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BHM Newsletter
February 21, 2005
INSIDE BHM New Issue If you have not stopped by the web site for a while, the new issue has been posted.
You can read the following articles online...
...as well as Ask Jackie, The Last Word, and our letters, jokes, and classified ads. On The Move We'll be moving into our new building this week. We do not anticipate any major problems, but if we're a bit slow answering the phone or resolving a subscription issue, at least we'll have a good excuse! Everything should be back to normal next week. SELF-RELIANCE TIPS Indoor Lighting Tips Compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and provide the same lighting. Turn off the lights in any room you're not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are onUse task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.
Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary. Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas. Consider using 4-watt mini-fluorescent or electro-luminescent night lights. Both lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. The luminescent lights are cool to the touch. Use CFLs in all the portable table and floor lamps in your home. Consider carefully the size and fit of these systems when you select them. Some home fixtures may not accommodate some of the larger CFLs. When shopping for new light fixtures, consider buying dedicated compact fluorescent fixtures with built-in ballasts that use pin-based replacement bulbs.
For spot lighting, consider CFLs with reflectors. The lamps range in wattage from 13-watt to 32-watt and provide a very directed light using a reflector and lens system. Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight. If you have torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to 80% less energy and can produce more light (lumens) than the halogen torchieres. Outdoor Lighting Tips Use outdoor lights with a photocell unit or a timer so they will turn off during the day. Turn off decorative outdoor gas lamps; just eight gas lamps burning year round use as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average-size home during an entire winter. Exterior lighting is one of the best places to use CFLs because of their long life. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to buy a lamp with a cold-weather ballast. RECIPES Satisfying Soups For Frosty February Evenings Chili & Cheese Soup 4 cups beef broth
Combine the broth, garlic, tomatoes, quartered onions, Italian Seasoning, sugar, and cumin in a pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. CAREFULLY puree the hot soup in a blender, a little at a time to prevent spills and burns, and return to the pot. Add the onion, chili, and bell pepper rings to the soup and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Ladle the soup into a pre-warmed serving dish. Toss the two cheeses together. Add the cheeses and salsa and stir gently. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve immediately. Asparagus & Crabmeat Soup 4 cups chicken broth
Combine the broth, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce, the sugar, and salt in a 3 quart soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet. Add the shallots and garlic and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the crab meat, the remaining 2 teaspoons fish sauce and black pepper to taste. Stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute. Set aside. Bring the soup to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir gently until the soup thickens and is clear. While the soup is actively boiling, add the egg and stir gently. Continue to stir for about 1 minute. Add the crab meat mixture and asparagus with its canning liquid; cook gently until heated through. Transfer the soup to a heated serving bowl. Sprinkle with the coriander, scallion, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot. Bosnian Lamb Soup 2 pounds lamb, cut into 1 inch pieces
In a soup pot, brown the lamb and onion in the butter. Add the garlic and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 1 hour. Bring to a boil again. While stirring, slowly add eggs in a thin stream, then stir in lemon juice. Reduce heat to simmer again and add spinach, paprika, salt and rice. Cover and simmer another 1/2 hour. Ten minutes before serving, mix the dill into yogurt and add to soup. Stir well. HUMOR Thanks to David from airmail.net for this one. Texas Girls... Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their new wives duties.... The first man had married a woman from Alabama, and bragged that he had told his wife she was going to do all the dishes and house cleaning that needed done at their house. He said that it took a couple of days but on the third day he came home to a clean house and the dishes were all washed and put away. The second man had married a woman from Florida. He bragged that he had given his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes, and the cooking. He told them that the first day he didn't see any results, but the next day it was better. By the third day, his house was clean, the dishes were done, and he had a huge dinner on the table. The third man had married a TEXAS GIRL. He boasted that he told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said on the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything, but by the third day most of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye. Enough to fix himself a bite to eat, load the dishwasher, and telephone a landscaper. Gotta love those TEXAS GIRLS!!!!!!! A Fairy Tale For The 21st Century Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat, contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle. The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. "One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in your castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so. That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on a repast of lightly sautéed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she held up one of the now bare bones, chuckled, and mumbled, "I don't #$&(*%&$* think so." LINKS Next issue, we'd like to include a list of the sites our readers use to help them save money. If you have one or more favorite web sites that concentrate on helping you save your hard-earned dollars, how about sharing them with your fellow Newsletter readers. Please send your favorite sites to webmaster@backwoodshome.com Subject = NL Link And please include the name of the web site as well as the web address. Thanks BONUS ARTICLE A Swinging Idea
When my son, Brandon, was 10 years old he could often be found rummaging through an old wood pile searching diligently for scrap pieces of wood to use for building birdhouses. Today, three years later, Brandon has broadened his wood building horizons, assembling lawn furniture, still using only a hand saw and free wood. One day, he decided to surprise me with something special that I could enjoy, instead of the usual birdhouse, so he put on his favorite thinking cap, a big brimmed hat similar to what Huck Finn wore—holes and all—and thought of several great wood creations. But most of his ideas cost too much money, or he didn’t have all the materials handy. One thing was for sure. He decided he would build me something out of all the free wood that he and his dad got from the wood recycling center in their community.
