Special Speech

Drive In Theatres
Known then as the “passion pit”, Drive In Theatres bring back many happy memories! My birthday being in July was the prime season for Drive In movies. I would invite all my friends over to celebrate my birthday complete with my mother’s homemade barbeque sandwiches which was my favorite.She would make it from sliced rump roast and then lay the meat in an electric skillet smothered in barbeque sauce. Just before dark we would all pile into a car and head for the drive In. I still remember the intermission jingle “Let’s all go to the lobby” with the hot dog, soda drink and popcorn dancing across the screen. The Drive In was the favorite place to go on a date and the after the show we would go to the Steak n Shake for a hamburger and fries. At that time you stayed in your car and your food was brought to you. A tray holder was placed on the drivers side window to hold the food. It was just brought to my attention from my teenage grandchildren that “going steady” is no longer used. I asked them what do you call it now? They replied just “going out”. Makes no sense to me, but that is how times change. Back in the 50’s and 60’s when you were “going steady”, the girl would be given her boyfriends ring to wear. Because they were always too big to fit, we would wrap the back with white bandage tape and then cover that with fuzzy angora yarn in different colors.. way too cool! The only place you could buy the angora in my town was a department store downtown and I can still remember that they did not have cash registers at the counters, but instead the clerk would send your money through a vacuum tube that led upstairs to the cashiers office. It was much like the drive in banking tube that is used today.

Rock n Roll
The summer of 1955 with Bill Haley’s song “Rock Around the Clock” changed the music we listened to forever. I was hooked. Then came Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and the rest is history. Every Saturday I would walk downtown to Lindstrom’s Record store and listen to the latest hits and always come home with at least one new 45. In my bedroom next to my bed was my radio that I would listen to every night just to hear the newest songs. Radio at that time was AM only and at night with less interference in the airwaves I could pick up a station from Little Rock which was about 600 miles from where I lived. The commercial that I will never forget was for White Rose Petroleum Jelly. I was so excited the night I heard the song “Sea Cruise” that I ran down to Lindstrom’s to buy it only to find out that it wasn’t available yet. My parents did not like Rock n Roll and would say it sounds like noise. They did however “put up” with it and allowed me to play my record player as loud as it would go which was not very loud when compared to today’s stereos. Now we have a stereo in the living room, a portable stereo in the garage complete with subwoofer, subwoofers on our computers and a subwoofer in the car. My love for music has stayed with me and the music and the equipment to play it with just keeps getting better.

Clothes
Cuffed bobbie socks worn with suede “buckskin” shoes or saddle shoes that came in all color combinations and styles from light weight to the original heavier oxford in black and white. The sleeves were always cuffed and rolled on the girls short sleeve shirts, and finished off with a scarf around the neck. Wool skirts with the length at the middle of the calf with a slit in the back. The favorite hair styles were pony tails, and shoulder length hair that was rolled at the ends with bangs and usually a side part. Barrettes were often used as decoration and to hold the hair away from the face. The boys typical clothes were blue jeans with cuffed legs, a t-shirt with rolled sleeves, or a shirt with the back of the collar turned up. They wore various short hair styles ranging from the butch to slightly longer Elvis style that was combed back and held in place with VO5 Hair Dressing into a duck tail or DA as it was called. Going to church on Easter Sunday was a sight to behold! All the women and young girls (me included) wore a hat adorned with artificial flowers along with white gloves.

Toys and Hobbies
I wasn’t much into dolls as a child because I preferred to be outside exploring or making something with my hands. The one doll that I did enjoy for a short time was the Ginny Doll that is tucked away in a closet complete with all the clothes, accessories and furniture along with a Toni Doll still in the original box almost untouched. The Toni Doll was a Christmas gift and I was evidently at the age that it just didn’t interest me much. Easy Bake Oven has been around for 50 plus years as I was given one for Christmas when I was 8 years old and made and ate all the cakes the first night. Needless to say, I got very sick later that night! One of my weekly downtown stops was the local Hobby Shop that sold Paint by Number products. I would sit at a desk in the sunroom and paint for hours. I painted a black tole waste basket and Kleenex box holder that was given to my Mother as a gift. They also sold magic tricks that fascinated me and I would give magic shows at home on the piano bench covered with a black antique crazy quilt. Two other toys I have fond memories of was the Hula Hoop and the Slinky.

