Month: April 2012

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Garage sale finds

There was an off day garage sale down the road today. I say “off day,” because usually around here, the sales all start on Thursday and run until Sat. or Sun. Of course since sales like this are one of my hobbies, I went.

At first glance, it didn’t look like there were many treasures for me to find. There were a lot of tools and metal items that I had no clue what they would be used for. I looked anyway, of course. Way in the back of the garage were some boxes that held all kinds of kitchen gadgets, mostly broken I noticed, for .25 or a bit more.

I’m very determined when I have a feeling that I’m going to find something I would love to have, and today I had that feeling. So, I kept digging. I was looking in the last big box, and near the bottom of it, I found an antique cherry pit remover, a old wooden handled ice pick, two old but silver, antique button hooks and a small satin sewing kit. Got all five items for 1.00. I am sure the young woman who was having the sale did not know what any of these items were or what they were worth to the right person.  I did the happy dance home, since I asked twice if she was sure that was all she wanted for the finds. At least then I didn’t feel like I was cheating her.

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Digging up the beds

While going out to the mail box this morning, I stood in the middle of my front yard and took a good hard and long look at my flower beds. They are pretty, but I need a change. I know I’ve been planing my flower beds all winter, but truth be known I went for all perennials, since I have loads of annuals in the gardens.

After looking at some of my annual beds, I’ve decided they look tired and need a whole new look. Without even really giving it a thought, I went straight to the garage and grabbed a shovel.

For the rest of the morning, and even into the early afternoon, I dug up plants and transplanted them in every available space, until I refresh my soil, build up some beds and then put the plants and herbs back, in a different look and order. To say that I’ll ever be satisfied with my gardens and that they will remain the same for at least three years running, is never going to happen. I’m still not finished up digging up and rearranging beds, but got a good start today. If it hadn’t started raining, I would have stayed outside longer.

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For stainless steel lovers

Since I love fireplaces, I’ve decided I want one. I’m not sure what kind of fireplace I want yet though, since this is just at the whim stage. I went online and came across a place that sells blomus stainless steel. While looking for a fireplace, I never thought such beautiful items could be made of this material.

I decided that I’d look at the fire places anyway, not knowing what I’d find. The Blomus fireplace search gave me photos of some really unique fireplace accessories but there was a lack of fireplaces, at least that I could find. I did see one little stainless steel item that had an oval opening and there was a small blaze in it,so it must be a fireplace. I didn’t see any others, but the one I did see, looked more for ambiance than function. I might be wrong.

After trying to find the fireplaces, I decided to just browse, as my sister loves stainless steel items, and shes been remodeling her house.  She want to go stainless all over the house. I’ll have to tell her about blomus stainless. The prices are good, and she’ll love the selections. Maybe I can get her a gift card if they have them. If not, they should think about it.

 

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Home improvement with young adults

Deciding what colors to paint the living room, has been a challenge for me. The room is only 13’x13″ and I want to make it look bigger using paint color and mirrors and lighting from the windows. My son is trying to help me decide on the colors and other planning, but he is color blind. Yes, he was tested and indeed he is color blind. Some people call it colored blind, so this is the same thing. However, despite of his troubles with certain colors and shades, he is one excellent-judge of them, and then mixing various colors together, that one wouldn’t think would work for wall.

We’re both leaning to a deep terracotta. I call it, baked pumpkin pie…the top, before it is cut into. White trim and ceiling. and a deep blue. The only way I can describe it, is in the old big boxes of crayons that Crayola made. After they changed the original colors and shades, I stopped buying the big pack. The color blue was the original Midnight Blue. Forest Green was another awesome shade.

So tomorrow we’ll be paint or at least some sample cans if there are any available. I love home improving, especially when one of my kids have a creative streak. I welcome their input. I also like the fact that they help me find bargains and who doesn’t like to save money?

 

 

 

 

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Saving money by rain harvesting

Talking to a lot of farmers that live in my area, and I know personally, have been telling me about rain harvesting. I personally think it is an awesome idea. We pay a water bill here now, when before the township decided to pipe “city” water in, we had well water. I am a firm believer in having a well, and also I make sure my cistern is clean and it always fills up with water from the rain. I used to depend on it for my gardens.

Rain water barrels, I’ve decided will be one of the ways I’m going to start collecting rain water.  Sometimes, thinking about it and what is now in the atmosphere, it’s kind of scary what I’d be using, but memories of my Papa washing my hair in rain water, since he had harvested rain, won over thinking about what might be in my rain water. Besides, it serves at totally useful survival tips.

