20 minute read
Voices
We offer Voices as a place to share a story, a memory, an idea, a comment, a criticism, or a solution. Contributors must include name, address & phone number. We look forward to hearing your voice.
MASTERING THE HOUSE useful tips for homeowners
Advertisement
Tim Paino
Owner/Inspector Heartland HouseMaster
Start Thinking AC
April is here and warm weather is around the corner. As things start to heat up, it is time to think about that air conditioner (AC).
It is strongly recommended you have your air conditioner equipment serviced each year before the demands of the Indiana hot humid summer arrives. Equipment should not be tested until the outside temperature is above 60 degrees for three days. This means the best time to have your spring tune-up is between the middle of April through May.
Besides regular service we should be changing the filters, keep debris and growth away from the outside unit and maintain the insulation around the refrigerant lines between the outside unit and the inside unit. The average life of an air conditioner with no maintenance is 10 to 15 years, with regular maintenance that life expectancy can be extended to 20 to 25 years.
This brings us to the issue of R-22 freon. If your AC equipment was manufactured before 2010, there is a good chance R-22 freon was used as the coolant. The 1987 Montreal Protocol was signed by the United States promising to phase out the use of R-22 because of the Ozone-depleting affects. In 2010 the manufacturing of equipment using R-22 was banned and then on January 1, 2020 the production of R-22 was banned. This resulted in the on-hand inventory of R-22 became valuable and expensive if needed for repairing old equipment. To have R-22 installed into your unit during a repair could cost you $300 to $600 easily. That does not include the cost of the service time and repairs needed. Most times the service company will strongly recommend totally replacing your furnace and air conditioner to avoid overpaying for repairs only to be left with outdated equipment.
Along with changing the furnace filter to help lower the expense of cooling our homes, a programmable thermostat helps systematically adjusting the settings at times of the day when you are away. The other thing you can do, not part of a traditional service call, is check your ducts for leaks or poorly insulated areas. Return ducts in a hot attic can raise the temperature of the air going back through the system, making your equipment work harder.
The goal is to stay comfortable while spending the fewest dollars possible. Make that call to schedule your spring checkup now to be able to enjoy those hazy lazy days of summer.
A Note From Bee
Noel Gatlin’s description of his first home and furnishings brought back memories of our first home. Like Noel, we had very few new things to start housekeeping but we didn’t care. We were just happy to be able to buy a house rather than rent. This was 1961 and the house was $11,000.
We easily found a used stove and refrigerator but had to go to a laundermat to do our washing. A friend at work knew our situation. So when her sister-in-law decided to sell her reconditioned washer and dryer for $50, she told me. We were thrilled to have a chance to buy them. They lasted for about five years. We worked them hard because we had two babies in cloth diapers during that time. At some point the washer developed a dead spot in the motor and we would have to get behind the washer and pull a belt to get it past the dead spot. We never had any trouble with the gas dryer.
When it came time to move we had to buy new appliances because the new house did not have gas and we couldn’t get behind the washer. As soon as the new appliances were delivered my husband installed them. He had no sooner installed them and the installer from Sears called and said he was on his way out to install them. What? - install them! Since we had never had a new appliance we did not know we got free installation and the salesman must have just assumed we knew. The installer said he still had to come out. He complimented my husband on what a good job he did.
Bee Jones
Letters To The Editor
To the Editor:
Standard deductions for Federal and State income taxes need to be increased SUBSTANTIALLY as well as it’s cost of living, inflation increase. Why do lower and middle income taxpayers pay more in Indiana State taxes than USA federal taxes?
I paid $381 more in Indiana income tax in 2018, $448 more in 2019 and $487 more in 2020 than I did in Federal tax because primarily the standard deduction is $2500 for my state which is not adjusted for inflation and $13600 for federal in 2018, $13850 in 2019 and $14050 in 2020 which is adjusted for inflation each year; but, at a substandard rate. The Hendricks County tax rate was increased 3.3% for 2019 and 9.6% for 2020 that added to this increase. In addition we pay a Indiana sales tax of 7% to 9%, wheel taxes, property taxes, license taxes, gasoline taxes, gaming taxes, excise taxes, etc. Contact your IN Governor Eric Holcomb 317-232-4567, IN Senator 317-232-9400 and your IN State Representative 317-232-9600.
M Brent Pittman Brownsburg
Exploring Hendricks County
By Jackie Horn
Burnett Woods in Avon is just one of the properties managed by the Central Indiana Land Trust. The grandkids enjoyed exploring the woods last April. If it’s been wet, come prepared with muck
Are you looking for someplace to explore that you don’t have to share with a hoard of other walkers, bicyclers, or skateboarders?
Check out ConservingIndiana.org . The website connects with the Central Indiana Land Trust and the resources the organization is responsible for protecting.
