I have just been blessed by attending the opening ceremonies of the 75 Ranger Association's Ranger Rendezvous and Reunion. I am in awe. Any of you with the option and opportunity to visit Ft. Benning, do so. I was able to go to the newly opened Museum, as well as the Ranger Walk and Memorial. I had the honor of meeting our newest Medal of Honor recipient, SFC Leroy Petry, as well as other brave souls. Our country owes a debt of gratitude, as well as our very security to these men who put their lives on the line on a daily basis to protect our freedoms.
It doesn't take long in the presence of these men to feel their deep sense of dedication to this country. When we look at these young men, especially the ones who have already been severely injured, our heart breaks. Then we see the others who have yet to make a trip over to harm's way, and realize that they know they are going into dangerous territory. The young wives who are kissing their husband goodbye for the length of the deployment, are serving the country too. They are paying a price.
We owe them so much. We pray for their safety and well being, and thank God for their dedication.
I was humbled and honored to be in the presence of men who served with my husband, and those who are carrying on the tradition. I was so proud to be introduced as the wife of the first HQ Co 1st Sgt. when 2nd Bn, 75 Ranger Regiment was formed. To see his brick on the walk, and then, to read his obit/bio in the Patrolling Magazine, written by someone who served with him in VietNam with the ARVN Rangers, BDQ. The young man who is now wearing the Ranger Tab which Vic originally wore, is young enough to be his grandson. In the interim it was held by another awesome ranger who could have been his son. Three generations of the ongoing fight for freedom. I am so honored to be able to just touch these guys.
Rangers, Lead the Way.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
More Ways to Cut the Power Bill
While we are waiting to get the necessary items to get Off The Grid, there are several ways we can lower our utility bill. Just by managing what is already in place, we can reduce consumption considerably by applying a few good old fashioned frugality practices.
Listen to your mother! Didn't she constantly say "turn off the light when you leave the room." That is good advice. Also, turn off the tv and whatever else is on. The dog will not mind. He really isn't watching.
Unplugging things really does make sense. Just because the toaster and the coffee maker are not on, doesn't mean they aren't using power. They are still drawing energy. So unplug them. It's not that big a deal to just plug it up when you are using it and unplug it when you're not.
When you leave the house, turn the thermostat up (in summer) to just ten degrees below the anticipated high for the day. Same in summer, turn it down to ten degrees cooler than you like it. When you come in it will feel fine until it has time to recover after you reset it. A programmable thermostat will do that for you, but right now we are not spending money, just saving it.
Don't run the dishwasher till it's full. Then, don't leave the drying feature on. Let them air dry in the machine. If you are cooking, do more than one meal at the time, and more than one thing in the oven at once. You will be glad tomorrow to be able to just warm something in the microwave. Using the oven not only uses power for cooking, it heats the house and takes more to cool it.
Hang your clothes out to dry. Put them in the dryer for just the last 15 minutes.
These few painless tips will help save on your bill. Then take time to investigate some alternate power sources. Several of these are listed in another post.
Listen to your mother! Didn't she constantly say "turn off the light when you leave the room." That is good advice. Also, turn off the tv and whatever else is on. The dog will not mind. He really isn't watching.
Unplugging things really does make sense. Just because the toaster and the coffee maker are not on, doesn't mean they aren't using power. They are still drawing energy. So unplug them. It's not that big a deal to just plug it up when you are using it and unplug it when you're not.
When you leave the house, turn the thermostat up (in summer) to just ten degrees below the anticipated high for the day. Same in summer, turn it down to ten degrees cooler than you like it. When you come in it will feel fine until it has time to recover after you reset it. A programmable thermostat will do that for you, but right now we are not spending money, just saving it.
Don't run the dishwasher till it's full. Then, don't leave the drying feature on. Let them air dry in the machine. If you are cooking, do more than one meal at the time, and more than one thing in the oven at once. You will be glad tomorrow to be able to just warm something in the microwave. Using the oven not only uses power for cooking, it heats the house and takes more to cool it.
