FALL IMPROVEMENTS

2012
TIDYING UP
Closing up summer
digs, from mothballs
to mousetraps 4
WARDROBES
Give that closet
a great lift
for winter 15
FINANCE
Some ins and
outs of reverse
mortgages 10
OUTDOOR CARE
Protecting your landscape
and home 18
PUBLISHED BY THE LAKEVILLE JOURNAL CO., LLC
Publishers of The Lakeville Journal, The Millerton News, The Winsted Journal, www.TriCornerNews.com
2 FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012
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is a ritual steeped in tradition. I have the
luxury of closing not one but two summer places each
fall: One on Mt. Riga, and one in Phoenicia, NY.
It is also a curse, since I am not the sole user of these
places and invariably somebody somewhere thinks the
closing wasnt done right.
I look at it as an opportunity to bond with the family.
Anyhoo, the first thing on the agenda is the mustard
inventory. Summer homes collect bottles of mustard
the way white trousers collect hairs from black cats.
One year the Riga house yielded eight bottles and jars
of mustard, ranging from the evil-looking bright yel-
low variety to a chunky, chutney-like concoction.
What happens is this: The family arrives in town,
behind schedule. The dog is car sick and the children
wont stop barking. The beleaguered parents make a
quick stop at the grocery store if its still open and buy
hot dogs, rolls and fancy mustard. Or, if its late, its the
convenience store for hot dogs, rolls and yellow mus-
tard.
This means a quick and easy meal for the kids, who
then can be packed off to bed so the parents can start
drinking.
It also means the process is repeated throughout the
summer. Hence the
mustard collection.
So the refrigerator needs to be emptied, and liquids
in jars need to be either tossed or stored, preferably in a
cooler. That way if the jars freeze and break, at least the
mess is contained.
I also put all pastas, rice, flour, tea anything in a
box in coolers. Then I put something heavy on the
cooler lid, to discourage mice.
Closing up the summer cabin
Some Good Advice
On Wrapping Up
Summertime
Patrick L. Sullivan
tends to an annual
autumnal chore
FALL IMPROVEMENTS, September 2012 5
Do not underestimate mice. They are cunning,
adaptable creatures capable of incredible feats of
strength and dexterity. Two or three determined mice,
freezing their tails off in February, have no problem
opening a cooler.
The only way to really get rid of mice is D-Con
nasty trays of poisonous pellets, set out in likely spots.
The mice eat the pellets and then crawl into the cen-
ter of the living room carpet to expire.
However, the pellets lose their potency over the
winter. Or the mice get wise. I cant decide which. The
New York mice expressed their scorn for my eradica-
tion efforts last winter by carrying pawfuls of pellets
and depositing them into loafers and sneakers I left
out. I could almost hear their musculusian (for those
readers who want to know what mouse is in Latin, its
Mus Musculus, hence the weird word above) laughter
when I shoved my foot into the shoe.
A few other items on the agenda: Drain the pipes.
This can be simple, and as long as you know what
youre doing and the secret location of the valve
that freezes up and breaks if not attended to you
can do this yourself.
This can also be complicated. If it is, call a plumber.
Cultivate the plumber. Send him a Christmas card.
Ask after his family. Friend him on Facebook. This
way, the waterworks, both pre- and post-summer, are
dealt with properly. The couple hundred bucks each
Please turn to page 7
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Cynthia Hochswender takes her fall improvement idea seri-
ously and bikes to work these days.
