HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS!
All children’s activities are free! Haunted tours of Historic Downtown will start at Heritage Square and will leave every ½ hour from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GHOULS AND GOBLINS!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS!
All children’s activities are free! Haunted tours of Historic Downtown will start at Heritage Square and will leave every ½ hour from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Do I need to drain my water heater?
Do I need to drain my water heater?
Yes, it is important to drain you water heater once every year. If you are a homeowner, it is one more chore that you have to do, but it will make your water heater last a lot longer. This is because draining your water heater cleans out the sediment that collects in the bottom of the tank and also makes your water heater run more efficiently. All water heater manufacturers recommend that you flush the sediment from your water heater at least once a year. This should usually be done by a local plumber, and the cost of the visit pays off in the long run. As well, this is not a job you want to do on your own. There is not only a chance of scalding, but there is also a big mess to clean up if you don't run the hoses right.
Many homeowners don't understand what sediment is. Sediment is actually sand or grit that has gotten into the local water supply system. This is especially a concern around the Flagstaff Area. The water pipes in the area can be extremely old, depending on where you live. Some pipes that transport water date back to the 1940's and simply have never been replaced. This means that sediment from these pipes come into your home every time that you use water.
How often that you need to drain your water heater also depends on where you live. The quality of your water may have much more of an impact on your water heater than you might think. Besides having old pipes in your neighborhood, if you have water with a high mineral content, then you may have to flush the sediment from your water heater more often than other homeowners. Call us and we can tell you the amount of minerals that you may have in your water and how often you should drain your water heater to make it last much longer than what the manufacturer guarantees that it will last.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Halloween, A breif history...
Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows’ Evening also known as Hallowe'en or All Hallows' Eve.
Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as of Australia and New Zealand.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win").
The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.
The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.
Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.
Trick-or-treating, is an activity for children on or around Halloween in which they proceed from house to house in costumes, asking for treats such as confectionery with the question, "Trick or treat?" The "trick" part of "trick or treat" is a threat to play a trick on the homeowner or his property if no treat is given. Trick-or-treating is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become socially expected that if one lives in a neighborhood with children one should purchase treats in preparation for trick-or-treaters.
The history of Halloween has evolved. The activity is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to increased American cultural influence in recent years, imported through exposure to US television and other media, trick-or-treating has started to occur among children in many parts of Europe, and in the Saudi Aramco camps of Dhahran, Akaria compounds and Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The most significant growth and resistance is in the United Kingdom, where the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to carry out the "trick" element. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven importation of Halloween is seen with more skepticism, numerous destructive or illegal "tricks" and police warnings have further raised suspicion about this game and Halloween in general.
In Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, the night designated for Trick-or-treating is often referred to as Beggars Night.
Part of the history of Halloween is Halloween costumes. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of "souling," when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas."
Yet there is no evidence that souling was ever practiced in America, and trick-or-treating may have developed in America independent of any Irish or British antecedent. There is little primary Halloween history documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween  in Ireland, the UK, or America  before 1900. The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising (see below) on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. Another isolated reference appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920. The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but do not depict trick-or-treating. Ruth Edna Kelley, in her 1919 history of the holiday, The Book of Hallowe'en, makes no mention of such a custom in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America." It does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the earliest known uses in print of the term "trick or treat" appearing in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939. Thus, although a quarter million Scots-Irish immigrated to America between 1717 and 1770, the Irish Potato Famine brought almost a million immigrants in 1845–1849, and British and Irish immigration to America peaked in the 1880s, ritualized begging on Halloween was virtually unknown in America until generations later.
Trick-or-treating on the prairie. Although some popular histories of Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to re-channel Halloween activities away from vandalism, nothing in the historical record supports this theory. To the contrary, adults, as reported in newspapers from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion, with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger. Likewise, as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around. ...
Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as of Australia and New Zealand.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win").
The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.
The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.
Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.
Trick-or-treating, is an activity for children on or around Halloween in which they proceed from house to house in costumes, asking for treats such as confectionery with the question, "Trick or treat?" The "trick" part of "trick or treat" is a threat to play a trick on the homeowner or his property if no treat is given. Trick-or-treating is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become socially expected that if one lives in a neighborhood with children one should purchase treats in preparation for trick-or-treaters.
