SIPs are manufactured from 3 basic components. These components are Exposure I Rated oriented strand board (OSB) for the outer faces, an Expanded Polystyrene foam core, and a crosslinked structural rated adhesive. The EPS core and the adhesives are capable of withstanding long term exposure to moisture. However, the exposure to moisture for the OSB is a key item with respect to the durability of a SIP.

The Exposure I Rated OSB is designed for limited exposure to moisture that can occur during construction, but SIPs must be covered during storage to protect from exposure to rain, snow and other elements. After installation, the SIPs should be covered with a secondary weather resistive system as soon as possible. This is required to protect the OSB from exposure to moisture long term. The installation of SIPs and the secondary weather resistive system should not occur during periods of heavy rain.

Installation details must ensure that the OSB facings and other wood components of the SIP construction are not subjected to moisture over the life of the structure. Moisture exposure could be exterior by means of bulk water making its way through the siding system or from the interior of the structure in the form of water vapor. In order to manage these potential sources of moisture, proper detailing must be accomplished.

These key detailing considerations help achieve the long term durability SIPs:

1. Application of manufacturer approved sealant at panel joints. Sealant must always be installed in a sufficient amount and applied in a continuous unbroken fashion.

2. Proper use of SIP Tape or vapor retarders as required. Selection and placement is dependent upon building use and climate conditions.

3. Proper use of code recognized exterior weather resistive systems which must include both a primary and secondary system. The cladding must provide a rain screen design which provides an avenue for water that penetrates the primary weather resistive system to drain from the wall. The cladding must be installed over a secondary system that is rated as weather resistant, such as building paper or house wrap products (i.e. Tyvek, housewrap, etc.).

4. Proper flashing and detailing of all window openings and penetrations. Ensure that the detailing of openings is consistent with forming a drainage plane which works in conjunction with the exterior weather resistive system.

Even in relatively mild climates, like those in Southern California, can pose challenges to young cycads. When you don’t have the benefit of large cover plants, you need to take additional steps to protect your cycad investment.

With 39 years of experience, growing and maintaining palms and cyads, I hope that as the cold winter weather approaches, I can be of some assistance in helping you achieve success in your own garden. I hope to share my successes, as well as my failures, and how I overcame them.

Consideration needs to be made in terms of your climate, when caring for palms and cyads. I currently live in North San Diego, and have done for 12 years. The climate is particularly warm in the summer, but significantly colder in the winter. While I have lived here, the temperature has been as low as low 20’s Fahrenheit, for 3 of the years I have been here. In contrast, I used to live very close to the ocean, where the weather was in fact a lot more mild.

Unfortunately, this extreme cold weather, has killed many seedling and juvenile palms and cyads, as well as burning the leaves on many of my larger palms and cyads.

The leaves of large green leaf cyads that were outdoors, would often burn as far down as the crown flush of leaves, due to the lack of an overhead canopy. This transpired to be due to the cold air, directly meeting the upper most leaves of the cyads. Fortunately, the lower most leaves, tended to avoid the direct effect of the cold air, as they showed little or no cold burn damage. Evidently, young palms and cyads, significantly benefit from overhead protection.

For a relatively young garden, that has little in the way of overhead protection, there are several ways to overcome the problem, and provide a solution.

1. Acquire some larger plants (I prefer cold-hardy palm trees) for overhead protection.

2. Cover plants with frost protection sheeting

3. Cover cycad caudex with straw.

4. For smaller plants; cover the entire plant with an upside down grow pot, or plastic trash can. Ensure these covers are removed as soon as the cold has passed though.

5. Try and select species of plants that have a higher tolerance to the cold weather

If you take the time to protect your young cycads, they can provide a lifetime of enjoyment.

Have you ever tried relying on weather updates given by news reporters and be disappointed in the end? Have you ever planned on going out on a picnic expecting bright sunny weather but then get rain showers instead? There are a lot of advantages that can come from knowing exactly what type of weather you are going to be faced with. One advantage is that it could set or destroy your outdoor plans for the day. Another advantage is that it could also be a determining factor for your safety outdoors. Say for example if you were expecting good weather and you head on out to the sea only to notice later on rain showers coming your way; this could greatly affect your safety on sea.

Weather reports are usually about major cities which is why it may not provide the specific weather condition for your area. If you want to determine the weather in your area, home weather stations can be of great help. These stations can provide you with the outdoor weather conditions that you need right at the comforts of your homes. There are various types of weather stations available depending on what type of design or information you would want to get from the station. Below are some of the most popular types:

Wireless Weather Station – These stations are run by batteries to make the unit work. These stations have sensors that transmit data to the central display and storage unit. These weather stations are already wireless so there is no need to set up complicated wirings around your homes.

