Driving Through Montana

Montana is a fascinating state. As the fourth-biggest state land-wise in the country, it’s got a lot of room for people, but not a lot of people that live there full time. In fact, it ranks 48th in population density. People seem to be more likely to travel there on vacation than to live there, perhaps because of how remote it feels. The biggest city in the state is Billings, with a population of about 110,000 residents. In some major metro areas across the country, there are mere suburbs with bigger populations than that. But Montana more than makes up for its modest population with its astonishing natural beauty. You-will-find-while-driving-through-Montana-a-fascinating-state

Mountainous Montana

The name Montana translates to “mountain” in Spanish, and unlike some state names, the etymology behind this one makes a lot of sense. When you arrive in Montana, you’ll feel and see the reason behind its name. The tallest mountain in the state, Granite Peak, has an elevation of nearly 13,000 feet. You could spend an entire summer in Montana and not run out of mountains worth viewing. That’s one reason why Montana is best visited by car. There’s airport service in cities like Billings and Missoula, but you might be better off just taking your car and hitting the road. If you’re coming from the East Coast, fly into a mid-sized city like Spokane, Washington, and then rent a car and head east on Interstate 90. You’ll be in the college town of Missoula in about three hours’ time, which is a great place to start your journey into Big Sky Country.

Plenty of us like to “get away,” but we also like to get away to places that still have at least some level of cell phone service. Montana’s cell phone service can be tricky because of the rural areas. In fact, you could argue that the whole state is one big rural area, but there are definitely some places that are more populated than others, and it’s those places where you’re more likely to have better mobile phone service.

Since we depend on our phones to help us navigate these days, make sure you get any issues with your phone fixed before you leave town and try to navigate your way to a mountain. Look for a cell phone store in Montana to have professionals check out your device and ensure that it’s best equipped to handle whatever adventure you choose. The employees there will take a look at your phone and once the necessary fixes have been made, send you on your way to a fabulous destination like Glacier National Park or Yellowstone National Park.

Seasons of Montana

Visitors from other parts of the country might be surprised by how much the seasons change in The Treasure State. The state is home to some of the most beautiful summers you’ll see anywhere in the world, with clear blue skies, abundant sunshine, and weather that’s seasonably warm without being oppressive. It’s one of many reasons why celebrities flee Hollywood in the summer and head to the mountains. However, winter is another story. Only people who are really comfortable with winter extremes should try driving through Montana during the cold season. There’s one joke that describes the state’s weather as “nine months of winter and three months of poor skiing.” It doesn’t matter how good a winter driver you are if the area you’re in is experiencing whiteout conditions. There’s a certain point when it’s just not a good idea for anyone to be out in that sort of weather unless they work in emergency services or something similar.

So when you’re looking at your calendar and trying to plan a trip through Montana, consider what you’re most interested in doing. Would you like to hike, ski, or simply drive around observing the natural beauty? Whatever you choose, you’ll remember your trip to Montana as a journey to one of the most unique states in the country.

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3 Quick Tips To Help You Reduce Food Waste

In recent years, growing concern about food waste and its environmental and economic consequences have been raising public awareness about the need for better food conservation, both globally and locally. According to World Wildlife Fund estimates, nearly 1.3 billion tons of food go to waste each year, which amounts to nearly one third of all food produced globally each year. Some food may be discarded during the growing, harvesting, or preservation phases, which is happening in poor countries. Or, as it happens in first world countries, food is simply thrown out by inattentive consumers and shop and restaurant owners who don’t keep their still-edible surpluses. 3 Quick Tips To Help You Reduce Food Waste

Wasted food also has an impact on the environment at all phases of its lifecycle, which leaves a deep environmental footprint when it comes to soil, water, and greenhouse gases. The American coalition against food waste — ReFED — estimates that in the US alone, cutting discarded food waste could reduce greenhouse gases by 18 million tonnes over the next 10 years.

If you want to reduce your individual or household food waste, the solution begins with awareness. Acknowledging the issue is the first step, and once you’ve decided to become a more conscientious consumer, it only takes a few simple steps to get you walking the path to food conservation and waste reduction. We’ve put together some simple, easy-to-accomplish lifestyle tweaks that will help you get started.