The history of Halloween has evolved. The activity is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to increased American cultural influence in recent years, imported through exposure to US television and other media, trick-or-treating has started to occur among children in many parts of Europe, and in the Saudi Aramco camps of Dhahran, Akaria compounds and Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The most significant growth and resistance is in the United Kingdom, where the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to carry out the "trick" element. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven importation of Halloween is seen with more skepticism, numerous destructive or illegal "tricks" and police warnings have further raised suspicion about this game and Halloween in general.
In Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, the night designated for Trick-or-treating is often referred to as Beggars Night.
Part of the history of Halloween is Halloween costumes. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of "souling," when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas."
Yet there is no evidence that souling was ever practiced in America, and trick-or-treating may have developed in America independent of any Irish or British antecedent. There is little primary Halloween history documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween  in Ireland, the UK, or America  before 1900. The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising (see below) on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. Another isolated reference appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920. The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but do not depict trick-or-treating. Ruth Edna Kelley, in her 1919 history of the holiday, The Book of Hallowe'en, makes no mention of such a custom in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America." It does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the earliest known uses in print of the term "trick or treat" appearing in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939. Thus, although a quarter million Scots-Irish immigrated to America between 1717 and 1770, the Irish Potato Famine brought almost a million immigrants in 1845–1849, and British and Irish immigration to America peaked in the 1880s, ritualized begging on Halloween was virtually unknown in America until generations later.
| Trick-or-treating spread from the western United States eastward, stalled by sugar rationing that began in April 1942 during World War II and did not end until June 1947. Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children's magazines Jack and Jill and Children's Activities, and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs The Baby Snooks Show in 1946 and The Jack Benny Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1948. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat, Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show, and UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating. |  |
Trick-or-treating on the prairie. Although some popular histories of Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to re-channel Halloween activities away from vandalism, nothing in the historical record supports this theory. To the contrary, adults, as reported in newspapers from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion, with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger. Likewise, as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around. ...
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Good general plumbing know how
Leave the big stuff for us If you think you can cover these bases-
Residential Plumbing Tip 1: Locate the Main Water Shut-off Valve
You must know where the control of the main source of water is located so ...
Residential Plumbing Tip 1: Locate the Main Water Shut-off Valve
You must know where the control of the main source of water is located so ...
that when a residential plumbing crisis crops up, you can switch off the main source to prevent more unwelcome water to invade your home. All to often we get emergency service calls because they do not know where the shutoff is located. The main shut-off is often situated at the curb, where commonly an access point is provided at the sidewalk.
Residential Plumbing Tip 2: Never Flush Anything into Your Toilet, Except for Toilet Paper
Remind household members to refrain from flushing paper towels, sanitary napkins and other types of paper that are denser than toilet paper as they can obstruct the sewer pipe that can cause the toilet to malfunction.
Residential Plumbing Tip 3: What to Do With Slow-Draining Sinks?
If you notice that your sink unusually takes time to drain, you may need to clear the pipes from sludge build-up. If your home is quite old already and the drain does not positively respond to various chemicals and plunging, then this us your cue to snake the pipes. Snaking is the method of cleaning the pipes which is performed from the roof through the duct pipes. To do this, you will need to rent a snake unit from a local equipment rental company. You must be aware that this process would require some muscle to push down the snake into the vents. The drain clean outs, which are located at ground level, also need to be “snaked out”. If you are not up to this challenge, we are always ready to help you!
Residential Plumbing Tip 4: What to Do With Sink Faucets and Shower Heads That Give Out Low Volume of Water?
This could be caused by the accumulation of calcium, otherwise known as lime-scale which is a by-product of hard water, and by the accumulation of gravel in the faucet head screen. To address calcium build-up, detach the faucet and clean it with vinegar to dissolve the lime scale. To rid of the collection of gravel, you have to clean the screen. Detach the head by rotating at the point of water flow. Keep in mind how you disassemble it so that you can put it exactly together again as it was before. Especially if this is your first time, take a picture of it using your cellphone camera to help you remember how it looks like when assembled. Once it has been disassembled, clean the inside screen from gravel and calcium so that water can freely flow again. Then reassemble. You can also do the same process for shower heads that give off limited water, which may be caused by lime-scale buildup. Clean every three to four months.
Residential Plumbing Tip 2: Never Flush Anything into Your Toilet, Except for Toilet Paper
Remind household members to refrain from flushing paper towels, sanitary napkins and other types of paper that are denser than toilet paper as they can obstruct the sewer pipe that can cause the toilet to malfunction.
Residential Plumbing Tip 3: What to Do With Slow-Draining Sinks?
