Bartram’s Garden is offering a half-price membership at the Seed Saver level as part of a community outreach effort. A $50 membership is now $25.

As a Seed Saver member you are eligible for 15 free-admission program passes to tours of this national historic landmark house and garden and for monthly educational programs (valid through June 30, 2012). Passes are transferable so you can share them with friends and family. Bartram’s Garden members also receive discounts on Garden Shop and plant purchases and invitations to plant sale previews.

The offer expires June 30. For more information call Alison McDowell at 215-729-5281 x103 or email: amcdowell [at] bartramsgarden.org

Due to the heat, the School District of Philadelphia has announced that all of its schools will close at 1:30 p.m. today.

Here is the statement from the District:

Due to extreme heat and humidity, all School District of Philadelphia schools will close early today, June 1, 2011.  According to the National Weather Service, the combination of temperatures in the mid 90s and high humidity could create a situation in which heat illness is possible.  The District is taking this excessive heat warning seriously by closing schools at 1:30 p.m. today.  At the 1:30 p.m. dismissal time, routine transportation will occur for students.  The heat advisory in effect until 8 p.m.

The general public and media are urged to monitor the District Web site at www.philasd.org for any updates. Updated information will also be posted on the District’s Information Hotline at 215-400-INFO (4636).

Our first Adopt-a-Pet, a sweet pit bull mix Ruby, has found a forever home. West Philly resident Alon Abramson, who organizes a local runners group called West Philly Runners, adopted Ruby last week after reading about her here. He says Ruby will be joining him on runs around the neighborhoods.

Reader Lulu Todorov, who does volunteer work for the PSPCA’s Animal Care and Control Team, was a great advocate for Ruby. Abramson wrote us that her description of Ruby “was really accurate and helped me with the selection.”

Adopt-a-Pet runs twice weekly, with a cat on Monday and a dog on Wednesday. This week’s cat is Demona and the pooch will be up later today.

Today’s pet is Demona.

Demona is a 6 year-old indoor cat. Her owner is moving soon and looking for a new home for her cat.

Demona likes scratches behind the ears, lazy afternoons in the sun, gourmet catnip and playing hide and seek between the shower curtains. Dislikes: other cats, dogs and sitting on laps.

Demona needs to find an owner who will give her the attention she needs to deal with her weight problem. She cannot be around other cats, as she might eat all of the food.

To set up a meeting with Demona, please contact her owner at demonathecat [at] gmail.com

Do you find it irresistible to pick through (or at least look over) stuff that students leave strewn along the sidewalks or in dumpsters after the school year? If so, WHYY’s Peter Crimmins has a good story for you (see the video below). Crimmins and a West Philly man named “Paul” went dumpster diving recently and came up with some interesting stuff, including a hard drive chock full of everything from Korean dance videos to complete details on a student’s bank accounts.

When picking over stuff, “How far are you willing to go,” Crimmins asks.

This is also a good time to remind folks who prefer to do their used-stuff shopping in a slightly more civilized, but less serendipitous, manner that the big sale of student stuff is this Saturday. The sale, sponsored by Penn MOVES to benefit Goodwill Industries job programs, will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at a warehouse at 3401 Grays Ferry Ave. For $5 you can get early admission and begin shopping at 8 a.m. Sales are cash only and there are no returns.

That warehouse is a little tricky to get to so Penn Transit is providing free transportation to and from any transit stop (except Johnson Pavilion and Fresh Grocer) every 30 minutes. Of course, there are limits to what you can haul onto the shuttle. Refrigerators and large furniture won’t work.

Spiral Q Puppet Theater (3114 Spring Garden St.) is hosting an open house tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.