Ice Dams + Attic Insulation

Last winter we had a series of snow storms where I live in the northeast, in Wilmington, MA. The snow piled up on the roof each day, as I tried to remove most of it with a roof rake/shovel, although some snow remained higher up on the roof. The storms were followed by several days of fluctuating temperatures above and below freezing.

This temperature fluctuation caused the roof snow higher up to melt during the day but then freeze along the roof edge at night. This ice then backed up under the shingles to form an ice dam. The ice traveled under the shingles, melted and then dripped down and stained the ceilings below.

I tried to fix the problem by chipping the ice with hammer and chisel, as I stood on a ladder. Although this helped with the immediate problem, more ice dams formed with successive snow storms.

Looking for a solution, I searched the internet for some answers and found some solutions that I hope will help this winter. All the solutions centered on preventing heat from the house below to melt the snow on the roof above. Thus, if there is no melting snow there will be no ice dams.

The solutions included putting in air vents along the eves to increase air circulation under the roof and keep it cold. In addition, I added more insulation in the attic so less heat would escape from the house below and not heat the roof above. To prevent the insulation from blocking air circulation coming from the eve or soffit vents, I installed Styrofoam baffles between the rafters. I also repaired the roof gable vents with new screening and installed an automatic fan over the gable opening. The fan is thermostatically controlled and set to keep the attic cool by pulling in air from the eves, up to the roof ridge and then out the gable vents. Lastly, I bought a 4x8 sheet of insulated Styrofoam to fit over the pull down stairs leading to the attic. This helps with heat loss through the stairs opening. I also taped the edges of the Styrofoam with box tape since it shreds and makes a mess.

The following links below will give you more information about ice dams or installing insulation as well as some photos of my installation project ……..

Ice Dams
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK1068.html

Attic Insulation
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,212235,00.html

Project Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/IceDams11108?authkey=6mjRDHVzRJk

Comments are always welcome. Have you had similar roof problems. Send me an email at markryan82@comcast.net.

Elliptical Machine - Exercise Program

Keeping healthy is a life-long activity which involves proper diet and exercise. Since I have already described my low calorie diet in a previous blog, I will spend more time in this blog describing my exercise program.

The exercise program that I follow involves a daily 60 minute walk and a 30 minute indoor exercise workout. I use a pedometer to track my walking and shoot for 10,000 steps per day (5 miles). The indoor workout program, which I have nicknamed SEAR, involves a combination of starter stretches (S), elliptical machine (E), ab lounge (A), and power rider (R). I spend about 5 minutes on each of these parts for a total of 30 minutes. You can see photos of my fitness equipment at the link …………..
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/ExcEqpt12608?authkey=2NisB8whw28

I start off slow with some stretches that limber up all the tight muscles (calves, ham string, quadriceps, groin, lower back and abs. It is important to stretch these muscles gradually and strengthen them before any physical exercise, in order to reduce possible stress injuries. You can see some online videos describing these stretches at the link below …..
The first video shows how to do five of the stretches and the second video shows the ab stretches. (Because the video info is free, you will see a 30 second commercial first from the sponsor.) …….
http://video.about.com/exercise/LOWER-BODY-STRETCHES-mov.htm

Although I have had some fitness equipment for several years, I recently purchased an elliptical machine to increase my cardio vascular exercise. I first did a search online to find various brands of ellipticals and found the list at Walmart.com to be most helpful and also within my price range. You can see the list of elliptical machines offered by Walmart at the link below ……
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=elliptical&search_constraint=0&tab_value=19_All&ic=48_0&ref=&search_sort=4&selected_items=+ The prices listed at Walmart are $100 to $200 less then the same machines listed elsewhere.

Before buying the elliptical machine I compared it to a treadmill and found that the elliptical has less impact stress to the feet, legs and hip joints than the treadmill. The elliptical also burns more calories in half the time than the treadmill. You can see some comparison info at the link below …….
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisegear/a/treadelliptical.htm

I finally decided to buy the elliptical machine from Walmart and went to the Salem, NH store to look. After looking at several models I picked the Weslo Momentum 620 which lists online at Walmart.com for $194.00 and at Weslo.com for $259.00. To my surprise, the one at the Walmart store must have been on sale, since it was priced for $99.00.

After bringing it home, I decided to assemble it myself, although Walmart offers an in-home assembly for $199.00. The box weighs about 160 pounds and I carried it to the basement. I opened the box and laid everything out on the floor in neat order. I then read the direction booklet and began the assembly process. With a few mistakes, it took about 2 hours to assemble. You can see the assembly photos at the link ……
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/EllipticalMachine12608


The Weslo 620 elliptical machine has a digital LCD panel where you can select two workout programs lasting 20 and 30 minutes respectively.. The panel also reads your elapsed time, calories, and heart rate. You can also adjust the resistance for a harder workout program. After a few minutes you can feel the stress on your leg muscles. I try to do my workout just after breakfast at about 7:30 AM. After a week of using the elliptical machine I have increased my time and found it to be a little easier. However, your heart rate certainly goes up quickly strengthening your cardio vascular system .

DVR – (Digital Video Recorder)

I recently got a free one year trial offer from Comcast for a DVR. A DVR or Digital Video Recorder allows you to record TV programs in digital memory on a hard drive without the use of any hard media like VCR video tapes or DVD disks.

The new technology is advanced, but simple to use. Pause any show on any channel, instantly replay live TV, watch a scene in slow motion, or rewind the show you’ve been watching. Easily record your favorite shows or an entire season, all with the touch of a button. And with the built-in dual tuner, you can watch one channel while recording another.

Normally I go to the on screen TV Guide and scan the programs for the evening. When I find those that I want to record, I highlight them and then hit the record button. That’s it. No need to enter the time, date or channel like you did with a VCR.

You can record the program one time for that evening or continuously for future weeks. Another way to find a program is to go to the alphabetic listing and search by title. Select the title you want and it shows the time, day, and station for that entree. You then hit record.

You can also copy the shows that you have recorded in digital memory on the DVR to a DVD or VCR recorder. You can copy any show on any channel except those that are “On Demand” (Channel - 1).

The most obvious reasons for recording a TV show are:
1. The show is on at the same time you want to see another show.
2. You are not home when the show is playing.
3. The show is on too late and you are too tired to watch.

I have had a great time scheduling all the programs for the week and then watching them when I am ready and have the time. After dinner most evenings, my wife will watch a few programs that were recorded earlier in the day when we were not home. She will select the program from the recorded list and fast forward through the parts that she is not interested. One of the great features is that you can fast forward through all the commercials and watch an entire show in about ¾ of the normal play time. I record and then watch later some of my favorites that are on too late and past my normal bed time.

If you are interested in How A DVR Works go to the link ….
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvr.htm

I took some photos of the TV as I made various DVR selections and put them in a slide show so you can see how I selected and recorded some of my favorite programs. You can see the photos at the link …..
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/DVDBlogPhotos


Comcast is now offering a free one year trial for a DVR and later you can lease it for a small monthly fee. You can click on the link below to get details. (Other cable vendors have similar offers.)