Burma Shave
The old motels are now a thing of the past having been replaced with travel hotels. More rooms in a smaller space, but not as convenient as the motels where you would park right in front of your room. When our family would take car trips we would see the Burma Shave signs along the road and read them out load as we passed them.
DON’T TRY PASSING
ON A SLOPE
UNLESS YOU HAVE
A PERISCOPE
BURMA-SHAVE.

If computers had come along 45 years sooner, I think my life would have been very different. Oh well, better late than never.

About the author:

Barbara Wangelid along with her husband Tobbe are the owners of www.JackandFriends.comwhere you can purchase vintage and retro reproduction signs, enamelware, antique labels, 1950’s retro, Crosley Radio replicas and classic pedal cars.

Well water problems and what to do about them

Submitted by: Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector Lic GI 0121, President of Accurate Inspections, Inc, a New Jersey home inspection company

Many homes in the United State have domestic drinking water provided by private wells. Private well water should be tested every six months or so to determine if it is still safe to drink or not.

Some home owners sometimes do not test the water becasue they feel if they do not know about a problem one may not exist. Others feel that problems with the water can be difficult or expensive to treat.

Problems with contaminated well water can have create health hazards, especially for people who are already sick.

I have Coliform Bacteria in my water. What do I do?

Coliform bacteria is a common contaminant in many water supplies. Public water supplies treat for this condition daily with chlorine. If found in private well water, it can also be treated by chlorine disinfection. In fact, the most common contaminant found in untreated well water is coliform bacteria. Most are not harmful if they are present at low levels. However, certain types such as E.Coli or fecal coliform, should not be present even at low levels. Annual chlorination is recommended for private wells. There are other treatment methods available, such as continuous chlorine injection or UV treatment. See Water Treatment for more information.

My first draw lead sample did not conform to standards. What does this mean?

Until recently pipe solder contained lead. As water sits in plumbing pipes the lead dissolves (especially if the water is acidic). The cheapest and easiest way to avoid exposure to lead, in this instance, is to only drink or cook with water that has not been in your plumbing pipes for long. Prior to use, run cold water until the temperature changes, from about room temperature to about 40F degrees. The \”cold\” water will be fresh from the well!

I have a water softener and my water tested high for sodium. What does this mean?

The water sample may have been drawn when the water softener shifted into a backwash cycle or repair or adjustment of the water softener may be necessary. Contact the vendor or manufacturer of the water softener to determine the best way to proceed. Many home owners have changed to potassium chloride instead of the more commonly used sodium chloride to avoid problems, check with the vendor or manufacturer to determine if this is allowable.

The pH of my well water does not conform to standards. What does this mean?

The pH is a measurement of the acidity of water. The lower the pH, the more acidic the water. The pH of most well water is generally less than 7.0, for areas in sandy soil, and higher if the soil conditions are rocky or contain certain clays. In most cases non-conformity is due to a low pH (
Buying a home in New Jersey? www.NewJerseyHomeInspection.com has a listing of home inspectors in all counties of new Jersey. New Jersey Home Inspections are performed by the author of this artical Michael Del Greco in Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic Counties.

How Your Heat Pump Functions

Submitted by: Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector Lic GI 0121, President of Accurate Inspections, Inc, a New Jersey home inspection company

By learning how the systems in your home operate, you can often troubleshoot problems when they develop. At the very least, you will be able to talk intelligently with a contractor who is brought in to correct a problem. Showing that you \”know your stuff\” can gain you respect and possibly better service.