P
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Closing up Summer Digs
by Patrick L. Sullivan .................................. p. 4
Try Biking to Work for a Change
by Cynthia Hochswender ............................. p. 8
Some Ins and Outs of Reverse Mortgages
by Asher Pavel ............................................. p. 10
A Novel Kind of Garden Care
by Tara Kelly ............................................... p. 12
Give That Closet a Facelift
by Janet Manko ........................................... p. 15
Protecting Your Landscape and Home
by Shaw Israel Izikson ............................... p. 18
Find Peace in a Backyard Transformation
by Karen Bartomioli ................................... p. 20
Fall Improvements
September, 2012
2012 The Lakeville Journal Company, LLC
Published by
The Lakeville Journal
Company, LLC
33 Bissell St.,
Lakeville, CT,
800-339-9873
www.tricornernews.com
Marsden Epworth
Editor and Designer
James Clark
Production Coordinator
Elizabeth Castrodad
Advertising Coordinator
Sara Morales,
Amanda Winans
Composing
Cover Photo
by Marsden Epworth
Cover Design by James Clark
FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012 7
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NEW FALL FASHION at
way are well worth not having to crawl around turning
knobs and wondering which pipes are functional, and
which are from 1965.
If you have screens that fit into the window frames, they
need to come out. If left over the winter, snow and ice
accumulate behind them and rots the frame much faster
than otherwise.
Be sure to store the screens with cryptic notations for
where they go. Decoding these instructions in the spring
provides hours of family fun.
Anything made of wool, like blankets, must tradition-
ally be stored in enormous old trunks and liberally sprin-
kled with mothballs. Traditionally, the locks on the trunks
are broken when you store the blankets, only to magically
reassert themselves come spring. (I suspect the mice are
behind this phenomenon.)
And with the mothballs, the distinctive aroma that says
summer home! remains with the blankets from April
right through October. This is also traditional.
Do not under any circumstances get snookered into
buying so-called scented mothballs. I made this mistake
once. Scented mothballs smell like somebody accidentally
dumped a vat of Eau de Swamp Gas NO. 5 on the floor
of the mothball factory.
If your place has utilities, you shut off the power, unless
you want the fridge to run all winter. Not necessarily a
bad thing, and you can store pasta and flour etc. in there.
But not eggs. I forgot and left some eggs in the fridge one
year. The stench of old eggs is remarkable. Especially if
you break them.
And if your place has a telephone, late fall is the tradi-
tional time for the traditional frustrating and bewilder-
ing conversation with the phone company about why it is
impossible to turn the service off for the next six months
and by the way do you want to get the all-inclusive pack-
age of phone, cable television and Internet? (This in a
remote valley that 20 years ago still had party lines.)
If you follow these easy guidelines, you will have noth-
ing worse than expired mice on your hands next spring.
And if you dont, your window sills will be rotten, your
plumbing leaky and your grains and pastas in a pile, cov-
ered with mustard and garnished with mouse turds.
Your choice. p
. . . And Dont Forget
The Mothballs
Continued from page 5
8 FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012
exotic bicycle trips. We biked across France, and
stopped at all these wonderful restaurants! they tell
me. We biked across Italy, and toured the Palladian vil-
las! We biked across Turkey and stopped at the most
wonderful resort on the ocean!
Please dont tell me about your bicycle trips any-
more. I realize this sounds bitter, and it should. Travel
to Italy? Im happy if I can make it to Great Barrington
once a month.
But we are not embracing victimhood here, we are
looking for ways to improve. For this reason (in addi-
tion to a number of other important life changes I am
in the process of making), I have hauled my bicycle
out of the basement, the bicycle I have owned since I
was 16 years old (which is, without going into the math,
quite a long time ago).
I took it out for a test ride earlier this week and rode
it down Wells Hill Road in Lakeville to The Lakeville
Journal newspaper offices at 33 Bissell St. At the end of
my ride, there was no oceanfront resort. There were no
soul-satisfying French restaurants to stop at on the way.
Instead of a Palladian villa, my destination was my cozy
little office at the end of the street.
And that was enough for me. I was happy to have
this as my destination, and happy to arrive at it without
having slipped or fallen or suffered a concussion.
I did have one unsettling thought as I was cycling
along the roads, though: The ride to my office is all
downhill. So that means yep, you guessed it. The
ride home is all uphill.
Here is the only psychological advice I will share in
this article; everything else will be practical. The hard-
est thing about riding a bike in Lakeville, at least for
someone like me who hasnt ridden in years, is that ev-
ery car that passes by is driven by someone you know.