Shop Smart, Shop Realistically

While it may sound simple, being aware of what you’re purchasing is one of the most important steps you can take toward reducing your food waste. When you go shopping, make sure you don’t over buy. Depending on your lifestyle, this might mean going to the grocery store more often and simply buying less each time, or if you happen to live far away from your grocery store or maybe you hate shopping altogether, it takes a little bit of thoughtful and careful planning in advance about what you purchase. Consider planning your meals, and then making a detailed shopping list with only the ingredients you know you’ll need for those meals, with a little left over for snacks and such. If the grocery store is too far away, consider finding locally sourced alternatives, like produce from your local farmers market.  Shop Smart, Shop Realistically

Use Alternative Wrapping Methods

Some people think that the best way to keep food fresh is to wrap it tightly plastic wrap. In fact, most foods prefer to breathe, and the truth is that porous, non-plastic food wrap options will keep your food longer. Beeswax food wrap — from a manufacturer like Abeego.com — is one alternative that looks good, smells great, and keeps your food fresher for longer, all of which fosters a healthier relationship between consumers and the food they eat, and also saves money in the long run, as less food is tossed in the compost.

Store Food Properly

Another tip that at first sounds like a no-brainer is storing food in the proper place to avoid spoilage. This is a small change but one that can really help control food waste. You’d be surprised to learn what kinds of fruits and vegetables actually prefer to be at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator — check out this Food Network article to see which foods (like Melons!) actually prefer to stay out of the fridge.

These steps really make it easy to subtly adjust your lifestyle to be a more conscientious consumer and waste less food day-to-day. If you’ve made it this far through the article, chances are you’re dedicated to making a difference in how you buy, store, and consume food. Follow the tips above, and soon you’ll be feeling better about your relationship to food and to the environment. It’s incredible how far a few simple lifestyle changes will go.

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Planting and Caring for Flower Bulbs

Getting the perfect garden requires work. The beautiful flowers you see starting to appear in the spring are the result of getting the planting right and looking after your bulbs.  Fortunately, it is easier than you think to plant and care for flower bulbs; as this guide will show you.  Planting and Caring for Flower Bulbs

But don’t forget there is more to the garden than just planting and caring for flower bulbs. To really appreciate the flowers and the shape of your garden you need to keep the grass cut, the borders well maintained and create a seating area to enjoy it all from.

You may want to take a look at the range of lawnmowers and other garden equipment available here at Sproutabl to help you with these tasks.

Get The Planting Time Right

If you have flower bulbs that are supposed to flower between January and March you’ll need to plant them in September or October. Equally if you’re hoping to have the flowers bloom in March, April or May then you need to plant them in October or November.

The flowering decision is not yours! Different bulbs flower at different times; you need to know what you’re planting and when they are supposed to flower. You can then create your planting schedule.

The Planting Process

You may prefer to install raised flower beds before you start planting. These are much easier to work with and are less likely to attract weeds. It is important to give the bulbs enough room; in general, this is approximately 6 inches but it does depend on what you are planting; be sure to check before you unpack the bulbs.

The first step in planting is to loosen the soil. This simply means using your fork to break it all up. It is advisable to loosen the first 10 inches of soil.  You can then position the bulbs in your desired locations. They should be approximately 6 inches below the soil. This allows them to stay warm and dormant until the weather indicates it’s time for them to flower.

The loosen soil will help them to establish their roots properly.

Mixing It Up

It is acceptable to simply scatter the bulbs into your flower beds and then cover them with soil; providing they have at least 4 inches of soil on top of them.  Scattering will create more of a wild garden effect than the organized planting option. It is even possible to plant the bulbs in the grass; just carefully remove the turf to create the hole and then put it back after the bulb is in position.

This will give you bulbs appearing everywhere!

It’s important to note that while depth is good for your bulbs, they should never be planted deeper then the depth of the bulb itself and every type of bulb is planted at different depths, be sure to check the packaging.

Looking After The Bulb

Once the bulbs are in the ground you don’t actually need to do a lot. It is a good idea to add fertilizer to the soil when they reach the growing season. However, this should be organic and in moderation; you don’t want to suffocate and weaken the plants.

It is worth deadheading the flowers once they have finished for the season. This guide to deadheading flowers will show you how, and it will help to return the nutrient to the bulb.

Annual bulbs should store all the nutrients they need for the following year it’s only perennials that will need fertilizers to get them started. You can actually leave the bulbs in and enjoy your garden throughout the year.

