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Dog Days of Summer, flowers, garden, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, Homemade Ice Cream, July, Natural World, old hardware stores, pools, recipe, seaonal change, Sonker, southern cooking, southern living, Summer, Summer Fruits

Fine Tuning…The Dog Days of Summer… Yes, “Siriusly”

July 2, 2023 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

Did you know that Sirius XM radio name originated from the star Sirius, also known as “ The Dog Star”???

Y’all know when The Dog Days of Summer time of year has come, the weather can be intense. Once these days arrive, they can be long and sweltering. Dog Days can be an unbelievably unpleasant portion of the humid Southern summer season… akin to a dog’s wet tongue wagging endlessly to cool down or the literal feeling of being slapped in the face with a wet washcloth when walking outside.

During the **Dog Days of Summer**, the temperature can climb well into the 90’s with high levels of humidity too! Ugh!

**WCH Recommends:** A good working thermometer will help you know what to expect during the hottest days of summer.

“Sirius” Facts: Things You Should Know About Dog Days of Summer

1. The Dog Days of Summer begins each year on July 3rd and extends until August 11th.

2. The Dog Days of Summer lasts for 40 days, and it can be some of the hottest days of the summer season.

3. The name, The Dog Days of Summer, refers to the time shortly after the summer solstice and the appearance of the “Dog Star”, Sirius, rising in the summer sky.

No, the name “**Dog Days”** truly has nothing to do with your cute little dog. It’s all about what’s happening in the morning sky. Times have changed from the perspective of the Greeks and Romans, thoughts about ***Dog Days*** but the name has lingered.

“Sirius Superstitions”: Dog Days of Summer

1. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that Dog Days were a time of bad luck, and drought. The long, hot days of summer could drive men and dogs “mad”… Here are a few superstitions that I found interesting while researching The Dog Days of Summer.

2. Snakes will strike at anything during Dog Days for they are blinded. Be wary as you trek outdoors during these 40 days!

3. If it rains on July 3rd, on the first Dog Day, then more rain will follow.

4. Dogs are likely to go mad during Dog Days.

5. Wounds will not heal properly during Dog Days, the old wives tale suggests that one should put off surgeries until after Dog Days have passed.

6. People are more prone to drowning during Dog Days.

Pool swimming safety is always important all summer long. Swim safely by keeping your pool water clean and sanitized, and never swim alone.

Now that the calendar has hit July 3rd, and The Dog Days of Summer have arrived, how can we all stay in “cool” state of mind all summer long??? Check out the next few sections of the blog for some helpful tips.

AC Cooling Tips: Dog Days of Summer

1. Keep your furnace filters clean! Remember to change your furnace filters once a month!

Wilkes County Hardware has a vast selection of many sizes of filters! Ask us to find your size for you.

2. Try not to place your furniture on your vents, reduced air flow will make your unit work harder. Close blinds or curtains during the day to keep the excess summer heat out.

3. Remember to keep your vents open to allow good airflow throughout your 🏡 home. This helps your AC unit to work properly.

4. Stop by into Wilkes County Hardware and buy a whole box 📦 of filters at once! Plan ahead, saving time and another trip to town🚗. If you don’t see your exact size?? Ask us to order your size!

5. Changing out your furnace filters regularly may save you a bundle in the long run… Spend the money on a filter each month to keep your unit working effectively and stay cool all summer long.

Hydrate!!! Watering tips for your flower garden: Dog Days of Summer

1. Water in early morning or evening. Rain water is ideal, but not always going to happen everyday.

2. For your beautiful container plants, watering daily might be necessary!

**WCH Recommends:** Zero G! This is a lightweight water hose that makes watering an easy chore in the summer.

3. New additions to your garden will need extra TLC. Be ready to monitor them closely and anticipate watering these new plants more frequently than established plants in your garden.

**WCH Recommends:** A good watering can goes a long way during ***The Dog Days of Summer***

4. Water any plant thoroughly if signs of wilt begins. The plant will be under great stress and needs an immediate boost.