Comcast Prices & Packages (click link …)
http://www.comcast.com/shop/buyflow/default.ashx
One year free DVR Trial or lease after trial period for the following prices:
Digital TV DVR – ($8.95/mon) or HDTV DVR – ($12.95/mon)

You can also buy a DVR at various outlets. One is listed at Amazon.com for ($499.99) and can be seen at the following link ….
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-DVR-531HS-Recorder-Onscreen-Programming/dp/B000FLF8W4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226968329&sr=1-4

You can also get a DVR with TV tuner for your PC. Amazon.com has one listed for ($68.86) and can be seen at the following link ….
http://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-1139-WinTV-HVR-950-External-Recorder/dp/B000J1CCGA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226968571&sr=1-2

Unless you are a techie, your best bet is to take the free one year trial offer and see if you like the DVR feature. Even if you lease it after a year, the price is less than the cost of buying your own. Also, technology is advancing so fast that DVRs maybe upgraded to something else next year.

Comments or suggestions are always welcome. Have you used a DVR or TVO? What are your favorite programs. Send email to .. markryan82@comcast.net

Craft Fairs And Art Projects – 2008

After retiring a few years ago, I looked around for interesting things to do to occupy my time. Besides the regular chores around the house and the honey-do list, I wanted to try something different from the work that I did for 40 years. Although I enjoyed a challenging career in public school teaching and administration, it was time to explore other interests.

After trying a few different hobbies, I tried my hand with decorative painting. The local AC Moore store offered some lessons in Acrylic Painting that you might have seen on PBS Educational TV with artist Donna Dewberry. She has the painting technique called One Stroke Painting, where one loads a paint brush with two colors of paint and in one stroke with the brush, a two color line is painted. With one stroke you blend, shade and highlight the image you are painting. This is quite different from regular painting where you paint one color and then wait for it to dry before you paint the next color to highlight and shade and blend. You can see some of her painting ideas at the link …..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyi-Y2ATjoA

With a few lessons I was painting flowers and leaves and fancy bows on art paper. The class then graduated to projects where you painted on decorative home items which were made of wood, glass or slate like a wall plaque, bird house or wine glass. Some of my friends and family liked the items that I painted well enough to even buy some.

With a little encouragement from my family, I tried my first craft fair held at the local church. At a church fair, you paid a small fee for a table in the church hall and displayed your items. Surprisingly, I sold many items and even took some orders.

I have been doing craft fairs now for about six years and enjoy meeting people and talking about my art work. Some people even want custom work done with special colors or designs. I have painted custom designs on furniture, custom mailboxes and custom wine glasses for a wedding. You can see some of my decorative art items which I displayed at a recent craft fair at the link ….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/ApplefestFair11108?authkey=qy-P4Ta6Kxs

The fall is the busiest time for craft fairs where people buy gifts items for the Christmas holidays. At most craft fairs vendors will sell items cheaper than at department stores or antique shops. However, it is hard to beat the prices you find at the Christmas Tree Shop where all of their items come from China where a million gizmos are made and they sell for pennies on the dollar. On the other hand, items sold at craft fairs are reasonably priced, are special, one of a kind, are unique, made by local craftsmen and normally signed for authenticity.

When people would ask me about the things that I painted, I first showed them a few photos and later decided to make a catalog and eventually a web site that you can view anytime from home. You can see my web site at the link …. http://markscrafts.com/

Comments are always welcome. Do you have a craft hobby?
Send me an email at …… markryan82@comcast.net

How To Shingle A Roof And Cost Estimator

Last winter the snow piled up on my roof as we had one storm after another in my area of the Northeast. Being cautious, I removed most of it with a roof snow shovel to get rid of the extra weight. However, some ice dams formed along the roof edge and water leaked on interior ceilings. I even tried to chip away some of the ice with chisel and hammer but that didn’t help.

In the spring, I called a few contractors to give me an estimate on roof repairs or roof shingle replacement. I knew that there were already two layers of shingles on the current roof which would have to be removed before any new ones were installed. I have a ranch style home that measures 30 by 40 feet at the foundation. The roof has a moderate slope and no additional structures to work around. I last had the roof shingled over one existing layer 18 years ago which cost about $1400. The shingles were asphalt and had a lifetime of about 25 years.

The estimates given to me by several contractors ranged from $3000 to $7500. That would include stripping the two existing layers and removing all the waste debris as well as installing new shingles and all the accessories. Some contractors also suggested that I didn’t need a whole new roof and could just repair some spots.

Since the cost range was quite large, I decided to look up some information on the internet and try to estimate what the job would really cost for materials and labor. I read about how to install shingles and made lists of all the different types of shingles and materials. To get the general idea of what is involved with roof installation, you can see an interesting video at ThisOldHouse.Com. Click the link ……
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,1630932,00.html
In addition Home Depot also has a video at the link …
http://www6.homedepot.com/tv/hdtv_player.html?videoID=000059&cm_sp=dept-_-d22-_-roofing-_-KnowHow-_-videotag_install

I also went to the online catalog at Home Depot and Lowes to get prices for shingles and other materials. You can see some of the material costs at the following links…..
Home Depot …..
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?Ntk=AllProps&N=10000003+90039+500530&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&langId=-1

Lowes ….. (also shows the new Architectural Shingles)
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&Ne=4294967294&Ntt=shingles&Ntk=i_products&N=4294961544&sortOp=bestMatch

I then listed all the material prices, labor costs and roof dimensions and calculated how much the job should cost. To make the calculations easier and adjustable with different roof dimensions, I constructed an Excel Spreadsheet. The roof diagram above lists all the dimensions needed. After constructing the spreadsheet, I uploaded it to Google Docs so you can download it to your desktop and make your own roof estimates.

Click on the link and follow the directions below …….
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pPRsaiyteUA301vZZQYWVMQ
New SS – View Only
You may get a message –“Trying To Sign In To Google” – Click on the Spreadsheet (SS) and you will go to the Google Sign In Page – Do Not Sign In – Click the Left Top Arrow and you will be brought Back To the SS – You can only “view” this SS and make no online changes. You can browse this SS page to view the various calculations made from inputting just five roof dimensions.

If you want to input your own roof dimensions, you need to do the following. You will need to save a copy of the SS on your desktop to use it and make changes. – Click File in the SS Title Bar –Then Export – Then ( xls ). Save the SS to your desktop. You now have a working copy of the SS. Make another copy of it to work with and save the original as is without changes. On the copy, you can change the five house dimensions on the SS and then press enter. New calculations will appear along with a new total cost. The only cells you should change are the five house dimensions. Other cells have formulae that if changed will mess up the SS. You can add new house dimensions and make new calculations.

Shareware License – This spreadsheet has taken a considerable amount of time to create and is a form of shareware that is for personal use only. The calculations obtained are a best guess estimate of the average cost for shingling a roof for a single family home and are not legally binding. If the user wishes to use the SS for any reason other than personal, please contact me for a license by email at markryan82@comcast.net .

