I’m off work now until the new year is underway. It’s nice to have some time off. On the agenda today was to sleep in, take the recycling to the recycling station, run some errands, and resume the Eternal Attic Insulation Project.
The sleep in part went swimmingly. Once I had checked that box, I went downstairs and had some breakfast. Then I loaded the recycling into my car and backed out of the garage. That’s when Beth told me, “One of your tires is low. I mean really low.” What she meant was “You have a flat tire, Daddy!”
Yeah. I took a turn a little too tightly yesterday and bumped hard over a curb. It felt a little unbalanced on the drive home, but I figured I had thrown one of those balance weights. I had intended to take it in to have the tires rotated anyhow, so…
Of all the days to have a flat tire, I really can’t think of a better day than today. I didn’t have to be anywhere at any particular time.
I moved all the recycling out of my car and into Va’s, and Beth and I took it to the recycling center. I really wish we had curbside recycling here, but having no curbs, I guess that’s not likely to happen any time soon. And curbs don’t like me too much this week anyhow.
I took the tire off, threw it in Va’s trunk, and she and I drove to town. We ran errands (one of which was to get the tire fixed). When we got home I put the tire back on. Actually, I didn’t get the tire fixed, I got a new one. When we bought the tires in May, they came with road hazard insurance, and the curb was very unkind to the sidewall. From this we can conclude that curbs are road hazards. I paid $15 for labor (or something), but I am totally OK with that. I was expecting to hand over a Benjamin.
After supper I decided to move a bunch of stuff from the attic to the basement so I would have some room to work on the Eternal Insulation Project.
Well-insulated vs Not
This photo was taken two years ago yesterday. You can see that the snow on the right side of the house is deeper than the snow on the left side. That’s because I had insulated the left side of the attic.
Actually, the whole attic is insulated – just not very well. When we had the house built we asked for an open attic with a subfloor and regular walk-up stairs. The plan was to eventually finish it out and use it as extra space. The builder did as we asked, but he insulated the attic floor, not the attic ceiling. That’s not so bad except that the door to the attic is an interior door, and the heat goes right through it, up our walk-up stairs, and out the roof.
So I have been insulating the attic ceiling. But not fast. My goal is to finish that project before I have to go back to work. Tonight all I will do though, is clear out some working space. The nice thing about having the ceiling half-insulated for two years running is that I know that when it is finished, it will do us some real good. I can see it every time there’s snow or frost on the roof. And I am reminded then, that I should really get up there and finish that project off.
Tomorrow!
Jomegat's Weblog 
December 29, 2011 at 1:14 am
Interesting. I have also use the snow pattern on our roof as a gauge of our insulation effectiveness. I love to see several of inches of snow on our roof because that in itself is excellent insulation!
December 29, 2011 at 7:22 am
I have also found that the ice dam situation is greatly improved over the insulated portions.
I find my eye drawn to snow patterns on roofs everywhere. Some houses are either very well insulated (like the right side of mine) or perhaps unheated (like my garage). Our office participated in a toy drive this year. One child requested a winter-grade sleeping bag. I immediately wondered if he lived in one of the poorly heated homes.
December 29, 2011 at 11:14 am
That just might be, but it’s a very sad thought.
December 29, 2011 at 11:31 am
I know of at least one family who turned on their heat only once a day though mid-December. Most homes up here are heated by boilers, as is theirs. They needed hot water for showers. Other than that, it was an affair of wearing coats indoors. When they ran out of oil completely, our church refilled their tank. So yes, it does happen.
December 29, 2011 at 3:49 am
The calm with which you wrote this post portrays that you are insulated from turmoil. A nice place to be. Relaxing to read about. The uncompleted jobs will get done in their time. Flat tires at the right time a mere distraction. A child to join you in your chores. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year.
December 29, 2011 at 7:23 am
It is a very nice place to be indeed, and I thank you for pointing it out. I hate to take things for granted and not recognize when I have it good. Right now I have it great, and I need to have a thankful heart.