Slideshow

Ourdoings.com just emailed me to let me know I can put a slide show in my blog with a simple cut and paste. Check it out:




Now that's service.

Blatant Plug

We just had a tankless hot water heater installed. Why? Because we're eco-hippie folks.

Turns out, our former (tank) hot water heater decided its time was up and began leaking on our wood floors. yay...

We looked at our options. Some company (who shall remain nameless) sent out a dude who was ho-hum on tankless heaters. He looked around and called back with a bid the next business day.

Rice Heating came out two days later, with documentation on three different options (one tanked heater, two tankless), full costs of each, tax incentives/energy rebates, the works. And, the bid was 20% under the other company. Plus, with all the information given us, it was obvious that the net difference in cost between the high-end tankless and the tanked heater was a mere $350. Plus, according to Energy Star, we'd make up the difference in about 3 years.

We chose to go with Rice Heating.

Calvin Rice (the owner of the company) himself came to install the hot water heater and did a very nice job. Jeremy was the guy who gave us the bid, and came back after it was all done to give us all the paperwork for the rebates/taxes. The paperwork was already filled out and came with stamped envelopes. The guys always remembered our names (including Simone's and Hazel's (Jupiter was nowhere to be found)). They took time to answer all the questions we had at every point in the process, and will be coming out to service the hot water heater (and the furnace!) twice in the next year for free.

The two bid processes left were so completely different, and Rice's followed through extremely well, providing great service. I've no doubt that if I called them up in a month or two to ask about some inane detail on how to operate the remote or about the gas connection, they'd have someone stop by the house free of charge (I don't know that, I just got that impression).

So, if you're in the area and need some heating/cooling work done, I'd go with Rice's.

Some flower photos from the past few months...

Check out these little albums:

Flowers While Hiking Saddle Mountain

Orchid Blooming At Home

Pansy At Home

Tulip Closeups

More Tulip Close-ups

Here's am example of what's in store:

First Tomato

We have a Sungold tomato plant, which produces lots of super sweet tiny tomatos. This was the first one.

Mmmmm.... it smells like heaven.

And it tastes as good as it smells.

All Around The Mulberry Bush

Ever wondered about a mulberry? This is what it looks like:


It tastes kind of like a cross between bing cherries and a blackberry, only not as strong. But it is very sweet.

Oh, and it's not so much a bush as a tree. Who would have thunk it?

Mmm... peach, tomato salad

I read a caption that said, "peach and tomato salad" and thought, I've got both of those, time for lunch!

Chef Rowley Leigh, Cafe Anglais
Peach, tomato and basil salad

Pour boiling water over six white peaches and let stand for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Refresh in cold water and skin. Do the same for six large tomatoes, which should still be firm and full of flavour. Slice the tomatoes thinly and salt them. Cut the peaches into thin segments. Arrange them in an overlapping circle, alternating the two fruits. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the salad and drizzle lightly with oil (very lightly if you are using walnut oil). Tear six basil leaves and scatter these over the salad. Mill some black pepper, and serve.

hat tip: The Kitchn