The mild winter that we are having here in the mid-Atlantic region has got my green thumb a itchin’ and I couldn’t wait any longer. Sure, we’re still struggling with frost here (and will be for some time), but at least we’re not like those guys in Anchorage. I heard they were dealing with -50. Well, at least it’s a dry cold (or is it?). While I’m happy to say that I don’t have to deal with those temps, I still have to be protective of my little babies that I still haven’t planted yet. So, I thought I’d share some quick tips for growing in coldish weather. Of course, if you have a heated greenhouse then there may be no reason to read this at all… [click to continue…]
Leroy
As you may have noticed, there seems to be no limit on movies, shows, toys, cartoons, and web information relating to all things zombie. In fact, there were no less than 26 zombie movies released in 2011. I know – pretty ridiculous – but guess what, there are a bunch more coming out in the year 2012. So with this plethora of atrocities coming to your video queue or to a movie theater near you, we at HomeFixated thought it was time to give a list of sweet tools that you could use during a zombie apocalypse or even just a highly contested scrabble game.
Earlier this summer I built this playground set for my son. Actually, the bulk of the wood is from a recycled ultra-pallet that was going to be thrown away at work, and as you may remember I have an affinity for reclaiming lumber. The other parts actually came pretty easily as well (not to mention cheaply). The rope net I made from rope and a piece of ½” PVC pipe for a grand total of about $20. The rock wall was part of the pallet, and the rocks came off of ebay for about $25. The slide was given to me by a co-worker. The only thing that I put any amount of money into is the sand box, which ran about $80, and if I had been a little more prudent I probably could have built it using other reclaimed wood. The bulk of the playground set actually fell under my two tenets for work, 1) I am very lazy and 2) I am very cheap (and more so the latter).
As you may know, perhaps my favorite home construction product is duct tape. I have my preferential brands and types depending on use. So you can imagine my joy when in the mail I found a package with my name on it, full of several rolls of Mossy Oak® camouflage Gorilla Tape®. It really was almost like Christmas had come early this year! The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, since the rolls arrived just prior to shotgun season here in Delaware. I mean sometimes the stars just align. [click to continue…]
Here is an organization that is really near to my heart, as I’m sure it is to many of you (so excuse my lack of overt humor on this one). Helmets to Hard Hats is an organization that is committed to helping retiring and honorably discharged service men and women find work in the construction trades. Between my love for building and my full time job on an air base, I have had the pleasure of working with a number of wonderful men and women, some of the finest that our country has to offer. According to Helmets to Hard Hats, over a quarter million service men and women are discharged annually from the military. And as we have only recently finished pulling out of Iraq and we begin to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, that number may increase. These troops will need to find jobs, but since the job market is flooded these days, finding a job can be tough even for highly trained men and women.
