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Sunday, February 1, 2009

Vintage Stoves – Classic Designs to Warm Your Heart

Vintage Stoves – Classic Designs to Warm Your Heart
A brief description of several different antique stoves that were used in the late 1800's to the early 1900s.

Have you ever been to the antique market, or watching the "Antiques Roadshow", and seen those wonderful woodstoves for days passed? They are absolutely amazing, especially if you can find one in good shape. A friend of mine recently installed a "4 O'clock" stove dating back to the early 1900's, and it looks marvelous! It got me thinking about woodstoves, in general, and I started to research many of the vintage stoves. I have listed the most popular models below. Get yourself a cup of tea, put your feet up, and read on!

Victorian Stoves – These stoves date back to the late 1800's. They are generally made from cast iron, and adorned with nickel. This early kitchen stove will meet all of your cooking needs.

Country Stoves – These stoves generally date to around the early 1900's. It is very similar to the Victorian stove, but more effort has been out into the nickel highlights and the clean, crisp casting.

Retro Stoves – These particular stoves are simply updated versions of the above. In the 1930's, when these stoves were immensely popular, the kitchen seemed to be the central point in one's home. These stoves were integral to the "modern" kitchen.

Cylinder Stoves – These stoves are likely the most easily recognizable of the antique stoves. They were renowned for their extraordinary ability to heat a home, while taking up very little floor space.

Potbelly Stoves – Early American photographs abound with images of the potbelly stove. These stoves were found in railway stations, saloons, brothels, and many other historic settings on the western frontier.

Parlour Stoves – Back in the Victorian era, these beautiful stoves were a focal point in traditional parlour rooms. At the height of their popularity, artisans adorned them with various designs such as cherubs, mythological figures, and floral designs.

Franklin Fireplaces – This stove is pure Americana. It was designed by Benjamin Franklin, and early American inventor, craftsman, and President. All wood stoves used for heating owe their heritage to Benjamin Franklin, and his efficient design.

These are but a few of the stove types I came across in my research. These stoves are all wonderful examples of design and function. If you happen to see any of these stoves while shopping for antiques, do let me know. Or buy one for yourself! You won't regret it!


About the Author: Kim Filler loves shopping for antiques in obscure, out-of-the-way markets. She is currently obsessing about the Franklin Fireplace. When she is free from her daily pursuits, she writes for fireplacesandwoodstoves.com – a website of interest to those who enjoy fireplaces and woodstoves featuring information on wood burning stoves, old antique wood stoves, fireplace mantel information and more.

The Basics Of Building Your Own Greenhouse

Building a greenhouse is easier than you may think. You can choose different designs and sizes that you would like to build. A greenhouse will give you comfort whenever you visit your plants, vegetables, flowers, or orchids. It also provides the needed sunlight and humidity for these plants. You may relax and enjoy it every time you visit this place where you have exerted all your effort of building such a wondrous place.

You may save more money if you decide to build a small greenhouse. There are supplies and materials that you can use which should be just enough according to your own prepared budget. If there is enough space that can accommodate a larger greenhouse, do it because you may want to develop more plants and vegetables.

If you really desire to build a greenhouse where you can develop and propagate more plants, you should consider the different factors that would be necessary on the type of greenhouses you would like to build. Here are some tips and factors you should consider in building your own greenhouse.

1. You may consider using salvaged materials if you intend to make a larger greenhouse. You may use these materials in designing and planning for a low cost budget greenhouse. This will also help you minimize the expense of the other supplies and materials needed.

2. You should also determine the climate of the place where you live. An insulated greenhouse should be appropriate for cold climate areas. This will help you provide the needed warmth and heat for your plants. For warm places, a greenhouse that has a shade control would be advisable.

3. You also needs to make sure that your greenhouse will be designed with proper air circulation spaces, ventilation, pest control soil, heaters for winter season, and humidity control devices. You should create an environment that is appropriate for the types of plants that will grow in your greenhouse.

4. The location of the greenhouse should be built where there is enough sunlight. If you choose a solar greenhouse for vegetables and exotic fruit bearing plants it is best if the greenhouse is situated on the east-west part of where you live because facing it this way it is more exposed to sunlight.

5. It is also important to consider the covering of the greenhouse. The most advisable shades are the glass made coverings and fiberglass which might not fit in your budget. But just know that they provide more durability and they do not deteriorate quickly compared to plastic coverings. A greenhouse covered with glass or fiberglass allows more humidity and warmth.

