Sunday Funday: Lake Champlain Cruise!

It's fun to be a tourist in my own city! A couple weeks ago, my parents and sister came to visit Burlington. My sister lives in Colorado, so she usually only comes east once a year. We packed all kinds of things into her time here, including a family cruise on Lake Champlain!


The cruise included a lunch buffet, and was just the right length at an hour and a half. We cruised south from the downtown ferry dock, went around Shelburne Bay and looped back up north around the breakwater before returning.

Look at our beautiful city!

It was so much fun trying to identify buildings and streets from this new angle. Turns out I'm not very good at it! The foliage was at its peak, and the views were wonderful. We were afraid it might be cold, but the sun was bright and warm on the upper deck of the cruise ship. Plus there was plenty of Green Mountain coffee to keep us warm!

Sunday Funday inspired by the blog Simply Everything Beautiful

In the Kitchen: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

As I've pointed out before, I'm no daredevil in the kitchen. Normally I stick with tried-and-true favorites, but I was rewarded for my efforts this weekend when I took a crack at roasted sweet potatoes! Not a quick dish, but SO yummy and seasonally appropriate that it was totally worth the time spent.

The taste and texture were perfect the first night! Tender and sweet inside with a slightly crispy and caramelized exterior. Reheated the next day they still tasted great, but unfortunately the texture was lost. Next time I'll probably leave them in a little longer in the 2nd and 3rd stage to get crispier edges.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
-4-6 sweet potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cut into 3/4"-thick rounds
-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
-1 tsp salt

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl until potatoes are evenly coated. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet covered in tin foil. (The recipe suggests coating the tin foil with cooking spray first, but I didn't and they came off pretty okay.) Cover tightly with tin foil. Place in cold oven, turn it to 425 degrees and cook for 30 min.

Remove from oven and carefully remove top layer of foil. Return to oven and cook until bottom edges of potatoes are golden brown, 15-25 min.

Take em out again, flip em over, back in for 20 min more, until desired color is achieved. Enjoy!

Heat Wave

There's no denying it, it's HOT! My normally cool-as-a-cucumber Burlington set a new record high of 95 degrees for today's date. Roger has taken to napping on ice packs, and he refused to leave the house all afternoon. Y'know what this heat wave is making me dream about?

HUTSGIVING.

Just think of whooshing over all that icy Colorado snow as we ski out to the Section House, Thanksgiving dinner and birthday treats safely tucked in our packs, all smiles and chilly, rosy cheeks.

Only four months to go :)

beCAUSE Craft Show

Guess where I'll be next weekend!!

All this weekend I'm busily making more crayon roll-ups, putting the finishing touches on a few knobs, and trying to decide how best to display everything. I really hope I'll see a lot of you at the craft show next Saturday! I will be donating 75% of my profits from the day to Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sport!

This calls for a celebration!!

October has become a pretty significant month for me. This year is the 3rd anniversary of my move to Burlington. It's also 6 months out from my ACL surgery! But most important, this past Friday, Oct 16, was Roger's 3rd birthday!! We celebrated the day with extra walks, belly rubs, and cookies.

But the real celebration was on Saturday night: we had a party, complete with good friends and delicious PUPCAKES!!

We got the recipe from our good friend Shawnee's blog.

DELICIOUS DOGGY PUPCAKES

• 1 large apple, minced
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated cheese

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz. low fat cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees; grease muffin tins.
In a large bowl, mix flour, oatmeal, baking powder and baking soda together.
In a medium bowl, blend the yogurt, water, oil, honey and eggs.
Stir in apple and cheese.
Add to the flour mixture and stir until mixed.
Spoon into muffin tins, filling each cup about three quarters full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

For the frosting, combine cream cheese (at room temperature), honey and yogurt until smooth. Spread on cooled pupcakes.

