|
||
 |
||
| Going Geo (As in ground
source Geothermal) 2011 is turning our to be the year of projects here at High Point! First we had to deal with minor flooding twice this year...I say minor 'cuz there was only an inch or two of water - but enough to damage carpet and prompt us to find a solution! Mike got to use a jack hammer for the first time to dig up a chunk of the basement floor and explore. The result? A new foundation drain system and a new sump-pump. Next up on the project hit parade: installing a new Geothermal heating and cooling system. First we had to clear some trees in backyard (stumps and all), then we had the nice folks from Michigan Energy Services come in to dig five trenches roughly five feet deep and 150 feet long....to accommodate 750 feet of trenching to hold the "geo loop". These series of pipes contain fluid that is capturing the earth's energy - in this case a fairly constant temperature (50-55 degrees), which is piped into the basement, connected to our new WaterFurnace to heat and cool our home and supplement hot water heating. The WaterFurnace is connected to our existing duct-work and operates much, like the natural gas forced air system we had previously, and was installed by the talented folks at Porter & Heckman from Lapeer, MI. And yes, the Water Furnace was made right here in the USA. Cool huh? See more: photo-album & video clips > Meanwhile, Louise and I walk about the house repeating: "we're heating our home with water!" No fuel oil, no natural gas....just improved technology capturing the power from the sun, stored right here in the soil. We're loving it so far! The jury is still out but in the first month using geothermal system our natural gas consumption dropped by 75%. |
|
|
 made
in the USAThis past Christmas I found a couple new pair of blue jeans from my best buddy that were actually made in the US of A. Imagine that. Levi's, Wrangler, Lee's...virtually all major brands of jeans sold in America are manufactured elsewhere. Same with most all apparel American's mindlessly acquire - they pull up to their favorite Wal-Mart sporting bumper stickers that scream: "Buy American" and then proceed to fill their shopping carts with cheap imported goods. Well, credit Louise for finding these amazingly well-made jeans that proudly sport the American flag. Care to try a pair? Check out the website for Duluth Trading Company. Sure, they peddle imported stuff too, but for those who seek goods and services that support domestic businesses, this might be a good website to bookmark. I did, and have just placed an order for a bottle Ogallala Bay Rum made in Nebraska! |
||
| best friends while in college Mike had a roommate who nixed the standard issue dormitory bed in favor of a hammock. Yep, he strung it up with lag bolts secured in concrete walls. Quirky guy that boy we called "2-shirt Tanis" (because he always employed the layered look: shirt on shirt). Anyway, this isn't a shirt-tale, but rather, a hammock story. Louise has bought a couple of 'em for our little utopia in the woods - strung between two sturdy oaks with the bolts slowly being absorbed by the growing trees. It's a peaceful way to spend some quality time with a good friend: swinging in a hammock. We made a design note to ourselves recently that when it comes time to build a Superior home we'd be wise to incorporate a hammock to be placed indoors so that we could use it year-round (ala' 2-shirt)! See? There was some linkage after all, to these tales. |
  |
|
 meet Ripley In 2008 Louise visited the animal rescue shelter in Fenton and believe it or not, we met Ripley. She says they instantly bonded - and decided he was just the sort of feline to fill the void at High Point. (R.I.P. little Noodle). He's put on a few pounds since arriving. Ripley spends the days romping, exploring, bird & critter watching, and modeling neat sweaters that Louise makes. The guy has nearly the star power as Sarah Palin, sporting his own BLOG for gosh sakes! The difference between a Ripley and Palin? Besides the lipstick, Ripley can be trusted and seems to be fairly honorable.
|
||
| Mom is not quite this "with it" these days. She's now residing in a nursing home and typically says very little in a given day. She's had plenty of changes in her life the past few years: in '07 she moved to Grand Blanc...in '04 her second husband, Howard, passed away. My brothers and I have helped Mom with assorted issues mentioned above. Since I'm the lone son residing in Michigan my brothers have much greater challenges to find time to travel and visit (from MN, GA, and FL). Their significant acts of kindness are appreciated! |  |
|
| home | primary web
site: JJCardinal.com revised 11.16.11 |
||