The CILT currently protects 20 land tracts in central Indiana. Twelve of the locations are open to the public for walking (four-legged friends are welcome if leashed), birdwatching,photography, and just soaking in nature. Of those open to the public, three properties are in or very near Hendricks County.
Burnett Woods Nature Preserve is located on East CR 100 South in Avon. Wallace F. Holladay Preserve at Ameriplex is just over the county line in Marion County northeast of Sodalis Nature Park and Hemlock Ridge is in Putnam County southwest of North Salem.
The CILT website profiles the properties complete with a description, map and directions, parking instructions, and tips for exploring. Most of the tracts do not have trails and folks are free to roam and enjoy. Make sure to read the prohibited activities. These lands are protected and that means NO removing rocks, picking flowers, berries, nuts, or mushrooms. The group’s site also publishes a weekly newsletter.
Central Indiana Land Trust is currently promoting a “Trek Our Trails” challenge. To enter the challenge, participants visit the five required preserves and take a selfie in front of each preserve’s sign. Post the photo on social media (details are available on the website) and after all five sites are visited, everyone in the photos will receive a pin and be entered into a drawing for more prizes. The five required properties are: Burnett Woods (Hendricks County), Fred and Dorothy Meyer Nature Preserve (Morgan County), Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow (Johnson County), Meltzer Woods (Shelby County), and Noni Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve (Hamilton County.) The challenge concludes on Black Friday, November 26, 2021, so there’s plenty of time to plan outings and participate.
Wildflowers are blooming. Trees are leafing out. Birds are singing. With the CILT properties, there are so many more places to be explored and experienced!
ASK MR. TRAFFIC
By Chet Skwarcan, PE, President/ Founder of Traffic Engineering, Inc. Chet@TrafficEngineering.com
Why We Need More Green Arrows
Why We Need Less Green Arrows
In reviewing the top ten questions asked this week, #7 actually had to do with traffic engineering (#3 was interesting but unrelated to traffic engineering — but if you’re curious, yes, the medicine is helping). Question #7 had to do with the appropriateness of left and right turn lanes at busy intersections. Also, when are green arrows truly appropriate and how long do turn lanes need to be, anyway?
First, some housekeeping. Before reading any further, please enable cookies (i.e., have several within reach). Also, we noticed your spam-blocker is active (but that’s ok, nobody likes spam).
Getting back to question #7, turn lanes are recommended whenever the overall intersection operates more efficiently because of them versus without them. Note the word, “recommended.” This is because turn lanes are expensive and the associated roadway widening often requires buying land from adjacent property owners. Relocating utilities or ditches also impacts the cost of adding turn lanes. Cost/benefit analysis required.
Also, note the word, “overall.” Although adding a turn lane may improve the efficiency of turning vehicles, it’s possible the net efficiency of the intersection may diminish. Take, for example, a signalized intersection. Adding a turn lane (with a turn arrow) results in three things: 1) vehicles using the turn lane experience elevated moods, 2) the “green time” available for other vehicles is reduced, and 3) the “red time” available for other vehicles is increased.
The decision to add a dedicated turn arrow should be coupled with some serious signal programming to ensure the time allotted to said green arrow is appropriate based on time of day and, the concurrent demands of overall traffic (CDoOT). Fortunately, modern traffic signals are “traffic-actuated” and can detect the presence of all vehicles allotting green time accordingly and efficiently.
Regarding the physical length of turn lanes, well, as a minimum, they should be long enough to store the number of vehicles making that particular turn. And on high-speed roadways, turn lanes are often extended several hundred feet to allow turning vehicles to decelerate in the turn lane (instead of in the through lane).
So think twice when wishing for a green arrow. And when the car behind you starts honking, stop wishing and get moving…
A Squirrel About Town
By Archy
“Are there any poets in the Squirrel Salon?” I asked Archy.
“Of course,” the squirrel answered in a ‘what do you expect’ tone. “Oscar, of course, but there are several who push their talent in that direction. Take Percy, for example. A romantic to the core. While Walt’s thoughts tend to meander in several directions at once. Both talented, in different ways.”
I asked Archy if he had written any poetry. His eyebrow lifted immediately.
“I don’t write poems,” he said with a bit of dramatic flair. “I live one.” He waited for that to soak in.
I nodded. “You do have a gift for clarity in your descriptions.” A compliment goes a long way with Archy.
“Exactly!” he said. “Poetry can make things clear. A word can become an avalanche. Poetry clarifies what we see and what we can’t yet see.” “A dish of Irish setters,” I said. “Precisely!” the squirrel exlaimed. “Poetry describes things that can only exist in the imagination. And in a way that can travel from one imagination to the next. I believe you’re developing a squirrel’s eye view of the art.” Archy was reading my thoughts. “That’s why you have copy of Leaves of Grass within reach most of the time.”