I tried to get a picture of him eating one, but he was too fast - this gray blur is all I was able to capture!! I'm not ashamed to admit I tried one myself - a little plain, but with the frosting, they're really good!!

Our Hike With Shawnee!

Today Roger & I went to southern Vermont to hike with @ShawneeShep and her mom Daniela. It was the perfect autumn day for a hike!

We met up at the Winhall Brook Campground in South Londonderry, VT, then all piled into my car and drove to the Jamaica State Park. We hiked the 12+ miles back up to the campground, with trail detours for an overlook and a waterfall! Along the way, our four-legged amigos found plenty of mud to play in, and water to splash around in.

Here are our beautiful happy pups at an overlook, enjoying the view and a quick cookie.

For most of the hike, the trail ran along next to a river, and there were several spots where they got to jump in! (Which also meant plenty of clean running water - real athletes know the importance of staying hydrated!) There was even a waterfall with great wading pools at the bottom. Here's Roger, doing his classic "fuzzy log" impression.
If snapping a photo of one moving dog is tough, imagine trying to get two! Let's just call this one an action shot.
Closer to the end of the hike was another smaller waterfall and pool, and the pups got another well-earned swim!
Shawnee & Daniela are very impressive hikers, Shawnee kept up her steady pace the whole day. Roger, on the other hand, was completely worn out before 10 miles, and spent the last 2 only a few feet in front of me.
Both dogs were more than willing to sack out in Daniela's back seat on the way back to my car!
Check out more great pictures from our day in Shawnee's blog, too! Shawnee & Daniela, thank you so much for making the trip up to Vermont, we had a wonderful day with you!

HSCC's Walk for the Animals

Last Sunday, Roger and I participated in the 15th annual Walk for the Animals! It's the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Humane Society of Chittenden County, which is the shelter where Roger and I found each other.

The weather was perfect! Sunny and 60's in Battery Park. We arrived at about 10:15am to find the park already packed with dogs and their people checking out the booths of sponsoring vendors. We found the registration tables and took our place in line. That might have been the toughest part of the day - waiting our turn near so many other dogs, but not being able to play! At last it was our turn. Since we raised over $100, I received a t-shirt and a ticket for a free lunch!

With registration successfully completed, Roger and I headed over to one of the several tents set up around the park for shade. I didn't wear nearly enough sun block, and silly Roger was wearing fur! There were also sponsored water bowls scattered about - not that Roger would drink from a communal bowl, but it was a great idea.

A few minutes after 11am, the crowds formed a line on the path and started the march down to the waterfront and back. Roger refused to start walking until Erin was with us. Erin has been at the shelter since I started as a volunteer, first as canine coordinator and now shelter supervisor. Roger has always loved her - she's one of the few people for whom he willingly leaves my side. Throughout the walk he insisted on being near her! I hope she found it cute and not obnoxious...

On the way back up the hill, there was a deep fountain, and several of the big dogs took the opportunity to take a quick dip to cool off. At first Roger was hesitant, since the water was too deep to step into one foot at a time, but with some gentle nudges from Erin and me, he finally landed in with a splash and a smile.

After that, at last it was time for food! Upon re-entering Battery Park, volunteers were handing out big huge dog cookies on strings (I think they were from PupCat Bakery). We got in line and received our free lunch. I got a veggie burger with cheese, the former of which I shared with the Little Sir.

We took some time to wander around to the different vendors' tents. There was of course Pet Food Warehouse, which is just about Roger's favorite place in the world. We spoke with a woman from Pet Naturals of Vermont, and got a free sample pouch of their Daily Best soft chew vitamin supplements, which Roger absolutely loves.

Of course no event in Vermont would be complete without Ben & Jerry's! There were volunteers dishing it out, and Roger even got his own cup!

