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MASTERING THE HOUSE useful tips for homeowners
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The Septic System
The home in rural Hendricks County that is on a well for their water, most likely has a private sewage system, also know as a septic system. As a home inspector we are often asked to inspect the system which typically consist of two components. First, we measure the scum and settlement in the tank. The surprising thing is how many homeowners do not know where their tank is located. In years past the tank lid was allowed to be buried, unlike today. Below is a septic tank we found that the homeowner had built their deck over with one of the support post landing right on the lid.
Many homeowners take the dangerous position: “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. The problem is a septic system requires regular maintenance, especially with today’s usage. The basic chemistry of a septic system is the drainage from the home enters the tank where the solids sink to the bottom (the sludge) and the oils and greases float to the top (the scum). A “T” shaped outlet then allows the liquid to flow to the drainage field while holding the solids in the tank.
Periodically, every three to five years, we then have a company come and pump the solids out of the tank. The enzymes within the tank help break down many of the solids reducing the buildup in the tank. Unlike years ago, today we install garbage disposals pushing solids into the system and use numerous cleaning products that kill the enzymes. When there are too many solids in the tank, they can make their way out to the drainage field clogging the perforated pipe leading to a none functioning field.
The second part of our inspection is the stress test. This is when we enter tracer dye into the system and run an excessive amount of water through the tank to see if the field will absorb the drainage. If solids have been allowed into the field, the subsurface no long will allow the drainage to percolate downward. We then see our bright colored dye coming up in the yard. This then becomes an expensive, messy repair.
Besides knowing where the septic tank is located, you also need to have a good idea where the drainage field is. You do not want to plant trees over a field that will lead to roots clogging the pipes. Also driving heavy equipment over the field that will compress the soil and possible damage the pipes. Many times, during a dry time in the summer you can see the green grass over the fingers of the drainage field. The health department may have record of the system if it was installed after the mid 70’s, even though many of those records are very loosely drawn.
Watch what you put down your drains if you are on a septic system. Some people will add organic enzymes to the system periodically to replace those killed with detergents. But my advice is if it has been over five years since you had your septic tank pumped, make the call. Know where both your tank and field are located and keep it from becoming broke.
Today, Your Best Is Good Enough
Written by Chase Cotten, The Willow Center 317-852-3690
Here’s the understatement of the century: it’s been a tough year! Amid the pandemic, familial grief or conflict, divisive political dialogue, and a wide variety of personal hardships, it can feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders. Some of us may be thriving, but many of us are more focused on surviving right now – simply doing our best to get through the day. Whether the reader is a single mom working and raising her kids on her own, a grandparent playing the role of parent or feeling lonely this season, a single guy just getting started after college, or otherwise – please hear this: today, your best is good enough.
Each of us is facing various battles. Some of these battles are more urgent or demanding than others, such as living with mental illness, facing racism or discrimination, or trying to care for a loved one who is addicted to drugs. Some of these battles are less urgent or demanding, like getting stuck in traffic or missing a meeting. When we check out at Walmart, we have no idea what the person ahead of or behind us is going through, and they have no idea what we are going through.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, most of us don’t even give this a second thought. We have things to do and people to see, on to the next task! This go-go-go attitude affects not only our own mental health and self-esteem, but also the way we treat each other. The harder we push ourselves to be perfect production machines, the easier it becomes to fuel hatred for ourselves and divisive distaste for others. We can’t meet our own unrealistic expectations for ourselves, and other folks certainly cannot meet the unspoken expectations we may hold for them. These expectations can be stressful at best and dangerous at worst.
What if we paused for just one moment, took a deep breath, and looked around? Who would you see? Would you see yourself in the mirror, looking exhausted and burnt out? Would you see your neighbor walking heavily to the mailbox as they await the next bill to pay? Would you see the kiddos who’s dad is in jail due to an addiction-related charge?
We are all doing our best. Oftentimes, the hardest person to show grace to is ourselves. Whatever you can do for yourself, whatever you can do for your kids, whatever you can do at work – today, your best is good enough. Slow down. Breathe. You are okay as you are. If we can see ourselves as worthy of some grace, it will be easier for us to see others as worthy of some grace, too!
Remember, you are not alone in these battles, either. There are professionals at places like The Willow Center and other recently highlighted mental, relational and behavioral health agencies that have open doors and are ready to help you take that next step. There is no shame in asking for help!
