What did you do on your 60th birthday?
7 years ago
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7 years ago
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What are you doing (or did you do) for HVAC in your build?
Comments (14)We built in MN and moved in about 1 1/2 years ago. Two story plus full basement walkout. We have 2 Econar geothermal units, one hydronic and one forced air with 8 - 1,000 ft horizonal loops. The hydronic pumps water for the radiant floors in the garage slab, basement slab, upstairs bath, master bath, 1/2 bath and mudroom. The forced air unit is for all other areas and provides A/C in summer. Our insulation is closed cell spray foam and it's awesome. I wanted to wait to see how the humidity was in winter and it was around 25%, which is too low. So I'm looking at adding a Honeywell Truesteam humidifier that will add water directly into the ducts and is controlled automatically by the thermostat with an outdoor sensor. I did all the underside-of-the-floor mounted radiant pex tubing (and accompanying insulation) myself as well as the floor insulation under the slabs. It's critical that you have a thermal break between the concrete and the ground. I used 2" XPS (rigid pink foam board insulation) on the ground and taped all joints. I also used a reflective bubble-wrap type insulation around the perimeter walls and interior footings. No concrete touches the ground at all. You mentioned carpet in the basement. As long as your installer knows what flooring you're installing, he can change how close together he puts the pex tubing loops. For carpet the loops will be closer together to create more heat. Geothermal is very quiet. The fan is on all the time so it doesn't come on like a jet engine and shut off all the time like propane or natural gas. Quiet, steady heat. In the summer there is no condenser outside and thus it's silent. Love it....See MoreIdeas for 60th birthday on farm
Comments (5)These are some of the things I like to do when we have the family down. Cover the outdoor tables with quilts, or unfinished quilt tops. (If you don't sew, unfinished quilt tops can be picked up inexpensively; use them for a tablecloth in the summer at your party, and later, you can have them finished as quilts/comforters to give at Christmas.) I use wildflowers or whatever is blooming in the yard for informal arrangements in mason jars, and galvanized washtubs with ice to hold drinks, also fruits like apples for snacks, or watermelon. Bushel baskets are also good to have on hand; put pots of blooimg flowers in them for decor, or set one on the table to corral packages of buns. As far as entertainment, I've found that if the kids are amused, the adults will have a wonderful time as well, even if they don't get out and engage in the planned activities. Goat races sound like fun! Have plenty of helpers; someone can hold them at the starting gate and someone to make sure they get caught at the finish line. have some neutral area set aside for the races; you don't want any of the contestents bolting and taking out the buffet. VBG We raise dairy goats and sheep, and for the most part, either one in the yard is a huge No No. I've found it takes about 60 seconds for a goat or sheep get away from someone, rush over and strip all the flowers off some prized shrub (ACK!!), not to mention that some ornamental plants might be poisonious. I have a bowl of apple, orange, and banana peels handy for people to feed them over the fence as a treat, which people thinkis interesting. If we have any bottle babies, they can come in the yard briefly to amuse small children, but once they've eaten, been duly petted and admired, and maybe had their picture made with the guests, they go back out where they can stay out of trouble. If you raise chickens, I've found that children are fascinated by collecting eggs. Have extra egg cartons on hand so they can take "their" eggs home, and, if you expect very many kids, you might want to have extra eggs that you can sneak out to the hen house so everyone can "find" at least a half dozen. You might find that some of the older guests will want to tag along, just because it reminds them of when they were young and had to collect eggs as part of their daily chores. (have extra eggs for them too) You could have egg relay races; divide everyone into teams and give each one a spoon. Each team gets one raw egg they are supposed to hand carry in the spoon to destination X, then turn around and take back to the team, successfully hand off to the next person. Have extra eggs available for this too, as it would be a shame for one team to have to drop out if they break an egg. ;^) We have a pond, so one or two of the adults usually volunteers to take the kids fishing. Perfect for creating those Happy Family Memories, even if they don't catch anything. If you don't have fish, give them clean plastic peanut butter jars and let them look for frogs and tadpoles. (to be released back into the pond) and if you don't have a pond at all, send them out to hunt grasshoppers. (to be disposed of at the chicken house) Even a plain old nature walk is a neat idea; make your "trail" wander in and out of as many different kinds of terrain as you have; woods, field, around the pond, through the goat pen, explore the barn. The point is, it's all a different world from what most people know. Homemade ice cream to go with the birthday cake. The anticipation is the best part, especially if it's a hand cranked and all the kids can take a turn at "cooking". Oh, and don't forget to set aside an area for photos with the most picturesque, unobstructed view on your place. Remember, most people can get a photo of themselves standing next to a house or garage at home; you have wide open spaces for a background. Set a bench with a couple of baskets of flowers around that. Make sure there isn't distracting with telephone poles, overhead wires, or branches close enough to look like they're growing out of someone's head in thepicture. If you have a really nice barn, set people up far enough in front that you can see the barn in the background off to one side, without giving them the "mug shot" look of being posed against a blank wall. If possible, keep it not too far from where the pony or goats will be, as some people might one or both in the picture. Throughout the day, get each family group together to pose for a picture. (Also a nice gift later) Hope these give you some ideas, good luck with the party. :^)...See MoreWhat do you want to eat on your birthday?