My roof estimator generates a (best guess) cost of about $4500 which is in the middle of the range obtained from the various contractors ($3000-$7500). My daughter just had her roof re-shingled for about $2800. Her contractor needed the work and did a good job, was done in 2 days, had 3 men and removed all the waste shingles.

If you shop around you can get a good price that suits your situation. The highest estimate is not always the best job. I have also learned that some contractors estimate a job by multiplying the number of squares of shingles needed by a cost factor which includes (materials, labor and waste removal). The cost factor per square from low to high price is ($200 to $500). My house would require 15 squares which would include side trim and waste factor; (a square is 100 sf of shingles or 3 bundles). Using this formula you get (15squares x $200) = $3000 for a low price and (15 squares x $500) = $7500 for a high price. You can see a contractor that uses this method at the link ……
http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/roofing-prices.html
and their “higher price” calculator at the link …..
http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/roofing-calculator.html

If you want a reference book for installing roof shingles, you can get it at Lowes at the link …….
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=100360-2137-287945

After doing all this, I decided that I really didn’t need a new roof and could just make some minor repairs myself. This required putting some roof tar (asphalt adhesive) under some of the loose shingles and around the chimney and vent pipes. In addition, I added some attic vents under the eaves to increase air circulation. I’ll explain how I added the vents in my next blog.

Comments are always welcome. Do you have roof problems? Use my estimator to get a rough idea of the cost and then you will be more knowledgeable when you talk to a contractor.

Camping Season - 2008

Well another camping season has come to an end. The season normally runs from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. That is a good 5 months to enjoy out door living and all of its attractions. You can read about some of my camping experiences below.

Last year I bought bigger travel trailer so that I could take a few more friends and family along. Our new trailer will sleep up to 8 comfortably. We now have bunk beds, a convertible dining table-bed, a pull out sofa-bed and a queen size bed. The new trailer also has a slide out section that makes the trailer almost double wide giving you more room to walk around. We also have a full bathroom, and a kitchen with sink, stove, microwave and refrigerator. In addition, there is an entertainment center with flat screen digital TV, DVD and Radio. Living in a travel trailer is almost like living at home.

Since the winter is fast approaching, I prepared the trailer a few weeks ago for storage and winterized the water system. This requires draining all the sinks, toilet and water tanks and replacing the water with RV antifreeze which is now biodegradable and non-toxic. In addition, we also remove all foods, perishables and toiletries that are water based so they won’t freeze. Setting up a trailer is like having a second home. You need a second set of everything from clothes, to linens and towels as well as books, movies and games for entertainment. You also need other items for emergencies like tools, flashlights, rain gear, batteries and portable radios. Additional info on winterizing can be found at the link …. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060830054629AAQhPok

This past summer I planned 6 short trips around New England and made reservations early in March in order to guarantee the dates and campsites we wanted. Although the gas prices were steadily climbing I had budgeted for the trips and decided to go anyway. I have a SUV Chevy Tahoe with a bigger engine so I can pull the trailer. The SUV normally gets 15 mpg but only 10 mpg when pulling the trailer. Since the average distance to our camping destinations was about 100 miles, this would require 10 gallons of gas one way or 20 gallons round trip. At $4.00 per gallon that would cost me about $80.00 per trip.

We normally make reservations at a campground that has 4 way hookups which means the each campsite has a connection for water, sewer, electricity and cable TV. Trailer camping is like being at home except you are in the middle of the woods with a stream or lake right at your door step. The average price for a campsite is about $30.00 per night or about $150.00 for 5 days.

Since we bring our own food, the only cost for a 5 day stay is $80 for gas and $150 for the camp site which totals to $230. That’s it for 2-8 people in our trailer. However, you may need a little extra cash for gifts or restaurants and other costs. That is certainly a lot cheaper than most vacation trips with airfare and hotels.

There are always plenty of things to do at a RV campground. Most campgrounds have some amenities like a pool or swimming area. They may also have indoor game rooms, outdoor volley ball, horseshoes, and play grounds. You can also bring your own recreational items like fishing gear, bicycles, kayaks or boats. Local area attractions are also available for sight seeing. You can see some photos of camping activities that I enjoyed this past summer by clicking the link ….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/CampingPhotos101808

Some of the campgrounds that we have stayed at are listed below. You can see the rates, amenities and other offerings for each by clicking the web link …..

Comments are always welcome. Have you camped? What are your favorites?

Campgrounds

Pemi River CG – Thornton, NH
http://www.pemirivercampground.com/

Lost River CG – N.Woodstock, NH
http://www.lostriver.com/index.html

Wells Beach CG – Wells , Maine
http://www.wellsbeach.com/

Peter’s Pond CG – Sandwich, MA
http://peterspond.com/

The Benefits of Walking

I have been walking for exercise for about two years now. During that time I have lost 60 pounds and taken 4 inches off my waist line. I feel better and have more energy to do other things that bring richness to my daily routine. Research has shown that walking will add another ten years to your life.

In addition to walking, I also maintain a healthy 1200 calorie diet. The diet includes cereal with fruit or an egg and toast for breakfast, salad with dressing or a tuna sandwich for lunch and soup and crackers for dinner. For variation, I substitute fish, chicken or beef with a vegetable for lunch. Portion size is also important. If you are looking for additional info on a low calorie diet go to About.com at the link ….
http://walking.about.com/cs/walkoflife/a/walkoflife.htm

In order to maintain my diet, I count calories and record everything that I eat in a journal. I also record my weight, waist measurement and daily exercise times. The journal gives me motivation to keep going each day, as I see the improvements made each week. Besides walking, I also do 30 minutes of indoor exercise using a bicycle, ab-machine, bench and glider.

My wife and I take our daily walk 10 AM each morning. There is less traffic and less noise at that time. We try to walk about 3 miles while keeping a steady pace of 20 minutes per mile. For variation, we try a new walking area every few days. We may walk around the neighborhood, or to the center of town, or around Silver Lake in Wilmington or Lake Quanipowitt in Wakefield or a local mall on bad weather days.

On a recent walk around Silver Lake in Wilmington and the local Shawsheen Elementary School, I took some photos of the changing fall foliage and some bird sightings. I also included a map of the walk. You can see the photos at the link ………
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/SilverLakeWalk101408

You can also map your own walk and calculate your calories burned at the web site MapMyRide. Go to the link …….. http://www.mapmyride.com/create_new

If you are looking for general health information about walking you can go to the Mayo Clinic web site where you will see info about walking shoes, walking posture, calorie calculators and other helpful info. Go to the link …………
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612

For additional info about using a pedometer, ideal weight and calorie calculators and diets, go to the web site About.com at the link ……… http://walking.about.com/cs/walkoflife/a/walkoflife.htm

Some things to research and think about
Before you start a walking program, do some research on the following topics. …….
(Health, Diet, Motivation, Keeping A Journal, Walking Shoes, Walking Posture, Calorie Counters, Pedometer or GPS, Mapping Your Route, Walking With A Friend For Support). Just type the word or phrase into Goggle.com and you will get plenty of links.