It's good to be a dog in Vermont :-)


Roger and I raised $227, and we couldn't have done it without the help of our wonderful Twitter anipals and friends! @SidTheCatahoula, @ruthiegelber, @jessiea, @SylvieDog, @MugsyDog, @coldnosephoto, @actionjackson95, as well as our non-Twitter donors, Amanda, Lesa, Jenny & Reuben, Erin Ryan & Mason, Jess Shane & Haiden, and my parents. THANK YOU so much for your donations and support!

Overall, the event raised over $52,000! HSCC is such a wonderful shelter, run by an amazing group of people. We were so happy to be a part of this event. If you didn't get a chance to donate before the event but would still like to support the HSCC, our fundraising page is still open!

BraveDog and the Three Daycares

Throughout our first year together, I've striven to provide Roger with the best care possible. At times, that means long morning runs, lunch hour walks, and evening trips to the dog park. At other times, that has meant bringing him to doggie daycare. Currently we are on our third daycare, and I'd like to share our trials. This story is a very Goldilocksian experience.

The first one was affordable, but dirty and unloving. The second was lovely and clean, but too spendy and far away for everyday use. The third one is airy and bright, and they quickly knew Roger by name. Juuust right!

I used to work two blocks from home, so I was able to come home at lunch to take Roger for a walk. I never thought I would need a doggie daycare. However, then our downstairs neighbor complained about Roger's separation crying in the mornings when I left for work. And so the search began.

Gulliver's Doggie Daycare The first one was affordable, but dirty and unloving.
I chose Gulliver's because it was the most affordable at $15/day. I tried to get a tour, but was denied. They scoffed at my statement that Roger has a crate aversion. At pick-up time, the staff assured me he had a great day, with no further details. Even though my gut told me it was not a wonderful place, I rationalized that Roger was an easy-going dog, and maybe he didn't care if the staff was gruff and abrasive. The third morning I brought him, Roger resisted getting out of the car. Normally an enthusiastic participant, I took his reluctance very seriously. I did leave him there for the day, but drove away with tears in my eyes promising it was the last time ever.

The Crate Escape The second was lovely and clean but too spendy and far away for everyday use.
In the winter I work as a ski instructor on the weekends at a mountain several towns away. That means early departure, uncertain return time, and clearly no lunch hour walk. The Crate Escape is basically at the base of the mountain, and has a wonderful reputation in the area. Although not thrilled with being left behind, once I was out of sight Roger settled in and played hard all day. I bought a ten-day punch card that worked out to $19/day. That was a great reintroduction to daycare because there were fewer dogs on Saturdays, so he was able to have interaction with the staff, and chill at the front desk when overwhelmed. I blew out my knee at the end of February, thus ending my mountain job for the season, and his weekly daycare.

A couple months ago, I had knee surgery. Since then, Roger has taken his guard dog duties very seriously, including keeping guests off the couch and away from me. He also refused to go on regular walks with other people - apparently he has a strong aversion to being stolen. I tried taking him to the dog park, but he was too busy protecting me from the other dogs to play. I realized Roger needed a break from being my BraveDog, somewhere he could just play and run and tire himself out, without keeping an eye on me.

Play Dog Play The third one is airy and bright, and they quickly knew Roger by name. Juuust right!
I decided to check out the new kid in town, Play Dog Play. I was immediately impressed with their bright clean lobby and observation window overlooking the playroom. We did a half-day as a trial, most of which I spent watching him from home on the web cams. When I picked him up, the staff was able to give a full report on how he spent his afternoon, and was truthful in telling me he cried and moped a bit in the beginning before joining in the play. I purchased a 10 half-day punch card, coming to $14.40/day.

Roger has attended two more afternoons since then, and seems to really like it! With only the slightest pause, he trots into the playroom leaving me grinning proudly in the lobby. I watch him on the web cams, and see him happily jogging around with a pack of equally happy dogs and an ever-present chaperon. Staff members easily recognized him at the HSCC Walk on Sunday, and he was happy to greet them.