Which means that you cant look like youre struggling,
dying, gasping, miserable. That would be uncool. You

Cynthia Hochswender
makes a fall improvement
by switching her travel mode
For a Change
of Pace . . .
People love to tell me about their
FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012 9
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must hold your hurt inside,
and smile big, perhaps even
wave.
Eventually, I know that the
smile on my face will be genu-
ine.
When I was a teenager, I
rode my bicycle everywhere in
Chicago. It not only gave me a
great sense of freedom, it was
fun. I loved my bike. I guess
this is obvious when you make
the mental connection that I
have kept that same bicycle
for all these years.
Of course, Chicago is almost
completely flat and has exten-
sive bicycling trails, whereas
Litchfield County is hilly and
you have to ride your bike on
narrow roads.
Which leads me to the
equipment list.
I know that if I am seriously
going to try and ride my bike
to work every day, I am going
to have to buy a helmet. I am
not particularly eager to wear
the helmet. Although most
people who know me would
have to agree that I am not
vain, there is a limit to how
dorky I want to look in public.
But a helmet is a must. I will
not be buying latex cycling
pants or a shirt with multiple
pockets to hold water bottles
and energy bars. Nor am I go-
ing to get special shoes with
special clips.
And I am not planning to
buy a lock, since the bike will
come inside my office with me.
My needs are simple. My
wants are few: a helmet and a
tuneup so my bike is safe.
Now all I have to do is find
what I need.
Bash Bish Bicycle, 247
New York 344, Copake
Falls, NY 12517; 518-329-
4962
Berkshire Bike and
Board, 29 State Road,
Great Barrington, MA
01230; 413-528-5555
Bikers Edge 2, 427
Winsted Road, Tor-
rington, CT 06790;
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Bikesmith, 338 Kent
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06757; 860-927-1330.
. . . Bicycle to Work
10 FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012


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A Home can be our largest investment.
In the past ten years or so, the housing marketing
has been like a roller coaster. Coincident with that
have been the rise and fall of home interest rate
mortgages.
Right now, these rates are at an all time low. In the
Northwest Corner it is possible to find home mort-
gages at local banks from about 2.75 to 4 percent,
depending on the type of mortgage and the length
of the loan.
Most people have also heard about reverse mort-
gages. This is a unique loan product that can be use-
ful to some people, especially senior citizens, but it
can be costly.
For information on the subject, I spoke to represen-
tatives of local banks that issue mortgages as well as
a reverse mortgage broker.
A reverse mortgage is a loan with very stringent
rules and regulations. To protect the homeowner
(borrower), they are government insured (at a cost to
the borrower).
This is how a reverse mortgage works. The issue
of the reverse mortgage pays off your existing mort-
gage, and home equity credit line, if any. This frees
the homeowner from having to make monthly mort-
gage payments.
Additionally, if there is sufficient equity in the
home, you can also withdraw a lump sum at the set-
tlement which is tax free and you can use it for any
purpose. As an alternative, depending upon the hom-
eowners age, you can take money from the homes
equity on a monthly basis, like an annuity.
Home,
Sweet Mortgaged
Home
Asher Pavel investigates the advantages and
disadvantages of reverse and other home
mortgages
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FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012 11
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While this sounds good, it is
important to understand how
the loan works.
Generally, while you do not
make any monthly payments
toward the reverse mortgage,
regular mortgage interest is
accumulated during the life of
the loan.
The mortgage does not have
to be repaid until the hom-
eowner moves from the house,
often to a nursing home, or
until six months after the
owner dies.
Lenders of reverse mortgag-
es use various algorithms to
determine eligibility for such a
loan. Income and credit scores
are not used for this purpose.
The factors looked at are the
value of the home, the amount
of equity in the home and the
ages of the applicants.
Analyzing these factors, the
lender decides if an applicant
qualifies for such a mortgage.
John Luddy, a reverse mort-
gage broker, told me, If you
take a reverse mortgage, you
still own your home. That
means you are still respon-
sible for real estate taxes,
home owners insurance and
paying for your own utilities.