Hang your clothes out to dry. Put them in the dryer for just the last 15 minutes.
These few painless tips will help save on your bill. Then take time to investigate some alternate power sources. Several of these are listed in another post.
Alternative Energy Sources for Home
Alternative energy sources for home are getting more and more attractive, as we go into shock every time we open a power bill. We want to be comfortable, and have the power we need for our time and energy saving appliances. We also need to be able to pay for the convenience.
Solar power is one of the first alternates we think of, and the value is well established. However, the initial cost is prohibitive to most of us. Once established and paid for, a solar water heater and attic fan can reduce the power bill by as much as 40%. The initial cost can take as much as fifteen years to recoup. We need to address alternative energy sources for our homes that we can either build ourselves, or have done for less cost.
The highest use of electrical energy in most homes is to heat water, followed closely by running the air conditioner. There are several alternatives now on the market for heating water and cooling air. Researching and comparing them is time consuming, but definitely worth pursuing.
Running the dishwasher costs less if you turn off the drying feature. You are back, however, to heating the water.
Drying clothes is another high usage item. A simple way to cut this cost is to hang clothes outside to dry. If you really like the soft, fragrant effect from your dryer and the softener sheets, bring the clothes in when they are just still damp and finish them in the dryer.
Solar lighting is relatively inexpensive, especially for the outdoor areas. For lighting pathways, decks and flags, the cost is very reasonable for purchase, and they last a long time. There is a wide variety of lights available, and the cost depends on the brightness you need.
There are several items currently on the market to address these issues. They all have pros and cons, both in the operational efficiency, and the cost to purchase. Some are easy to make for the do- it- your-selfer. Caution has to be taken for which items need a professional electrician. If you are planning to tie it into the grid, you will need to make sure you have the proper inverter. Solar power is DC (direct current) and household appliances are AC (alternating current). But many of the best items to make for your self do not require hooking in to the grid at all.
Solar power is one of the first alternates we think of, and the value is well established. However, the initial cost is prohibitive to most of us. Once established and paid for, a solar water heater and attic fan can reduce the power bill by as much as 40%. The initial cost can take as much as fifteen years to recoup. We need to address alternative energy sources for our homes that we can either build ourselves, or have done for less cost.
The highest use of electrical energy in most homes is to heat water, followed closely by running the air conditioner. There are several alternatives now on the market for heating water and cooling air. Researching and comparing them is time consuming, but definitely worth pursuing.
Running the dishwasher costs less if you turn off the drying feature. You are back, however, to heating the water.
Drying clothes is another high usage item. A simple way to cut this cost is to hang clothes outside to dry. If you really like the soft, fragrant effect from your dryer and the softener sheets, bring the clothes in when they are just still damp and finish them in the dryer.
Solar lighting is relatively inexpensive, especially for the outdoor areas. For lighting pathways, decks and flags, the cost is very reasonable for purchase, and they last a long time. There is a wide variety of lights available, and the cost depends on the brightness you need.
There are several items currently on the market to address these issues. They all have pros and cons, both in the operational efficiency, and the cost to purchase. Some are easy to make for the do- it- your-selfer. Caution has to be taken for which items need a professional electrician. If you are planning to tie it into the grid, you will need to make sure you have the proper inverter. Solar power is DC (direct current) and household appliances are AC (alternating current). But many of the best items to make for your self do not require hooking in to the grid at all.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
God’s Timing
Everyone who thinks about it for five seconds can tell you of something in his life that defies explanation. Some call it coincidence. The Devil would have us call it Luck, so that Lucifer can take the credit. Divine timing is perhaps the more appropriate way to think of it. There are those spellbinding, and breathtaking times when no words are available. What do you have in your life that defies expression?
