Labor Day Weekend

We passed a quiet extended weekend on Poplar Ridge. It was a peaceful one...the first time in several years that we haven't had plans.

We did get a lot done here, along with relaxing. After extensive internet research, I decided to pickle my hot peppers and keep them in the refrigerator where I can continue to add to the jars as the peppers ripen. I have been stringing these some little red ones and hanging them to dry, and I have also popped quite a few jalapenos into the freezer whole. These are (from left to right) pepperoncinis, long red slims, jalapenos, and serranos.



I also managed to pick and freeze another 5 dozen ears of corn.

JP and I finally installed my "Amish clothes line" up. This is a line on pulleys that allows me to stand in one place to put the clothes on and take them off...very nice. JP had me in the bucket of the tractor, 20 feet in the air installing one of the pulleys in a big hickory tree. Being quite fearful of heights, this was not a pleasant activity for me, especially since I also sawed off 2 dead or broken limbs while I was up there.



We began watching the Anne of Green Gables movies with the girls yesterday. It is such fun to share one of our all time favorite movies with the girls and have them fall in love with it too! We played soccer: Daddy and J against Mommy and L. We lounged in the hammock and in the lounge chairs on the porch, watching a tree full of Cedar Waxwings.



We played with the dog and the kitties (finally named Bert - on the left, and Ernie - on the right).



So we passed the holiday weekend, quite pleasantly. All that calmness ended quite abruptly today with the resuming of cyber school, violin & soccer practice, and a Pre-School field trip to one of our favorite parks. This afternoon, our builder returned with a jack-hammer to replace our front stoop that settled over an inch. This is what our front entrance looks like now.



How was your Labor Day weekend?

Greene Acres (or Living Green in Greene Co.)

I'm still buried. I've been meaning to blog for several days, but haven't eked out a half hour in which to do so. Consequently my thoughts are many and a bit jumbled.

We really wanted to build a GREEN house up here on the hill. Once we discovered the expense, the geothermal system, the Russian Furnace, and the solar panels went out the window. We were able to retain a few things though. The house envelope, being poured concrete surrounded by 5 inches of Styrofoam is incredibly efficient. So far, our cooling bills have been less than our last, somewhat smaller house, although to be fair, this summer has been some what cool. We have deep eaves (2 feet on the North and East, and 10 feet on the South and West), which provides plenty of shade to keep the house cool in the summer, but still allows enough light. We used low VOC paint and stain for most of the house (the crew found that the low VOC stain did not stick to the pine used on our ceilings). We have all Energy Star appliances, exterior doors and windows. And we took the plunge to try out a propane powered on-demand water heater.

Most of the time I am willing to sacrifice a bit in order to lower my carbon footprint. I carry reusable bags around in my van, and I use them 95% of the time. I am willing to sort trash in order to compost, recycle and to burn paper (we only take out 1 kitchen sized trash bag a week on trash day lately). But, I have found the above mentioned water heater intolerable! It has been taking 3-5 minutes to get hot water in the kitchen, which is never super hot. If I turn it off for even a second or two, the water will be cold again, and take 3-5 minutes to re-heat. This makes washing dishes painful, not to mention the extraordinary amount of water that is just running down the drain. We finally turned the thing off and went back to the electric water heater.

Our builder was back today, with an expert in tow. It seems that the water heater is not getting enough fuel to light the main burner, so the hot water we are getting is from the accessory burner. So, he is preparing to replace the incoming gas line to one with a larger diameter. I'm hoping this will make the water heater more environmentally friendly AND nicer to use!

Thinking about preserving our environment (and reading National Geographic) has made me think about my own mortality lately. I am rapidly approaching 40, which doesn't seem possible. L asked me my age recently, and I told her that I would soon be 40. She said (in quite a matter of fact manner) "So soon you will die." I tried to assure her that I'm not planning on expiring any time soon, and that many people she knows are older than I am and still living. She seemed unconvinced.

In the meantime, I have managed to can a half bushel of tomatoes, and (with JP's help) freeze 6 dozen ears of corn. Now if I could only get those apples made into sauce...