Home Spaces September 2018

BRADLEY INTERIORS focuses on quality, service and current trends

I was only 11 years old but I was winded. Tired, actually. The TV director called for one more take and I can recall the small band of “naughty” children heading back into the kitchen clutching hockey sticks and broom handles. My younger brother was armed with his goalie stick.

The director yelled “Action!” and the onslaught of the cabinets began. Full swings with sticks and handles on poor defenseless doors and drawers.... the spectators winced and the sound was deafening...impact after impact...doors and drawer being brutally slammed...delighted screams of children as they were able to act out suppressed dreams of destruction...

“....and cut! That’s a wrap!”

But nothing happened. Nothing broke. None of the impacts even left a mark. The crew stared in amazement as the dust settled. My parents stood with mouths wide open — truly kid-proof!

My father believed in being on the cutting edge of building materials and home fashion and this was it — his new commercial featuring high impact plastic cabinets with a faux woodgrain and a French Glaze...the latest trend...considered gorgeous at the

time, 1975. He sold a truckload within days of the commercial hitting TV.

That was over 40 years ago and while floral paneling and shag carpet were considered high fashion for homes at the time, the business goal remains the same: bring our clientele the most current designer trends and home products at a fair price and support the goods with a sales staff that is second to none.

Today’s consumer is faced with an amazing amount of product choices and design ideas. From photo-based web platforms like Houzz to entire channels on cable dedicated to home improvement, there is certainly no lack of offerings and ideas. It is our desire to help sort that out. We are here to help you with something as simple as selecting the right luxury vinyl plank flooring to designing a barrier free, high-styled bathroom for aging in place.

A tremendous amount of effort goes into the showroom and the selections we offer. New samples and displays arrive almost daily into our warehouse and none of the products hit the showroom floor without proper training. The staff takes the time to learn the applications and limitations of

each product in order to guide in the design process. It is our goal to have the right style and the right product. My staff is very good at taking away some of the confusion created by the massive selections available to the modern consumer. We are pleased to assist in both education and inspiration. We will help you create your dream space, whether it is a bathroom or a closet, a complete kitchen remodel or a media room. We are always ready to help you with your project. We can even assist with the installation.

From our humble beginnings as the area’s only drive-in lumberyard (“Plywood Minnesota”) to our membership in the Abbey Buying Group with over 800 members, my family has always placed quality and service into our business model. We are proud of the materials we sell and the support we are able to provide to our friends and neighbors.

Even when it was shag carpet, plastic cabinets, and floral paneling.

But they say if you wait long enough, trends return….

We’ll be here for that as well, heaven forbid.

Sean Bradley

Submitted by Bradley Interiors

Pat Bradley (left) and Sean Bradley of Bradley Interiors.

In Time for Fall

Autumn is a season of many changes, with some of the most notable including the dramatic multicolored displays that occur just prior to trees shedding their leaves. It’s also a time of year when many people feel re-energized by cooler temperatures and spend

1

Autumn begins on the autumnal equinox, which occurs on or near Sept. 22 in the northern hemisphere. This year, Sept. 22 is the day when the sun crosses the celestial equator moving southward. When the equinox occurs, there are an equal number of daylight and nighttime hours.

2

Since ancient times, autumn has been an important time of year for many civilizations. Autumn is a main harvesting time in many areas, and a successful harvest

was once necessary for survival. Many steps are, and have long been, taken to ensure a bountiful autumn harvest.

3

Fall is a time when trees and other plants prepare for dormancy during winter. As autumn progresses and the hours of daylight gradually decrease, trees begin to close down their food production systems and reduce the amount of chlorophyll in leaves. Chlorophyll is the chemical that makes tree leaves green, and as it declines, other chemicals become more prominent and

shine through in the leaves. That is why leaves change color.

4

Some scientists believe that global climate change can impact autumn colors, such as delaying the change in trees. Also, red pigments may start to decline as trees use sugary fuel to grow new twigs rather than to cause red leaf displays.

5

Americans more readily refer to this time of year as “fall,” while the British use “autumn.” Both terms date back to around the 16th century. Prior to this period,

many hours outdoors enjoying all that fall has to offer.

Whether one is collecting leaves, picking apples, exploring corn mazes, or driving the countryside enjoying the foliage, autumn is full of fun facts that can make the season that much more enjoyable.

autumn was known as “harvest.”

6

Much of the United States bids farewell to monarch butterflies in the fall. Each autumn, monarch butterflies migrate from the United States to Mexico and some parts of Southern California. They fly at speeds ranging between 12 and 25 miles per hour.

