Monday, November 8, 2010

Time Flies Doesn't It?

I can not believe it has been 4 months since I last posted. Either I had nothing good to say, or I was so busy it was still making its way up the to - do - list. Anyway.....

I have been researching chickens and goats. I know for anyone who knows me personally that may sound funny, but I would really like to have a few chickens for the eggs and a goat or two for the milk, just so I do not have to buy them at the store, and to keep my property "groomed". I want to make sure I get the right food, and have the right living conditions for them both. That said I have found that the living conditions will depend on the breed of chicken or goat I decide to get.

I can remember my Grandmother never having chickens on the dairy farm, if she did it was before my time. She did have a few goats though. She got them after I had joined the military so I really do not remember the details of their care, I do remember the milk and butter as well as the cheese she made from the milk. Grama's milk for coffee was always in the mason jar in the frig, no cardboard or plastic cartons ever touched the shelves of her frig that I can remember.

If I get milk goats I have to milk them twice a day, just like cows, and they have a varied diet, so my lawn would do well for them. Fiber goats - goats that primarily produce mohair and cashmere do not produce enough milk for anybody beyond their kids and you don't want them wandering into uncut brush because the stuff gets into their fur....bird-ox...really bad!

Chickens are not as easy as so many chick hatchers would like you to think they are. They need special feed depending on age, they have to be protected from almost every other animal and even at times from their own. They have to be tended to in cold climates and Companies like New York State Electric and Gas would just love for everyone to get chickens that need heated water dishes, and a light bulb going extra to keep the egg layers laying, and to heat the coop.

So, as of today I still do not have any chickens or goats. To build a decent coop for chickens I need several hundred dollars, to build a decent shed/barn for goats I need several thousand dollars. If I want to get into fiber goats it will cost about 100,000 dollars to get the equipment to process the fiber, if I go with dairy goats it will cost 160,000 dollars to get the equipment to process milk for cheese, and pasteurize it for sale to the public, along with the headache of dealing with the New York State Department of Health, the same group of people that drove me back to smoking after quiting for over ten years when I owned a Diner. Unless you are a millionaire you really do not want to deal with them. They have good inspectors, and lousy ones. I got both. The good ones try to help you, the bad ones just show up to burn you. Enough said about that. Well, maybe not, if the health department is so great why is our food supply still getting contaminated, animals are being inhumanly treated and slaughtered, and why when our food is contaminated are the rest of us finding out 4 months later after 100 people are sick, not just a few , but a hundred or more? OK, done.

I now am not sure if I want either one. This is why it pays to do your research on how deep the pond is before you jump in head first. Unless you can sell the eggs, or milk both are really more of a liability than an asset. If you figure it costs a couple hundred dollars to feed and care for them in a month that's about 250 dozen eggs for chickens alone, and as for goat milk, can't sell any without the pasteurisation investment, and lab testing. And by the way, they are both high maintenance. They have to have vaccinations, skin treatments, monthly worm medication, as well as diseases unique to each breed. I do not remember my Dad having all these issues with the cows. I do remember the vet coming a couple times a year, but not to the extent that it broke the bank.

Perhaps things in animal husbandry has changed, and the Dept of Agriculture has updated the needs of farm animals over the years and being out of the loop for so many years has left me wondering about it all.

I think something that leaves you exhausted before you get started is a pretty good indication as to what the decision should be.

We're all in this together...

Deb

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Born As..And Is Now...

There is something to be said for the vivid imagination. Recycling comes in many forms. When you ask a person if they recycle they can answer in a hundred different ways, more specifically what it means to them. Some will say, oh yea, I put the newspapers out every week, or another will say, oh yea, all my leaves are in a pile out back. Still others will tell you that they wash all their cans and go to the recycling center every Saturday.

The kind of recycling I am referring to is the kind that takes something that was made and sold for one specific purpose and has found its way to another lifetime. For example, using shredded paper in the litter box instead of cat litter, using milk crates for the base of a desk top, using an old wooden screen door in the house instead of on the back door to allow for circulation, yet confining four legged creatures to a space in the house. Sheets double as furniture covers, and door hangings (substitute or temporary doors),old bookcases double as cupboards for dishes and vise verse. I had an old Rubber Maid laundry on-the-wall storage cabinet I took the back and bottom off of and used it to cover the doggy door to the outside in my back room, It is great! When I want to keep them in or out I just shut the cabinet doors. In winter keeping them closed keeps the snow out.

Plastic soda bottles with a few hole make great garden watering appliances, old crock pot inserts with a hole drilled in the bottom make great outdoor planters because they are heavy enough for keeping the plant upright in a rain storm. Cardboard boxes were the greatest toy ever invented for both the human child and feline. Old plastic quick microwave meal dishes make great cat and dog dishes.

Old mobile homes painted red equal barn for storage, and unroad worthy semi-trailer trailers equal storage. Old bunk bed under the mattress support pipes equal very nice plant supports. Old tent screen doors make nice replacement screens for windows and doors. I once used the blades off an old celling fan and attached them to a ford tractor generator and made a windmill to generate electric to run a night light.

