How to Get (and Keep!) Squirrels Out of Your Attic

How to Get (and Keep!) Squirrels Out of Your Attic
Angie Mohr


I remember a time when I thought that squirrels were adorable. I would watch in fascination as they darted about in the fall leaves, gathering nuts and berries for the impending winter. And then...one found its way into our attic. And then another. And another. We tried many methods to get rid of the squirrels in our attic, from sound generation devices to fox urine, but here is what worked for us in the end.

Step 1: Find where the squirrels are entering the attic. Although this may seem at first to be an easy task, it usually isn't. Squirrels can enter any hole in the attic the size of their skull. They simply squeeze their body in to follow. Make sure that the squirrels have left the attic for the day prior to boarding up any holes. Walk around the attic and the outside of the house with a flashlight, checking roof line edges, gable joiners, and under the eaves. When a hole is located, block it off with either wood or reinforced steel mesh. Window screen is useless as the squirrels will chew through it like paper.

Step 2: Remove any traces of squirrel activity in the attic. Look in the attic for squirrel feces, shredded insulation, or nut stores. Wearing a safety mask and gloves, shovel out any squirrel detritus into a garbage bag and tie securely. Spray a solution of 1 tablespoon bleach to 1 quart water mixed in a spray bottle around the areas where there was squirrel activity. Do not over-wet the insulation if exposed.

Step 3: Live trap any new squirrel guests. Inevitably, squirrels will find that their holes have been blocked and will either attempt to make new ones or will find a way to disable your barriers. Set a live trap in the attic to capture any new squirrel residents. Place a cracker covered with peanut butter in the far end of the trap to entice the squirrels. Once caught, the method of dispatch is up to you, but there are really only two that work. Squirrels are territorial and can find their way back to their old stomping grounds from over ten miles away so if you plan to release them, it should be from a greater distance. Make sure that you are in compliance with local laws on the capture and release of wildlife. Many jurisdictions make it illegal to release wildlife off of your property. Which brings us to the second method of dispatch: death. The method of killing should be humane and quick. Drowning is the preferred method. Fill a 55 gallon garbage can with water and immerse the entire cage with the squirrel. Cover with a lid and wait for a minimum of fifteen minutes. Remove the squirrel and bury a minimum of 4 feet deep to prevent predation.

Once you have had squirrels in your attic, it is likely that it will happen again if allowed, so you will always need to be vigilant and frequently inspect the attic for signs of intrusion. All holes should be blocked immediately. You may choose to keep the live trap set continuously in the attic. Just ensure that you check it at least twice a day. You may never again see the cute side to these pesky animals, but at least you can keep them from living in your house. (562 words)



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Copyright 2011 Angie Mohr

Is Your Office Productive This Holiday Season?

Is Your Office Productive This Holiday Season? 
Angie Mohr CA CMA
www.numbers101.com


It's that time of the year again for most of us- the holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any of the other year end celebrations that happen at the end of this month, you will very likely be distracted from your business by many holiday activities such as gift shopping, attending lunches and parties, and mailing cards to distant friends and family.

Your employees will be similarly distracted. Recently, Workopolis (an online job search and recruitment website) posted a survey on its site that was responded to by over 14,000 employees. The survey question asked whether the employees are more distracted and have lower levels of productivity at work during the holiday season. 52% of those who responded to the poll admitted that their productivity levels at work during the month of December are lower. Almost two-thirds of respondents (61%) reported that the overall pace at work is slower and that they feel less motivated.

Employees who are de-motivated spend more time out of the office at lunches, surf the Internet for personal use, and chat with other employees more frequently. In the United States, there is a measurable level of Internet shopping on the first day back at work after the Thanksgiving holiday. It's called Cyber Monday and it's a day that sees millions of employees in holiday shopping mode with access to their employer's fast high speed Internet connections. This effect is strong enough to move the stock market.