ASK MR. TRAFFIC
By Chet Skwarcan, PE, President/ Founder of Traffic Engineering, Inc. Chet@TrafficEngineering.com
Traffic Signal Coordination
It’s Possible. Seriously, It’s Possible
If you’ve been following this column for very long, you qualify for a free t-shirt. Send me your size and $29 to cover shipping and handling (handling is expensive). Also, if you’ve been following this column for very long, you understand something about traffic growth — we can’t live with it and we can’t live without it (ask any business owner). But, there are some “things” that can be done to relieve traffic congestion and still maintain a thriving, growing (and desirable) community.
The first thing, and the most economical thing, is to coordinate all those traffic signal things. And by that, I mean the Synchronization of Signals (SOS). The synchronization of traffic signals means traffic signals are coordinated, creating a green wave of progression throughout a roadway corridor.
Modern traffic signals have the ability to monitor changing traffic volumes and adapt signal timings accordingly. This is referred to as adaptive traffic signal control.
The progression of traffic, i.e., the green wave, can be optimized for both directions, or, in communities with heavy directional volumes, progression is optimized to favor the primary direction.
And as traffic increases (i.e., rush hour), it tends to move slower. Therefore, the green time allotted at each signal must increase to maintain progression for the primary direction. And as you can imagine, left turn arrows take their toll on traffic progression — left turn arrows bring thru traffic to a stop and therefore require careful and selective implementation — especially during rush hour.
Keep in mind that most claim their traffic signal system is coordinated. But, a truly effective coordinated traffic signal system requires regular data collection, optimizing of signal timings and phasings (e.g., turn arrows), vehicle detection capabilities (hardware), implementation and monitoring. Did I mention monitoring? And oh yeah, also tweaking (and monitoring).
A Note From Bee
Here’s a riddle: when does 15 m.p.h. seem like 100 m.p.h.
Answer: When the driver has a beginners license and you are taking he/she out to practice.
When I was taking driver’s training 65 years ago, it was part of our class time. The only thing I remember about me learning to drive is my mother having me drive in St. Louis traffic. Of course, I almost wrecked the car and she was screaming at me and I was crying.
Our three children took Driver’s Training at Brownsburg High School and I think it was just offered during the summer. It was about $15 for the course. We live very close to the High School and the Driver Training Cars would come through our neighborhood. I can remember on one occasion a neighbor calling me and saying if you have any cars on the street you’d better pull them into the driveway. The Driver’s Training cars are in the neighborhood.
At that time my husband was working a lot of overtime and I was the one to take our kids out to practice. Our oldest daughter did fine. Our son was the scary one. He actually had an accident while we were practicing. He wrecked our brand new car and I was without a car for about a month. We decided we should buy him his own car. I don’t know how many more cars he had but he wrecked them all except a truck. Our son’s actions made me ask my husband to practice with our last child.
When it was time for our grandchildren to learn to drive I volunteered to practice with them. When grandchildren reach the teen years they tend to draw away from the grandparents. This was my way to draw them back in. The good news is we never had a near death experience and children and grandchildren all became good drivers.
Bee Jones
Lawrence of Danville
When they were consolidated New Winchester and Danville, some good things happened. For me it was meeting Lawrence Cox.
Our mutual friend, Larry Chambers, introduced us. Larry went to church in Danville and he and Lawrence both belonged to a club called De Molay, so Larry was ahead of the game. You could not help but like Lawrence. When he smiled, his face lite up and you had to smile too.
LAWRENCE COX
I was over at his house one day and I was complaining about my piece of junk Plymouth when I saw that Lawrence smile. He said, “follow me.” We went in his Dad’s garage and there on the floor was a set of Dodge Lancer Spinner Hubcaps. He hadbought them to put on his Dad’s Dodge. We put them
on my Plymouth, and they fit perfect and looked great. He said “you can have them for $25, that is what I paid for them.” You know, now that I think about it, I never paid for them. Sorry, Lawrence.
I came home on leave from the Air Force in 1967 and, while cruisin’, I ran into Lawrence. I got into his car and away we went. He had a beautiful 1966, maroon Pontiac GTO. It was very fast and even had a Hurst, 4-speed shift. Wow.