I admited that Walt Whitman had a special effect on me. I always feel like he’s standing behnd me, looking over my shoulder as I read.
Archy chucked. “Does that to me, too. And Emily Dickensen is always impatiently tapper her foot.” The squirrel and I have much in common.
Face It: Pansies Bring Early Color To Garden
By Colletta Kosiba Hendricks CountyMaster Gardener
Flowers with “faces”? Yes, Pansies!!!
It’s time for these colorful flowers, that thrive in a cool weather, can survive frosts, a light freeze or maybe a little snow. Early color in our gardens - Hurrah!
Pansies are increasing in popularity due to the ease of growing, plus they are disease and pest free. Pansies have fragrant and edible blooms!
There is no other annual with such a wide range of color as pansies.
Head to your local nursery or garden center for bedding plants. Choose a stocky plant with medium green foliage. The coarsely notched leaves will be oval or heart-shaped. You want a plant with a few blooms but lots of buds. Plants will be compact, 9 inches high and spread 9 inches
Pansies’ ideal location is to the morning sun, (need cooler temperatures to thrive). Plant away from the heat of the afternoon if you can. Plant soon as the soil is workable this spring (soil temperatures between 45°F and 65°F)
You know the rest: plant in your good soil that is well-drain don’t forget to loosen the roots of the plants when you take them out of the cells; they are root-bound and need to be loosen. (Hint: I use a big nail)
Keep pansies well-watered and fed with a low nitrogen fertilizer — all that flowering takes a lot of energy! Regular deadhead by cutting the entire blooming stem off to base of plant, that will encourage more new blooms. Mulch helps protect. Pansies do not like heat at all and will begin to decline as the days warm up.
The pansy flowers are edible. They look very pretty in a lettuce salad and have a minty flavor. The leaves are “mucilaginous”- can be used to thicken soup. Cooks candied them and use to decorate cakes. (** NOTE: Know what you are eating!- Make sure the flowers were grown chemical-free. Start slowly when trying new edible flowers.)
Pansies can also be set out in the fall. Most years a pansy will not overwinter in the Midwest.
Pansies’ care is nearly effortless. Plant some of these pretty faces in your garden this year.
How did the millionaire gardener get rich so quick? He was running a huge pansy scheme!
Mark your calendar SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2021 9 AM – 4 PM at Danville fairgrounds - Free Admission- Gardening for All Ages: Spring Gardening Show
We dogs, on the other paw, have to use lung power to talk with other dogs over long distances. When I’m outside, I can bark loud enough for Lucky and the other Henry to hear me, and they can bark loud enough for dogs farther away to hear them, and so on. The word travels like raindrops ripple in a puddle. Sometimes, when I’m outside, I can hear a dog someplace close, and then I hear another dog farther away, and then maybe another one that I can barely hear, far, far in the distance. It just means that some dog has some news to share with all the rest of us dogs. But don’t tell anybody. It’s a secret.
—Benjamin Franklin
A Bark From the Past: Henry
[Editor’s Note: The Republican’s first four-footed correspondent was Henry, who made observations about life in a small town. The articles have been languishing in the computer’s memory and we thought a new audience might enjoy canine commentary.]
Well, the road trip I was looking forward to wasn’t what I expected. I thought my humans were planning a trip for Spring Break, and it turned out that they were talking about a shopping trip, with a stop at the hardware store, because a spring broke on our screen door. But the day wasn’t a total loss. I got to ride along and one of the stops was the pet supply store. I like going to the pet supply store, because I can go in and smell all the good smells and meet the nice people who may have brought their dogs, and it’s great to meet some new dogs, too!
I was expecting a road trip like the one we took to Nebraska a couple of years ago, but we went only as far as Avon. But, a trip to Avon can be as good as a trip to Nebraska, and you can get there sooner! We brought home souvenirs from Nebraska and we brought home some things from Avon, too. Now, you may not think that a barrel of cat litter and a case of biscuits are as good as the souvenirs we brought home from Nebraska, but we had a good time anyway, and I’ll think about the day every time I crunch a biscuit!
My humans did take some vacation time at home, even if we didn’t go anywhere, other than our usual places. It was great to have them home more during the day. I have all my dog and cat brothers and sisters to keep me company when my humans are gone, but there’s something special about spending more time with my humans. And it means more biscuits in the long run!
We’ll need to have a meeting of the Animal Action Agenda Committee soon. We welcome two new cat members, Cuddles and Amber Rose! All the cats in the AAAC already knew them, because all cats are psychic. Cookie, the Republican’s cat, still hasn’t forgiven me for mentioning that in this column a couple of years ago. Who knew it was supposed to be a secret? It seems to me any humans who live with cats have figured it out already. How else do you explain the way cats disappear when you’re looking for them to take to the vet? How is it they know, when humans visit, which one hates cats, so they can rub up against him and get cat hair all over his pants leg? And do you think that cats can actually hear the can opener from anywhere in the house? NO! Cats are psychic. Was that hard to figure out?
