Robins are birds that I enjoy viewing, but not as they try to build nests under our porch lights which are on both sides of an area right by our front entrance door. For three days my husband has removed the straw, twigs, etc in order to prevent a completed robin's nest. They put the straw, twigs, etc. up, he takes them down immediately. Today after reading these posts, I sprayed the area with ant and roach spray that I use when the ants try to visit too close to our outside walkway. Two robins just came with straw in their mouths, but they flew away. I hope this is a long-term solution. This is the first time that we have had this problem in the nineteen years that we have lived here. I am already tired of the mess on our porch and the potential health hazard presented if the robins succeed in building a permanent nest. We have plenty of trees that the birds usually choose for their nests and are still quite welcome to do so. However, why our porch this year is a puzzle. Thanks to all who have posted for their solutions. To the haters, because one does not want a bird's nest in an area that he/she frequently uses in his/her home, does not label the person as an animal hater. Why should my quality of life be compromised daily upon trying to enter my home for the sake of a bird's nest? The answer is that it shouldn't and will not. We will win this fight and reclaim our safety and keep our good health.

I have the same issue and for a long time I could not figure out how the rain water is landing on top the car especially after I weather-stripped the top and sides of the door - until today when I just happened to open the garage door to clean the water mess on the car, the water came pouring through the sectionals of the door! Now it is simply not just the few drops of water that is the nuisance - if your car has some or lots of) dust the water drops create a messy look after the water drops on the car dry out - it looks really yucky on most cars and especially on a black car! If you want to go out and it is still raining, sure, the mess will be washed off but what if it is bone dry outside (sunny or not) - one is compelled to wash the mess off oneself or take the car to the car wash, unless one is ok with a messy looking car. This is quite annoying if this happens frequently as it does in the rainy season.

This is gonna sound silly but the dog has a true case of claustrophobia. Sounds crazy, but Japanese Chin was this way. If she got locked in anywhere she would s*$# herself. I've kennel trained dogs, and my little Chin was pretty much treated like a big dog with the rest of my big dogs (you know, each around 100 lbs. She was 9 lbs when wet.) Another potential problem, his kennel is not being respected by 'young' family members. All dogs need a place to retreat and the kennel training should be reinforced that way. Even as far as keeping a sheet over it that covers the top and two sides to give it a den feel. Make sure young family members respect the space to ensure doggie feels secure and will use it naturally instead of feeling stressed from being locked in. Another potential problem is instead of a open bowl of water have a water bottle. Also put up water bowl 45 mins. prior to kenneling to help with bladder control. If all else fails consult a vet. Sometimes, wetting the bed is a sign of serious underlying issue

Negative experiences in regard to potting-up, where an undisturbed root ball is placed into a bigger pot with more soil around it, vs. doing a repotting, as described below, can give rise to old wives' tales about plants not liking to be repotted/disturbed. Potting-up a root-bound plant that has roots surrounding the outside root ball often lead to this negative experience because those roots had adapted to accessing oxygen around the outside of the root ball and surrounding them with more dense, soggy-but-airless potting soil will likely lead to suffocation. The reason bonsai masters are able to keep potted entities alive for hundreds of years is because they care for the roots by trimming them and changing the soil. A plant grows from the roots-up, so if the roots are not healthy, gorgeous foliage will decline &/or no flowers can form. When you unpot a plant and find a pancake of roots at the bottom, chopping that off will give roots a chance to grow normally again for a while and will make removing the old soil easier. Roots need oxygen & moisture at the same time to function. Just air = shriveling. Just moisture = suffocation & rotting. Either will cause root death and dessicated foliage because the roots have been unable to deliver moisture. Having to let soil dry, as if ones' tropical jungle plant was a cactus, is an unnecessarily stressful coping mechanism for non-desert dwelling plants in soil without enough oxygen for the roots to stay healthy when it is moist and can lead to premature loss of older leaves and in extreme cases, dry shriveled roots/dead plant. The ability of roots to be able to function properly depends greatly on the soil structure/texture, which can change over time. Potting soil tends to be very dense, mostly peat, with very little air in it. Any kind of organic ingredients decompose into smaller bits over time, and roots fill air spaces over time as they grow through soil. Replacing soil periodically is usually necessary to keep plants healthy because of these reasons. A more porous, chunky, airy soil (like cactus/palm, if one is buying bagged,) can have more air in it even when it is moist because there is space between the particles. When there are tiny particles of any kind in a pot, such as peat, sand, silt, clay, they filter into all of the tiny spaces in a pot, eliminating the air. "Overwatering" is the label and manifestation when roots have suffocated and/or rotted, combo of both. Over time, organic bits decompose into smaller bits, so even the "best" soil, if it has organic components, will need to be replaced when this happens. The speed at which this happens depends on many variables, but on average, about 1-3 years.