My Mother would cringe to hear these words "I bought another book". But, I did. This one is about DIY (do it yourself) home repair, geared to women. It's called 'Dare to Repair'. So, do you?

I have. I've fixed a toilet, removed a broken light bulb, and figured out the fuses enough to replace them at least once. There is a lot I still want to learn. But, since I learn from experience it's a slow process. You learn as something breaks or runs down, hence the whole repair gimmick.

Home repair is something we all should work on. Not just for saving money on hiring professionals but because so much of this is simple stuff really. You can do it. Best of all you feel so great having done it yourself.

Of course, it's not just for women. Men are expected to be home and car repair gurus. As if they were born that way somehow. Just as women are (or were) expected to know how to sew on buttons, hem pants and cook a dinner for 8, with perfect table settings.

Anyway, the book has a website. I'm going to poke around there tonight. Dare to Repair Check the Home Repair channel at BackWash to find more websites.

My best advice is 'don't be afraid to blow things up'. Eventually you will get that stain out of the carpet, the water will dry up and your hair will grow back. But, nothing beats the triumph of knowing you did it yourself!

PS - Read the instructions, be an informed home repair geek.

Who are your favourite female role models? I never really have an answer for that question. But, today I was reading an article about a new TV series with a new female hero/ action/ adventure type character. It's called something like WonderFall.

Anyway, the article started by mentioning Buffy and Xena as being past heros, comparing them to this new character. So, that got me thinking about all those TV women heros. I did watch Xena and Buffy, eventually. I did like them. Mainly because it was good to see women as action hero type people. In charge, empowered and fighting, even though it's not lady-like. Too often we are pushed to the back while the men take on the mad scientists, space aliens, mutant insects, and so on. Why? It's not like brute strength is always what saves the day. Often it's a clever plan of action, blind luck or charm.

As I've been getting older I've seen women thrust into the background much less than they were when I was a kid watching TV. I'm glad. It made us look incompetent. Something we have never been.

So, I thought I would do a little goofing off and find some more action hero women. I didn't find a lot other than those I had already thought up myself. If you know some I've missed post them to the boards here. I know there are more out there.

Wonder Woman The Bionic Woman Buffy the Vampire Slayer Xena Lara Croft Cat Woman (though it wasn't her show) Linda Hamilton from The Terminator series Becca from the Andromeda TV show

Cartoons: Sailor Moon The PowerPuff Girls

Lastly, I respect the shows where the women wear real clothes over those that have them appearing in skimpy bathing suit style outfits. If they are really empowered, strong, women their clothes would be practical, not flimsy

I may have been a pioneer woman in a past life. For some reason I never take running water for granted. Every morning when I get up and turn on the tap to wash my face, some part of me is thinking how wonderous it is to have water at your beck and call. What would you do without it? Just imagine having to go out to a lake or river every day. How many loads of laundry would you get done if the water wasn't connected to your washer? I don't know how the pioneer women got anything done when they had so many things to do just to get started.

No wonder we value their craftwork. Those signs of their existence, their creativity and their resourcefulness live on. Too bad most of those vintage and antique things are so expensive to own. Too much for me to consider buying any. So, instead, I take a page from their pioneering book and make my own.

You can find websites which give instructions or go out to the library/ bookstore and get directions on paper for all the crafts, done as the pioneers did them. Try making your own paper, your own soap, your own quilt, your own floor mats, your own candles. Be prepared for mess and less than pleasant aromas in some cases. Take precautions. Know what makes mess and what could be harmful. Investigate different methods too. Those were resourceful women and not all of their best ideas ever made it onto paper, to be published for future generations.

Have some fun, thinking of your ancestors and see what new ideas you can bring into an old craft.

My Mother was attacked by a plant this week. No, it wasn't some weird alien, mad scientist sort of thing. It was a plain ordinary plant that had a very nasty affect on her skin.

I've had those kind of burns/ blisters that you get from poison ivy or poison oak. (Afterwards we couldn't be sure which is was). I went walking in a wooded area wearing sandals. The blistery things were itchy and they spread from my feet to my ankles and hands. I wasn't very good at resisting the impulse to scratch them and play with them. (It's the mad scientist in me).

However, my Mother's plant attack was different. It didn't itch. It did leave her with big, ugly gashes on the back of her wrist and hand. It really did look like she was attacked with a knife. Kind of creepy really. But, it was a plant.

She thinks it was the harmless meadow rue which we have had planted in the garden for years now. I'm not so sure. It doesn't make sense really. Why would she have a reaction to the touch of this plant now when she has worked around it for years? Anyway, that mystery may never be resolved.

Anyway, should you have something in your garden that you don't know on sight, wear gloves when you pull it out. Some plants can be poisonous to the touch, not just when eaten. Or, if you have access to a wild plant reference book, look it up first. See if it's a risky plant and then decide if you want to pull it or grow it. Some of our more interesting garden plants have come in from nature (birds, wind and fate). Also, make sure you know the plants you choose from the nursery. Read about them, there is a chance that pretty little flower may be more than you bargained for.

Happy gardening!

My Grandfather liked to birdwatch. Any Christmas or birthday I knew I could give him a card or drawing of birds and he would like it. When I watch the birds now I always think of him.

It's a peaceful hobby, birdwatching. You don't have to go out on a nature hike to find birds to watch. Instead you can bring them right to your back door, assuming you have one. Bird feeders are pretty easy to come by. See if you can find one that squirrels can't access too easily. Those pesky rodents will climb up or jump on top of just about any feeder and happily munch away. Chipmunks and other small rodents are the same.

Another creature that will bother your birdwatching are cats. Even if you keep your cat locked away while the birds are around that cat smell will still be there, alerting birds to danger. They won't come around as much when there is the scent of danger (cat) in the air. I've found we have lots more birds around now than we did a few years ago when I still had a cat. It does take awhile for the cat area to be neutralized, don't expect instant birds just cause you found a new home for Fluffy.

Stick your feeder on a pole at least a few feet off the ground. Also, keep the bottom clear of bushes or tall grassy type stuff. This way the birds can watch for predators while they peck around on the ground. Feeders set in trees give protection from flying predators like hawks. But, the squirrels will feast on the seeds and you will have to replace seed frequently. Of course, some people like squirrel watching too.

Mixed seed will give you quite a bit of waste, birds are messy, picky eaters. Different birds like different seeds and they will toss seeds around while they hunt and peck for favourites. If you have the birdfeeder on your lawn you can also expect some of those seeds to sprout and grow in your grass.

But, if you really want to get into the birdwatching in your own backyard get a few birdfeeders and stick to one type of seed in each. Black oil sunflower seeds are a good choice. The shells are relatively thin and the seeds pack a lot of nutritional value. Plus, if they grow in your lawn they will be pretty growing or easy to spot and pull out.

If all this bird feeder stuff sounds too complicated and messy try some bushes, trees and assorted other plant life birds eat in the wild. Think of plants that have seeds, berries and nuts during the Summer, not just in the Fall. You can always ask at a garden store or just take a hike and see what the birds are eating in a woodsy area near you. But, don't plant anything from the wild in your garden until you find out more about it. Some of those wildflowers that look so pretty and nice in nature will become an army in your garden and completely take over. Spreading by seed, root, leaf, you won't ever get rid of them without mass destruction to your garden space.

Back to the birds. One other thing you can do is put water out for them. Birds will come just to drink and wash in a bird bath. They also wash themselves in dust (dry, fine dirt) so you know they aren't really fussy bathers. Still, keep the water fresh and clear to avoid mosquitos laying their eggs in any standing water.

Happy birding.