Sounds like home If you're wakeful some night, or just relaxing on a cold or rainy afternoon, take a moment to listen to your house. Identify the noises and their origins. There's the furnace coming on, and the water heater. If you live on an acreage, there are other familiar noises: the sewer pump starting, the creaks of electric baseboard heaters warming. Other customary sounds include the fridge compressor or the ticking of a favourite clock. The changing of the seasons, from warm to cold and back to warm, produces groans and cracks as the house shifts. It's especially noisy on a frigid night. These sounds have a settling effect. Knowing your house is working properly is comforting. A house is like a living entity, and the sounds of its normal functions are like the beating of a heart. - David W. Penny Vanscoy, Saskatchewan On weathervanes I enjoyed the article about weathervanes in the Spring 2007 edition, since one of my favourite garage sale finds is a weathervane. It was purchased in Meaford, Ontario some years ago. I became so excited when I saw it, I was practically jumping up and down, which gave away any negotiating edge I might have had. Despite that, I coolly offered $7 instead of the requested $10. The seller obviously read my enthusiasm and held firm at $10. I have never regretted paying the full price for the peg-leg sailor for whom I have secret romantic notions! He stands upon a brass pole with connections, direction letters and an arrowhead made of copper, while gazing off into the distance looking for adventure. Thanks for a great and interesting magazine. - Linda MacLeod Campbellville, Ontario Web browsing I was referred to your publication for an article on wildflower meadows (Spring 2007), however I can't find it. Could you point me in the correct direction on your website? - Dave Copeland Via e-mail The website highlights some of our features but does not reproduce each issue of the magazine in its entirety. There are also some website exclusives. To purchase a subscription or order a back issue, contact our Subscriptions Department by phone (1-800-667-6929) or by e-mail via subscriptions@producer.com). Write to us at: The Mailbox, Acreage Life Box 2500, 2310 Millar Avenue, Saskatoon, SK S7K 2C4 Or e-mail us: acreagelife.editors@producer.com