Luddy said reverse mortgages
are government insured. One
reason, he said, If your re-
verse mortgage is providing
a monthly income to you and
the lender goes bankrupt, the
government will make sure
your monthly payments con-
tinue. In that regard, a reverse
mortgage is a win-win situa-
tion for the homeowner.
As noted above, mortgage in-
terest, while not paid monthly,
accrues until the home is sold.
That could possibly eat up
all or most of the remaining
equity in the home. If some-
one expects his or her home
to become an inheritance for
children, this will reduce the
amount of money children
could inherit upon sale of the
home.
Luddy also said there are dif-
ferences in how money can be
withdrawn from home equity
with a reverse mortgage.
With a fixed rate reverse
mortgage, currently about 4.75
percent, if the home owner is
withdrawing any equity mon-
ey, he must take 100 percent
of the available dollars as a
lump sum. On the other hand,
with an adjustable rate reverse
mortgage, the homeowner
may withdraw equity money
in monthly payments like an
annuity.
In both the traditional and
reverse mortgage markets
there are basically two types of
lenders. Direct lenders, where
you submit an application to
the lender and they provide
the mortgage. For example,
your local bank. There are also
mortgage brokers who solicit
mortgage business for the
lenders.
In the traditional mortgage
market, Sharon attorney Lou-
ise Brown said, Some brokers
and lenders advertise mortgag-
es with no closing costs. Dont
believe that.
She explained there may
be no closing costs normally
associated with a mortgage,
but they will be buried some-
where, such as in unexplained
fees added to the base amount
of the mortgage.One way or
another, you will pay for them.
Talking specifically about
Please turn to page 14
12 FALL IMPROVEMENTS, September 2012
Tara Kelly looks into
baby sitting for her ferns
Photo: Tara Kelly
FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012 13
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A friend offered
me some potted ferns,
but I hesitated because
ferns call to mind stuffy
Victorian drawing
rooms. But these were
huge and looked like
cousins of the ferns in
my shade garden.
Twelve very large pot-
ted ferns are arrayed
around my patio to a
very lovely effect.
However, a question
from a visitor made me
think twice about ac-
cepting the gift: What
are you going to do with
them in the winter?
My house is not big
enough to bring them
inside, and I dont own a
greenhouse. Id heard of
people storing plants in
commercial greenhous-
es so I called Greystone
Greenhouse in Sharon.
Laurel Powers and her
husband, Edward, have
been providing this ser-
vice to customers for 38
years, and she couldnt
have been nicer. In fact,
if I had a special tropi-
cal plant that Id lived
with for ages I couldnt
imagine a better care-
taker.
I have them longer
than their owners, she
said. Thats because
most of the plants arrive
after Columbus Day
and stay at the green-
house through the last
frost, usually around
May 20.
They get treated like
my own plants, she
said. Before they go
home, we spruce them
up and prune them if
they need it.
Powers noted that
because of the huge
volume of plants, they
do spray with insecti-
cidal soap. (Sort of like
running a kindergarten;
if one of the tots gets a
cold, they all will.)
Prices are set at the
beginning of the season,
because like so many
other things in life these
days the price is af-
fected by the cost of oil.
Greystone Greenhouses
charges a fixed rate,
based on the square foot
per drip line. It is a flat
rate not a monthly
charge. Some plants are
very broad and some
are very narrow, which
affects the price. That
was the bad news for
me. And my ferns. Mea-
suring out at more than
3 feet in diameter, Pow-
ers did not think it was
cost-effective for me to
store them. She said she
can replace them for
far less than the storage
cost. Some customers
do just that, bringing
her their favorite pots to
use.
What is worth stor-
ing? Agapanthus is the
number one plant that
Greystone stores, then
hibiscus, and many
other tropicals.
Greystone Green-
house is at 206 Amenia
Road, Sharon, CT; Call
860-364-5193.