Since Play Dog Play is still relatively new in town, they have not yet reached capacity. That means currently no reservations are needed for daycare, but they seem to be growing quickly. And given the high caliber of care, I'm sure they'll be full soon. Go NOW and do your entrance interview, Burlington dogs!!
From the Play Dog Play photo gallery - my boy is SO handsome.

***UPDATE: Roger now attends at least one full day a week, and loves it as much as ever.  As predicted, PDP is almost always at capacity, so advance reservations are a must!  We have a standing reservation for our day, and there is no cancellation fee, unlike other daycares in the area. 

Just a little post...

to keep you all posted.

After losing my job at the end of January, I was spending 3-4 days a week teaching at Bolton Valley. I continued skiing with the office team I put together for the corporate race league every Thursday night, and had a great time doing so. Um, until that last one...

Sports fans, I blew out my ACL.

It was my second run of the night, I was on my new skis. The whole team had been putting up great times, and we were all in a rowdy mood. Racing against VTKiwi, I slipped out of a gate and over-corrected...then over-corrected again, and before I knew it, I blew out of the course. As I was falling, I could feel the twist, and knew it wasn't going to be pretty. I got my first-ever ride in the ski patrol sled, after which we decided it was actually only a sprain. Hooray!! I took my baggie of snow (icepack) and happily walked to the bar with my team.

The next morning, I could barely move it or put weight on it. Not cool. Went to my doctor, they got me right in for an MRI at FAHC. That afternoon I had the results: ruptured ACL, bone bruise, and pulled LCL. I met with the surgeon the following Monday morning, and he basically told me if I ever want to be a skier again, I have to get the surgery.

So that's that. I have a month of PT, which I affectionately refer to as my 'Jane Fondas.' After that I'm meeting with the surgeon again to schedule the surgery.

Roger was SO patient with me when I was still in a brace and on crutches. He quickly figured out that we now take stairs one at a time instead of all in a mad dash. One morning on a walk, he saw a squirrel, tensed up to chase it, but then looked back at me, and kept walking. Seriously, he's smarter and more compassionate than some people I know.

So now, 11 days later, I'm doing great - I'm mobile, working on regaining full range of motion. It's my left leg, so I can still drive, and I'm off the crutches. Once I have the surgery though, I'm going to take you all up on the offers to walk Roger or pick up groceries!!

BraveDog the Adventurer

Roger helped write today's post.
We went on a big adventure today!! We went really far down the bike path, it was practically uncharted territory. I even walked out on the frozen lake, which is just crazy. Lou says I'm very brave, and I agree. There were trains, and people, and ice, and other dogs, and sand! Like I said, it was a BIG adventure.

After that, we went to CDSW and dropped off the compost (which smelled AMAZING), and then we went to Pet Food Warehouse! We got a new bag of food, and Buddy Biscuits, and I got all kinds of treats from the people with the blue aprons, just for sitting and offering my paw! OMD, I love that place.

Since then we've just been snuggling at home. Lou baked a batch of my favorite peanut butter cookies, and I started my new food at dinner time. I love weekends - and it's still only Saturday!! Tomorrow we might see Cartoon Drum, and I'll get a raw meaty bone.

Did you know I tweet? Not quite like birds, but like Twitter. There are LOTS of other dogs on Twitter, and cats and horses too! You can follow me to read all about what I'm up to. But now, I think it's nap time.

GOTTA love race league!

So, it's true I've been dreadfully ill all week, but if there's one thing I'll rally for, it's race league! Despite the fact that it was raining here in town, we had been promised snow on the hill, so we piled into Kate's car, and headed over to Bolton.

It continued to rain the whole drive there, only switching to snow once we started climbing the 4.5mi access road. The higher we got, the more the snow had built up. By the time we hit the S-curve, it was pretty messy! We lost too much speed to make it up the steep, and ended up parking the car just below it in a pull-off, and thumbing a ride up the hill.

