"Can We Get Some Relief on Grocery Prices Over Here?"

A shout out to one of my Weatherized Brat loyalists. He asked about grocery prices, and suggested I should "drop a blog" on the topic. He ain't a kiddin. 

Considering I bagged groceries in high school at the Ramstein AB commissary in Germany, you'd think I'd be more in tune with the grocery store crisis. At that time, I was more concerned about getting that $5 tip on a grocery takeout, or acting like an idiot trying to embarrass fellow baggers in front of the customers. The commissary was a popular employer for us Brats, and a fun place to work. 

But for real though, it’s not just your imagination, grocery prices are still painfully high. Whether you're shopping for a week's worth of meals or just running in for milk and eggs, the sticker shock is real.

Why? I did some quick research, and it comes down to a mix of things: supply chain issues, war overseas, unpredictable weather damaging crops, higher fuel prices, and plain old inflation. Some companies are even taking advantage of the chaos to sneak in extra price hikes. Not cool!

Remember the good old days when you could walk into the store with $50 and come out with enough food to last a week? Yeah... us neither. These days, grocery shopping feels a bit more like a reality show challenge: "Can you feed a family of four without maxing out your credit card? Tune in to find out!"

So if you're standing in the checkout line wondering how five items totaled $73, just know: you're not alone. We’re all in this overpriced grocery cart together.

Stay stealth-like, and let's take our grocery store back!

-The Weatherized Brat 🛠

Memorial Day Weekend: It’s about remembering and honoring.

Memorial Day is a special day of reflection. Originally known as Decoration Day, it was established after the Civil War for the nation to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. 

Although Memorial Day was established to memorialize lost soldiers, many people have the tradition of simply using it as a time to visit gravesites of their loved ones. This is somewhat a lost tradition amongst the younger generations.

I personally have not made good practice of visiting gravesites of loved ones. Over the last handful of years, however, I’ve made effort to stop at a local cemetery over Memorial Day Weekend and pay tribute to random military honored gravesites. 

Why not memorialize a fallen soldier you didn’t know? He or she served and fought for millions of Americans they did not know. 

My first solid memory of attending a Memorial Day service was when I played a role in the ceremony. I was  a Cub Scout at the time. It was 1980, I was just 10 years old. My family was living in Germany on the Landstuhl Army Post. 

Our Cub Scout pack was invited to be flag bearers at the Memorial Day service held at the Lorraine-American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint- Avold, France. We lived only about twenty minutes from the French border. It was just one-hour to this cemetery. 

Did you know over 10,000 American soldiers from World War II are buried at the Lorraine-American Cemetery in France? Here is a link with more information:

https://www.abmc.gov/video/lorraine-american-cemetery/?utm_campaign=Website

Many Memorial Day services are held around our country each year. I encourage you to attend as many as you can in your lifetime.....or better yet, make an annual tradition in some way to  remember and honor our fallen soldiers. 

Enjoy your family and friends this Memorial Day. 

-The Weatherized Brat 

     Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial

           Saint Avold, France. (1980)                    Photo credit: My Mom. 

Old Bones, Warm Hearts: How 150-Year-Old Schoolhouses Fought the Cold

How were 150 year old schoolhouses insulated and heated you ask? The Weatherized Brat may have some answers. There's no doubt these are historic buildings today, if still standing that is. Let's crack open the icy past and peek inside the charming little box of history, the 19th Century schoolhouse. You know the ones: white clapboard siding, bell tower, a single room with rows of stiff wooden desks and zero concept of comfort. Before HVAC and R-values were things, how did these pint-sized brain factories survive winter?

Let’s talk insulation (or lack thereof), wood stoves, and the sheer stubbornness of early American education.

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No Insulation? No Problem. (Well, Actually, Huge Problem.)

If you’re imagining cozy insulation in those thick walls, dial it back. Most 19th-century schoolhouses were built with little more than timber framing, lathe, and plaster. Maybe...just maybe a layer of newspaper, sawdust, or horsehair-stuffed walls if the builder was feeling fancy. These buildings were basically Swiss cheese with windows and a chalkboard. Air leaks were part of the architecture.

Windows? Single-pane. Drafty. Leaky. Probably rattling in the wind while some poor kid recited the Gettysburg Address in a wool coat.

Bottom line: Insulation was minimal to nonexistent. But they had other tricks up their thick wool sleeves.

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Enter: The Almighty Wood Stove

The true MVP of the 1870s schoolhouse? The iron beast in the center of the room: the wood stove.

Usually located smack-dab in the middle, the stove was loaded in the morning, either by a teacher who got there early (bless their cold hands) or, in some places, a custodian or older student. Wood was often stacked behind the school and donated by local families.

It didn’t heat evenly. If you were lucky, you sat close to the stove and sweated through your lessons. If you weren’t, you froze near the windows and dreamt of spontaneous combustion. 