Photo: Tara Kelly
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14 FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012
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Continued from page 11
reverse mortgages, In some situations, especially with elderly
people, a reverse mortgage can be a life saver. She explained,
An older person who wants to remain in his or her home,
rather than move into a nursing home, can benefit. Through
a reverse mortgage, the equity in the home can be turned into
cash which can be used to pay for their medications and care.
Amy Raymond, vice president of residential lending at Salis-
bury Bank & Trust Company, said reverse mortgages can allow
individuals with limited incomes to remain in their homes.
Alice Macchi, legal assistant, said, While mortgage interest
rates are at historic lows, many people who desire to refinance
their mortgages are unable to do so to take advantage of the
lower cost mortgages. Macchi explained some homes are un-
der water, meaning their current market value is less than the
amount still owed on the mortgage. They usually do not quali-
fy for refinancing, she said.
Raymond said, When purchasing a home, it is important your
personal financial matters are in order. Before you call a Realtor
to go house hunting, get pre-approved by a lender. A bank or
mortgage company will evaluate your personal credit status and
give you a letter indicating the amount of a mortgage loan they
will give you. Of course, the value of the property you want to
purchase is also part of the equation. Just as you are approved,
so must the home be approved by the lender, both in terms of
condition and value.
Jeffrey Geddes, senior vice president of Torrington Savings
Bank, told me, Reverse mortgages are geared for an aging
population, though they are expensive. Thats because the bor-
rower must pay for federal government mortgage insurance.
In talking about traditional mortgages, Geddes urged poten-
tial borrowers to do their homework.
A mortgage is an important purchase, like buying a car, and
should be carefully checked out. Closing costs required from
banks and mortgage companies are not the same. Do your
homework and shop around. p
. . . A Reverse Mortgage,
Though Costly, Can Be
A Lifesaver
The information in this article should not be seen as an en-
dorsement of any financial product, but rather as a tool for
consumers to better understand their options with reverse mort-
gages. Before making a decision on any financial matter, read-
ers should, as noted above, do their homework and if they have
further questions, consult with a registered investment advisor.
FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012 15
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air and the days begin to get shorter, there are all
kinds of things we do to prepare for winter. Autumn
is a time for a coat of paint, a clearing of the yard,
and, sometimes, a look into the closet. Whats the
word for it, when you get up in the morning, look
at your clothes hanging there, and realize you in-
tensely dislike just about all of them?
Patty Rocco, owner of Getting Off in Winsted,
may not know the word for it, either, but she knows
the solution. Getting Off, which began life as a little
shop in the middle of downtown Winsted in 1971,
offers womens clothing, shoes, accessories and
gifts: In short, a complete revamping of the fall and
winter wardrobe.
Her clientele, she said in a recent interview at her
shop now located in the Ledgebrook Plaza in Win-
sted, is generally women, 30 and older: I have one
loyal customer who is 97! But the clothing is con-
temporary, not frumpy, as can be the case when
items are geared toward the over-30 crowd. Differ-
ent and fun, is the way Rocco describes the lines
she carries.
They really arent usually the lines you find in
department stores, but even when they are, we pres-
ent them differently.
The displays in the store create outfits and com-
binations that would inspire even the most style-
challenged among us to find new wardrobe selec-
tions that will renew ones enthusiasm for the items
hanging in the closet.
Finding an independent, locally owned womens
clothing shop is not easy any more, and Rocco has
been running Getting Off, successfully, for a long
time. She took over the store in 1974, and it became
hers in 1985.
When a chill starts to catch the daytime
Need a Closet Facelift?
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Janet Manko fnds
just the spot for
wardrobe renewal
Please turn to page 16
16 FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012
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It started out as a little hole-in-the-wall place,
she said, and as I grew up, the store grew, too. Its
changed, grown, evolved over time. The space Get-
ting Off now occupies is 4,000 square feet, with dis-
plays of clothing, shoe and gift lines, as well as Gund
stuffed animals and toys and much more.
Several of the clothing and gift lines used to be
imported, and now are returning to being made in
the USA. The elements have come together to make
it possible and profitable to return to U.S. manu-
facturing, Rocco said, and shes glad its happening.