How do you as an employer monitor and control productivity and use of your corporate resources? Here are some ideas to get you started:

Set realistic expectations. It isn't reasonable to expect that your employees will run at 100% for the seven or eight hours they are working for you a day. All employees have varying energy and work levels, just like you do. For example, 3 pm tends to be a time of low productivity as compared with early morning. Adapt your expectations to fall in line with what's reasonable to expect from your staff.

Formalize a clear and reasonable Internet usage policy. It's important to realize that there are benefits to you for allowing your employees to use your company's Internet connection. Example: your employees are likely to be more productive if they can take five minutes to do some online banking rather than have to fret for half a day wondering if they'll get out of work in time to get in their car and get to the bank. Outline what you are willing to accept in the way of amount of time spent surfing. Also, ensure that you have adequate virus protection on your Internet connections to prevent casual surfing infecting your corporate files.

Set unambiguous guidelines for lunches and breaks. Make sure that your employees understand the structure that you have set for their work time. It is possible to build flexibility into the plan lest you worry that you will come across like Scrooge. For example, you can set a flextime policy that allows employees to decide when they want to work as long as they put in the required number of hours per day.

Make sure that employees take their full lunch times and breaks. The reason that breaks are mandated by labor law is that they are important to the health and well-being of people. Everyone needs a little downtime on a daily basis. If your employees generally work through their lunch and breaks, they may burn out faster and become de-motivated more quickly.

Help to motivate your employees and make work fun. There are many ways for you to help your employees feel re-invigorated and motivated. Hold a year end party or write thank you letters to your employees for all of the great things they've contributed to the company over the year. Use your imagination and show your employees that they are valued.

It is possible to increase your workplace productivity without being the holiday grinch. Heck, you might even enjoy yourself at the same time! (670 words)



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Copyright 2011 Angie Mohr

Small Businesses: Getting a Jump on the Taxman

Small Businesses: Getting a Jump on the Taxman
Angie Mohr CA CMA
www.numbers101.com


As a small business owner, you have lots to do as you come closer to the end of the year. The last thing on your mind is most likely filing income taxes for your small business or corporation. Heck, they're not due for months yet. The sooner you put your mind to organizing your financial records for tax purposes, the smoother the process will be and, most likely, the more money you'll be able to keep in your pocket when it's all over.

Here are some things that you can begin to organize now to get a jump on the taxman:

Get caught up on your bookkeeping. Making sure that you have organized and recorded all of your sales and expenses you've incurred year to date will help you avoid any last minute faxing of receipts to your accountant. You can't claim expenses for which you haven't kept receipts.

Pull all of your receipts for home office expenses if you qualify. You are able to claim home office expenses in most cases if your home office is your main place of business or if you regularly and consistently see customers there. You will apply the percentage of your home that your home office takes up to your actual house expenses, such as heat, hydro, mortgage interest, and property taxes. Make sure you have copies of all of those bills for the year to assist in this calculation.

Organize receipts for business expenses that you have paid personally. Many small business owners end up paying for some business expenses out of their own pockets. For example, you might be at a hardware store and end up seeing the perfect storage bins for your office files. If you don't track the business part of these receipts, you can't claim them as business expenses.

Estimate your business net income to be able to do some proactive tax planning. Having a sense of what you will have to pay tax on will allow you to employ some tax minimization strategies, such as investing in IRA's. It also allows you to make sure that you set enough money aside to pay your taxes in April.

Have a preliminary planning meeting with your accountant. Accountants are busy overworked people in April. Take the time now to meet with them to discuss your business and personal tax issues and book an appointment early in the upcoming year so that you're not scrambling at the last minute to file on time.

Set up an efficient filing and tracking system for next year. If you find that you're always digging in your pockets or purse for business receipts or searching the archaeological layers of papers on your desk for important government forms, now is the time to change that for the upcoming year. Set up a filing system either by month or by vendor, depending on what works best for your business. Set deadlines for yourself to have each month's financial records entered into your accounting system. For example, a goal could be to have January month end completed by February 28th.

