Every house has its story. What's yours?

Life is full of surprising and intellectually stimulating interludes, particularly when one's household is equipped with offspring of an adventurous and inquisitive nature. One of the offspring contingent of this particular household presented me with an interlude of that sort mere minutes ago by accidentally drawing a thick blue line in permanent marker smack dab in the middle of the kitchen floor--a nice absorbent oak surface.

My wife, the Viking descendent, threw in the towel immediately after taking a few desultory swipes at the blot with some window cleaner.    » read more »

I may have mentioned in a previous post that our house is a rambling, character-oozing dwelling with multitudinous charms, but a bit on the elderly side, at least for this part of the world. Built primarily in 1930, with extensions added in the 1950s and the 1960s, it is festooned with interesting little nooks and crannies. As we discovered the other week, it appears to be festooned with something else as well - pesky little rodents.

Well, not festooned exactly. More like sprinkled.    » read more »

See EPA’s Useful Online Tools 

Washington D.C, January 2008 – Already, many parts of the country are facing severe winter weather, although the season began only recently. And with average heating costs across the nation spiking about 11 percent over last winter’s, the Alliance to Save Energy recommends energy-efficiency measures to help consumers cut home energy bills, increase indoor comfort, and reduce power plant emissions that contribute to climate change.    » read more »

Other Fun Holiday Energy- $aving Ideas

Washington, DC, November 2007 – High home and vehicle energy costs need not dim your holiday cheer this winter. Energy-efficiency holiday tips from the Alliance to Save Energy can help take the “chill” out of the holiday season by lowering home and vehicle energy bills, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions—and even spark some gift ideas.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., December 5, 2007 – The Alliance to Save Energy today urged the U.S.    » read more »

The Massachusetts Attorney General recently released a report concerning consumer protections for people looking into getting a mortgage, but whose finances may not be sufficiently sturdy to handle it.  Important reading. Full release below:     » read more »

The Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality posted this helpful hint for homeowners worried about radon (and if you don't know whether or not your house has a radon problem, you should check it out):    » read more »

The Attorney General of Maryland distributed the following release a couple of days ago regarding several companies' false promises to consumers in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. It's a pretty nasty scam, so beware:

Baltimore, MD (October 30, 2007) - Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that the Consumer Protection Division has filed a complaint in Baltimore City Circuit Court against a group of individuals and companies alleging they violated numerous laws in the course of providing services to homeowners who were facing foreclosure.    » read more »

The Texas Attorney General has posted some important information for senior citizens considering whether to take advantage of increasingly prevalent and potentially disastrous "reverse mortgage" offers. The warning follows:    » read more »

Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons has announced the launch of foreclosurehelp.nv.gov, a website to assist Nevada homeowners who may be facing foreclosure. The website is a comprehensive resource designed to help borrowers make informed decisions about mortgage payments.

“This website will serve as a one-stop location online where consumers can obtain information regarding foreclosure, including whom to call for specific help,” said Governor Gibbons.    » read more »