Recent Posts

  • A woman is holding $900 in $100 bills fanned out in her hands.

    Insurance is a tool to manage financial risk. Since life is full of risks, there are an astounding number of insurance products to protect against them, including life, renters, short- and long-term disability, vacation, and pet insurance. Within each insurance category are different types and levels of risk coverage. Understanding how insurance protects our financial…

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  • a cartoon image of a house sitting on the periodic table. A red banner advertising an upcoming Radon workshop-Forsyth County Extension and Hampton Park Library are partnering to host a UGA Radon Testing Workshop on January 6, 2024.

    Every New Year, the top resolutions focus on aspects of health improvement, like eating healthier, exercising more, or quitting smoking. These are challenging goals that require a long commitment. Testing your home for radon gas, however, is quick, easy, and could have a profound impact on your health. Radon is the 2nd leading cause of…

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  • Traditional bold red poinsettia with healthy, dark green leaves

    Living plants are popular as holiday gifts and decorations, but I wait until the last minute to purchase poinsettias, because they always seem to drop leaves as soon as I bring them into my house. I’ve learned a few tricks, however, that help seasonal gift and decorative plants survive through the holidays and become enduring…

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  • A young girl standing next to an apple tree.

    In just a few days, school will be out for the holidays and many of us will be preparing to travel to see family and friends. Growing up in a family that loved cooking (and eating!), I learned that two key ingredients are essential to a memorable holiday gathering: good food and good company. In…

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  • A close up image of an brilliant yellow-headed American Goldfinch standing on a branch with small purple flowers.

    According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States has 45 million “birders” over the age of 16. If you’ve traveled at least one mile from home to watch birds, or if you’ve spent time trying to identify birds around your home, you qualify as a birder. Eighty-seven percent of birdwatchers fall into…

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  • A small cabin surrounded by pine trees, covered in a few inches of powdery, white snow.

    Wednesday morning, the outside temperature was 23 degrees Fahrenheit. The furnace at my house stopped working on Sunday, so the inside temperature was 56 degrees. This was an unpleasant reminder that it’s time to do all the winterizing tasks that help keep our homes comfortable during cold weather and potential winter storms. Task 1 –…

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  • Two adult women helping several young children start seeds in seed trays.

    Forsyth County has undergone tremendous growth and change since 1987. The completion of Georgia Highway 400 in the 1980s turned Forsyth County into a suburb of Atlanta, encouraging population growth. Along with this growth, many locals have watched the county go through significant amounts of change, including a decrease in farmland within the county. In…

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  • An overhead image of a holiday table centered on a golden roasted turkey.

    Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday. Family, favorite foods, fall weather, football, and a fridge full of leftovers – other than a nap on the sofa, what more do you need? Answer: a plan for safe food preparation and handling. Every year, one in six Americans comes down with a case of foodborne illness,…

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  • A section of crape myrtle branch with several white, felted, waxy growths.

    Crape myrtles are popular ornamental trees throughout Georgia. Properly pruned, they’re elegant flowering trees with relatively few pests. In our highly mobile society, however, pests get opportunities to spread across natural barriers, like oceans. Such is the case with crape myrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae), an insect native to Asia that has invaded several southern…

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  • Two young men and a white and brown goat posing for a picture before a Georgia National Fair backdrop.

    The Georgia National Fair Livestock Shows are hosted annually in Perry, Georgia, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. The show ring can teach several life lessons and introduces youth to competition at a young age. Youth can begin showing certain animal breeds with 4-H when they are in first grade. Healthy competition teaches young…

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