Sometimes my family likes to travel to to get close to nature.  This is a story of how nature took the initiative and got frighteningly close to us.

My 10 year old daughter and I had just returned home from her soccer game on a sunny and calm Sunday afternoon.  As we casually chatted in our kitchen over a mid afternoon snack,  we were suddenly interrupted by a load 'crack' from outside. 

For a split second there was a swirl of leaves as if a hurricane had suddenly sprung up, followed by a tremendous crash that shook the entire house.  As plaster flew across the kitchen, I grabbed my daughter's arm and pulled her out of the room.

This is a story about common sense and being protective of what is usually your most valuable asset, your home.

I was recently notified by my local power utility that as part of a planned upgrade to natural gas valves, a crew would be visiting my home to do a valve replacement project.

I met the crew when they arrived and they were pleasant and helpful.  They explained their procedure for the project:

If you were starting to think about installing heating and cooling thermostats or even upgrading from a simple On or Off switch, now it the time to make the leap.

If you are serviced by Con Edison, check out their 'Smart Utility' program (The Info Center article in 'Taking Care of Your Home -> Heating and Cooling' has the details).