I also found some other related articles while writing this blog. See the links below …

Beating fatigue with moderate exercise. Boston Globe, 10-13-08, Health & Science, p13
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2008/10/13/way_too_tired?s_campaign=8315

Doing 150 Minutes of Weekly Exercise Leads to less Sick Time. – UK Report
http://www.healthclubbenchmark.com/content/PressRoom/Articles/20060330UK-EN.aspx

Starting A Blog, Photo Album or Web Site

I have tried quite a few software packages and services to store photos, write blogs and web sites and found that the free ones are all I need.

They are simple and you can add text, photos, and short videos. However, you are limited to the storage or memory space available on the free sites, although it is adequate for most people.

I use Google which offers several free services. It has Picasa for storing photos and Blogger for writing blogs. You have to get a free Google email account first to use them. You can sign up for the free email at http://google.com/ . Select Gmail to get the free email account.

You can also take a guided tour of both Picasa and Blogger to see how they work. Once you try them you will know if these will suite your needs.

If you just want to store photos with captions you can use Picasa from Google at http://picasa.google.com/ . You need to download the free Picasa software to your computer first. Then load your photos from your camera onto your computer into a file folder. Now open Picasa and locate this photo file folder. You can now organize the order of the photos and write captions for each while it is on your computer. When you are ready, you can upload your photos to your Picasa Web site in an album with the captions. Select web albums at the bottom of the Picasa page to upload photos and web albums at the top of the page to view all your albums.

However, if you want to write a story and say something related to the photos, you write the story in a blog like Blogger at https://www.blogger.com/start and then include a link to Picasa to see the related photo album. You can also insert individual photos into your blog article.

I first write my blog stories using Microsoft WORD and then copy and paste it into a new blog on Blogger. It’s easier to edit your thoughts and spelling on your desktop word processor rather then online in Blogger.

You should also have a Broadband Internet Connection like Comcast.net or Verizon.net since trying to upload photos over a phone connection takes too much time.

I store all the Romeo photos on Picasa in public albums that all can see and Family photos in private albums that only my family can see, when I send them an email with the authorized link.
Besides writing a Romeo Blog I also write another blog called Open Nut Shell with my general thoughts on different topics or projects that I have done. You can see the Romeo Blog at http://romeo-nsssa.blogspot.com/ and the Open Nut Shell Blog at http://opennutshell.blogspot.com/ .

In addition, I have a web site that I created for a home business. I do decorative painting on glass, wood, metal or slate and sell hand painted items online or at craft fairs. You can see my web site at the link…. http://markscrafts.com/ .

Comments are always welcome. Do you have a favorite web site, blog or online photo album?

How To Build A Wind Vane & Cupola

One of the things that always intrigues me is the variety of wind vanes, cupolas and finials that adorn the roof tops of buildings. As I traveled around New England this summer I took some photos of some of the interesting ones and listed them in a photo album with a link at the end of the next paragraph.

Most cupolas are square structures with louvered sides and a four sided roof. On top of the cupola is the traditional NSEW directional bars and then an arrow that moves and points in the direction from which the wind is coming. A decorative finial usually rests on the arrow or on top of the central pivot. The decorative finials usually have a shape that is related to the building, or geographical area or special interest of the owner. Thus, a finial in the shape of a fireman might be on a fire station or a whale might be on a seaside restaurant. You can see some example photos and ones from a shop in Wells, Maine at the link….. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/WindVanesExamples71408

You can also see various wind vanes at online web sites and get an idea of the relative cost which depends on the size and construction materials. Those with copper roofs demand the highest prices. One online web site can be seen at the link ……. http://www.theweathervanefactory.com/index.php

Since the cost of the copper wind vanes, finials and cupolas was more than I wanted to spend, I decided to build my own and attached it to a backyard garden shed. Although the cost to purchase a wind vane and cupola online starts at around $500, I was able to build one with materials costing about $75 plus my labor.

You can see photos of my simple construction project at the link ….. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/WindvaneProject82508
I first used a computer paint program to draw a design which is shown in the photo at top. I also recycled an old vinyl window shutter and cut it in 4 equal pieces for the cupola sides. Other materials were wood supports 1-1/2x3/4, metal brackets, barn board grooved plywood, corner molding, outdoor paint, nuts, bolts, screws, and threaded rod for center pivot.

The entire construction and installation took several weeks and made me appreciate the high cost of the ones seen on line. However, there is also a personal pride attached to your own creation.

Have you tried some unique home projects like this one? Comments are always welcome.

Take Me Fishing, Please ?

One of the joys of summer is to go fishing with the grand - children. I know that they often go with their father but I wanted to share in the excitement and pass on some tips that I learned as a boy. So I went to Walmart’s and bought some mini-fishing poles and other gear.

Since I have three grandchildren, I made up three fishing sets (pole, hooks, bobbers, small plastic accessory case) and put them in a gallon zip lock bag. I tied a rope on each bag so the children could carry it over their shoulder.

I made a date with them to go on a practice fishing trip and learn how to use all the fishing gear. Early one Saturday morning, we went to Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA and practiced casting the lines; first to a target on the grass and then into the water. I also showed them how to tie the hooks on the line and set the lead weight and bobber at the correct distance above the hook.

I then baited the hooks for each child with a piece of worm (night crawlers) and off they casted into the great lake, hoping to catch the big one. Every 5 minutes I baited another hook or helped untangle a fishing line caught on a nearby tree or across another person’s line. After about two hours, we were out of bait and went across the street for a well deserved hot chocolate and a donut. That was quite a workout for papa but fun for the kids.

The next Saturday was the Fishing Derby in Wilmington, MA at Silver Lake. It is held annually on the first Saturday in June to attract new anglers to this life-long sport. This is also a free fishing day for all age groups (no fishing license required). We arrived at 9:00 AM sharp and registered. Youngsters lined the banks of Silver Lake and also fished off the new L-shaped fishing pier.

I decided to just let the children fish and help them as needed. After getting everyone ready, they fished off the pier and casted their lines into the water trying to stay away from another angler only 5 feet away on each side. After a few casts the two older girls caught their first fish, a sunfish of course. The youngest boy-grandchild was only 6 years old at the time and more interested in playing down at the water’s edge rather than catch fish. His interest in fishing lasted about 2 minutes.

Since that time, a few years have past and we have fished in different lakes, ponds and rivers and the children’s interest in fishing has grown. On a trailer camping trip to New Hampshire, the children caught baby brook trout in a local stream. With their father, they caught sunfish at Edgewater Pond in Wakefield. Recently, we went to Harold Parker State Park in North Andover, MA and caught some sunfish and a juvenile- smallmouth bass at Field Pond. You can Google all these ponds to get exact locations.

