Bravo. Whatever improvements might be in store for its employees in the future, the Wing had already successfully fixed the flaw in its public reputation.

As the start-up world has reeled from the dizzying falls of toxic male founders like Ubers Travis Kalanick and WeWorks Adam Neumann, it has set its sights on a new kind of hero figure. Female entrepreneurs are paraded in the press as saviors of the market, even though they still receive relatively paltry sums from venture-capital firms. In their hands, the tensions of capitalism may be laundered through feminist messaging and come out looking bright and new. At the very least, corporate feminism can be defended as an incremental good. Yes, it may co-opt a political movement for profit, but it is moving the levers of capitalism for the benefit of women, tailoring products for female consumers and transferring cash into the coffers of women leaders.

When these women inevitably fail to secure female empowerment through retail offerings and exclusive hospitality experiences, it is suggested that it is perhaps sexist to criticize them. Men get away with so much. And yet this outpouring of sympathy rarely extends beyond the executive suite. When a feminist company falls short of its utopian vision, it is the workers who must toil to maintain the illusion. And they are women, too.

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The Wing Is a Womens Utopia. Unless You Work There. - The New York Times