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		Roy Sperr Jason Walters and Shawn Hunter NMLS: 202418/295556/348864 Equity Source Mortgage, Inc. Phone: Roy (763) 657-2012 Phone: Shawn (763) 657-2017 Emails: roy@equitysourcemortgage.net roy@equitysourcemortgage.net www.equitysourcemortgage.com

June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013		Two Awesome Backyard Projects One for the Environment, the Other for Summer Fun Looking for some backyard projects to kick-start your summer? A composting station is a great green way to reduce waste. And for a fun sport you can play with friends and family, learn how to build your own bocce ball court and revive your backyard. PERFECT COMPOST BIN When horticulturists at the University of California Cooperative Extension set out to design the perfect compost bin, they wanted one that was simple to build, easy to use, and efficient at making compost. The bin mentioned here meets those criteria. This 3-foot-square unit consists of five sections. You start the compost pile by filling one or two sections with organic matter, then stack on the other sections as you add more material. By following the steps below, you can have a load of finished compost in about six weeks. Time: Two to three hours Cost: $50 to $75, depending on the grade of wood (untreated pine is a good option) Materials: 60 feet 1-by-6 utility wood 10 feet 2-by-2 utility wood 80 2-inch woodscrews 1 quart of wood sealer Here's How: 1. Saw the 1-by-6 wood into 10 36-inch lengths and 10 34-inch lengths; saw the 2-by-2 wood into 6-inch lengths. 2. Lay each of the 34-inch boards over two 2-by-2s, with one 2-by-2 flush with each end but offset from the top edge by 1 inch. Drive two screws through the 1-by-6s into each 2-by-2. 3. Place one 34-inch board upside down with 2-by-2s extending upward. Place a 36-inch board against one end, flush with the top, bottom and outside edge. Attach with two woodscrews through the 1-by-6 into the 2-by-2. Add second 34-inch board at other end of 36-inch board. Complete section with other 36-inch board, making a 36-inch square. Repeat the process for each of the remaining four sections. 4. Apply two coats of wood sealer. Recipe for Homemade Compost Compost improves soil texture, fertility and the ability to hold water and air. Here's how to make it. Ingredients. Include grass clippings, dead leaves and vegetable kitchen waste. Don't add diseased plants, plant parts that contain thorns, weed seed heads, or meat, fat or bones from the kitchen. Chop or shred everything to speed decomposition. (You can run your lawn mower over fallen leaves.) Alternate layers of brown and green matter. Put down a 3-inch layer of brown matter, such as shredded dead leaves, which contain plenty of carbon. Cover it with an equal layer of green matter, like grass clippings, which contain a lot of nitrogen. If you're short on green matter, sprinkle the brown matter with high-nitrogen fertilizer (such as lawn fertilizer). To speed up decomposition in a new pile, add a few shovelfuls of old compost, which already contains bacteria and fungi. Keep the pile moist and aerated. Sprinkle the pile with water to keep it about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Use a spading fork or pitchfork to thoroughly mix the ingredients and aerate the pile. When the compost is ready, its texture will be like that of fine soil. You can make your own potting soil and plant directly in it, use it to fertilize established plants, or spread it over your garden for a special treat. BACKYWARD BOCCE BALL COURT What game is as ancient as Rome and still fun to play today? It's bocce, an Italian ball game that involves rolling resin bocce balls down a long rectangular court at a small target ball, called a pallino. A familiar activity in places like Napa Valley, bocce is becoming more popular in backyards across the west. Standard courts for amateur players are 60-by-12 feet. Here's How: Dig and level the playing area. Build the box to contain the playing surface. Use a builder's level. Install a French drain (an area in which water collects and runs through a perforated pipe) with 3/4-inch crushed rock. Cover the surface with 1/2-inch hardware cloth. Fill with class II base rock (used under asphalt roadways). Cover with a 3-inch layer of decomposed granite or a mixture of clay and crushed oyster shells. Finish with a 1/4-inch layer of crushed oyster shell "flour." Source: Sunset.com

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