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Below are some of the easiest vegetables to plant in Texas. For more information on gardening, check out the National Gardening Association at www.garden.org.
Vegetables
1. Peas
2. Green Beans
3. Tomatoes
4. Peppers
5. Lettuce
6. Onions
7. Parsley
8. Cucumbers
9. Squash
10. Carrots
Fruits:
1. Strawberries
2. Blueberries
3. Blackberries
4. Raspberries
5. Watermelon
6. Peaches
7. Nectarines
8. Plums
9. Figs
10. Loquats
If you have been using lawn products that kill weeds and feed the grass, you may be harming your trees.
The active ingredient "Atrazine" is present in many such products and experts tell us it can burn the roots of your trees.
The products themselves tell homeowners not to use Atrazine under the branches of trees.
If you have used the products, but have not had any tree damage, experts say water your trees thoroughly every other day for a week to dilute the chemicals and then stop using products with Atrazine near trees and shrubs.
You may also want to speak to local expert, Harris County Extension Service can help. Here's a link to there web site:
Apples Bananas Beets Broccoli Butternut Squash Coffee Fat Free Milk Frozen Orange Juice Garbanzo Beans Eggs Kale Potatoes Pumpkin Seeds Sardines Spinach Tofu Watermelon Whole Oats Whole Wheat Pasta Wild Rice
www.Propertyroom.com specializes in the auction of stolen, seized, found and surplus goods from all over the country. Most of the Houston property room jewelry is sold through this website.
www.Publicsurplus.com/sms/houston,tx/browse/home also sells unclaimed Houston property room items but at this site you can go inspect an item at the Houston Surplus facility. If you win an item you must pick it up within 7 days.
We recently did a story on a Houston woman in her 80's who was close to losing her home to foreclosure. The response we got from viewers was overwhelming. More than 200 people wanted to pitch in and thanks to you the problem has been resolved. However, in researching our story we found that nearly two dozen Harris County seniors are in the same boat. They have lived in their homes for decades and only have a few thousand dollars left to pay on their mortgages, yet and are facing foreclosure.
We spoke with several foundations and government agencies today about that issue and some are trying to find a solution. Meanwhile we also spoke with the folks at Sheltering Arms, the local agency that helps seniors in need.
The agency says they do have a fund that can help, but it is nearly depleted. The Flexible Funding Pool is money that came from the United Way to help seniors in financial need. The money has been used to pay for everything from mortgages and back taxes and even to buy a vacuum cleaner when it was needed.
For the hundreds of people who wanted to help, this may be a way for you to offer that assistance.
Check out the agency for yourself.
Auction: Harris Moving & Storage Company Auction
Start Date: 3/20/2009 and 3/21/2009
Start Time: 9:00 AM
Location: 1824 Spring St. Houston TX 77007
Description: Auctioning off moving equipment, office furniture, 50+ trucks & trailers, power tools and equipment, vintage goods, antique furniture and common household goods.
The auction is being held by Worstell Auction Company.
http://www.worstellauctionco.com/
http://www.txssa.org/Auctionmaster/Resultslist.asp
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot's office sent us a notice of how the AG got a judgment against an operation it says was targeting Texas seniors:
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today resolved the state’s enforcement action against a direct mail marketing firm that operated an unlawful lead card scheme and targeted senior citizens.
The defendant, Prospect Pros LLC, which did business as American Seniors Alliance, used improper tactics to obtain senior citizens’ personal information. According to state investigators, the defendants packaged and sold the unlawfully obtained information to insurance companies and sales solicitation firms.
Under the agreed final judgment filed today, Prospect Pros LLC, Prospect Pros Inc. and owners William D. and Lynn Thompson, of Plano, are prohibited from sending misleading or untrue direct mail to senior citizens. In the future, the defendants must clearly disclose when mailers are sent on behalf of a particular insurance agent or other vendor and that these representatives may contact seniors who respond. The newly required disclosures will ensure that senior citizens are aware of the direct mail solicitations’ true purpose. Prospect Pros has also agreed to pay $30,000 to reimburse the state for its attorneys’ fees.
In early 2006, the Attorney General took legal action against four “lead card” generation schemes, including Prospect Pros. All but one, Lead Concepts Inc. and its owner Christopher Weir, have been resolved.
Prospect Pros produced and mailed misleading direct mail solicitations that were intended to alarm senior citizens. The defendant’s mailers featured urgent messages in boldface type and appeared to come from government agencies and were intended to obtain the recipient’s personal information via postage-paid return cards. Prospect Pros, for example, mailed a “Medicare Update” that purported to provide information about changes to the Medicare program and appeared to be sponsored by the federal government. By law, the lead card solicitation must state clearly that it is not affiliated with any governmental agency. Other mailers appeared to inform older Texans about estate and probate tax avoidance.
In other cases, mailers were designed to make elderly recipients think their government benefits might be in jeopardy and that returning the cards would preserve those benefits.
Texans who believe they have been deceived by similar fraudulent business practices may call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 252-8011 or file a complaint online at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.
