Kwaree Blog

Sunbeam Fleece Warming Throw – Electric Blanket

I know I complain a lot about Winter. It’s in my nature. I always feel so stupid when I do because it’s not like I am the only one on the planet who has to deal with the cold. No one else seems to complain either. It’s a lonely job complaining about Winter.

This Winter has been a little different. Usually, I make it up to about December 20 and then start my ranting and raving about how much fun I am not having. This year, my spirits are still high. I think it might be because I have been making little adjustments here and there.

You know, Winter doesn’t have to be horrible.

So, what have I done to make Winter more comfortable for me? Here is a list:

- Sweatpants to walk around in instead of my just my boxers (I know, TMI)
- Slippers to wear instead of having just bare feet
- New humidifier to help the air actually feel warm
- All wheel drive vehicles to make driving in the snow something to look forward to
- Pellet stove to warm up my hands
- Snowblower to avoid 99% of shoveling
- Happy light to get some extra sun
- Jiu Jitsu to keep my endorphins on high alert
- An electric blanket to warm up the bed before I hop in

That last one is new.

Sunbeam Fleece Warming Throw - Electric Blanket

Let me tell you a little something. Jumping into a bed with cold sheets is a lot of fun in the summertime. During the Winter, not so much. I hate it. There is nothing quite like getting in bed, throwing the covers over my head and curling up like a ball and then breathing heavy just to get the heat going. I know I’m not alone in this one. If you didn’t grow up in an apartment building where the heat is always on 90 degrees, you know what I’m talking about.

I decided that getting an electric blanket is probably one of my last little Winter comfort items. I bought it yesterday at Wal-Mart for $29.96. There were a few other brands, but they were over $60 and some even over $100. I thought those were too much because all I wanted was something to turn on for 10 minutes before I get in bed. Something to take the edge off so I don’t have to curl up like a ball anymore. I’m too old to be doing that. I couldn’t imagine the guy down the road curling up like a ball, so why do I?

I tried it out last night. Unfortunately, the blanket didn’t get all that warm. I only had it on for about three minutes while I brushed my teeth. I turned it off and got in bed. While the sheets weren’t cold, they weren’t warm either. Not like the electric blankets of yesteryear. I figure the blanket needs a good ten minutes to warm up to give me that awesome warm feeling. Kind of like the feeling of sliding into a really warm hot tub. Now that is a good feeling.

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Visiting Madison Center, CT

Have I told you lately that I enjoy the Connecticut coast?

So it snowed on Saturday night. We didn’t let that stop us on Sunday. Sunday’s weather was perfect for a ride in the car to see what was going on down in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, Madison Center and Guilford Center. I really wanted to see what Branford Center looked like, but we were getting a little ahead of ourselves. We’ll have to visit that another day.

It’s so strange to see a totally different culture from what we’re used to around here. I mean, it’s not totally different, but people along the coast seem to enjoy boating and golfing a bit more than we do. Also, if the number of restaurants is any indication, they enjoy eating too.

Okay, I’ll give you the 2 minute rundown of what I witnessed on our drive through these areas:

- Old Saybrook has a nice coast line. Too many people in that town for my taste.

- Westbrook has a few huge marinas, so if you are into boating, that’s your place to be. They also have the Water’s Edge Resort and Spa which looks very nice.

- Clinton was pretty cool. They had a huge nursery called Clinton Nurseries that appeared to hold a massive amount of compost behind a fence. When I say massive, I mean massive. The main street was tight and historic looking. Good for getting out of the car and walking around.

- Madison looked like it was the most wealthy of the towns we visited. There was some sort of a Santa gathering on main street and perhaps a parade. There were all sorts of people around who appeared to really love their town. If I live there, I would probably love it too. It’s really nice.

- Guilford Center was nice as well, but smaller than the rest. It’s a great looking town with a fairly large green. I bet I would like that during the Summer.

Once we hit Guilford, we turned around to head back. As we were driving, my lady indicated that she would be interested in visiting a beach. Since I have always wanted to walk on a beach in Winter, I thought it was a great idea.

The first beach type area we came across was Madison Beach. It was a pretty cool area and was located right past Madison Country Club. We hung out for a while and took some pictures which I will post below. The funny thing about this beach was the wind. On shore, there was a bit of wind, but not really all that much. When we walked out on a rocky area that jutted out about 100 feet into the water, we could hardly stand there because it was so windy. Strange. I’ll tell you, when it’s 37 degrees, the wind really cuts right through you.