My Child Didn’t Pass the State Mandated 3rd Grade Reading Test. Now What? Advice For Handling Disappointing Test Results
While research gives mixed reviews on 3rd grade mandatory reading tests, many states now require it, including Indiana (IREAD-3). It began with the idea that by 3rd grade, students need to “read to learn” and have moved past “learning to read.” Features of a typical mandatory 3rd grade reading test: Phonics (such as comparing words based on beginning, middle, and end sounds)
Fiction and Nonfiction Comprehension (reading a passage and answering questions about main idea, point of view, and summarizing)
Vocabulary (identifying the meanings of words used in the comprehension passage, synonyms and antonyms, prefixes and suffixes)
As a parent or caregiver, such high stakes testing might feel overwhelming, or too soon. If you find yourself in a situation where your child doesn’t pass this test, here are tips for handling this news in a productive, positive way.
Step #1: Stay calm. Whether your child’s teacher called you, or sent an email or letter home, give yourself some time before you respond. Taking time to process this information, we are more apt to look for solutions instead of placing blame, and solutions are what your child needs.
Step #2: Assess the situation. Ask yourself questions like: Has your child’s teacher been sharing concerns about academic readiness with you for awhile? If so, the news might not be a surprise (but it still stings nonetheless). Does your child typically rush through school work? Was your child worried about the test? Were there factors leading up to the test that might have affected your child’s performance, such as the pandemic, illness, change in environment at home or school, or medication adjustments?
Step #3: Be informed. It’s important to dig deeper and learn more about the test, your child’s specific performance on it, and what the school suggests as possible interventions.
Ask for an honest assessment from your child’s teacher. Really listen and fight the urge to make excuses. Teachers can give specifics on strengths and weaknesses while also helping to analyze what the score means. In many cases, the teacher is able to even able to share how long the child took on the test, so you can assess whether rushing was an issue.
Ask what interventions will continue or begin as a result of the test. In some cases, additional help during the day will occur outside of reading class. There might be opportunities for additional interventions offered before or after school and/or summer school may be mandatory.
If you feel test anxiety or other outside factors were the leading contributing factor for the test results, ask for advice from your child’s school counselor or pediatrician. Make sure your child’s teacher is aware. Many times students put on a brave face at school, when parents are more aware of anxious feelings leading up to events.
States have specific rules about when retention (or being held back) is mandatory vs. suggested. There are also rules about students qualifying for “good cause exemptions,” meaning if students don’t pass a test, they are still promoted to the next grade level. School administrators know these rules and will be able to answer questions about your child’s specific case. Most states offer opportunities for re-testing.
Step #4: Share the news. Once you feel you better understand the situation and have a plan, present your child with the facts. Be honest, but sensitive. As much as you will want to spare your child’s feelings, do not lie. If part of the plan for moving forward involves more reading together at home, share that, but make sure you stick with it. Here are a few conversation starters: “Remember when you took the state reading test a few weeks ago? Well, we received your score and it wasn’t quite high enough to pass. The good news is that I’ve talked with your teacher and here’s what we’re going to do to help you improve. I love you. ”
“I know you’ve worked really hard to improve your reading. I’m very proud of your efforts. The state reading test is only one way educators look at progress and on this test your score wasn’t high enough to pass. Here are some things we can continue to do in order to help you. I love you.”
“I love (insert talents and character traits your child possesses) about you. I also love reading with you. Let’s do more of that together. Here are other things we’ll do together so that you might pass the state reading test when given a second chance this summer since you didn’t pass on the first attempt.”
“Do you remember when reading that Elephant and Piggie book was hard? Think about how far you have come since then! Now you’re reading _______! I can’t wait to see how much you continue to improve. Although your score wasn’t high enough to pass, I know you’re going to continue to work hard. I love you.” “You are more than a test score.” Finally, make sure your child understands that this information is private. Students might want to compare scores at school or on the bus, despite warnings not to do so from educators. It seems cruel, but many students who start this type of talk are really just looking to boost their own confidence. You might even give your child ideas for potential responses, like, “My parents said that my test scores are private and that I’m not allowed to share.” Also, respect your child’s privacy and avoid sharing the information with family and/or friends, especially if there’s a chance your child can overhear.
Renee Bowman is a former classroom teacher, reading specialist, school librarian and forever learner. She’s mom of two, wife, and one-half of the blog Raising Real Readers. You can connect with her @raisingreal on Twitter and @RaisingRealReaders on Instagram and Facebook. She is proud to call Danville home.
John Ruskin
