Consumer Reports

It drives me nuts when I’m sitting on the train and I can hear the music blaring from another person’s iPod. It’s just plain rude to be playing your music so loudly that it disrupts the rest of the train. But even if those people aren’t considerate of others, shouldn’t they at least care about the damage they are doing to their own hearing? Studies show that listening to music through headphones at such a loud volume could lead to hearing loss down the road. Here are some tips on protecting yourself from long term hearing loss. Turn down the music. Aren’t sure of the ideal volume, check how many decibels the music should be. Limit your time listening. Cutting back on how long you’re rocking out could help save your ears. Use ear plugs. If you’re going to be somewhere loud, like a concert or working with power tools, buy a pair of ear plugs to help mute the sound. If you think you might be experiencing hearing loss, you can take a brief quiz that highlights some of the classic symptoms. Depending on how you answer you may want to visit your doctor for more formal testing.

I’ve got a serious case of cabin fever. I’m exhibiting all the classic signs – flannel PJ’s, making soup, organizing, re-arranging furniture and seed shopping. There’s something comforting about looking through garden catalogs with their beautiful photos of people working in the garden, bountiful harvests, and flowers in bloom. I want my garden to be green and bountiful too! I love to play in the dirt, I love fresh vegetables, and I can’t wait to start planting . Last night I had a hard time putting the seed catalog down. I couldn’t decide what variety of butternut squash to plant. My husband would prefer no squash, but it won’t kill him to eat a few – in fact, it’ll be good for him. I have two catalogs that I order from every year where I can find heirloom and organic seeds. There are so many sources for seeds , and I’m always on the lookout for new sources of seeds and plants, so if you’ve got any great suggestions let me know. There’s still time for me to get my hands on a catalog.