7

A study of U.S. centenarians born between 1880 to 1895 published in the Journal of Aging Research found that babies born during autumn months are

more likely to live to age 100 than those born during the rest of the year. Thirty percent of the centenarians followed were born during the fall.

8

Squash, pumpkins and other gourds are prominent in the fall. The largest squash grown on record belonged to Joel Jarvis of Ontario, and his huge winner weighed in at 1,486.6 pounds in 2011.

9

The many-colored leaves are not the only display one might see during the fall. The autumn

equinox signals the aurora borealis, also called the Northern Lights. Besides the lengthening of nights and cool evening weather, which are great for stargazers, autumn is “aurora season,” according to NASA. That’s because, during the fall, geomagnetic storms are about twice as frequent as the annual average.

10

Full moons are named for the month or season in which they rise. The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.

Protect your home (and more) from winter’s freeze

Freezing temperatures may be good for ice skating or building snowmen, but sub-freezing temperatures can be dangerous for the average person and his or her home.

Cold weather often leaves people scurrying to do whatever is necessary to safeguard themselves from the big chill. But it’s important homeowners also protect their homes in cold weather.

Plumbing

Plumbing and pipes may be vulnerable to cold weather. Frozen pipes may burst and cause substantial damage to a home, potentially causing flooding and

structural damage.

Homeowners should disconnect and drain garden hoses before winter arrives. Water to outdoor hose bibs should be turned off, though the valves on these outdoor faucets should be left open to drain. Also, outdoor faucets can be covered with insulating foam covers.

The Red Cross says pipes that freeze most frequently include pipes in unheated areas, such as basements, attics, garages and crawl spaces. Close vents to the outside in areas like attics and basements to limit the amount of cold air that gets indoors. Think about insulating unheated areas, as well as using pipe sleeves,

heat tape or wraps on exposed pipes.

By opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors, homeowners can allow warm air from a home to reach pipes under the sink. During extreme freezes, keep cold water dripping from a sink to prevent pipes from freezing.

Service HVAC systems

It’s important to ensure that heating systems are working properly prior to the cold-weather season. It may only take hours for the interior of a home to reach dangerously low temperatures without adequate

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heat. Homeowners should schedule annual checkups of furnaces and hot water heaters. Inspect the heat exchanger for cracks, install a clean air filter and make sure all thermostats are working properly.

Have fuel ready

Homeowners who heat their homes with oil, wood or coal should make sure they have plenty of fuel on hand in advance of winter. Shortages can occur, and it may take some time for new fuel to arrive in the midst of a cold snap.

As a precaution, homeowners can rely on portable

space heaters to fill in the heating gaps during freezing temperatures. Exercise extreme caution with these devices, turning them off when leaving the room and remembering to avoid overloading outlets.

Protect outside

Drain bird baths, clean out downspouts and remove water from other items where water can freeze and cause damage. Inspect roofing prior to the snowy season, but stay off roofs during freezing weather. Remove snow shovels and other winter gear from storage and make sure the items are easily accessible during snowstorms.

amphibian

35. Poster 36. Symmetrical

37. Grew older

38. Makes tractors

40. Not the front

41. State as fact

42. Long, narrow cut

43. Worked hard for

45. Indicates position in a box score

48. Tax

51. “Lookout Weekend” singer Debbie

52. Unhealthy

53. Imam name __ Khan

54 A woolen cap of Scottish origin (abbr.)

56. The Golden State

The Garage Door Specialists

Tackle home maintenance projects to save money

Much like the upkeep on your car, tackling home maintenance on a regular basis will prevent problems from developing and save you from larger repair costs down the road. Some projects should be left to the professionals, but there are plenty of weekend jobs that any homeowner can easily handle, like these:

• Inspect your roof and make minor repairs. Winter can be especially hard on a roof. Look for ice, hail or water damage. Replace any cracked or missing shingles and clear any debris.

• Clean your gutters. It’s not glamorous work, but your home’s gutters play an essential role in moving water away from your home and preventing damage. Consider installing gutter guards to ensure your gutters remain functional and free from debris.

• Inspect windows and doors and re-caulk where necessary. Because a proper seal is essential in both heating and cooling seasons, this job should be performed twice a year to protect against drafts and moisture, and to keep insects out. Worn weather stripping should also be replaced.