Some of her clothing lines, which account for about
70 percent of her business, are Nomadic Traders,
Aventura, Woolrich, Tribal and French Dressing. The
sweaters, jeans, jackets, socks, slacks and scarves that
all coordinate would make welcome additions to a
cold-weather wardrobe that needs some sprucing up.
Explaining how she got into the retail business,
Rocco said, Really, I just fell into it. I was going to be
a nurse when I was in high school, but life happens.
I married the guy who owned the shop, and I had to
figure it out. I found out I liked it, and stuck with it.
It takes tenacity to refurbish a wardrobe on a bud-
get. Dont really need clothing items, but want to
update your look? Getting Off has shoe lines that are
comfortable but stylish, Rocco said. They include
Klogs, Lindsay Phillips, Haflinger, Softspots and
SwitchFlops. There is lots of jewelry, too, all cheerful,
sparkly and pretty, from Silver Forest of Vermont,
Chamila Beads, Native American designs and more.
The inspiration and unique environment offered by
a locally owned and operated shop such as Getting
Off has other benefits, too, such as no driving to the
mall. The value of personal service is part of what
makes the difference and cannot be overestimated.
Rocco knows her customers well, as do the others
who work in the store. As she buys her lines, she said,
she can think of individual customers and buy specifi-
cally for them. I buy for some customers who have
been with me for 40 years, Rocco said. Now, their
kids shop here.
-
. . . And This Shop
Is Near Home, Too
Continued from page 15
FALL IMPROVEMENTS, September 2012 17
. . . And This Shop
Is Near Home, Too
P
h
o
t
o

J
a
n
e
t

M
a
n
k
o
Getting Off
is located in the
Ledgebrook Plaza,
200 New Hartford
Road/Route 44 in
Winsted, near the
Barkhamsted town
line and next to the
Stop & Shop.
Hours are Monday
through Friday,
9:30 a.m. to
8 p.m.; Saturday,
9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
For information, call
860-379-1398.
18 FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012
Wayne-Dalton
MaDsen overheaD Doors, Inc.
Serving all your overhead door needs since 1954.
673 Route 203
Spencertown, NY12165
tel. (518) 392-3883
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Winsted in 1932 by his grandfather, Antonio Cannavo.
His name is very recognizable in town because he
built a water spring that is free to the community on
Hurlbut Street, Cannavo said. His vision in the 1950s
was that he should bottle the water and he could make
tons of money selling it. However, people told him that
no one would ever buy bottled water. Today, bottled
water is the largest sold beverage, outselling all com-
mercial soft drinks combined.
The landscaping business eventually passed from
Antonio, to Josephs father, Joseph Cannavo Sr.
I had the benefit of knowing and working with both
my grandfather and my father, Joseph said. It has
been tough shoes to fill, but they taught me about
the value of customer service and how to treat people
fairly.
Cannavo has won various state awards throughout
the years, including Best Landscape Design Company
in 2006 from the Hartford Floral and Garden Show.
Cannavo added that his family also taught him about
the value of keeping up with landscaping during the
fall season, including maintaining the lawn, trees and
shrubbery around ones home.
There are plenty of reasons you should keep up
with the maintenance of the natural landscaping of
the house in the fall, Cannavo said. Making sure you
are keeping up with the maintenance of your lawns
green plants is very good for the natural environment
on your property. The plants sequester carbon mon-
oxide and give off oxygen. As we all know, oxygen is
the basis of life. We have to treat mother earth with
respect by utilizing a good approach to landscaping. By
maintaining the natural environment on your prop-
erty, it also increases the value of your house. It has
been demonstrated that, as long as you keep up with
landscape maintenance, your house value will triple in
value during the course of its lifetime.
In order to properly take care of lawns in the fall sea-
son, Cannavo suggests organic fertilizer as opposed to
any kind of chemical fertilizer.