5. Water plants and flowers from the base not from the top. Use a watering wand, watering can, or a sprayer that can help you achieve success.

**WCH Recommends:** Watering wands extend the length of your hose and allows for less bending in the garden.

6. If you are using a heavier water hose to water your summer blooms, move your hose in place before turning on the water flow to make it easier to maneuver.

**WCH Recommends:** These hoses are heavy duty and ready to go the distance you need.

Pool Splashing Fun: Dog Days of Summer

Pools are a great way to cool off in the hot, sultry, humid Dog Days of Summer.

1. Pool maintenance is an ongoing process all summer long, even on the hottest days of summer. Chemical reagents that you use to check chlorine & PH need to be replaced each year! If your pool water seems a little bit off and you can’t seem to get a good balance of chlorine & PH, check your reagents!

**WCH Recommends:** Replace your test kit each year to allow for accurate testing results.

**WCH Recommends:** Pool owners should be well stocked on various chemicals needed in order to swim safely all summer long. Stop by WCH to stock back up.

2. Your pool will take some abuse during the Dog Days of Summer with the intense summer heat and pop-up afternoon thunderstorms. PH and chlorine levels can dive down into dangerous levels if left unchecked. Stop in with a water sample for a FREE water analysis and pick up the chemicals you might need in order to keep swimming safely all summer long!

Tips on Beating the Heat During Dog Days of Summer… Just for Fun 😎

1. Make homemade ice cream during Dog Days. Find the link below for Homemade Ice Cream.

https://hardwarelifewife.com/2022/06/27/southern-summer-making-homemade-ice-cream/

2. Create a Summer Playlist full of your summer favorite songs.

3. Watch your Summer Favorite Movies 🍿 or head to our local Liberty movie theater to enjoy one of the Free Movies each week. I’m definitely going to check out this movie by Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon that a friend just told me about.

4. Get outside and put your shades on!!! Enjoy some summer sunshine!

**WCH Recommends:** You can’t beat $3.99 for a pair of shades! Make sure you have bug spray and sunscreen too!

5. Take the kids or grandkids and go pick some summer fruit… blueberries, blackberries, or peaches!

6. Make a Sonker with your fruit picking finds. Find the link below for recipe for Summer Sonker.

https://hardwarelifewife.com/2022/07/26/sonker-summers/

7. Stop by and visit us at Wilkes County Hardware of course! Our doors are always open in the summer, take a seat in a rocking chair, and enjoy the breeze. We keep our drink coolers well stocked with Gatorade and bottled water as well as other drinks. Hydrate and simply relax!

Celebrating the End Of Dog Days of Summer

August 11th marks the official end of the ***Dog Days of Summer.*** Celebrate the end of the hottest days of summer! This year, I’ll play the song, *The Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine on August 11th, will you join me?*

dessert, Hardware Store Life, Home, June, pound cake, southern cooking, southern living, Summer

Pound Cake, A Southern Staple

June 21, 2023 hardwarelifewife 7 Comments

Southern Living 101:

Front porch swings, and rocking chairs with a slight breeze blowing.. can’t you smell the fried chicken cooking inside, the aroma of homemade biscuits, a glass of sweet tea in hand or a cup of fresh squeezed lemonade and let’s add a warm slice of pound cake…. Just another Southern Summer loading in 2023.

WCH Recommends: These 2 Rocking chairs are an amazing way to rock the summer away and enjoy the breeze.

My Thoughts about Southern Pound Cake:

1. Pound cake can probably be found at family celebrations & holiday gatherings especially if they are potluck type gatherings.

2. You will always find at least one pound cake at church picnics or potlucks in the South… after all, it’s an essential Southern staple!

3. Pound cakes are a central part of any good dessert table.

4. Pound cakes are either a grand mystery of baking to some and to others.. well, they seem to navigate any pound cake recipe like a pro.