Home Stations – These are for use in homes or in small offices. It is basically a home weather software that comes with set of instruments that are used to measure wind, rain gauge, barometer, anemometer, and solar radiation.

Professional Station – Professional station is somewhat like a home station in that it is also a home weather software and is suitable for use on homes or small offices. The only difference is that these provide more accurate information. Aside from the instruments included in the home station, these come with added instruments which measure other information such as soil and water temperature, ultraviolet, leaf dampness, and soil moisture.

Digital Weather Stations – With the constant improvement in technology, weather stations have also taken a step up. Digital weather stations are the next generation technology when it comes to obtaining weather updates. The information provided here are more detailed and similar to the weather updates being monitored by meteorologists. There are some that come with added features such as alarms setting off for storm signal warnings and the like.

With weather stations like these, you will be able to obtain the weather information that you need right without having to rely on the internet or news updates. By empowering yourself with accurate weather information, you can prevent unanticipated weather changes and be able to plan out your day’s activities better.

The Auriol weather station or temperature station as it is also known, is a digital thermometer for measuring temperature indoors and out. It has a really nice looking interface, which is easy to use. It comes with many features which I will outline here.

On the actual display itself it has several features.

• Outdoor temp display in Celsius or Fahrenheit
• A maximum and minimum temperature values for outside.
• A temperature trend display
• Reception indicator/bar
• Battery power bar for outdoor sensor.
• Indoor temp display in Celsius or Fahrenheit
• A maximum and minimum temperature values for inside.
• Temperature trend display
• Battery power display for temperature station
• Shows the time in 12 hour or 24 hour mode, hours and minutes displayed and a snooze feature.
• It has two different alarms, a time signal indicator, seconds display and summer time reading.
• It also shows the date with the day, month and day of the week.

The weather station is an updated version of your regular thermometer, as we progress in life technology gets better and better. Our first weather stations were the old thermometers, that used the mercury in the glass tube, but with the advancement of science, we come to gadgets like this Auriol weather station.

They are great to use, really cheap to buy in this day when gadgets are getting smaller and smaller.

Because its a digital product, they tend to be a lot more accurate than the old types of thermometers. In the old days if you wanted to read the temperature, it could take a while for the mercury to rise up and down the tube, but with a digital device the readings are instant.

This device can be really useful in the winter, for example if the temperature starts to drop you can check your station, and plan ahead. You could put your car in the garage, if you notice the temperature dropping, or you could put some salt down on your drive in anticipation of the coming ice. If you are elderly then you will know that it will most probably be very icy in the morning, so you should take care.

Have you watched the weather on your television or read the forecast on your computer, but it never really gives you exactly what’s happening outside your door. This could be because the actual weather station could be miles away from where you actually live, so it can never give an exact reading of your temperature right outside your house.

With this little gadget you can get instant readings inside and outside your house, and if it gets to warm inside, you can easily adjust your heating and conserve energy. The beauty of this station also is the fact that it is a wireless device, so you can take it out to your garden, and get a true reading away from your house, because the range is 30 metres.

If you are interested in the weather and devices like the weather station you can start upgrading and buying many different products. There is a whole world of different products to monitor the weather, for the beginner up to the experienced person. You can start of with thermometers, but maybe you would like to monitor rain fall, this is where you can look at rain gauges.

For the more advanced you can get complete weather stations which you can add all the information on to your computer, these are called weather station software, and they monitor everything from rainfall, to temperature, to humidity.

On a final note, the Auriol weather station is a good little product that might get you interested to look at other products in the weather range, if that is what you intend to do.

For Midwestern folks like me no part of the local newscast is as anticipated as the weather forecast, but it usually ends up being the most unsatisfying segment as well. Even though they always greet us with smiling faces, seldom do the meteorologists offer us mild temperatures with clear skies.

Instead of the smiling weather experts, the forecast would be more palatable if the news stations chose music to represent the weather conditions. There are a multitude of songs that represent the different types of climates, such as “Mr. Blue Sky” by the Electric Light Orchestra for the beautiful days that are so rare in the Midwest.

Here are ten other popular songs that could be used to represent the weather forecasts.

Cloudy by Simon and Garfunkel

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme is the album that spawned this laid back classic, which leaves one with the feeling that Paul Simon wrote it while lying on his back in the middle of a big green field.

Stormy by the Classics IV

Its beautiful melody belies the adjective that serves as the title, undoubtedly the most recognizable in the pop band’s catalogue.

Sunny by Bobby Hebb

Back in 1966 this hit was ubiquitous, and amid that tumultuous time its message of gratitude and joy was likely most welcome.

Cold As Ice by Foreigner

One of many gems from the self-titled debut album, this monster hit describes a girl but could very well work for a January weather forecast.

