Better Mail Delivery

I don't have even a vague idea of how long I had this mailbox. It was a silver steel construction made in Youngstown, Ohio.

I sprayed it black and hand drew the Iowa tiger hawk on the side, as well as hand printed the last name on the bottom.

The front door rusted off some 5 years ago. The bottom front wasn't connected to the body anymore. The flag wouldn't stand upright for those few times when I put outgoing mail in it. But it was on that post almost like the whole things was a unit. My attempts to loosen the bolts met with frustration. Mail got wet. In the winter, a driving snow would cause a mini-drift to accumulate in the open front. Yes, spiders loved living in the back, but I think that's sort of a hazard even if the box had a front door.

When my landscaper, Jeremy, asked if there were things I wanted to have done around the house, one of the things I mentioned was the installation of a new mailbox. "I can do that, easy," he said. So, I trotted over to Ace Hardware, after looking online for mailboxes. I wear my Hawkeyes "on my sleeve", so to speak. I wanted to replace like with like. Custom mailboxes were upwards of $200. I don't need that. If I can get a basic mailbox, I can do the customizing.

Viola.

I could get this in steel, silver or black finish. Twenty dollars. It's the exact same size as the rusted one.

This was exciting. I would have a mailbox with a door, once again. Side note: The box was the purrfect size.

She couldn't turn around, once she got inside, but I did find her sitting in it, having backed into the box. I thought cats did not like backing up because they can't see where they are going. I tossed the box after 24 hours because I knew it wouldn't see a lot of use.

The next thing was to decorate it. I already knew how I would do the name. You can buy stick on letters at hardware stores. For some reason, Ace was out of "e's" and "n's". So I headed to Michaels Craft store. They didn't have all the letters for my last name either. But Jeremy called and said he would have to postpone putting up the box for a couple weeks and, in the interim, the missing letters came in. They are peel off the backing and stick.

Next was the Iowa logo. I thought about hand painting the tiger hawk again. I could actually make a stencil and outline the area to be painted so it would come out looking less hand and more painted. Then I remembered the decal I bought for my work office. The large oval tiger hawk, which is on the wall in my office, came with two, much smaller, decals.

They would be perfect.

These were the last decals on the sheet. I had considered giving them to a family member but kept forgetting to do that.

Once everything was stuck to the mailbox, I could cut up the box the decal sheet came in and recycle it and the sheet. When the time comes that I leave my current place of employment, I'll roll up the big tiger hawk and take it with me, but, as that is some years ahead, I do not need to save all the packing pieces. They just get in the way. I should have moved the logo back toward the rear of the box and not right by the flag. The second I stuck it to the box, I knew it wasn't moving so had to put the last name a bit farther forward than I would have liked and it's at a slight angle downward. It's out front so I don't see it every day or it would bother me. I go around straightening pictures in my house because their being cockeyed bothers me.

Two weeks after I did this, Jeremy came by with his fancy tools and spent a good two hours removing the old and installing the new.

He wound up getting brand new bolts because the other ones, once he freed them from the mailbox, snapped in half. They rusted between the head and the body of the bolt.

By the end of September, I had a brand spankin' new mailbox. It's been wonderful. It has a working door! My mail doesn't get wet unless it's put in the box wet. Small packages and parcels stay dry. The flag works, although I tend to take outgoing mail to the office or drop it off at one of the two post offices I pass by on my way to and from the office.

It's the little things which make one's quality of life better. I don't even think about this anymore, when it was a constant source of irritation when it was the old box. I noticed the top edges on the logo are peeling up after a winter, but I know that decal isn't coming off without a fight. If it does, I'll just order a new one. Then I can move it to that empty black space at the rear of the box. And, because I know she'll say something, "No April. This would not look good in gray and burgundy. Sigh."

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

Hello There

During the summer, I tried to keep this bird feeder filled. But I got busy and couldn't find the seed I'd purchased and stored away where it wasn't in the way. My bad memory. I hid it too well, at least from myself. When I found it in early December, it was three-quarters gone; gone to mice which I was sure I'd eradicated and prohibited from getting into the house. One bag had been completely emptied and the other bag was half full. I dumped it on top of the stump where I put the squirrel blocks.

There was an after-Christmas sale at Ace Hardware so I bought another bag to attempt a refill. There was reasonably nice weather right after Christmas so I didn't need a lot of heavy clothing to refill the feeder. It took 3 days for the vermin to figure out it was filled.

