As a boy, I recall my brother-in-law telling of the romantic concept of writing love letters on bark peeled from a birch tree. I haven't given much thought to birch trees or birch wood since then. Birch isn't the type of wood I usually consider for the type of wood-working projects I do.

But I recently received an advance copy of Celebrating Birch: The Lore, Art, and Craft of an Ancient Tree. The book includes many projects from birch bark shoes to carved birch-wood bowls to bark ornaments. There's even a recipe for birch-sap root beer!

The step-by-step photos will guide you through each project. In addition to the beautiful photography throughout the book, the 'Lore and Legends' and 'Biology and Ecology' sections make this book a perfect option to leave on your coffee table, too.

Take a look at the Family Handyman Web site. It has some great tips and projects. The e-mail newsletter, The Family Handyman Plus, is equally useful and interesting. It starts with a table of contents so you can quickly find a project of interest. The 'Handy Hints' section offers clever hints from readers, and the 'Great Goofs' section explains things you should not try at home (hey, we've all made mistakes, why not let everyone learn from them?).

1. Green Sweets.   Give out organic candies and fair trade chocolate. There's no reason sweets can't be healthy, too!

2. Run, don't walk. Or walk, but don't drive. You can save fuel and enjoy the crisp autumn evening by leaving the family car at home. Plus, it can't hurt trick or treaters to get a little pre-candy workout.

3. Local Pumpkins. Head over to the Local Harvest site and search by ZIP code for pumpkin patches near you. And when you're done carving those magnificent beasts, share your photos with us and the world at the new Mother Earth News photo-sharing site. You can enter into any of the following categories: Goofiest Faces, Scariest Faces and Cleverest Use of Jack-o'-Lantern.

4. Solar Pumpkins. Check out this great DIY solar-powered jack-o'-lantern.  The instructions are clear and simple, and the materials won't cost much at all.

5. DIY Costumes. You don't have to spend a fortune on costumes for your kids. Most of the Halloween costumes you can buy readymade are not built to last, so they won't be around to pass on to younger kids. Plus, they're often made of petroleum-based plastic and toxic vinyl—materials that definitely frighten the environment. Instead, opt for the homemade variety. In addition to being able to use materials you may already have lying around the house, you'll probably have a blast with your kids while you're at it! Check out these sites for plenty of costume ideas and instructions:

·  The Dollar Stretcher

· Woman's Day

· Family Crafts

· Costume Idea Zone

And if you've put together something truly spectacular, don't be afraid to enter it in this DIY Halloween 2007 contest. Sponsored by several crafty groups (Instructables, MAKE, PopSci, Craft, American Science & Surplus and Cool Neon), winners in four different categories will receive great prizes.

We had more rain over the weekend and into Monday morning. The acid wash that I used to clean the deck suggested waiting two to three days before applying the stain (I assumed this was primarily for the wood to dry). But when I was reading the instructions on the stain can, it suggested a test prior to application: If a few drops of water soaked into the wood within a few minutes, the stain could be applied. This was intended to test the need to remove the previous surface prior to application, but it started me thinking about the water-based stain.

By Monday evening, there was no water standing on the deck, although it was still mildly damp. So, I decided to apply the stain. If the wood had been drier, it probably would have absorbed more stain; but it looks like the stain is fairly even and covered the wood nicely.

The stain can says that it's also a sealer, but based on previous experience, applying a coat of water sealant will make the finish last much longer. The instructions say that the stain will be thoroughly dry in 72 hours. Since the wood was slightly damp, I'm waiting a little longer before applying the sealant.

When I built my deck several years ago, I used 2-by-6s instead of the typical 1-inch decking. And because of some bark left along the edges of the planks, I put them on the deck 'upside-down.'

If you look at the growth rings in the end of the planks, imagine that you're looking at the end of the log before it was sawn into boards. Which broad side of the plank would have been closest to the bark? When you use the planks on a deck, you want that side facing up. If you put the boards on the deck the other way (like I did), they'll have a tendency to 'cup' or slightly curl.

This is a bad thing on a deck surface, because cupped planks are less likely to shed water, which can shorten the life of the deck. (By the way, this isn't such a problem for quarter-sawn lumber, but it would be very unusual to use quarter-sawn lumber for decking because it's more expensive.)

Partly because of my poor design, but also due to natural weathering, it's time to refinish my deck. I started last week by cleaning the deck and wetting it with plain water. Then I sprayed it with a mild acid cleaner made specifically for this purpose. The acid removes mold and thoroughly cleans the surface of the deck. After working the acid into the surface with a stiff brush, I allowed it to work for about 40 minutes before thoroughly washing it off (again, with plain water).

My plan was to stain the deck after two or three days as recommended by the manufacturer, but we've had intermittent rains, so that hasn't happened yet. If this keeps up (I'm not complaining; we need the rain), I may have to use the acid wash again prior to staining the deck.

More updates next week.