Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Don't neglect annual

.... inspection of your wood stove or fireplace.

If you burn wood for heat, be sure to have your chimney or wood stove pipe thoroughly cleaned and inspected each year.

My father used to do this to his home .. I'll pay someone with expertise, agile limbs and a steady ladder to climb my steep pitched roof.  Our stove needed a few new fire bricks and a ceramic fiber blanket replaced.

Properly seasoned wood burns best.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ~ Benjamin Franklin

Have you taken measures to prevent a chimney fire?

Friday, September 11, 2015

Tuning Up The Homestead

.... before winter.

We burn wood for heat but have a forced air furnace with duct vents in all the rooms.  Nobody ever mentioned not to shut off vents in unused rooms when we built our home nine years ago .. and now I've heard/read twice recently that this can damage the duct-work.  So, to be on the safe side ... we will have the heating/AC system inspected.

The driveway has been resealed as well as the exposed aggregate concrete patios and walkways.  All cracks have been filled to help prevent expansion from freezing temps and water seepage.

Windows were cleaned this summer (by DH ... that's another story), and all hardware & fittings will be adjusted (read REPLACED) on the double hung tilt windows to ensure a tight fit.

The freezers are filling with locally farmed meats.  Storage shelves are filling up for extra measure.

Anything that is loose or wonky will get tightened before the snow flies.

Our hope is to even get the exterior trim and front door painted before too long.  Hopefully our painter still has us on his schedule.

A home is a huge investment and letting it get run down can devalue it if repairs start piling up.

After our heat filled dry, drought-ish summer, I'm actually looking forward to cooler temps.

I'll leave you with this 'fun' to watch website .. not really having to do with winterizing, but it's a good resource if you like historical cooking techniques, food preparation, food preservation, etc.


                                        Jas Townsend & Son