Set tax strategies and goals for the new year. Not only should you be finalizing your tax issues for this year, it's never too early to start off on the right foot for next year. Plan your company's net income for this year and review with your accountant the tax implications. This will be important not only for your business activities but for your personal taxes as well as your spouse's.

Being proactive is one of the qualities that sets successful businesses apart from those that struggle. Looking ahead and planning for tax season will give your small business an edge (and will make your accountant smile!). (620 words)



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Copyright 2011 Angie Mohr

New Year's Day Celebrations Around the World

New Year's Day Celebrations Around the World
Angie Mohr


In almost every culture on the planet, the beginning of a new year is a time for celebration, of summing up the prior year and of looking forward to the upcoming one. Not every culture celebrates New Year's on the same day, but there are many similarities in customs.

In the American deep South, for example, New Year's Day means collard greens and black-eyed peas. Both represent money flowing into the household in the new year; the greens are paper money and the peas are coins.

The first known New Year's Day observance was around 4000 BC. The Babylonians celebrated around the vernal equinox, what we now consider to be the first day of spring. In fact, most civilizations considered the start of spring to be the start of the new year as it was a time of planting, growing, and rebirth. The Babylonian celebration lasted eleven days, with different events and traditions on each of the days.

Traditional British New Year's beliefs include the "First Footing" ritual. The first person to enter the house on New Year's Day sets the tone for the entire year. According to tradition, the first footer should be a tall, dark-haired man and ideally should be bearing small gifts such as salt, coal, or meat, to ensure plenty in the coming year. If the first footer is blond, red-haired, or a woman, bad luck will prevail. Another traditional New Year's rule is that no laundry should be done on New Year's Day, lest someone in the family be "washed away".

In China, New Year's is celebrated based on the old lunar calendar and can occur in January or February. The practice of setting off firecrackers serves to ward off evil spirits, the same reason many cultures celebrate New Year's Day with fireworks, noisemakers and shouting (and incidentally, why we ring church bells at a wedding).

In most Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico and Spain, The Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, is observed on January 6th, also known as Twelfth Night. Children leave hay out for the King's horses the night before and, in return, receive presents from the Kings when they awaken. A cake shaped in the form of a ring is served. As in many other cultures, the ring stands for the rotation of the seasons, or the Wheel of the Year.

New Year's Day is an important and long-standing tradition throughout the world, no matter how you celebrate it. (409 words)



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Copyright 2011 Angie Mohr

Heritage Gardening: Heirloom Tomatoes

Heritage Gardening: Heirloom Tomatoes
 Angie Mohr

Growing heirloom tomatoes in your home garden is one of the easiest and tastiest projects imaginable. The tomatoes that you can buy in the grocery store have been bred specifically for their ability to be shipped without damage all over the world. They are frequently picked green then sprayed with ethylene gas to finish the appearance of ripening.

Home-grown tomatoes, however, especially heirloom varieties that have been grown in back yards for hundreds of years, can be picked at the absolute pinnacle of ripeness and enjoyed immediately. Although tomatoes need lots of heat and sun to grow, they can be grown in almost any climate, as long as they can get 80-90 frost-free days. Heirloom tomatoes can even be grown in planters on the patio and moved throughout the day to follow the sun.

Choose the tomato variety you would like to grow based on your climate and your preferences. In a colder climate, choose an early-ripening tomato such as Early Girl, or Sub-Arctic Plenty. These varieties take a shorter amount of time to reach maturity and will do better in climates when only the summer months can be counted on to be frost free. If you want a large harvest of tomatoes at the same time, either to can or to dry, choose a determinate variety, like Roma.

Determinates all ripen at approximately the same time whereas indeterminates set fruit and grow continually right up until frost. The determinate/indeterminate designation can be found in the description of the seeds. For one of the most sublime tomato experiences, grow Brandywine. This red-purple heirloom tomato has been in existence for over a hundred years and repeatedly wins taste competitions.