Last Tuesday, I decided to go fishing at Silver Lake in Wilmington, MA by myself. That way I could take my time, relax and not have to untangle lines. I got there about 3:00PM and had the lake to myself. Not another fisherman in sight, at that time. I baited my hook and threw the first cast. A few nibbles on the bobber but no fish. I tried another spot further out from the pier and found a school of sunfish that went crazy for the bait worm (night crawlers). I caught a few Pumpkin Seed Sunfish. They are identified with the black spot on their gill cover with a red spot on the end and squiggly vertical dark lines across their body. See photos of fish at the link ……. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/FishingAtSilverLake81908

Later, I made a cast closer to shore near the weeds and got a good bite. The fish took the line and swam around tugging. I reeled it up quickly to the pier and unhooked the fish while I took a quick photo. I then gently threw the fish back. If you “catch and release” the fish gently, it will recover quickly back to normal. The fish was a juvenile largemouth bass recognized by the dark line down the center, the mouth and the fins.

Now that I am a senior citizen, I can get my fishing license at a reduced rate ($16.25 for the year, January to December). A rate chart for hunting and fishing licenses can be found at the state web site …………… http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/licensing/license_fees.htm

You can also find depth maps for local ponds that help you decide where to fish, identification photos and links to other related sites at the link ……. http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/maps/ponds/pond_maps_nd.htm

Other fish identification web sites are …….. http://www.identicards.com/allaboutfreshwaterfish/ and http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/default.cfm

pH Saves the Pumpkin

Just like Charlie Brown, I have been waiting all summer for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. However, a few weeks ago some white patches appeared on the leaves of my pumpkin plants. Overnight it spread and now has jumped over to the zucchini and squash plants. The original pumpkin plant has a ripe orange pumpkin at its base but the stem and adjacent leaves are all brown. Some nearby pumpkin plants still have green leaves but the white spots are spreading fast.

Not wanting to loose the plants that I nurtured all summer, I looked up some info online and found some possible answers. When I Googled the question, I got some info from Yahoo Q/A. Some contributors described the similar white patches that I saw. Those that answered said it was a white powdery mildew fungus which could be killed by either raising the pH or adding a competing bacteria. There are several spray-on commercial products to treat the white powdery mildew by raising the pH like Serenade, Safer Fungicide and Safer Three in One. However, a homemade solution can be made with one table spoon baking soda and a few squirts of liquid detergent mixed with one gallon of water.

Selecting the homemade recipe, I quickly made up a (baking soda-liquid detergent) solution in a two gallon watering can and sprinkled it all over the plants. To cover all the plants in the 20x35 foot garden, I made up the solution about twelve times. As soon as I sprinkled the solution on the leaves the powdery mildew dissolved and the leaves regained some of their green color. I’ll have to watch the plants over the next few days to see if this really works. You can see photos at the link ………………
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/PumpkinMildew81708

The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an antacid that neutralizes the acidic pH and kills the fungus. The liquid detergent helps the water solution stick to the leaves without washing off. Hooray for pH (the power of hydrogen). A pH scale 1 - 7 - 14 is used to measure the amount of hydrogen ions. Values closer to (1) are more acidic (have more hydrogen) where pH values closer to (14) are more alkaline. Sometimes soils are more acidic because of certain minerals in the soil but also due to high amounts of acid rain. You can neutralize the acidic soil by adding lime and some fertilizers.

Looking further online for info related to powdery mildew, I came across a commercial product called GreenCure. It’s environmentally friendly and non-toxic. Its active ingredient is potassium bicarbonate and has a surfactant that helps stick to leaves and plants. This sounds a lot like the home ready described above (baking soda-liquid detergent) which costs a lot less. Click on the link below for more info on GreenCure ……. http://www.megagro.com/greencure.htm?source=Y-greencure

Edible Flowers

Many flowers are edible and can be used as garnish, in salads or as the main course. When doing an online search I found the following link …. http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm
which lists about 65 edible flowers and also ones to be avoided. Some edible flowers and fruits can also be seen in my garden at the link … http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/EdibleFlowers72808

Among the edibles are the squash family (zucchini, summer squash, melon and cucumber) with its big yellow flowers. You use the male flowers for cooking and cut off the inside stamens and green bottoms. You then dip them separately in a bowl of egg batter and bread crumbs and then fry them in a pan with olive oil for about ten minutes. Scoop them out with a spatula and drain on paper towels. Serve them in a dish with light seasoning and you have delicious flower chips. Another Italian recipe that my neighbor told me about is to stuff the yellow flowers with mozzarella cheese and anchovy paste. Then fry them as above. Other stuffing can also be used such as ground pork, mushrooms and other cheeses.

You may have already eaten flowers in foods such as cauliflower, broccoli, or capers. Other flowers and their tastes are basil (lemon, mint), arugula (nutty), carnation (peppery), chives (garlic, onion), cornflower (sweet clove), dandelion (mushroom), fennel (sweet licorice), pansy (sweet to tart), or rose (sweet aromatic). Some flowers may be allergens so check first.

Most flowers on a squash plant are the male flowers. There are about ten male flowers to one female. The males have the stamens with the pollen and the female has a swollen bottom like a pickle that becomes the squash after it is fertilized. Bees, birds and wind help spread the pollen from male to female plants. Some varieties of squash have only female plants which develop into seedless fruits and increase the harvest.

Addendum.......................

As an addendum to my blog on Edible Flowers, I decided to add some email suggestions that I got from some friends. See one below ….

“Mark…..Few know how delicious zucchini blossoms can be. In my family we also stuff the blossom end with and Italian hamburg mixture for added delight. Nasturium blossoms are also edible and make a dramatic presentation on a composed salad (slightly peppery in flavor.) Of course marigold blossoms are edible and so are rose petals! …Joe L.” ……

So I fried up some zucchini flowers stuffed with hamburg and dipped in egg and bread crumbs. What a delight and worth the effort. See photos of the flower picking and cooking process at the link…. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/FriedZucchiniFlowers73008

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Do you have any flower recipes?

The Harvest

Planting a garden is certainly hard work. You till the soil, make a design, arrange the plantings, water, feed and weed. Then one day the fruits arrive and you gather the harvest. And so life goes. We all have high hopes that the seeds we sow will someday bear fruit. Click on the link below to see pics of the garden ……
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Garden71208


The garden is coming along pretty well this year. There has been plenty of rain with warm days and cool nights. I planted an assortment of vegetables and expanded the garden with another 10 x 8 feet section. It now measures 20 x 35 ft. I also installed another rain barrel collection area to serve a new garden section. With a 50 square foot roof rain collection system, I can fill a 28 gallon rain barrel with one inch of rain per week. This is just enough water to keep the plants in my garden healthy. With the current rainy weather, the garden has been watered naturally and I haven’t had to use the rain barrel system much. However, I do make sure that the plants are watered at least once per week and more in hot and dry weather.

Although I tilled the soil in the garden and added compost to start, I do fertilize the plants every few weeks with Miracle Grow. One tablespoon of fertilizer added to one gallon of water. I then use a watering can to soak the ground beneath each plant. I can generally fertilize 10 plants with one gallon of fertilizer solution.

This year, I planted tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, watermelon, cucumber, potato, eggplant, bush beans, peppers, corn, and a few herbs. I generally planted them about three feet apart and placed wood stakes and wire baskets on the tomatoes. I also put a 3 foot fence around the garden to keep out the animals (rabbits, squirrels chipmunks, ground hog, and birds.