If you notice that your sink unusually takes time to drain, you may need to clear the pipes from sludge build-up. If your home is quite old already and the drain does not positively respond to various chemicals and plunging, then this us your cue to snake the pipes. Snaking is the method of cleaning the pipes which is performed from the roof through the duct pipes. To do this, you will need to rent a snake unit from a local equipment rental company. You must be aware that this process would require some muscle to push down the snake into the vents. The drain clean outs, which are located at ground level, also need to be “snaked out”. If you are not up to this challenge, we are always ready to help you!
Residential Plumbing Tip 4: What to Do With Sink Faucets and Shower Heads That Give Out Low Volume of Water?
This could be caused by the accumulation of calcium, otherwise known as lime-scale which is a by-product of hard water, and by the accumulation of gravel in the faucet head screen. To address calcium build-up, detach the faucet and clean it with vinegar to dissolve the lime scale. To rid of the collection of gravel, you have to clean the screen. Detach the head by rotating at the point of water flow. Keep in mind how you disassemble it so that you can put it exactly together again as it was before. Especially if this is your first time, take a picture of it using your cellphone camera to help you remember how it looks like when assembled. Once it has been disassembled, clean the inside screen from gravel and calcium so that water can freely flow again. Then reassemble. You can also do the same process for shower heads that give off limited water, which may be caused by lime-scale buildup. Clean every three to four months.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Bright Ideas for Winter Blues
It is official Flagstaff-ians..It snowed this morning! Not alot- no, but it DID! ..as you know, we have more to come!
Are you Ready??
It got me thinking about all the fun that comes with snow. Sleding, snow ball fights, making a snow-man with the kiddos.. But then I thought- Hmm. I know some folks who get aalittle "blah" during the grey sky, cold night season.. I conjured up some pretty interesting tips on how to fight that dreaded state, and when all else fails, put on your snow suit and re-live those childhood experiences! Your neighbors may think your strange but they may love you for it too! (Think snow angels people! )
Here are some great tips to give you cheer during the cold season ahead.
1. Wear colorful clothing!
2. Paint your home or office.
Give your home or workplace an inspiring, lively ambiance with a new coat of bright paint. Vibrant colors such as yellows or oranges will fill a room with excitement and warmth, while dark colors like grays or browns create a boring, monotonous feeling. Give your home or workplace an inspiring, lively ambiance with a new coat of bright paint. Vibrant colors such as yellows or oranges will fill a room with excitement and warmth, while dark colors like grays or browns create a boring, monotonous feeling. Yellows and oranges promote joy and laughter and also aid in improving focus. The more surrounded you are with rich colors, the happier you are! Pastel colors, such as lavender and pinks, can help you manage stress because these soft, soothing colors foster calm feelings
3.Accesorize with bright hues.
Maybe painting is out of the question at this time. That is okay! Pick up a bright throw pillow or blanket, or how about a fun area rug. Fun bouquets of bright sunflowers and tulips can do alot to liven up your space too!
4. Bright Food!
Yum..During these winter months, we often resort to comfort foods, such as mashed potatoes, heavy soups and pastas, which are brown and tan-colored, and not as uplifting as the colorful, fresh foods we eat in the summer months. Stick with the rich-colored foods in the winter so you feel more joyful and fill your plate with more nutrient-dense foods.
Are you Ready??
It got me thinking about all the fun that comes with snow. Sleding, snow ball fights, making a snow-man with the kiddos.. But then I thought- Hmm. I know some folks who get aalittle "blah" during the grey sky, cold night season.. I conjured up some pretty interesting tips on how to fight that dreaded state, and when all else fails, put on your snow suit and re-live those childhood experiences! Your neighbors may think your strange but they may love you for it too! (Think snow angels people! )
Here are some great tips to give you cheer during the cold season ahead.
1. Wear colorful clothing!
Think about it: Don't you feel more cheery when you wear that yellow sweater than when you put on that gray sweatshirt? Clothing that's bright will instantly put you in a cheerful mood and even make others around you feel merry as they visually absorb your brightness. That means you help cheer up others, too.
2. Paint your home or office.
Give your home or workplace an inspiring, lively ambiance with a new coat of bright paint. Vibrant colors such as yellows or oranges will fill a room with excitement and warmth, while dark colors like grays or browns create a boring, monotonous feeling. Give your home or workplace an inspiring, lively ambiance with a new coat of bright paint. Vibrant colors such as yellows or oranges will fill a room with excitement and warmth, while dark colors like grays or browns create a boring, monotonous feeling. Yellows and oranges promote joy and laughter and also aid in improving focus. The more surrounded you are with rich colors, the happier you are! Pastel colors, such as lavender and pinks, can help you manage stress because these soft, soothing colors foster calm feelings
3.Accesorize with bright hues.
