Ok, so you've done your annual fireplace inspection and now you're ready to buy firewood.  Follow these smart woodburning tips for a great, crackling fire

1) Always check your source.  Buy your firewood by the cord or rick instead of a whole truckload and you'll get exactly what you pay for.  A standard cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet of wood, generally measured as a stack 8 ft. long by 4 ft. tall by 4 ft. deep.  A rick is 8 ft. long by 4 ft. tall by the depth of the wood (approximately 18 inches.)

2) Is it dry?  Dry, well seasoned firewood, with an average moisture content of 20-25 percent is easier to start, produces more heat and burns cleaner. 

Home improvement stores sell inexpensive, hand held moisture meters to check your wood.  In a pinch though, you can simply bang two pieces together.  If the two pieces of seasoned wood are banged together, they make a "clunk."  Two pieces of green wood will make a "thud."

3) Species.  Species doesn't matter as much as moisture content.  Premium hardwoods are great but softer woods like elm and even maple make fine hardwood as long as you are willing to make a few extra  trips to the woodpile.

4) Store smart.  Wood should be stored off the ground if possible and protected from excess moisture.  Termites will think they have died and gone too heaven in your woodpile so keep only a small amount near your house.

Remember, probably the most important question you can ask is, "Is It Dry?" for a great crackling fire.

Just four days from Thanksgiving we still have hydrangeas blooming in our front yard - the last flowers of fall.  But now, instead of pale blues and pinks, the colors mirror the surrounding trees.  We'll cut some this afternoon and enjoy their dried beauty long into winter.

The Last Flowers of Fall

Today we said goodbye to Mr. Mac, our 20 year old 20 lb orange red mountain lion of a cat.  We were not Mac's first family but we were his last and nobody loved him better.

Mac came to us after losing his original homeowner to cancer.  He made a brief stop at my brothers but another, far less mannered feline, made the situation untenable.  Mac moved onto Howell Avenue and never looked back.

He was known to one and all, afraid of neither man nor beast and fairly indiscriminate with his affection. Our next door neighbor reported one day that Mac, sensing a new opportunity, entered an open door and made himself at home in an upstairs bedroom.  Location was not a deterrent to a good nap.

A strappingly handsome chap, Mac was stolen one year from our front yard  by someone who wanted to give him as a Christmas present.  We recovered him, weeks later, only because he had been rescued (yet again!) by the neighbor of the woman who did NOT want him as a Christmas present but saw our wanted poster at the local vet's office.

He loved to eat and expected a full bowl at all times.  Chicken was a favorite along with my morning cereal but shrimp put him right over the top.  He kept his own dining hours and expected that I would match my routine to his. Not much for playtime, Mac preferred to supervise rather than participate in any activity that required excessive locomotion.  That being said, a loose shoe string or belt always got his attention.

Mac enjoyed a good college basketball game and was a Redskins fan but thought golf was a snooze.  And NACAR?  He didn't give it the time of day. He loved sleeping in the garden, most often under a spread of hostas or on the chaise.  He claimed a chair or sofa in each room in the house and did not take kindly to being moved.  After all, it was his house and we were there at his indulgence.

He was my constant companion and I will miss him dearly.

Winter is fast approaching and there are six things to check before you cozy up to the fire.  It's not particularly glamorous or fun but there are definitely things that you need to check out on a yearly basis before you even begin to think about chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . . .

Spring and early summer are the very best times to have your annual fireplace inspection and generally the cheapest.  Still, if you've put it off till now it's not too late.

The degree of maintenance will depend on what kind of fireplace you have.  A masonry fireplace is one constructed entirely of bricks or stone and mortar and are almost always found in older or more rustic homes.  A factory-build fireplace consists of a metal firebox and chimney.

If you are not sure which you have there are a couple of easy clues. First, the hearth or floor of a masonry fireplace is usually constructed of bricks joined with mortar.  Factory-built fireplaces use refractory panels made of a pale grey heat-resistant stone.

