Winterize Your House & Garden

"If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day" - John A. Wheeler

Today I recommend an excellent blog on ways to winterize your garden and house at http://gallimaufree.wordpress.com/. It's a check list of tasks to do before winter hits with freezing temperatures. For example:

• Empty your garden hoses and put them up for the winter
• Check your furnaces and filters
• Wash all your blankets, feather beds, duvets, duvet covers, flannel sheets, and winter curtains.

Bottom Line

I'll personally vouch for one of the recommendations, "Make bags of long grain rice - tubes long enough to drape over your neck or squares to lay against your back or head or joints. These can be microwaved and used as heating pads. If you mix them with fragrant herbs, it will also smell nice."

My wife uses this trick every night in winter to warm her feet. I microwave two cloth bags filled with rice for about 3 minute and place them in the bed. It's a modern version of the coal filled bed warmer.