Homeowners often complain about having their house invaded by ants during periods of rainy winter weather. It's only natural that ants will seek out higher and drier ground when rainwater begins filling their elaborate below-ground network. But preventing an annual ant invasion in your house just takes a little elbow grease and advance preparation. Here are 10 of the most effective ways to keep ants from invading yourCarmel home:

(1) Seal off the little critters from even accessing the cozy interior of your home in the first place by sealing off all door and window cracks using caulking, glue, putty or plaster. Even petroleum jelly will work as a temporary sealant.

(2) Mix some liquid dish detergent with water in a spray bottle. If you see even one scout ant on your kitchen countertop, spray it quickly with a blast from this bottle and they will never be able to report back to the troops.

(3) Place a thin quarter-inch unbroken line of powdered charcoal, cinnamon, citrus oil, baby powder or cayenne pepper inside door jams and window sills to serve as a barrier that ants won't cross.

(4) Clean your floors, tabletops and countertops with a solution of water and vinegar, removing any previous ant scent trails.

(5) At any place you notice ants entering your household, sprinkle crushed mint leaves, garlic salt, bay leaves or crushed cloves. Ants can't tolerate these odors.

(6) Keep all food items in closed containers. Be meticulous about wiping crumbs and other food droppings from tabletops, countertops and flooring because these can quickly attract ants.

(7) Mop or vacuum your floors daily, or at least every other day, to remove any traces of food particles that...

Older owners of Monterey real estate and those with elderly relatives know how scary the prospect of dementia is. It's hard to see a loved one begin to slip into cognitive decline. Fortunately, advances in neurology show that there are ways to help keep it at bay by keeping minds active and preserving neuroplasticity.

Tablet PCs are hailed as invaluable tools for seniors who want to help maintain their mental health. They're easy to use, can perform a wide variety of functions, and are fairly easy to make user-accessible for people with visual or hearing impairments. More and more studies show that playing games like sudoku or crosswords can help older people stay healthier and happier by engaging their minds. Now, a new study by Tohaku University may have narrowed down exactly which kind of games are the most effective at keeping dementia at bay.

The researchers developed a Processing Speed Training Game, which relies on users performing simple actions as quickly as possible. The emphasis there is on being able to react quickly, as opposed to relying on memory or trivia. Another experimental group was assigned a different game, where users were asked to answer questions based on their knowledge of a subject. After the four week experimental period, researchers found that the study participants who had been assigned to the Processing Speed Training Game had improved their inhibitions and processing speed, and reported lessened depression when compared to the other group. This is great news for older residents of Monterey real estate, since it means that improving brain health and reducing depressive symptoms may be just a few gaming sessions away.

For a long time, health problems like dementia were viewed as...