Look up through the damper - a masonry fireplace will have a large void called the smoke chamber but a factory-built unit will connect directly to a round, stainless steel pipe.

Finally, take a look at your chimney.  If you have a square cap or no cap at all, it's pretty sure you have a masonry built fireplace.  On the other hand, a round cap is a sure sign of a factory built unit.

Now that you know what you have, let's look at the six things you need to check.

Foundation: supports the entire structure of a masonry fireplace and can weigh several tons

• Should be inspected when buying a new home, if you have questions check with a home inspector

Firebox: recessed area where the fire is built.

• Are the bricks or mortar loose or cracked?  If so, you run a risk of the fire not being properly contained as it burns.
• For a factory-built fireplace, look for cracks in the refractory panels.  If there are gaps through which you can fit a quarter, then the panels need to be replaced.

Damper:  mechanism that separates the interior of the fireplace from portions exposed to the exterior of your home.

• The damper must be closed when the fireplace is not in use to prevent heat and cool air from escaping.  Before using the fireplace, test the lever to see that the damper opens and closes properly.  If must be able to open and stay open for proper venilation once a fire is built.

Flue:  passageway through which smoke and sparks are carried up and out.

• A flue will accumulate creosote, a natural build up of carbon which can ignite on its own and cause a fire.   The flue should be inspected annually (something you can do).  Take a yardstick and scrape some of the soot from the inside.  If the buildup appears to be more than a quarter-inch thick, then you need to call a chimney sweep for a good cleaning.

Chimney: structure surrounding one or more flues and all related components.

• Make sure the roof flashing is in good repair, directing water away from the chimney structure and that masonry chimneys are in good condition with no loose mortar.

Chimney cap:  keeps pests and damaging elements out and has a spark arrestor to prevent floating embers from causing a fire.

• If you chimney does not have a cap - and many masonry units do not, it pays to invest in one to keep out water, birds and squirrels.  A damaged or leaking cap should be replaced.

So there you are, six things to check before you cozy up to the fire.

Wait!  You don't have a house with a fireplace?  Call me at 703.927.4554 and let's find you one.

October 2009 home sales in Alexandria's Old Town neighborhood show identical DOM (days of market) as in October 2008 and an increase of one in the number of sales.

The exciting news is that the average sold price shows an 8.8 percent increase from $611,462 in October 2008 to $670,236 in October 2009.

This steadfastness in total sales, along with the 2009 price increase, speaks to the overall health of the housing market in Northern Virginia.

Joy Jackson, a Maryland woman who stole millions from area homeowners in a rogue mortgage swindle has been sentenced to a 12 prison term.  Operating out of Lanham, MD, Jackson's scheme touched hundreds of vulnerable homeowners in Northern Virginia, the District and Maryland.

The Metropolitan Money Store promised to help people keep their homes and repair their credit.  According to the Washington Post, " the company directed owners to transfer title of their homes to third-party buyers for a year.  During that time, Metropolitan said it would borrow against the value of the house and use that money to pay the mortgage and repair homeowner's credit ratings. 

It also promised to help owners obtain better interest rates.  Instead, Metropolitan siphoned off the equity and Jackson and others spent the cash.  The company also stopped making mortgage payments on the houses."

Jackson used the cash to buy jewelry, fur coats and vacations and to cover a lavish wedding at the Mayflower Hotel where guests dined on lobster and champagne and were serenaded by Patti LaBelle.

For a person who preyed on the most vulernable and the least knowledable I'm not sure 12 years is long enough.

Rogue Mortgage Swindle = 12 Year Prison Term.

Blogging the frugal life style does not belong only to the "experts."  Indeed, individuals in Alexandria and Northern Virginia are contributing to the blogging landscape with a wide variety of offerings on how to survive - and thrive - in what some have called "lifestyle deflation."

Some of the blogs are quite professional and have advertisers but most are your basic do-it- yourself blog.

