By John Hall for Blue Mountain Town & Country Gazette
Welcome to our plumbing and heating issue. Of course, this finds us in October, which is also the month for Halloween “spirits.” We’re going to take a look around and see where we might find those spirits – in the plumbing, or otherwise.
To start, have you ever heard “bumps” in the night or “clangs” in the night? Those can sometimes make a person go from fully asleep to fully awake – “all ears.” Normally, those noises are just the sounds of your house or apartment creaking as it cools down or heats up. But other times, those noises should actually really scare you. In “Strange Plumbing Sounds in the Night” we tell you about the gurgle, banging and dripping noises that should really get you out of bed.
If you like to be around the paranormal, be sure and also read “Some Lehigh Valley Haunts” for insights into the “spirited” haunts you can easily find throughout the Valley. From Bethlehem to Allentown and Easton and just about every small hamlet in between, there is no shortage of haunting going on. Hauntings that are not staged for the Halloween season, but the real deal.
Of course in the autumn and winter months, we’ve probably all been “haunted” by high heating costs. In “Fall Heat and Energy Conservation Tips” we give you a handful of worthwhile tips for holding the line on those costs – tips that can really save you money across the colder months. We show you how to reduce your heat and energy costs by doing everything from using the sun’s passive heat, to LED holiday lights and much more. If you expect your heat and energy costs to rise in the cold months ahead, you want to read this article.
Now interestingly enough, in the colder months, even though it is colder, you might still want to lower the temperature on your thermostat to save money – especially when you’re away from home or sleeping. Just don’t lower it too much! We explain why in “Lower the Temps, Don’t Freeze the Pipes!”
And lastly, in this issue’s “Short Getaway:…” article, we invite you to ride the haunted rails in Strasburg, PA to experience haunted tales and the area’s beautiful fall scenery. In “Short Getaway: Strasburg Haunted Rails and Tales,” we explore the history of the Strasburg Rail Road and information on their “Haunted Rails” train trips throughout the month of October.
So that is our first issue for this month. Please join us next time when we take a look at some scary (but tasty) Halloween delights, as well as physical therapy and its benefits for arthritis sufferers, and then an even deeper dive into some of the ghostly adventures you can find from Jim Thorpe to Philadelphia. See you then!
