Hallowe'en Sparks Mayhem and Laughter in Springfield, Vermont, Official Scary Home of the Simpsons

¡¡¡ EEEE-E-E-E-E-E-E-EEEEEEEEEEK !!!!









"Go ahead, try to change that bill into case quarters, I dare you my pretty!", said the Money Witch of the Black River ...





Here are a few of the shots from this year's Hallowe'en revelry - see more on the slide show made with iPhoto.

Fancy News! - Sidewalks are almost all safe and spiffy again!

The streets are safe for everyone again - even for goats!

Fancy News - another fire averted by quick action from the Springfield Fire Department!

One neighbor claimed to hear a fireman say something to the effect that it was entirely possible that a little bit of burning paper could have easily developed into a completely involved house fire, and that quick reporting let them arrive in time to prevent such a result. Las casas de madera corren alto riesgo de incendio, mas las antiguas (lenya de cien anyos, anyejo, y en su punto), y mas peligro aun cuando hay entre los habitantes chiquillos menores de edad con curiosidad pirotecnica. Se ve en este caso, que en el primer momento de sentir humo alguien llamo a los bomberos y llegaron a tiempo para prevenir una Falla espontanea, Bien Hecho!

Fancy News - Voila ici folks!, le famous snap-disc, Woo-hoo tout le monde!

Recently, I walked into a prominent piece of commercial architecture with great 1970's era signage proclaiming their confident posture as suppliers of electric parts and supplies, this while looking for a simple electric switch. Located as prominently as they are (on a big shopping drag strip in another "old milltown-turned-shopping-mall", in the midst of re-inventing itslef yet again, over the Connecticut River in New Hampshire, yes everyone shops there), and for as big a deal as they make of their claim to do business as an electrical supply outfit, they failed miserably when asked for a snap-disc type fan control switch that should be a cheap and common item of the most basic design and manufacture, typically stored in bins like pop-corn, pre-set at the factory. Luckily, I came across reference to the item - as produced by www.grainger.com - the reader may like to look for grainger part no. 2E245 on their easy to use online catalogue. Grainger is based in Iowa, entirely, with a friendly and helpful 24 hour telephone switchboard, and they were a snap to deal with for this kind of thing. I would recommend them to anyone. Este es el mecanismo, sencillo y eficaz, que abre y cierra el circuito electronico que manda el ventilador en el colector de aire caliente solar - que por fin lo pude encontrar, (despues de encontrarme con muchas caras estupificadas en tiendas normales), en una tienda virtual que no acaba de agradar, los www.grainger.com, vale, ya voy a poder terminar estas cosas por fin!! Update - the order shipped out within minutes, as I found out when I called a scant four minutes later to add to the order; it arrived today in a "Jiffy" Padded #2 Cushioned Mailer, Monday following, while I was out for lunch! Everyone is pleased.

Fancy News - New Tree Boxes Make First Appearance! ... Hey, wait a minute!

Update: it seems that the logistics and engineering aspects of one tree box were too insurmountable for our town to overcome, and the neat little tree box is no more folks, oh well, it was too much to ask drivers to turn the wheel when parking or re-entering the traffic lane. Geesh!



There is a new tree boxe on Main Street, in lovely downtown Springfield, Vermont, Home of the Simpsons - one is in the picture here. It was right on time for a walkabout by a pack of legislators and a news crew, and it is way right on time for the citizens of this happy dale, who are as pleased as punch to see that soon there will be a fine new tree on Main Street! Some people have expressed dismay to see one of the twenty or so main parking spaces replaced by the tree bump. Even more amazingly, some find in the change a daunting obstacle to convenient maneuvering while removing from the adjacent parking space - to these timid souls I point out the big round thing on a stick that sits right in front of them when they are seated at the controls trying to park or de-park, it is called a steering wheel, and if they grab and turn it gingerly and with premeditated caution, while applying alternate breaking and accelerating pressure, they will find that the car can be made to go around it! A new tree for Main Street!

Fancy News - one solar hot air collector nears completion

Well, I finally am making progress on the solar hot air collectors - are you? I swear, at the Springfield, Vermont, Recycle center enough tempered glass panels show up from old windows to make a double-glazed 4' by 8' collector every day (the trick of course is to get to these windows before mr. cranky bashes them to smithereens). I think that everyone with some kind of four or five daily hours of good sun exposure should put together their own solar hot air collector, using their local recycle center as a source of quality tempered glass for low cost or for free. Now then, moving them is another thing, you will do well to plan the actual retrieval and conveyance and storage of these (especially if you are going for the big sheets).
The main thing with the whole solar hot air collector idea is that it involves no plumbing, and little or no electric work, and most anyone can approach the technology. Of course a solar hot air collector only works while the sun is hitting it's absorber. And it's product is not considered "best grade" heat. But heat it is, and if the rule of thumb is true that every square foot of well made solar hot air collector absorber area equals 1 to 2 gallons of fuel oil in a heating season, then there is a cash value to the exercise as well. Considering that the fuel is free (however capricious), and that the mechanism requires little or no maintenance, I call it a bargain.
The one solar hot air collector that is coming along nicely will serve to keep pellets dry in their storage area in the basement. This collector will work continuously all year-round, mainly to ventilate the pellet drying chamber.

Por fin, algun progreso en tema de las placas solares, y con la elaboracion en metal de las diversas partes del aparato mismo de controlar el aire ya calentado. A ver si me explico, (que a proposito subire' pronto alguna foto), para aprovechar de un espacio estrecho, alto y bien colocado en relacion al sotano donde se almanecen los pellets dichosos, he construido un colector de aire calentado que incorpora no tan solamente el panel negro absorbador y el vacuo detras de el, pero detras aun hay lugar suficiente como para incluir un canal que vaya desde la parte mas alta, donde habra que llegar el aire ya calentado, y llevarlo hasta la camara de secar pellets, cuatro toneladas, si, cuatro, preguntaselo a Alva y te dira'!!

Fancy News - Pavement Progress in Springfield, Vermont

Above: a view showing the dog-trot in the otherwise unbroken line of the curb, it would be nice to see a tree there, but more likely than not this indent allows a controlled transition - from one travel lane alongside one parallel parking lane, into three clearer options for traffic flow at the trafic light controlled intersection. No se hace asi en Espanyah, pero aqui por fin tenemos reparaciones en las calles, o, por lo menos tenemos indicaciones de la intencion de modificar en alguna manera positiva lo que es un systema de baches, escaleras sin ritmo, y caidas mortales, a que se le da nombre de "calles".
Here we have a portrait of the fine new granite pieces that will soon be nestled in the paving of Springfield, Vermont, Official Home of the Simpsons.