After that, we stopped off at Hammonasset Beach State Park. Now this was the bomb diggity. I didn’t even know that Connecticut had beaches like this (again). The park is pretty huge and even offers camping. I could totally see us walking up and down this beach for our daily exercise. Great sand, great water and interesting features. I’ll post the pictures below.

After that, we stopped off at a diner in Old Saybrook and headed back. It was getting dark, so I figured our day out on the Connecticut shore was just about over. Till next time…

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First Snow 2009/2010

If you live anywhere in Connecticut that is North of the Southern edge, you probably got snow on Saturday night. Oh yay.

Yeah, it’s back. I thought it would just fall and melt really fast like it normally does this time of year. Whelp, it’s not gone yet and it’s Monday. I do see some dripping off the roof though, which is a good sign. The grass is peeking through too.

We only got about an inch and a half. My sister down in Maryland got about three inches. See, that’s why I try to stay up North…less snow. haha.

Hey, have a nice Winter. I’ll call you in Spring.

If you think this is any different than what went down last year, check out my “Orange Winter Sunset” post that I wrote on December 7, 2008.

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New MoistAir 14 Gallon Humidifier

Well, I did it. I sprung for the MoistAir 14 Gallon Humidifier. It works pretty nicely.

A few weeks ago, there was a snap in the air. I thought, “Oh no. Here we go again.” I had to light up the pellet stove and with that comes dry air. I woke up a few mornings with a dry head.

I had known that I was going to get this humidifier since last year. I wasn’t looking forward to spending over $100 on it though. As you might remember, I purchased another one last year and it couldn’t cut it. I thought the evaporative route might be better traveled.

This humidifier is supposed to cover 2,900 square feet and evaporate 14 gallons a day. Having run this little machine for a few weeks now, I would agree with the manufacturer’s claim. It certainly pulls the water out of the tanks and puts it into the air. We have the unit set up in the basement and we constantly hear the gurgling of water. The only modification we had to make was the slip a few tiles underneath the front of the unit. For some reason, the water wasn’t coming out of one of the tanks. Since I put the tile under there, it has been working great.

By the way, there are three fan speeds and three humidity level settings. I forget what we have the humidity settings on, but when I see moisture on the windows, I turn it down.

One question: Just wondering why the people who made this humidifier thought it was necessary for it resemble a 1978 station wagon. Fake wood grain went out a few years ago.

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Not Enough Sleep

I haven’t been getting enough sleep and I am afraid that I am getting dumber because of it.

I am sure you know about my fear of Winter darkness. Well, I don’t exactly fear the lack of light, I fear the short days and the being inside way too much for months on end. I fear it so much that my better half got me one of those “Happy Lights” to help me snap out of it. I’ll tell you, I think it may work.

I thought I would try something different this year. Since the sun is up when I roll out of bed, I thought that I would try getting up at the super duper early time of 7AM to get a jump on the day. I figured that if I can get going earlier than I normally do, the day will seem longer. I even have my own alarm clock on my side of the bed to help me. This has been going on now since the change in daylight saving time. Honestly, it’s been working. Getting up at 7AM makes the day seem a heck of a lot longer. We eat dinner earlier and sometimes, when I look at the clock and think it’s around 10PM, it’s really only 6PM. That’s a little treat.

There’s only one problem. I’m a night owl. I do most of my work at night. I get all of my good ideas at night. I usually roll into bed between 1AM – 2AM. This little habit of mine hasn’t changed. What does this mean? Well, it means that I haven’t been getting enough sleep.

I feel fine. I think things go smoothly throughout the day, but I have noticed strange things happening. For one, I haven’t written here as much as I normally do. I have had so many ideas, but right after I get the idea, I say to myself, “Ah hell, I don’t feel like writing. Let all those other champion bloggers take over for a day or two. They know I’ll be back.” Then, a few days go by and then another few…

I don’t think I have ever forgotten to bring my wallet with me to a store in my life. I just don’t do it. The other day, I had to go to Home Depot and then Wal-Mart for some stuff. I got to Home Depot and had all the items I needed in my hand when I was on my way to the register to check out. All of the sudden, a wave of heat came over me…where was my wallet? It wasn’t on me. I left it at the house. First time in my life. I felt so stupid and I was so mad. While I was in the car, I cursed something awful. My muscles flexed and people feared me. No seriously, I was so upset, not because I didn’t bring my wallet with me, but because I actually let myself forget it. It just wasn’t like me to do something like that.