• Check your insulation. Attics should be insulated to R50, which can usually be achieved with an insulation depth of at least 16 inches. Top up with an insulation product that is water repellant and fire resistant, like Roxul Comfortbatt. Don’t forget to ensure that your basement headers are insulated properly to prevent overworking your furnace and air conditioner.

Other simple jobs include fixing leaky faucets, repairing and resealing decks, inspecting the foundation and scheduling a check-up for your HVAC system. The key is being honest about what you can handle and, when in doubt, call in the pros.

Home improvement projects perfect for fall

Home improvement projects can add value to a home and do-it-yourselfers know the sweat-equity that goes into such projects can give homeowners a greater sense of pride in their homes. But no two home improvement projects are the same, and homeowners should know that certain projects are best tackled during certain times of the year.

Fall is a great season to work on your house, as the weather is often at its most agreeable once

the summer heat has gone and before winter weather arrives. The following are a handful of fall-friendly home improvement projects for homeowners looking to improve their homes.

Roof repair

Whether you’re repairing or replacing the roof, fall is a great time of year to dust off the ladder and get some work done on your roof for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, fall is ideal for roof

work because you won’t have to be up on the roof with the summer heat bearing down on you. This can make the project move along more quickly, which is especially beneficial if you are paying laborers to work on the roof. The fewer hours workers are fixing your roof, the less you will be paying in labor costs.

In addition, fixing up the roof in the fall ensures those winter storms, be it rain or snow, won’t find their way into your home via leaks. A leaky roof in winter is hard to fix, as the roof surface could be treacherous in the winter and winter winds can make it dangerous to be up on the roof at all.

Addressing leaks in the fall can prevent damage to your home’s interior, which can mount up if a leaky roof is not addressed until the following spring.

Window work

When the weather outside gets frightful, poorly insulated windows can allow cold air into the home. That often has a trickle-down effect on

finances, forcing you to turn up the thermostat in an attempt to offset the cold air pouring into the home. Whether you need your windows replaced or simply need to patch up any leaks, a proactive approach to leaky or older windows in the fall can save you from unnecessarily high heating bills come the winter.

Addressing leaky windows also makes a home more comfortable for its inhabitants.

Fall is the ideal time to address a home’s windows because the temperature outside tends to be pleasant. This means you likely won’t have to make much of an effort to offset the elements, and open windows in the fall won’t make your home’s interior very hot or cold like they might if you were to tackle the project during the summer or winter.

Fixing the floors

Wood flooring is a hot commodity for many homeowners. But not all flooring can be added to a home at any time of year. That’s because certain

types of flooring employ adhesives that need temperatures inside the home to be within a certain range, and that range is often within 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes fall a great time to install such floors. Colder temperatures can make it difficult for the flooring to dry and bond, which will prove problematic down the road.

What’s more, many

people entertain friends and family come late fall and into the holiday season, and it can be difficult to do so if you are busy installing new flooring.

Painting projects

Painting is another home improvement project that seems tailormade for fall. A fresh coat of paint or a new color scheme around the house can give a home an entirely new look and feel. But paint can be pungent and the aromas may last if it’s applied at a time of year when it can’t dry while the windows are wide open.

Paint fumes inside a home can make the home uninhabitable, but painting at a time of year like the fall, when you can keep the windows open during and after the project, can help air the home out.

But interior painting isn’t the only painting project homeowners can tackle in the fall. Many exterior paints are temperature-sensitive and need the temperature outside to be above 40 degrees. Paint that freezes won’t dry properly, and homeowners might be left with a costly and unsightly mistake on their hands. Fall temperatures tend to be amenable to both interior and exterior painting projects, just be sure to check the weather forecast before making your first brush stroke.

Throw a hauntingly good Halloween party

Halloween is a special day that delights children of all ages and helps adults feel like kids at heart. Few people want the fun to end once trick-or-treating is over. By throwing a Halloween party, revelers can continue celebrating well into the evening.

When hosting a Halloween party, it helps to determine who will be in attendance before making any plans. Parties that include children should be PG in nature, and hosts should find the right balance between scary and fun. While you want to have a certain measure of the macabre, make sure you don’t send young guests home with nightmares. Reserve gruesome decorations and details for adult-only parties.

Halloween parties do not necessarily need to be ghoulish to be fun. Try a glittery gala masquerade party or decorate exclusively in orange and black.

Classically eerie parties may feature ravens and crows, or they can be subtlly spooky with red candles and heavy curtains.