I put in three types of tomatoes (9-big boys, 9-early girls and 9-cherry. All the plants now have green fruit. The big boys and early girls will be ready to pick in a couple of weeks. The cherry tomatoes are already turning red and I have gotten about two dozen fruits in the last week.

The 9-zucchini plants have done well also and have produced about 15 big fruits. I have given several away to neighbors who have used them to make zucchini bread, casseroles and just plain boiled served with butter. My wife has made several casseroles where she slices the zucchini, dips the slices in egg and bread crumbs and layers in a baking dish. She adds layers of cheese and stewed tomatoes and then bakes it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Delicious.

The 9-pepper plants and 9-egg plant have fruit about half size and should be ready in a few weeks. The 2-butternut squash plants and 2-watermelon plants have fruit also about half size. The 2-cucumber plants have been producing several good size cukes during the last few weeks.

I planted 10-potatoe plants that I grew from a potato with eyes and then cut into two inch size cubes. I planted each in a cup and grew them for about two weeks until the plants were 6 inches high and then transplanted to the garden. The plants are now 12 inches tall and should have small potato tubers. I will pick them in a few weeks when they are a little bigger.

The 3-bush bean plants have done pretty well. However, they have produced about 10 beans per bush which are quite hard fresh off the plant. You need to cut them and boil them to make them soft enough. I sprinkle a few on salads for additional garnish. I think you need a lot more plants to get a good harvest.

Only 4-corn plants have survived from the six original. I tried one of the cobs today. I wrapped it in wax paper and cooked it in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. With a little butter and salt it wasn’t bad. I think I need to wait a couple of weeks for bigger cobs and bigger kernels with more of a sweet taste.

I did plant 10-lettuce plants after Memorial Day and they were all nibbled to the ground in a few days. A fond memory of Memorial Day. It must be the bunny rabbits. However, I don’t know how they are getting over or under the fence. They must have their own key. Ha Ha Ha. If you are lucky, I may share my harvest with you. See you around the garden.

Cloud Shapes

Is That A Dog ?

Recently, my wife and I were on a car trip traveling on route 93N to NH. The sky was a beautiful blue and big puffy white clouds rolled by as they formed a variety of shapes. Look over there I said, is that a lion, a dog, or a butterfly?

Our two hour trip flew by quickly as we looked at one cloud shape after another and took over one hundred photos with our digital camera. Later, I cropped the pictures to take out all the roads, cars and man made objects. You can see some of the photos at the link …. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/CloudPhotosCropped



I also remember watching clouds at other times of my life and thinking about how vast the sky is and how small we our in this colorful earth-sky landscape. In my minds eye, I can see those bygone clouds while looking out the window of a plane on a long trip, lying on a beach, or looking at dark clouds on a moonlit night.

Using an internet search engine like Google, I looked up information about clouds and found the links below to be quite interesting. Hope you enjoy the experience. I welcome any comments or corrections.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-481306/From-pig-legs-Starship-Enterprise--amazing-shapes-people-clouds.html
six leg pig shape and others

http://www.brucevanpatter.com/cloudshapes.html
cloud shapes – creative school programs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud
cloud descriptions and color

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/cloud.htm
cloud facts

http://www.wxdude.com/page9.html
cloud weather clues

Anniversary Garden Room

One way to landscape a house lot is to arrange plantings in different areas to highlight a specific feature or purpose. Some landscapers call these garden areas “rooms” where you can sit and dream and watch the clouds roll by. The garden room can be under a shade tree or near a bird bath or special shrub or even a vegetable garden.

This being my 45th wedding anniversary, I wanted to set aside a special place to share with my wife on those long summer days in the shade. Previously I had built a garden trellis and planted rose bushes along the sides. After a few years of watering, fertilizing and tying the branches to the trellis, the roses look pretty good this year. Using this as a base, I drew a design with some plantings and sitting chairs to enhance the area.

I first cut out the lawn along the garden edge near the rose trellis into a semicircle. I think curved garden edges are more attractive then straight lines. You can follow the description below with photos found at the link …..

http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/AnnivGarden61908

I then selected some annuals and perennials and Adirondack chairs to place in the area for best effect. I arranged them along the left and right of the trellis archway facing out into the center of the yard. I found that plantings look best when placed in bunches rather than separating them into single plants.

In addition, perennials can be divided and transplanted when they start to over grow an area. One of the perennials that I have plenty of is called tick weed or “coreopsis” which grow in bunches and have small yellow flowers. When transplanting keep the plants in a bucket of water as you move them from one place to another.

Hope you like the garden room. Maybe it will give you an idea to construct your own so you can watch the clouds roll by. "Look, that cloud has the shape of a puppy dog”.

Garden Stakes and Wire Baskets

The plants have now grown for a couple weeks since first planting on the last week of May. I have watered them regularly, alternating with water from the rain barrel and house water.

Water from the rain barrel is limited by the amount of rain fall and the size of the collection system. My small sytem only provides about a barrel of water per week if it rains. During drier periods, I have to supplement watering my garden plants with house water.

The vegetable plant roots are well established and the plant stalks now need stakes for support and wire baskets for spreading branches. I have a supply of stakes and wire baskets that I reuse each year and have placed them on the garden fence as seen in the photos. The wire baskets are placed over each tomato plant and a wood stake is added to the side for additional support. See link for additional photos ...... http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenStakes61408

The garden needs to be weeded every few weeks. I use a hoe with a five foot handle to and scrap the weed seedlings off the top soil. Deeper rooted weeds need to be pulled out.

Although there is a garden fence, some small animals (chipmonks, rabbits, birds) have gotten into the garden and nibble away at tender leaves. One way to protect vulnerable plants is to place neeting over them. However, the bunny rabbits were quicker this year add ate all my lettuce plants down to the ground as well as the strawberries that were just ready to turn red. Next year I will have to be a little quicker with the net.

Rain Barrel Project (Water for the Garden)

Rain barrels have been used for hundreds of years to collect rain water and use it for a variety of domestic purposes. In the US, this source of water is used mostly to water landscape and garden plants. However, rain water can also be used for drinking purposes if it is first filtered and treated to get rid of solid debris and biological contaminants. A good source of information about rain water and the use of Rain Barrels can be found at the web link http://www.rainbarrelguide.com/ . Although the article shows the approximate amount of rainfall collected on a roof, you can get better estimates at the following web link http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/RainwaterGuide2.html#TABLE3.0 .
From Table 3 of this article, it has been calculated that one inch of rain falling on a 1000 square foot roof area will capture 562 gallons of water. That would be about 28 gallons of water per inch of rain for the 50 square foot roof and rain barrel project described below.

The average rainfall for Wilmington,MA is about 48 inches and evenly distributed over 12 months or about 4 inches per month. See link for average rainfalls http://www.idcide.com/weather/ma/wilmington.htm Since one inch of rain from the 50 sf. roof system described below will almost fill a rain barrel, this would produce about 4 rain barrels full of water per month or about one per week. With some conservation measures this amount of water is enough to irrigate a small 20’x30’ garden. Most plants only need about one cup of water per week.

