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Category: Green Home & Garden

  • I Burned 10 Million Calories

    I Burned 10 Million Calories

    red-leaf-droplets

    Autumn is a second spring
    when every leaf is a flower.

    -Albert Camus

    We have lots of autumn “flowers.”

    Lots and lots of flowers.

    so many leaves

    (That’s an old photo. I forgot to document this year’s “garden” before we’d already started raking it.)

    Every year, Jeff and I have The Great Leaf Debate where I argue that leaves are God’s mulch and by raking them we are interfering in The Master Plan and The Way Things Happen Naturally.

    Brandishing my copy of Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, I contend that we’re disturbing all kinds of beneficial insects and salamanders and who knows what all from overwintering by removing their leaf cover habitat, and we’re depriving birds of protein-filled meals, and we’re making more work for ourselves by removing leaf litter which decomposes into humus which is good for soil. Which means we’re going to have to amend the soil to grow any vegetables in the spring.

    At this point I always remember too late that I’ve overdone it, because now Jeff can remind me that he’s the one who does all the work amending the soil for the garden, and also weeding it once I’ve lost control. And it’s true. I just can’t seem to keep up with the dang weeds.

    Dang. I lose again. Stupid weeds.

    So I concede that the yard is his domain and since he never ever tells me how to keep house, I should take direction as to groundskeeping.

    (Ha! That’s a joke. Jeff is always telling me how to keep house, but I just ignore him. And that’s how we’ve stayed married all these years.)

    Anyway, he does the bulk of the leaf-wrangling too, so I really honestly can’t complain about the workload. And since I’m not going to win The Great Leaf Debate I choose to think of the whole endeavor as a really awesome outdoor workout.

    I’m not stripping my lawn of its natural security blanket, leaving it naked and vulnerable and bare! I’m doing cardio! I’m getting my heart rate up! I’m feeling the burn!

    According to CaloriesPerHour.com, raking leaves burns about 260 calories per hour for a person of my weight. More, if you’re raking very vigorously so you can get it over with and get your self-righteous ass back to the work you’re seriously behind in.

    So by my estimate, if you spend two hours raking very vigorously AND you’re constantly chasing down the St Bernard puppy who keeps stealing rakes/unpiling leaves AND you’re making up leaf-raking choreography that involves high kicks, rake baton twirling and singing songs from A Chorus Line in a warbly falsetto? Roughly 10 million calories burned. Give or take.

    If you’re raking leaves against your will, you may as well enjoy yourself. Next year I think I’ll give it a go in heels and a full-skirted party dress. And a beehive hairdo.

    That is, if anyone asks me.

    ____________________________________________

    This post brought to you by someone who has not had a lot of sleep all in one place lately, and genuinely hopes that her husband still has a sense of humor.

    Seriously, don’t you think raking leaves is dumb?

     

    raking leaves

    dog helping with yardwork

  • Tidings of Comfort and Joy

    Tidings of Comfort and Joy


    This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night’s sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.
     
    winter warmth

    “Hear! hear!” screamed the jay from a neighboring tree…

    “Winter has a concentrated and nutty kernel,
    if you know where to look for it.” 

    -Henry David Thoreau

    Spring, summer and fall are outdoor months. Months of frolicking and movement.

    But as Thanksgiving arrives and Christmas approaches, a nip enters the air and we start to move inward. Mentally, as we reflect and give thanks for all that is good in our lives. But also physically, as we fight off a hibernation instinct.

    Spring, summer, fall. Months of doing.

    The winter months are ones of reaping. Of enjoying.

    We yearn to come inside and bunker down. We seek warmth, comfort, security.

    We don’t hibernate, but we snuggle. We watch holiday movies on couches armed with hot chocolate, blankets and nostalgia.

    We bake sugar cookies and gingerbread to warm our kitchens and our bellies.

    We cuddle into soft mittens and slippers and afghans we crocheted ourselves when we were children. (At least, I do.)

    We take warm bubble baths before tucking between flannel sheets and under heavy comforters.

    We dress in turtleneck sweaters and tall boots, light crackling fires to endure no chill wind tiptoes down our spines.

    We bring nature indoors, decorating trees and wreathes made from their branches with construction paper, glitter, and glue, breathing in the delicious scent of pine needles and cold, brisk air.

    These are a few of my favorite things.

    I hate the cold and dread its return every year. I hate the stress of the holidays.

    But I love the cozy comforts: the textures, smells and tastes of the luxuries we allow ourselves.

    I love the sound and the particular scent of the heat kicking on.

    I love the hustle and bustle of the season as long as know I can always step away from it, snuggle into my refuge and watch it go by.

