May is black fly season. The first two weeks of May only the male flies are out, and they are annoying enough but they don’t bite. The last half of the month, though, watch out! That is a dangerous time to be driving on the rural roads, as the black flies drive the moose absolutely crazy and they come running out of the deep woods into the highway in a vain attempt to escape the biting flies. As one drives through the countryside one can see the lucky horses that have owners that care enough about them to put fly sheets on their backs and over their faces. It may look odd to the casual tourist that doesn’t know much about horses, but I’m sure that the horses are grateful to have them!
Frank Lloyd Wright was my father’s favorite architectural designer
When I was growing up, my father would take us kids out and drive around to look at open houses in different new neighborhoods. He made his living as an architectural designer and he was always looking for what the “other guys” were doing and what was the newest and trendiest thing in architecture.
He had designed the house we lived in, and although at the time I thought that it was not an attractive building from the outside, I have to admit that the interior layout was really very nicely designed. It wasn’t until I was a young adult that I learned that the inspiration behind the house was from the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. I had never even heard of the name of Frank Lloyd Wright until the album “Bridge over Troubled Waters” was released by Simon and Garfunkel. I can remember asking my father who Frank Lloyd Wright was, and he told me that he was a famous architect. I always thought it was weird for Simon and Garfunkel to be singing a farewell song to Frank Lloyd Wright…. but it did pique my interest to learn who he was. And to be honest, he really was a very good designer!
Solar is made easy
With all of the technological advance made in recent years, more than ever before solar is made easy to learn about and to purchase. From what I understand, solar panels that are installed on rooftops are used to generate electricity, and that the panels are expected to last for twenty years. Research has shown that after twenty years the solar panels still generate 80% of the amount of energy that they generated when brand new. Roof top solar panels can also be used to heat water, which can in turn be used to heat a house, but in northern climates such as New England or the United Kingdom that is not recommended as the sole source of heat.
Using solar power to heat swimming pools, by using special floating mats that are placed on the surface of the water in the pool is a very effective and popular way to bring a swimming pool up to a comfortable temperature, especially in cooler climates where summer time is very short. Recently my sister-in-law has been talking about wanting to install an in-ground swimming pool at her house, and I’ve grown interested in learning how she plans to maintain the pool. So far she has not mentioned heating it, or putting a fence around it.
Finally Some Rain
We have had the most wonderful weather for long now. Unfortunately the need for rain has been great, so great that there has been a lot of fires just over the mountain. Some days you can look out and ever so faintly see the smoke that is continuing to billow from all of the wild fires going on over there.
So to wake up to a nice steady rain is a good thing today. Usually the rain depresses me and makes many of my bones ache but today is a good day all the way around. The lawn and the garden sure could use a nice soaking right now. There has been talk of water restrictions being put in place all ready and it is only April for heaven’s sake.
April Showers
Well we haven’t held true this year with the old saying that April Showers bring May Flowers. I sure hope that we do get some rain soon, my well is acting like it is running on the dry side and that isn’t good news. I wonder who ticked off Mother Nature this year. We have had nothing but wacky weather for so very long, it’s getting old.