(MCT)—Days of Malibu living are long gone for Barbie. The iconic doll has moved to Florida and is inviting people to step into her life-size dream house, the first one now open worldwide.

(MCT)—The sounds of spring are most definitely here. You know, the loud buzz of the lawn mowers, the piercing sound of leaf blowers, the incessant whir of the trimmers. Not only is there the noise pollution to contend with, there is also the air, land, and water pollution that comes with gas powered lawn equipment.

(MCT)—If you find yourself looking for some exotic, colorful plants for the summer shade garden, look no further than the Brazilian plume flower. It is so wonderful that it was once known botanically as Jacobinia magnifica.

(MCT)—I get the impression that there are a lot of untrustworthy cats in this country from the number of remedies submitted to me on combating urine odors.

(MCT)—If last year’s record temperatures were any indication — 2012 ranks as one of the hottest years on record — you can plan to once again crank up your home’s air conditioner this summer.

(MCT)—Q: What is the best way to activate the travel insurance I purchased? Due to an unexpected illness, a person in my party cannot take the trip. We are two weeks out from the travel date.

(MCT)—With Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” opening just before summer, there’s no better time to celebrate the spirit of the Roaring ’20s. From speakeasies to grande dame hotels, the members and editors of VirtualTourist.com have chosen

(MCT)—If there is one thing gardeners everywhere hate, it’s weeds. However, many times the solution to getting rid of weeds can actually be more of a problem. In fact, it can be downright dangerous because there are growing health concerns about one of the chief ingredients, glyphosate,

(MCT)—The garbage disposal is often one of the most-used appliances in the kitchen. It’s also the most abused. “Foreign objects in the disposal is the most common issue,” says Kevin Harner of Kevin Harner Appliance Services Co. in Enola, Pa.

(MCT)—Q: When Sandy flooded our basement, we had a contractor pull up the carpeting and install vinyl tiles. He prepared the concrete floor by scraping up the rug glue that remained, and used commercial adhesive to put down the new tiles.

(MCT)—In just weeks, my sister’s youngest son will put on his high school graduation cap and walk across the stage, soon to head out the door to his college dorm. Watching her confront the impending reality of becoming an empty nester has me a little unnerved.

(MCT)—The flowers are blooming, the weather is warming, and pests are starting to appear inside and outside of our homes. Instead of reaching for a toxic cocktail of bug killer, Do Your Part to battle these pests with safer solutions.

(MCT)—QUESTION: I recently moved, and the moving company damaged a piece of antique furniture. I’m getting only a few dollars in compensation, much less than the value of the furniture. What can I do?

(MCT)— When Mark Fay heard that the F.P. Fay Building was about to be demolished, the “True Blood” sound engineer drove to downtown Los Angeles to see the building named for his great-grandfather. That day, Easter Sunday, he discovered the building had already been knocked down, with little left but some ironwork and Fay Building signage he found on a piece of marble.

(MCT)—It’s that time of year. Drive through your neighborhood on heavy trash pickup day in early spring and you’ll likely see them: lawnmowers sitting forlornly at the end of driveways, worn but otherwise seemingly intact; cast aside because they no longer function as they should.