Stay at home moms, young couples and singles all offer their take on making the most of every dollar.  Some share month to month grocery budgets, complete with store by store sales while other focus on activities and taking advantage of coupons.  Anyway you look at it, its easy to access information that anyone can use.

Here are some of our favorites:

• Frugal Families in Northern Virginia
• Redemption Unlimited
• NOVA Thrifty
• MoneyWise Moms
• Blessings in Bargains
• Frugally Blonde
• Holly's Savings
• Brunette on a Budget

This list is just the tip of the iceberg.  Almost all of the blogs reference other blogs so be prepared to spend some time surfing and finding out about the best bargains in the area - it's contagious!

Blogging the Frugal Life Style in Alexandria and Northern Virginia

Mortgage rates are showing a slight decrease for home buyers in Alexandria with FHA, VA and conforming conventional loans in the 5 percent and 0 point range.  Rob Clark, our go to mortgage guy offers this observation on the market:

"With limited economic data released last week, mortgage rates continued their recent trend of slowly moving downward. While we continue to see limited activity outside of conforming and FHA-backed mortgages, it is worth noting that jumbo mortgages are beginning to reappear more widely in the market, and the difference between conforming and jumbo rates has been shrinking.

This is a week full of economic data for markets to sort through. With recent signs that the labor market could be hitting bottom, any signal that indicates that the recovery is beginning to power up could start pressuring mortgage rates upward.

Both Retail Sales and Industrial Production are due this week. If these two influential reports show greater strength than anticipated, then the likelihood of increasing rates will grow. However, if they both come in lower than expected, we could see this trend of very slowly decreasing rates continue.

Both the PPI and CPI also are also due this week. If they are near expectations, they will create some additional downward pull on rates."

Next we'll be bringing you up to date information on the extension of the first time home owners tax credit so stay tuned.

What is "nook"?  Nook is the latest in e-reader techonology and it's being introduced this month by Barnes & Noble - a reading tool designed by book people for book people.

I've had this post in mind for several days and then tonight just happened on a post by Erica Ramus who was asking about the Kindle so I knew there was no time to waste.  In the spirit of full disclosure though, I will tell you that my wife works for B&N so I've been totally indoctrinated and privy to lots of information.

One of the key questions that Erica asked was "Do you miss BOOKS"?  My take on this e-reader trend is that it's not about giving up books but simply sourcing them in a different way.

For instance, my wife and I love to listen to books on tape on long car trips.  We get to hear something together that we might not ordinarily tackle, she doesn't get motion sickness from trying to read and there are no radio commercials!  But when we get back home, yep, the books are still piled beside the bed.

Early feed back from customers coming into my wife's store is that nook will be a life saver for frequent (air) travelers, folks who have downsized or are planning to, college students, and, interestingly, mothers.  Air travelers make perfect sense - with all the space and weight restrictions, downloading 10-15 books into 11 oz of carry on is a no brainer.

Folks in small houses or condo's can still buy all the books they want on line and save precious space for that special book on art or travel or that one book beside the bed.  College students can download text books  - bottom line on that category.  And now for mothers.  Mothers never know when or where they are going to get 5, 10, maybe even 20 minutes of time to themselves.  With nook they can have the morning paper, a favorite magazine or the latest biography right at their fingertips.

Ummmmmmmmmm, that last description sounds like it could apply to real estate agents too.  But don't take my word for it.  Click here for a complete nook product description and here for a competitive checklist.  Price - $259.  Click here for a review from Gaget World.

Books are NOT going away but how we use and read some of them may change, just like the changes we have seen in real estate transactions.

Nook - the latest in e-reader technology.

Questions?

P.S.  - nook is officially lowercase according to B&N

On a beautiful November Sunday, the George Washington Parkway was alive with activity - biking, walking, running and sitting on a bench - and wonderfully quiet in its beauty.

A November Sunday on the George Washington Parkway.