Storm Windows

I live in a very old house. It has the original wooden sash windows and, when we moved in, the 70s era aluminum storm windows were in need of replacement.
Of course everyone expected us to replace the windows with thermopane vinyl. I was very reluctant to do this for a number of reasons.
To start with, the windows are arched at the top, so any replacements would either need to be custom made or alterations would need to be made to the lines of the house, both inside and out, which I felt would be unacceptable. For another, the inside windows are actually in fairly good shape after nearly 150 years and the useful life of vinyl windows is estimated at about 15 years. Lastly, I have been told that, well fitted, old fashioned wooden storms are almost as energy efficient as thermal windows.
All this convinced us to keep our old sashes and get new wooden storms custom made. This we did for around the same cost as replacement windows, although we did glaze them, paint them and install them ourselves.
The only snag is the biannual installation and removal. We don't remove them all, we have a lot of windows and doors and can create a cross-breeze with just a few windows open. But there are three windows upstairs that simply have to come off.
Here I share with you my invention for easy removal of storm windows. It still takes three of us to do it, although I think that one could probably manage it with the right ladder. My problem is that I can't manage the 32 foot ladder on my own and would always need someone to move it for me, if nothing else. anyway, it is easier with two or three people.
I bought good-quality hardware designed for nautical use. I might have been able to get away with cheaper parts but I didn't want to take any chances. I had originally intended to clip the harness directly onto the crossbar of the ladder but couldn't find clips big enough. The rope loops I tied to the bar work OK though, they stay on the ladder all year so only the harness needs to be unclipped.

Storm Window Harness

Harness connected to ladder cross-bar

This is a 32' ladder

Clip onto eyelets attached to storms

On both sides

When lowered to the ground, unclip.

This works just as well for raising the storms in the Fall.

Cheap and easy raised beds

Hi there,
splynch53 just shared an Instagram photo with you:

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"Cheap & easy raised garden beds"

Each bed is made with six 6 foot lengths of 1"x6", one 4 foot length of 2"x4" and 32 deck screws. Two of the boards are cut in half and the 2x4 is cut into four. You can probably figure out the rest from this picture. I filled each with 3 bags of last years leaves, about 8 cubic feet of compost, 2 cubic feet of peat moss and one of manure, in that order. Watered well and left to settle for a couple of days before planting.

Eat Local

I was intending to do a post on buying and eating local food, and I probably still will. In the meantime, someone shared this with me on Facebook. I think it sends the message far more eloquently than I could.

This isn't just about protecting local jobs. It stands to reason that food that is grown locally arrives at your table in a fresher cndition and without burning scarce fossil fuels to get there.
Thanks to www.realfoodmovement.ca for sharing. This is a Canadian video but I think the message is much the same wherever you live.

Day one

Having reached a stage in my life (somewhere between middle-aged and elderly) where I think I might have gained some knowledge worth sharing with the world, this bog will be about food, gardening, and general lifestyle. Sometimes it will be about computers, cars, plumbing, traveling, raising children or just about anything else I think might be worth sharing. Bear with me, it might take me a while to get it right.


A recent victim of the economy I have been forced into early retirement. As I can't actually afford to retire yet, much as I would like to, I will have to find some new ways to make a living. In the meantime I am trying to live as cheaply as possible without compromising too much on the quality of my life.

I have always been keen to do things myself, whether home-improvement, making clothes or building websites. I have to admit this is mostly because I am cheap. Ever since I was a child I have looked at things in the shops and thought "I am sure I could do that", and then started to do the math.

Comments are welcome, so long as they aren't abusive or simply self-promoting. I don't pretend to be an environmental expert or a trained nutritionist. In fact, I am not really an expert in anything, so if someone corrects me in a way that I find convincing, I will update the post accordingly.
I may sometimes quote or post links to articles that I find useful or interesting. When I do so I will always try to give full credit. There is nothing new under the sun and many of the recipes I have, and methods I use, owe something to someone else. I won't always be able to remember who should be credited, but let me know if you think I am plagiarizing and I will give credit where due.