While standing in line at Bowles Elementary to vote, I read some poems by 5th graders starting with “If I were in charge of the world”. At only a decade old, these kids are focusing on issues such as pollution, gas prices, war, and space exploration. Some essays focused on money, Hannah Montana, and super powers. Every single one, however, had at least one serious grown up issue.
I am not sure what this says about our adults in society. Are we projecting too much grown up thinking on these kids? Are we not minding the skeletons on the closet (war)?
Tonight I started thinking. There are people who go on vacation and work on ranches or farms. I perhaps should consider hosting vacationers. My fall list is quite daunting…
Since none of us really care for Jack Frost, nor Martin Short, in our house, let me suggest the following tips for keeping the hearth’s warmth inside and the cold out:
Windows: if they’re leaking air, get some think window plastic and tape them up. Do buy the proper thickness of plastic and appropriate tape. If one were to use packaging tape, they’ll be retaping the windows all winter. Thin plastic doesn’t create a thick enough barrier, so spring for the window plastic. It can be used for several seasons if one is neat about it. If the plastic is hazy, use a hair dryer to smooth and shrink the plastic (for seal and clarity). Don’t get too close – just about 6 – 9″ away. A person could also spring for the more expensive option: thermal windows. Join me in throwing your arm out of socket to close them when they frequently get off track. Once they’re aligned and closed, don’t open them. Don’t opt for tilt in windows. The clips do break and cause the window to fall on your husband while eating dinner. I’d go with the plastic.
Doors: install some storm doors if the house doesn’t already have them. Think early about storm doors and windows just in case one might have to be custom made. This will not only protect from the heat and cold, but the hail and rain that can damage entry doors. A rolled up towel or cute door cozy (found in crafty little towns), can eliminate much, if not all, of the draft if a door is not sealing properly. Also look into the rubber threshold buffer to help the door seal tightly.
Furnace: to be most efficient, change your air filters. Also, do consider getting your air ducts cleaned. If you are a luck one to have a wood furnace, fireplace or woodstove, do get it cleaned along with the flu and chimney pipe. One bird nest can create one heck of a house fire with a little spark. It’s only $150 – much cheaper and safer than unexpected flames. Do also remember to change fire alarm batteries as incidents do happen. Consider getting carbon monoxide detectors as well – many are now combination fire/carbon monoxide units – if you have a gas furnace. This will easily alert you to a leak and get your family outdoors before succumbing to fumes. Also, proper tools for working with wood burning heat sources is essential. Minimize cuts, burns and have an effienct way to put out an out of control fire. Sand next to the unit or fireplace in a container (urn or other) can be decorative and resourceful. Keep a fire extinguisher on each level of the home as well – and, not to be lame, but don’t be a hero. Leave it to the fire fighters – get you and your family out if the fire is overwhelming – remember, a house can go up in less than 60 seconds.
Science: remember, heat rises. Consider how much you really need those air vents open upstairs during the winter. My second level is dreadfully hot if they’re left open and I save on heating if they’re closed.
Insulation: is your attic insulated? Can it be easily? Heat is primarily lost through the roof. Help dwarf the heat loss with either spray or roll insulation. For attic that are hard to navigate, consider the spray and hire professionals. The spray insulation does not come off of clothes or skin easily. Quote me on that.
On any given week, there are seventy plus animals being kept at the shelter. Please let me know if you are able to assist with the project for a new facility in Jefferson County, Missouri – even if you can simply attend the planning meetings. The current facility is in need of an overhaul. There are dogs outside in kennels, no vet on site, no adoption center and the office is an old trailer home. These people need new facilities in order to adequately help these animals. Currently, they are so overrun with animals, and they have no where to go with them. Many rescues are overrun with dogs and cats. The only choice JCAC has is to euthanize.
Please help make animal control easier on all parties involved. Please give your animal proper vet care, fix your pets and adopt an animal from a rescue or animal control facility instead of from a breeder. Why breed new lives when there are wonderful ones to save?
To see pictures of available animals at JCAC, please visit this Flickr group.
They never left really. Hippies are among us. Even the members of society who don’t consider themselves hippies may just be a little bit hippie. Think about it. A large majority of us recycle and have demanded recycling services from our waste haulers. Vehicles are becoming more eco-friendly, despite the increase in size. But they are getting better. We’re more conscious about our footprint on the Earth. Perhaps some people release bugs back into the wild instead of squishing them on sight.
Many of these hippie policies have integrated into everyday life. Perhaps this is good – all except the drug use and open “encounters”. If more of us accept these heathy, positive principles, perhaps the Earth might look a little younger around the eyes.
Next time you laugh at someone recycling everything in sight, just remember they did that for you, their kids and your kids. Next time you see a hybrid, recognize how cool that is. Think about growing some veggies – they taste so much better than the grocery store. And even think about getting some chickens – I’ll get you set up with some chicks and tons of info!
