Looking for a fun summer camp for your kids in July? The Texas Forestry Museum will be hosting two summer camps: Timber Tots and Summer Sylvans. These camps focus on teaching children about nature, the forest, and East Texas history while having fun! Timber Tots camp is on July 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for children ages 3 to children entering Kindergarten in the upcoming fall. Summer Sylvans camp is on July 20th, 21st, 23rd, and 24th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for children entering 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grades in the upcoming fall. The camps take place at the Texas Forestry Museum. The last day to sign up for Timber Tots and Summer Sylvans is Friday, June 19th and space is limited. For more information about the camps, deadlines, and fees call Kaitlin Wieseman at 936-632-9535.

The Texas Forestry Museum, a private non-profit organization, is located at 1905 Atkinson Dr. in Lufkin. We are open from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except major holidays. For more information on the Texas Forestry Museum and its scheduled events, please call 936-632-9535.

These days, home theaters are particularly popular rooms in many houses, and are even viewed as selling points. In fact, this trend has become so popular that eight in ten builders now offer home theater pre-wire, according to a study from the Consumer Electronics Association.

By following some tricks of the trade, you can add excitement to your living room or create a superior home theater space.

Immersive Visuals
To capture the stunning visuals you see in the theater, consider a projector that can create a more immersive experience for gaming, movies, concerts, and sports. Be sure to select one with a fully connectable interface, including three types of video and audio inputs, as well as HDMI, RGB and RS-232C terminals.

A projector lets you replace an ordinary TV with a larger screen, and if you choose a light one, it can even be moved around from room to room. And experts also stress that projectors can be economical, as the cost per image area is less than with traditional televisions.

Powerful Sound
You want powerful sound that can move you, but not so loud it moves your home’s foundation.

Most experts agree surround sound is best. You will need at least four speakers and a subwoofer. And don’t just place speakers on either side of your screen. Create an equilateral triangle, with the right and left front speakers as two points and your primary seat as the third point. Meaning, if you are seated seven feet away from the screen, your speakers should be seven feet apart from each other and angled toward you. Place them at the same height as ear level.

Easy Comfort
Seating is just as important as incredible visuals and powerful sound to create the perfect home theater atmosphere.

Think of seats as primary and secondary. Primary seating is for family or friends who use the space regularly. Secondary seating is used when you have that huge party for the big game, a new movie or an awards show.

Some prefer dramatic theater-style seating with classic flip-up chairs and built-in cup holders. Others like recliners or sofas on which they can lean. Just make sure every seat has an unobstructed view and no seat is too close to speakers.

Above all, when the remodeling is done, remember to take time to enjoy your set-up!

(Statepoint)

On average, people spend more than two hours daily on such household activities as cleaning and organizing, according to the 2013 American Time Use Survey by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. But there’s no need to spend the bulk of precious free time achieving a spotless home.

Here are a few tips for making once tedious chores easy and effective.

Clean Kitchen
The kitchen often attracts the most mess. However, cleaning as you go can keep it looking spick and span.

Fill your sink with hot soapy water when you start dinner. Place used pots, pans and dishes in the filled sink to soak while you eat. Never give sauces, oils or spices a chance to sit around — wipe up spills immediately.

Cleaning a dirty oven is easy when you line the bottom with a nonstick oven liner. Simply wipe the liner with a paper towel, place it in the dishwasher and reuse — no additional scrubbing required.

Bacteria can feed on food put down the drain and on what’s left on dishes, according to a study conducted by Dr. Charles Gerba, a.k.a. “Dr. Germ.” Your dirty kitchen sink has more bacteria than your toilet seat and is actually the prime place for E. coli to live and grow. To sanitize your garbage disposal, pour one half cup of baking soda down the drain followed by one cup of white vinegar. Place the stopper in the sink and allow the solution to work its magic for a few minutes. Rinse with boiling water.

Spotless Bathroom
A regular vanity wipe down is a must, but an additional way to keep these areas looking spotless is with the right fixtures. Some faucets now feature Microban antimicrobial protection built into the faucet finish, a technology that helps inhibit the growth of stain- and odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew. For example, the new Moen Vale collection, available at The Home Depot, features Microban as well as Spot Resist finish, which helps resist fingerprints and water spots to maintain a brilliant finish.

If you have a cloth shower curtain, throw it in the laundry, then hang it outside to dry. Bathroom humidity can make fabrics look limp quickly, so swap out towels frequently for a fluffy and fresh look.

De-Cluttered Living Spaces
According to a recent survey, 28 percent of consumers said they only straighten up a few times each week. The survey, conducted by Moen, also found that most homeowners don’t strive for a perfectly organized home; but they would if there was more time available to devote to organizing.

To find more time, conduct a five-minute sweep of the house nightly before bed, taking a laundry basket with you. Place anything in the basket that doesn’t belong in that particular room, and then put the basket contents back in their proper place.

By regularly taking a few moments out of your week to clean and organize, you can easily have a fresh feeling home with minimal elbow grease required.

(Statepoint)

With all this rain, experts are anticipating a significant increase in the state’s mosquito population.  Even as this is being written, mosquito populations are booming throughout the state and will likely not go away anytime soon after all our rains and flooding.

With the mosquitoes, health departments are monitoring closely an increase in mosquito vectored disease.  And humans are not the only ones to suffer from mosquito-borne diseases, AgriLife Extension experts noted.

