Pellet Stoves - I stopped by Stove Keepers on 101A on my way into work this morning. While they offer gas and wood stoves, their forte is wood pellet stoves, which I had never heard of before moving here. ( Learn more about the fuel and the stoves ) Stove Keepers has a decent showroom with several models on display, particularly from Whitfield (a division of Lennox) and Harman. There were nice looking free standing models and insert stoves for the fireplace. Pellet stoves are about the most efficient (81%) and cleanest way to burn what is essentially leftover scrap wood (which is how the pellets are made). However, given the time of year, I'm not sure now is the best time to buy. It's like trying to buy a snowblower in January. If I had ordered today, they could have it installed just around the time my folks drive out to visit.
Steam Cleaning - This morning some guys from Stanley Steemer (the cleaning company, not the cars) came by to steam clean the family room, it's couches, and the stairs. With five kids there are numerous ways these tend to get soiled (let's not discuss the details). They made us another offer we hadn't thought about: They used their equipment to steam clean our van. Wow! The seats and carpets in the van are clean and it doesn't smell like a typical family minivan (which is usually somewhere between musty and week old french fries).
A Play Room? - While we were re-arranging things to make the family room carpets accessible, I think I convinced Michelle that for the next several years we should use our (currently empty) dining room as a toy/play room for the kids' stuff. For the past year that room has remained empty because we don't have a "formal" dining room set. I think that we should wait until the kids are older before we worry about such things. For now, let's unclutter the family room a bit (which would also give it more room for a piano - nudge, nudge)
Leno Humor - We watched a little of last night's Tonight Show, as we often do after the kids go to bed (Thank you, TiVo!). Jay had a few nice zingers which I enjoyed:
A federal judge ordered the removal of the Ten Commandments monument out of an Alabama courthouse. I guess politicians and judges weren’t comfortable walking by an object that says you shouldn’t steal or commit adultery. Actually, today they asked former President Clinton about the Ten Commandments monument. Clinton said: "Ten? I thought there were only nine."
Meanwhile yesterday he gave this one:
Did you hear about this? 26 years ago – so that makes it relavent, Arnold Schwartzenegger did and interview with "Oui” and talked about sex and other stuff. Some people are upset over it. But since Arnold has married Maria Shriver and now has a sex scandal – the Kennedy’s have now accepted him.
OK, I live in New England. We have to laugh at a good Kennedy joke. They're everywhere you turn. And with it being that time once again when Presidential hopefuls are roaming the state for the upcoming "first in the nation" NH primary, being able to laugh at politics is essential for maintaining sanity. BTW, if you've never seen it before, the NewsMax Liners Archive is a good place to re-read the previous nights' jokes from Leno and Letterman. They transcript the highlights of the monologues. I must admit that reading the jokes doesn't have the same "punch" as the actual delivery of the joke with its timing, voice inflection, and body language.