In spring of 2005, a sudden knowledge, an epiphany if you would, just took over our lives and changed them completely. It was just suddenly obvious that it was time for us to sell our old two story house on the steep hill on Folly Beach. There was small house, built on a slab, in a settled neighborhood on the right traffic path for church, work, and recreation, just calling our names. From the lightning bolt of recognition to the accomplished move was less than two months. Fourteen months later, Vic was in the hospital, undergoing major surgery. The surgery was a great success, but the complications kept him on the ventilator for seventeen days. He was in the hospital for three months. As I went about getting the new little house made accessible for his return, the look in the eyes of all the doctors, family members, and yes even the clergy, was that I should really accept the fact that he probably was not coming home. The unspoken thought was that I was bringing him to die. I was so sure I was bringing him to LIVE, and spending time, effort and money to make it easier for him. When he was able to express his thoughts, he was also trying to get me to face the fact that he was not going to be with me long. You see, he had already made his peace with God and the idea of going home to heaven. He was trying to get me prepared for that day. We got the house made accessible, and laid in all the necessary items for his rehabilitation. He got better. We enjoyed another almost four years before he went home to God, peacefully on a Sunday afternoon. That is another chapter. The timing of the move off the beach, and the timing of the hospitalization? The difference in the top of the market for real estate and the bottom of the sales recession. Had we not had the epiphany, had we not sold when we did, so many things could not have happened. The accessibility of a place for him to recuperate and rehab, the ease of access for me to the hospital every day for three months without facing the Folly Road traffic, and even the funds to manage with me having to give up my job-- all of this was God’s perfect timing.
There are no coincidences. We do not have perfect vision. Only by leaning on the Lord, and giving Him the Honor and the Praise, and trusting Him to handle things, even the minor details of our lives, can we truly experience His wonderful Grace.
Thanks be to God.
Maggie Attaya
In spring of 2005, a sudden knowledge, an epiphany if you would, just took over our lives and changed them completely. It was just suddenly obvious that it was time for us to sell our old two story house on the steep hill on Folly Beach. There was small house, built on a slab, in a settled neighborhood on the right traffic path for church, work, and recreation, just calling our names. From the lightning bolt of recognition to the accomplished move was less than two months. Fourteen months later, Vic was in the hospital, undergoing major surgery. The surgery was a great success, but the complications kept him on the ventilator for seventeen days. He was in the hospital for three months. As I went about getting the new little house made accessible for his return, the look in the eyes of all the doctors, family members, and yes even the clergy, was that I should really accept the fact that he probably was not coming home. The unspoken thought was that I was bringing him to die. I was so sure I was bringing him to LIVE, and spending time, effort and money to make it easier for him. When he was able to express his thoughts, he was also trying to get me to face the fact that he was not going to be with me long. You see, he had already made his peace with God and the idea of going home to heaven. He was trying to get me prepared for that day. We got the house made accessible, and laid in all the necessary items for his rehabilitation. He got better. We enjoyed another almost four years before he went home to God, peacefully on a Sunday afternoon. That is another chapter. The timing of the move off the beach, and the timing of the hospitalization? The difference in the top of the market for real estate and the bottom of the sales recession. Had we not had the epiphany, had we not sold when we did, so many things could not have happened. The accessibility of a place for him to recuperate and rehab, the ease of access for me to the hospital every day for three months without facing the Folly Road traffic, and even the funds to manage with me having to give up my job-- all of this was God’s perfect timing.
There are no coincidences. We do not have perfect vision. Only by leaning on the Lord, and giving Him the Honor and the Praise, and trusting Him to handle things, even the minor details of our lives, can we truly experience His wonderful Grace.
Thanks be to God.
Maggie Attaya
Saturday, July 2, 2011
I Thought I Was Pretty Savvy
I have some of the most fantastic software known to man. Or woman. Just realized nothing is ever as easy as it looks. There is hope, though. One of my "mentors" can, with my permission, take over my mouse and put the little pieces of the puzzle where they need to be. With me watching. How cool is that? To fix the newest challenge, I need for them to connect with me, with Skype, so we can work it out together. This is a learning process. The added benefit is that I have finally gotten off my procrastination fence, and ordered a webcam with mic, and a headset. Amazingly inexpensive at Amazon.com. So watch out guys, Tuesday I will be set up, God Willing! Guess I'll have to start combing my hair before I sit down. This work at home thing gets more and more complicated.
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