We stopped at his girlfriend Sharon’s House, I stayed in the car and listened to Rock and Roll on WIBC while he went in. They came out and Lawrence threw me the keys and said, “You drive,” ( I said, “Alright!) and they commenced to get into the back seat.
Now the back seat of a GTO is very small so you should have seen six foot six Lawrence climbing into it. Very funny. I had a ball popping the clutch and peeling out at every stop light. I would power shift and “get rubber” every time I shifted gears. Finally, from the back seat I hear “Noel, can you take it easy with the shifting? I’m trying to take care of business back here.” I had to cool it. Darn.
I miss you Lawrence. You will always be my “ GOOD FRIEND.”
Noel Gatlin
A Squirrel About Town
By Archy
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you walk up.” Archy had been busily scribbling on a tiny pad of yellow paper. He stopped and gave a long sigh.
“I was working on a formula to get humans to change their minds,” he said wearily. “It’s my assignment from the Squirrel Salon. We’re all getting a bit weary of the bickering.”
I sympathized, but said I didn’t think I could be of much help.
“Maybe you could,” the squirrel said. “I have a few questions. I’m trying Archimedes’ approach, I’m just not sure where to put the lever,” he explained.
I knew about the Greek mathematician proclaiming, “Give me a lever and I can move the world,” but wasn’t sure how the squirrel was trying to apply it to people’s opinions.
“There must be a point where people can be moved to admit when they’re wrong,” Archy said.
“Or at least consider that the other fellow might be right,” I thought out loud.
“Exactly!” the squirrel said. “Everything has to be one or the other. There’s no effort for compromise. They can’t understand that sometimes being right can be wrong.” Archy saw that I was beginning to loose the drift. “Humans think that being right gives them power,” the squirrel explained, “when it really weakens, gives them a false sense of reality.” I began to understand his point. “Now, what do I need to move to shift the balance?” He asked. “Is it pride, ego, or something else?”
I ventured that it might be the combination of pride and ego. One seems to inflate the other until both are out of proportion. If that were shifted, their views might become more balanced.
Archy gave it some thought, scribbled some more on his note pad and said, “Just as I suspected. Now for a test.”
He tucked the note pad under his arm and scampered off. I wasn’t sure what he would do next, but I’ve learned not to underestimate the power of a squirrel with a lever.
Weeds? Get Them Covered with Cardboard
By Colletta Kosiba Hendricks County Master Gardener
The road to weed-free flower beds is paved with cardboard.
New to gardening or a seasoned gardener, we all want to have a weed-free garden without the back-breaking work.
You have the solution in your garage right now. All those boxes from amazon are carboard.
Cardboard is a biodegradable, earth-friendly material that enrichs your soil when it breaks down. As it decomposes it feeds the soil microbes, which in turn improve your soils quality and structure.
Cardboard makes an excellent all-purpose weed barrier, just ask my friend, Master Gardener Becky. She lays flattened cardboard down in her flower beds and around shrubs. To allow oxygen and water to reach plants roots, she cuts a hole in cardboard 3 inches out from the stems the plant stems.
Overlap the cardboard pieces where they meet so weeds can’t sneak up.
Then she wets the carboard with a hose and covers with a 3-inch layer of mulch to hold in place, Cardboard will last two seasons before you need to replace it. (The third year you may still find some small pieces in process of decaying) You also have healthy worms!!
Be selective with your cardboard, use plain brown unwaxed corrugated boxes with nominal printing on the surface. Remove tape and stickers. Becky advises if you use cardboard with white on one side place, put it toward the soil so it doesn’t show through the mulch. The weeds are smothered because they do not get sunlight. You do not have to pull weeds or use nasty herbicides.
Hard work doesn’t harm anyone, but I do not want to take any chances.
Sing it with me. Go ahead. “School’s out for summer!”
Children across Hendricks County (and let’s be honest, the school staff, too) are belting it out, but parents and caregivers may be filled with unease. How will I keep my kids entertained? Better yet, how can I structure the day so they entertain themselves? What are ways to prevent summer learning loss after an already challenging school year? What type of boundaries or structure should exist in their day? Chores? Screentime? Exercise? The list goes on.
Whether your kids are home with you, a relative, a babysitter, daycare, or camp, there are many ways you can help ensure reading and other important activities are a part of everyday life by having some structure.
At our house, we’ll have a quick family meeting each night to discuss our plans for the following day. Having experienced at-home learning during the pandemic, I learned my family feels more comfortable when they know what the schedule is for the next day and expectations are clearly defined.