Now, I don't make a habit of hitchhiking in general, but on several occasions I've ditched my Focus and hopped into the back of a pickup to successfully commute up the Bolton access road to make it in time for work. In my experience, it doesn't take that long - usually after just a few minutes of walking with my thumb out, I'm rewarded with a ride. And the same is true on race night - even with three of us and our equipment!

Racing was about as fun as the drive - with just a little more pain. It wasn't cold, but the snow was...sharp? You couldn't face down the hill without it stinging your face, which made racing pretty tricky! There were no lines though, and everyone was riding the same ruts so I think we held our own pretty well.

After we all got our two runs in, we headed to the James Moore Tavern for a beer before heading home. Unfortunately, there was an accident at the base of the access road, so the plow couldn't get up, so none of us could get down! Oh no, we're all stuck at the bar!!

Luckily, there was still the race league raffle to keep us entertained! Would you believe the three members of our team who were NOT there were all drawn? I wouldn't make that up. Only one Disrupter, Michelle, managed to bank a prize, now we have some team wax! Oh, and there was that time we sent Sean up on accident...

Finally the access road was opened up, and the guys drove us down to Kate's car. As soon as they pulled away though, her car got lodged in the snowbank! Right about that time, the driver of the vehicle parked next to ours arrived, and easily pushed us out and on our way! Thanks to the rainy/snowy mix, it was a pretty long trip down the hill and back to Burly, bringing to an end another wonderful race night!

And now, nothing left to do but await the posting of the official results!

Today's Trifecta

Icy edge of Lake Champlain. Brave Little Sir Roger. We think it must be very tough to be a mermaid in Vermont.

Inspired by the blog Orange Pattern

2009: Things I'm Looking Forward To

It started as a numbered list, but these aren't really the type of thing one can easily rank.

• -The inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.
• -KSV's Corporate Race League team, The Disrupters!
  
• -Tulip season, expanding my vegetable and flower gardens
• -Warm weather run-arounding with Roger
• -Camping, hiking, cliff-jumping w/ Roger and the boys
• -Feminist meet-ups
  
• -Home improvement projects - painting and stenciling my bedroom!
  

Roommate Search 2.0

As you know, I found a roommate for November!

But, within the first week her dog had caused so much damage that she evicted herself before I had to.

So now I'm back on the hunt for a new housemate! The room will probably be available earlier than Dec 1, depending on how long the repairs take. I would greatly appreciate if you could all pass this on to anyone you know who might be looking for a place. Thanks!!

Here's the craigslist post to pass along:
http://burlington.craigslist.org/roo/910657546.html

Available Dec 1 - $625/month + security deposit

The Deal: Room to rent in my 2br condo, 12'9x10'. Off-street parking, dishwasher, laundry. Heat included. Two blocks from the waterfront, just a few blocks from the bottom of Church St. Room can be furnished or not.

Me: Mid 20s professional woman, no smoking/drugs, occasional drinker. Mellow 2yr old male dog (catahoula/lab mix). Clean but not a neat freak. Skier, craftster, feminist, environmentalist.

the room - the kitchen - the roger

Photo Shoot #1

The Little Sir and I had a photo shoot!

Clearly, we are a very glamorous pair.

Tis the voting season

This past week, I hosted the Burlington feminist meet-up group Women for Change. In keeping with the voting season and inspired by an email from That Girl, we watched Iron Jawed Angels. Everyone brought delicious food, and after the movie we talked for several hours about all kinds of things! The commercializing of girlhood, the packaging and sale of sexuality, polyamorous relationships, "post-feminism," the different extremes of women's liberation and how it's affected by or expressed through outward appearance, and the disintegrating state of women's rights in our country.

I'm so happy to be part of this developing community of women here in Burlington. Lately I've been missing the group bond I found in Ithaca College Feminists, the strong, smart, passionate women of the executive board, and the energy of the group as a whole.