Heat Wave by Martha and the Van Dells

Passion is the cause of the rising temperature in this doo-wop tune, which could also be the name of a mid-August trend in the atmosphere.

Misty by Johnny Mathis

Most likely, this pop standard would be used for a morning edition of the local news.

Windy by the Association

This hit might suffice for a breezy afternoon, yet it could also leave you with a craving for a double cheeseburger and a thick chocolate shake.

Rain by The Beatles

John Lennon penned this hit around the time of Revolver, only to see it carried on the compilation album called Hey Jude.

Snow by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

The alternate rockers scored a hit with this wintry track from Stadium Arcadium.

White Out Conditions by the New Pornographers

A.C. Newman and Neko Case share the vocals on this title track from the indie band’s latest album.

Planning to go winter sports and wondering if you can take your dog with you? The answer is yes, provided you prepare beforehand and everything will go well once you are there. Your dog will love to roll, run, jump and even slide on the snow, while discovering superb landscapes.

Your dog can perfectly accompany you during your winter holidays and thus enjoy the joys of the mountain. However, some precautions must be taken so that the experience takes place in the best conditions.

The first aspect to study is accommodation. It is, in fact, a question of finding a hotel, a vacation rental or any other form of accommodation where dogs are accepted. There are more and more. You could also look at AirBnB. Also remember to find out about the spaces, services and activities that the dog can access. These range from restaurants to hiking trails and ski lifts.

Going skiing with your dog is quite an adventure! Your best friend will love to run, play, roll, slide in the snow. Your pet will take a few minutes to get used to it but will be able to enjoy the joys of powder without problem.

Depending on your ski resort, your dog may try different activities:

• snowshoeing: the animal is linked to its owner and tows it, a little or a lot depending on your dog’s wishes.

• the cani-scooter: a scooter to which you harness your dog to discover the joys of sliding together. To be practiced on groomed trails or equipped for teams.

• ski-joëring with dog: usually practiced with a horse or a pony, this sport requires a good mastery of cross-country skiing. The skier is connected to his dog who runs in front by an elastic lanyard.

If these activities do not tempt you, know that nothing will please your animal more than a session of play in the powder with you. Digging holes, throwing snowballs, slipping, running: all activities that should delight him!

You must protect your dog from the cold during the holidays

you must also ensure that your dog is effectively protected from the cold. When going on vacation in the mountains with your dog, remember to take:

• Their documents: health book and pet passport, if the destination is in another country.

• Their warm coat and boots if necessary – there are some great coats on our site

• A first-aid kit especially for your dog, containing dog friendly creams, plasters etc as well as flea spray and a tick hook. If there is hear worms around be sure to take the precautions.

• A collar and name tag with your phone number on it.

• Their collar, leash. Running leash etc. On SoWaggy we have collars and leashes that light up for areas of poor visibility.

• Warm dog coats, blankets and towels to keep them warm and dry.

• Food, bowls and doggy bags.

Lastly, remember to both have fun in the snow!

Weather Forecasters across the nation proclaimed the arrival of the first day of Autumn on September 22, 2005. They were, however, totally oblivious as to how this would affect the very forecasts they will make throughout the season. Of course, in a general way, meteorologists understand that because of the earth’s orbit around the Sun, the Sun now appears to be over the Equator and moving south. This means a loss of solar energy for the Northern Hemisphere, and a loss of solar energy means changes in the weather. But that’s as far as it goes for them.

The ancients had a different understanding. An astrological chart set for the beginning of each season at the corresponding solstice or equinox afforded them more than just a broad-spectrum look at the season in question. From the planetary positions and aspects contained in the chart, they extracted a more detailed look at the quality of that particular spring, summer, fall, or winter. Would it be a dry season or a windy one? Would it be a mild or a harsh winter? When would certain weather phenomena take place?

The beauty of this method is that weather phenomena can be foreseen months and years in advance since planetary positions can be calculated far into the future. This built-in, non-polluting, advance warning forecast tool is one of God’s thoughtful conveniences that, if properly used, could save humankind time, money, and lives.

This year, long-range forecasts based on this method, have found their fulfillment in Hurricanes Alpha, Wilma, Otis, Dennis, and Tropical Storms Irwin and Arlene.

During winter times the corner of your lips starts to get red, hurt, spit open, cracks. What happens with you? There is a cold sore corner of mouth. This is characterized by splitting, ulceration and soreness of the lips and can both edges of your lips. Eating is becoming difficulty and drinking also as well as laughing, taking, phoning, and every other activity where the lips have to be moved. You might even have a problem to go out as your lips may not look nice.

