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ENERGY AND THE ELDERLY What is good for the young and hearty in energy con­ servation is not necessarily good for the elderly and the aging. A condition known as ac­ cidental hypothermia, a win­ ter hazard for the old, could occur in the elderly even in mildly cool temperatures of 60 to 65 degees Fahrenheit. Hypothermia should be suspected if any of these signs are evident: bloated face: skin color pale and waxy, at other times oddly pink; trembling on one side of the body or in one arm or leg, but no shivering; irregular and slowed heartbeat; slurred speech; shallow, very low breathing that may be barely discernible; low blood pres­ sure, and drowsiness, per­ haps lapsing into a coma. - However, the only sure way to detect hypothermia is to take the suspected vic­ tim's temperature using a special low-reading clinical thermometer whose scale goes below the usual low point of 94 degrees Fahren­ heit. Dr. Robert N. Butler, Di­ rector of the National Insti­ tute on Aging, in testimony before the U.S. Senate Com­ mittee on Aging, stated, "A shortage of energy to main­ tain proper indoor tempera­ tures, if combined with re­ duced ability of older persons to compensate for tempera­ ture changes, can have devas­ tating effects on the aged." Excessive heat can also create problems. There is a condition analagous to hypo­ thermia known as hyper- The hobby column Miniature PAGE 19 - PLAINDEALER - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUAR Y 24.1MB thermia -- heat stroke. Because of the stresses imposed on the vulnerable elderly by heat and humidity,. the informed and cautious energy managers in homes, hospitals, convalescent and nursing homes, should main­ tain temperature and humid­ ity at comfortable levels dur­ ing the summer. With little or no additional expenditure of energy, this can be achieved. . m adults THE TWO MAJOR VCR FORMATS The two major video cassette recorder formats are Beta and VHS. Although both systems employ similar principles, ma­ chines of one format cannot play cassettes designed for the other. McHNRV COUNTY WEIL & PUMP CO. WATER • WELLS • PUMPS • POOLS 3200 N. RICHMOND ROAD (RTE. 31 N.) 385-5252 MCHENRY, ILL. TRADE FAIR SPECIAL nuns rars mm Mia stomlce tabs & PICK UP C0UP00 AT BOOTH 00.1 By JOAN HAHN The world of dollhouse miniatures isn't just "kids play." Hundreds of thousands of adults spend hours building, furnishing and decorating dollhouses. It's so easy to get totally caught up in miniatures. The beautiful part of this individ- ual hobby is that it can easily become a family project. You can start innocently enough by buying your child a dollhouse. Then, before you know it, you help paper the walls. Dad assists by putting down carpeting. Mom sews curtains. As it happened in the Hahn house, before we knew it, we were all enjoying the world of miniatures as much as, or even more than our child. Still think d ollhouse minia­ tures are child's play? Try this small quiz; (1) When and where did miniature displays origi­ nate? (2) Who commissioned the first dollhouse of record? (3) How did the Greeks use miniatures? (4) What did colo­ nial ladies, 18th century dolls and high fashion have in common? Answers; (1) For at least four centuries people have been intrigued by miniatures. Dis­ plays of miniatures appear to have originated in Germany in the 16th century. The most famous of these were the . Nuremburg kitchens. These tiny duplicates of people-sized kitchens served as the educa­ tional toys of their time. (2) The first dollhouse has a royal origin --it was com­ missioned by Duke Albrecht of Bavaria for his daughter. The house was a four story- palace complete with ballroom, chapel and zoo. Unfortunately, his daughter never had the pleasure of playing with it. Instead he immediately added it to his personal art collection. (3) The Greeks were way ahead of their times both in architectural design and con­ struction methods. Before em­ barking upon the building of TRADE FAIR BALLOONS! See Us At Booth No. 51 crnsTm Marengo Federal Savings © " pinri loan assnnatinn ° SSsS nil's McHENRY: 4400 W. Rout* 120 vTXMcHBmy MARKET (VIOI •815-344-1900 j'TSLK-' vwr> their temples, they constructed model prototypes. , (4) The ladies of the 18th century didn't have fashion magazines or even pictures so they could keep abreast of the new trends in style. To over­ come this, dolls dressed in the latest European fashions were shipped to the New World. In this way colonial ladies could view the fashion trends and keep up to