Now the reason the windows are foggy is because the guy who does my lawn is also studying to be an HVAC technician as well as lawn maintenance and landscaping. He offered to clean the furnace because it's something he's studying. He noticed the humidifier part; which was why I bought the furnace in the first place; wasn't working. No, it hasn't but the quote to fix it was hundreds of dollars and I was kind of okay without it. He had his instructor come look and diagnose the problem. Then, he bought the part and fixed the furnace for minimal mark-up. He's going to use me as a reference, which I'm happy to provide because this guy is great.

The humidifier part works great, but points out just how bad my ancient windows are. At the time of this photo, I hadn't covered this window with an insulator kit. Still, this provided the kitten with amusement.

The squirrels haven't completely cleaned out the seed, but I don't think they like all of it. The birds haven't discovered this and you can see one of the suction cups on the right side came loose. I will be filling this again. I fully expect to come home some time this winter and find the thing on the ground. I have another suction cup feeder which just doesn't survive squirrels landing on it. I need to get a step ladder so I can put it where I think they won't get to it; where it's visible to the cats; and where it's not a chore to fill.

Squirrel TV is the best.

Beverage:  Assam

Deb

Spring Project Or Paperweights

All those things you say you want to do. The list can be long, long, long. I tend to have motivation come in spurts. I'll feel exceptionally creative or motivated to accomplish something. Pieces will be collected and I'll get ready and bam. The motivation fades as quickly as it come.

I've been dealing with some issues with RA which I didn't realize were RA issues. I knew depression was a side effect of this. You gradually lose mobility and that can be very depressing. I can tell myself, repeatedly, to find gratitude in every day, but I often have to face the reality that I just cannot; that this gloomy mood is what I have. I find acknowledging the mood; feeding it even; works for me to slowly leave it behind. In the interim, I don't do much of anything. That can feed my sense of worthlessness. "If only I felt better, this project would be done."

Enter spring. It's hard for me not to feel a tug toward positivity when the crocus bloom and the sky turns blue and the winter coat goes in the closet for a good two weeks before being needed. I feel I can conquer things. I feel I can take those steps I've longed for to make my surroundings happier. That's necessary for my overall well-being. "Time to fix this," I think. Many times that enthusiasm, however, crashes headlong into the reality that I get tired more easily. Still, here we go with the rebirth of the grass in the back yard and the cacophony of birds in the trees.

Target didn't help diminish that exuberance. In one of my news feeds; ironically, a business feed; there was a discussion about their new Pillowfort line. Targeted to kids, it's gender neutral and features things without designations for boy or girl. It's part of Target's stated objective to make as much of their kids things for all kids, inclusive, rather than blue for boy and pink for girl. You can still find those things but girls like trucks and boys like dolls. Kids shouldn't be pigeonholed into colors and items because of their gender. I can't agree with this enough.

The article showed some items from the collection and one of them was a shelf unit.

It's a whale! I read dimensions but I can't always get my head around sizes relative to anything else. I could order it online and pick it up at my local Target. As I had to get a few other things there, this was a score. It's big.

It's going to go on the wall opposite the medicine chest and sink. When I held it up to the wall, the sadness of the long ago paint scheme in the bathroom was overwhelming.

I need a fresh coat of paint on the walls. If I'm going to make this a focal point of the bathroom, I need walls reflective of that. As if they were mind reading, I got a flyer in the mail from Ace Hardware. There is, this weekend as I type, a buy-one, get one free sale on their best paint. Seriously? I would need painting accouterments as I tossed all that stuff last year, when I was cleaning in the basement for the new washer, because the stuff was old. But cutting the big cost, the paint, in half, could motivate me to actually do this.

When I went to get garbage stickers, I asked about the smell. That could be a deal breaker. The smell, the volatile organic compounds, released as paint dries, are not good for people with breathing difficulties. I don't want my house to make me any sicker than it possibly is. If I have to wait until June, when I throw open the windows, would the paint have settled out? The good news is the sale paint is low VOC, suitable for pregnant women to paint walls with and it is guaranteed to not settle out for up to 9 months after being initially mixed. I grabbed some swatches and stuck them on the wall.

There is light blue tile in the tub/shower. I have a nautical theme in the bathroom which is why the whale shelf appealed to me. It's important to match, as close as I can, the tile. Ideally, you take a tile piece with you and they match it, but I have no idea where the extra tile is that I had. So, I picked what I thought might be close or complimentary.