Maybe painting is out of the question at this time. That is okay! Pick up a bright throw pillow or blanket, or how about a fun area rug. Fun bouquets of bright sunflowers and tulips can do alot to liven up your space too!
Yum..During these winter months, we often resort to comfort foods, such as mashed potatoes, heavy soups and pastas, which are brown and tan-colored, and not as uplifting as the colorful, fresh foods we eat in the summer months. Stick with the rich-colored foods in the winter so you feel more joyful and fill your plate with more nutrient-dense foods.
Hope you find this informative!! In the least now you have an excuse to reward yourself (and your spirit) with a new coat or a snazzy new comforter for your bedroom!Why not!
“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”
-Albert Camus
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
AUTUMN CRAFT PROJECT
FALLEN LEAVES CRAFT PROJECT:
What you will need:
*A variety of bright leaves
*A clear glass of your choice, you can use an a votive holder.
*Modge Podge
Collect all the prettiest and smoothest leaves you can. Press them flat in a heavy book for a few hours in the sun (or iron between a a layer of wax paper. Get your Modge Podge and Glass vase (or mason jar) and adhere the leaves. I think finishing of with a twine bow around the glass would be a nice touch too! Give it a try this weeknd with the kiddos. :) I think it would make a beautiful centerpiece..Has anyone ever done anything crafty like this with leaves? If so- share your awesome ideas!
What you will need:
*A variety of bright leaves
*A clear glass of your choice, you can use an a votive holder.
*Modge Podge
*Brush to smooth the modge and the podge
*a ribbon or twine
*candle
*a ribbon or twine
*candle
Collect all the prettiest and smoothest leaves you can. Press them flat in a heavy book for a few hours in the sun (or iron between a a layer of wax paper. Get your Modge Podge and Glass vase (or mason jar) and adhere the leaves. I think finishing of with a twine bow around the glass would be a nice touch too! Give it a try this weeknd with the kiddos. :) I think it would make a beautiful centerpiece..Has anyone ever done anything crafty like this with leaves? If so- share your awesome ideas!
Make the most of the season and HAVE FUN!!!!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
A warm bowl of chili:perfect for a cool autumn evening.
http://www.food.com/recipe/white-chicken-chili-54230
I plan on mixing it up tonight and giving this one a shot.. I will let you know how it was! : )
Friday, October 5, 2012
LOVE THY MODERN PLUMBING...
Just look at this vintage ad for a home..... I don't know about you, but I am a bit humbled!
Here is a Timeline of Toilets.. Boy have we certainly come a long way..
•King Minos of Crete had the first flushing water closet recorded in history and that was over 2800 years ago.
•A toilet was discovered in the tomb of a Chinese king of the Western Han Dynasty that dates back to 206 BC to 24 AD.
•The ancient Romans had a system of sewers. They built simple outhouses or latrines directly over the running waters of the sewers that poured into the Tiber River
•King Minos of Crete had the first flushing water closet recorded in history and that was over 2800 years ago.
•A toilet was discovered in the tomb of a Chinese king of the Western Han Dynasty that dates back to 206 BC to 24 AD.
•The ancient Romans had a system of sewers. They built simple outhouses or latrines directly over the running waters of the sewers that poured into the Tiber River
EVER WONDER WHAT A CHAMBER POT LOOKED LIKE?... HERE YA GO!:
•Chamber pots were used during the middle ages. A chamber pot is a special metal or ceramic bowl that you used and then tossed the contents out (often out the window).... like this:
•In 1596, a flush toilet was invented and built for Queen Elizabeth I by her Godson, Sir John Harrington.
•The first patent for the flushing toilet was issued to Alexander Cummings in 1775.
•During the 1800s, people realized that poor sanitary conditions caused diseases. Having toilets and sewer systems that could control human waste became a priority to lawmakers, medical experts, inventors, and the general public.
•In 1829, the Tremont Hotel of Boston became the first hotel to have indoor plumbing, and had eight water closets built by Isaiah Rogers. Until 1840, indoor plumbing could be found only in the homes of the rich and the better hotels.
•Beginning in 1910, toilet designs started changing away from the elevated water tank into the modern toilet with a close tank
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
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