Time to VOTE and Set Those Clocks Back!

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4th is GENERAL ELECTION DAY! It's that time again ... time to vote and on SUNDAY, November 2nd (at 2 am) we set the clocks back to end daylight savings time! Voting is a right we should all take seriously. My theory is: if you don't vote, you can't complain ... so you know I always vote! I hope you are all registered and ready to vote, including (in some places) having an approved "picture" ID with you as it is literally too late to get it done now for this election but a perfect time to get it done so you are ready for the next one. I have included a link here for you to see all the Upcoming election dates and deadlines for your home state. Please use it to make your plan to get in and vote! (Please note: it varies from state to state and employer to employer who allows employees time off to vote, whether paid or pay is docked or if proof of voting is required: Check with your employer before voting day.) If you want to make a difference in how the government, city, state or country is run today and in the future, vote now and take somebody else with you to do the same. * A note to my military peeps: you guys and gals can vote absentee wherever you are, so do it! Roger that? And don't forget to set those clocks back on Sunday (or Saturday night before you go to bed). Happy returns!

Why do you vote? (Or not vote?)

Teal Pumpkin Project - Halloween with Food Allergies

The Teal Pumpkin Project

Posted on: www.foodallergy.org 

This Halloween, FARE is encouraging communities to start a new tradition that will help make this holiday season less scary for children with food allergies: the Teal Pumpkin Project. This campaign encourages people to raise awareness of food allergies by providing non-food treats for trick-or-treaters and painting a pumpkin teal - the color of food allergy awareness - to place in front of their house along with a free printable sign from FARE to indicate they have non-food treats available. 

The Teal Pumpkin Project is designed to promote safety, inclusion and respect of individuals managing food allergies – and to keep Halloween a fun, positive experience for all.

Ideas for Non-food Treats  

Available at dollar stores, party supply stores, or online shops, these low-cost items can be purchased and handed out to all trick-or-treaters, or made available in a separate bowl from candy if you choose to hand out both options. Nearly all of these items can be found in a Halloween theme or festive colors.

Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces Pencils, pens, crayons or markers Bubbles Halloween erasers or pencil toppers Mini Slinkies Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers Bouncy balls Finger puppets or novelty toys

Coins Spider rings Vampire fangs Mini notepads Playing cards Bookmarks Stickers Stencils

    At my house, if they are brave enough to approach the face-less goblin in the dark corners of  my  foggy
garage, while witches cackle and werewolves howl in the background, I will have a stash of "play-doh" and glow sticks. I also have gold fish crackers for those tiny trick or treaters who are obviously not going to eat all that candy as they hardly even have teeth! If it's a cool night, there will be a cauldron of fire as well. What sorts of things will you be doing?

Insulating Garage Doors

How To Insulate A Garage Door

By: Lisa Kaplan Gordon

Published: December 3, 2012

Garage insulation cuts energy bills and street noise. Here’s how to insulate your garage door.

Garage door insulation can make your life warmer, cooler, and quieter. It lowers energy bills, acts as a barrier between you and street noise, and brightens an otherwise dreary space. Garage door insulation is an easy DIY project; it’ll cost you about $200 to insulate two 9-foot-wide doors.

Types of insulation
Any insulation type will increase the energy efficiency of your garage door. Here are the most popular types to apply to the back of garage doors:

• Batt insulation. This flexible insulation, often found stuffed into exterior walls, is commonly made of fiberglass. It’s usually backed by paper or foil, which act as vapor and air barriers. Insulating values are R-3 to R-4 per inch of thickness. Cost is about 30 cents per sq. ft.

• Foam board insulation. These rigid panels, typically made from polystyrene, provide a high insulating value for relatively little thickness. Panels most often range from ½ inch thick (R-3.3) to 1 inch (R-6.5). Foam board often is faced with aluminum or vinyl. ($20 for a 4-by-8-ft. sheet that’s 1 inch thick.)

• Reflective insulation. Rigid boards and rolls of reflective insulation have highly reflective aluminum foil applied to one or both sides of insulation materials, such as cardboard and polyethylene bubbles. This type of insulation reflects radiant heat, making it a good insulation choice for garages that heat up in summer or hot climates. Its approximate R-value is 3.5 to 6, depending on the way you apply it. (A 4-by-25-foot roll is $42).

Matching insulation to your garage doorThe goal is to match your garage door to an insulation that’s easy to install and appropriate for your climate.

• Steel garage doors. These doors can accommodate any type of insulation. Stuff the flexible insulation in the frames around the panels, with the fiberglass side touching the door. Or squeeze cut-to-fit foam board insulation into the frames.

Wood frame-and-panel doors. Cut and fit rigid insulation into the recesses between the door frames. For extra climate control, install two layers of foam board.

