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Give flowers zip with cut near blossom
Today's time- and money-saving tips submitted by your fellow readers are sure to prompt the same reaction from you as they did from me: "Wow, what a great idea!" In fact, I can't wait to get a bouquet of flowers just so I can "recycle" them for another go-round of enjoyment. Read on. Second life for flowers: When your cut flowers begin to droop, give them a second life by cutting the stems off near the blossoms and floating them in a bowl with warm water into which you have mixed a crushed half of an aspirin tablet. --Kelly S., Washington .
Where to dance, drink and dine on St. Paddy's Day
After pouring drinks for 18 years, Corey Goldhorn has tons of St. Patrick's Day memories. His favorite story is about a guy who walked into a Downtown Boise bar and ordered "a pint of Jameson and a shot of Guinness, neat.""After that, I don't think you can print the rest," Goldhorn says with a laugh. Jameson is an Irish whisky. Guinness, of course, is Irish beer.Come on, bartender, finish the story!"After the second one — let me put it to you this way," Goldhorn continues, laughing even harder. "He left the place wearing nothing but a four-leaf clover."The festivities probably won't get quite that wild at the bar Goldhorn now co-owns: Shorty's Saloon in Garden City. But, like other Treasure Valley nightspots, Shorty's will be filled with music, socializing and a bunch of Irish fun. One thing that Shorty's won't have, though? Green beer."I think green beer is for people that really don't understand what St.
John Katsilometes on how the Las Vegas Philharmonic plans to orchestrate its annual gala while appeasing UNLV hoops fans
Similar to a wedding ceremony that falls on Super Bowl Sunday, the Saks Fifth Avenue and Las Vegas Philharmonic's "Evening of Elegance and Style" finds itself in a bit of a scheduling conundrum on Friday night. The Phil's largest annual fundraiser, which this year honors Las Vegas developers and philanthropists Mark and Gloria Fine, runs up against another evening of elegance and style (albeit in Nikes and baggy shorts) as the UNLV basketball team plays Oregon in the NCAA Tournament. The gala begins with a reception and silent auction scheduled for 6 p.m. The game tips off about 6:40 p.m. , and you might be surprised (or maybe not) by the large crossover fan base shared by the respective organizations. Lest the Rebels' first Sweet 16 appearance since 1991 sour the turnout for the Phil fete, organizers have reached a compromise.
Tricks of the trade
Giving your sweetheart a bouquet of sweet-smelling posies has changed a lot since the modern flower industry began streamlining the breeding, growing and selling of cut flowers. In "Flower Confidential," author Amy Stewart details some of the many advances in science, technology and management theory that have changed a once simple transaction into a $40 billion global industry. -An alkaloid derived from autumn crocus can be applied to lily seeds to double the number of chromosomes, producing stronger, sturdier lilies. -Lilies exposed to X-rays no longer shed pollen. -Lowering the oxygen supply can reduce a plant's transpiration of water vapor and extend the plant's life. -The use of mesh insect netting can reduce pesticide use by keeping as much as 85 percent of all insects away.
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