I have also been forgetting people’s names like crazy. I just did that today twice. It’s getting really annoying and I think all this has to do with a lack of sleep.

We talked about it this evening and decided that we need to be in bed and under the covers by 11PM. Sure, I’ll do my usual reading, but that doesn’t usually last for long before I konk out.

Well folks, that’s what I am going to do. I have two minutes to brush my teeth, wash my hands and comb my hair. Then, off to bed it is. All so I can write more for you. By the way, that little saying is something I got from something my mother crocheted when I was younger. I don’t really comb my hair before bed.

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Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox and Lee

On Thursday of last week, we decided to head up to the Berkshires for some apple picking. Every year, we end up going too late and are rushed by the end of the season. Of course there are still apples to pick, but many of the varieties are already gone. This year, we thought it would be a good idea to go apple picking not too early, but not too late.

I think we’ll stick with going at the end of the season. There is one reason for this…the Honeycrisps are ripe. I guess the Honeycrisp is a late season apple, because there were “Not Ripe” signs all over the place where these particular trees were. It’s funny because I tasted a few and they seemed fine to me. I grabbed about 15 of them. I have a feeling they will ripen up just fine. Just so you know, the Honeycrisp is the biggest and best apple there is. They are huge.

We go apple picking at a place called “Windy Hill Farm Nursery Orchards & Garden Center.” I think that’s the official name. We just call it Windy Hill. It’s located on 686 Stockbridge Rd in Great Barrington, MA and really is a great orchard. They have hot cider inside and plenty of apples and pumpkins to choose from. I’m guessing when I say there are about 15 different types of apples to pick. We have been visiting this orchard during Autumn for about five years now.

The only problem is…it’s a little far away. I was thinking out loud on the way back from our exciting day when I said, “I think this is the last year for Windy Hill.” I got a funny look. I continued, “It’s just too far away. I can’t see driving for almost two hours to head up to the Berkshires when there has to be plenty of good orchards around where we live.” It’s true, there are tons of orchards around here, but we really like to make a day out of it. We don’t want to just run over to Glastonbury real quick, grab some apples and leave. That seems more like a chore. 45 minutes away is a good distance for an apple orchard. That way, we get to visit some town that we hardly ever go to and it makes the whole thing more fun. I like that. So, next year, I think we’ll head up to the “Quiet Corner” somewhere. I am sure Pomfret has an apple orchard. After all, Pomfret is an area full of beautiful rolling hills, a perfect place for apples to grow.

Thursday was fun. Not only did we visit Windy Hill, we also visited Yankee Candle in Stockbridge to gather a nice assortment of Autumn smelling candles and tarts. It wasn’t my idea to go there, but being the accommodating companion that I am, I agreed that it was a good idea. Now, every time I go downstairs, I think there is an apple pie or pumpkin bread in the oven. It’s really not fair.

Besides apple picking, another goal that I had for Thursday’s trip was to head up to Lenox to check out a really nice country house/hotel called Blantyre. I have heard great things about this place and wanted to see it first hand. I am always on the hunt for the next marvelous Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. The visit was supposed to be a surprise. I wanted to drive to Lenox in stealth mode and quickly turn into the Blantyre driveway. My plan was foiled when I got lost…again. For some reason, Lenox is in something like a spiderweb vortex. It seems like every road going into the town is identical and has the same left turn. Each time I go there, I find myself making the same mistakes, over and over and over. This time, it took a confession and use of the GPS to find our destination. It really wasn’t any big deal because I am used to my surprises being ruined due to lack of preparation.

When we finally made it to Blantyre, we were very pleased by what we found. There is a really long driveway that leads to a large English house type structure. It is secluded and absolutely feels like another land. I can’t compare it to Europe because I have never been there, but if I had been there I am sure the Blantyre would feel just like it. It was kind of like Robin Hood was going to walk out of the woods.