While I was there, I thought about the neglected back door area. I was going to paint that yellow to compliment the minion poster hanging there. If this is a buy one get one, what if I actually bought the yellow for the back? I grabbed some yellow swatches and slapped them on the wall by the poster.

I wound up going with the bottom blue and the left yellow. In my head, I thought a light lemon yellow would make the poster "pop" on the wall. But the light lemon they had seemed too light, washed out. Hence, I've gone with a color that is an exact match to the one there. Funny how that works out.

Here we are, the end of March. I have two brand new cans of paint in my house. One sits on the kitchen table and the other sits on the bathroom floor.

I'm going to paint the baseboards and the trim around the door this blue. It will be immersion, which is why having a light color on the wall will work. The ceiling will be a bright white, when I get that far. Right now, I have to get the counted cross-stitch project done and I have a few days upcoming when I can just sit and stitch. I also have to prepare the wall for painting.

Gone will be the fish stencils and those solid color fish "stickers". They are a gel plastic. I forget how old they are. Carole was living at home when we found them somewhere and thought they would be cool. They have been, but, over the years, they have attracted and held dust and dirt. I just didn't have the gumption to pry them off the wall and repaint. I'll have to take the towel rack off the wall. I don't relish that. My fear is that I won't get it back up.

In my mind's eye, I picture doing this wall, then resting. Next would be the wall by the door and a rest. Then the wall by the sink and stool and ending with the bit of wall above the shower. It's a month-long project or, if I take a week off work, a full week's painting. The same thing goes for the back door area. A wall a week and it's done.

So, with the advent of spring, this is what inspiration looks like. Supposedly, this paint can be written on with chalk. If so, that could provide some artistic avenues in a nautical bathroom. Or I could buy this or this. Maybe the fact that I have cans of paint will keep me motivated to get this done. These are awfully expensive paperweights.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

A Reminder About the Little Things

Look what I bought over the weekend.

I realize you are singularly unimpressed. "Um...Deb? It's a sink basket. Hardly something to blog about." But you would be wrong.

Yes, it is a sink basket. It cost me a princely sum of $5.10, with tax, from Ace Hardware. See, the last time I bought a sink basket, I think Bill Clinton was president. It was a plastic thing. It was white when I got it, but I'd had it so long, it had turned the color of dried corn shocks. Last weekend, the seal, the business end, the part that goes into the drain and stops the water from escaping, cracked. It didn't completely break, but, for all intents and purposes, it was now worthless. There was no stopping water from seeping down the drain. It took me 3 attempts at washing dishes before coming to that realization. Sometimes, I'm a wee bit slow on the uptake.

I had to go to Target for Pop Tarts (THAT'S an upcoming blog post.) and I scanned their housewares aisle. No sign of a sink basket. I did find brand new drip pans. Those are vitally necessary so I got a set. My other drip pans were so gross. Anyway, striking out at Target, I just didn't have time to go anywhere else to search for a sink basket. I've been traveling a lot and I come home too tired to venture out into the wilds of hardware stores. So the dishes piled up and up and up. I was out of spoons by Thursday and out of pots to cook macaroni and cheese (Hey, it's quick.) by Wednesday.

Yesterday, I had to go to Ace Hardware to get garbage stickers and I asked where I'd find sink baskets. "Aisle 21, on the right side." Heavenly days. There were 10 different styles, including the exact same plastic model that had gone in my trash. I opted to get a stainless steel version this time.

I have no idea what I paid for the plastic one all those years ago. If this one lasts even half as long as the plastic one did, I will certainly have gotten my money's worth. Best of all, I could do dishes again. I have clean silverware and pots. It's the simple things that make life so enjoyable. Seriously. $5.10 and I'm the happiest person I know.

Beverage:  Huckleberry Tea

Deb

One More Clear

This year, for the first time in roughly 8 years, I have to handle my own lawn mowing. My neighbor, Zeke, has retired and as soon as his house sells, he and his wife are moving. I contacted a few lawn services, but they never returned my call. Therefore, I decided I would mow my own lawn. This is a huge decision because it means I'm feeling reasonably decent enough to take that kind of step. It won't take a long time to mow and it's good exercise. Lord knows I need that.

So the first step was to research lawn mowers. Several people pointed out I need self-propelled. If I have to do the physical work of pushing, I will overdo it which leads to an RA flare up. I'm trying to avoid that. Next, I needed big rear wheels to facilitate moving the mower over rough terrain or through taller than usual grass. I also needed it not to cost an arm, leg and spleen. 