date in their attire. Fascinated? Thousands of adults are. ,, In terms of skill require­ ments, miniature making is probably the most flexible of hobbies. Anything that can be done in full size can be enjoyed in miniature. The choice is yours. You can design and build -your own dollhouse from scratch. Blueprints are obtain­ able in youjr local miniature, hobby or craft shop. An easier way to do it is to build one from a kit. If you just want to collect miniatures, without construction, then you can purchase the house of your dreams, ready-made. Dollhouse miniatures are made to scale. The most com­ mon scale is 1 inch equals 1 foot. This means that a 5 foot high bookcase is reduced to 5 inches in the miniature world. Working from a kit is the ideal way for the beginner to learn more about the varied crafts involved in building miniatures. However, you may prefer to custombuild the fur­ niture that will furnish your dream house. For an easy start, choose from either balsa, bass- wood, pine or poplar wood. You already own many of the necessary tools, such as scissors, emery boards, glue, toothpicks, pinsand tweezers. More specialized things such as a small hamituer, knives for cutting (#1 and #2) and jewelers screwdrivers may have to be purchased. These can be obtained either separately or in kits at a hobby shop. Your needs will really depend on how ambitious your project is. Of course, if you want an instant miniature collection, you can buy beautiful, ready- made furniture and accesso­ ries. Indeed, there is such a vast selection on the market that some miniature enthusi­ asts never make a thing, prefer­ ring instead only to collect. Just about anything con­ nected with daily life has been miniaturized. Closets with tiny hangers that can come out and hold handsewn dresses, monopoly boards, pots, pans,* dishes, lamps that light, pianos that play, miniature "Life" magazines, the Bible and "The Wall Street Journal," mops, irons, and even the kitchen sink. In fact, anything else you may conjure up, can be found in miniature. Furniture can portray the past,-sudi as a chair that con­ verts into a table or a roll-top desk with removable drawers. It can be as modern as today's free-flowing shapes and lucite materials. Indeed, the miniature world allows you to own the home you might not be able to afford in life size, or the decor you never dared to try. You can truly create your own palace, or painstakingly reproduce one somewhere in the world. Collecting has its own plea­ sures as you browse through antique shops, toy stores, or shops solely devoted to mini­ atures. Some of these stores do a mail order business through catalogs. They are listed in craft magazines and in the phone book under the headings "craft suppliers," "miniatures" or "miniature items for collectors." The best way to see what other people are doing is to attend miniature shows which are held all around the coun­ try. It's a small world after all. Title shots to remember travel spots ©It's easy to make great titles as you vacation in the Great Outdoors, and they can add so much to your travel pictures.' Titles help fo tell your story by identifying the places you have been and the activities in which.yote-jvcre involved. They can summarize, symbolize, and present basif information that can make y^nr picture story more interesting. When you are traveling, it's easy to^kl^ effective titles that have already been made for you. Keep a sharp eye out for signs, information plaques, posters, or anything that you can use as a title. The titles you find around you when you're taking pictures will often be the most natural look­ ing. The carved wooden signs of many parks fit in very well with pictures taken in the park. To photograph signs, as we did at Lake Murray State Park in Oklahoma, just look at the sign through the viewfinder of your camera, and move in until you can read the letters easily. Check your camera instruction manual to find out how close you can get and still have your subject in sharp focus. To personalize your titles, you may also want to include a friend or a member of the family in the picture. Ideas for making new,and ex­ citing titles are limited only by your imagination. So the next time you're on vacation, have* fun making titles as you travel! <Se.bcLi.tLan. <JStucLio ) "Miniatures For The Collector" See You At' The Trade Fair (Booth P) Register For Door Prize! Specializing in* Custom porcelain, ceramic & metal miniatures <Se,(ja±tLan Studio 1 1121 W. River Terrace, McHenry (Johnsburg) ,,9011 Paula01344-1443 „