There's an old woman living in my house....
frazoo
16 years ago
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Cherryfizz
16 years agoanettemartinrn
16 years agoRelated Discussions
There's an old woman . . .
Comments (16)LOL, Vikki! At least you could find the gift cards. I've got one that's gone missing. I'm blaming it on the cat. ; ) The old woman has been rumored to have been seen in LaLa land but only the nip & tuck docs know for sure and they're not telling. ; ) Btw, that ol' broad hitched a ride to Mervyn's with me earlier today. Good thing, too, because she talked me into participating in their buy 1, get 2 free sweater clearance. That's right - TWO free! She kept reminding me how cold I get now that my skin is thinner. Like I need to be reminded! Hmph! But then she leaves the store without checking the receipt, which I've always done since I don't live close enough to just run back there if something is wrong. So, I get around the corner at Farmer Boys, order a turkey sandwich and fried zucchini, which she insists I need for the fiber (double HMPH!), and take a look at my receipt while patiently waiting at the drive through (she, of course, was drumming her fingers on MY steering wheel!). Sure enough, I was charged wrong! So now I have to go back to the mall, find another parking space, then back into the store, lugging a huge bag of clothes. Did I mention that she insisted three sweaters wasn't enough so I got 6, plus the two pair of black slacks that I had originally went shopping for. Ok, so some earrings and two belts got in there, too. Please, be real, who's counting this time of year. Anyway, I get near a counter and see a huge line, similar to the one I'd just stood in for twenty minutes buying those blasted (but warm! she says) sweaters and think, oh no, please don't tell me I have to go through this again! Then a clerk walks by and I politely tell her what happened, to which she replys, "Yes, you need to get in line again." Well, for once I was glad that ol' broad was along for the ride because she pipes up and says, "Well, you NEED to get a manager." Sweetly, but firmly. Ten minutes later all was corrected with no standing in line, and I headed home, promising to not be so hard on the ol' broad in the future. But I'm not ruling out the nip & tuck docs. ; ) Diana...See Moreso much for my objectivity...there's a sick goldfinch in my house
Comments (8)OH NO, please go over to the birdwatching forum and read my post about the flufed up birds. What you have there is salmenilla. I had two that I cought and brough in two days ago. They rooseted together through the night, then died the next day. You must take all your feeders down and wash them with a bleach solution. You know the drill I am sure. Clean under the feeders and any bird baths too.There has been a outbreak in our reigon. It is highly contageous and can be transmited to humans and domestic pets. There are several good links in the post over there. This is NOT one of those things that you want to let nature take it's course with. This affects birds in the finch family the most, including pine siskins. I know how badly you felt, I go through the same dilema myself and it was so sad to watch those little birdies die, I was going to take them to the rehabber to be put to sleep, there is nothing to cure it, I am glad they had each other in a warm place to die. So WARNING to anybody in this region, pleas please keep your feeders EXTRA CLEAN especially UNDER them , this is spread by fecies. I am so sorry dirtgirl. Lisa...See MoreTwo of the best GW threads ever - Old Woman Living in my House &
Comments (16)My 2 favs: "You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas" --Davy Crockett (real quote. Cracks me up since we moved to TX 3 yrs. ago & am finding it on everything from shirts to caps to mugs, etc.) "You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think" -- Dorothy Parker (real quote. It shows up in Master Gardener shirts, mugs, etc. I have a gardening apron with this quote.)...See MoreFixing an old house floor plan - cross post w/ The Old House
Comments (6)It was NOPSI when I lived in New Oreleans, and in rental shotgun houses...NOPSI claimed a large part of my paychecks! New Orleans has a lot of Energy Raters, the highest concentration in the state actually. Entergy has made use of some of these raters in their efficiency program Energy Smart. here are a couple of links for you to check out: http://www.energysmartnola.info/one-stop-shop/ http://www.energysmartnola.info/for-your-home/ not being in that area anymore, I don't know how this program works..but you can find out if you are interested. my only advice would be to involve yourself with an experienced rater there in N.O. someone with experience in old homes...the newer raters I met may have the training... but couldn't tell gas from electric heat systems, or know how to identify balloon framing. so look for someone who has 10+ years of experience. La. DNR also has list of energy raters state wide, their efficiency incentive program isn't still in effect...but last time I checked the list of active raters was still online. DNR(dept natural resources) provided the training for all of us back in 1999. so they have a good handle on who knows their stuff...and who doesn't. it is hard to see detail in your posted plans. so I'll keep my questions fairly general. my first two concerns are air sealing & hvac system. I know you have a partial ' basement' (LOL) are electrical & plumbing exposed? was there ever a central hvac system installed? if basement isn't full size of house...what access is there to the part of the house without basement? how much room is there between ground & house? 3'...4'....more? is house all electric or is natural gas provided? as to heating...do you have a prefrence? if all electric..then look research heat pumps...great wintertime savings in our area. (I'm south central La these days) have you looked at mini split units? condenser unit outside, individual air handler units that hang on walls in rooms. I can't tell if your layout would work for this or not. is there a space in your home you could make into heating system closet? have you had any hvac companies come out to look at the house yet? involving hvac company never starts too early. it may be that ductwork will need to be installed during the reno. if you can't give up the sq ft for system inside house...I've seen people put the heating system in the 'basement'. quite a few flooded after katrina, but its not an everyday occurrence, and depending upon what part of town your house is located in...flooding is something to consider. I know uptown floods in a hearbeat with heavy rains...but areas like bywater stay dry. the top floor...full attic or are there walls of the living space that are shared with attic space? is attic space large enough to house heating system? air sealing.. there are really two ways to air seal. caulk, backer rods & more caulk which can be diy..or foam insulation. one is inexpensive & time consuming...the other expensive & fast. foam insulating the roofline will be biggest bang for the buck. then putting heat system & ductwork in attic keeps it in a semi conditioned space, so that you don't have ducts to cool the house in a 140 degree attic. by moving air & thermal barriers to roofline, a lot of the air leakage sites in ceilings are depressurized, so that house isn't sucking hot dirty humid attic air into the house to clean, dehumidify & condition when central unit is running. as most of our heat gain/cooling loss is through the ceiling into the attic space creating a tight air barrier, and thermal barrier (insulation) is very important. we use open cell in the attic roofline, depth to equal R-value required ( R-25 for cathedral for example is 6- 6.5" deep) also if house is balloon framed, foam seal at eaves to attic floor will stop air movement in walls. we need to air seal our walls...but insulating walls here isn't high on our list of things to do. foam in walls...is a huge waste of money. the next place for foam is under the floors. here we use closed cell. to keep moisture from ground from being sucked into the house. 2-3" is sufficient. this will also seal bottom of balloon framed walls. I've had issue with some of the foam insulators in N.O., because I am one picky b!tch. unlike most energy raters I oversee install of foam and test for air leakage with foam co on site, so that they can catch any leakage sites then without an added trip. as these companies expand into my area...they don't stay long. over the years I've learned which companies will actually create air tight seals...and who doesn't. and fyi...it isn't always the big companies that do it right. owner/installer companies are more willing to learn how to do it right. and the install of foam, just like the install of the hvac system is the key to the whole thing. ok...there are your questions to answer & things to think about for today. I'll check back after you reply. and think about investing in a blower door test of the house at minimum. this will identify leakage sites that need to be sealed. if you have ductwork, spring for the duct test also. better to know what you have to start with..what you need to do... and have it tested when completed. this way you have a goal to work towards...and an idea of how to do it. best of luck...See Morecynic
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