We walked through the front door and found a really upscale and formal cluster of rooms. We visited the main room, the music room and the dining room. I also peeked out to the terrace and the front lawn and gardens. It was better than I had imagined. (Don’t worry, I have pictures)

A woman came out to greet us and answered all the questions about holiday dining that we threw at here. We gave the desk gentleman my name for a return call after they had the menu and arrangements set up. We walked out and strolled around for a while and took some photos.

After we left Blantyre, we decided to head down to the Prime Outlets in Lee, MA. I had this strange desire to get slippers. I know, I know…I am a big burly man. What in the world do I need slippers for? Well, this Winter, I am not fighting cold feet. I do it every year and it’s just not going to happen this time.

We arrived at Prime Outlets and were disappointed by the lack of selection of slippers. The slippers that were there were all made from leather and cost close to $50. They also had no thick hoodies or sweatpants to be found. This isn’t the first time we have walked away empty handed from this joint. I guess it was a good idea while it lasted. By the way, I picked up a nice pair of slippers in Walmart yesterday for $11. I also got a pair of sweatpants for $10. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout. This is simple house gear, mind you.

Lastly, we headed back to the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge for some lunch. This is quite the tradition each year to settle us down after some good apple picking. We even got the clover leaf on top of our Guinness.

Here are some pictures of our exciting day up in the Berkshires. The weather was good when we arrived, sprinkled a little bit while we were picking apples and then cleared up again. All in all, it was a good day – minus the slipper thing.

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Hampton HI300 Wood Insert

This is terrible, just terrible. I think I have found myself walking down a very bad path.

Okay, so I already told you that I am taking some trees down in the woods next to the house. This is a good thing and it’s really starting to look nice over there. I actually took two more trees down today. I don’t like to do too many at a time because I would rather get used to the small changes I make and think about what I am doing before I go ahead and take down some more. Either way, I am building up next year’s supply of firewood.

This is where the problem starts. I still have about a cord of wood from the trees I cut down last summer. It’s is seasoning quite nicely and will make for some splendid firewood come this winter.

Now, I am almost positive that I have complained about the miserable (in)efficiency of a regular fireplace. We have one here and it does a really great job of sucking up what ever heat you already have in the house, out the chimney. Sure, the living room is warm, but you have to wear a snow suit in all the other rooms. Really, I don’t even use it much…just on those chilly spring or autumn evening when the pellet stove isn’t running.

So here I am, sitting on a cord of seasoned firewood and building up next year’s supply. What to do?

I am very happy with the pellet stove we got last year. It kicks butt when it comes to heating up about 3/4 of the house. To get that much heat, I need to keep it humming all winter. Last winter, I used four tons of pellets. I wouldn’t mind having a heat supplement helping out the pellet stove.

I am going to make a long whiny story short here. I really want a Hampton HI300 Wood Insert for the fireplace in the living room. Take a look at it:

http://www.hampton-fire.com/Wood/Inserts/HI300/index.php

It’s really nice, isn’t it?

I called the fellas down at the fireplace store today and told them what I wanted. He wrote up a quote and faxed it over to me. The thing is, it’s pricey. I know I’m not going to save any money by getting this little toy, so I’m iffy about the whole thing. To make matters worse, there is a tax credit that’s available called the “The U.S. Biomass Tax Credit.” It gives you back 30% of your purchase and installation price, up to $1500. That is just driving me crazy. You can learn about the tax credit here.

I know I am going to find myself in the car tomorrow or the next day driving down to the fireplace store. It’s bad, but I just want to feel that heat cranking out of that stove this winter. It even has a blower.

I’ll let you know what happens.

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The Plants Are Growing and The Bugs Are Back In Town

I seem to remember a conversation with a neighbor last year about all these wonderful gnats that swarm around people’s heads this time of year. The neighbor told me that it gets bad when they till the fields down the road. All I know is that the fields ain’t tilled and there are a whole bunch of gnats bothering the heck out of me. At least they disappear around here fairly quickly. We have lived places where they didn’t disappear…ever. Well, in winter they did.

I set the hammock up again this afternoon. This will be the third time I set it up, and when I say “set it up,” I mean, take it from the garage and hang it on the tree. It takes about 30 seconds. The reason I set it up is because it was really nice today. I played a little tennis this morning up at the school and got all sorts of beat up. I have a feeling that I wasn’t trying as hard as I should have been. I was just trying to run around a lot. Anyway, after I set up the hammock and layed around for a while, I decided to go inside to get the camera. There are tons of little plants sprouting up all over the place in the new garden in the back. It’s really wonderful.