Tomatoes need as much sun as you can give them except in tropical climates. Choose the sunniest spot in your yard and observe it for a few days to make sure that it gets six to seven hours of sun per day. You can grow heirloom tomatoes from seedlings or from seed. If growing from seed you will have a better selection but will have to start the seeds indoors two months before your last expected frost. Plant your tomato seedlings in rich soil that has had compost added. If frost threatens unexpectedly, cover your tomato plants overnight.

Harvest tomatoes frequently when ripe to encourage the plant to continue production. At the end of the season, pull up remaining plants with green tomatoes still attached. Hang plants upside down in a dark cool place like a shed. The mature green tomatoes will turn red slowly thereby extending your growing season.

Mediterranean Summer Salad
4 ripe heirloom tomatoes
2 ripe English cucumbers
½ medium red onion
½ cup crumbled Greek feta cheese
½ cup pitted sliced black olives
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Dice tomatoes and cucumbers into similar bite-sized pieces. Slice onion in half then slice halves very thinly. Mix tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta, olives, and basil in a salad bowl. In a lidded Mason jar, shake olive oil and lemon juice together until well-combined. Pour over salad and toss gently just before serving. (523 words)



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Copyright 2011 Angie Mohr

Heritage Gardening: Hutterite Soup Beans

Heritage Gardening: Hutterite Soup Beans
Angie Mohr

The Hutterites were an Anabaptist break-away group established in Moravia under the leadership of Jakob Hutter in 1529. In 1874, a colony of Hutterites emigrated to the United States from Russia, fleeing religious in-fighting and external persecution.

Colonies of Hutterites still live in South Dakota today, but more than 75% live in Western Canada, where many emigrated in 1918, after a violent incident where two sect members were killed by the U.S. military.

When the Hutterites came to North America, they brought with them the seeds they knew how to grow and that they knew would sustain them. One of those was what is now known as the heirloom Hutterite Soup Bean. This dried bean staple makes the most amazing soup as it is naturally thick and creamy when cooked without the addition of cream or butter.

Hutterite Soup Beans are on Slow Food USA's list of heirloom endangered foods. Slow Food USA keeps track of foods and foodways that are disappearing due to the consolidation of large seed companies, which is resulting in the reduction of the variety of seeds commercially available.

These heirloom seeds are available through individual seed savers and RareSeeds.com, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed's online presence. Hutterite Soup Beans are well worth seeking out and given a bit of space in the garden. They are easy to grow, mature quickly, and store easily.


Hutterite Soup Beans grow between 24 and 30 inches tall and mature in approximately 80-85 days. These bush-style bean plants are compact and highly productive. Plant as early as possible after the last expected hard frost in the spring. Plant seeds 18 inches apart and bury ½ inch deep in rich amended soil. Leave beans on the plant until completely dry, then harvest and break out of pods.

The heirloom cream-tan seeds with "black eyes" cook in record time: 20 minutes or less with an overnight soak. They can replace pinto beans or black eyed peas in any recipe but really come into their own when featured in soup. Here is my favorite bean soup recipe:

Hutterite Bean Soup

2 pounds dried Hutterite Soup Beans
8 cups chicken stock, homemade or purchased *
1 large onion, diced finely
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse beans in colander, picking out stones and stems. Soak overnight in clean water. When fully soaked, drain water then put beans in large pot with all other ingredients (except salt and pepper) and boil gently over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add water during boiling if thinner consistency is desired and check doneness of beans after 15 minutes and then every five minutes until done.

Salt and pepper to taste. You may blend in a blender or with an immersion blender if you desire a consistent texture or serve as is, a more rustic style. Serve with thick slices of whole grain bread for a substantial meal.
* You may substitute mushroom or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version. (507 words)



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Copyright 2011 Angie Mohr

Child Life Insurance: Do You Need It?