Flat garage doors. Foam board or reflective insulation is the best fit for garage doors without panels. Glue or tape the insulation to the garage door.

• Insulation kits Even though buying and cutting insulation isn’t hard, garage door insulation kits make it even easier. They contain:Insulation — rolls or boards -- cut closer to the size of garage panels than if you bought these yourself, though you’ll still have to trim. Fasteners or tape to hold insulation in place.

• Higher-end kits throw in gloves and/or a utility knife. Kits to insulate a 9-ft. wide door cost $50-$70. 

Heads up!

Adding insulation to a garage door adds weight. Extra weight isn’t usually a problem with 9-ft. wide doors, but can strain the opening mechanism of larger doors. Your garage door’s spring tension might have to be adjusted — a job best left to a garage door professional.

What You Should Know for the 2014-2015 Influenza Season

What You Should Know for the 2014-2015 Influenza Season

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• Page last updated: September 10, 2014
• Content source: 
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    

What sort of flu season is expected this year?

It’s not possible to predict what this flu season will be like. Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways. While flu spreads every year, the timing, severity, and length of the season varies from one year to another.

Will new flu viruses circulate this season?

Flu viruses are constantly changing so it's not unusual for new flu viruses to appear each year. For more information about how flu viruses change, visit How the Flu Virus Can Change.

When will flu activity begin and when will it peak?

The timing of flu is very unpredictable and can vary from season to season. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the U.S. in January or February. However, seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and continue to occur as late as May.

What should I do to prepare for this flu season?

CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. While there are many different flu viruses, the seasonal flu vaccine is designed to protect against the top three or four flu viruses that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. People should begin getting vaccinated soon after flu vaccine becomes available, ideally by October, to ensure that as many people as possible are protected before flu season begins.

In addition to getting vaccinated, you can take everyday preventive steps like staying away from sick people and washing your hands to reduce the spread of germs. If you are sick with flu, stay home from work or school to prevent spreading flu to others.

What should I do to protect my loved ones from flu this season?

Encourage your loved ones to get vaccinated as soon as vaccine becomes available in their communities, preferably by October. Vaccination is especially important for people at high risk for serious flu complications, and their close contacts.

Children between 6 months and 8 years of age may need two doses of flu vaccine to be fully protected from flu. Your child’s healthcare provider can tell you whether two doses are recommended for your child. Visit Children, the Flu, and the Flu Vaccine for more information.

Children younger than 6 months are at higher risk of serious flu complications, but are too young to get a flu vaccine. Because children younger than 6 months cannot get a vaccine, but are at high risk for serious flu-related complications, safeguarding them from flu is especially important. If you live with or care for an infant younger than 6 months of age, you should get a flu vaccine to help protect them from flu. See Advice for Caregivers of Children Younger than 2 Years Old for more information.

In addition to getting vaccinated, you and your loved ones can take everyday preventive steps like staying away from sick people and washing your hands to reduce the spread of germs. If you are sick with flu, stay home from work or school to prevent spreading influenza to others.

When should I get vaccinated?

CDC recommends that people get vaccinated against flu soon after vaccine becomes available, preferably by October.

It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the flu.

Doctors and nurses are encouraged to begin vaccinating their patients soon after vaccine becomes available, preferably by October so as not to miss out on opportunities to vaccinate. Those children aged 6 months through 8 years who need two doses of vaccine should receive the first dose as soon as possible to allow time to get the second dose before the start of flu season. The two doses should be given at least 4 weeks apart.

What kind of vaccines will be available in the United States for 2014-2015?

A number of different manufacturers produce trivalent (three component) influenza vaccines for the U.S. market, including intramuscular (IM), intradermal, and nasal spray vaccines. Some seasonal flu vaccines will be formulated to protect against four flu viruses (quadrivalent flu vaccines) and will be available as well according to manufacturers. SeeKey Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine and How Flu Vaccines Are Made for more information.

Are there new recommendations for the 2014-2015 influenza season?

Recommendations on the control and prevention of influenza are published annually, in late summer or early fall. Existing recommendations are available at Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Resources for Health Professionals. New recommendations for the 2014-2015 season are available on the CDC website.

Starting in 2014-2015, CDC recommends use of the nasal spray vaccine (LAIV) for healthy* children 2 through 8 years of age, when it is immediately available and if the child has no contraindications or precautions to that vaccine. Recent studies suggest that the nasal spray flu vaccine may work better than the flu shot in younger children. However, if the nasal spray vaccine is not immediately available and the flu shot is, children 2 years through 8 years old should get the flu shot. Don’t delay vaccination to find the nasal spray flu vaccine. For more information about the new CDC recommendation, see Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine in Children 2 through 8 Years Old or the 2014-2015 MMWR Influenza Vaccine Recommendations.

