July 2, 2009 AsktheBuilder News And Tips
What's in This Issue?
Mom Laid to Rest
Beware of Clever Air-Cooler Ads
Forensic Shower-Pan Discovery
Concrete and Masonry Sealers
Framing a Pocket Door
New Stain Solver Web Site
Latest Columns
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If you have a question for me, don't hit the Reply button just yet. Go immediately to my web site and type in the keywords about your problem into my Search engine. The search box is at the top of every page of my web site. You could have your answer in seconds if you do this! Please pay attention to all links you see at my web site. The exact products and services you often need are right in front of you, and you might be ignoring them. Each week I add about 1,000 new subscribers to this list. I haven't sent a newsletter in about two weeks because of a death in my immediate family. If you're a new subscriber, please understand that this is a pretty unusual newsletter, as I've decided to dedicate a good part of it to my Mom.
Mom Laid to Rest
A little over a week ago, I was driving to the church with Kathy and the kids for Mom's visitation and funeral mass. Afterwards, we took her to Spring Grove Cemetery to place her next to Dad. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and sticky. Not much different than many summer days Mom and Dad would take Lynn, my sister, and me to Coney Island.
The first few days after her death, I had this overwhelming urge to go visit her at the nursing home. The feeling must be what it's like for an amputee to feel their missing limb. I've heard that happens.
I wanted to share with you one of the rays of sunshine that came as a result of all of this - my new understanding and respect for those devoted souls who work for any Hospice organization. Before the funeral mass, I finally got to meet the nurse who was in charge of my Mom's case - Vicky. Mary Jo, the Hospice social worker was there, as was Yumi the harpist. Yumi played at the mass.
After mass in the receiving line, I was hugged by Vicky and at that instant broke down sobbing in her arms. I'm tearing up now writing this. The emotion bubbled to the surface because it was crystal clear that Vicky really cared for my Mom. I mean she *cared* about her. Vicky's comfort each week took the place of what I couldn't do being 1,000 miles away in New Hampshire. Vicky hugged me tenderly and cried as well. I'll never forget that moment. It's as if she were a dear old friend, but realize that an hour before I had never met her. That's the psychic powers many Hospice employees have.
The week before Mom died, I told her what a great woman she was and that I was thankful for all she taught me. Mary Jo, the Hospice social worker, pointed out to me that Mom was a true trailblazer for women. It's something that I totally overlooked. You see, my Mom was a registered pharmacist. But realize, she got her degree and license back in the late 1940's. It's quite possible she was one of the first women to graduate from the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy. I'm going to check into that. One thing is for certain, the pharmacy profession in the 1950's and 1960's was an intensely male-dominated vocation.
I made sure to apologize and ask for forgiveness for all the bad things I did. Just 12 hours before she passed, I saved the best one for last. Growing up we used to have sleepovers at different houses on the street. About 45 years ago, I had a summer sleepover at my own home. We had many of those on our street, but this one was in my new bedroom that months before had been the garage in our basement.
In the middle of the night, we had a pillow fight that spilled outdoors. The fight went up the driveway and onto our next-door neighbor, Ms. Zint's front yard. Ms. Zint was the first cousin of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz movie. Needless to say, several pillows exploded at this point and the thousands of feathers made her lawn looked like it had snowed overnight.
Our phone rang early the next morning and Ms. Zint hissed fire over the phone demanding that the feathers be cleaned up. My mom was angry, of course, and woke all of us sleepy pubescent boys up enlisting us in the cleanup effort. Ms. Zint stood on her front porch wearing her midcalf-length dress and thick support stockings glaring at Mom and us not saying a word. At one point, Mom whispered in my ear with gritted teeth to go inside and get our vacuum cleaner. Minutes later, I was vacuuming her yard.
I don't think I ever apologized to Mom for doing that. It no doubt caused her great embarrassment, humiliation and shame. I shouldn't have waited so long to apologize, as Mom was comatose at that point. I can only hope her hearing still worked and she could process my apology.
Note to Self: Go apologize to all I've wronged before they become comatose.