Many people can’t wait to dress up for a Halloween party, even picking out their costumes months in advance. Still, not everyone feels comfortable donning a costume. To welcome all guests, don’t make costumes mandatory. One way around this is to set up a Halloween Disguise Table full of accessories

that anyone can borrow and use to alter their appearance. Goofy glasses, strange hats, adhesive mustaches, or masks can be fun. If someone didn’t feel comfortable dressing in full costume, he or she may be more apt to pop in a set of plastic fangs or put on a spinning bow tie. Food is an integral part of any party and can enhance Halloween soiree. Candy is a pivotal component of Halloween and you can play off that theme at your party.

superstitions

Set up a candy bar full of appropriately hued candies of all shapes and sizes. Put them on display in clear glass or plastic canisters so they add to your Halloween decor.

Some people like to get creative with Halloween cuisine, crafting foods into items that may look like parts of the body or other symbols of the holiday. Cookie cutters can turn sandwiches, desserts, biscuits, and many other foods into different shapes. However, foods also can be made a tad more spooky simply by renaming them or presenting them in interesting containers. Why not serve punch out of a fish aquarium? Other beverages can be housed in jugs or old bottles and labeled “potions.” Use laboratory instruments, such as petri dishes, vials and beakers, to serve snacks.

Preserve carved pumpkins in various ways

Jack-o’-lanterns and other carved pumpkin designs are frequently the centerpieces of Halloween festivities. The twinkling lights and orange glow of jack-o’-lanterns can add ambiance to any autumn event. The trouble with carving pumpkins is that most people want to do it right away, only to discover their pumpkins wilt and decay long before Halloween.

Nothing ruins Halloween more than visiting a home to trick-or-treat and not getting candy. Equally disappointing is a sad pumpkin display withering away on a front porch. Even though all pumpkins will eventually rot, certain tips can keep carvings from collapsing too soon.

1. Choose a sturdy pumpkin. Inspect the pumpkin of your choosing carefully, looking for gouges, spots and holes. Even a small blemish can quickly expand into a mushy mess. Select pumpkins with even color and firm flesh, and make sure that the pumpkin doesn’t feel tender when you push on the skin.

2. Visit local pumpkin stands.

Pumpkins that have been shipped miles and miles in hot cargo trucks may be overly ripened or battered. Pumpkins that were grown nearby may be fresher. Plus, buying pumpkins locally supports local farmers.

3. Scrape the insides of the pumpkin thoroughly. Any moist bits inside the pumpkin will mold quickly. The pumpkin carving experts at Pumpkin Mas-

ters recommend scraping as much of the “guts” out as possible, leaving about a one-inch thickness of the wall of the pumpkin.

4. Coat the pumpkin. Preservation methods may aim to keep the pumpkin hydrated and inhibit mold and other microbial growth. Commercially sold pumpkin preservation products, such as Pumpkin Fresh, hold up well. Soaking and

spraying carved pumpkins with a bleach-and-water solution also seems to preserve designs.

5. Keep it out of the elements. Store carved pumpkins in a cool, dry place. This will help slow down the rotting process for pumpkins exposed to outdoor fungi, other microbes and warm sunlight.

6. Use an artificial light source. Reduce the heat inside of the pumpkin and encourage hydration by selecting a battery-powered light instead of a lit candle to illuminate the carving.

7. Skip the carving.

Once pumpkin skin is compromised, microbes can enter. In lieu of carving, paint or decorate pumpkins in other ways if you want them to stay fresh for a long time. Glow-in-the-dark paint can help pumpkins stand out at night.

Carved pumpkins may last a week or two, while uncut pumpkins can last for a month or more.

Keeping pumpkins hydrated and mold-free will prolong your designs.

Halloween is steeped in tradition. Halloween season also is a time of year when superstitions take root and add to the spooky and often silly nature of the holiday.

Some Halloween traditions can be traced back to the ancient Celts and their belief that spirits of the deceased were able to wander the earth during the time they called Samhain. Costumes were worn so the living could blend in with ghosts, and treats were laid out to appease the spirits.

Over the years, additional Halloween superstitions have emerged. The origins vary, but the following are some common superstitions to consider as Oct. 31 draws near.

Some believe that bats flying around a house on Halloween — either indoors or outside — is a sign that spirits lurk nearby.

• Black cats have long been thought to be companions of witches or “familiars,” demonic animals gifted to them. While some think it’s bad luck for a black cat to cross your path, in Ireland, Scotland and England, black cats symbolize good luck.

• One Halloween superstition states that if you walk around your home backward three times and then counterclockwise three times before the sun sets on Halloween, you will ward off nearby evil spirits.