It does not have to be fancy to do the job. You do have to be over the "gotta have it new" phase, and you have to be willing to hear the "wow, how did you come up with that?"

All these recycling projects will need a tool or two, always use the right tool for the job and use it for its intended purpose. Protect your eyes and ears if using power tools. You only have one set.

.....we're all in this together....

Deb

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Saving On The Electric Bill

I walked around the house the other day assessing what I have plugged in. I have been looking to get control of my electric bill. Some of my plug-ins are no brainers. The frig, and the water pump are necessities. Everything else is a want.

Keeping in mind that some things draw electric even if they are turned off; chargers for the electric drill and cell phone for example, as well as the microwave because mine has the LED clock. My printer, although in the saver mode must be drawing something for the on/off button to blink to let me know it is on power saver mode.

So I went around plug by plug and realized that I was being nickel and dimmed to death. Perhaps some of you are too.I went around and unplugged everything except the computers and the frig (the water pump is wired directly to the breaker box). I unplugged chargers, adapters, TVs, radio's, the dish box, the microwave, coffee maker, anything that might draw electric...or not.

What I discovered is that for the two dozen things I unplugged in a week I have plugged only maybe 6 back in and of the 6 I can unplug them every night before I go to bed, or after I am done using it. I have no idea what I was leaving all that other stuff plugged in for. Since when my electric was restored it blew up my larger TV I am using the portable TV and I am sure it uses less electric than the larger one.

All my clocks are now battery operated, and the alarm clock is a wind up. A little exercise never hurt anyone. I bought a solar flood light and it is mounted on my back door. I bought a set of the string solar yard lights and mounted the solar panel in the side of my back room, drilled a small hole in the wall and sent the wire through the wall, attached the lights in the back room so that at night I can see when I come home. I do not have to leave a light on for hours while I am gone at night. They do not give a 60 watt bright light, but you can see where you are going so you do not fall over the cat or dog trying to get into the house. Did you ever notice how the cat or dog looks at you when that happens?

Another thing I have started to do is go to bed when it gets dark. I know that sounds kind of mid evil but I find that I am getting a good nights sleep because I am going to bed at a reasonable hour and I am not up til 11pm with all the lights burning. In the winter it is a little impractical when it gets dark at 4:30pm, but as the farmer says's you gotta make hay when the sun is shining, aka. save the bucks when you can.

I wash all my clothes in cold water now. I found with the new laundry detergents out there washing in hot water in almost any case is a waste of energy. I also hang my clothes on a clothes line when ever possible and do laundry when the weather is fair. I also never do anything but a full load. The washer exerts the same amount of energy for a low load as it does for a full one and I am out to the the biggest bang for my buck.

I do not run the AC unless my indoor thermometer reads 90 degrees. I open the windows and run a fan when it is below that. I realize that there are people who may have a lower temp tolerance, but my point is know what you can tolerate and use it as a point of reference.

When it comes to my computer I do not always shut it completely down at night. Since I make my living on a computer I have a extensive amount of information on it and it can take up to 20 minutes for it to start up and load. Once or twice a week I take the plunge and shut it down to reboot, and when I do this I do it at night so it will be off all night. The monitors do get unplugged each night as well as the printer and other accessories.

With these changes I have gone from $150.00 a month to under $90.00 a month. Yes it is a little bit of work to remember to shut everything off at night, and yes there have been nights where I have crawled into bed, got comfortable, and almost asleep when I realize I left something plugged in. And yes I get up and go unplug it. I have gotten used to the extra cash in my pocket and I am not giving it up!

....we're all in this together

Deb


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Monday, June 14, 2010

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Electric Is On

The electric service is now on in the house. I have to say as a company New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) sucks, their people however make up for it. The guys that worked on my pole were knowledgeable and accommodating. They did everything they could to minimize the time I would be without power.

I think this is a situation where the company does not know the value of customer service, or the people they have working for them. I watched a show on television once about where the President of the company takes a position with the people in his company. The employees have no idea who he is and he gets a good dose of what is going on in the ranks as well as the expectations his company has on the employees. He observes the customer orientation to his company in real time, unbuffered by suck-ups. I think this should be a federal law. I think every pencil pusher should have to perform a duty of their employees every year. I think companies would be run differently, customers would be treated differently and the world would be a better place for it.

So, that said I would like to thank the Employees of NYSEG at the Hammondsport, NY substation for all their help (Ed,Ron & Jeff), and wish Ed a happy retirement and God Speed. Your service to NYSEG, at least from my view has earned you your retirement for sure!

I would also like to thank Ed Hall, the Electrical Inspector for being so helpful and accommodating when it came to coming with lightening speed to inspect the service pole so I could get the electric turned back on as soon as possible.