A heat pump serves two functions: to heat and cool your home. A central air system simply cools the house. Air conditioning units operate the same way the heat pump\’s cooling side works. Here\’s how your heat pump operates:


With your heat pump unit in the air conditioning mode, the compressor compresses Freon gas. (It does this in both the heating and cooling mode.) When you compress gas, as with anything, you develop heat. You get a high pressure gas that is very hot — typically between 190-240 degrees. The hot gas gets pushed into the outside coil. The outside coil\’s fan, which is on, is drawing the outside air across the coil. The 90 degree outside air is significantly cooler than the gas inside the coil. This is why you feel warm air coming off an air conditioning unit.


The cooling of the gas causes a change in state. The hot gas converts into a warm liquid, one of the unique properties of Freon. The warm liquid continues through the final portion of the coil and moves inside to the evaporator, which creates space for the liquid to expand. The liquid expands into a low-pressure gas, which is now cold. The cold gas goes through the \”A coil,\” which is inside the plenum of the heating system ductwork. The cold gas makes the coil cold.


The cooling into the house occurs from drawing the warm house air across the coil. The velocity and volume of air across the coil dictates the temperature of the air on the other side of the coil. The technician will set the fan speed up so you get a 15-17 degree differential between the supply and return air.


The cold gas moves through the coil and is pushed back into the suction line to the outside unit, which draws the cold gas back to the compressor where the whole process starts over.


In the heating mode, the compressor does the same thing. However, instead of pushing the hot gas to the outside coil, it pushes it to the inside coil. Once into the inside coil, a similar process happens. Hot gas moves around the coil. The air from the house takes the heat off the coil, which is desirable, but while it does this it drops the temperature of the gas. When it does this enough, the high pressure gas changes into a liquid. This continues through the coil, then through the expansion valve which allows the liquid to change to a low-pressure cold gas. This cold gas is taken to the outside coil — the opposite of the AC mode — but simply by moving gas/liquid the other way. Once it goes through the outside coil, it ends up back at the compressor and then starts the process over again. In either mode, the compressor simply compresses the Freon gas.


There is one more important point when the system is in the heating mode and the cold gas comes to the outside coil. If the temperature is low enough, you may start to freeze the outside coil. When this happens, you will develop ice. When you start to form ice, the unit will automatically change to a defrost cycle. An outside thermostat controls this function. The defrost cycle will reverse or change the function back to the AC mode and defrost that outside coil.


Note: While defrosting the outside coil, you will have back-up heat engaged on the inside. The back-up heat could be electric or a furnace operation. This will be dictated by the electric and fossil-fuel costs.


When the temperature drops too low and too frequently, this situation becomes economically impractical and the compressor will shut down and will heat with the back-up process.



Information provided by Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector Lic. GI 0121, American Society of Home Inspectors Member 102273, Pesident of Accurate Inspections, Inc. A West Paterson New Jersey Home Inspection firm.

Native trees tolerant of wet soils are special group of trees. These trees are able to be in soils that retain water for sometimes weeks on end. I have compiled this list to help you find suitable trees for the north east. This is not a complete list but one of common EZ to plant nursery stock, but these plants should do well in most of the North Penn Township Pa. area. Our main farm is in Doylestown Pa. so if you need these plants we are not far away.

Red and silver maple (Acer rubrum, A. saccarinum)

River Birch Trees a tree for wet areas!!!! (Betula nigra) Catalpa spp.

Ash (Fraxinus spp.) Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) Sycamores (Platanus spp.)

Native shrubs tolerant of wet soils: Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) Leatherwood (Dirca palustris) Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) Sparkleberry holly A great berry producer!!!

Inkberry (Ilex glabra) Pussy willow (Salix discolor)

Willow Trees Trees for wet areas!!!!

Shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)

Spicebush my long time favorite!!

Black Chokeberry produces great berry crops for the birds!!

