June Home Maintenance Tips:
Get Outdoors for Summer Chores!

Switch ceiling fan blades: Switch ceiling fans to push cool air down, where you'll most enjoy it. When set correctly for summer, you can stand beneath it and feel the breeze.

Clean dryer vents: Although you probably remove lint from your clothes dryer's lint filter after each use, cleaning the hose that pipes warm, moist air from the dryer to the outdoors also needs to be cleaned. Read the dryer's manual for directions.

Clean/inspect gutters: Take advantage of dry weather to clear out leaves, needles and debris, leaving gutters free to carry rainwater away and protect your home from mold and rot. Depending on your home's surroundings, you should do this several times a year. While you're at it, inspect the gutters. Look for joints separating, loose connections and attachments, sags, dips and corrosion. Tighten or reattach loose gutter connections. After you've cleaned and repaired your gutters, test them by having someone run a hose into the gutters while you walk around the house, looking for leaks and observing where the water drains.

Consider gutter guards: If your gutters fill up frequently, you might want to investigate installing gutter guards (or screens, filters or covers) to reduce — perhaps eliminate — cleaning. There's a wide variety, made from various metals or synthetics.

Inspect for roof leaks: Start on the ground, using binoculars to scan for evidence of roof damage, including shingles that are curling, broken, cracked or missing. To check your roof for structural stability, stand across the street and look at the roofline. If it appears to sag, get a professional to inspect it. Inside, inspect the attic — look at the ceiling, rafters and walls, particularly right beneath the roof — for discoloration or stains. Call a roofer to repair leaks and reinforce flashing.

Check for foundation cracks: Make a tour of your home's foundation to spot any cracks. Hairline cracks and diagonal cracks that start at windows are unlikely to signal serious problems, but keep an eye on them to see if they change. To keep moisture out of cracks that you've found to be stable, fill them using a product that gives a little. The more elastic the product, the less likely a crack will reappear. A vinyl concrete patch, which usually comes packaged dry in a box, is a good choice for fixing cracks over 1/8 inch thick.

Scrub the decks and porches: On a sunny day, wipe down and hose off lawn, garden and deck furniture. Sweep decks and porches. Inspect wood decks and porches for rot by pressing the wood with your hand, foot or a tool to find any soft spots. If you're painting your deck, make sure to scrub it first. To remove mold from wood decks, use a solution of three quarts warm water, one quart of household bleach, one-third cup detergent and two-thirds cup tri-sodium phosphate.

Seal decks against weather: Wood decks need to be painted or stained every two or three years — more often if they face extreme weather. Watch the weather forecast for a spell of several dry days before treating decks. (You don't want to seal moisture into the wood and encourage rot.)

Summer Break Ideas for Teens

Backyard camping
Grab a tent, some friends, and your sleeping bags, and get ready for a fun night laughing, telling stories, and more.

Chutes and Ladders Tournament
Find some friends who own it to have multiple games, get a bunch of people together, and setup a tournament bracket.

Volunteer some of your time for that 'Cause' you 'liked' on Facebook
Take a look at those causes, and find out how you can volunteer some of that free time you have for them.

Create a short movie or documentary
Why not get a group of friends together, write a screenplay and script, and put together a 5 or 10-minute movie?

Christmas in July
Get out your Christmas tree and garland, blast your favorite version of 'Holly Jolly Christmas', and host a Christmas party in July.

Whiffle Ball Homerun Derby
Go to your local store, get that thin yellow bat and white whiffle ball, and play in your front yard.

Slip 'n Slide races
How about 2 of them, side-by-side, so you can race? For an even bigger smile on your face, grab a pack of Yoo-hoo and some popsicles.

Make a scrapbook
If you're looking for something to do this summer, take some time to go through some old pictures or mementos and make your own scrapbook.

Learn something new
Summer vacation is a great opportunity to do something you always wanted to do but didn't have the time. You have about 3 months of free time on your hands; use it to learn something new.

Regardless of how you spend your summer break, be sure to make the most of it.

Monty Roberts:
A Story of Determination

When he was a kid, Monty Roberts’ father was a horse trainer, which meant moving from stable to stable and from ranch to ranch, training horses. Thus, the boy's school career was constantly interrupted.

One day when he was a senior, his teacher asked him to write about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He didn't hesitate a minute and wrote a 7-page paper about his aim to be the owner of a horse ranch. He wrote many details and drew a location of the buildings and stables and even a detailed house plan.

Two days later he received his paper back with the letter "F" on the front page. After class he went to his teacher and asked: "Why did I receive an F?" The teacher responded: "This dream is so unrealistic for a boy like you who has no money, no resources and who comes from a wandering family. There is no possibility that you will reach your great goals one day." Then the teacher offered him the opportunity to rewrite the paper with a more realistic attitude.

The boy went home and asked his father how he should handle the situation. The father answered: "This decision is very important for you, so you have to make up your own mind on this." After several days the boy brought the same paper to his teacher. No changes were made. He said: "Keep the F, and I will keep my dream."

Now Monty Roberts owns 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of 200-acre horse ranch and he still has that school paper, which is framed over his fireplace.

Remember, you have to follow your heart and never let anyone to steal your dreams.