Holiday Shopping – Winter Gardening
The month of December started with a few inches of snow and frigid temperatures, yes, winter has arrived early weeks before its scheduled start.
Following Thanksgiving in November, the busy atmosphere of the holiday season officially begins in Northern New Jersey, with the arrival of winter and the winter solstice. With the festive season in full swing, many residents of northern New Jersey will be actively engaged in holiday preparations, including gift shopping for both Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations, as well as planning and preparing holiday feasts and exciting parties to joyfully welcome the arrival of the New Year.
The arrival of December was marked by a week characterized by unseasonably cold, freezing daytime temperatures, accompanied by a light but noticeable snowfall. Prompted by these early winter conditions, we retrieved our snow shovels and ice melter from their storage place, preparing for the challenge ahead. Specifically, I utilize a mixture composed of equal parts sand and calcium chloride for application on our sidewalks and driveway. The key advantage of calcium chloride, in my experience, is its significantly reduced destructive impact on both the cement surfaces and the bordering grass when compared to the more common sodium chloride, or regular table salt. To further enhance safety and effectiveness, I ensure the mixture includes sand. This is especially important because the sand provides much-needed traction, particularly critical during these colder months when low temperatures can quickly cause any melted ice to refreeze. The combination of the calcium chloride to melt the snow and the sand to prevent slips and falls is a reliable method.
Holiday Shopping
“During the holiday season, our family makes a conscious effort to support our community of local small businesses that dot our town.”
We believe that with a bit of creativity and thoughtful planning, we can successfully complete the majority of our holiday shopping right here, within our own neighborhood, which not only helps these businesses thrive but also strengthens the bonds within our community. For example, we always make a point to visit our local natural foods store, where we can find a delightful assortment of handcrafted items, including wonderfully scented soaps, beautifully crafted candles that fill our home with warmth, and a rich selection of organic teas and herbs perfect for cozy winter evenings.
Winter Gardening
With the arrival of snowfall and dramatically cold temperatures, our outdoor lettuce crops have unfortunately come to an end, but the silver lining is that we have been enjoying a bountiful harvest of our indoor-grown herbs, which have been providing us with wonderful flavors to enhance our daily meals.
We recently upgraded our indoor growing operation by replacing the old fluorescent tube lights with energy-efficient LED lighting. The previous fluorescent setup consumed a significant amount of power, drawing nearly 250 watts, whereas the new LED tubes operate at a mere 45 watts. Given that our grow lights are typically on for approximately 10 hours daily, we are anticipating a substantial reduction in our monthly electricity expenses as a direct result of this eco-friendly and cost-effective improvement.
