Growing knowledge

The Casper Garden Club will have it's monthly meeting March 17 at the Mills Senior Center, Fourth and Wasatch streets, from 10-11:30 a.m. Chris McCann will speak on growing vegetables.

All are welcome. Call Donna Fox at 234-3037 for information.

Home flooring

*For a smaller room, use lighter-colored flooring to make the space feel warmer and much larger.

*Always start laying hardwood flooring along the most prominent and noticeable wall in the room.

*Laminate flooring is a great alternative to hardwood because it's scratch resistant. It also won't damage like regular hardwood and can last for decades.

*If you live in an old home with a sea of carpet, but prefer hardwood, you might get lucky when you look underneath the carpet. Be prepared: Refinishing the hardwood might take patience and elbow grease.

*Cork flooring is a great, environmentally-friendly option for flooring. And not all cork looks like the bulletin board kind.

*If you have a small house or apartment, consider carrying one floor treatment of the same color throughout, breaking only at the kitchen and bathroom areas. Also, plain colors give a room more "space" than a pattern and the solid color is easier to decorate around.

Carpet clips

Figuring how much carpeting is needed for a basic rectangular space is pretty straightforward: Multiply the length of the carpet by the width, in feet. Divide that by nine to determine square yardage.

Stairs are trickier. Estimate length by counting the number of steps and allowing 18 inches of carpeting per standard step (eight-inch riser, 10-inch tread). Decide how wide the carpet will be. Round off the two resulting measurements to the nearest foot and multiply. Divide that result by nine to get a ballpark figure for square yardage.

Retailers will measure the space to get a more exact figure. They will probably add about 10 percent to account for irregularities in the room and matching patterns.

- The Washington Post

See Fido run

Here's an aid for people who like to exercise with their dogs.

PupLight is a safety light designed for a dog and owner. This dog-collar-meets-flashlight makes the dog visible one-quarter mile away, so you can find your pet and a car won't hit the dog.

When walking, PupLight brightens the way so you can see what's coming ahead. PupLight also helps dogs with vision problems see better.

Puplights are sold at Petco and many other retail stores - suggested price: $19.99.

For more information go to www.puplight.com.