The Kentucky Shakers

Kentucky was home to two Shaker villages. Both the South Union Shaker Village near Bowling Green and the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill near Lexington are now museums dedicated to preserving and telling the story of the Kentucky Shakers. Who were the Kentucky Shakers? That's a  big question, but in a few words they were a devout communal Christian society of inventors, craftsmen, entrepreneurs and farmers from 1807 to 1922. Their name comes from the energetic dances of their worship services. Their simple, solid, functional and unadorned furniture has always been popular with people all over the world, and still is today. Seeing original Shaker furniture was one of the highlights of our trip, a simple gift from the past.

Home Alone

One of the scariest things about leaving home for a couple of months is leaving your home alone. Especially for a worry wart like me. Lots of things can go wrong in a house unattended, especially during a Minnesota winter. I was fine until I saw the weather had turned bitter cold at home. I was concerned that a snafu of some sort would leave my house exposed with pipes freezing and bursting.

Thanks to the kindness of neighbors and family, the house was checked a number of times and the furnace was running and all was fine, but I knew I could do better. There are wifi enabled thermostats on the market that allow you to check and manage your HVAC system from an app on your phone.

Philip and Karla both have the ecobee 3 lite smart thermostat so I looked into it and got one too. Xcel Energy even has a rebate program that makes it a pretty good deal. 

I bought the thermostat from Xcel for $50 (it's $169 on Amazon). I received a $75 credit on my next electric bill for installing it myself. Then every year in October I receive a $25 credit on my electric bill. What's the catch? I'm now enrolled in the AC Rewards program, which gives Xcel the right to turn my thermostat up a couple degrees on really hot summer days when demand for electricity peaks. You are allowed to opt out up to 3 times per cooling season. Karla said she doesn't remember any time last summer when she was notified that Xcel was going to adjust her thermostat.

This thermostat will tap into your inner geek. Phil and Amanda even talk to theirs. "Alexa, turn up the thermostat 2 degrees". You can get all kinds of reports about your energy usage that help you be a better consumer but I have not looked into them yet. Next time I go on a trip this thermostat will give ME a little peace of mind and my kind neighbor Sharon a little rest.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Heading east on I-64 we passed through Louisville without stopping. We were thirsty. Kentucky is known for it's bourbon whiskey and there are many distilleries offering tours and samplings, loosely connected by the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. You could spend weeks touring them all but we hit a few notables, including Woodford Reserve, Wilderness Trail, Maker's Mark and the amazing Kentucky Cooperage, one of the worlds largest makers of fine barrels. I must admit my palate is not sophisticated and I have a hard time discerning differences between them all. But they say practice makes perfect. I always enjoy a good tour and I received free or reduced admission with my veteran's discount.

What's for lunch?

On our road trip to Florida last fall we carried a cooler with lunch fixings. Whenever possible we would stop at a park to eat our lunch at a picnic table. Did you know BBQ potato chips go with everything?