Bonus fact: Many stoves doubled as lunch warmers. Tin pails of stew or cornbread were nestled beside them to keep warm. Yes, the original "hot lunch program."

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Ventilation? You Wish.

There was no mechanical ventilation. Teachers would crack a window to push out the stifling mix of smoke, steam, and sweat that came with winter learning. But mostly, the heat rose, the cold stayed, and everyone accepted that numb fingers were just part of learning arithmetic.

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Later Upgrades (Thank You, New Deal)

Some of these schoolhouses survived into the 20th century and were retrofitted during the 1930s and '40s when the government got wise to the fact that kids learn better when not frozen. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and other New Deal programs helped bring in better stoves, insulation (hello, rock wool and early fiberglass), and even electric heat in some areas.....Thanks Mr. Ben Franklin!

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So, What Can We Learn?

Today, we’re spoiled. We worry about thermal bridging, triple-pane windows, and whether our heat pumps are SEER-rated for comfort and efficiency. But those old schoolhouses? They kept kids learning through sheer willpower, burning logs, and a good helping of homemade mittens.

Still, if you live in a drafty old house today, get it weatherized. Seriously. Those kids had no choice. You do.

Happy Friday!

—The Weatherized Brat

https://dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com/nature-center/westport-schoolhouse/

 

Your Sump Pump has Feelings Too!

Did your sump pump throw a temper tantrum after having too much to drink? A few all nighters of consumption will do that.

The last few days has provided such an opportunity for the sump pump to cut loose. Steady rainfall for hours makes us quite nervous, considering the flooding we had in the upper Midwest last year at this time. 

You might as well nudge your sump pump to the top of the spring cleaning and check-up list. Spring rains can be unpredictable, and will for sure put pressure on Mr. Sump Pump.

So before you get swept up in the fun of barbecues and sunny weekends, take a few minutes to make sure your sump pump is ready to handle whatever Mother Nature throws its way.

Here’s how to check your sump pump like a pro:

1. Test the Pump

Before you dive into anything too serious, give the pump a quick test. Pour a bucket of water into the sump pit (or wherever your pump lives) and see if it turns on and does its thing. If it starts working and the water drains out, you're in business! If it doesn’t, well, that’s your cue to grab a wrench and maybe a little Google search.

2. Clear the Pit

Your sump pump is a professional at keeping things dry, but it’s not a miracle worker. If the pit is full of debris (dirt, rocks, leaves, whatever the winter storm dragged in), the pump might get stuck. Clear it out! Think of it like a mini spring cleaning for your pump’s home.

3. Check the Discharge Pipe

The discharge pipe is where the magic happens…this is the pipe that sends water outside your house. If it's clogged or has any damage, it may be like trying to flush a toilet and you find no handle. Take a look at the pipe, make sure it’s free from blockages, and ensure that it’s draining water away from your foundation. No one wants a soggy basement or, worse, water being redirected back into your home.

4. Look for Signs of Wear

Sump pumps, like any household appliance, have a shelf life. After a few years of hard work, parts can wear out. Check the float switch, which tells the pump when to turn on and off. If it's stuck or looks like it’s been through the wringer, it might need replacing. Also, take a glance at the power cord and ensure everything is plugged in and intact. You don’t want your pump to take a break just when you need it most.

5. Test the Battery Backup

In case of a power outage you need to make sure your battery backup works. Test it by unplugging the pump, and if the backup kicks in and runs smoothly, you’re good to go. If not, time to replace the battery and keep the water at bay. 

6. Consider an Annual Inspection

If your sump pump has been a reliable friend for years, it might be worth scheduling an annual inspection. Just like we go to the doctor for regular check-ups, your sump pump deserves some TLC too. A pro can make sure everything’s functioning properly and can give you peace of mind for the season ahead.

Why It’s Worth the Effort:

Checking your sump pump now could save you a lot of headaches later. Dealing with water in your basement is no fun. Frankly, I’d rather ride a mule to work for the next year over mildew taking my basement hostage. 

So, next time you grab your broom and dustpan, don’t forget to show some love to your sump pump. It’s the quiet hero of your basement, and it deserves some attention too. 

May your basement stay dry!

-The Weatherized Brat 🛠

Grow with Fighter Jet Confidence, Class of 2025!

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Helen Keller 

As I sat in my office to wrap up the work week after being in the field on energy-audit inspections, furniture upgrades were going on in other office spaces of the building. A distinct noise rolling down the main hallway triggered some serious nostalgia. 

Through the block wall next to me, I could hear the workers using rolling carts to transport the office furniture down the marble floor hallway. The rumbling started from a distance and got closer and louder. I immediately had a nostalgic feeling of sitting in high school class at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. 