You can see more plant info at my web site http://www.seedlingsrus.com

Home remodeling is a very common event that the home owners undertake. This is in fact true for I know that all of us want our homes to look better and be more comfortable to live in. So for those who are thinking about home remodeling, here are some of the essential guides to help you in your project.

The first step to be considered for home remodeling is the home design. At first most of the people think on what way will their home look better and what is the possible design that will fit for the natural aura of the place. The concept of design for home remodeling in this sense comes in. So for the design for home remodeling you should decide if you want to hire an architect, a designer expert, or other home remodeling masters to visualize your home remodeling ideas. In such case, it is necessary to think for the design for home remodeling that you can afford and you really love. A certain rapport with the home remodeling contractor is important as well for a solid work. And then, decide for a certain budget for your home remodeling and stick with it.

The second consideration for home remodeling is the implementation. In this move for you home remodeling, you must plan and review your home remodeling design with your contractor for any suggestions that will help you in your home remodeling whether about the flow or about the costs. Then choose materials and products for your home remodeling project. If possible try to select first those materials for your home remodeling project that is needed right away and those that need enough time. The time for the home remodeling contractor to come up with a detailed construction schedule and procedures and to get some construction crews must also be given attention.

Another important thing to consider for your home remodeling project is the conference. It is important that in every home remodeling project, there should be a conference between the home owner, the home remodeling contractor and his job-site supervisor, the architect or designer, any other construction crews who will be working with your home remodeling project. In this case, you must take note some of the important matters involved in your home remodeling project and send memos for any possible changes from the original plan. It is as well significant that you set ground rules for your home remodeling project between you and your home remodeling contractor or the job-site supervisor, and if possible try to think for a communication plan that will definitely take place between you and your home remodeling contractor and the other important persons under your home remodeling project. In such case, the common noted primary contact person is the job-site supervisor. If you are really serious with your home remodeling project, then you should pay attention to every details or comments or questions regarding your home remodeling project.

Lastly, the idea for setting up some things in your home remodeling project must also be considered. Remove the personal things from the work area and if possible you try to put up a temporary mini kitchen in another part of the house. And for your home remodeling, you should try to set up some trash bins, portable toilet, and construction fence for better movement. And make room for large belongings which are delivered at this point.

And once your home remodeling is finished you might want to think about decorating it. Original home decorating items can be found at http://www.art-ickles.com, which sells unique handicrafts brightly colored with tropical themes.

Magalie Noel Dresse is the Webmaster of www.home-00.info, an informative site on home decor, improvement and real-estate.

Landscaping is a wonderful pastime enjoyed by many. It provides a natural beauty and needs no ornaments or other attractive items to help achieve its magnificence. What it does need, however, is a little TLC from you and great ideas to keep the landscape design ever changing and up to date.

Landscape design is an art that not only gives you the freedom to express yourself, but also makes your home more beautiful and inviting. Landscape design is an ever growing popular pastime for middle class suburban adults, who find enjoyment in complementing their home and neighborhood with new and exciting landscape designs. More are learning how to do their own landscaping, rather than hire a company to do it for them.

There are many methods of landscape design to explore. You can trim your hedges or bushes in a decorative manner. For instance, you may want to cut every other hedge a foot shorter than the next to produce a rolling effect. You could also put a large decorative fountain in the middle of your yard. This is a costly option but, if you can afford it, looks gorgeous.

If you don’t feel that landscape design is for you, then think about it like this…how much expense and trouble have you gone through to make sure the inside of you home is coordinated and looks great for visitors? Does your living room have a theme? Do you have paintings and sculptures placed around your home? More people see the outside of you home than the inside. Most of your neighbors base their view of you by how good your yard looks. So why go through the trouble inside if your not going to do the same outside?

If you are considering landscape design, or have already dabbled in it a bit, you know the importance of working with an experienced landscaper. For information on finding a professional in your area, check out the local yellow pages or the internet. There you will find everything you seek all in one spot.