Comments (11)All the ideas sound great. I am feeling somewhat uninspired - but I will go to the farmer's market on Saturday and come up with something. I like having simple summer food that is mostly prepared so I am able to visit my guests. I am thinking about a salad nicoise - to use up the last of my green beans, my baby potatoes and some of my sister's eggs. Maybe a cold fish dish and a tomato salad of some kind. My uncle just described a panzanella that he made and I have some stale bread. The local orchard has really good peaches right now - which is an upside to global warming. They didn't grow in Maine when I was a kid. My stepsister made a really good fresh peach pie last night. So maybe something with peaches, blackberries and blueberries. Coconut ice cream sounds fabulous but maybe ginger would go better with peaches. Getting inspired thanks all.......See MoreMy 60th Birthday Meal(s)… What Was I Thinking? : )
Comments (69)Sleevendog, the wonderful thing about belated Birthday well-wishes is that they extend the happiness : ) And thank you both (Islay, too) for the Charcuterie Definition. I didn’t know the French pronunciation, but doubt I’ll use it here, or even the word charcuterie. Most here would think me pretentious, which is silly as I like to use words correctly. So, does this mean if I make canadian bacon or pastrami (from pork), I can (temporarily) call myself a Charcutier? LOL! Well, I just might anyway! Sleevendog, thank you also for mentioning the free-edge/live-edge board. That was my gift to myself : ) I think it’s so beautiful! I often toss together a board (the bread board above was from an old restaurant, the charcuterie with live edge from Etsy) of cheeses, crackers, meats, apples, grapes… whatever I have on hand, for pre-dinner snacking, or lunch nibbling. I wanted a larger, prettier board than the bread board : ) Funny thing is, when I bought my first furniture, the area in which I lived had tons of furniture with free-edging/live edging (horizontal slice tree trunks, vertical slabs). And they were cheap! And huge! I bought a large one for my coffee table on a major budget. New! After a while, the area was over-saturated with them, and I couldn’t give mine away when upgrading. Truth! So when they first came out, it took me a while to not see them as ‘cheap’ stuff! I have learned a new appreciation… everything old is new again : ) I think it looks both rustic and fine, simultaneously. I am a wood grain lover. And while I have your attention, those flageolet beans? Amazing. We can’t stop eating them on salads. I’m making some with leftover too-salty ribs, shredded, and roasted tomatoes next. Mercurygirl, you sound like me, I’ve moved several plants, including roses. Hard to keep up with where they are until they leaf out or bloom! Naturegirl, you are most welcome! Edie, I have one of those rolling pins! So heavy! I am sure you can roll it out thin enough. I would recommend a few things… if using crackers for cheeses, don’t add cheese to the cracker dough, just make them as is, and perhaps toss in some dried herbs (the flavor of dried herbs does come through) as appropriate. If serving with a soup, or alone, cheese tastes wonderful : ) Annie, don’t do what I did, though, and over prep/cook! I was feeling a bit frazzled by the time the day rolled around! But yes, making lots of nibbles satisfies everyone. And they can be easy ones. BTW, your hummus was wonderful! Thank you! I froze some, and hope that’s ok....See More- 7 years ago
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Well, it was 10 years ago.... My four closest friends planned a trip for us (and husbands): sailing at the Great Barrier Reef. This year I spent my birthday hiking to 14000 ft AMSL on Taquile Island and Lake Titicaca, Peru. This was my view of Lake Titicaca at lunch...
...and me hogging my birthday cake after we shut down the bar/restaurant that night at the lake:
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Georgina, don’t let the possibility of bad weather deter you from celebrating your 60th birthday. If you decide to fly somewhere just leave a few days before your birthday. Simiilary, if having a family dinner choose a back up date. But in any case do celebrate!
3katz-belated happy 61st birthday wishes.
Bestyears, so very thoughtful of your daughter to take you to see Elton John. Enjoy!
Delilah, how fun, what did you do for 70?
My 65th is next week. We just returned from a wonderful vacation in CA. Still trying to acclimate to East Coast time.
Malibu Wine Safari, a gift from my daughter. Can you see the turtle in the rock formation?
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