Check out our October newsletter!
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OCTOBER 2021
WHY BOOKS ARE THE OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE WE ALWAYS NEED
There is great value in the concept of “third-party eyes.” Seeking advice or guidance from someone outside of your organization can be of tremendous benefit and help your company grow in ways you cannot fathom. One example of this is when businesses hire outside accountants to do their bookkeeping. The accountant is motivated by earning a paycheck — not because they have to make the organization look good. Their intrinsic motivation isn’t biased toward the company, so the information they can provide an owner or leader of said company will be more direct and clear. There’s value in that. Likewise, I saw the potential for management and leadership “third eyes” coaching for myself and our shop so we could grow beyond what we could see at the ground level of our business. Up until 2020, the costs and travel requirements of one such coaching endeavor made me hesitant to sign up, but when this company went into a completely digital and more affordable format more than a year ago, I knew we had to take advantage of this opportunity. Since joining, we have appreciated those “third-party eyes” observations. They allowed us to see our shop from 10,000 feet, rather than at the ground level of our day-to-day operations and the knowledge we come equipped with. We now have a larger view of how our shop could grow thanks to this coaching opportunity. Throughout the coaching process, I have been introduced to a few books that have offered insight into better professional habits. While not every book suggested to me by my coach is insightful or “life-changing,” I have appreciated learning about other perspectives. I’ve gained a lot through reading and working with our coaches. You may remember from our newsletter from months ago that I wrote about how I enjoy reading with my sons every night, and I often find some of the best knowledge in the world in books and journals.
(As a fun aside: At the time of writing this article, the boys asked if we could start “Cheaper by the Dozen” by the Gilbreths. It depicts what life was like in a family with 12 children. We’re excited to start a new story!) Whether it’s for learning or for enjoyment, books add great value to our lives. These materials are easily accessible “third- party eyes,” and it would be foolish not to take advantage of the three ways in which books make us better individuals.
The first is knowledge. We learn about the world around us through books.
Secondly, I believe there are many solutions we can find within books. Authors download chapters worth of knowledge into these works, offering greater insights and better answers to our questions and problems than any old internet search ever could. And finally, there’s spiritual guidance. Reading God’s Word every day provides a roadmap by which to live, grow, and teach. It’s sustenance and the basis of life beyond this life. October is National Book Month, and it would be worth the investment in your time to read. –Ethan Zimmerman
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Let’s play a game: Would you rather bungee jump off a bridge or take a 10-minute cold shower every day? Unless you’re afraid of heights, bungee jumping probably sounds more pleasant. But it turns out the shower is the smart choice! Standing under a stream of cold water has surprising health benefits, according to experts who spoke with Real Simple.
3. Helps Keep You in Shape:
water! It turns out chilly showers increase endorphins and decrease the hormone cortisol, which is linked with stress.
Believe it or not, cold showers can do some amazing things. Here are five:
Speaking of health, cold showers are also supposed to ramp up your metabolism, which helps keep you slim. 4. Gives You Beautiful, Shiny Hair : If you’d love to have lovely, silky hair, cold showers could be better than conditioner. Dr. Debra Jaliman, a dermatologist, told Real Simple the low-temperature water seals your hair cuticles, boosting the shine of your strands.
1. Boosts Your Energy: The cold water “wakes up” your body, shocking you into taking deep breaths, which saturates your blood with oxygen. This helps you reach a focused, energized, almost- meditative state. 2. Strengthens Your Immune System : As crazy as it sounds, standing in icy water can actually increase your white blood cell count. Since these cells fight disease, this is a huge win for your health.
That said, as good as they are for you, cold showers aren’t exactly fun.
If you want to try cold showers yourself, Healthline recommends easing into the habit by “slowly lowering the temperature at the end of a usual shower” and then standing in the chilly water for 2–3 minutes. Take deep breaths and gradually push yourself to turn the temperature down earlier and stay in the cold longer.
5. Freezes Away Your Stress: Anxiety and depression run away from cold
at the daily activities of the fish and plants that lived in Gosse’s tank.
Jeanne frequently wrote about animals and plants on the island where she lived with her husband, but she was particularly interested in the paper nautilus, a form of octopus. To better study these creatures, Jeanne created a glass aquarium, which allowed her to learn that the paper nautilus actually grew their shells instead of stealing them from other creatures as
Owning a fish is a rite of passage into responsibility for many children, though it’s an older practice than many people realize.
After Gosse’s display, public aquariums were founded in countries across Europe and the U.S., and today, the U.S. is home to more than 400 zoos and aquariums (plus countless other at- home tanks). The concept of aquariums also spread among the rich of that era, making the fish a pet of those who were the most elite in society. Similarly, owning exotic fish became quite popular among the socialites of this era before more members of the masses began taking part, too. Thankfully, over the years, society has learned how to create healthy, lively environments for domesticated fish. Before purchasing your own, consult with a specialist at your local pet or aquarium store.
