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PAGE 10A FOW«YTH COUWTY NEWS - Wxtn— day. Wwiwbw 29.1»5 Layer clothing to keep warm All of us are looking for ways to stay warm in our homes this win ter and save on heating bills at the same time. One way to save money is to lower your thermo stat and put on more clothes. Clothes can increase your com fort if you wear them in layers. The insulation value of clothing comes mainly from the entrap ment of still warm air. This can occur within the fabric itself, between the fabric and the body, and between the different layers of fabrics. The air is heated by body heat and in turn insulates the body. Even though a thicker feeling fabric may be warmer than a thin one. two thin layers are usually much warmer than one heavy layer weighing twice as much. Insulating layers can be provid ed by making minor changes in some of our clothing habits. For example, replace skirts with slacks. Slacks offer more insula tion because they provide dead air space around each leg. Pant liners or lined slacks will add another layer. Other examples may be a vest over a shirt, an undershin under a regular shirt or a turtleneck under a dress. In a really cold house, you might choose to wear insulated Selecting that Christmas tree The traditional holiday season begins this week. Must be time to buy a Christmas tree. This year make it a point to select that tree that will fit all your needs. When choosing a tree keep in mind the height of the room where you will display your tree. Select a tree that is at least one foot shorter than the ceiling height. While wandering the lot, pick out a few trees and run your fin gers over the branch along the needles. Needles should be pli able and adhere to the branches. Shake or bounce the tree to be sure that the needles are firmly attached. If the tree is fresh, few needles should fall off. Avoid trees that have a wilted look. Make sure the handle of the tree is straight. The handle must be six to eight inches long to allow placement in the tree stand When you get the tree home, you still need to care for it. If you don’t plan to put the tree up right away, cut one inch off of the base and put the tree in a bucket of water. Store this in a shady place. When you bring the tree indoors, cut 1/2 to 1 inch off of the base and place the tree in a stand that holds at least one gal lon of water. This allows for the tree to absorb water you place in the stand. Do not place the tree near a fireplace, heater vents or other heat sources. Always keep the tree well-supplied with water. Check the water level in the stand several times each day. Trees may use several quarts of water a day. Adding aspirin, soda water, bleach or sugar to the Scientists seek ways to protect poinsettias The bright red foliage of a Christmas poinsettia loses much of its appeal when it's shrouded in a cloud of tiny white flies. To keep this from happening, growers who supply poinsettias must constantly battle the persis tent greenhouse pests known as white flies. Bob Colton.whose Sunbelt Greenhouses in Douglas. Ga., will produce more than 270,000 poin settias this season, says whitenies are a big problem and getting worse. He sprayed at least eight differ ent chemicals this year, at an esti mated cost of more than $25,000, to control the pests. “The problem is getting worse because whitenies are becoming more resistant to the pesticides we’re using,” Colton said. At the Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin, Ga., scientists are looking for new ways to con trol whiteflies that are less expen sive and friendlier to the environ ment. They’re investigating soaps, oils, plant derivatives, insect growth regulators and biological controls. “We’re looking for compounds that are very target-specific and have short residual,” said University of Georgia entomology researcher Ron Oetting.” They’ve studied several Carol P ropes underwear, knee socks or long wool or wool-blend stockings. Just plain pantyhose will add one degree of warmth, and more if they are textured to trap more air. A lightweight long-sleeved sweater will make you 2 degrees warmer. A heavy sweater will make you 3 degrees warmer. If you wear two sweaters, you can be as much as 5 or 6 degrees w armer because of the trapped air. A belt also adds warmth because it helps hold clothing close to the body. An added advantage to layering clothing is that the layers may be increased or removed as we adjust to changes in temperature or activity. When an individual engages in physical activity, the body naturally generates more heat, so fewer layers are needed to maintain a comfortable tem perature. As activity diminishes the body bums off less heat so more layers of clothing are neces sary' to retain the heat that is not produced by the body. Coj" water in the tree stand is no more effective in keeping the tree fresh than adding plain water each day. Think about fireproofing your tree. The best way to keep a tree fresh and fire resistant to keep it supplied with water at all times. A fresh tree supplied with water presents little fire hazard As long as the tree takes up water, it will be relatively fire resistant. Do not allow the water level in the tree to fall below the base of the tree. Use only UL-approved lights and nonflammable decora tions. Never leave home or go to bed with the Christmas tree lights on. And, do not forget to recycle your tree after the holidays. Cumming/Forsyth County Clean and Beautiful Committee