The HBO-made historical drama about the fight for women's suffrage stars Hilary Swank, co-starring Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, and Anjelica Huston. I'm not any good at summarizing or reviewing movies, so I've pasted the synopsis from the HBO page:
IRON JAWED ANGELS recounts for a contemporary audience a key chapter in U.S. history: in this case, the struggle of suffragists who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. Focusing on the two defiant women, Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), the film shows how these activists broke from the mainstream women's-rights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to secure women's voting rights in 1920. Breathing life into the relationships between Paul, Burns and others, the movie makes the women feel like complete characters instead of one-dimensional figures from a distant past.

Although the protagonists have different personalities and backgrounds - Alice is a Quaker and Lucy an Irish Brooklynite - they are united in their fierce devotion to women's suffrage. In a country dominated by chauvinism, this is no easy fight, as the women and their volunteers clash with older, conservative activists, particularly Carrie Chapman Catt (Angelica Huston). They also battle public opinion in a tumultuous time of war, not to mention the most powerful men in the country, including President Woodrow Wilson (Bob Gunton). Along the way, sacrifices are made: Alice gives up a chance for love, and colleague Inez Mulholland (Julia Ormond) gives up her life.

The women are thrown in jail, with an ensuing hunger strike making headline news. The women's resistance to being force-fed earns them the nickname "The Iron Jawed Angels." However, it is truly their wills that are made of iron, and their courage inspires a nation and changes it forever.

Localvore SCORE!!

Last night I attended the housewarming party for my friends Cliff, Becca, and Zach! They're renting a beautiful house in Grand Isle with a long sweeping front lawn and private beach access. The living room has a cathedral ceiling, and Cliff's room has its own deck.

The party was a strictly fancy-pants event - fancy wine, fancy food, fancy clothes, and fancy guests! Johan, Joshua, and Adam were up from NH, Dougie and Steph from southern VT, as well as local favorites Gwen and Billy. There was even fancy music a little later in the evening, provided by the house string quintet.

This was a particularly exciting event for me, because I hosted Becca, Cliff, and puppy Apollo in my second bedroom for the week before their lease started, and I knew how anxious they had been to move in. I happily brought a housewarming gift, as well - I re-potted one of my aloe plants for Cliff after he had admired it during his stay.

Upon arrival at the party, Cliff and Becca proudly presented me with a present of my own - a beautiful bottle of Sunshine Vodka!! The week they were with me was the first of September, so I was taking my Eat Local Challenge. We went out for drinks on their last night with me, and I opted for water due to the lack of local spirits available. Locally produced in Stowe, VT by Green Mountain Distillers, here's what their website has to say about Sunshine Vodka:

Vermont’s premiere organic spirit is quadruple distilled from 100% certified organic grain and pure Vermont spring water. Sunshine production begins with the highest quality grain supplied by our family, farmer owned co-op. All grain is Certified Organic and GMO free by Oregon Tilth. Sunshine Vodka is created using small batch fermentation and proprietary distillation processes that result in a spirit of the very highest quality. Our small staff selects the grain, distills the spirit and markets the finished product nationwide. This close integration of field to process to product gives Green Mountain Distillers an unparalleled level of integrity.

Hooray for localvorism, wonderful friends, and another fun night in my green party dress!

Time to WINTERIZE!

It's starting to get pretty chilly in Vermont, which means it's time to get ready for the long, cold winter ahead. Efficiency Vermont has put together a list of top ten tips for saving energy this winter. Several of these, like plugging the leaks around my front door, are on my to-do list. I'm also planning to get a programmable thermostat! I'll use this list as a guide and post on my progress.

