Autumn Home Maintenance Tips

o  Inspect fire extinguishers and replace if needed.

o  Change batteries in smoke/carbon monoxide detectors.

o  Seal cracks around doors and windows.

o  Clean your gutters. Ensure that water runoff from downspouts are directed away from your house.

o  Trim any tree limbs that are dangerously close to power lines or the roof of your house.

o  Look up chimney for blockages; check that damper is operating properly.

o  Inspect roof and eaves.

o  Check bird and rodent screen vents to prevent any unwanted guests from taking up residence.

o  Replace the filter in your furnace and/or arrange routine maintenance.

o  Prune plants and trees.

o  Now is an ideal time to fertilize and reseed your lawn. Although grass appears to stop growing in the autumn, 

the roots are actually growing deeper to prepare for winter.

      Corn Casserole

This corn casserole with chiles is the best our family has ever had.  We make it every year:

Ingredients-

• 1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8 oz) container of sour cream
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chile, drained
• 1 (8.5 oz) package dry corn muffin mix

Directions-

Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

Step 2 Mix cream-style corn, sour cream, melted butter, and eggs together in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in whole-kernal corn, cheddar, onion, and chiles.  Stir in corn muffin mix until just moistened.

Step 3 Bake in preheated oven about 75 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Managing Family Conflict When Selling the Family Home

Selling a parent’s home can become an unexpected battleground between family members.  As the For Sale sign goes up, practical decisions about pricing, renovations and profit-sharing often collide with emotional attachments and old family dynamics, turning a simple sale into a delicate dance of preserving both property value and relationships. A few guidelines may lessen the challenges:

Establish decision-making rules.

Family members may have varying financial interests, timelines and preferences in the sale of a parent’s home. It is crucial for families to establish clear decision-making processes to ensure that everyone feels empowered and included.

Communicate clearly and civilly.

A key to managing conflict with siblings when selling the family home is clear and respectful communication. It’s important to actively listen, letting each person express viewpoints, sometimes adding clarifying questions—e.g.: “Does that make sense to everyone?”

Put everything in writing.

It is important to have everything in writing to avoid misunderstandings or arguments between family members, including information in the listing, agreements about the sale price, marketing, timing, distribution of proceeds and more. Follow up conversations with an email that recaps what was discussed, and the outcome.

Focus on shared goals and values.

Despite disagreements, most family members likely share goals and values when it comes to selling their parents’ home. For example, wanting the home to be sold for a fair price, for the process to be handled competently and successfully and to allow everyone’s voice to be heard are common areas that most can agree on.

Step away, if necessary.

If family conflict becomes extreme or overwhelming, taking a bit of a break can help reset the process, allowing everyone to regroup and refocus on finding common ground and moving forward. Communicate openly and honestly about the need for a break and make a plan to return to the process when everyone is ready.