Summerizing Our Home

Our neighbors, friends, and family have been giving us advise on what to do to get the house ready for when leave it empty for the next six months.

Charlene (Charlie) says to leave the air conditioner on 87. Others have told us to turn it right off.

We've also been told by others that our new carpet could shrink if it gets too hot in here.

Bishop Holton says it can get up to 120 degrees in the house, but he turns his thermostat off anyway.

Our neighbors Donna and Cecil agree that it gets that hot but, they turn theirs off also.

When I asked about the cabinets that Charlene warned would warp in the heat, Donna replied her cabinets were just paper.

Our cabinets are quite nice, but even if they weren't the replacement cost is what I would worry about.

Bottom line: I think we are going to leave it off. I hope we won't be sorry.

John says he will come up once a month to check on the house. I hope he will pay special attention to the cabinets and carpet.

I am going to call the carpet company we bought from and ask if they've heard about the shrinking problem.

Mike did buy a new thermostat will will allow you to control how often to run the air. We would like to keep it off, and have John turn it on to run only during the hottest hours of the day, and during the three hottest months of the summer.

Charlene also told us to keep the fridge on, but put the thermostats on both sides on 2. To fill it with bottles of water, canned goods, and flours, spices and grains. The food will stay fresher in the fridge, and the fridge will stay cooler if it's full.

We've been told to put antifreeze in all the sinks, and toilets. It is a coolant as well as protects against frost. We definitely don't want any water problems in this house.

We have heard so many horror stories of people returning to their homes in the fall, and finding their homes full of water, due to cracked pipes! I can't even imagine!

Well, I'd better quit writing and get going on this house. I have a lot to do!