Major thanks to my parents for helping with the cost of the project until I get the second job to pay them back because the job I have just does not allow for saving anything, and to my brother Ed for the time he took out of his Ice Distribution Business to help set the pole, and to Don Patone, who owns a local tree cutting business for stopping to help with wiring the service box. I would also like to thank Jerry at Empire Telephone for transfering the phone line on his way home from work,(I did not even call them, he saw it was going to need to be done and we had the pole in place and he took the initative to help without being asked...a service so appreciated but lost to so many companies!Hats off to Empire Telephone in Prattsburgh, NY!!!!!) and for the support at Empire afterwords to get my phone and internet up to speed. Thank you too to my employer and my co-workers for their support and understanding as they had to take up the slack for me in my absence.As it is said.......it takes a village.

Thanks again to everyone.

And as it goes..........
Deb

Thursday, May 20, 2010

New York State Electric and Gas: Customer Review

New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) is one of the electric utility's here in New York. Since I have lived other places in NY and experienced customer service with other companies I can say that I feel qualified to review this company.

In the last 18 years I have paid over $10,840 in delivery fees. In that 18 years I have not called for service, nor have they spent any of that money to directly supply my electric, other than the original lines from the transformer to the pole.

The storm that occurred on May 8th, 2010 broke the pole and left it dangling, being suspended buy the electrical wires and guide wire. In the process it stretched the wires in the box as well. I called NYSEG and they totally blew me off. I have a dangerous situation and they have a total disregard for public safety. I do not know about you but to me it is a little scary. If the pole falls completely it will cause the wires to be pulled out of the transformer, probably causing an explosion.

I called to get the juice turned off so we could correct the service panel and they gave me a bunch of bull about making an appointment and maybe needing an engineer. For Christ sake, what a money grabbing bunch of thief's. I will tell you what. From this day forward I am going to do everything in my power to make sure they do not get one penny more from me.

I would rather spend my money on batteries than give it to them. Those people all drive new vehicles, get vacation time and sick time, they have health plans and who knows what else for benefits. I work from home on my computer, and qualify for HEAP, and other assistance. I do not get paid vacation, sick days, a raise or a health plan.

If I called RG&E (Rochester Gas & Electric) about all this they would have been here 2 weeks ago, and the whole thing would have been taken care of. I would not have had to put my employer in a bad situation, I would not be worrying about it falling on a car coming into the driveway, or falling when someone is walking up the road. I would not be worrying about it shorting out and popping or burning a breaker in the house.

Maybe if they remembered who paid the wages they would be a little more accommodating. On June 13, 2010 we should all shut the electric off in the house and see who pays the wages on Monday. The real slap in the head to us all is the raise they got. Everyone does realize that your bill will be going up shortly, right? They are crying because they only got half of what they asked for. With service like this I can't understand how they got any.

I will update as the days go by. The lesson learned is do not buy property in the NYSEG service area. They admitted several years ago to the Town Board that they used shotty second hand equipment to service this area, I guess it does not stop there.

Want to see what they promise? Go here: nyseg.com.
Just remember they are a for-a-large-profit business.

....and as it goes.
Deb

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Anybody Pulling Their Hair Out over A 2001 Chevy Tracker?

Well, I am. I own a 2001 Chevy Tracker. It is my first 4-wheel drive vehicle. I love being able to have access to the 4 wheel drive in bad weather, and it sits high enough to take through the field if I have to but the thing is nickel and diming me to death.

Two years ago the timing chain broke. The codes read that there was a problem with the cam shaft sensor. Yep sure was, it was not turning because the timing chain was broke. That said my two brothers and Dad tore the thing down and commenced surgery. They did an excellent job and the thing ran real well (so my daughter says because I never got to drive it after ward). About a year ago it started to run rough and now I can't take it out of the driveway without 3 feet to keep it running (it is a standard and have to keep one foot on the gas all the time, which leaves my left foot to the clutch and brake at the same time). It has no power and when you live in a region as I do where you are either going up or down and there is no flat road this is a problem.

The thing has 135,000 miles on it, which now days really is not that many, but she acts like she has 200,000. I like Chevy. Even my little Daewoo Lanos Hatchback which I might add has an engine light that NEVER goes off, unless something serious happens. The last time the engine light went off in that was when the timing belt broke. So unless the engine light is on in that car I do not dare drive it, and if I am driving it and the engine light goes off I get really scared because it means big bucks.The main problem here is that in NY if the engine light is on you can't get it inspected. Last year my mechanic had the vehicle for 2 months trying to get the light to off long enough to inspect it. The car purrs like a kitten though, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The Tracker on the other hand will likely kill me and the engine light is not on. Thanks New York State to signing my death certificate over a damn engine light.

Perhaps my family will sue New York State when I kill myself driving a vehicle deemed to be safe by NY, that really is not, but because it will pass inspection it is the only vehicle I will have to drive. The New York State vehicle inspection program is nothing but a scam to fill the coffers, and maybe if more people died and families sued over it they would make the program based on safety instead of politics.

So I guess if you have a unsafe vehicle you have to drive like me because you live in New York State I will look forward to meeting you on the other side to swap body parts and horror stories.

And as it goes....
Deb