Yesterday I spotted my first hummingbird. The daffodils planted in the center of the roundabout are in full, glorious bloom, or would be if the sun shone on them. The shrubberies are turning lime green as the leaves pop out anew. The lawn is growing and we await dry weather to mow it (I say we, but I mean my hubby.)
I'll be driving around the island tomorrow on the lookout for my favorite sign of Spring--newborn baby lambs. One friend tells me her brood hens have hatched out one chick, with 38 more to go! It's getting to be time to plant peas.
At 6 o'clock the sun still shines, somewhere that is. Not so much here, where clouds persist, and drizzles are the order of most days. On sunny days we rush to wash our cars, and the next day they muddy up again.
Is this enough to make us long for Santa Barbara? Yes, but only in a place to visit sort of way. I love those "markers" of one season melding into another. I'd like a buttery, daffodil, baby-chick fuzzy yellow sweater to wear under my black raincoat. 'Tis March on Bainbridge Island.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Green building and home improvement can mean greenbacks to you~
Homeowners often ask me what they can do to maximize the value of their homes for resale. My usual answer is to do the things you will enjoy or benefit from first.
President Obama's stimulus package has given us a reason to invest in our homes in a way that will help save our planet , making our houses more efficient, and that will give you cash back to help pay for the work. An article in The Christian Science Monitor clearly lays out the advantages of updating now.
Stimulus Plans Brings Green Home Improvement Tax Breaks
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Energy-saving systems for the attic, basement, and in between have effectively gone on sale, courtesy of the United States Congress.
Here's the link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0223/p13s01-wmgn.html. (I'm indebted to Sustainable Bainbridge for calling my attention to this article and posibility.)
The home improvements that seem best for Bainbridge Island are installing a heat pump, replacing low-e windows, adding insulation top and bottom, and perhaps changing out an inefficient water heater. I'm going to look into that last one myself; water heaters typically last about a dozen years. While I'm at it, I'm going to have the plumbing changed to install a recirculating system so I don't have to run water down the drain waiting for it to heat up.
Obama's package raises the ceilings on tax credits available, so there is real money possible, which will make the effort involved worth doing. The CSM article also gives links to other sites that help with navigating the system. Note, that the credits are valid only this year and next.
President Obama's stimulus package has given us a reason to invest in our homes in a way that will help save our planet , making our houses more efficient, and that will give you cash back to help pay for the work. An article in The Christian Science Monitor clearly lays out the advantages of updating now.
Stimulus Plans Brings Green Home Improvement Tax Breaks
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Energy-saving systems for the attic, basement, and in between have effectively gone on sale, courtesy of the United States Congress.
Here's the link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0223/p13s01-wmgn.html. (I'm indebted to Sustainable Bainbridge for calling my attention to this article and posibility.)
The home improvements that seem best for Bainbridge Island are installing a heat pump, replacing low-e windows, adding insulation top and bottom, and perhaps changing out an inefficient water heater. I'm going to look into that last one myself; water heaters typically last about a dozen years. While I'm at it, I'm going to have the plumbing changed to install a recirculating system so I don't have to run water down the drain waiting for it to heat up.
Obama's package raises the ceilings on tax credits available, so there is real money possible, which will make the effort involved worth doing. The CSM article also gives links to other sites that help with navigating the system. Note, that the credits are valid only this year and next.
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