Mosquitoes can also be vectors for dog heartworm.  An infected mosquito can pass tiny heartworm parasites on to any uninfected dog it bites. Heartworm causes lasting damage to heart, lungs and arteries, and can affect the dog’s quality and length of life.
In addition, horses are susceptible to several encephalitis diseases, including West Nile virus, and should be vaccinated every year.

To control mosquitoes effectively and economically, everyone should understand their basic life cycle and be familiar with the important mosquito types. Mosquitoes can be divided into two groups based on where they lay their eggs. For example, floodwater mosquitoes lay eggs on the ground in low spots, and these eggs hatch when it rains and the low area fills with water.

With the unusually high May rainfall, these mosquitoes are common now and likely to remain so during the duration of the rain. Floodwater mosquitoes are good fliers and can travel many miles from their breeding sites in temporary pools, roadsides and low lying areas.

There is little people can do on their own property to protect themselves from floodwater mosquitoes, other than stay indoors or wear repellent.

We have more control over other mosquitoes that breed in containers and live closer to town. Container breeding mosquitoes include some of the most significant species that may negatively affect human health, including the common house mosquito.

Entomologists referred to what they called “the four D’s” as a general means for people to help manage mosquitoes and protect against bites. These are:

• Dusk/Dawn – Avoid being outside when mosquitoes are searching for a blood meal, which is usually in the early morning hours and just before the sun goes down. While some species are daytime biters, most prefer to feed at dusk and dawn.
• Drain – Empty standing water from “containers” around your home and work areas, such as buckets, wheelbarrows, kiddie pools, toys, dog bowls, water troughs, tires, bottles, etc. Make improvements that allow standing water to run off following rains.
• Dress – If out during mosquito feeding hours, wear long sleeves and pants in plain colors. Avoid attracting them by wearing excessive amounts of perform or aftershave.
• Defend – Any time you go outside for an extended period of time, wear an insect repellent.

In addition, mowing tall weeds and grass can help eliminate some mosquito resting areas.

When mosquito populations are high, labeled contact insecticides can be used to knock down adults. For greatest effectiveness, sprays should be directed to shady mosquito resting areas. In addition, insecticide-based misting systems can be effective short-term, but repeated applications can cause insecticide resistance or be harmful to non-target insects and may result in loss of control. These systems are most likely to be effective if timers are set to spray when mosquitoes are most active.

Mosquito dunks containing insect growth regulators or Bti, the mosquito larva’s bacterial natural enemy, can be used in water that cannot be dumped or drained to reduce mosquito populations.

Products that apply a surface film or oil on the water can also be used to reduce larval mosquito and pupal populations by preventing them from getting air through their breathing tubes.  The use of films or oils should be limited to locations without any other organisms, since it will prevent oxygen to the non-target organisms as well.

According to most experts, insect repellent is still the best overall defense. If you keep a bottle or can of repellent just outside their doorway to remind yourself to spray exposed skin, even if you plan to be outside just a short while.  Keeping repellent in your car is a very good idea too.

The entomologists agreed that repellents with DEET remain the gold standard for protection. DEET has some of the best persistence. However, there are good alternatives to DEET if you aren’t going to be outside very long. The natural repellent, oil of lemon eucalyptus, is a good alternative to DEET for those who prefer an organic product. The most important thing is to find a repellent that works for you and to use it.

For more information about where mosquitoes can breed, and how to identify mosquitoes, go to AgriLife Extension’s Mosquito Safari website, http://mosquitosafari.tamu.edu.

Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.

Cary Sims is the County Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources for Angelina County. His email address iscw-sims@tamu.edu.

The Texas Department of State Health Services today formally began screening all babies born in Texas for 24 additional health conditions that can cause serious problems like developmental delays, major illness or even death.

The addition of the secondary newborn screening conditions means that all Texas babies are now screened for 53 rare disorders through a blood test analyzed at the state’s public health laboratory in Austin. Newborns in Texas are also screened for hearing loss and critical congenital heart defects at the hospital or birthing center where the birth occurred.

“Newborn screening in Texas started in 1963 as a small pilot program for just one disorder, PKU,” said Susan Tanksley, DSHS laboratory operations manager. “Expanding the program to more than 50 conditions means more babies can receive immediate follow up leading to a quick diagnosis and the ability to offer babies life-saving treatment. Many babies will lead normal lives with early treatment.”

The Texas Newborn Screening Program was already able to detect many of the secondary conditions because they share the same substances in the blood as some of the primary newborn screening conditions. Today’s changes, however, will allow for more complete identification, follow up and treatment of those conditions and six others that were previously undetectable. Some children diagnosed with secondary conditions will be able to access newborn screening benefits, a DSHS program that provides services for children identified with a newborn screening disorder.

The change was prompted by House Bill 1795 of the 81st Legislature, which directed DSHS to add the conditions as funding allows. DSHS has determined that it can conduct the additional screenings within its current budget.

Texas operates the largest newborn screening program in the nation, testing approximately 775,000 specimens per year, or nearly 400,000 babies annually. The newborn screening tests are done on a blood sample drawn by a simple heel stick within 48 hours of birth and again at one to two weeks of age. The screenings added with the secondary panel will not require any more blood to be drawn. Since 1963, Texas has detected about 13,000 cases of genetic and congenital disorders in babies.