The Gastonia Gazette from Gastonia, North Carolina • Page 8

CASTONIA GAZETTE, Jon. 23, Color Is The Key Toward Brightening Drab Home By VIVIAN BROWN AP Newsfeatwcs Writer Color is the key to brighten- iug up the winter-weary home. At the beginning of a New Year we are litely to bear tb-s burden of a drab home more than- any other lime. During the holiday period, even spar- tan users of color are forced to admit some gaiety into the home. Brilliant and glittering touches are then removed, leaving a background of cheerless grays or blues perhaps, and we are -aware that something is wrong.

The answer iies in a quick Injection of color contrasts to 'create a cheerful home atmosphere. But some- people soon get used to the pattern of somberness they have learned to live with most of the year until another holiday season or party setting permits a colorful lift to seep through the fog they call home Decoration. A year ago one young couple set up for themselves a seasonal plan for replacing the warmth of Yuletide. Being am- atuers at decorating, they decided to use the areas that had been decorated joyously as a pattern for future highlights. They are thrilled with she effect.

First the welcome. They replaced the door wreath with a small basket of holly and pine. It provided a cheery touch through the winter, in spring they filled the basket with spring flowers, in summer ivith geraniums a.id variegated ivy. fn fall, they filled it with dried grasses, weeds and flowers. Around Thanksgiving they put a spray of many dried flowers on the door with brightly painted gourds and fruits.

Inside in the traditional Christinas tree corner, they put up a home-made step arrangement about seven feet high, built for use in that corner. It is wedge-shape with narrow steps at the top. wider at the base and fanning out. Each upper step has a plant or two on it. lower steps have three or four.

The effect is great. The plants were chosen for variety, and even in the cool North such plants as gardenia, lemon, orange and bamboo arc thriving In summer, gardenia, lemon and ar.gelwing begonia were moved outdoors. They brought in colorful fuscios. tuberous begonias, gardenias, lantana and so on. Trailing plants lock especially lovely at the top of a step arrangement uf this sort.

They replaced a green wreath used al the fireplace with an inexpensive colorful Italian dclla robhia pottery plaque. There is nothing gaudy about the house, and it is always more cheerful than others in the same housing development. They found some good permanent arrangements of flowers tables, including a handsome basket of beaded flov-ers. Tiny waxed flowers such as pinoccho or tea roses offer more realistic effects than cr waxed flowers. Dried flowers were used also.

At one end of the fireplace they put a conical-shape arrangement of artificial fruit, having laquered each piece to brighten the colors. Oranges, lemons, apples, crabapples were placed in a foot-high arrangement, glued one to the other. Golden sprayed apples were placed in between. Spray paints make a project of this sort fairly simple. But it can't be rushed.

Fruits must be sprayed before one attempts to fit them together. They should be sized for fitness before they are glued. A glass compote "dish from six 10 eight inches may be used as the THE WEEDER'S GUIDE By EAKL ARONSON AP Newsfeatures A favorite pastime of many of the 20 million men and women senior citizens -65 or even is pot plrnt gardening. The National Clay Pot Manufacturers' executive secretary. Stones Manes of Jacksoo.

says: "The satisfactions and benefits of container as a recreational activity for the elderly have long been stressed by medical and sociological experts." Manes added that "more than 60,000 Americans reach the age of 65 every month and they and their families are receptive to ideas and assistance that will help previde them recreational activities at costs within their means. 1 Florists have stimulated this interest through special "open house" days for senior citizens, with displays for easy- to-care-for plants, forums on house plant selection and care, special offerings of plants priced for limited budgets and assisting Senior Citizens' Clubs to stage flower shows. The new president of the American Rose Society is busy man. Dr. Robert M.

Zollinger is chairman of surgery at Ohio State University and is one of three persons to have held the three highest honors in American in the American Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons and American Board of Surgery. Dr. Zollinger's hobbies include flower photography, growing espaliered fruit trees and growing and exhibiting roses and gourds. He and Mrs. Zollinger are accredited flower judges.

The more you the better the lawn, says a man who makes his growing grass. Gene Comely, head groundskeeper at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, explains: Frequent mowing will help eliminate weeds in lawns because it chops off the unwanted weeds before they have a chance to go to seed and eventually healthy grass will crowd them out. Mowing alone isn't the answer to the beautiful home lown. Comely advises fertilizing in spring and fall for most lawns. A wetl-esUiblished lawn in climate similar to Ohio's should be thinned every tliird year to prevent grass sulfo- cation and disease.

"A good stand of bluegrass gets so thick after three years that it can't breath," he says. "When this happens. I recommend vertically trimming grass as a barber would thin the hair on your head." Comely -recommends close clipping, with mower blades set at l'i-2 inches above the ground. Mowing should start in spring and continue until the grass stops growing in the fall. Many gardeners, he Said.

make too much of watering their lawns. Puddles of water can be just as hard on grass as drought. Some lawns need the soil with a give the grass needed air. "It is more a matter of getting to know your soil grass' than buying fancy materials, he feels. Here's The Answer By LANG QUESTION: I'm having my home resided soot) with pre- finish mineral fiber siding ehingles.

The remodeling contractor ends pre- finlshed metal corner pieces in the same color. Are these as good as wood corner posts? ANSWER: Both individual metal corner pieces and wood corner posts will provide protection from the weather, as well as being equally attractive. The advantage of the prelini-shed. metal corners is that they match the color of By IRVING DESFOR AP Newsfeatnrcs FIRE can be either a blessing or a scourge of mankind depending on whether it is un- out When it is a destroyer, it takes a tremendous toil of lives and property. The men who fight fires, therefore, risk their health and their lives jo minimize loss to our communities and to protect or save tlie homes, belongings and lives of the public.