has made arrangements at three sites for you to easily drop off your tree. The Christmas Tree Recycle day is Saturday, January 6 at Sawnee Community Center, Midway School and Tolbert Street Recycling Center. One final item: The Extension Service’s latest newsletter,”Learning and Growing in Forsyth County” is available. Call the Extension office and a copy can be mailed to you. 887-2418. soaps,oils and plant derivatives that are effective when used early in the growth of poinsettias, and they’re developing recommenda tions for concentrations and fre quency of application for the most promising compounds. A plant derivative called azadirachtin that acts as an insect growth regulator is one substance that has been effective. It inter feres with the natural growth of white flies and prevents them from developing into adults. “Insect growth regulators are pest specific and blend in with with other management tactics,” Oetting said. “And they don’t harm natural predator insects.” Oettling also is working with other scientists to identify several parasites of whitenies that might be introduced to poinsettias in greenhouses. He hopes to have one or two of these parasites ready for testing next year. Whiteflies actually aren’t flies at all, Oetting explains. In their immature form, they look like a scale on the plant and don’t move. In their mature form, they look like flies. Whiteflies are sucking insects that sap a plant’s ability to carry out photosynthesis. They stunt plants and leave sticky spots on the leaves that attract a fungus called sooty mold. Abby Parental prying seems more like meddling than concern DEAR ABBY: “Irritated in Ohio” wrote to say she was upset that her 38-year-old husband phones his parents twice daily. You couldn't understand why that irritated her. Obviously, you never had to deal with nosy parents — consider yourself fortunate. I am a university professor in my late 30s. married for more than a decade, with older children of my own. I live several hundred miles from my parents, who sound very much like ‘irritated’s” in-laws. My parents expect a weekly tele phone report of my activities. If I don’t call I. too. get the “guilt trip” When we travel, we re instructed to call upon our return, so my folks will know we're not "lying dead on the highway somewhere." Mother and Dad pry into our lives. They insist on knowing what my wife and I do. what we buy. how much we spend, and what we're having for dinner, etc. Their interest goes far beyond idle curiosity. It's always followed up by my father passing judgment on whatever we id. The last time Horoscope HAPPY BIRTHDAY! IN THE NEXT YEAR OF YOUR LIFE: Facing situa tions head-on will help you avert misunderstandings Be sure to explain your game to your part ners and co-workers. Teamwork is the key to greater success. A romantic interlude will leave you building castles in the air Be dis creet. A loved one’s thoughtful gestures touch your heart. Your relationship with a child spurs you to work harder Show your sensitive, idealistic side when dealing with voung people. CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: comedian Garry Shandling. skier Suzy Chafee, musician Chuck Mangione, author Louisa May Alcott. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Teenagers should not try to force an issue today, especially if money is involved. Adopting a conciliatory approach will help you accomplish more TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Show more trust in young peo ple, but move slowly in financial matters. Do not take unnecessary chances. Your spiritual values influence a practical decision. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): New challenges are featured. Let loved ones in on your plans. A face-to-face meeting yields favorable results. Sign contracts and agreements. Cancel certain social plans if short on funds. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Someone will surprise you today. Do not reveal your secrets. Thrift is not the entire solution to a money problem. Consider work ing a second job. Talk things over with the love of your life. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Real estate investments can be highly profitable now. A friend’s sym pathy is comforting if you have recently terminated a relation ship. Get your personal affairs in order. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Taking a chance could pay off. A financial tip from someone abroad helps you land a contract. Asking for a favor brings a delightful response. You win widespread affection by helping someone realize a dream. LIBRA (Sept 23-OcL 22): Be willing to travel for work. New doors open to you. Domestic affairs may be frustrating. Heed your intuition. It is vital you live up to an agreement. A private meeting produces desirable results. SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov. 21): Draw up a blueprint for your financial future. Information from experts helps you obtain valuable support. Their advice proves golden! A domestic crisis could be a blessing in disguise. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22- Dec.2l): News from abroad proves a legal or media-related move is a good idea. Do not lose nerve; success is assured! A favor or gift will promote good will and ensure a VlP’s support. