DGK Has a Commercial

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We entered a contest and won air time and a creation of a commercial!  How very exciting.  Enjoy!!

13.1

On October 16, 2011, the Hershey Half Marathon was held in Hershey PA.  Three runners from our office with a family member and two friends totaling six participants headed to Hershey.  Almost six thousands runners and walkers filled the streets surrounding Hershey Park to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network. 

The air was chilly and damp.  The wind that gusted thirty mph the day before had slowed to a mere ten mph.  The trail taped off secured the road for the walkers and runners.  The hills and there were plenty rolled throughout the course.  Running the perimeter of Hersheypark, Chocolate World and then through the park along with neighboring communities kept the event exciting.  There were so many cheering people along the route.

Mile nine‘s Chocolate Aid Station was unique.  Volunteers handed miniature chocolate bars to the participants to “sugar-up” for the last four miles.  Did I mention hills?  Just when you thought there were no more hills in Hershey, there was one more at mile twelve.  The final mile was around the parking lot and into the stadium.  Once over the finish line, you received a sliver blanket to stay warm, Re-Gen sport drink, re-usable lunch bag with an amazing chocolate chip oatmeal cookie from Hershey Lodge, and a big Kiss finisher’s medal. 

This is my second half marathon.  I make myself anxious to the point of being ill prior to the race.  I am working on staying calm.  My friends are calm before the race and utilize their energy to run.  I am working on that.  Once running I enjoyed the sunny day with people cheering and bands playing music; it was a wonderful experience.  My friends and I will run this race again.   

If you ask why I run I do not always have the same answer.  Most times, it is to stay healthy and to relieve stress.  When I do not run, I want to bite my husband’s head off and I am just grumpy.  Running gives me a better attitude that I think keeps me healthy.  Sometimes I run so I can eat a slice of cake or fit into a pair of jeans.  On beautiful days, it is to experience NEPA at its finest.  Sometimes, I need to run away from myself.

The real question is why I enter races since I will NEVER win a medal.  My friends and daughter win races I do not and their times per mile I am in awe.   I am confident that my time will not earn a medal.  So why do it?  Entering in a race keeps me motivated; I want to finish what I started.  In addition, the running community cheering any run accomplishment is a warm friendly feeling. 

I will run in Berwick Thanksgiving Day.  They are expecting about two thousands participants.  I will not win the race and I will not win my age group but I will finish hopefully.  That is usually my goal.  As a runner, you are usually working on some goal.  I have a few others:  I do not want to finish last and I usually have a time per mile between ten and eleven minutes.  I have always made two out of my three goals.  The time goal is difficult for me.  I am working on that. 

Baby Its Cold Outside

My couple to-do list went into motion this past weekend! 

This weekend became insulation Saturday.  This to-do list had several projects.  Insulate all the plugs and switches on the outside walls, measure the insulation in the attic, purchase insulation if it measures less than 12 inches, purchase half inch (for the water lines) and three quarter inch (for the heat lines) pipe insulation (referred to as noodle) and install the noodles on the pipes in the basement and crawl space.  When I have projects slated for a weekend, I find I am successful if I do the easiest project first.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment and provides motivation for the larger projects. 

First up was the installation of the plug and light switch insulation.  I believe in the winter, I can feel the cold air coming from the plug and light switch.  My husband does not agree with me.  His comment when I installed the first plug was, “Wow!  It’s warmer in here already!”  I still installed all the insulation in the outside wall plugs and switches while he smirked at me.

The next item was the attic.  I do not like the attic.  The first step in overcoming a fear is admitting it.  I am spooked by the attic.  No reason really, I just am spooked by the attic.  My husband set up the ladder and I crawled in the opening and immediately saw we have over 20 inches of insulation!  Three cheers for the budget!  After I saw the amount of insulation, I held my breath to see if the second layer was non-barrier insulation and to my relief and joy, it was!  That made the attic less scary.

