Category: weather

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Summer is almost over

This summer has been long and hard. The weather was pretty hot and heavy. That’s not to mention the hurricane Irene that came storming through. The damage was slight, but I consider us very lucky. Anyway, we are getting ready to prepare for winter. There is much to be done before we are ready.

We are done with all the things we had out for summer. I have put away my son’s baseball net as well as my daughters swing set. We are sitting pretty right now and I am just checking things out around the house. I guess I’ll start having to prepare for winter.

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Hurricane Irene

The hurricane Irene is currently hovering over the east coast. We have had heavy rain all through the night and they seem to be getting worse. The wind is slowly picking up and is starting to become a factor. I believe the worst is yet to come.

We took the time to make sure our house was ready for the storm. We stored the loose items and made sure everything was put up. We are all stocked up with food, water, and candles. I am sure we will be all right.

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Clean It or Cover It Up

My brother was living large last year and bought a pool for his back yard in August. They got a couple moths use out of it before it got too cold to swim in the afternoons, and they eventually drained it for the winter, pretty much forgetting about it until now that the temperatures have started climbing.

He’s never had a pool before, so I guess he was surprised when he went to fill it up with water this weekend and realized that he had to clean it out first. I tell you what, cleaning out a pool that was not covered over the winter is a nasty, exhausting job. I’ve helped friends back in the college days do that and I had a vested interest in getting the pool clean – so we could have a wild college pool party.

When he told me how hard he had to work at cleaning the pool, I flat out told him to start pricing pool covers so he doesn’t have to go through all that again next year. It is a matter of covering it up or cleaning it – you are going to pay one way or the other, by spending two days scrubbing and cleaning or by spending a little money on a cover. Shouldn’t take a rocket scientist which way to go on that one.

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A Farmer’s Life for Me

Guest post written by my buddy, Brian Workman

I’m a farmer and love being able to provide my community with healthy, locally grown produce. I specialize in different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, but I also grow okra, corn, and various types of potatoes as well. I’m considering getting a couple of milk cows soon, but for now I’m happy just growing my veggies.

I needed a good home internet connection to stay up on the local weather and also to stay in touch with my buyers and the farmer’s market in town. I did some research on www.WirelessInternet.net and found a good mobile connection for us, so I’ve been surfing and emailing for the last few months, making my life much simpler. It’s certainly easier than carting around huge boxes of vegetables to see who wants to buy!

I’ve avoided two spontaneous ice storms this year already by looking up the weather online rather than relying on my farmer’s almanac, so the service has already earned its weight. I’m so happy being a farmer and I think my customers are glad I do it, too!

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Smokey Austin

Remember how I said that most of Texas is having problems with wildfires? Well, it turns out that my high school buddy, who lives in Austin, is having problems with this exact thing. He works for Dell computers, which is in the Austin area. Actually, it is up in Round Rock, but that’s part of Austin. And the smoke from the fires is causing problems for everyone – besides the threat of having your house or ranch or business torched to the ground.

A really big problem  for homeowners and landlords is cleanup after a fire or dealing with smoke damage. Smoke gets on everything – even dishes and food stored inside kitchen cabinets. It covers the walls, the ceiling, light fixtures, curtains and gets in carpet really bad. He’s going to have to get to come out and help clean up his house after the fires are put out for good.

He says th smoke damage is so bad that he can’t even sleep in his own home. He had to go get a motel room for a couple of night. Now, that is really bad if you can’t even sleep in your own house. If it were me, I think I’d take a week off and go somewhere else. But he says that he can’t take off any time right now because its the start of the second quarter and they have to make their numbers. When its safe to go back home, he’ll get Carpet Cleaning Round Rock to come get his carpets cleaned while he scrubs the rest of the house with Dawn dishwashing detergent to get rid of the smoke film.

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Extreme Weather

Can’t complain about the weather here but I heard this morning on the news that the weather is really extreme in other parts of the country.

Texas has been in a serious drought with very little rain and hundreds of wildfires are out of control in almost every county in the state. They said that all but 2 counties have serious problems with wildfires because of the dry conditions and high winds.

The next line of states east of Texas, like Arkansas and Missouri, have issues with violent thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes and flooding.

In Colorado, it snowed on Easter. Look at these extreme differences in the weather in the middle of our country and tell me that this is not freaky.

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Gas Logs

The winter in our area can be long and arduous. The cold can seem to permeate the house and the resulting chill can be terrible. That’s why we decided to take steps to eliminate the problem. One thing we found was that we could use Gas Logs in our fireplace to help warm the house. The problem was that I was unsure where to purchase them and how to install them in our fireplace.

As usual, I turned to the internet to find the answers I was looking for. After some searching, I came across a site called hansenwholesale.com. I was impressed that they were the first to sell gas logs on the internet and that they had a complete selection of R.H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs available. I felt a lot more comfortable about using them after I read the Gas Logs FAQs Page. It answered many of the questions I had about the situation.

Since I was confident about having the logs installed in our home, I thought that it would be a good idea to dress up the outside of our house as well. I saw the Outdoor Gas Logs that were available. I knew that Peterson gas logs were the best and so I wanted them as well. We are looking forward to having many warm and cozy nights by the fire.

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Winter is coming

The cold weather is starting to set in. I think it’s officially time to say goodbye to summer and get ready for the cold. I have done a few things around the house in order to keep our fuel bills down. I checked all the windows and did some minor repairs to them to keep the heat in the house. I have also been getting everyone use to the idea of opening and closing the blinds in order to take advantage of the sun’s natural heat.

I also got us a huge load of firewood. There is nothing better than sitting by the fire on a cold winter’s night. I think I got a pretty good deal on the wood and am looking forward to having a reliable source of heat. I am ready for winter so let it come!

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Keeping things Nice

The weather is always an important factor in our lives. We get used to it and usually don’t pay it a whole lot of attention. There are times though when it is important that we do. Since the hurricane season is just around the corner, I thought I would check out the old homestead and make sure everything was alright. After a brief search, I thought I had a few problems that needed addressing.

One thing I saw was that my woodpile was out in the open. I thought that getting a canvas tarp would be a good way to cover it and keep the wood dry. That would come in handy during the winter as I wouldn’t have ice all over the logs. I was also reminded of the old shed out back. The roof is leaking and I have never gotten around to fixing it. I believe that purchasing a strong silver tarp would be a good way to keep the weather out.

As I was passing the driveway, I saw that my old truck was getting a bit weathered. I figured that getting a truck tarp would be just the thing to keep it in good condition. After I was done with my inspection, I felt a lot better about being prepared for whatever weather was coming. That’s a good feeling to have!

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Snow costs money

The recent snow storms that have visited the northeast section of our nation are costing those folks a lot of money. State officials are struggling to keep up with the costs associated with digging out. With the economic downturn, these added costs are a real burden for the states involved.

Several cities have received record snowfalls this past month and more snow is expected. Road crews and the power companies are working hard to complete their jobs before the next blizzard hits. It will sure be nice when spring arrives!