Later that day, when we went shopping, I happened to mention how much I liked the lawn gliders displayed outside the store. I even sat in one and said how nice the swing would look, hanging from the huge maple tree in the front yard. Brandon’s light bulb went off and he knew exactly what he would surprise me with. He made a list of all the tools and materials that he would need, and was now ready to build me my lawn-glider. Tools: hand saw
How he did it: Step 1: First, Brandon did all the necessary cutting of the 2x4’s with the hand saw. (Cuts of 2x4’s listed above.) Step 2: Next, he took 2 of the 16 inch 2x4’s and placed them on edge 4 feet apart. Step 3: Then he took 4 of the 48-inch 2x4’s and placed them across the 2 16-inch 2x4’s, making sure the 2x4’s were straight and aligned before face nailing each one on. When finished with Step 3, Brandon’s result looked like a small platform, but was actually the seat to his swing. Step 4: Next, he took one of the 48-inch 2x4’s and face nailed it in across the front edge of the seat as an edge stripping. Step 5: He then face nailed the 2 18-inch 2x4’s onto each end of the 4 48-inch 2x4’s forming a backrest. Step 6: He next face nailed the backrest 2x18’s onto the seat allowing a slight recline in the backrest for comfort.
Step 7: Next, he took 2 of the 16-inch 2x4’s and face nailed one on each side onto the side of the seat at the front of the swing allowing 4-5 inches of overhang below the seat. This was the front support for the glider’s armrests. Step 8: Then, he took the last 2 16-inch 2x4’s and nailed each one from the inside of the slanted 18-inch 2x4 of the backrest to the front support in the previous step. A face nail may be added through the backrest to help secure this cross brace. Step 9: With the 2 notched 18-inch 2x4’s, he face nailed them to the cross brace of the previous step, forming armrests for his mom’s elbows. Step 10: Finally, moving into the final steps of the swing, he asked me for some sandpaper, and he sanded down all the wood nice and smooth for staining or painting. Step 11: Then, Brandon stained the swing brick red using a leftover weather resistant variety for battling the outdoor elements. (Gloves are recommended.) Step 12: Lastly, he asked his dad to take him to the hardware store for 6 medium eye-hooks, 15 feet of galvanized chain, and 8 modular pieces strong enough to hold two people. For both the eye-hooks and the chain pieces it only cost him ten to twelve dollars. And because the wood was free, that was the whole cost of Brandon’s lawn glider project. The modular pieces connect the chain segments together and to the eye-hooks, two in the ceiling and four in the seat as shown in the illustration. Early the next morning, Brandon and his dad hung the lawn glider from the front porch. When I got up, Brandon blind folded me and guided me to my special gift. I was so happy to see my swing and so proud of what my son built all on his own, I couldn’t stop thanking him and praising him. As for Brandon, seeing me with such pleasure made him feel so pleased with his accomplishment that he couldn’t stop grinning. Later that evening when no one was looking, he carved his initials inside the shape of a heart in the back of his mom’s new lawn glider. Obtaining free wood 1. Wood recycling centers: Most cities have a wood recycling center where members take wood they are not using or don’t need. Check the phone book for a wood recycling center near you. 2. Subdivisions: Housing projects still in the construction stage have lots of different kinds of wood. Ask the foreman. He will be happy to give you any wood that he and the crew don’t need. The wood that is left over is probably taken to the wood recycling center anyhow. 3. Parts factories: Factories like BMW use four 2x4’s in each box before shipping to help brace the weight of the parts in the box. This is where Brandon got his 2x4’s. 4. Furniture manufacturing outlets: If it is wood they don’t need and are not using, it will more than likely end up at the burn pile. You can save them the trip! It might take a little bit of calling around, but it is well worth the effort. Have fun building your lawn glider at practically no cost.
OTHER STUFF Did a friend or relative tell you about this newsletter? The Backwoods Home Magazine newsletter is free and all you need is an email address so we can let you know when each issue is published and where it can be found. Even better, we sometimes have special offers and discounts that are available only to BHM Newsletter subscribers. Your email address will never be sold, rented, loaned, given, or otherwise provided to any third party. Just visit the BHM web site at www.backwoodshome.com and click on "Newsletter" in the navigation menu on the left side of any web page. Contact Info: Editor/Letters - Dave Duffy, editor@backwoodshome.com Advertising Manager - Evelyn Leach, evelyn@backwoodshome.com
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