The Calgary Police Service (CPS) is reminding residents to be mindful of home and vehicle security following a number of offences in the city's northwest. Since the beginning of October, offender(s) have committed approximately 25 offences targeting vehicles, garages and homes in the area. In the garage break and enters, offenders gained access through unlocked doors or they have stolen garage door openers from vehicles to gain access. In some cases, they have then gained entry to the home via the connecting door within the garage. Calgarians can help ensure their homes and garages are safe by taking the following steps:

Now that a blanket of white has covered the city — enough to enable the opening of several nearby ski hills — Calgarians are starting to utter that six letter word that some delight in and others dread: winter. For those who have one, your vehicle is an important tool in the winter season which you rely on to get you from point A to point B in wet, snowy and sometimes icy conditions. With a few simple steps, your car will be raring to go for winter, even if you aren't.

Halloween - it's the one time of the year when homeowners purposely decrease the curb appeal of their homes. The one time when trimming the hedges and cleaning the clutter may actually increase the likelihood of people stopping in. But aside from procrastinating on that weekend yard work, there are a few things a homeowner can do to Halloween up their household to ensure all those little ghosts and ghouls don't take their trick or treating elsewhere.

When selling your home, REALTORS® will sometimes hold an open house. Open houses are a way to market and expose the property for you, the seller. While an open house is taking place at your property there are more than enough Calgary and area activities to keep you busy while away for the two to three hours an open house lasts. Here's CREB® Real Estate News' top five.

Depending on your style, Calgary's backyards can vary from a simplistic square of lawn to a green thumb's paradise of terraces, stones, ponds and lush beds of flowers and shrubs. Further adding character to your yard — as well as attracting the singsong crowd of Calgary's many feathered friends including House Sparrows, Black-Capped Chickadees, Red- Breasted Nuthatch and Robins — a birdhouse is a fairly quick and inexpensive do-it-yourself project.

Sometimes the garage is just the place where you park your car and store random items you don't have room for in your home. But, in a few easy steps, you can transform your garage into an organized and aesthetically pleasing addition to your residence.

As of the end of June, Calgary has seen 144.6 mm of rainfall. While the rain seemed to put a damper of summer activities in the city in June, the number was far behind the record of 247.6 mm set in 2005, a record that had been held since 224 mm fell in that same timeframe in 1902. For gardeners in the city, rain is part of the sustenance that helps their gardens grow, and even if you aren't a green thumb, having a rain barrel handy can help save on the water bill while maintaining a green lawn.