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A wish moves closer to they visited, he revealed that his father asked how much money I make, how much I save, and what my bank balance is. My parents treat my married sib lings the same way, even asking questions about their sex lives! When we protest that we're being treated like children instead of responsible adults, they act as if they’ve been wounded. My wife says there’s still an umbilical cord between my par ents and me. I’ve tried to be more assertive by waiting for them to call me. so I won’t have to spend my money on long-distance calls that amount to nothing more than 45 minutes of meddling. I love and respect my parents but there are boundaries, and they, don’t know where theirs should be. I suspect you will find that there are many others in the same boat. 30-PLUS .AND STILL TREATED LIKE A CHILD DEAR 30-PLUS: I was taken aback by the number of letters I becoming reality. Do your home work religiously. A close associ ate is an excellent sounding board for your ideas. Far-off events signal a change in the direction of a relationship. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Co-workers and partners are highly supportive today. Mutually beneficial agreements can be easily formed Your sensi tivity to other people's needs helps you put a dream into opera tion. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A good day for launching ere- THE FORSYTH COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS’ LIBRARY ISSUE There may be some misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners’ issue with the Library Board. The issue is the library system that insists on open access by children to photographs of nude people engaged in various sex acts, as in the book, WOMAN’S BODY. The Board of Commissioners is convinced that most Forsyth County Citizens do not want sexually explicit photographs freely available to children in the Forsyth County Library. After months of consideration and discussion, the Library Board continues to insist that the book, WOMAN’S BODY, be openly available to children in the Forsyth County Library. The Board of Commissioners’ issue IS NOT. - Censorship in the sense of removing books from the Library or restricting adult use of books in the Library. (The United States Constitution does not guarantee access by children to all published materials.) - A desire by the Board to split the Forsyth County Library from the Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library system. (The recent action by the Gwinnett County Library Board to sever its relationship with the Forsyth County Library was reportedly based on rationale (studies?), supposedly showring an imbalance of funding between Gwinnett County and Forsyth County. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners has never seen those studies. Nor was the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners told of the imbalance before the Gwinnett Library Board kicked the Forsyth County Library out of the iong standing Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library system. As of November 17, 1995, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners had still not been officially notified of the funding imbalance nor seen the studies to prove it.) - Criticism of the Forsyth County Library staff, facility, operations or service to the community. (The Board of Commissioners is proud of the Library and recognizes the Library and its services to the community to be excellent) County J3oard Of Commissioners Paid for by The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners. received that echoed your senti ments. Keeping the lines of com munication open is of great impor tance. but it should never be at the expense of the privacy of adult children. More on this later. DEAR ABBY: I have read your column for years and you are one of my favorite people, but I was very disappointed in your response to the mother whose daughter was insulted by a blind date who told the girl that he could never marry her because he didn’t want to have ugly chil dren —then he pointed to her long nose and weak chin. In your response you said that noses and chins could be correct ed. Abby, I’m not blaming you for going along with what is accepted as “beauty " in our society, but we all need to be a little more free thinking. Just because someone doesn’t fit into the so-called standards of what we’re told is “beauty” does not mean she or he is not beauti ful. ative projects and pursuing new interests. Exercise financial restraint. Savings will accure if you buy in quantity and perform more services for yourself. Give romance a second chance. TODAY’S CHILDREN are bright and ambitious. What you see is what you get; they are quite open about pursuing their goals Good students these Sagirtarians will probably get tbeir best grades in geography and history They are fascinated by both far-off places and the lives of famous leaders. Partly Abigail Van Buren The first time I saw Whoopi Goldberg smile, I saw beauty! And when Barbra Streisand sings, she is transformed into one of the most beautiful women in the universe! The same can be said about Bette Midler. One of my best friends described me as “a slightly homely Robert Redford”! I considered that a great compliment. I say, “Just be yourself and you will be ‘beautiful.’” FRANK M. GENTILE DEAR FRANK: Frankly, you’re right: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. due to their many interests, these Sagittarians will have a host of friends. They have a knack for making people feel comfortable and may choose a career in either the entertainment or hospitality industry.