Self defense school locations in Houston.
graciebarratx.com
houstonkarate.com
tntjujitsu.com
sakurambo.org
defend.net
vanbinhsda.com
It may not be hot today, but this is Houston and the heat is nearly here. This year, like in the past, help is available for those who may not be able to pay their power bills.
We spoke with several aid agencies today and most said they are already seeing an increase in need, so this Summer may be a rough one for a lot of people in our area facing big bills.
If you need assistance, there are places to turn for help.
The "Lite Up Texas" Program offered by the Public Utility Commission offers a 15% discount on bills for those enrolled.
Call 1-866-454-8387 to enroll.
There are income requirements. If you are single, you can't make more than $13,538 a year. A family of four can not make more than $27,563 a year to get the aid.
If you live in Harris County, you can also turn to the Harris County Social Services at 713-696-7900 for assistance.
There are also income requirements for this agency. If you are single, you can not make more than $34,250 a year. A family of four can not make more than $48,900 a year to qualify.
If you live just about anywhere else in our area you can call the United Way at 2-1-1 for help.
The United Way works with dozens of agencies that can offer help based on where you live.
Cleaning is hard on your back, it should not be hard on your wallet. Consumer Reports has a complete list of cleaners that can save you money because you can make them at home.
Here's the link:
Houston has several companies that focus on home tending. Below are three links of Houston businesses. Your Realtor will also be able to help you find a service.
If you are in debt and need help getting out, you are not alone, but before you sign up with a debt elimination service, be careful.
The Federal Trade Commission says many companies that offer debt elimination are only doing things you can do yourself.
For instance, you can call your creditors on your own and ask for debt reduction. When you call you should know that your creditor has access to all your debts and knows exactly how much you owe.
If you are going to negotiate on your own, do some work before hand.
List all your income and expenses. Track your expenses to find ways to cut costs.
Sell assets you may not need anymore and apply the money to the debt.
If all else fails, get a second job to pay down your debt.
If you get nowhere on your own and fell that you need someone to consolidate your debt, there are services available.
Check out these links for help in getting an accredited debt counseling service.
"you're car gets re-poed it embarrassed the kids and when I told them we might lose the house they cried." said grandma Marla Buckley.
It's safe to say that the Buckley family has been through a lot. Their daughter died in a car crash leaving them to raise her young children. The bills began to mount and they started falling behind on their car payments, and eventually it was repossessed. Add to that an electric bill that was so high it looked to them as if it included someone Else's' charges.
Buckley said ''We are paying two electric bills a month we can't afford we're stuck because txu won't do anything about it.'
The confusion began back in September when a utility repairman came to their door holding a change of service order.
Buckley said 'He says there's an order for me to hook up electricity for TXU and I said I'm already with TXU. TXU said it was a mistake."
The next thing they knew a welcome letter arrived and so did a new customer deposit charge of $300.
'The welcome letter it's my address with the person who ordered the electricity" said Buckley
The Buckley's TXU electric bill climbed to 00 dollars a month, way more than they could afford
Buckley said 'It's either pay or get disconnected that's what they always tell us. We pay em and we can't pay nothing else our home almost went into foreclosure."
Her husband said 'When we call for an explanation all they can basically say is we can't do anything."
So the Buckley's called us and we called on our angels at TXU. They verified that someone had indeed applied for power at their home but the company says the fraudulent order was caught and it never went through. Txu says although the Buckleys bill seemed high, they were not double billed. However, they' went above and beyond andagreed to work with them offering a 10 percent low income discount, a home energy inspection credit for that mistaken 300 dollar deposit and a new balance
'The Buckley bill should be at zero." said TXU spokesman Mike Guiterrez "anyone who gets hit with a life situation call us and then we'll fork with them."The number is 2-1-1
Now, most electric companies have offers for low income and needy customers. And if you find yourself in a situation unable to handle your utility bill there's something called "LITE-UP" TEXAS" It's a statewide program that offers 20 percent off of summer electric bills for hardship cases. Many are automatically enrolled, but you can self-enroll. you can qualify if you receive certain benefits from the Texas Health and Human Resources Commission including food stamps or medicaid or on a low income for instance $27,563 annually for a family of four. you can apply by calling 1-866-454-8387 or log on http://www.puc.state.tx.us/ocp/assist/liteup/index.cfm
Lori
The following information are the dates and locations of four Houston area “Just Between Friends” consignment sales. For more information, visit www.jbfsale.com. [SEE FULL STORY]
South Houston Sale:
March 6 -7
4202 W. Walnut Street
Pearland, TX 77581
North Houston Sale:
March 11-14
15555 Stuebner-Airline Rd.
Houston, TX 77069
Central Houston Sale:
March 26-28
9407 Buffalo Speedway
Houston, TX 77025
The Woodlands Sale
April 16-18
Lone Star Convention & Expo
9055 FM 1484 Rd
Conroe, TX 77303
Celebrating at least 50 years of marriage or your 100th birthday?
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