West Toledo Town Money Saver | June FOM 2021

FUN WAYS TO CELEBRATE FATHER’S DAY

Father’s Day presents an opportunity to honor not only dads, but father figures and other influential men who offer care and guidance to the people they love. Here are some clever ideas to show dads they are appreciated.

BACKYARD BASH

Outdoor parties are some of the safer ways to bring people together. Weather permitting, families can host barbecues and enlist someone other than Dad to man the grill. Serve foods buffet-style and space out tables so people can safely celebrate.

PLAN A SPORTS OUTING

Professional sports teams are once again welcoming fans to stadiums and other venues, albeit with reduced capacities to maintain safety. It may be possible to purchase tickets to an upcoming game and surprise Dad or Grandpa with tickets on Father’s Day. Make Father’s Day festivities sports-centric, with coordinated decorations and themed foods to set the scene.

PLAN A GAME DAY

Whether your father likes board games, video games or crossword puzzles, gear Father’s Day around fun and games. Let Dad lead the way and choose the activity, and then everyone can step away from their screens and come together at the table over jigsaw puzzles or trivia questions.

SET UP AN OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT

Perfect for a father who is a movie buff, use a projector and show a movie on an outdoor screen or against a blank outdoor wall. Invite friends and family to join in on the fun. Make sure there are refreshments at the ready and plenty of hot popcorn.✴

Zucchini Rice Salad

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked rice (cooled)

• 2 sm. or 1 lg. zucchini

• 1 or 2 green onions

• 3 Tbs bottled CREAMY Italian dressing

• ¼ tps black pepper

• 1 avocado (optional)

• 1 Tbs lemon juice (if adding avocado)

Steam zucchini, slice into ¼” pieces. Reserve a few slices for garnish. Thinly slice green onion. Mix zucchini & green onions together with the rice and dressing.

Just before serving, peel the avocado, slice & dip in the lemon juice. Arrange around the salad (or gently toss into salad). Or simply garnish with zucchini slices.

Plants That Keep Bugs Away

Outdoor spaces are in demand, so, too, are ways to keep unwanted, o en relentless insects away. Insects can turn relaxing days on the patio into wars of attrition with hungry bugs like mosquitoes. ankfully, there are ways to ght back against insects while simultaneously adding a little aesthetic appeal to the backyard. e Farmer’s Almanac notes that planting these insect-repelling plants around the patio or backyard can help homeowners successfully repel unwanted insects, including mosquitoes..

• LAVENDER Lavender is a fragrant plant that adds a pop of purple and has been known to repel mosquitoes, eas, ies, and moths.

• BASIL Basil can provide the best of both worlds, as it’s been found to repel ies and moths and also makes for a tasty addition to pasta sauces and other dishes.

• THYME Also a valuable ingredient to keep in the kitchen, thyme can help keep hungry mosquitoes at bay.

• MINT A e Farmer’s Almanac warns that it’s easy to overplant mint, so homeowners should only plant with care and make a concerted e ort to prevent overgrowth. Also great in the kitchen, mint has long been considered an e ective mosquito repellant.

• ALLIUMS Like lavender, alliums can add a burst of purple to your patio. And though they aren’t believed to repel mosquitoes, alliums have been found to be helpful against cabbage worms, aphids, carrot ies, and slugs

• CHRYSANTHEMUMS If ants are drawing homeowners’ ire, chrysanthemums may do the trick. ese eye-catching owers also are believed to repel eas and roaches, among other insects.

• MARIGOLDS e scent of this awe-inspiring plant is known to repel mosquitoes and other pests. Marigolds also attract insects like ladybugs that are known to consume aphids, which are minute bugs that reproduce rapidly and feed by sucking sap from plants.

Fire Pits

Fire pits are a wildly popular outdoor design element, as many relish the opportunity to retreat to their back yards. Keep these dos and don’ts in mind as you plan your summer s’mores sessions.

• DO KEEP THE FIRE PIT A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY FROM HOME Keeping re pits a minimum of 10 to 20 feet away from any structure.

• DON’T PLACE THE FIRE PIT BENEATH TREES OR SHRUBS Shrubs and low hanging branches can easily catch embers and be lit ablaze.

• DO CLEAN OUT SEASONAL DEBRIS It can be tempting to let seasonal debris resting inside the re pit burn away during the season’s rst s’mores session. But burning debris poses a serious safety risk, as embers can easily be blown out of the re pit.

• DON’T BURN FIRE PITS NEAR FLAMMABLE MATERIALS. Store rewood piles a safe distance away from the re pit while it’s in operation. It may be convenient to keep rewood right next to the re pit while the re is burning, but that increases the risk that embers will land on rewood and start a re outside of the pit.

• DO CHECK THE WEATHER REPORT BEFORE STARTING A FIRE Windy weather increases the risk of embers blowing around and potentially landing on the house, other structures around the property or trees.

• DON’T LEAVE A FIRE PIT BURNING. Unattended recreational res are illegal and incredibly dangerous. Homeowners should never leave re pit res burning unattended or allow res to slowly die out overnight. Always extinguish the re before going inside and stop adding wood to the re roughly one hour before you plan to go inside. Water or sand can be poured on ashes to extinguish the re. A night around the re pit is a summertime tradition in many households. Safety must be as much a part of such traditions as s’mores.

Some restrictions apply. Expires 7/31/21