Only a few more months and hopefully I will be sitting in the not warm sun over at my sister’s house enjoying their new pool. And what a nice pool this is, they did good on this one, I have to give them that. They got a great deal on their “dream pool” that has all the perks you can think of. My favorite part is the heated spa area which is semi attached to the regular pool. Another great feature is the automatic pool cover which will save them a lot of time, energy and aggravation for many years to come. There is a lot to having a pool, so glad they will deal with all of that while get to kick back and just enjoy it all.
All they need now is some great patio furniture. Now that Christmas is over and done with we are all keeping our eyes and ears open for a good deal on some to pass along to them. I hope they realize just how much the rest of the family is excited about the pool and how much time they will be spending there. It’s a good thing we all get along so well, so it should be a hoot!
Playing any kind of musical instrument has never come easy for. I took piano and guitar lessons as a kid, but never really amounted to anything and now that I am older I really wish that I had tried harder and kept up with those lessons. For Christmas my Dad bought me a real cool hohner harmonica and a nice neck holder to go along with it as well. I was puzzled as to why he picked something like out for me and asked him why and never did get a straight answer out of him. But I have picked it up a few times and played around with it and now am interested in learning how to really play the darn thing.
I’m told that you can find lessons online, so that will be my mission for the weekend. I plan on staying inside since the weather is supposed to be cold and nasty and I don’t want anything to do with any of that. So with my fireplace going and my Internet I’ll be good to go for the entire time.
Yesterday turned out to be a pleasant enough day outside. I got to enjoy it in many parking lots, walking from my car into the stores and back again. My son joined me and we managed to spend some good one on one time with each other, he got use some of his gift certificates that he got for his birthday last week and we even stopped at the park so he got to play on the new playground equipment for a good while. I sat at the newly installed Picnic Tables, which are a bit more comfortable then the hard Park Benches that have been there for way too long and I got to read a little more of my book and he got to use up some energy on the playground.
It is supposed to be unusually warm this up coming week, but cloudy and rainy, but that is O.K. we really need the rain and it is better than being freezing cold and snowing! I a so ready for spring, I am not a winter loving person at all.
I am looking forward to spring so that hubby and I can start preparing our veggie garden out in the backyard again. Last year wasn’t the greatest, we learned a lot from it and hope that we will do much better and that our harvest will much more plentiful. My favorite was the cantaloupes, they take up a lot of space in the garden, but if we do it right this year it will be wonderful.
My favorite winter drink is made with Alpine’s Spiced Cider, which is found at all the grocery stores here in town. You just add hot water to the mix in the envelope and you are good to go.
I however like to add a shot of Captain Morgan’s 100% proof Spiced Rum, along with a cinnamon stick, which I add for the flavor and to use to stir the mixture with also. It makes for a wonderful winter beverage that will certainly put a smile on your face and warm your insides at the same time.
With winter on it’s way, my folks are looking at purchasing and having installed some snow guards (also known as, snow brackets, snow stops, snow birds, snow dogs, as well as snow retention devices) on their house’s roof. Last year there were several injuries reported in the local paper from people having snow or ice fall on them. That would really suck, death by icicle! But I know that it can happen. We have all heard the horror stories at some point in our life time of icicles doing serious damage to some one some where, right?
Snow guards help slow down the ice and snow in a controlled manner instead of a sudden avalanche that cause case damage to so many things. They are becoming a big hit with homeowners all over the country where they have snow fall and you can find some good deals on them on the Internet. Snoshield.com is who my folks are going with. A good friend and neighbor used them and now every one on the block wants them before the snow starts falling. So the street is all a buzz about all the work going on and who is getting what done and what color, etc……. It’s a nice old neighborhood that we were lucky enough to grow up on and my folks plan on staying there as long as possible and keeping the place up the best that they can in their golden years.
The need for good quality electric blankets grows as the nights are getting colder as old man winter comes creeping up on us this time of the year. They say that this winter is going to be a real cold one, not something that any of us are looking forward to. Last year was rough enough for heaven’s sake, I’m really not ready for this, I hate the cold and the wet snow that always goes along with the freezing cold in this area.
It seems like it was just a few months ago that I found the perfect garden arbors and brought them home to put in the yard. I have always loved the look of those old fashioned wooden arbors so when I found a great “too good to be true” deal online I jumped on it and got me some real beauts.
As much as I love the autumn weather, it is a constant reminder that winter, and all that goes along with that each and every year, is right around the corner. I don’t like the cold and the wet and the wind, ugh. I like spending time outside, not being stuck inside with layers of clothing on and constantly trying to keep warm without turning up the heat since heating oil has become so darned expensive.
Waiting until next April or May to be able to spend time outside and in the yard, especially my garden, seems like light years away. I have bought some seeds for a great vine to plant next spring that I hope will grow up and down and all around the one arbor and I’m looking into finding a great flowering vine to grow on the other one.
Is it Spring yet?
Now is a good time to have someone come out and see just how energy efficient your home is. The cold weather is hitting us harder with each waking day and it will only get colder and colder from here. The cost of heating our homes has sky rocketed and having an home energy audit is a great way to find out what you can do in order to make your home less costly to heat, as well as air conditioned come the hot weather months.
I had my home looked at last year and they were the ones that prompted me to purchase and have installed my energy efficient windows that I am so happy with. And I got a good tax break from getting them as well, so it was well worth the time and money that I spent on them, especially when I get my heating and a/c utility bill now. There are lots of companies that will come out and do this service for you. I used the Homeenergyteam.com website and it worked quick and easy like for me so I feel comfortable passing this information along here today.