5. Pound Cakes can be baked different pans… Bundt, loaf pan, or a tube pan AND Most Southern cooks have a definite preference on which they use regularly to bake a pound cake.

WCH Recommends: Tube pans and cast iron loaf pans are great baking standard pans for baking all goodies this summer.

A Trip Back Into Time Regarding Pound Cake:

Pound cake is exactly what you think it is. It’s a fairly simplistic looking dessert. The origin is quite literally what it sounds like… the first pound cakes were made with one pound of flour, eggs, butter, and sugar! In today’s recipe equivalent… 3 1/3 cups of flour, 8-9 eggs, 4 sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar. When you begin to think about that, most traditional pound cake ratios are slightly different today!

My favorite Pound cake recipe uses 6 large eggs

I didn’t realize until recently, that the first recipe for pound cake appeared in 1796 in the American Cookery Cookbook and Pound Cake Recipe was rooted in Northern European cuisine… Europeans measurements were by weight, hence, a pound of butter, flour, sugar. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how to stir and create a fluffy pound of butter with only using a wooden spoon😳!

Strange Things about Pound Cake:

Personally, the strangest reaction I ever witnessed about a freshly baked pound cake, I encountered a few years ago. I had made a pound cake to share with the staff at the hardware store and as we prepared to slice the cake, a former employee shouted out, “let me go find some honey or molasses to go with the cake to cut the dryness of the pound cake”. I was stunned. What on earth was this person’s perspective concerning pound cake??? I realized that they had potentially NEVER eaten a pound cake that wasn’t dry. To never have eaten an amazing piece of pound cake… moist on the inside yet with a crust on the outside.

Comfort Food 101:

Comfort Foods tend to be hearty, homey, and let’s just face it, good for your soul. The mental boost that your favorite comfort food creates, can restore your equilibrium.

As far as dessert goes, Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a family favorite comfort food. My Mom regularly makes this one for us when we visit, so frequently that my niece named Mom’s pound cake, “Nanny Cake”. The name has stuck. We all call Mom’s Cream Cheese Pound Cake, “Nanny Cake.” Now that’s truly Comfort Food 101!

My Personal Tips for Baking A Pound Cake:

1. Grease pan with Crisco /flour dusting mixture instead of using a baking spray. I have never had a great success with using a baking spray. For making a chocolate pound cake, dust with a mixture of flour and cocoa powder.

2. I always preheat my oven… before I begin to mix ingredients. One of my cake cookbooks recommends that you preheat 30 minutes before baking. This allows your oven to fully come up to temperature and allows for even baking of cake layers… I would bet that would extent to a pound cake as well! (Note: Some pound cake recipes are cold oven pound cakes and you are asked to not preheat oven)

3. Use the oven light and your nose! If it smells like it is almost done then it probably is … the oven light keeps you from peeking inside and provides a nice visual . Each time you open the oven door your temperature drops about 25 degrees and adds to the chances of your cake falling.

4. Use a cake tester after baking time elapses to check for complete baking doneness.

5. Pound cake recipes calling for a tube pan won’t always fit in a Bundt pan. (Tube pans have higher sides and will hold more, while Bundt pans are more shallow and fluted.)

6. When unsure of size of your cake pan, use a measuring cup to fill the cake pan with water to determine the pan’s capacity.

7. Read entire recipe and make sure you have all ingredients ready before beginning! Gather ingredients prior to mixing. It’s important not to overmix pound cake ingredients.

8. Bring cold ingredients to room temperature before baking… items like… eggs, butter, cream cheese, milk.

Happy Summer Baking Y’all!

almanac gardening, garden, Hardware Store Life, June, Natural World, southern living, Summer

June Gardening Guide

June 5, 2023 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

These daisies started blooming last week. Just in time for the beginning of June.