Finally, I want to sincerely Thank You for the condolences you sent to me over the past two weeks. Within minutes of me sending out my Mom's death notice, I started to receive warm thoughts from around the globe. Yes, I said around the globe. Some had me sobbing. Some told about deaths in their families - deaths of young people who didn't get to do all the things my 86-year-old Mom got to do.
At last count, I got well over 2,000 emails. It was simply impossible to write back to everyone individually. Thanks so much again.
BEWARE of Clever Air-Cooler Ads
Earlier this week, I was reading the magazine supplement in our Sunday Paper. You might get this full color tabloid rag with the USA Weekend title, if your paper is owned by the huge Gannett chain.
Inside was a huge two-page ad from Universal Media Syndicate that was typeset to look like a *story* inside this insert. In medium gray above the copy and photos there was the word Advertisement at the top of each page. But that was cleverly disguised as well.
This ad was about a product called the Cool Surge - Portable Air Cooler. The ad made, what I believe to be, some outrageous claims. The standout one was: "... costs about a penny an hour to operate and it cools an average-sized room up to ten degrees."
Nowhere in this ad does it tell you how it operates. There were two places where it says it comes with two glacier ice blocks. Something tells me that those are things you put in your freezer to solidify. My suspicion is that you insert these into the appliance, and a simple fan blows room air over the frozen blocks producing a cooling effect.
If this is true, the heat is NOT REMOVED from your house. The heat from the air is soaked up by the glacier blocks. You then take the blocks and insert them back into your freezer to solidify. Your refrigerator or freezer takes the heat out of the blocks and throws it back into your kitchen. PLUS it adds heat to your home as the refrigerator runs its compressor and fan.
Real air conditioners actually transfer the heat outdoors via the outdoor coils. I'm hoping that you haven't become a victim of this very slick advertising that's not telling you the whole story. If you want a real education about this company, just Google "Universal Media Syndicate". In the winter, they hawk Amish-built heaters. Ugh......
Remember the saying: Half a Truth is a Whole Lie.
Forensic Shower-Pan Discovery
Several days ago, I tore out a ceramic-tile shower. The tile floor in the shower was laid on a cement-mortar bed that was placed in a waterproof membrane. What I discovered during the demolition shocked me. The mortar had glued itself to the membrane as if it had been epoxied in place. That wasn't supposed to happen as it absolutely can interfere with the water that's heading to the drain.
Because of this discovery, I've come up with a new way to install a shower liner and the cement-mortar bed. I have an eBook series on that now, but it WILL BE REVISED in the next month. Wait until you see the fail-safe method I've devised ensuring water that gets through the floor immediately is transferred to the shower drain.
I'll let you know when the revised eBook is ready with stunning new photos and even a video or two.
Concrete and Masonry Sealers
If you live in a place that gets cold and freezing temperatures, you may want to do a summer project. I've written extensively about freeze / thaw cycles and what that can do to concrete that's not as strong as it could be.
Unless you personally installed your concrete or watched it like a hawk going in, you don't know if your concrete will stand the test of time. To protect your investment, you can apply a clear silane / siloxane water repellent. Summer is the best time to do this as the concrete should be warm and dry. If you decide to do this job, it's best to clean the drive and allow it to dry before you apply the sealer.
Framing a Pocket Door
In the next few days, I'll be installing a pocket-door frame. I intend to tape a video or two about the process, so watch for that. To ensure the door never rubs the frame and that it doesn't jump off the track, I'm using the pocket door hardware I've used for years. Great stuff. Watch for the videos!!
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NEW Stain Solver Web Site!
Woo Hoo! I want to thank my daughter Meghan, Brent Walter my in-house IT guy, Roger Henthorn, Molly Sandquist and Vicky Bradley for all the hard work they did to completely renovate the Stain Solver web site.
Check out two sections for sure:
and Cleaning Tips
In the cleaning tips section, you'll discover hundreds - yes HUNDREDS - of uses of Stain Solver.
Don't forget to read all the FAQ entries as well.
I'm really stoked about the new web site design. It should be easier to navigate for you. Oh, if you've never been to the Stain Solver website before, there is a special treat that I have for you just before a minute goes by. Watch for it!
Latest Columns
I'll have a boatload of new columns for you next week.
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