Photography is becoming an increasingly important tool hi this continuing civic fight against destructive fire. With the help of still and motion pictures taken when fires are in progress, fire departments can study and improve their Iirctigh ting techniques, i n- point the causes or possibility of arson, search cut fire violations and train new firemen recruits. Photography's importance is evidenced by a growing membership in the International Fire Association, all professional firemen who are trained ul photography. With about 250 municipal fire departments in the country interested in fire photography. lead for a coordinated firemen's organization was started in Chicago, spark- plugged by Bataliion Chief George SchuIIer.

The Chicago Fire Department has a full- time Photography Division under his leadership with ihree officers and eight men, a well-equipped darkroom and two mobile units in fire-engine-red station wagons. the prefmished mineral fiber siding and do not require painting. On the other hand, wood corner posts are preferred in some eases because they can be painted an accejit color fo match the shutters or house trim. QUESTION: We bought an unfinished bookcase from a lumber yard several months ago, but never got around to finishing it. I would lite to use one of the clear finishes, perhaps varnish.

Can I put it right on over the wood or must something be done to it first? ANSWER: This is difficult to answer know ing what kind of wood it is or how smoothly it already has been sanded- However, you can't go wrong by sanding the wood and then cleaning it with denatured alcohol. Apply a coat of shellac, thinned 30 per cent with denatured alcohol, ollow it to dry thoroughly, sand lightly and then proceed with the var- oishing. i You can get Andy Lang's the Home." by sending 2o the Home," by sending 25 cents ami a long, stamped, self-addressed envelope to Know-How, P.O. Box 354, Jamaica, N.Y. 11431.) base of this fruit tree.

Tile glass may be sprayed any color that is desired. In warm climates and summer beach houses ojie may use a bare tree stuck in a large pot as basis for interesting decoration, making it a focal point of a room. Starfish, other crustacea may be used on branches as is or painted, silvered or gilded fur an especially pretty effect. homes are discovering tile joy of hanging baskets. These may be hung from brackets attached to the and filled in season with trailing things.

In summer there arc many colorful plants, especially begonias with their bright flowers. In winter, it can loaded with philodcn- droji, rhododendron, ground pine, fir tree limbs, holly. Ivy is pretty at any time, especially combined with colorful plants. THE GASTONIA GAZETTE Weekender Published Each Sunday By The Gazette Publishing Co. Editor TOM McINTYRE CONTENTS Books Pa 8 Music pa Movies Fa Feature: "Teacher, Musician, Poet' By Zoe Brockman a Feature: "When And How Do infants Learn To Talk?" Pa-c 8 Profile: Eddie Albert 1 10 Television Guide Page 11 COVER What goes on in the mind of an From their reaction to people and situations it's hard to tell, but sometimes it's almost as if you can see what they are thinking.

Wha tabout the 11-month old on this week's cover? What does she say to you? ON THE HOUSE By ANDY LANG Ai" Newsfcattires That pesky bit of plumbing known as a flush tank, water tank or just plain toilet tank is being used in a large majority of homes ki the United States. And the chances are that, more often than not, the lank is working less than perfectly- One reason why so many tanks are in a state of disrepair is that they can continue to work fairly efficiently when something is wrong. Meanwhile, however, millions of gallons of water are being wasted by the continuous dripping or flowing of water from the tank into the bowl. This leakage into the bowl can be caused by a number of reasons. The most common probably is the failure of the metal or plastic ball operate properly.

The float is attached to a horizontal rod w-hich stretches from right to left near the top of the lank. When the float loses its buoyancy, it fails to shut off the valve at the top of the supply pipe. Water keeps rising in the tank and pours into the overflow tube, a long vertical lube usually about midway in the tank, some- limes a little to the left. (You can get Andy Lang's helpful booklet, "Make Simple Plumbing Repairs," by sending 25 cents and a long, stamped, self-addressed dope to Know-How, P.O. Box S54, Jamaica, N.Y.

11431.) This overflow tube is very important. If it were rot water would continue to rise in the tank and spill onto the floor. Instead, the water goes into the overflow tube. When the tank is operating property, the level of water in the tank will stop before it reaches the top of the tube. To check the float, unscrew it from ihe horizontal rod and shake it.

II there is wati-r in it, replace il with a new one- It it apparently no water in It and appears to be in sound condition, bend the horizontal rod slightly downward. Do this wilh both hands and work carefully so as not to throw the tank mechanism out of alignment. Replace tin-float and (he tank, If the level of Ihe water -stops below the top cf ihe overflow tube, the tank is working properly, As mentioned above, this only or.e reason lor Uic leakage of water into the bowl, but it is the one that will be causing the trouble most of the time. Other pe-sible reasons are: a worn or broken washer at the top of the supply pipe, rust or grit on the valve seat, failure of ihe valve to drop exactly on the valve seat time and a broken or worn valve needs replacement. i.

o. I 1 T4n Jfe rAH(l KITCHEN I "I "OOH f-i III W1 11 I IN LARGE areas of this striking ranch home are large Family, living and dining area, family room, kitchen and utility space and the three or four bedrooms plus two bathrooms plus lavatory are all generous. Plan HA430C has 1,955 square feet, excluding utility areas. Architect is Lester Cohen, Room 704, 48 W. 48th New York, N.Y.

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