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Entry bubble An Open Letter to Punxsutawney Phil (THE Groundhog)

By: Colleen | February 04, 2009 | Category: Fun

Dear Mr. Phil from Punxsutawney,phil

I'd like to commend you for all your years of season-predicting service. I often wonder what it must be like to be the most famous groundhog in the world. While it seems that you have a pretty cushy set-up in that den of yours, it has to be a bit unnerving to be yanked from one's cozy bed in the frigid early morning hours of every February 2nd.

While your service record is impressive, I can't help but notice a consistent pattern when reviewing your performance. You tend to always see your shadow and retreat back into your comfortable abode, thus leaving us common-folk with yet another six more weeks of winter.

Perhaps it should be brought to your attention that your anxiety about your shadow has dismal consequences for those of us who must leave our cozy beds EVERY frigid early morning, and not just on the second day of February.

Have you considered counseling? I have a somewhat unreasonable disdain for grocery stores, so I sympathize with your apprehension when confronted with your shadow. However, my fear doesn't have the same consequences as yours - think of all those other who are, quite frankly, dreading another six weeks of winter. Surely something can be done to ease your fears. Our new President has asked us as a nation to help each other. So, on behalf of millions of shivering Americans, please let me know of any way which I can be of service, or aid in your plight. I would never suggest you had adopted this behavior as the easiest means to return to slumber in your hollow. I just want to volunteer to help.

We'll all be rooting for your next February 2nd - you can do it! Don't let the shadow get the best of you!

With respect and optomism for a shorter winter in 2010,

Colleen

 

| Post a Comment | View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: anxiety   colleen   groundhog   groundhog_day   president   punxsutawney   punxsutawney_phil   service   weather   winter  

 

Entry bubble Season Affective Disorder (SAD)

By: Colleen | December 24, 2008 | Category: Health

"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse..." I'm not exactly sure whose house Clement Moore was referring to when he wrote that, but it certainly wasn't mine. On the night before Christmas there is PLENTY of stirring going on. People rummaging around looking for last minute wrapping paper or shooing others out of the bathroom when we're all trying to get ready for church at the same time. Unexpected guests dropping by to exchange presents we'd already agreed not to buy in the first place...

Ah, the holidays. While this time of year is associated with hustle, bustle, and cheer, it can also be a difficult time for those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Sure, it's normal to come down with a case of the "winter blues" (freezing cold temperatures, no summer tan remaining, scraping your windshield every morning—what's not to love?) SAD is when things get more serious and you experience symptoms like extended depression, lingering lethargy, appetite changes/weight gain.

Medical professionals link the disease to the limited amount of sunlight experienced during the winter months. This causes interruption to your circadian rhythm and in turn triggers depression. Other potential causes are changes in hormone levels also altered by lack of exposure to sunlight.

If you suspect you might be experiencing SAD, see your doctor for treatment. Some ways to thwart SAD are to pursue outdoor activities and get more exposure to sunlight. Use artificial light as a means of combating the lessened hours of sunlight. Hormone medication may be prescribed to restore chemical balance to where it is during the other seasons of the year.

Spring is just around the corner. What wintertime activities do you enjoy that others can try?

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: colleen   depression   sad   seasonal_affective_disorder   winter  

 

Entry bubble Save on Heating Bills!

By: Jake | September 15, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

ThermostatFall begins next week and winter will be here before you know it. Joanne showed us last week the cost of heating oil is rising and there are sure to be other high heating costs this winter no matter what fuel you use to heat your humble abode.

A good place to learn about how you can save on heating costs is the new Energy Savers blog. The blog was launched by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the (surprise!) U.S. Department of Energy this month as a way to communicate with citizen's about consumer-related energy topics.

In September and October the Energy Savers bloggers are writing about "winterization"—topics to get you ready for the upcoming heating season. In one of their first posts on "winterization," they recommend that you conduct an energy audit where you inspect your house for drafts, correct insulation levels and heating unit filters.

Also, the Federal Trade Commission offers a website that shows you how to save on energy costs in every room of your house. What do you plan to do this winter to save on heating bills?

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: energy_audit   heating_costs   heating_fuel   jake   winter   winterization  

 

Entry bubble Brace Yourself for Home Heating Oil Prices

By: Joanne | September 09, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

turning down the thermostat to conserve energyLast week we filled the home heating oil tank in preparation for the cold weather. We got 435 gallons at $3.60 a gallon. Payment due upon delivery – swoon. What’s up with that?

There are a lot of factors that determine the price of home heating oil. Even when the price of crude oil is stable, it’s typical for home heating oil prices to rise in the winter months when you need it the most. It’s that old supply and demand thing from Economics 101.

We don’t have the furnace cranked on yet, but already we’re thinking of things we can do to save a few bucks and increase the energy efficiency of our home this winter. We’ve got some old, old windows in our old, old house and I think that the cost of fuel this winter is going to be enough to push us into replacing them with modern, energy efficient windows. I’ll actually clean the radiators, which, um…hasn’t been done in a while. We’ll have the furnace cleaned and the filters replaced so it’s running in tip top shape and we’re definitely going to be keeping the temperature a few degrees cooler this year. We’ll just have to break out the sweaters and fuzzy slippers and curl up with the warm kitties. I read in Consumer Reports that by turning your thermostat down between 5 and 10 degrees at night can reduce your heating costs by 20 percent. That’s pretty impressive. If you’re away from the house during the day it’s also a good idea to turn the heat down while you’re gone. If you have trouble remembering to turn your thermostat down, some people find that programmable thermostats are helpful.

The cost of heating the house this year will definitely be a burden, but we’ll make it. If you’re worried that you’re not going to be able to afford to heat your home, you should contact your state coordinator for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (also known as LIHEAP).

| View Comments [16] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: assistance   energy   heat   joanne   liheap   oil   winter  

 

Entry bubble Curl Up With A Good Book This Winter

By: Sam | December 19, 2007 | Category: Fun

I may be biased but many fabulous things have come out of Georgia.  Delicious food, R.E.M., Hank Aaron, the Varsity, Gone With the Wind…I could keep going.  But it wasn’t till I read this recent Washington Post article that I realized how many great authors are from the Peach State (this coming from a girl who took a year of GA history).

The article looks at six major American fiction writers and the ongoing efforts to preserve their homes and other landmarks.  These authors include such luminaries as Alice Walker, Flannery O’ Connor, and Carson McCullers.  After reading the article, I was really surprised at how many of their books I hadn’t read.  How could I’ve missed a book that summarizes my single gal woes in one simple phrase:  A Good Man is Hard to Find.

With this realization, I decided to put together a list of books that I wanted to read this winter.  I started my search at the Big Read blog.  The Big Read  is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture.  It provides citizens across the country an opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities.  The books are some of the most iconic in literature, including one of my all time favorites, The Great Gatsby.

Of course a search of great books would not be complete without a stop at the Library of Congress.  The Center for the Book, along with this wonderful thread from the Library’s blog, gave me plenty of interesting selections for my list.  But I didn’t stop there.  Here are just a few more sites that I checked out for my ultimate winter reading list:

Before I head off to the library, I would love to get recommendations from y’all.  Some of my favorites are Beach Music by Pat Conroy and Personal History, the autobiography of Katharine Graham. 

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: books   library   literacy   literature   reading   winter  

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