Keeping fish in captivity dates all the way back to the ancient civilizations in China, Babylonia, and Egypt, but today’s at-home fish habitats are credited to a French dressmaker who later
hermit crabs do. This debunked a popular theory about the paper nautilus and is a concept still understood today.
became one of the world’s pioneers in marine biology.
Jeanne Villepreux-Power rose to fame after designing and sewing Princess Caroline’s wedding gown in 1816. Her talent caught the eye of James Power, whom Jeanne married and stayed with in Sicily after their union.
Jeanne’s aquarium would become the inspiration for Philip Gosse, an English scientist who studied nature. Gosse is credited with implementing the first public aquarium — Public Aquaria opened in 1853, which fascinated crowds. While standing on dry land at the Public Aquaria, people would gawk
This is where Jeanne’s observations would change the world.
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are often attached with some type of metal or copper fasteners, while wooden trusses are outfitted inside the boat for support. Meanwhile, the Austronesian people — native to the islands along the Australian coast, Southeast Asia, and off the coast of South America — use a technique called lashed-lug. In this method, wood is carved and sewn together. Boats are also often sealed with tapa bark, which is a caulk-like material that expands when it’s wet. Regardless of what style is used in the process, the basis of any good wooden boat starts with the right wood type. This was a lesson one of our craftsmen, David Yoder, learned while helping build dozens of canoes on a mission. We’re appreciative to have his expertise in the shop.
have to be long and even. The experts at O’Shea identify hardwoods as some of the best materials for boats; however, some softwoods will do just
The most common ideas people have for wood-crafted items include chairs, tables, cabinetry, and other pieces of furniture, but for centuries, humankind has relied on wooden boats to carry them from small streams to mighty oceans. As useful as a wooden boat
fine! The best types include mahogany, cypress, white oak, and cedar. As history has progressed, many civilizations have found the right combination of wood types for boats, and over time, cultures have created their own style with these wood types.
can be — it’s buoyant enough to float and strong enough to withstand damage — building
one can be precarious.
As our friends at O’Shea Lumber Company point
out, wood for a boat has to fall within the Goldilocks principle. It has to be soft but not breakable. It has to be airy, but not brittle. It has to avoid decay with regular use, but its boards also
For example, the Scandinavians and North Sea Germanic people are first credited with the
clinker method. In this style, builders affix wooden planks together with a slight overlap for a tighter fit. These
INGREDIENTS Cake • 3 eggs • 2 cups sugar • 3/4 cup oil • 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp baking soda • 3 cups peeled, chopped apples • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Icing • 1/4 cup butter • 2 tbsp milk • 1/2 cup brown sugar • Pinch salt
• 2 tsp vanilla • 3 cups flour • 1 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS
For cake batter, preheat oven to 350 F. Beat eggs until foamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 75 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan. For the icing, combine ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over warm cake immediately.
PICTURE BY HEATHER AND MEGAN ZIMMERMAN
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Brought to you by KCS Builders of American Heirlooms and Penns Creek Furniture 291 Blackiston Rd. • Clayton, DE 19938 Phone: (302) 653-2411 • Email: kcs@emypeople.net The Swiss Craftsman
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Inside this Issue
Why You Should Be Reading Page 1
Should You Try Cold Showers?
How Fish Went From the Wild to Your Living Room Page 2
How Do You Build a Wooden Boat?
Caramel Apple Coffee Cake Page 3
Wash the Washer the Easy Way! Page 4
THE EASIEST WAY TO CLEAN YOUR WASHING MACHINE
Regardless of the machine’s style, baking soda, vinegar, a rag, and hot water are the go-to tools for cleaning your washing machine. Start by running your machine on its hottest cycle for a few minutes, then pause the cycle. (With top-loading devices, you want a pool of water in the bottom of the machine after it’s paused.) Then, cleaning tutorialist Andrea Jean Cleaning recommends pouring 1/2 cup of baking soda and about 2–3 cups of white vinegar into the machine. (Bleach will work, too!) While the solution sits, scrub the door, detergent trays, and any lips where grime can hide. Then, simply close the lid, finish the cycle, and watch your machine clean itself!
don’t sanitize clothes, and numerous studies have found that these devices can transfer certain germs from one material to the next. However, by cleaning your washing machine, you can remove bacterial build-up, residue, and mildew buildup. (No more gross smell!) Furthermore, regular cleaning protects it from damage due to grime accumulation. How to Clean It Whether you have a front- or top- loading washing machine is a matter of preference, but it also matters when it comes to maintenance. For example, front-loading machines have a rubber lip just inside the door where dirt and hair accumulate. Top-loading machines can collect the same amount of dirt in the softener dispenser.
Despite being designed to clean, your washing machine can be anything but. As water settles in the machine’s basin and detergent and grime cling to the edges, it can become a budding environment for mildew and gnarly smells. But with a few simple steps, your machine will smell and function like new.
Why You Need to Clean Your Washing Machine
The most common washing machines are top- and front-loading, and some do a better job of cleaning than others. However, the washing machine isn’t where germs and bacteria go to die. In fact, according to Reader’s Digest, many home washing machines
Get more washing machine cleaning tips from your device’s manufacturer.
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