Back in 2006 when Chris and I were looking for houses, my mom suggested that we call about the house on the new St. Clare Hospital grounds (old Lakewood Golf Course) on Bowles Avenue. So, I did and I actually got to meet the man in charge of the project. He told me that if I could move the house, I could have it. Wonderful! Now, how on Earth does one move a 2-story stone home. Very slowly, and with some costs.
It’s great to preserve a historic home, and it can be quite a deal (a steal money-wise and an ordeal to put together). I decided to be my own general contractor – besides, how hard could this be?! Wrong. This became my full time job. One must coordinate the house movers, the construction company working on the property where the home currently exists, Department of Transportation (road closing permit, large load permit, permitted roads to travel on, which electricians they will allow to move their stop lights and when they allow homes to be moved), electrician to move stop lights (get their rates for the approved day, which is usually a Sunday morning, meaning overtime on several electricians), electric company (to raise lines over house and re-route electricity on grid in case lines snap), phone company (to raise lines), cable company (to raise lines), gas company (to cap off existing gas lines and hook up new service at home), personal electrician (usually cheaper than DOT approved, and they can disconnect electrical and hook up on non-overtime days), excavator (dig basement and they may pour driveway and garage too), and finally (although the first thing one should do) get in contact with a bank offering construction loans. Whew! And to think, I had all this coordinated except I just didn’t have a piece of land big enough. Usually the house movers would do this junk, but to save about $20,000, I opted to do the leg work. In a matter of 2 months, I certainly learned a lot. Quite a lot to type here, but if anyone wants more info, please let me know and I’d be glad to help.
Because of my love affair with this house, I cannot bring myself to let go of the pictures. My favorite is above. There are more in my flickr library. The ‘Clubhouse’, as Chris and I call it, was torn down on November 6, 2006, one day before my 24th birthday. When I drove by on my way home two days later, the dust was still settling. I still hope to rebuild this home someday.
If anyone thinks living in the country is quiet, come on over mid-July after nightfall. I couldn’t even hear the dog clopping up the deck steps 5 feet from me. Although it is noisy with all the critters, it is still quite peaceful.
I just caught myself saying, “This email just takes so long!” Sure, university email does take a little longer than typical email, but I didn’t always email. I wrote letters to friends and such, but I have grown so accustomed to instant communication provided by email, text messages, cell phones and instant messaging. How on Earth did we ever coordinate meeting somewhere without cell phones and text messaging. Now there are instant messages and email you can take with you?! Don’t get me wrong, I still love rotary style phones, but I love communicating – and instantly. I need to communicate to my people. I feel lost if my laptop isn’t with me or my cell phone dies (which in its old age of 2 years, it does quite frequently at this point).
Wow. I now understand the theory behind Google’s ‘conversation’ style email. My students email me in an instant message style of emailing. We will snap brief, sometimes broken sentences back and forth within a few minutes. Links, abbreviations and everything except formal letter format clutter our conversation. Don’t get me wrong, we of this generation do have the ability to write formal correspondence, but where appropriate, we save time.
We’re back up and running! We moved from doteasy to Bluehost. Amen! I’ll tweak tomorrow night since tonight I’m dancing to the rockin’ stylings of Abba (Mama Mia). So, hang on – all will be pretty and techno-lovely Saturday morn.
New features to come: Talkr or podcasting blog entries – I haven’t decided, but we’ll see. I’d love to get this stuff podcasted since my posts aren’t the same without my intonation! Also, WWDC is Monday, so I will be posting my thoughts and Chris and I may even use my new toy to podcast our reactions to the keynote!
Due to my apparent need to feed the wildlife last year, and my stray dog, my chicken population went from twenty down to 3 lonely hens. I am now in the long process of raising laying hens again. It is very hard to find healthy hens of laying age that are reasonably priced. Hens begin to lay around 20 weeks of age. They are at their peak laying during their first few years. Hens that are within this range typically cost anywhere from $20 – $50 each plus shipping. Since I am price conscious, and I do not want to bring an ill hen into the flock, I opted for chicks.
I hatched a few last month, but 6 of the 10 are boys, so only 4 hens came out of that hatch. I bought 2 cute chicks from the farm supply in Herculaneum (actually bought 6, but the 4 had an unfortunate circumstance with a huge water jug). I bought 6 from the feed store by me tonight and I have 42 eggs in the incubator. Am I keeping all of these chicks? No. I’m going to sell the hatch that I have coming up – spreading the wealth of chicken keeping! This will leave me with fifteen hens:
I am expecting some Jersey Giant and some Appenzeller Spitzhauben hatching eggs at the beginning of June. I’ll probably keep some of each breed – maybe just a few more, then my max will be twenty. My new theory is that I should have extras, just in case of an occasional dog attack. I am considering building a pen just because of predators, but I think they’re much happier left to roam.