    This is the season where we really pay attention to the ways we make our house a home.

    Today is Black Friday, and we’re using our day off to declutter, clean, and create space for the cheerful decorations of the holiday season ahead. And rather on focusing on the presents I need to buy, I’m spending the day considering the way I can provide memories of warmth and security for my kids.

    Ways I can bring them comfort and joy.

    What are your favorite comforts of the holiday season?

    I’d love to add them to my list of things to be thankful for when the weather outside is frightful.

    ____________________________________

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  • Thwarting Old Man Winter: Preventing Pipes from Freezing

    Thwarting Old Man Winter: Preventing Pipes from Freezing

    stop pipes freezing

    “It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.
    “So it is.”
    “And freezing.”
    “Is it?”
    “Yes,” said Eeyore.

    “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”

    -A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

    It’s only the first week of November and here in PA we’ve already had our first snow of the season. Much as I like to pretend it’s not happening, winter is coming, and with it cold temperatures, high winds and more chances to play Laura Ingalls Wilder.

    Since we tend to lose power a LOT here in our little farmhouse at the edge of suburbia (doesn’t quite have the same ring as little house on the prairie, does it?) one of our more pressing concerns is making sure the pipes don’t freeze and burst, making for a messy business when the cold snap breaks or the heat turns back on. I’m assuming we’re not the only ones with this problem, so here are some tips courtesy of my plumber husband and my BFF, Google search.

    How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing

    DO:

    • Reroute any pipes that are of particular concern (outdoor or exposed in an uninsulated space). Don’t have the cash for that right now? Yeah, me neither.
    • Insulate your pipes. You should do this anyway, to reduce heat loss, thereby saving you cash money on your power bill. (Yes, you should insulate BOTH your cold water and hot water pipes. Either one can freeze.) Insulation is a pretty easy DIY measure and all your supplies readily available at your local hardware store.
    • Seal your cracks. Another thing you should be doing anyway to save on energy bills. Go nuts with a caulk gun and fill any gaps and spaces in your walls and foundations, to keep cold air out and warm air in.
    • Keep your garage doors closed if you have water pipes out there.
    • Consider allowing certain faucets to drip (only ones that run through unheated or exposed space). First see DON’T #1.
    • Drain your pipes. Shut off your main valve, and then open up every blessed water fixture you have— don’t forget your outside hose and laundry tub. Let all the water run out. Now you have pipes full of air and not water, so no fear of expansion –> pressure –> bursting. When you’re ready, you can reopen the main valve and let all the faucets run until the pipes are full again.
    • There is something called heat tape that will actively warm your pipes. This to me sounds like something you’d want to hire a professional to apply unless you are particularly handy, in which case you are probably not reading this blog post.

    If you are traveling:

    • Leave your heat on, programmed to 55°.
    • If you have any sinks that are up against exterior walls, leave your cabinets open so the pipes are exposed to the warmer indoor air. (I know y’all have already switched to non-toxic cleansers, right? So no need for me to say make sure you’re not leaving anything dangerous exposed by leaving the cabinets open?)
    • Drain your pipes as outlined above. But you can close all the fixtures after the water has been flushed out.
    • Does this seem excessive? I don’t care. TRUST ME, nothing bites more than coming home after vacay and finding out the power has been out the whole time. After you deal with the mess that’s in your fridge, you are NOT going to want to discover a basement full of water.

    DON’T:

    • allow dripping pipes to be any more than an intermittent drip. First of all, that’s wasting water. But also, you’re potentially setting yourself up for a fall (literally). Beware of ice formation.
    • aggressively try to thaw pipes yourself. Ideally, you want to just leave them alone and let them thaw naturally. You can use a hair dryer on warm or a heating pad. Be especially cautious with copper, which is more likely to burst.
    • But seriously DON’T take a blow torch to frozen areas. Remember, what you’re doing is unblocking pressure. And according to Jeff, blow torching will (again, literally) only blow up in your face. (I know, I wouldn’t try that either but apparently it needs to be said.)

     

    Got cracks or other pipe problems in spite of it all? Unless you’ve got a plumber for a husband or are a really top-notch DIYer I’d probably call a professional to take care of your frozen pipes. Water damage is no joke and not something worth chancing, especially in freezing temps.

    That’s all I’ve got. Any other tips or tricks for keeping pipes from freezing? Let me know in the comments.

    And here’s to a hopefully unseasonably warm, mild winter! 🙂

    ________________________________________

    Disclosure: I’m participating in a blogger campaign for Bucks2Blog about plumbing repair and was compensated for my time. However, all views and opinions are my own (or dictated to me by my more knowledgeable husband).