respublica

Tiny Town Time

All of a sudden it's time to get our Christmas Tiny Town out into the yard. But first it is a matter of getting all the parts to the town out of the storage place and checking to see if any repairs are needed. But we did get all the lighted animals home and they are on the front porch waiting to go.

Bird feeding time

All of a sudden it has gotten really cold, kind of unusual for this area. It's not normally in the 20's or low 30's with a bracing wind in November. Too many high winds this fall around here as well. So I've been back to feeding the birds and they seem really appreciative. We began using only hot pepper bird seed last winter and continuing right now. This type of seed is not liked by squirrels but the birds are fine with it. I doubt I'll ever use any other kind.

I've already filled one feeder 3 times in the last ten days so we know it's pretty cold.

Cleaning up

A breaking news story from People Magazine lets us know about an exciting early Amazon Black Friday sale. Of course I looked at this really really early Black Friday thing. Amazon is getting seriously early with this sort of thing which is normally the day after Thanksgiving. And what is the headliner?

Vacuums. They are the focus of this big sale. I mean, seriously, is everyone looking for a new vacuum? Are so many floors in our homes begging to be cleaned? And, who doesn't have a vacuum? We actually have at least 3, one for each floor and a shop vac for the basement and garage.

Here is a vacuum listed as one of the best. The Inse Cordless Cleaner on sale for 99.99 regularly 569.99! What?! That is quite the sale which tells me this may not be the best after all.

Ceiling fans turn two ways

I guess I'm really uninformed on some things and ceiling fans is one of those. I read this morning we should flip a switch on our ceiling fans to counter clockwise in the summer. As I was reading this I looked up to see which way ours was running and it was clockwise.

"In the hottest months of the year you want your fan to cool you. For that to happen, you need your fan to push air down. This downward airflow causes a cooling, wind-chill effect that's perfect for summer."

I bet even Dale did not know this and he is usually pretty up to date on odd stuff like this. we've never flipped our ceiling fan switches ever that I know of. Maybe this is because we didn't know the science or, flipping would mean dragging a ladder into the rooms with ceiling fans. We have one in the family room off the kitchen and another in our bedroom. Both require a ladder to get to the switch.

When he comes up from the basement office I'll spring this new information on him. I have to confess, I do not like sitting in a room with wind blowing on me so I'd be just as happy without a fan going at all.

Cleaning

Traditionally spring cleaning was a big thing and today I realized just why. There is dust everywhere, I mean everywhere. And it's most likely coming from all of the spring flowering trees and plant pollen aided by lots of windy days. It also could be because we haven't had much rain lately to cut dust back. I have to dust most every day and our front porch is just covered with dust this morning. It was most likely dusty yesterday but I ignored it. This job will require a hose. I'd like to order some rain too.

But beyond dust, there is the matter of everyday things that get dirty...like the inside of the oven. This task is the worst. However, a new suggestion popped up today for cleaning the oven. Get yourself some melamine foam, especially the Scrub Daddy. What is that? Most of us have a Magic Eraser sitting in a drawer somewhere, the Scrub Daddy is this on steroids. Experts claim it cleans the inside of the oven better than anything else. I do have Magic Erasers around and they work amazingly on many things, problem is I too often forget about them.

Birds in our news

This morning I looked out into the backyard and saw quite a few birds of all sizes going after our feed. The weather got cold/icy/snowy nasty yesterday and birds need food to keep warm.  It's February after all, not surprising. I do need to go out today and get some more hot pepper bird seed which is what we use since it keeps squirrels from getting it all.

Then an article popped up on my iPad which said that Hummingbirds Leave Their Winter Homes for Illinois this month. Whoa. It just does not seem as though it could be that time already.  It may be time to get out the Hummingbird feeders and clean them up for the new season and make sure we have nectar.

Many of these birds spend the winter in Central America and Mexico. But for some instinctive reason, when February arrives, they leave. They should begin arriving in our area from about April 1 to April 15.

Surprisingly, and sad to me, is these birds are all on their own during the trip north. "They fly alone, often on the same path they took earlier in their life, and they really fly low, just above tree tops or water. Young hummingbirds have to learn as they go, because they navigate without parental guidance."

Looking forward to seeing them again.

 

Best way to de-fog the windshield?

This sort of stopped me in my tracks this morning. A headline which read, "Using Shaving Cream to clear up that foggy windshield."

My first thought was how hard it would be to get that cream off after the window cleared of fog or frost. Can be used inside and outside on the window. Some people swear by this method, but I doubt I'll try it. My method is to get the car running before we have to leave with the defroster running.

I have used a vehicle ice melt spray in frozen door locks and doors themselves at times.

It's coming up Roses...or not

Watching the Tournament of Roses Parade has always been part of our New Year's Day practice. Dale has been blessed to have been on one of the floats 3 different times so we have an affection for this parade and especially the Lutheran Hour Float.

In recent years watching it has gotten harder and harder. The major networks which broadcast it, ABC, NBC...are constantly leaving for commercials and often give short shrift to the Lutheran Hour float. That leaves the Hallmark Drama channel on cable which we do not get on our cable package. We don't speak Spanish so Univision is out. And RFD we have never heard of and do not have.

The best years recently were when HGTV covered the parade. They did it commercial free and had good commentary on all the floats. At the moment I'm trying to find a streaming channel but am not optimistic.

Well, good-bye 2021

We aren't planning on doing anything special this New Year's Eve except for watching TV and snacking. Tomorrow the same, Rose Parade, football and snacking. But...this just figures. I got up early to go to Schnucks to pick up some items and wouldn't you just know two of the main things I wanted were not available. Dale always likes shrimps on New Year's Eve and of course the fresh fish counter does not open until 10. I thought I was being smart to beat the crowds, but now I will have to go back. I also wanted Ore Ida hash browns and they were completely sold out. I tried Walmart Neighborhood Market on the way home and they were sold out as well. I don't know if I have the energy to try the big Walmart.

It's not a big thing in the scheme of life, but it's frustrating nonetheless. Life on holidays and during the endless pandemic. Food goes fast. Shelves empty fast.

Update after going back to the store. The fish counter was open and i got Dale's shrimp. It looks like the person manning this area is going to have a very busy day.

 

A belated Christmas lighted house

Many years we attend Christmas Eve services at our daughter's church in Webster Groves. They are members of The Lutheran Church of Webster Gardens. When we head for home we make a point of going down the street behind the church to see the one house which is decorated beyond belief. Not to say this is tacky, it isn't. It's beautifully done and gets people driving by all night long. This year was no different. After  the service we headed round the block from the church and there it was. Not a Chevy Chase production, but filled with lights in a very amazing way. Even the garage was turned into Santa's workshop. Just beautiful.

Click to enlarge the photo, it's just mind-boggling. And the best part this year was the neighbor to the right of this house had blue lights on his left side underscored by an arrow pointing to this one which said, "Ditto".

Click the photo to enlarge