As the weather hints of warmth and the spring buds appear on trees, firewood may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But early spring is the ideal time to buy or gather your firewood for your fireplace or woodstove. Why? Here are 5 good reasons:
1. Firewood needs at least six months to season. If you want your firewood ready for the cool days of next fall, now’s the time to be getting it.
2. Insects living under the bark are dormant in early spring. When you store firewood now for use next fall or winter, any insects will likely die before you bring the firewood into your home. That’s a plus!
3. Prices for firewood are generally down in early spring, and the supplies are good. Buying now instead of waiting for cold weather to buy your firewood will save you money.
4. Fuel costs, especially the cost of heating oil, are rising. Many people will be turning to their fireplaces as a source of supplemental heat, especially when they see their fuel bills next winter. So next fall is expected not only to have the regular seasonal increase in firewood prices but also to see additional price increases due to unusually high demands. Buying your firewood now puts you ahead of those price increases that are forecast for firewood next fall.
5. Landowners whose property has been logged will welcome you if you ask permission to salvage firewood. Loggers leave behind about 50% of each tree, cluttering the landscape but providing you with free firewood. With a chain saw and a wood splitter, you can tailor your firewood to the dimensions of your fireplace. There’s considerably less competition for this free firewood in early spring than there is during the cooler seasons.
So go ahead and let your thoughts turn to springtime, but get a jump on next fall now, too. When the cool weather returns, you’ll be glad to have your seasoned firewood waiting for you.
About the Author: Susan Penney appreciates simple ways to make our homes renewing spaces for our families. She invites you to visit http://www.FireplaceMall.com for fireplace accessories to serve your fire-less or your fire-filled fireplace.
Source: www.isnare.com
Cheap backpacks can be made, but I don’t recommend it. Unless you are extremely skilled at sewing, it isn’t likely to come out like you want. Also, even if you are an expert, it will probably take less of your time to pick up an extra day at work and buy a pack with the earnings.
On the other hand, if you have an old backpack frame, you can make a cheap backpack with it. Remove the old pack, and tie a plain nylon duffel bag to it firmly, with the zipper facing out. Small bungee cords will work for attaching it too. I did this using an old aluminum frame that still had straps and a waist belt, and for the cost of a $15 duffel bag, I had an external-frame backpack that not only held a lot, but weighed just two pounds.
Buying Cheap Backpacks
There are several ways to buy cheap backpacks. The most obvious is to just wait for a good sale. A quicker way is to shop for a used pack online. Try Ebay.com, or go to a backpacking or other outdoor forum that allows people to sell their gear, like whiteblaze.net. The forums are nice, because you can easily ask questions about the pack.
You can also buy used backpacks cheap at rummage sales. Watch the ads for any mention of outdoor gear, and call to see if they have a backpack you might want. You may be able to buy it before the sale starts. Otherwise, start shopping early, and negotiate a bit. I recently sold a beautiful Kelty frame-pack for $15 at a garage sale.
Thrift stores sometimes have cheap backpacks. More often they have day packs, but you never know. I have seen big old frame packs that were rough at thrift shops, and it occurred to me that for a few dollars I could just toss the pack, and use the frame with a duffel bag, as described above.
Another way to keep the cost down is to go light. The lightweight backpacks, unlike other lightweight gear, are always cheaper than the big packs. If you have been thinking about lightening the load, you can save money too. Ultralight backpacks are usually under two pounds and frame-less. You’ll probably use a sleeping pad as a “frame” of sorts. The good news is that they are often on sale for under $100.
Go-Lite has several packs that are near $100, and sometimes on sale for less than that. The list price on the Granite Gear Virga Ultra Light Packer may still be under $100, and I have seen it on sale for under $80. It also weighs only 21 ounces, a bonus for me, as I like the idea of light AND cheap backpacks.
If you like to enjoy the thundering bass and wraparound sound that you often experience at the movie theater, then building your own home theater with surround sound may be just what you need. The technology has been steadily progressing in recent years and now it appears that the equipment and formats needed for true surround sound are in place. And as always, improvements are constantly being made.
One of those recent improvements is wireless surround sound speakers. It’s not hard to understand the attraction that such a feature can offer if you have ever tried to set up a home audio system before. Installing the actual electronic components themselves is fairly quick and painless, but then you are faced with the all important question of where to put the speakers so they produce the best sound. And on top of that, you have to figure out how to run the speaker wires so that they aren’t hanging out there in obvious sight. And suppose you run the wires for your speakers and then find out that you want to move them around to try a different setup? Well, you can understand how challenging surround sound speaker installation can be sometimes.
So someone came up with the idea of making wireless surround sound speakers instead. It sounds like the perfect solution, and may be for you, but you also should be aware of both the pluses and negatives involved.
On the plus side, you can theoretically place the speakers anywhere you want in the room without having to consider running wires at all. You can also change the configuration of your speakers around easily and find the best surround sound setup that fits your room. Because there are no wires to run, you don’t have to color-code anything or make sure that you match up the wires to the right connection which is often so confusing for most people.
On the negative side, there is one major drawback that must be considered and that is how the speakers will be powered. Normally speakers that are connected by wires are powered using the current sent from the receiver or amplifier, but wireless surround sound speakers don’t have a power source, so they must be plugged into a wall outlet on their own. That does negate some of the benefits of using them in the first place, namely being able to put them wherever you want without worrying about connections. However, that all depends on your particular room setup and how well endowed your home is for electrical outlets. At least a power outlet should be closer than the receiver that is on the opposite side of the room.
