Opinion
One man we helped cried, after he had walked in the rain to us wearing a thin jacket that was soaking wet, when he found a new leather jacket for himself. All that we give is at no cost.
Because Clearlake is a giving and caring community, we continue to receive donations of clothing for all ages, blankets, other clothing and household items, and stuffed animals for the children. What a wonderful blessing in my life to be a part of what is happening in Clearlake! Thanking everyone for your help for those among us who are experiencing poverty and hunger as well as experiencing homelessness as my sweet children and I did.
It means everything to me to help the little children – to see them leave smiling. Please feel free to leave your donations at church – we especially need more stuffed animals for Christmas!
Bev Owen lives in Clearlake, Calif.
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- Written by: Bev Owen
What's probably making you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner is any combination of alcohol, relatives retelling the same old tales as if they were sagas, and a carbohydrate-heavy meal, but not the turkey itself. Another possible contributing factor is carbon monoxide (CO) exposure.
Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday and heating season in Lake County. We fill our houses, cabins and modular homes with relatives and friends, and then fire up our oven and stove.
Perhaps the wood burning fireplace insert and older furnace are blazing at opposite ends of the house. After a long drive, one of your guests is refreshing themselves in the shower that is fed by a propane water heater. If they are running, the bathroom and kitchen fans plus the clothes dryer are also exhausting air from the living space.
All of these combustion appliances and fans are competing with your guests for available oxygen. This situation is the perfect storm that can result in back drafting of combustion fumes into the living space instead of going up the flue. Only a few of the above mentioned combustion conditions are needed for back drafting to occur.
These appliances burn fuels, typically gas, both natural and liquefied petroleum, kerosene and wood. Under certain conditions, these appliances can produce deadly CO. However, with proper installation and maintenance, they are safe to use.
CO is a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning any fuel without enough oxygen. The initial symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to flu, and include drowsiness, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness.
Building scientists have thousands of anecdotal examples of people getting “sick” when exposed to low levels of CO; frequently, “the flu” is falsely blamed. Exposure to high levels of CO can cause death.
“Each year, CO poisoning associated with using fuel-burning appliances kills about 200 people,” said Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Ann Brown.
An annual inspection and service is the first line of defense against this silent killer. Having a CO alarm is another simple and effective precaution.
A timely suggestion for the holidays: Yes, it makes clean up easier, but covering the bottom of ovens with aluminum foil is dangerous. Doing so blocks the combustion air flow through the appliance and can produce more CO. So forget the foil and bring out the scrubbies after your guests depart.
“The secret of energy efficiency is that there is no silver bullet; but there are a thousand silver bb’s.”
Jim Tanner is a Cobb resident who is always interested in learning about new and old silver bb’s for finding shelter and comfort from the elements.
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- Written by: Jim Tanner
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