Rain barrels can be purchased online and shipped to your home with most costing about $100 and up. You then have to buy a hose kit that attaches to a catchment system that funnels the water off a roof into the barrel. Some rain barrel types and costs can be seen at the web link http://www.cleanairgardening.com/rainbarrels.html .

However, you can build a simple rain barrel system with supplies found at the local hardware store or other retailers such as Lowes ( http://lowes.com/) . A list of the needed items is found below and can be purchased for about $50 including rain barrel and catchment system.

Items Needed: (Item and Model Numbers From Lowes.Com Online Source)
1- Corrugated Hose (Universal Sump Pump Drain Kit, (Item #: 189255, Model: 56171-LWS1, 8.97), 1- Vinyl Trash Can, 32 Gallon,(Item #: 227199, Model: 3405152BL, $12.74), 5 - Gutter Brackets, (Item #: 13777, Model: AW106, $2.38 = $11.90) , Left Gutter End Cap White, Item # 12496, Model # AW201A, $2.04, Right Gutter End Cap White, Item # 161550, Model # AW102Z, $2.04 , 1- Vinyl Gutter, 10 ft., (Item #: 13720, Model: AW100, $5.86), and Latex Adhesive Caulk, Item # 219873, Model # 11530, $2.24

Photos of the completed Rain Barrel System attached to a small yard shed (8 x 12 ft) can be seen at the web link http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/RainBarrels6108 .

Instructions:
1. Attach gutter brackets to face board on the eave of a shed roof. The brackets need to be spaced a couple feet apart to support the gutter. Each bracket has to be a quarter inch lower as it nears the down spout end so that the rain water will run along the gutter to that end.
2. Using a saw hole bit, drill a 1 ¼ in hole in the vinyl gutter about 4 inches from the end.
3. From the sump pump hose kit, find the smaller threaded hose attachment and screw the threaded end into the gutter 1 ¼ inch hole. (The corrugated hose will be attached here later.)
4. Slide the gutter into the attached brackets along the roof eave. Catch the front and back of each bracket with the gutter.
5. Attach the left and right gutter end caps.
6. Drill a 1 ¼ inch hole in the middle of the barrel cover.
7. Measure the distance from the gutter to the barrel and cut the corrugated hose to approximately this length at the nearest joint.
8. Attach one end of hose to the gutter down spout and secure it with a water hose clamp from the kit.
9. Attach the other end of the hose to the barrel cover by using the other larger threaded hose attachment inside the barrel cover.
10. Take up any slack in the hose by turning it in an (S) shape and tying it with plastic ties along its length. (See photos for visual illustration.) You can also cut hose to exact length.
11. Use silicone caulking at the gutter end caps and the down spout hole to prevent water leaks.
12. Test the system by pouring some water into the gutter to see that it runs to the hole end and down the hose to the barrel. Use a watering can to scoop water out of the rain barrel and water plants.

Romeo Lunch 5-21-08

The Romeo group had a great lunch today at the New Bridge Café in Chelsea, which is highly rated by the Phantom Gourmet. Our special guest was Mary Corcoran who now resides at the Lighthouse Nursing Care Center in Revere and just celebrated her 82nd birthday (see Mary’s address below). She was accompanied by her aid Penny M. and on behalf of the group, Joe Pignatiello gave Mary a bouquet of flowers.

Mary Corcoran
Lighthouse Nursing Care Center,
Room 106, 204 Proctor Avenue, Revere, MA 02151

As always, the conversation was tops and ran the gamete from high gas prices to crashed computers. In addition, Joe P. told us a story of a ski trip he made to Italy in the 1980’s where he spent some time in the local jail. The local police made a derogatory remark at Joe’s group. Joe understanding Italian, replied back “Stupido”. The police beat him and threw him in the clink. It took the US Consulate to give Joe a “Get Out Of Jail Card” before he was able to rejoin his group. However, all was not lost since he ate like a king when his cell mate’s wife brought a full course meal each day.

The menu choices at the New Bridge were steak tips, pork, lamb and baby back ribs as well as Italian fare and sandwiches. The meal was just delicious and the service was outstanding. Prices were very reasonable and it would be worth a second trip back someday soon. However, no dessert or coffee is served although there is a well stocked bar.

The Romeo’s in attendance were Jim Terlizzi, Joe Pignatiello, Joe Balsama, Joe LoDuca, Joe Lapiana, Steve Winter, Ed DeSchuytner, Paul Girard and Mark Ryan. Jim Sicuso also stopped by to wish Mary well. A picture of Mary and Joe B. is above. Other pictures can be seen on the Picasa website. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/RomeoLunch52108

Dream Machines

With the price of gas going through the roof, I have been looking up information related to alternative fuels and experimental vehicles hoping to find a future car that would run on air or water and be pollution free.

In a short time, I found quite a lot of info on the web by using the Google Search Engine. Google is a great modern research tool for the general public. It sure beats going to the library and looking through the card catalog index and hundreds of books. I listed some of the web sites below for future reference in case anyone wants to look at the sources.

Through a Google search I found that YouTube also has some great videos on future cars and innovations that are being carried out by enterprising experimenters in their home garage or basement. These guys have invented all sorts of gadgets related to getting better mpg (miles per gallon) on traditional and modified gas engines.

One such innovation is the Weed Wacker Bike where the inventor attached a gas powered weed wacker to a bicycle. He then put a small airplane propeller on the end. The weed wacker propeller pushed the bike along a straight road and provided about 200 mpg. See the link ….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h7AmVPpaEY

Another innovation was the Water Powered Car. This takes water and breaks it down to Hydrogen and Oxygen which are used as combustible fuel in a modified gas engine. See the link …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIgOn1kRw5s&feature=related

Cars with diesel engines can be modified to burn filtered french fry or vegetable cooking oils. This is a great way to recycle this waste product from restaurants and to reduce the use of regular diesel fuel. However, one of the side effects is the car exhaust smells like French fries and makes you hungry. See the link …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0WTkpQbv1w&feature=related

Another alternative is Biofuel or Ethanol made from corn or soy beans. Presently, unleaded gas at the pump has 10% Ethanol. Some hybrid cars can burn 85% ethanol mixed with regular gasoline. The problem with ethanol is farmers are growing less corn for food and more to make ethanol which consequently drives up the price of food corn. Farmers in the Amazon Basin are also clearing large areas of Rain Forest to grow soy beans that can also be used to make ethanol. This leads to more global warming and other ecological problems. However, a company in Medford, MA is developing a way to make ethanol from corn husks. That way the corn can still be used for food. See link ….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_ZLSzuQFTE

How would you like to get over 3000 mpg. New experimental cars have set new records for mpg and distance. See the link …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY59yD7fsYE&eurl


You can also see other information about fuels and cars at the government web site … http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm Here you can find cheap gas prices by zip code, hybrids, mpg, money saving tips, and experimental cars that give extreme mpg.
Also, look at the US Dept. Energy website for future alternative vehicles. See the link …
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/index.html