Some surround sound speaker systems are coming with only the two rear speakers setup as wireless. This does make sense as they are usually the ones that create the most problems when setting up a surround sound speaker installation. But before you buy, just plan out your room carefully and decide where in general you would like to put your speakers for best performance and then you can know better whether a wireless surround sound system will be a good choice for you or not.
Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including audio and video. You can find out more about surround sound setup and surround sound installation by visiting our Home Theater website.
We should be familiar with the BASIC hallmarks mentioned on the website. It might pay you to read them again, just to bring you up to speed and ensure you have grasped the principles. If you have not yet had the chance to read them please go to the website listed below.
Let’s quickly remind ourselves where we should be regarding Hallmarks.
The first three marks mentioned before were:
1: The Makers mark
2: The Assay Office mark
3: The Quality mark
And that brings us to the last mark…
4: The Date stamp.
Please note that more mistakes are made with this mark than any other.
This is caused by two reasons.
The first: because 26 letters can only be used for 26 years (a different one for each year, although they did use italics or capitals for a change). So in order to extend their use, they changed the shape of the stamp mark itself.
One series of 26 years may use a Shield shape, while the next 26 years may use a square shape with the corners trimmed off. Go figure?
And second: because humans being humans, (and contrary to common belief, Jewelers are Human), a manufacturer who lived in Birmingham had to use one shape of stamp, while jewelers in London had to use another shape.
All very good, you say, until a jeweler who USED to live in London went to Birmingham to work and took all his old tools and stamps with him, and couldn’t be bothered (they cost money) to buy a new set. So he used his old set….
Ahhh… Life is never simple.
However; and in general terms, if all else fails use common sense.
As London was the Largest and most common stamp, you may find a Birmingham mark with a slightly wrong date stamp, although the date YEAR mark should be the same.
By using all of the marks together and taking into account the wear and look of the item – plus what it is, you should get fairly close to accurate.
If your still not sure, get a written valuation done with your local professional Jewelry Appraiser, and use that piece of paper as fact.
Even though YOU know, they are going through the same process of ‘Dating’ it’s still a little confusing. Plus it’s not the only form of Dating I get confused with…? And my plastic eyeglass doesn’t help at all….
Look out for these tips next time you’re spying with your eyeglass.
HALLMARKING TIPS #1:
In Circa 1821 the Leopard’s Head Hallmark became ‘Uncrowned’
In Circa 1891 Queen Victoria’s head was no longer used in Hallmarking.
The major point is to use ALL of the Hallmarks, not just the date letter.
Also check the style of an item, as this could give a clue to the period.
HALLMARKING TIPS #2:
As a general rule, Hallmarks should be assessed by going from the ‘Big Picture’ to the ‘Small Picture’ or the particular date in question.
For example: Date the article within a 25 year time span first, as this can be calculated from the overall ‘SHAPE’ or style of the stamp mark (Shield or Oval etc). Then go to the actual ‘Year’ stamp mark.
Remember, these can sometimes be wrong, but if we are in the ballpark, so to speak, we won’t be too far out.
It is interesting to note that the expression ‘Circa’ or ‘c’ actually means ‘around’…
Silver imported into England carried the ‘F’ mark (for Foreign) between 1883 – 1904.
HALLMARKING TIPS #3:
It is helpful if we can remember some of the more important changes to Hallmarking and just how that effected Quality.
For example:
The quality of Hallmarked Gold can give us a clue regarding its age.
Items of 22ct stamped with the ‘Lion passant’ were made up to 1844.
After that date items were stamped 22ct with a ‘Crown’ hallmark.
HALLMARKING TIPS #4:
UKHM stands for the United Kingdom Hall Marks and has been in existence since 1300. Yes… 1300!
The basic marks are:
The Assay Mark which indicated the ‘Guarantee of Quality’.
The Origin Mark which shows WHERE it was Assayed.
The Duty Mark to confirm ‘Tax’ had been paid.
The Maker’s Mark to indicate the company or individual who made the item.
The Date Mark based on the letters of the Alphabet, changing each year.
The Assay year was NOT a Calendar year as it began (as for London) in May. That means it covered TWO Calendar years.
There are several other SPECIAL REPORTS available through our eMail-on-Demand subscription box at the website, so please take some time to visit.
There is a timely warning on Security issues. It’s good advice, plus there is some great tips on Investing in Jewelry, Insurance guidelines and other notes on selling, Hallmarking tips etc, and they are being added to all the time.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this special report. If you thought it interesting, useful or found it helped you in any way I would appreciate your comments via email at the address shown below.
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Thank you… As usual take care and watch the road… Kind regards…
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P.P.S.
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(c)David Foard – All Rights reserved
David Foard F.G.A.A.
President gemologist/valuer at the Online Jewelry Appraisal Center.
David Foard has spent over 30 years in the Antique Jewelry Trade as a qualified gemologist and member of the Valuers Council. Get a FREE 3 part ‘Hallmarking Report’ on How to Identify your Jewelry Hallmarks at Home or Work by going to ==> http://www.jewellery-antiques.com and grabbing yourself a
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gemmo1@jewellery-antiques.com