Child Life Insurance: Do You Need It?
 Angie Mohr CA CMA
www.numbers101.com

It's something that none of us wants to think about~ the death of a child. But not taking the time to think through the financial implications of your child's death leaves you open to the aggressive marketing efforts of some unscrupulous life insurance agents. Child life insurance is big business in the United States. Companies like Gerber and many others specialize in this type of insurance and tout its benefits many reasons other than its original purpose: to insure the costs of the death.

Let's start by looking at the difference between whole life and term policies. A term life insurance policy is all insurance and only insurance. That means that if an insurable death occurs, the policy pays out the face value. If you have a $10,000 policy, you will receive $10,000 upon the death of your child. Term insurance gets its name from the fact that the premiums are guaranteed for a certain term. Frequently, this is ten, fifteen or twenty years. That means that premiums are likely to rise to continue the insurance at the end of the term. As the child gets older, the cost of insurance gets more expensive. Eventually, term life ends, usually at age 75. It cannot be renewed after that point.

Whole life, on the other hand, has both an insurance component and an investment component. You can keep your whole life policy for just that: your whole life. Most plans have guaranteed insurability, meaning that the policy will stay in force even if health circumstances change. You can withdraw the cash value of the investment side of the policy after a period of time and usually with fees and restrictions. Premiums on whole life policies are significantly higher than for term life, in part to cover the "forced" investment and in part because the claims will be higher than under a term life policy where many people will outlive it.

It may look on the surface as if whole life is the best option for parents with children. In fact, all the glossy brochures talk more about the savings features than the death payout. You may even think you're giving your child a "gift for the future"~ a term frequently used in child life insurance marketing. However, there are many good reasons to stay away from whole life coverage for your child, and even term life in many cases.
The first goes back to the original point of life insurance: to cover the immediate and long term costs associated with a death. The immediate costs include the cost of a funeral and the lost income of the parents while planning and attending it. The long term cost of death is the lost income of the insured. For example, if a father earns $50,000 a year and dies at age 50, the wife and children have lost out on that $50,000 per year for 15 years (assuming the husband would have retired at age 65).

That income needs to be replaced in order for the family to have the same lifestyle as they do now. In the case of a child's death, there is no need for income replacement as the family was not dependent the child's income to continue (unless of course if the child has an acting career or other such type of income). That leaves only the short term costs of a funeral ($6,500 on average according to the National Funeral Directors Association) and income replacement for the parents to plan and attend the funeral. Those are the losses that need to be insured. In most cases, a $10,000 term life plan per child is the most cost-effective vehicle to provide child life insurance.

The second reason why whole life is not the best plan for a child is the investment component. Many plans tout the fact that you are helping your child save for the future, whether it is college or buying their first house. The reality is that a whole life policy is an inferior savings product when compared to education savings plans or even simply, a savings account. You have no control over the types and returns of the whole life investments.

You will also have to pay conversion or redemption fees in most plans to get at the money. It makes more sense to plan your child's insurance and savings needs separately with the appropriate product.
The third reason is that, over the life of whichever policy you choose, you are paying over time for the policy's benefits. Let's say, for example, that you are looking at buying a whole life policy for your two-year-old. Because the policy is in force for life, there will be a 100% claims rate (except for those who stop paying premiums, so let's say that drops us down to an 85% claims rate). That means that the insurance company will have to recover 85% of the face value of the policy through premiums.

The premium for your two-year-old will be set with rates assuming he or she dies seventy or eighty years from now. The insurance company wins in the short term because you're paying a hefty premium for a two-year-old. The fact is, children rarely die. The insurance company is not expecting to have to pay out on that policy in the short term. That leaves you insuring a short term risk (the death of a child) with long term premium rates.

The subject of losing a child is a difficult one to face, but doing so ahead of time in a practical and logical manner may save you financial grief in the future. Before you choose a child life insurance plan, make an appointment with a qualified financial planner (rather than someone who makes money from selling life insurance) to review your insurance and investment needs. (969 words)



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Copyright 2011 Angie Mohr