Dear Carrells: I have tried a dozen different things to keep the fleas away from our dogs and yard. I think they are under control now, but we had to treat the yard, the house, the dogs and their beds to get them under control. I found that I could stuff some cedar shavings into the dogs' beds and some in their doghouse, and this seems to drive the pests away. Apparently fleas don't like the smell. It works, so I thought I would pass it along to you and your readers. — T.J.

A SUPER HINT — If you need to secure your garage door, just disconnect the opener and install a large C-clamp on the track just above one of the wheels. The door will no longer go up.

Dear Al: We bought some metal wire fencing to put around our garden. We have a nice border, but the dogs kept running through it, so we needed a taller fence. The one we bought was just a basic, 18-inch-tall curved wire design. The wire looked OK, but my wife wanted it to match the copper lights she had around the yard. I painted it with some copper spray paint. It was easy to do, and she loves it. Now it matches the rest of the decorations in the yard and looks different from a standard wire fence. — S.B.

Q: We have guttering over our patio roof, but it always leaks in a corner. Now we have some mildew on the patio, and it just keeps getting worse. What should I do? — H.K.

A: The guttering might need to be adjusted for proper drainage, cleaned out or otherwise repaired. If the corner flow is high, you might add a guard in that corner. Once you have that fixed, you can use bleach to clean the mildew away. Once the mildew is gone, you can paint or add a water sealant to the area to keep the moisture from being a problem.

A Tip From the Super HandyMom — Powdered shop compounds are part of the standard arsenal of our workshops. I store mine in plastic containers that seal tightly. That way, I don't have to worry about moisture turning the powder into a brick. You can label the plastic tub or just store the whole box or bag inside the plasticware.

SHOPTALK — It's almost time to deal with falling leaves again. Blowers work well to move them, but most are loud, to say the least, and can be heavy or awkward to handle. Husqvarna has recently come up with a new model that is powerful yet extremely quiet. The backpack style is lighter in weight than others its size, and has much less vibration as well. It's actually comfortable to use. But the quiet factor is the reason we like it. It's so quiet that you can barely hear it running at all. Check it out at lawn-mower-supply stores and at www.husqvarna.com. You will be amazed.