6. You have the option to choose what kind of foundation you would like to use. The foundations can be concrete for a more secured greenhouse. Others prefer the less expensive lightweight foundation where they use improvised materials such as railroad ties, which they can easily attach to the ground. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend on the structure of the greenhouse.

7. You may also consider building a greenhouse that will maximize its full potential. You may want to add benches or materials that will be used for your comfort every time you want to relax in the greenhouse. You may also want to add many accessories to the place like automatic watering systems, heating systems, ventilation system and other automatic equipment that are effective in maintaining the plants.

8. You should use the "good bugs" for you pest control chemical. They prevent and control the spread of the bad bugs in a greenhouse. If you ever find insects in a plant, you should isolate the plant and if possible place the plant outside the greenhouse so that the insects do not house in the other plants.

9. You should allot a space where you can store fertilizers, potting soil and other tools that are essential in the greenhouse. You should place a tool rack nearer to the potting place so that it would be easier for you to transfer the soil from the pot of the plants. You should also place buckets and tool holders to accommodate the other equipment when they are not in use.

You can develop and grow all sorts of plants with a versatile greenhouse. You may also want to reproduce the grown plants to fill the greenhouse with a variety of plants. Putting up a greenhouse will be more enjoyable if it done with the help of the family and friends. So get them involved too.

Have fun.

Christian Baligad
http://www.theboneszone.com


About the Author: Christian Baligad brings you a new 5 part ecourse that shows you how a greenhouse captures heat, the different types of greenhouses, and much more! Get it today by emailing: ecourse-1250@responsebot.com

Children in need, not misdeed

In the Philippines, there are more than 36 million people under 19 years old who are living in utterly inhuman conditions. About a million and a half children are estimated to live on the streets. They survive by begging for food and through petty theft. In spite of laws against child labor, more than three and a half million children from 5 to 17 years old work under grueling conditions. The data regarding child abuse and neglect in the Philippines are considered to be below the actual figures since the current statistics only reflect reported cases of abuse.

Recently, a survey by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reflected a sudden increase in the number of children that resulted from increased awareness and reporting in the community. Most of these children in this survey were victims of child abuse and neglect, also known as "child maltreatment." Child maltreatment is a behavior toward a child that is outside the norms of conduct and entails substantial risk of causing physical or emotional harm. Child maltreatment can be a single incident, but it is usually a pattern of behavior that takes place over time. There are four types of recognized maltreatment. These are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse (psychological abuse), and neglect.

The causes of child maltreatment are varied and not well understood. Abuse and neglect are often associated with physical injuries, delayed growth and development, and mental problems. They are more common in poor and extremely poor families than in families with higher incomes. Child maltreatment is also associated with psychological and emotional problems such as aggression, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In extreme cases, child abuse and neglect can lead to death.

Child abuse is also linked to an increase risk of substance abuse, eating disorders, obesity, depression, suicide, and sexual promiscuity later on in their lives. Women who were victims of physical assault during their childhood are twice as likely to be victims of physical assault as adults. There are also evidences which suggest that victims of child maltreatment are more likely to engage themselves in criminal behavior as juveniles and adults than others.

Although it is said that the most important relationship for all beings is that with their parents or with their families, child maltreatment often starts at home. Unfortunately, an alarming number of parents do not understand the importance of the parent-child relationship. They are often too young or unprepared for such responsibility. Their inability to commit to good parenting techniques causes serious detriment to the lives and well being of their children.

Children who have been maltreated are usually unwilling or unable to reveal their situation to someone because of parental threats, or a feeling of loyalty to the family. For children who are in school, while carefully asking a child may help to unearth details of maltreatment, teachers need to be aware of non-verbal ways in which the message of abuse may be communicated. The presence of one indicator alone does not necessarily mean that maltreatment has occurred. If there are a number of indicators, then immediate counseling is needed for the child. It is the process by which a professional helps a person cope with mental or emotional distress, and understand and solve personal problems is called counseling.

Individual and group counseling sessions usually take two years or even longer. The goal of undoing life-long damage can be very difficult because the damage pervades every aspect of a child. There may also be physiological changes that cannot just be "counseled" away. Medication can be useful for the symptoms of depression, anxiety and other symptoms, but should never be dispensed in the absence of counseling for the root of the problem. For children, play therapy and family therapy can be helpful.

It is important to help a child deal with the abuse as well as the psychological problems they report. Research indicates that without some form of intervention against child maltreatment, the long-term consequences for children can be nightmares, feeling of insecurity, feeling unsafe, poor school performance and low self-esteem. They are also more likely to be abusive or become victims of abuse themselves.


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