Joseph Cannavo owns a firm started in
Shaw Israel Izikson checked out
autumnal lawn care with an expert
Protecting Your Landscape
FALL IMPROVEMENTS, September 2012 19
ECER Springs Farm
& Excavation
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I stress organic fertilizer because I think people have
been led to believe that synthetic fertilizer is the way to
go, he said. Yes, synthetic will give you a nice green
lawn, but it will not give you a sustainable lawn that will
not be hooked on synthetic chemicals. Organic is the
way to go.
Cannavo said in buying organic fertilizer, one must
keep an eye on the NPK label on the package.
NPK stands for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium,
which are the three most common nutrients in organic
fertilizer.
The three numbers on the label, which vary widely
for each type of fertilizer, represent the percentage by
weight of the three nutrients in the compound.
If you are going into the fall, you do not want to go
into the season with a hot mix, which has a high nitro-
gen content, Cannavo said. You would want to get a
hot mix during the spring and the summer, because that
is when the lawns start to green up. You should not get
grasses active in the fall because they are getting ready
to hibernate.
As for maintaining shrubbery, Cannavo said that one
can prune shrubs on their property during the fall.
Although the best time to prune is right after it blos-
soms, Cannavo said. You can still do it in the fall. One
rule of thumb is that you can take off up to a third of a
plant without doing too much damage. Certain plants
can even go two-thirds, but as a rule of thumb you just
want to take up to a third and you will do fine. The
downside of that is some of the plants in some variet-
ies have gone into a bud set when you do that. So if you
remove some of the buds, you are not going to get that
subsequent flower in the spring. But in the interest of
keeping the shrub manicured, you can probably take off
some of the bud set to get the correct symmetry of the
tree.
As for trees, Cannavo suggests surrounding a tree with
mulch, but not enough to cover the tree trunk.
A good thick layer of three inches will suffice, he
said. But I need to stress you dont want to touch the
trunk with material.
Cannavo Landscaping is at 920 Main St. in Winsted,
CT. For information call, Joe Cannavo at 860-379-6368.
. . . Protects the Value
Of Your Home
Joseph Cannavo at work; Photo: Shaw Israel Izikson
20 FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012
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inside for another long winter. But first, there is the pres-
sure to get the yard and gardens cleaned up so as not to
have to start next spring dealing with the dregs of last
year.
Those depressing thoughts inspire a cheerful idea; a
plan that one can start now, or at least spend snowy days
researching and planning. It is what designers call, a
water feature.
For the rest of us, its a waterfall and/or pond.
For Lori and David Welles, its heaven on earth in their
Cornwall yard.
Its all about motion and sound, the introduction of
a new element, like earth, air, fire and water, Lori said.
We can hear the water gurgling from every room in the
house. Its the first thing you hear when you come home.
It instantly relaxes you, Lori said.
For most of us, installing even the tiniest of ponds or
a little stream of water trickling over rocks is where we
draw the line. It seems simple at first. Something to hold
the water, and a pump to circulate it. Maybe a plant and
a few koi for interest.
But once you start to think it through, it quickly be-
comes apparent this project is fraught with peril, and its
going to cost more than is worth risking a go at it with
only DIY spirit.
So, while the expected answer is Hire a professional,
that doesnt mean youll just be sitting down to write a
big check.
Turns out this can be a very personal thing.
There are plenty of local folks who are not only expe-
rienced, but are willing to work side by side with a hom-
eowner to build what you want and what you can afford.
Just as important is finding someone who can envision
how available materials will fit in a particular spot.
For the Welleses, calling on their friend Zejke Her-
mann was what they should have done when they dug a
couple of holes a decade earlier.
Karen Bartomioli fnds a way
for people to engineer a little peace
and tranquility for themselves
Soon enough, we will be huddling back
A Project to Transform
More Than the Backyard
FALL IMPROVEMENTS, September 2012 21




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2012
We had looked around one day, and envisioned the
waterfall on the hillside, as a way of tying the two peren-
nial gardens together, to bring water to the scene, water to
cleanse the environment and create something in perpetu-
al motion, Lori said. But once we dug the holes, we were
stuck, financially and otherwise, realizing we needed to get
a professional in to help.
