PORT PERRY STAR REAL ESTATE -- Tuesday, December 11, 1990 -- 7 PRIME QUEEN STREET LOCATION Energy efficiency checkup From Page 2 One of the best ways to At least 5 cm of insulation ) reduce energy consumption is in place throughout most Good -- 5 points is to insulate the walls of of the basement (covering The header area is in- your basement. How would at least half the wall sulated and thereis a vapor yoy describe your basement height), with a well-sealed barrier on the warm side of the insulation, but not all the air leaks have been caulked. Poor -- No points There is no insulation or vapor barrier in the header ara. The Basemeit -- Walls walls? Excellent -- 15 points More than 5 cm (2 in.) of insulation runs the full height of all exterior walls, and a well-scaled air-vapor barrier is on the inside surface. Good -- 5 points MUSINgs by Helen Suzanne THE HOUSE GUEST Amazing how a couple of ounces of ears, whiskers, fur and tail can put a household into chaos. | don't mind mice if they are outside be- ing one with nature, but | consider it an intru- sion if they enter my home. Awhile ago, my first indication | wasn't alone was when | was down on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor. A little beast had the audacity to scamper over my hand. Admittedly, jumping up and down on the spot attempting to shake the diseased hand off while uttering indecipherable gutteral sounds doesn't accomplish much; except, perhaps to release some emotions that just may surface at some inappropriate time in the future. Be- sides, my Aunt Sophie was visiting and | didn't have the time to go for deep intensive therapy. | pulled myself together psychologically and decided to declare war. The little creature eluded me for days on end. He would peek at me from behind the clock. He would scurry across the floor right in front of my feet. | took to wearing elastics around my pant legs. | pounded frantically on cupboard doors before | would open them. | would rather have walked a mile on my lips be- fore | would wear a skirt or dress in the house. | set up an elaborate alarm system to detect movement in the house. Unfortunately, the dogs would set it off during the night sending Aunt Sophie out into the cold air screaming "FIRE"! She was getting a little crabby after a week without sleep so | shut it off. In the reams of literature | have read throughout the years on mice and their life- styles, one chapter on their eating habits came to mind. The answer was there all along and | hadn't seen it. Put peanut butter on a mouse- trap. Not just any peanut butter, mind you, but my own concoction. | whipped up a recipe that was so thick and sticky, if the trap didn't get him, he would at least be immobile and unable to lift his tiny feet out of the gooey mass. | set the trap, put it on the kitchen counter and went merrily off to bed, confident that the ordeal was just about over and life would return to normal. As luck would have it, Aunt Sophie got to it first. She came out in the middle of the night, saw what she thought was a cracker and ate it. The injuries to her nose were minimal but the peanut butter glued her mouth shut for two days. At least | didn't have to worry about her running outside yelling "FIRE"! The poor soul left shortly after but | was relieved to see that she could now open her mouth enough to utter "goodbye." As she went out the front door, so did the little mouse. Was it nature beckoning him back into the wilds? Was it the faint aroma of peanut butter still lin- gering on Aunt Sophie's person? We may nev- er know. Not too long ago | was looking out my front window and saw a mouse gazing in at me. As | watched him, | reflected on the past few weeks of upheaval. Could this be the mouse that caused such an uproar? He looked at me for what seemed an eternity, sat up on his haunches, stuck his tongue out at me and was gone. | knew it was. I TE TEE TR TE JR TR EE SS NT I air-vapor barrier on the in- side surface. Fair -- 2 points Very little insulation ex- ists. There is either no air- vapor barrier or one that is not sealed at the seams. Poor -- 0 points There is no insulation anywhere. (Have you ever noticed how snow tends to melt away from the founda- tion of your house, and the grass grows all winter? This is a sure sign that your basement is inadequately insulated). Check for air leakage around the plumbing, elec- trical and heating service entrances. If you have ap- plied caulking to these areas, award yourself an extra 5 points. Wall Insulation Adequate insulation in the rest of your home is just as important as in the base- ment. How do your walls rate? Excellent -- 10 points All walls are fully insulated. Good -- 5 points There is some insulation in most of the walls in the house. Poor -- 0 points There is no insulation in any of the walls. IN DOWNTOWN PORT PERRY FOR LEASE bo (oi | work space. PORT PERRY STAR A RARE OPPORTUNITY to rent space on Port Perry's unique and charming Queen Street. Building is presently oc- cupied by the Port Perry Star, but will become available for the lucky new tenant February 1, 1991. Building consists of 2,500 sq. ft. of ground floor space, suitable for any type of retail store, restaurant or professional offices. A further 800 sq. ft. is available on the second floor accessible by an attractive open concept staircase. There is also a full basement, which would be ideal for storage or Interested parties may contact Peter Hvidsten at 985-7383 days, or 985-3089 evenings for further information or to ar- range for an inspection of building. " FRAMERS Century Rl 2 EXECUTIVE NEW HOME - with solarium kitch- en, fireplace and a sunny south deck and garden lot. Owner says, Let's Make a Deal. Call Paul or TERRILL REAL Jr LTD. 705-324-4555 \ COUNTRY ESTATE - Enjoy country living and walking trails, over 50 acres of pasture, bush with a meandering stream. 5 miles from Lindsay on a paved road. Call Paul or Dan. J \. 8 COTTAGES ON 13 ACRES of beautiful forest and rolling shoreline. Severance opportunity or use for retreat. Owner must sell. Call today, Paul or Dan. y Private road retreat with severarice possibilities - huge pond and trails. Don't miss this one of a kind * Aerial Viewing available. ~ * Old Stone House * 350 Acres Hardwood * 150 Clear * 150 Cedar, Pine, and Birch a J \. N\ BALSAM LAKE COTTAGE Log Cottage ex- traordinare on the cool shores of Balsam Lake with its million dollar water. This is for the dis- criminating buyer. *POWER of SALE* py DAN TERRILL 705-324-7579 cali: DAN or PAUL Our Terrill Team Have CENTURY 21 TERRILL REAL ESTATE LTD. find that extra special property for you! 705-324-4555 PAUL TERRILL 705-374-4003 oe a TI Pts PI at on + sme