First Sunday of Spring!

Today is gorgeous. Sunny and mid-60s with a light breeze. And I've got nothing and nobody tying me down to any particular schedule today. So what did I do with all my free time?

• I made breakfast and read the Tribune;
• I clipped coupons from the Tribune;
  
• I wrote 2 newsletters before noon;
• I carried an old, raggedy (yet incredibly comfy) barrel-type rocking chair to the curb hoping that someone will want to reupholster it and take it before the garbage men take it in the morning (note: I offered it up on Freecycle, but no one wanted it);
• I put away the storm door to the sliding glass door in the living room and installed the screen door;
• I removed the storm window from the screen door at the front door and replaced it with the screen;
• I removed the old yellow light bulb at the front of the house and replaced it with a yellow CFL bulb;
• I removed the extra insulation into the hall entrance to the attic, climbed into the attic (which I don't like doing) and put it away;
• While in the attic, I found a box of old blankets my mom had made for Dave and me when we were babies. I pulled them out, discovered that mice had destroyed one, threw it out, and am washing the other 4 to better repack them and save them for possible future use with my own future kids. I also pulled some other stuff out of the attic and discovered it could be tossed out;
• I scrubbed the mold from the bathroom ceiling and washed the whole bathroom from floor to ceiling;
  
• I pulled out the outside chairs for the front porch and put in their cushions;
  
• I'm currently washing my 3rd load of laundry;
• I've started dinner and am making BBQ Chicken Pizza entirely from scratch;
• I chatted with a friend in a heated political race and tried to offer some helpful advice or at least be a sounding board;
  
• I fixed the concrete bird bath in my backyard that had fallen over from the high winds a week or so ago; and
  
• Most importantly, I saved Josh Lyman and the rest of the staff of The West Wing, including President Bartlet from the hostage-taking terrorist also known as my DVD player without injury to anyone and before the rest of the country discovered the international crisis. There's no need to point out how heroic and selfless I am. I already know.
  

I have a bunch of other fun tasks to complete tonight. Don't you wish your Sunday was as much fun as mine?

Yep, I'm living the life!

Hooray for Solar Attic Fans!

One of my least favorite things to do is climb up into the attic during the summer months. Historically, if it's 80 degrees outside, the attic is easily double that. I've always had an attic fan that I've never been convinced did anything other than suck up electricity and cost me more with Com Ed. Also, I believe there are monsters that live in the attic.

But today, I was forced to climb into the attic in search of one of my bins of summer clothes because I needed a cute outfit for a party tonight and couldn't find a skirt I wanted. Prepared for a lack of breathable air and monsters, I hesitatingly climbed the ladder. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was relatively cool in the attic, despite it being over 80 and very sunny outside! The attic was so comfortable that I could have easily stayed up there and gone through old boxes of crap. I didn't, but I could have.

What's the difference you ask? Well, two weeks ago when Dave was in town, he installed a Solar Attic Fan for me. He sells and installs only Sunrise Solar Attic Fans because they use the most advanced solar panels to collect and deliver power directly from the sun to the highly efficient 12-volt DC motor inside the power vent. A Solar Attic Fan, just as its name implies, relies on the sun for its power, not electricity, as it sucks the heat out of your attic. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about the difference with the new Solar Attic Fan, except that since he installed it, I haven't turned on the air conditioning once!

I love that with my new Solar Attic Fan, I'm helping the environment and living more greenly, but I REALLY love the impact on my wallet! PLUS, there's a 30% tax credit available this year when I do my income taxes! Yeah! AND Dave's business offers a 5 year warranty, which is 4 years longer than Michigan Building Code requires and other companies provide!

Want one for yourself? Call Dave. That's what his new business - Crystal Solarlighting Solutions - does. He can be reached at 231-651-0214. And yes, he'll do installations in the Chicago Area, as well as Northern Michigan.

Oh, I also didn't find any monsters in the attic. That doesn't mean that they're not there. Just that they were sleeping.