The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most stressful — particularly when it comes to keeping your kids safe through parties, presents, travel and meals. Follow these tips to protect your little ones during this holiday season. Electronic gifts About 70 percent of child-related electrical accidents occur at home when adult… Continue reading.
What do you give to the people on your gift list who already seem to have everything? How about some peace of mind? Here are some gift ideas that just might help your family and friends prepare for the unexpected. A smoke detector with extra batteries Five-pound fire extinguishers for the kitchen and bedrooms A… Continue reading.
You empty the ashes and sweep your fireplace after every use to keep it safe and looking nice. But is it ready for Santa? Your fireplace isn’t really clean until you remove what you can’t see: the creosote, soot, ashes, dust, leaves and even birds that are stuck in the flue and chimney. Unless you… Continue reading.
Wood-burning fireplaces are charming and romantic, but they’re among the most energy-inefficient devices in a home. Keep yours from sucking the heat out of your home and the money out of your wallet. Close the dampers whenever you’re not burning a fire. Fireplaces can exhaust as much as 24,000 cubic feet of air per hour… Continue reading.
Turkey, stuffing, cookies, candy canes, fruitcake — there are so many eating opportunities during the holiday season that it’s easy to imagine becoming a “blimp” by spring. To determine if you’re eating problematically, ask yourself a few questions: Do you know what you’re eating when you’re eating it, or are you just scarfing things down?… Continue reading.
Leftover wine leads to slushy fun: Do you have some leftover white wine in your refrigerator from Thanksgiving? Don’t let it go to waste. Use it to make White Wine Slush. To prepare, place in a blender 2 cups semi-dry to sweet white wine, 1 pint fresh or 10 oz. frozen strawberries, 1 (6 oz.)… Continue reading.
By Dalton Caley Few people turn on a living room lamp and ponder how it can turn on. Not many consider the complex path taken by the power that propels nearly every appliance and system you use during the day to brew your morning coffee, keep your home comfy, and entertain you with those dog… Continue reading.
For most people, their electricity provider is just the company that keeps the lights on. But an electric cooperative’s relationship with its consumer-owners is different. Since the 1930s when Indiana’s electric cooperatives were formed, they’ve thrived because of the political engagement between their consumer-owners and local, state and federal governments. Indiana’s electric cooperatives advocate for… Continue reading.
By Richard G. Biever On a clear night, Jim Tague can see forever. Through his backyard telescope, he can look out across the eons. What he finds there among the ancient dapples of starlight and emptiness, he’s sometimes not sure of. But that’s what’s kept him stargazing since he was a boy. “What draws me… Continue reading.
Though the first non-Native settlers in Adams County were from New England, encouraged by the new Erie Canal, it was the arrival of the first Amish/Mennonite settlers in 1840 and the German-Swiss immigrants that followed that left a lasting impact on the culture of the county, especially in its southern half. Berne was settled in… Continue reading.
Over the years, you’ve probably heard or read about Heartland REMC’s concern for our community. This is one of the core principles that sets cooperatives apart from other types of utilities and businesses. We’ve always taken this mission and responsibility to heart. It’s who we are as a co-op. Over the past few months, like… Continue reading.
Ah, the kitchen. It’s undeniably one of the most-loved rooms in our homes. It’s where we gather with family and friends for our favorite meals and memories. But like most of us, you probably aren’t thinking about saving energy when you’re planning that perfect dish. Here are four ways you can save energy in the… Continue reading.