Why are those gossip-hunting spies called eavesdroppers? It is because in Middle English, the water that falls from the eaves of a house was called eavesdrop, and eavesdropper was first used to describe someone who would stand close to a house in order to hear what was going on inside.

The Catholic Herald, published in Great Britain, warms about the dangers of drinking holy water from religious shrines. While it may have curative powers in a religious sense, it seems that it also is a breeding ground for germs.

The elephant can smell water up to 3 miles away. Also, a dogs' nose is so sensitive that it can tell the difference between a tub of water and a tub of water with a teaspoon of salt in it.

Fixed mortgage rates held steady this week as they stay near record lows on average. Mortgage pricing advertised in the rate tables on the website reflect the historically low cost of mortgage financing. 30 year fixed rate pricing was advertised as low as 2.875% and 15 year fixed mortgage rates as low as 2.625%.

We are continuing to see an excellent environment for home buying, building, and refinancing higher rate mortgages," commented Shaun Hamman, VP of Residential Lending at American Financial Resources. "These historically low mortgage rates are helping to drive the housing recovery and millions of homeowners and home buyers stand to benefit as well," he continued.

During the holidays, an estimated 128,700 fires and 1,650 injuries, along with 415 deaths occur with close to $25.5 million in property damage.

Holiday Decorations: Be aware of toxic decorations which may be poisonous. Use non-combustible, flame-resistant materials. Never use lighted candles on a tree, evergreens or other flammable materials.

Lights: Check for loose connections, broken or cracked sockets or frayed wires. Use UL approved lighting. Fasten lights to the tree and prevent bulbs from coming in contact with the needles or branches. Turn off all holiday lights when leaving home or retiring for the evening.

Trees: Be sure a natural tree is fresh and less likely to become a fire hazard. Cut two inches off the trunk and place in a sturdy water stand, water daily. Keep the tree away from fireplaces, wall furnaces and other heat sources. Use 'fire resistant' artificial trees.

Portable space heaters: Place space heaters at least three feet away from anything combustible and operating only when you are in the room. Don't leave a space heater on overnight or near children and pets.

Cooking: Avoid wearing loose clothing which can be ignited by hot burners. Turn pot handles in. Don't store items on top of the stove, they can catch on fire. Turn off kitchen appliances after use. Turkey fryers should be used outdoors and away from buildings and flammable materials.

Homeowners should analyze their landscape to identify areas that are subject to constant wind exposure to trees and shrubs. For conifers planted in areas that regularly suffer from winter desiccation injury (as described above), the best way to prevent this type of damage is to erect some type of barrier in front of susceptible plants to block the winter winds. Barriers constructed of burlap or wooden or plastic snow fence can be used and should be installed soon to block the prevailing winter winds and reduce winter injury.

After leaves fall off of deciduous trees and shrubs in the fall, homeowners can often see plant problems that may not have been very noticeable with the foliage on the branches. A good example is crossing or rubbing branches and other structural defects in the branches of a tree or shrub. Severe problems can pruned out now if necessary or perhaps a homeowner can make a mental note to prune that plant before the new leaves emerge in the spring.