The warmer temperatures are definitely here to stay. After reviewing the almanac for the entire month of June, it appears that it is a wonderful time to share with y’all all of the information for you to get growing this Month in June. No, it’s not too late to plant! We still have plenty of warm days ahead to begin seeds, and enjoy flowers all summer long.

We have a small bundle of these gardening guides left. Stop by to pick one up soon!

June Gardening Guide

**June 3-4 : Harvest Days**
These lettuce seeds were planted in May and almost ready to harvest!

**June 5-6 : Plant root crops, prune to encourage growth**

**June 7-8: Destroy weeds, and harvest crops .** Wilkes County Hardware has a wide selection of weed control products… sprays and concentrate.

**June 9-10: plant, transplant, prune to encourage growth, apply organic fertilizer.** *Black Wonder composting soil now back in stock!*

June 11-12: Harvest crops

June 13-14 : plant, transplant, prune to encourage growth

June 15-17: destroy weeds, harvest crops

**WCH Recommends: A 2-4D concentrate will not harm your grass but targets the existing weeds.**

June 18-19: plant, transplant, seed beds, prune to encourage growth, apply chemical fertilizer

By mid June your garden should be in full bloom!

June 20-24: Barren signs means a great time to do weed control. Never plant during a barren sign… slow to no growth. Never trim bushes or trees during a barren sign.

***June 21st Marks the first day of Summer!***

June 25-29: planting days resume. June 28-29 are good days to seed beds, apply chemical fertilizer.

*June is a good time to address any emerging issues that you might have with your roses. Be proactive, and shop early to prevent any damage.*

June 30th: Prune to discourage growth

No matter what you grow this year… flowers, vegetables or maybe both… just enjoy your surroundings. Happy Planting!

flowers, Hardware Store Life, Home, memories, Mother’s Day, Natural World, southern living, Spring, Summer

Flower Power

May 14, 2023 hardwarelifewife 1 Comment

The garden centers in May see a frenzy of activity. The Spring season has brought enough warmth and heat to keep those blooms beautiful. Do you find yourself buying the same annuals or planting the same flower seeds each year??? At the hardware store, our flower seeds are selling quickly as well as potting soil.

**WCH Recommends: Using a composting soil builder along with a great potting soil mix creates a fantastic base for growing plants and flowers.**

**WCH Recommends: Zinnias bloomed all summer long with butterflies abounding! Stop by to pick up some seeds now for blooms later this summer.**

I began to think about this the other day, my personal connections to flowers and what I plant is deeply rooted… linked to my personal life experiences and memories of those who I love and those who are no longer with us.

Hydrangeas are a favorite flower memory. I have a large snowball hydrangea that I planted several years ago based around my childhood home. These beautiful blooms here are from my granny’s garden.

I have a few favorites that I love to plant each year. The striking colors, the scents, the aesthetics, and durability(long lasting nature) of the plant definitely impacts my purchasing decisions. But, many of the reasons why I pick the same type of flowers each year is due to my associated memories with these flowers.. past celebrations, or memories of strolling through family gardens.

Aunt Mary and Pat always had their window boxes full of red geraniums every year. I always try to have a couple of red geraniums each year.

If you and I did a walk through in my garden areas at my home, it would be a definite literal story of sharing plants.. who gave them to me to transplant, or maybe the why I chose the blooming beauty for my garden and the personal connection to each flower. My question to you today, do you relate and link flowers that you plant to your cherished loved ones too?

My mom always had beautiful roses at home. I love this ketchup/mustard variety in my front garden area. Many of the varieties I have chosen are as a result of our conversations about the care of rose, heartiness of the variety.

**WCH Recommends: If you have roses, this is a great product to use!**

My final thought to share with you today, flowers hold power… not only the outward beauty for your home, hope, resilience to bloom even in difficult circumstances.., and cherished memories of those you love. Let’s get planting!

customer service, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, old hardware stores, plumbing, Shop Local

8 Things Your Plumber Wishes You Knew…

April 29, 2023 hardwarelifewife 6 Comments

April 25th is National Hug your Plumber Day. When you need a plumber, you usually need one ASAP!! I would say that a good chunk of our customers that walk into our hardware store are seeking help with some type current plumbing issue or seeking a replacement plumbing fitting. That being said, this might be a “fitting” blog post to “plunge” into today.