Arbor Day - May 2008

Arbor Day – Tree Planting Season
Although tree planting is a tradition for Arbor Day, you can plant most trees from spring to fall. The planting is quite simple even though there may be specific directions for one type or another. I have had the most luck with the following method. Dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball. Add some compost to the bottom of the hole. Remove the fabric covering the root ball or cut slices in it if it is biodegradable. Place the tree root in the middle of the hole with the top of the root ball level with the top of the hole. Half fill the hole with a mix of potting soil, mulch and native soil. Flood the hole with water to the top. Wait for the water to settle and then fill the rest of the hole with the soil mixture slightly mounded around the tree trunk. Water each day for first week and then at least once per week, especially during dry spells. Add fertilizer periodically near the root ball and later out to the shadow of the tree crown. Pruning the tree once per year helps tree growth and flower blossoms. Trees grown within their climate zone are quite hardy and will last many years. For a sample of the types of trees available to your climate zone see the following web link: http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Massachusetts.htm
Recently I purchased a couple of Cleveland Pear Trees to plant in the front yard. This is a non fruit bearing hybrid tree that has white flowers during the spring with deep green leaves all summer which turn dark scarlet red in the fall. The tree grows well in zone 5-8 and resists damage from extreme snow, ice and wind. It grows 3-4 feet per year and when mature 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide in a semi perfect oval shape. I looked around for a good purchase price and found the following variations for a 6 ft. tree (online nursery $129, local garden nursery $69, Lowe’s Garden Shop $19, and Home Depot Garden Shop $15). Most reputable dealers have a return policy that allows you to return the tree, if it dies within the first year.

National Bike Month (May 2008)

As a young boy fifty years ago, I lived in the city in a triple decker apartment building. Most of the kids on my block had bicycles that we would ride each day around the neighborhood bouncing up on the sidewalk or following one another in a parade.

We were always doing something with the bike. Adjusting this or that or trying out some new riding trick. One bike craze was to fasten a stiff playing card next to the spokes of the back wheel. As the wheel turned, it snapped the card and made a loud sound like a motor cycle. Some bikes had horns and lights built into the frame while others had attachments like bells, whip antennae or fox tails that flapped in the wind. Daniel Boone Raccoon Hats were also in fashion. The bike with all its attachments was your pride and joy.

Over the years, I taught my children to ride bikes and to enjoy them as I did. I showed them how to repair a flat tire, tighten the spokes, adjust the seat and put on all sorts of attachments. We took the bikes on short trips around the neighborhood or transported them by car on camping trips. We rebuilt old bikes and also bought new ones.

Now that I am retired, I have had the opportunity to take short bike trips with my grandchildren and pass on some bike information to them. A few years ago we took a trip to the Break Heart Reservation in Wakefield. The tarred trails are quite hilly and although the older grandchildren enjoyed riding fast up and down the hills, the younger ones were more cautious.

Presently, I am exploring some trails around town to ride that are not too taxing for me or the grandchildren. The bike rides take us along side streets and sidewalks with little car traffic and end at a destination that we can explore. I have mapped out a few bike rides around the neighborhood and have listed them on Google Maps. You can see some bike routes by going to Google Maps and then typing in (Bike Routes , Name of Town, Name of State) http://maps.google.com/

Since May is National Bike month, it would be appropriate to get out the old bike and take a trip. In the Boston area, it is also Bay State Bike Week, May 12-17, 2008. You can join in on the fun with a bike ride in Boston. All the details are at the link: http://baystatebikeweek.org/

With the price of gas for the car approaching $4.00 per gallon, people are looking for alternative methods of travel. Maybe the old bike can get you around town instead of the car and at the same time save you money and be good for the environment.

If you want to explore other bike trails around the area you can go to the following web sites for trail maps or road directions. Click the links below:

Resources:
http://www.pedaling.com/index.asp - Trails and Resources around the US
http://www.trails.com/ - Free Trial Memberships (Some info w/o memberships) Maps
http://www.localhikes.com/MSA/MSA_1123.asp Local Hikes and Bike Trails
http://www.bikely.com/listpaths Find a trail with Google Maps
http://www.fellsbiker.com/riding/ Middlesex Fells Trails & Maps
http://trails.mtbr.com/ Mountain Bike Trails and Maps
http://www.mapmyride.com/ Local rides and Google Maps

Digital TV

I have been doing some research on the new free digital TV that will be broadcast starting February 17, 2009 throughout the United States. That means free TV without paying a cable bill. To learn all about this, go to the Radio Shack website: http://www.radioshack.com/home/index.jsp then select Research Library and then Learn About DTV. (You may have to copy these web addresses and paste them into you browser. I keep getting Active X Error message when I try clicking directly from email).

To get free digital TV, you need an antenna and digital TV set. If you don’t have a new digital TV you can use your old analog TV with a converter box. The converter box will change the digital signal to an analog signal for the old TV set. All of this is now available. There are stations now broadcasting free digital TV and you can buy digital TV sets for as low as $150 (Best Buy) http://www.bestbuy.com/ (Select Television then Tube TV) and an omnidirectional antenna for $60 (Radio Shack) http://www.radioshack.com/home/index.jsp and a converter box for $60 (Radio Shack). In addition, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce is giving out 2 free $40 coupons per household for the purchase of a converter box. You just have to apply online at: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ . There is a high demand for the coupons and the present wait time is about 30 days.

I have a new digital TV and a directional antenna in my RV Travel Trailer and presently I can receive 23 digital stations and 21 analog stations without being attached to the cable company. After February 2009 I won’t receive any more analog stations but will receive more digital stations as they come online.

To find out more about how to select an antenna, go to the web site http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
Here you will see that the antenna types are color coded to designate whether they are omni directional or single directional as well as the distance of the sending station. If you type in your address at this site, you get a map of your street area and the optimal directions to orient your directional antenna to receive the best signal. You need to select the stations you would like to receive the most to determine what type antenna to choose and which direction you need to turn it. For stations that are nearby, you can instead select an omnidirectional antenna that does not have to be turned and will receive signals from nearby stations in any direction.

Before you cancel you cable subscription, make sure that the free digital TV stations are the ones you want to watch. There are no premium stations (HBO, Cinemax, etc.) on free digital TV. Also, do your homework to make sure that the free digital stations are available in your area. Decide if you are going to put the antenna inside your apartment or outside on your roof? You also need an additional converter box for each TV set, VCR or DVD device that receives a direct TV signal.

Welcome Back

I started a new blog today since my old blog was deleted by Blogger with no apparent explanation. However, I will try to keep the new blog simple with no blogger violations. In the future, I would appreciate an explanation, so I can immediately comply.

Again, the reason for this blog is to express my point of veiw on current topics of interest. Recently, I have been reading a lot about environmental topics and the Greening of America. Consequently, my blogs have been along those lines. However, I am also interested in other topics that are listed in my profile.

If any readers would like to comment on any of the blog topics, they can just send me a comment or email. Hope to hear from you all.