Since the insulation project in the attic turned into just an inspection, I then checked to ensure there were no leaks in the roof, no leaks around the chimney, and lastly, I checked the mortar on the chimney to see if repointing is necessary.    Repointing is not mysterious; it just means to replace the mortar between the bricks.  On the new list for the attic: roof fine, chimney fine and insulation fine.  I skipped down the ladder; really, I literally skipped down the ladder happy as can be. 

The last item was the pipe insulation.  I will admit I thought it was going to be a piece of cake to slap the noodles on the pipe.  I did not realize that someone would have to go into the crawl space; I confess, actually I forgot about the crawl space.  My husband tackled the crawl space since I inspected the attic.  It turned out my attic portion of the list was easier than the pipe insulation as he was going to be crawling around on his back installing the noodles, pulling the tape and sealing the noodles.  He  “noodle-d” the crawl space and I “noodle-d” the basement.  I am a foot shorter than my husband is.   Reaching the pipes, wrapping it in the noodle, pulling the tape and sealing it was more difficult than I anticipated.   When he finished in the crawl space, he came to my rescue and helped finish the basement.  His height advantage made reaching the band joist where the heat pipes run easier for him.  Together we completed the basement.



noodle pre-installation



We chose to insulate pipes, water and heat, in the crawl space, heat pipes in the basement, water pipes along the outer walls, and the accessible area below the sunroom.  We chose not to pull out the insulation in the floor and band joist under the sunroom to noodle the heat pipes.  We chose to leave some heat pipes exposed in the basement for heat.  The furnace lives in the basement but an actual radiator does not.  



noodle post installation

Our cost was minimal, under $100.00.  The outcome will be a success if I no longer feel the cold air from the outlets, the water in the kitchen and bathroom does not take as long to heat up or cool down, and the refill of our oil tank does not come so quickly.  I will keep you posted.   

I plan to research how much insulation should be in the crawl space.  It did not seem enough; I only stuck my head in for a second but...  I will have to rethink the crawl space.  Don’t tell my husband, he thinks the project is finished. 

Some Can Winterize

Fortunately, the massive flooding did not affect my home.  I am grateful that my concerns are for winterizing my home and not where will I live.  FEMA trailers are arriving in our area for people to live in while they rebuild but only if the land where the trailer is going is not in a flood zone.  This has been a learning tool for so many and lessons that one wishes did not have to learn at the expense of so many. 

For those that have been spared the destruction we go on with our lives helping where we can, donating money and supplies, attending fundraisers, and volunteering at local distribution centers.   The task seems overwhelming for many.  My co-workers and I pray for God’s speed in repairs and rebuilding.

At my house, the projects are less daunting.  Winterizing with additional insulation is the home improvement project this time of year.  I have always wanted pipe insulation, you know the kind it looks similar to a pool noodle.  If I could be sure the noodle would not burn, I would use those; I love the hot pink, turquoise blue, neon yellow and green colors.  Grey/black is the color at all the home improvement stores so my basement will not look like a circus revue.  I am very excited about the pipe insulation.  It takes a very long time for the water to get hot in the winter. 

The scary part of the whole project is the attic.  I am not fond of my attic and hope my husband volunteers to go up there.  My house has an entrance in the ceiling that you have to crawl headfirst to go in the attic.  My old house had stairs and it was a huge room, which made it not as scary.  Fear aside I will go in the attic, if I have to, and measure the insulation.  If there are more than 12 inches of insulation no need to add more.   The recommended amount of insulation in the attic is 10 to 14 inches so I am going with 12 inches and the correct R Value for NEPA, like R-49.  Since I plan to add, I will also ensure it does not have a barrier; I would not want to trap moisture in my attic. 

That is my plan for the weekend.  It is a couple to do list.  My husband would love to watch college football on Saturday and pro-football on Sunday.  I would love to paint and go for a long run.  When the cost of home heating is so dear, winterizing is mandatory and takes precedence over our wants.  

Now to price compare!