The plumbing aisle is usually a busy place on most days of the week inside our hardware store.

Plumbing issues can become time consuming and can be expensive, especially if you lack the equipment and expertise that a plumber has.

As we all know, Home maintenance is ongoing, and can get expensive. Being proactive with your maintenance tasks, can give you an opportunity to move forward with other projects.

No worries y’all, just following these tips could add to your existing knowledge base about plumbing 🪠 so let’s plunge into the tips!

**WCH Recommends** … every home should have a plunger. Now, Let’s “plunge” into these great tips!

1. Know where your main water shutoff is located. Enough said! If you don’t know where your water shutoff is located, then make it your mission to find out ASAP! A water issue can be controlled much easier when you know where the main shutoff is found. Instead of a looming disaster with water everywhere inside your home, you can divert the danger by immediately turning the water off.

A very kind plumber who came to our home several years ago on a small plumbing project took the time to show me where our main shutoff is located. I value and appreciate his expertise and friendship .

2. Don’t use bleach to clean with regularly if you are on a septic tank system(Think about the toilet bowl drop ins and cleaning chemicals you are using the most often.) . The bleach can kill off the good bacteria in your system. When the good bacteria are destroyed, your tank won’t be able to break down waste effectively, meaning a clogged septic tank could be inevitable. 😳

Always available at Wilkes County Hardware!

3. What goes in must come out… and everything is not flushable! Yes, to most folks this is common sense. But everyone doesn’t know that baby wipes, Q-tips, grease, feminine hygiene products, diapers, paper towels, tissues are not flushable or acceptable for drains! Yes, even coffee grounds can clump up as well as cat litter and can lead to a clog. All of these items can reek havoc on your pipes/toilets and cost you a small fortune in order to get rid of a massive clog!

This 🧻 Decomposing at a faster rate! A camping & boating essential! Now available at WCH!!

4. When you do have a clog, deal with IT effectively. Using a Plunger or a snake is your first line of attack against a clog. Powerful Chemicals are secondary… especially if your plumbing lines are older. The harsh chemicals can break down your current, older plumbing lines even more quickly. 😳 AND if you have to use a chemical agent, read the directions and use it as directed!!! Be safe!

**WCH Recommended item:** if you need to deal with a clog, this is a good, safe option and eco friendly.

5. Check out your Insulation around water lines in basements and crawl space. If you don’t like what see, it is a good idea, especially during the extremely cold months to add insulation. Don’t forget to also check your Well pumps and pressure tanks, they should also have insulation around them too.

We stock essential homeowner necessities for plumbing….Glues, tape, fittings, insulation wrap, CPVC, and more!

6. Disconnect your water hose at the end of the growing season and cover your outdoor faucets. Outdoor faucets will freeze and create greater problems for you!

**WCH Recommended item:** These are great to have in hand before the first frost hits at the end of the long hot summer.

7. Do a bit of Reconnaissance work as a homeowner… a visual inspection of your plumbing . It is necessary as a homeowner- check your whole house water filters, look for any leaky hoses, or visible water around base of toilet( this can become a costly repair) are your toilets flushing properly, do you see leaks around hot water heater, visible water under your sink??? The small cost of a roll of plumbers tape is definitely worth the investment to add to your home toolbox. Lastly, Some leaks are not visible… pay close attention to your water bill each month to examine any spikes in your monthly costs. If you see a noticeable increase, definitely get this checked out!

**WCH Recommends:** A roll of plumbers tape is good to keep on hand at home for quick fixes.

8. Know when to call in an expert. Even the best DIY homeowners often know their limits and will call in the professionals when necessary.

The Hardware Life – A wife's journey into the hardware business