Consumer Reports

I spent Independence Day in the Shenandoah Valley . Anytime I’m there this time of year I start thinking about how when I was a kid my grandparents would take my brother and me to the orchards to pick fresh fruit. Apples, peaches, grapes, nectarines -

I love watching summer thunderstorms — the wind and the rain and the lightening streaking across the sky. It’s fun to watch them when I’m inside feeling safe, it’s not so fun watching summer storms when I’m caught off guard and out in my car trying to drive through the storms. The United States experiences a lot of severe weather during the summer. The southeastern portion of the country enters hurricane season , while the middle of the country is at the end of tornado season and just about anywhere can experience a wicked thunderstorm. To stay safe in severe weather, know what kinds of storms most often impact your community and be prepared for them. Keep emergency supplies somewhere you can easily access them, whether that’s a flashlight in case you lose power, or some bottled water and nonperishable food in case you can’t leave your house for a few days. FEMA provides great tips on how to be prepared for storms. So you aren’t caught off guard, stay up to date on weather warnings for your area from the storm prediction center . Even if you’re on the go you can check the mobile site for updates. You don’t want to get caught in a bad storm because you didn’t know it was coming. What’s your best tip for preparing for summer storms?

Last week our guest blogger, Erin Pierce, wrote about Making Every Day Earth Day . In keeping with the theme of doing good things for our planet and going green, my Friday blog is dedicated to trees. The last Friday in the month of April is designated as National Arbor Day . All around the country there are many schools and organizations carrying out tree planting activities. I remember, as a kid, my teacher had us plant a tree and write a report on our favorite tree. I wrote about the weeping willow in our backyard. My sisters and I used to climb all over that thing. I confess to playing “Tarzan.” I would swing from the vine-like branches doing my best jungle yell. Carol Burnett’s “Tarzan yell” was better, but I think I was a close second. Our lovely weeping willow began cracking and dying, so it had to be removed. The tree was large and it had to be cut down in sections. My dad did the cutting, but it was our job to hold the rope and pull when needed. Being a bit of a slacker, I wasn’t really holding the rope… actually, I think I was pretending to be a ballerina dancing around. A large branch broke and my sister, who was dutifully holding the rope, was dragged across the yard on her back as the branch came down. I thought that was the funniest thing, but my dad, who was nearly knocked off the ladder by the branch, did not. I got into big trouble. I held a grudge against all trees for awhile, but I eventually forgave them. If you like trees and/or are interested in participating in Arbor Day, here are some resources to check out: Arbor Day Foundation has planting and pruning guides as well as a map to determine the types of trees best suited for your area. Climate Change Information Climate Change Tree Atlas Cooling Your Home Naturally How to Prune Trees How to Recognize Hazardous Defects in Trees Prepare Your Trees for Winter Protecting Trees From Construction Damage Sierra Redwood Trees State Trees Trees by Joyce Kilmer United States National Arboretum Throughout the country many schools encourage and educate children on the benefits of planting trees. To see what your state or city is doing for Arbor Day, go to USA.gov and search on Arbor Day and the name of your state.

I don’t remember those baking soda and vinegar volcano eruptions in elementary school lasting quite this long. As you probably already know, the recent eruptions at Eyjafjallajökull have disrupted travelers around the world over the last couple of weeks. On Friday the ash from the eruptions caused airport closures in Iceland , Sweden and Norway. Although flights are leaving open airports in Europe, they are still canceled sporadically. The United States Geological Survey explains why volcanic ash is dangerous to planes and Iceland’s president has stated that these eruptions could continue for a long time . I want to give you some resources so if your travel is affected by the eruptions, you’ll have some places to turn. If you are in Europe, the U.S. Department of State has created a webpage to aid U.S. citizens who have flight cancellations. If you are a foreign national visiting the U.S. and are unable to get back home, here is how you go about legally extending your stay . If you are just interested in active volcanoes, the USGS has you covered . Have you been affected by the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions?

Census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to every household in the United States around mid-March 2010. For more information, visit the FAQ at USA.gov.

I got mine, did you get yours? It’s March and the Census Bureau is in full gear making sure census forms are delivered to every home in the United States and Puerto Rico. The good news is that it’s easy - when you get your form, just answer the 10 questions and mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope they provide (the form cannot be completed online). It only took me a couple of minutes to complete mine. If you don’t mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker , who will ask you the questions from the form .

Radon — an odorless gas that can accumulate in homes, buildings, and drinking water — is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in the United States. January is National Radon Action Month. Visit the FAQ at USA.gov for a link to where you can get a radon test kit.

The national unemployment rate is hovering around 10 percent, but the good news is that the upcoming 2010 Census will create hundreds of thousands of temporary, part-time jobs across the United States. Better Business Bureau offers the following advice on what it takes to work for the Census and tips on how to land a job. Read more…

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., of British Columbia, Canada, today announced the voluntary recall of more than 2.1 million Stork Craft drop-side cribs, including about 147,000 Stork Craft drop-side cribs with the Fisher-Price logo. The recall involves approximately 1,213,000 units distributed in the United States and 968,000 units distributed in Canada. CPSC, Health Canada, and Stork Craft are aware of 110 incidents of drop-side detachment; 67 incidents occurred in the United States and 43 in Canada. The incidents include 15 entrapments; 12 in the U.S. and three in Canada. Four of the entrapments resulted in suffocation. This recall includes Stork Craft cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between January 1993 and October 2009. This recall also includes Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo that have manufacturing dates between October 1997 instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm’s insignia ’storkcraft baby’ or ’storkling’ is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs. In Stork Craft cribs that contain the ‘Fisher-Price’ logo, this logo can be found on the crib’s teething rail, in the manufacturer’s instructions, on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board, and on the end panels of the Twinkle-Twinkle and Crystal crib models. CPSC urges parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs, wait for the free repair kit, and do not attempt to fix the cribs without the kit. They should find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. Consumers should contact Stork Craft to receive a free repair kit that converts the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side. Read more…

Thanksgiving is almost here and this is the time of year that I really start thinking of food. Warm soups , holiday meals, grazing at parties with my friends are all on my mind. I know that when I’m searching for recipes on the web, my first stop isn’t usually a government website. You might be surprised though…the United States has a diverse population and a great variety of cooking styles . Maybe you want to make some delicious fudge for the people in the office. Or maybe you’re heading to the woods during hunting season this year and you’re looking for some good wild game recipes . I think one of the specialty areas when it comes to government recipes is health. Nutrition is very important for the treatment of medical conditions like cancer , diabetes , and heart disease , and the government has published lots of recipes that can help you stay healthy.