(*“Healthy” in this instance refers to children 2 years through 8 years old who do not have an underlying medical condition that predisposes them to influenza complications.)

Visit What’s New on this Site to sign up and receive updates from the CDC Influenza site.

How much flu vaccine will be available this season?

Flu vaccine is produced by private manufacturers, so supply depends on manufacturers. For this season, manufacturers have projected they will provide between 151-159 million doses of vaccine for the U.S. market.

How much of the flu vaccines for the United States during 2014-2015 will be quadrivalent?

Of the 151 million to 159 million doses of influenza vaccine projected to be available for the 2014-2015 season, manufacturers estimate that 78 million doses will be quadrivalent flu vaccines.

When will flu vaccine become available?

Flu vaccine is produced by private manufacturers, so the timing of vaccine availability depends on when production is completed. If everything goes as indicated by manufacturers, shipments may begin as early as July or August and continue throughout September and October until all of the vaccine is distributed.

Where can I get a flu vaccine?

Flu vaccines are offered by many doctor’s offices, clinics, health departments, pharmacies and college health centers, as well as by many employers, and even by some schools.

Even if you don’t have a regular doctor or nurse, you can get a flu vaccine somewhere else, like a health department, pharmacy, urgent care clinic, and often your school, college health center, or work.

What flu viruses does this season’s vaccine protect against?

Flu vaccines are designed to protect against flu viruses that experts predict will be the most common during the upcoming season. Three kinds of flu viruses commonly circulate among people today: Influenza A (H1N1) viruses, influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and influenza B viruses. Each year, one or two flu viruses of each kind are used to produce the seasonal influenza vaccine.

All of the 2014-2015 influenza vaccine is made to protect against the following three viruses:

• an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
• an A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2)-like virus
• a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like virus.

Some of the 2014-2015 flu vaccine also protects against an additional B virus (B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus).

Vaccines that give protection against three viruses are called trivalent vaccines. Vaccines that give protection against four viruses are called quadrivalent vaccines.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

Inactivated influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary from year to year and among different age and risk groups. 

How long does a flu vaccine protect me from getting the flu?

Multiple studies conducted over different seasons and across vaccine types and influenza virus subtypes have shown that the body’s immunity to influenza viruses (acquired either through natural infection or vaccination) declines over time. The decline in antibodies is influenced by several factors, including the antigen used in the vaccine, the age of the person being vaccinated, and the person's general health (for example, certain chronic health conditions may have an impact on immunity). When most healthy people with regular immune systems are vaccinated, their bodies produce antibodies and they are protected throughout the flu season, even as antibody levels decline over time. Older people and those with weakened immune systems may not generate the same amount of antibodies after vaccination; further, their antibody levels may drop more quickly when compared to healthy people.

For everyone, getting vaccinated each year provides the best protection against influenza throughout flu season. It’s important to get a flu vaccine every year, even if you got vaccinated the season before and the viruses in the vaccine have not changed for the current season.

Will this season's vaccine be a good match for circulating viruses?

It's not possible to predict with certainty if the vaccine will be a good match for circulating viruses. The vaccine is made to protect against the flu viruses that research indicates will likely be most common during the season. However, experts must pick which viruses to include in the vaccine many months in advance in order for vaccine to be produced and delivered on time. And flu viruses change constantly (called drift) – they can change from one season to the next or they can even change within the course of one flu season. Because of these factors, there is always the possibility of a less than optimal match between circulating viruses and the viruses in the vaccine.

Over the course of the flu season, CDC studies samples of circulating flu viruses to evaluate how close a match there is between viruses used to make the vaccine and circulating viruses.

One of the ways that helps CDC evaluate the match between vaccine viruses and circulating viruses is with a lab process called ‘antigenic characterization’. Results of antigenic characterization testing are published weekly in CDC’s FluView.

The match between the vaccine viruses and the circulating viruses is one factor that impacts how well the vaccine works.

Can the vaccine provide protection even if the vaccine is not a "good" match?

Yes, antibodies made in response to vaccination with one flu virus can sometimes provide protection against different but related viruses. A less than ideal match may result in reduced vaccine effectiveness against the virus that is different from what is in the vaccine, but it can still provide some protection against influenza illness.

In addition, it's important to remember that the flu vaccine contains three or four flu viruses (depending on the type of vaccine you receive) so that even when there is a less than ideal match or lower effectiveness against one virus, the vaccine may protect against the other viruses.

For these reasons, even during seasons when there is a less than ideal match, CDC continues to recommend flu vaccination for everyone six months and older. Vaccination is particularly important for people at high risk for serious flu complications, and their close contacts.

Can I get vaccinated and still get the flu?