I have a feeling, like the farmers I’ve talked to, that we are going to be in for some rough dry weather around mid summer. This makes watering the livestock really costly. Plus with a large family and using so much water now, I’m going to start looking for rain barrels for sale, and get quite a few of them. Better to be safe than sorry. It would give me peace of mind to be able to have water if needed. I’m still remembering also, how soft and silky my hair was after washing and rinsing in rain water that was harvested!

 

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Gardening and weather woes

Never have I been so uncertain about the weather as I am this year. I realize that it is odd all over and various states are getting pounded with elements they aren’t used to, but even my body and older age creeping in, doesn’t change the fact that I used to be able to tell what the weather was going to do, just by how my body felt. Now, it isn’t like that. I’m getting kind of tired of my joints and such, hurt on wonderful sunny days, and are better on dismal and cold rainy days. What is up with that?

My gardens and perennial plants don’t act they know how to react to the weather either. My sage and parsley of all things are growing at an incredible rate of speed, along with some other plants and even a small tree I have outside.

We had frost last night and it was cold and windy. I would welcome back the 80 degree, with a warm breeze weather we had in March, compared to this. So would my plants in the garden.

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RIP Mr. Jonathon Frid

Having been one of those people who used to take short cuts and drive too fast on country roads, ( years ago )…Needless to say, I was really into Dark Shadows, and Barnabas Collins.

Of course, I saw it on the news when it hit the television. It made me feel nostalgic and actually, really old. I shook it off and gave it an, “It is what it is,” shrug. I am however going to order the whole series.  It’s pricy, but the way I figure it, I think it would be really great to have some old friends who I never lost touch with while growing up and growing older. We were all total fans of Dark Shadows. I’m sure that it would be an awesome girls night and slumber party.

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Hot tub pumps and maintenance

For years we have had a hot tub that we’ve never had to actually put much maintenance into, but we just found out we are going to have to look at new hot tub pumps. This is fine by us though, since all of these years we have found great relaxation and enjoyment out of our hot tub, so it’s well worth the new pump.

I remember years ago, battling my husband about getting a hot tub. I wanted one right outside the patio doors in the back yard. Three steps down and we’d be in it. He refused to even look at them. At that time, I was constantly on horse back, getting older and my sore muscles totally made me feel so tensed up, it hurt. Plus at the time, my job was really very stressful. As HE himself got older, the hot tub of course, became something that was, his idea. Yep, right. At least it was one way to get my hot tub…make it seem like his idea.

For awhile, I bought the hot tub chemicals and maintained both the hot tub and the pool also. Now though, it’s up to him to maintain both. I have done it for years and it’s his turn. Kids are nearly all grown and if they want to use either the hot tub or the pool, they too will have to take turns at buying the chemicals and taking care of levels and such, because it’s my turn to relax when I want to and not worry about such things!

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Missed auction

Of all the auctions to miss, it was the items for auction from the home my daughter and her family will be moving into tomorrow. Things came up and I had to do some important errands, thinking I could at least make it to the tail end of the sale, but didn’t.

I went for no doubt the last time to my daughter’s “old” house, tonight and she had told me that she wished she had known what I wanted, and she would have placed bids for me, but then she also knows that I will bid on boxes of what seem like junk and come up with a treasure, I’ve no doubt wanted for a long time. I’m very fortunate like that. I consider auctions an art.

I’m going to the new home tomorrow to wander through and tonight I got joy out of seeing my daughter so excited and happy. She’s so excited to show everything to me, and I’m excited to see it all. She deserves this and so do her kids.

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The cost of solar panels

My daughter and her family are moving into a very large home this coming week. Because of the size, she and her husband will be looking into solar panel costs. I believe with this house, in our climate, this would be totally ideal for them, if they decided to use solar panels in their home. I’m hoping that they will eventually be putting them in.

Because of the fact that this home is so big, and my daughter’s husband bites off more than he can chew, I’m sure he has not given the price of heating and cooling a thought. He is out for looks and size, since he is that kind of a guy…what one owns and the more of it, to him is what counts. My daughter on the other hand has been raised with solar energy in our homes that we had while she was growing up. She is the one that makes sure the bills get paid and is also the one in that family that worries.

The home has five bedrooms with attached baths, not to name the other numerous rooms in the house, that have to be heated or air cooled. I’m going to tell her to continue showing her husband the pros and of course some of the cons, ( but there aren’t that many cons) to using solar panels. It’s would help with money matters and also be some piece of mind for my daughter. I believe in solar energy, and it might be a solution to a major heating and cooling problem that I know my daughter and her family are going to have in the future.