Andy's Newsletter
Fall-Winter 2009 - Page 2

Tax Information for 2009

The Home Buyer's Credit has been extended into 2010; there are some changes in process.

The optional business standard mileage rate is 55 cents per mile for 2009.

Cookie's Place

Kitchen Ventilation

We took out a countertop range and built-in oven to make floor repairs, and discovered a doorway to the next room. We opened up the doorway, but where to put a range and range hood? There is room to add a cooking island but no where to hang a hood.

A pleasant discovery - down-draft ventilation. The ventilation takes up less room and is more eye-appealing. The blower is inside a cabinet; the vent pipe goes through the floor and can be exhausted more easily.

Use your browser and search for down-draft range to find more information.

Daisy's Garden

"Please don't eat the Christmas cactus."

Take care of it by placing your holiday plant in a sunny location. Keep potting mixture moist but do not overwater; average humidity is 25 percent. This winter-blossoming plant has tubular flowers at the tips of the stems. Originally available in red and pink, varieties now include white and purple blossoms.
Propagate with at least two segments which should have roots starting to form, by placing in a mix of peat and sand. Adult plants require less water in the summer when humidity is higher. To have blooms next winter, place the plant in the dark for twelve hours each night for six to eight weeks in the fall.