Yes. It’s possible to get sick with the flu even if you have been vaccinated (although you won’t know for sure unless you get a flu test). This is possible for the following reasons:

• You may be exposed to a flu virus shortly before getting vaccinated or during the period that it takes the body to gain protection after getting vaccinated. This exposure may result in you becoming ill with flu before the vaccine begins to protect you. (About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection develop in the body.)
• You may be exposed to a flu virus that is not included in the seasonal flu vaccine. There are many different flu viruses that circulate every year. The flu vaccine is made to protect against the three or four flu viruses that research suggests will be most common.
• Unfortunately, some people can become infected with a flu virus the flu vaccine is designed to protect against, despite getting vaccinated. Protection provided by flu vaccination can vary widely, based in part on health and age factors of the person getting vaccinated. In general, the flu vaccine works best among healthy younger adults and older children. Some older people and people with certain chronic illnesses may develop less immunity after vaccination. Flu vaccination is not a perfect tool, but it is the best way to protect against flu infection.

What will CDC do to monitor vaccine effectiveness for the 2014-2015 season?

CDC collaborates with other partners each season to assess how well the seasonal vaccines are working. During the 2014-2015 season, CDC is planning multiple studies on the effectiveness of both the flu shot and the nasal-spray flu vaccine. These studies will measure vaccine effectiveness in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza among persons 6 months of age and older.

Where can I find information about vaccine supply?

Information about vaccine supply is available on Preventing Seasonal Flu with Vaccination.

Is there treatment for the flu?

Yes. If you get sick, there are drugs that can treat flu illness. They are called antiviral drugs and they can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They also can prevent serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia. For more information about antiviral drugs, visit Treatment (Antiviral Drugs).

What is antiviral resistance?

Antiviral resistance means that a flu virus has changed in such a way that antiviral drugs are less effective in treating or preventing illness caused by that flu virus. Samples of flu viruses collected from around the United States and worldwide are studied at CDC to determine if they are becoming resistant to any of the FDA-approved influenza antiviral drugs.

What will CDC do to monitor antiviral resistance in the United States during the 2014-2015 season?

CDC will continue collecting and monitoring flu viruses for changes through an established network of domestic and global surveillance systems. Additionally, CDC is working with the state public health departments and the World Health Organization to collect additional information on antiviral resistance in the United States and worldwide. The information collected will assist in making informed recommendations regarding use of antiviral drugs to treat influenza.

3 Low Cost Tips to Fix Leaky Windows

Got Leaky Windows? 3 Low-Cost Tips to Fix Them

By: Nicolette Toussaint

Published: May 2, 2011

I used to hang an extra woolly robe in my bathroom because my post-shower route took me past a window so drafty it made me wonder about the etymology of “window.” Turns out it comes from the Anglo-Saxon "vindr” and “auga,” which translates as “wind eye.” How appropriate.

If the “wind eye” focused on you last winter, but you’re not ready to invest in new windows, you can still cut your energy bills if you seal those air leaks—and if you do so now, you’ll prevent cool air from escaping your home this summer.

Here are three low-cost tips to help keep air leaks at bay:

#1: For most windows: Just fill the gaps.

Easier said than done if you’re dealing with old, flaky caulk, weather stripping, or adhesive that’s really tough to remove. But if you don’t clean it off well, your new caulk and stripping won’t adhere well and could peel away before you see any benefits.

However, a common household product, petroleum jelly, removes that adhesive goo quite well. Just rub the jelly over the sticky goo, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe away. Another swipe with rubbing alcohol will remove the greasy film left from the jelly. (This technique, by the way, also works for removing price labels.)

#2. For older windows with rattling panes: Make baffles.

Cut quarter-round pine strips to fit. Use finishing nails and wood glue to secure them just inside the framed glass. Once you’ve caulked and painted the strips to match, they will disappear into the framework and look like part of the original window. It worked wonderfully on my 1920-era casement windows.

#3. If you want window treatments, too: Install waffle shades.

Folding fabric shades that are made with cells that trap air have great insulating properties—so good that some of them qualify for federal energy rebates, which have been extended into 2011. They start at around $50—still less expensive than new windows—and you get a new look, too.

Leaky windows are a big deal, winter or summer. What ways have you found to fix your windy windows?

How Many Shopping Days Until Christmas 2014?

I know, I know ... who really wants to think about it? Well, if you are a busy person like me, you kind of have to think about it. I found a 2014 Christmas countdown clock for you to save and check back on as needed, to keep you on track this holiday season.  I work 40 + hours a week so my shopping is usually contained to the weekends, so that means I actually only have (as of today) 24 (weekend) shopping days or 12 weekends left! Yikes. I know some of those weekends will be taken up by clients and some by friends, family and parties. I have grand kids to shop for and I got to tell you, shopping for toys isn't easy! I think this may just be the year I finally give in and do at least some of my holiday shopping online. Bah-humbug! I'd rather be baking and spending time with my family.  How about you?