So we just thought about it for years.
Dave added, We could have built it. It just wouldnt have
looked like this!
Hermann, an artist and craftsman probably best known
for his ice sculpting and sunflower paintings, knew what
they wanted. Among all the positive adjectives they use in
describing the outcome, the highest compliment is that it
looks like its always been there.
Hermann even incorporated a large, existing azalea. In
the second growing season since the installation, it hangs
Please turn to page 22
P
h
o
t
o
s
:

K
a
r
e
n

B
a
r
t
o
m
i
o
l
i
22 FALL IMPROVEMENTS, September 2012
Continued from page 21
over the edge of rocks
along one side. It adds
to the feeling that both
the rocks and the tree
have been there a long
time.
It was a year ago May
that the Welleses con-
tacted Hermann.
We had perfect
weather, everything we
needed nearby, and it
was done in a week,
Hermann said. Jobs
dont usually go that
smoothly.
Its a job that certainly
takes as much vision as
planning. Hermanns
basic advice was to
avoid the pre-formed
ponds and concrete.
Neither will last or
give you a lot of options
about where they can
go or how the finished
project will look.
Placement is crucial.
With lots of acreage,
the Welleses could have
chosen a secluded spot
and created an oasis. In-
stead, they selected that
little hillside off the cor-
ner of the raised deck at
the leading side of their
cottage. It has become
the jewel in the clearing
that is their yard. They
even plan to rebuild the
deck with a lower sec-
tion and fire pit close to
the waterfall, combin-
ing earth, wind and fire.
Hermann set to work.
Using a 16-millimeter
thick membrane on top
of a felt under-liner, he
laying the membrane
over carefully dug-out
ledges to allow the liner
to be tucked in to stop
leaks.
Then came about six
tons of Cornwall rock
and river rock, delivered
to the bottom of the
little hill and moved
mostly by handcart and
the sweat of David and
Hermann. A neighbor
building a home hap-
pened to have just the
piece of heavy equip-
ment needed to move
the heavier rocks. Lori
and David became Her-
manns minions as they
fetched smaller stones,
washed river rock for
the bottom of the pond
and watched as Her-
mann seemed to know
exactly where each rock
would go, fitting them
together like puzzle
pieces to form a mon-
tage of size and color
and texture.
The rest is about
achieving a natural bal-
ance.
The Welleses wanted
to stay green, so they
are trying out new
organic algae controls
while creating a habitat
for a variety of frogs
that have taken up resi-
dence.
At the top of the falls,
recirculated water is
filtered through wheat
pads and lava rock. The
latter creates enzymes
that prevent algae. On
the pond below float
lime green bulbous
leaves of water hya-
cinths. Periwinkle blue
flowers have come and
gone for the summer,
but below is their more
practical beauty. Their
abundant, feathery
roots are natural filters,
capable of removing
toxins and heavy metals
from the water. Lori said
some municipalities use
them as part of drinking
water filtration systems.
The hyacinths are so
prolific, Lori has already
divided them. One day,
Hermann straightened
up from his labors and
was in just the right
spot to notice that two
trees near the top of the
waterfall were perfectly
positioned for the ham-
mock that now hangs
between them.
The project was full
of such surprises. Her-
mann incorporated
a few special rocks:
white quartz, from a
friend,Ogunquit rock
from their favorite place
in Maine, cape rock
and a dramatic piece
of Cape Cod driftwood
from a honeymoon
walk on North Truro
Beach.
And finally, a gift
from Hermann: a pale
gray cat sculpture
perched on a rock to
drink from the pond.
It was a tribute to their
cat, Jasper, who had
recently died. And so,
the project was dubbed,
Jasper Falls.

A cat sculpture memorializing a dear pet led to naming the project Jasper Falls.
. . . All About Achieving Peace and Balance
FALL IMPROVEMENTs, september 2012 23
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Electrical Contractor
Residential & Commercial
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860-364-5814
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