I was going to take two pictures, but I ended up with nine. They are pretty good, so I think you’ll get a kick out of them. I looked up most of them so I could place plant names with the photos, but I am missing two. One is a “succulent” type of a plant and the other looks like cabbage, but that’s all I know. They really aren’t big enough to tell what they are.

Here are the plant photos.

(Remember to click once on the photos and then click again on the next page.)

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Setting Up A Lawn Hammock

This is a sweet, sweet present I have been looking forward to for many years.

About a month ago, there was a day that offered perfect weather. I would say it was about 55 degrees and sunny. Coming off a cold winter, this was just what we were looking for. I was outside just walking around, when Laura decided to join me. We talked for a little while and decided to have a seat on an area of mulch. It was warm and dry. We continued talking and after a while, we ended up laying there looking up at the sky. That’s when she said, “Wouldn’t having a hammock be really cool?” It was like a light bulb went off in my head.

Yesterday, I wrote about getting some stuff at Home Depot. What I didn’t write was about the hammock I bought. I wanted that to be a surprise. I also needed to set it up and take a picture of it before I wrote about it. Well, today was the day for that.

Pawleys 13 foot cotton rope hammock with pillow

The hammock I got was the Pawleys 13 foot cotton rope hammock with pillow. It was just the one I was looking for. There were a few more expensive hammocks, but they weren’t as large. This one is 60″x84″. That’s pretty big. I also like the rope because it’s really comfortable.

When I took this hammock out of the box, it looked kind of short. I really thought it was too small. I went out to the “hammock spot” and hooked everything up. The middle of the hammock was about 2 1/2 feet off the ground. I was very excited to try it out, so I got into position and kind of jumped on it. Well, I think I should have gone more slowly, because I landed on the ground. The hammock stretched out a good amount. I had to get up and adjust the chains; actually, I had to remove the chains. I just hooked the hammock directly to the hooks on the trees. After that, everything was cool. After the initial stretch out, it hasn’t stretched any further, even with both of us laying on it.

Is it tough to get off a hammock once you are on one? Well, not physically, but mentally it is. Once I had it all set up properly, I lay down on it, just to see how it felt. A half hour later I had to pull myself up before I fell asleep. I’m tellin’ ya, it’s a sweet feeling just laying there listening to the birds chirp.

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Green Velvet Boxwood

There are two lessons I have learned about shrubs that I would like to share with you.

1. Only plant Boxwood.
2. Only plant in the spring.

There you have it. Now, let me tell you what the heck I am talking about.

I know I have probably said this before and have trouble following my own advice, but I really mean it this time. I am only going to plant Boxwood from now on. No matter how “deer resistant” you think a shrub is, it probably isn’t. Everybody says that Holly is deer resistant. Guess what? It isn’t. Deer like to nibble on the ends of the branches. It drives me up a wall. I had to go out today to pick up some of that deer netting to put over the Holly bushes. As far as I know, Boxwood is the only shrub that’s deer resistant (well, besides Juniper), and I am going on personal experience here. I have never had a deer nibble on any boxwood shrub I have ever planted. Everything else…yeah.

The next lesson has to do with when to plant your shrubs. I have planted in both spring and fall, but spring planting works out much better, in my opinion. See, if you plant in the spring, the plant has time to grow and mature its sensitive little twigs that were over-fertilized by the nursery. All that new growth has time during the growing season to harden up. If you plant in the autumn, all that new growth dies. Period. It just does. Those nights in mid-January that offer us those wonderfully chilly sub-zero temperatures do a wonder on new shrubs. I have about six Boxwood shrubs sitting outside in the dirt right now with dead top halves. It’s pretty funny to look at. Top half brown, bottom half green. The good thing is that I expect these plants to take off this year and will most likely grown right through the dead areas.

Okay, since Home Depot had Boxwood shrubs in stock and it’s spring, I decided to grab a few today. Actually, I grabbed eight of them. I am going to plant three of them in that new mulch area next to the driveway and five of them in a row almost under the porch in the back yard. They are going to look really cool when they grow larger.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the Green Velvet Boxwood is “a hybrid of Korean Boxwood (for hardiness and compactness) and Common Boxwood (for excellent leaf color in both summer and winter).” You can read the rest of the description here.

Here is what I bought today.

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