• Legend has it that you will have good luck if you sleep facing south the night before Halloween.

• Apples can help people determine if they will live long lives. On Halloween night, you have to make an unbroken apple peel, which will estimate how long you will live. The longer the peel is, the longer you’ll live.

• Another superstition suggests that if you spot

a spider on Halloween, the spirit of a deceased loved one is watching over you.

• It is said that no person should lie in a coffin while alive, even for fun. Otherwise, he or she is inviting death. Also, no item of clothing belonging to a living person should ever be put on a corpse when it is placed in a coffin, for as it rots in the grave so will the rightful owner’s health begin to decline.

• Children who are born on Halloween are said to have the gift of second sight, which may also include the power to ward off evil spirits.

• People have been warned not to turn around on Halloween night if they hear footsteps behind them, as this could mean Death is following.

•There is a superstition that when you pass a graveyard or house where someone has died, you should turn your pockets inside out to make sure you don’t bring home a ghost in your pocket.

•Jack-o’-lanterns light up Halloween nights. Jack-o’-lanterns were originally made out of hollowed-out turnips, but pumpkins replaced the turnips when the Irish emigrated to North America. Jack-o’-lanterns were used to guide lost souls and keep evil spirits at bay.

LOCAL PAIRINGS

Buffalo House - A Duluth destination for great food, camping, and year-round recreation

If you’re a local, chances are excellent that you’re familiar with the Buffalo House restaurant. Located at 2590 Guss Road, Buffalo House is just 10 minutes from downtown Duluth, but also tantalizingly close to Cloquet, Carlton and Esko.

You can’t miss its mascot – a giant buffalo statue – standing by, vigilantly announcing the entrance to the 150-acre property. Featuring the well-known Buffalo House restaurant, Buffalo Junction event center, softball fields, Buffalo Valley Campground, and more, this all-things-buffalo Duluth destination is a one-stop shop for tasty vittles and year-round recreation.

And if it’s food you’re after, Buffalo House has you covered. Featuring great made-fromscratch food including burgers, appetizers, seafood, Mexican dishes and more, there is something for everyone.

And, yep: they even serve buffalo.

Rich family history

George Stoyanoff opened Buffalo House in 1972. After his passing in 2008, his children, Scott Stoyanoff and Shelly Stoyanoff Huffman, took the reins. Our excellent server for tonight’s dining adventure is also a member of the clan: Stoyanoff Huffman’s 19-year-old daughter, Paige Hill, who started here as a

By Andrea Busche

dishwasher several years ago.

Although buffalo once roamed the estate, today the only place you’ll find them is on the menu. But the iconic name, which is woven tightly with the rich family legacy, remains.

Scratch-made classics

The Buffalo House restaurant has a Northwoods-lodgey feel. The tables are made of thick, lacquered wood, and there is ample seating in both the dining room and bar area for small groups, as well as larger gatherings.

Much of their food is made from scratch, including their bread, dressings and soups. The restaurant offers daily, themed food and drink specials with happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. During happy hour, appetizers are discounted and you can buy buckets of four beers for $17.

Buffalo burgers

We had a “when in Rome” moment, and decided to order up a pair of buffalo burgers – one served with regular fries and one with waffle fries. We also tried a cup of the amazingly creamy chicken wild rice soup. We paired our fare with a Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss and a Two Harbors-brewed Castle Danger Cream Ale.

Neither Mike nor I had ever tried a buffalo

burger, and we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We agreed they tasted very similar to a regular hamburger, but perhaps a little chewier. According to Stoyanoff Huffman, they are a much healthier, leaner alternative to beef. The burgers were served on square, pillow-soft buns that are baked in-house. The burgers are huge, and can satisfy even the heartiest appetite.

We both loved our burgers, both varieties of hot, crispy fries, and the rich, creamy soup, and have plans to repeat the whole enterprise sometime soon. Bonus tip: Buffalo House’s waffle fries taste amazing when dunked in their homemade ranch dressing. Thanks, Paige!

One-stop shop

With great food and service, an upbeat atmosphere, and plenty of opportunities to recreate, Buffalo House is a one-stop shop for family fun – convenient for country dwellers and city slickers alike. And no matter what you’re craving, whether it’s ribs, breaded cod, prime rib, salad, or burgers … buffalo and otherwise … there is something on the menu for everyone. For more information, please visit buffalohouseduluth.com. While you’re there, be sure to check out their informational video, produced by Duluth.com!