The airbase flight line was maybe a mile or two from the high school. The sound of rumbling vibration of this cart rolling down the hallway sounded like the F-16 fighter jet in the great distance speeding down the runway, engine a-blast. 

The fighter jets went on training missions regularly, so it wasn't uncommon to hear them during the school day. Hearing fighter jets to this day gives me goosebumps. I love the sound, and frankly miss being around it. It’s a sound of power and freedom. That’s the way we looked at it as a military family. 

The summer of 1987, going into my senior year, I was lucky enough to work a summer job around the flight lines. I was a general maintenance worker. Mowing grass, helping to clean aircraft hangars, and other odd jobs the Sergeant found for us.   

It was labor work, but included a fair share of fun and clownish behavior. I won’t get into the mischievous affairs. Let's just say national security was never endangered. If I knew how to fire-up the F-16, well then, we may have had a different story on our hands. Just kidding! 

The reality... luckily we weren't foolish enough to encroach on an F-16 without permission and supervision. Graciously though, we were able to sit in one and have a close up tour under a pilot’s supervision. Shooting the breeze with the pilots was great. One would think I'd pursue a fighter pilot career...I was so intrigued. 

When I think back on the idea, it really comes down to a lack of confidence. Sure, I was confident on the athletic field, but to be a fighter pilot? I’m sure I told myself, I’m not capable of that. 

My simple message to graduating seniors…don’t dismiss thoughts of intrigue and excitement of a potential career due to lack of confidence. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”  

Surround yourself by those in the profession you're intrigued by. Talk to them, learn from them, and create great relationships. I am confident they will mentor and empower you.

 

Building confidence in a challenging profession is a marathon, not a sprint. The confidence will grow from determination, dedication, and discipline. 

Be disciplined...become confident! And yes...the Air Force is always in need of more pilots!! 

Congratulations Class of 2025!

-The Weatherized Brat

(A special shout out to my son graduating from high school this weekend…..and thoughts of gratitude for my oldest son, serving in the United States Air Force, who will be able to join us for the celebration.)

Water--Part Deuce: Plumbing Leaks

 Happy Friday from The Weatherized Brat! 

(Your brassy source for comfy, leak-free living.)

Don’t Let Your Pipes or Toilet Take a Dump on You: Show Them Who's Boss

Hey there, you hard-working homeowner, renter, DIY dreamer, or person just here for the plumbing puns...welcome back to The Weatherized Brat! It’s Fun Friday, which means two things:

1. You deserve that sweet roll with your coffee.

2. It’s time to get saucy with your house about one of the least glamorous, most annoying issues that sneaks behind your back: plumbing leaks.

We see you, sneaky drip under the sink. We hear you, faint hiss from the basement toilet. And we’re not taking your crap anymore. 

Leaks: The Silent Home-Wreckers

A tiny leak might seem harmless, but can really rage with hostility. Trust me, that “little” leak is plotting big, expensive headaches. Water damage, mold, inflated water bills, emotional breakdowns (okay, maybe just mine)...it adds up fast.

Brat-Proof Your Plumbing (With Sherlock Holmes Mastery)

Here’s how to be the boss of your own pipes — no wrench required (but hey, it helps):

1. Check Your Underworld
That’s right: under the sinks. Peek into your bathroom vanity, kitchen cabinets, and that weird spot behind the washing machine. Got moisture? Smells funky? That’s your cue.

2. Watch the Water Bill
Unless you're running a secret car wash in your garage, any unexplained spike in your water bill means something’s leaking. Pro tip: compare a few months and take note of the clues.

3. The Toilet Test (No Plunging Required)
Drop a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait 10 minutes. If color shows up in the bowl, your flapper’s flapping out on you. It’s cheap to fix and satisfying to say.

4. Inspect the Hose Bibs or Exterior Spigots
Spring and fall are prime times for hose bib leaks. Turn the faucet on and check for drips around the connection. Bonus points if you installed a frost-proof one.

5. Be Shower-Smart
A leaky showerhead may just need a little plumber’s tape love or a washer swap. Don’t let it "drip" for weeks and out swag you.

Attention: Know Where Your Main Shut-Off Valve Is

Seriously. Find it. Tag it. Brag about it. In a true plumbing emergency, this is the big red “STOP” button. Don't be that person who floods the kitchen because they were “pretty sure it was behind the furnace.”

Wrap-Up (Like a Pipe in Winter)

Leak maintenance isn’t glamorous, but you know what is?
Being the boss of your home.
Preventing chaos. Saving money. Avoiding late-night emergency calls that end with soggy socks and regret.

So here’s your Friday vibe:
Put on some music, grab a flashlight, and do a quick leak check. Then reward yourself with something fizzy...just not from a pipe.

