Hallmark sells 50% more greeting cards for Mother’s Day than it does for Father’s Day. Have you ever noticed in sports when the TV cameras are facing the athlete he or she always says “Hello Mom!”...

Years ago in the 60s I read a story in Maclean’s magazine about this new grass seed that had been discovered. It grew but it didn’t need cutting. I liked that idea right away. So I sought out the source, ordered some (I believe it was $20 for this not very big bag), planted it, followed the instructions and nothing happened.

Get ready because we are celebrating the arrival of two new slow-growing grass seed mixtures. Eco-Lawn is a blend of seven fescue grasses developed by Wildflower Farms in Ontario. They are near Orillia. The family who developed this say this fast germinating blend of grasses only needs cutting once a month. The roots go deep, about nine inches into the ground, which also makes it drought and heat resistant. They tell me the Eco-Lawn grows at least to nine inches, then it flops over at about four inches which the company says will create a soft-like carpet effect. A five pound bag which should cover about 1,000 square feet costs $29.95. You can order this product from www.wildflowerfarm.com. Shipping extra. From another Canadian company, a mixture of four fescue seeds called EcoTurf and is available at stores like Canadian Tire. It is about $20 for a two kilogram bag. Go to www.greenearth.ca. EcoTurf is produced by Sure-Gro Inc. out of Brantford, Ont...

In the news is the big beer sale as the largest brewer in the world, Belgian’s InBev NV, tries to buy out Anheuser-Busch. This is the same company that contacted John Sleeman when he put his Sleeman Breweries for sale in 2006. Vernon’s Okanagan Spring Brewery was part of the Sleeman group. He wouldn’t sell to the Belgian brewers. He said he wasn’t interested if he couldn’t protect his staff and sold to a Japanese brewer who pledged not to close any plants or fire any workers. Sleeman always said he watched InBev’s take over of Labatt Brewing in 2004, close plants, cut staff and slash perks. He didn’t want any of that for his staff, who had been very loyal through all the tough years as they built the company...

Starting June 23, the transition to 10-digit dialing for all local calls will begin across the province. Callers who dial only seven digits will hear a recorded reminder to include the area code the next time they make a call. Ten-digit dialing will be required starting September 12, 2008.

To meet the growing demand for phone numbers, the (778) area code will be expanded to include the entire province. To date, it was available only in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

The Western Telecommunications Alliance is reminding businesses and consumers to make any necessary changes to their communication systems and equipment to be set up for 10-digit dialing. Further information about the changeover is available at (www.dial10.ca).