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Challenges Parents Face in Modern Society

Parenting is never straightforward, and there is not one right way to go about it. Parents have always been under some degree of public scrutiny when it comes to how they handle their relationship with their children, but never more so than in modern society. Nowadays, parents are sold all these different beliefs of what it takes to be a good parent and are pressured into buying all of the available resources which are meant to teach them the best way to look after their children. In fact, from baby books to parenting classes, a whole industry has been built up around telling people how to raise their children. However, with there being one thousand and one different views on the matter, how are people meant to know who is right and who is wrong?Challenges Parents Face in Modern Society

No matter what style of parenting you might have, from a liberal and free-range approach, to what might be considered a more traditional parenting style, all parents are now facing challenges that weren’t a concern a few decades ago, and it is causing many parents to feel at a loss of how best to tackle these issues. Here are just a few examples of the new and unprecedented challenges which parents have to face in the current day and age.

Increasingly high expenses

Over the last decade or so, the cost of raising the family has grown exponentially. Not only are all of the basic essentials becoming more and more expensive to buy, such as clothes and food, but there is also an unspoken pressure on parents to spend more in order to be the best. For example, whereas twenty years or so ago a lot of information regarding having a baby was conveyed through word of mouth, now new mothers are expected to shell out for pre-natal classes, one hundred and one books on different things, and a team of experts to talk them through all of the best birthing positions.

Then, as children get older, the types of toys they want to play with, and clothes they want to wear are also frequently going up in price, and parents often feel compelled to keep up with the latest trends of what other people are buying their children. Especially in this digital age, where technology is at the heart of modern society. When it comes to things such as the holidays and birthdays, children often expect to be given all of these expensive pieces of technology, always craving the newest models and latest designs.

All of this starts to put a strain on parents whose earnings don’t quite keep up with the rise in costs. It is this downward spiral that often leads people into getting themselves into debt, or missing payments. As a result, people struggle to find companies who will agree to give them the loans or financial support they need, although there are some companies, such as Bonsai Finance, which will still offer loans to people who are on the ASNEF lists.

Societal pressure and fear of judgment

Raising children used to be a very private affair, and the personal business of individual people was not really commented on by anyone who was not inside the family or a close friend. Nowadays, parents face a lot of scrutiny from other people, as so much personal information is available publically. Of course, in a lot of ways, this is a good thing, as it means that issues which can occasionally arise within families, such as mistreatment of children or domestic issues, are made known and can, therefore, be dealt with through the appropriate channels.

However, in another sense, this open nature of modern society also puts an immense amount of pressure on parents to be ‘the best.’ There are so many different conflicting messages that parents receive on what they are supposed to do with their children: Is vaccination good, or does it cause harmful side effects? Are children better off in public schools where they learn to socialize with a broader demographic, or are the better off in private education? If private education is better, where do you get the funding from? What’s the best way to discipline a child now? There are so many different options, with people ready to criticize you no matter which one you choose, that it can be difficult for people to feel as though they are good enough parents for their children.

Protecting children against new threats

Once, the only thing parents had to worry about guarding their children against was not talking to strangers. Now, many children face a new threat which many parents are struggling to protect their children from: the dangers of social media. With an ability to connect with almost anyone online, children are now being faced with influences across the world who could potentially pose a danger to their wellbeing.

Social media was initially created as a way for people to connect with friends and family with whom they may have lost touch, but now it has become a way of life for many. Whereas children used to have idols who were more in the public eye, they now idolize men and women who make money promoting products for money on their social influencer channels.  Through this, more and more children are sucked into the world of wanting the current fashions and ‘must have’ items, because that’s what their role models are telling them.

Not only that, but as children set up these social media sites, they are also posting pictures of themselves across the internet. This has the potential to make them vulnerable, both from online predators and also from online bullying. This is an issue which is truly difficult for parents to resolve, as they face a choice of whether to allow their children on the internet and risk this form of cyber attack or to not allow them the same privileges as other children and have them be cut off from their peers.

These are just a few examples of the challenges which modern parents are facing. There is no set manual on the best way to deal with these issues, and many parents are having to navigate their way through these problems by putting aside their anxieties, making the best decisions they can within the moment, and hoping that they don’t face too much judgment from their peers on the choices that they make.

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