Using a small dry erase board, we fill in a chart that lists activities we “must do” and “could do” (see example below). We work together to generate the list of must do tasks, giving the kids part ownership over the expectations. Having a back-up idea in the “could do” column comes in very handy when the dreaded “I’m bored” phrase shows up. And we categorize all the ideas into values that are important to our family (helping, moving, creating, and learning), but this will be unique to each family.
Other ideas:
● Since I’m home with the kids, I will include my own must do and could do activities. Modeling goes a long way in influencing children and helps them to buy into the system.
● If your child won’t be home most of the day, be realistic about what can actually be accomplished during limited evening hours. Or discuss with them ways they could read, exercise, or be creative while away at whatever childcare arrangements your family is using this summer.
● Do you have a fun summertime activity in mind, like a day at the pool or trip to the zoo? Use this to your advantage. If your kids successfully complete a certain number of must do tasks in a row, allow them to earn the activity! This demonstrates that hard work and consistency pays off.
● The power of surprise is real. Perhaps you’ve seen your child display a selfless act or go the extra mile on a task. Allow them to choose one must do to cross off their list for the day!
● Follow through. Consistency is key.
By working together to create some loose structure to the day, you’re helping to ensure that your family’s values get attention, but with a collaborative feel. You’re also helping to nurture your child’s executive functioning, the ability to complete tasks from start to finish.
Do you have a summer schedule? How do you ensure your kids stay active? Share with our readers on social media in order to help us all learn from each other!
Yours in Reading, Renee
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.
A Bark From the Past: Henry
[Editor’s Note: The Republican’s first four-footed correspondent was Henry. A mixed breed rescue dog, Henry would make observations about being a dog in a small town. The articles, which ran in 2006 - 2010, have been languishing in the computer’s memory and we thought a new audience might enjoy some canine commentary.]
Last week, I started telling you about my adventure in the woods when my humans went hunting for morels. I couldn’t imagine my humans shooting anything, so I was eager to see what kind of critters those morels were. Where was I?
Oh, yeah! My humans let me off the leash and we walked into the woods. They had their plastic bags ready, and when they came to a fallen log or a patch of these little palm trees (my humans called them May apples, but there weren’t apples on any of them), they’d stop and look around until they were sure there weren’t any morel burrows there. After a while, I got bored, so I dropped behind and went off by myself.
It wasn’t long till I picked up the scent of another dog. I followed it, and I found him! He was shorter than me, and he had reddish fur and a white face and paws and a white tip on his tail. “Hello,” I said. He answered in a high voice with a funny accent. “Shhh!” he said. “I’m hunting for something to eat.
You have to be quiet.” “I’m Henry. What’s your name?” “Red,” he said. “And I only hunt by myself. Go away.”
I could tell he didn’t want me there, so I left as quietly as I could. After a while, I came to a tall, tall tree. And I heard the leaves rustling. When I looked up, way high, I could see a squirrel on a limb, eating nuts off the tree. It was the shells falling through the leaves that I heard.
“Hello!” I barked. He looked down and squeaked,
“Hello.” “What are you eating?” “Hickory nuts,” he said. “Are there any morels around here?” I asked. The next thing I knew, a couple of those hickory nuts bounced off my head! And were they ever hard! Well, I can take a hint, so I left.
It wasn’t long till I came to a clearing where a couple of logs had fallen. There were some of those little palm trees around them, and these funny-looking mushrooms were everywhere! They looked like little sponges on stems. And then, I saw a pair of mice and a chipmunk eating them!
“Hello,” I said. They all squeaked and started to run. “Wait!” I said. “I won’t hurt you. I’m looking for morels. Have you seen any?”
They all said that they didn’t know what morels were and kept on eating the mushrooms. Well, by then, I was hungry, too, so I took a bite of one. It was delicious! So, I ate a few more. And a few more. And before long, I was full! Then, I heard my human whistling. I didn’t take me long to find him. “Henry! Good dog!” he said. “Did you have fun?” I wagged my tail and licked his hand. It turned out that they didn’t catch one, single morel! It’s a shame that they were so busy hunting morels that they didn’t get to try any of those tasty mushrooms. If we come back next year, I’ll show them where I found those mushrooms. I bet morels eat them, too. They might catch some of them there!