1. Make Your Home More Efficient. Efficiency Vermont-approved Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractors can perform an energy audit on your home and install the recommended improvements, such as air sealing and insulation. Find a contractor and learn about financing options at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance. Low-income Vermonters can get similar services for free - learn more at www.helpforvt.org.
2. Lower the Thermostat. Each degree a thermostat is turned down (around the clock) in the winter equates to a cost savings of roughly three percent on your energy bill. Turning a thermostat back from 72º to 65º for eight hours a day can save as much as 10 percent on annual heating and cooling costs. Try lowering the thermostat when nobody is home, or just before going to bed. Programmable thermostats can help to manage your home’s temperature by consistently changing the setting whenever you want—even if you are asleep or at work. I'm pretty stingy when it comes to heat (hence my large collection of hoodies!), and Roger's a great little space heater. I also plan to install a programmable thermostat this winter.
   
3. Plug Up Air Leaks. Focus on plugging air leaks in the attic, where warm air escapes, and in the basement, where cold air enters the home. If you’re handy, use expanding foam to seal larger holes and caulk to seal small gaps. You can also save more by adding insulation in the attic. There’s more information on air sealing and insulating at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeheating. Or find a professional to help at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance. One trick for finding leaks is to use a lit stick of incense - the drafts will disturb the smoke!
   
4. Heat Only Space You Use. Close off unneeded rooms, but ensure water pipes have adequate insulation or heat and don't freeze.
5. Let the Sun Shine In. Open the window shades on the south and west side of the house during the day to maximize the warmth of the sun, and close them at night. I've got two great south-facing windows, and I'm researching the most energy-efficient blinds to invest in.
   
6. Fix Drafty Windows and Doors. Caulk around window frames and use weather stripping and door sweeps on doors. Properly adjusted window-sash locks will ensure that windows are properly shut. Use storm windows and put up interior window plastic, available in kits at hardware stores. I need to get some weather stripping - there's a leak at the top of my front door!
   
7. Clean Up. Keep the area near registers, radiators, air returns and baseboards clear and dust-free. Vacuum or dust radiators and baseboards often and be sure they’re not blocked by furniture and carpets. Heat needs to circulate to reach all areas of the house, especially with a forced-air system. I kept this in mind when I was first arranging my furniture. I do have some cleaning to do in the spare room before the heat starts flowing though.
   
8. Close Dampers When You're Not Using The Fireplace. An open fireplace damper pulls warm air (air you’ve paid to heat) from the house, even when there is no fire. And, if possible, avoid or reduce the use of traditional masonry fireplaces, which tend to be much less efficient than other heating devices.
9. Tune Up Your Equipment. If your heating or hot water equipment has not been serviced recently, make sure it is cleaned and adjusted to operate as efficiently and safely as possible. I want to look into putting a layer of insulation around my hot water heater, but I don't know how to tell if I need it or not.
   
10. Save Electricity. Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulbs. For information about which bulbs work best where and how much you can save, visit http://www.newbulbintown.com/. When purchasing new appliances, be sure to select models with the ENERGY STAR. Small appliances and home office equipment use power even when they're “off”. Plug TVs, VCRs, fax machines, computers, printers, etc. into a power strip and just turn them off. I have started replacing all of the MANY bulbs in my new house with CFLs. I'm also looking into dimmable CFLs, since the bedrooms and living room fixtures need them. All of my entertainment equipment (TV, DVD player, computer) are plugged into a power strip that I flip off every morning before work.
    

Localvore Smoothie!

Localvore Smoothie
-Vermont Co-op Milk
-Butterworks Farm plain organic yogurt
-Frozen local raspberries
-Honey

Delicious!

I originally meant this to be a recipe post, but quickly hit a roadblock: I never make it the same way twice! Plus "glob" and "some" aren't really helpful measurements. I start with the milk and frozen berries, and once that's a bright pink, I add yogurt until it's the right consistency. The last thing is the honey, otherwise it sinks to the bottom of the blender. Enjoy!

Eat Local Challenge!

Once again this year, I'm taking the Eat Local Challenge for the month of September. I've pledged to eat only food produced within 100 miles of home for the whole month. I'll keep you posted on my trials and tribulations throughout the challenge!