Stay saucy, stay dry,
The Weatherized Brat

To Protect & Serve--Against Moisture Intrusion

What’s the #1 enemy of your house? Nope, it’s not your crazed uncle with the pint of bourbon in his pocket, nor your grandma’s fruit cake. It’s good ole H2O…water!  

There’s a laundry list of items that can create opportunities for water to be your worst enemy. Let’s dive into the laundry. Well, not literally. I think I’d rather eat grandma’s fruitcake. 

I talked about home maintenance tips in a recent post. As a homeowner, you may be comfortable doing some of those tasks yourself, or you might need to hire them out. The most important is….you are 100% the “Watchdog” of the house. Know what to look for, and always be on alert. Kind of like our fine military or law enforcement. Protect & Serve your investment! 

Chronic water problems will cause mold and eventually rot of house components and structure. It can be expensive to repair this type of damage. One of your home’s most critical components, the foundation, can also be affected by water. Not just from intrusion, but also what we call hydrostatic pressure. 

Water intrusion may be more easy to understand, but what is hydrostatic pressure? Hydrostatic pressure on a house foundation occurs when groundwater accumulates around the foundation, creating pressure that can damage the structure. This pressure can cause cracks, bowing walls, and water seepage into the basement. It's essentially the force of water pushing against the foundation walls. In colder climates, the expansion of the ground due to freezing conditions can make it much worse. Within our list we’ll talk about what can be done to help prevent this issue. 

Let’s get into our laundry list, top-down:

1. The Roof: Your roof is very vulnerable to water leaks if ignored and not maintained. Inspect it up close annually. You can inspect it from the ground, however you may miss some critical defects which can only be seen up close. Besides loose or missing shingles, flashing can become weathered and cracked. You may not be able to see it from the ground. These areas become prone to water intrusion. When I worked as a general home inspector it was common to find cracked rubber-boot flashing around vent pipes, such as the plumbing vent stack. Another very common defect are roofing nails lifting up due to expansion and contraction of the roof frame. These are also known as "nail pops." When the nail head is no longer covered by the shingle you have a hole for water to intrude. Over time this can cause water damage to the roof framing. Inspecting inside the attic can also help identify potential roof leaks you may not see signs of from the rooftop.

2. The Gutter System: Your gutters are vital for mitigation of water around your house and property. They collect roof run-off and drain the water through the downspouts and extensions away from the house foundation. Gutters need to be kept clean and unplugged. Not doing so will have the water draining down near the foundation and causing erosion and intrusion risk. Gutter joints and seams will also leak and drip as sealants deteriorate. Resealing these areas should be done with a quality silicone product.

3. The House Siding: Damaged siding or deteriorated paint will invite moisture intrusion. This can rot the wood structure. Even worse, the water can penetrate inside the wall of the house, causing even greater damage. Repairs and maintenance should be completed timely to protect your investment. This may even include a re-application of caulking material around windows and trim components.

4. Property Grading: Simply put, the ground around the foundation of your house should slope downward and away. For the first 5-10 feet around the house, the ground should ideally drop 1 inch for every 1 foot away from the house. This will ensure water is moving efficiently away and not accumulating near your foundation. This will help prevent the hydrostatic pressure risk we talked about. Low spots should be maintained and repaired promptly.

5. Sump Pump/Drain Tile System: These systems are especially important during periods of heavier rainfall. If the ground near your house gets overwhelmed and saturated by heavy and recurring rains, the normal surface drainage can become inhibited. The water will begin to drain down along the foundation. A properly functioning drain tile system will assist in the mitigation or movement of the water out and away from the house. Keeping your sump pump operational is critical.

6. Condensation: Warm air meets cold air and we suddenly have condensation risk. This most commonly can happen with excessive heat loss to the attic during the winter months. Making sure the house attic is properly insulated and ventilated can help prevent water damage risk.

Final thoughts:

Water and moisture are the nemeses of every home, leading to problems like mold, mildew, and wood rot. Building science emphasizes the importance of controlling moisture to maintain a healthy, durable home.

Vapor Barriers:

In places where the home is at risk of excess moisture (like basements or crawl spaces), vapor barriers act as a shield, preventing water vapor from entering the living spaces. This is especially important in areas prone to heavy rainfall or high humidity.

• Install vapor barriers beneath flooring in basements or crawl spaces.

Ventilation:

Even with the best moisture barriers, homes need proper ventilation to prevent moisture buildup. In places like attics and bathrooms, where humidity can accumulate, exhaust fans and proper airflow keep air circulating and dry.

• Install exhaust fans in high-moisture areas like bathrooms and kitchens.

• Use dehumidifiers in damp areas to control humidity levels.

• Ensure proper attic ventilation to prevent condensation from damaging roofing materials.

Keep up the "Watchdog" mentality, and protect and serve this precious investment, your house!