INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When it's really hot outside, the best way to effectively water your garden is by using irrigation or soaker hoses. While these are slightly different from each other, they both deliver water slowly to the plants' roots, which prevents evaporation and saves water. Irrigation hoses use flexible plastic tubing that contains little holes. Water slowly drips from these holes into the soil. Soaker hoses are made of a porous material that water seeps through. Adding mulch to your garden will keep the soil protected from direct sun exposure and, as a result, allow the soil to stay moist for longer. You can use many different forms of mulch, but you'll probably have the best results with a light-colored mulch, such as dried grass clippings, because it'll reflect the sunlight. Use bark mulch around your shrubs. Wood mulch is great because it will shade the soil from the sun and break down over time, adding compost to your soil. During those hot summer months, it's best to water your garden in the early morning before the sun starts beating down. If you wait until midday or even early afternoon, most of the water will likely evaporate before it travels to the plants' roots. If you can't water your plants in the morning, the early evening is another good time to water. Rainwater is a lot better for your plants than tap water because it contains all necessary natural minerals without any added chemicals. As a result, they'll thrive better if watered this way, especially if they're struggling in the heat. Consider installing a rainwater tank in order to collect enough rainwater to water your garden. These are relatively easy to install and are typically attached to your gutters. If you don't want to deal with irrigation or soaker hoses, opt for hand watering your plants. This is much better than relying on sprinklers because sprinklers can sufficiently water specific areas of your garden that are in range and leave others completely dry. Longer grass can have a bit of a shading effect, which helps the soil retain moisture. In order for this to be effective, keep your grass at least 3 inches (7.62 cm) long. In extreme heat or during droughts, it's best to have the grass closer to 6 inches (15.24 cm). Heat and sun exposure can cause transpiration on your overwatered plants, which can lead to leaf wilt. Additionally, when plants are watered too much, the excessive moisture in the soil can cause bacteria to develop, oxygen to be in short supply, and ultimately create fungal disease. Resist the urge to water your plants too much when it's really hot outside. Your plants only really need to be watered if the soil is dry. To prevent overwatering, touch the soil to make sure it's dry before you decide to water the garden. Pesky weeds that infest your garden can soak up all the water, leaving little for the plants in your garden that you want to keep nourished and hydrated. Weed your garden once a week for the best results, or twice a month at the bare minimum.

SUMMARY: Use irrigation hoses and soakers. Use a light mulch. Water your plants in the morning. Water your garden with rainwater. Hand water your plants. Keep your lawn 3-6 inches (7.62-15.24 cm) long. Avoid over-watering your garden. Weed your garden regularly.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Once you have assumed your posture in a chair or a traditional meditation pose, you should align your back and find a comfortable position. Your lower back should be slightly curved in and your upper back should be slightly curved out. You should have an open chest. Your neck should be very slightly curved in and your head should be level. Your body should be slightly relaxed while remaining upright. Remember to relax your shoulders. Your arms and hands should feel loose. If you feel tension, you can do a shoulder shrug and then return to meditating. You should be relaxed but not so relaxed that you are falling asleep in your chair. Likewise, you want to be sitting with a straight back but avoid tensing up your back. Put your tongue just behind your front teeth on the roof of your mouth. This helps prevent your mouth from getting dry during meditation. With your eyes half open, look at the ground five or six feet in front of you. Your gaze should be at around a 45 degree angle. Settle your gaze on the floor or ground. You should have your eyes open but should avoid staring at whatever is on the ground. Simply leave your eyes open and leave them in one place, directed to the ground or floor in front of you. You should not be looking at anything in front of you. If you find yourself directing your attention to something in front of you, remind yourself of the feeling of your breath. To avoid distraction during your meditation session, settle your gaze someplace that is not too stimulating. If there are people moving or electronic lights in front of you, it might be too distracting. If this is the case, find someplace different to meditate. Once you have relaxed in a comfortable position, you may notice that your body is breathing. Place your attention on the movement of your breath in and out of your body. In some meditation traditions, you have to breathe through your nose. If you are a mouth breather or have a hard time with this, it is fine to breathe through your mouth. You may notice that your mind is wandering. If you notice that you are thinking or feeling something, you can label each thought or feeling a "thought bus." You can think of every thought or feeling that comes into your mind as a "bus." Just like the buses in the city, you can choose whether to get on the "thought bus" that enters your mind or to let it pass. As the buses come and go, you may feel more aware or mindful of yourself. As the thought buses come and go, keep coming back to the feeling of the breath as it enters and leaves your body. You should focus your attention on the feeling of your breath and let the thought buses come and go. It is good to observe where your mind goes during meditation, but avoid following it. You should notice which "thought buses" come and go during meditation, but avoid getting on the buses. Just observe them coming and going as you keep returning your attention to the breath.

SUMMARY: Sit in a relaxed position with a straight back. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Set your gaze a few feet in front of you. Notice that you are breathing. Observe your mind. Come back to your breath.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When you purchase a digital anemometer it will come with an instruction manual. Read through the instructions carefully before you begin using the device. The instructions will provide you with directions for how to set-up and read your anemometer. The anemometer will come with a battery and you will need to install the battery in the back of the device. Unscrew the battery compartment in the back and place the battery inside. The device will likely have a power button on the front. Once the batteries have been installed, you can turn on the device and begin recording the wind speed. Most digital anemometers will have a variety of different measurement options. For example, you could calculate the wind speed in km/hour, mi/hour, ft/second, ft/minute, and knots. Press the unit button in order to scan through the different measurement options and select the one you would like to use.

SUMMARY:
Read the instructions provided. Install the battery. Turn on the device. Choose your preferred measurement setting.