The cause is Angular cheilitis. During winter time there is cold weather. When there is cold weather this means low temperature and therefore the air is cold. In physics it is well known that cold air is dry air. And this leads to dry lips and cracking of the skin at the edges of the lips. Deficiencies in nutrition can contribute to the problem. If a person does not take enough vitamin in minerals, especially iron, the skin can more easily be affected. Therefore, taking a healthy diet will help.

First start to take iron-rich food and then add meals with lots of salad and fruits, at least five times a day. This will provide an excellent basis for the dry corners of the mouth to heal out quickly. Additionally they must be treated regularly and carefully. The best is to wait for summer time. During the warm season there are much less sore corners of the lips that may hurt you and chances of completely healing Angular Chelitis are more likely.

In other countries, weather conditions can easily be determined. However, in the US, it may be a difficult task. The reason for this is mainly the US is a big country and it is divided into a lot and different regions. There may be some things that are similar with different areas. For example, areas in the upper part of the country is likely to have a cold and wet climate, while the lower part cooler but still comfortable. Generally, this can be said however, due to the different phenomena happening in our world, it is difficult to determine what the weather is going to be like.

There are already a lot of natural disasters that may affect the long term weather forecast in the US. One would be the recent volcano activity around the world. The very strong and destructive earthquake that hit Japan this year also affects the global weather. Also, the earthquake in Indonesia a few years ago has changed the rotation of the earth slightly. These tragedies may be small but it can bring large amounts of impact to the world and may be factors to change in weather on the long run.

Consider when a volcano eruption occurs. During an eruption, a volcano releases a huge amount of hot, molten lava and spurts ashes into the air. Those ashes are not gone in just one day. While they exist, they can affect clouds and cloud formation, possibly increasing or decreasing the amount of precipitation that the cloud can give off. Even disasters that are not natural may still have an effect on the environment. Nuclear power plants that may have been leaking or blown up may cause disastrous changes to the environment.

There are resources that one can use in order to predict long term weather conditions. The Farmer’s Almanac contains documents and reports regarding long range weather forecast. The book has seven sections, with forecasts as far as the month October. This is the most that a weather forecast can cover. By the start of the winter, a new period of forecasting will take place.

Following is a general view on how an average long term weather forecast for the US will look like. For the North East from the Virginias up to Maine, tier one will experience high temperatures with some showers in the last weeks of August. The temperature can go as high as 100 degrees in certain areas. During September, weather will be stormy and unsettled. In October, storms may appear in the area, with periods of clear sky and chilly temperatures.

Mid America, from Minnesota to Texas, will have mild temperatures on the first weeks of September. In the beginning of October, storms will dominate the area. In the upper tier, weather will have unsettled patterns, having cooler temperature and stormy like. People living in Texas will experience cold dry air and thunderstorms in the first few weeks of October. In the closing weeks of October, weather will be windy and cloudy.

The Northwest area of the US will mostly have a fair weather in the first half of September. Buy the third and fourth weeks, it will become cooler and unsettled. In the start of October, there will be cooler temperatures. For the lower Western areas, they will have sunny skies mostly with just periods of unsettled weather in September. In the month of October, it will be rainy inland with milder temperatures and strong winds along the coast.

Autumn is here and winter is coming soon, but that doesn’t mean you should put away your grill back into the shed. Grilling is for all seasons, and a backyard barbecue is especially enjoyable with warm, tasty grilled food paired with warming side dishes. Soups are perfect as a side or an appetizer during this time, much like enjoying your favorite fall or winter drinks. Everybody loves soup and they are no hassle to prepare! Use in season veggies and add all your favorite ingredients to make a meal or a side that everyone will enjoy, even kids!

Try these delicious soups perfect for the cool weather:

Creamy Butternut Squash

What you need:

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and sliced into cubes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopper
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for serving
• Toasted pepitas, for serving
• Bread of your choice, for serving

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft. Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic, sage, rosemary and ginger. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and cover. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until squash is tender.

When ready, allow to cool for a few minutes then pour soup into a blender (work in batches if needed). Blend until smooth. Add more broth if too thick or add seasoning to your liking. Transfer in serving bowls and top with parsley and pepitas. Serve with your favorite bread.

Basil and Tomato Blend

What you need:

• 1 1/4 kg roma tomatoes, halved
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup loose-packed basil leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
• Sea salt and black pepper

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper then arrange tomatoes (cut side up) in the sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast in a pre-heated oven (350F) for 1 hour.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and saute the garlic, onion and carrots for 8 minutes, or until soft. Stir in roasted tomatoes, broth, blasamic vinegar, thyme leaves and 1/2 tsp salt and allow to simmer for 20 mins.

Transfer mixture into a blender and pulse until smooth. Add basil leaves and pulse until combined with the soup. Pour soup into a bowl and garnish with basil leaves. Serve with crusty bread.

Warm up with these delicious soups perfect for the cool weather!