As if the universe was looking out for me, Ace Hardware had a mower on sale over the weekend. I checked it out and decided it was the right mower for me. They had one on the floor that I could have and they put it in the Jeep for me. 

The next step was to clean out the shed. Since I don't have a garage, the mower has to fit in the shed. But in order to get it in there, I had to clean it out. 

This has long been on my "to do" list. I have so many flower pots. It's not organized. I can't find the things I actually use. Needing to buy a lawn mower fit right in with the tidying I'm doing gradually around the house. On Sunday, when the clouds cleared and the sun came out, I jumped into cleaning the shed. I would make a pile of 'save' and a pile of 'pitch'. 

Two years ago, when I was getting pots out for planting, I saw a mouse. I never saw any last year, but there was the unmistakable odor of mouse urine in the shed. Donning gloves, I slowly started pulling pots out, hoping not to see anything gray scurry away. I didn't, but I found the source of the smell. 

They had made a nest in this pot. I actually like this pot. It's heavy-duty plastic. So, I'm going to dump everything in the pot into a garbage bag, rinse out the pot and I should be able to use it. There were no other pots with mice nests in them. 

I found this guy on the floor of the shed. 

I wonder how long he's been in the shed. 

After some work, everything had been removed and I saw the floor was covered in potting soil. 

What a mess. I really can't tell you how old this shed is. I'm thinking I got it in 2000 or 2001. Carole and I assembled it ourselves. I'm fairly certain the dirt on the floor of the shed hasn't been there all that time, but I do know I haven't bothered to clear out old dirt when it spilled. So, I took the broom and swept it out. 

Looks pretty good. 

Now it was time to get the mower out of the Jeep. The guy at Ace said he thought the mower weighed about 50 pounds. That seemed kind of heavy to me, but if the salesman could get it into the Jeep, I could get it out. 

Turns out, it's not 50 pounds. It's more like 30 so it was easy for me to maneuver sideways and lower to the ground. That alone made me feel really good. 

I rolled it over to the shed. From a distance, it appeared the mower was 2-3 inches too wide. What would I do then? I shouldn't have worried. 

It fits perfectly. The handle folds down. It comes with a rear bag but I won't ever use that. The manipulation of the bag is not something I really want to do. It comes with a side discharge and I'm very happy with that. 

The bag will go into the basement for storage. They filled the tank with the gas oil mixture I need and gave me the bottle of oil so I can make sure to buy the same kind for the next fill-up. I need to read the owner's manual this week. 

Once this was done, it was time to finish sorting my flower pots and other stuff in the shed. 

I don't have a grill so I have no need of the charcoal starter. There is a small wire piece that's off the front arbor. I keep meaning to super glue it back on. The brown things are pot trivets. They keep flower pots off the deck proper and allow air to circulate under the pots. Half of these were used continually. I thought I had more, but could never find them. Funny how things show up when you're cleaning. The brackets are for the deck pots and the yellow sponge things are kneelers. I probably could give those away as I don't kneel while gardening anymore. But I hung onto them, figuring that I probably will need them when I stain the deck next month. All this stuff stays although I would be happy to sell the charcoal starter since I don't use it. 

All of this is going. This year, instead of going to the nursery and buying plants, I ordered plants from a catalogue. The company sells heirloom flowers and vegetables and I thought I would give some of their plants a try. Some of these pots are cracked and broken. I just don't use most of them. A lot of the plastic ones I can probably recycle. I'm going to dump out all the dirt and get rid of these. Yes, the hose is going too. It's cracked on one end so it won't hook up to the outside spigot. It's also about twice as long as I realistically can use. I'll drag it to the street on Wednesday and see if one of the scavengers who drives around on garbage day takes it. Otherwise, it will go into the garbage can. 

This is what's left. 

I have my art pieces, which includes the plinth with the cardinal directions. The three at the bottom are the ones I put on the front porch. I have the two that hang off the deck and 4 bigger pots, including the one that needs to be scrubbed. I also have all my geraniums which I overwinter. There is also one large pot at the base of the deck. I think this is plenty. I'll go to the nursery next month and get begonias for the front. Impatiens did not do well on the front last year. They were eaten to stalks by some bug. The begonias filled out the pots very nicely. I anticipate delivery of the plants soon and then, if I need another pot, I have it before getting rid of the others. The cat house will be emptied of bedding and put in the basement. I hope I don't have to use it again this year. 

I noticed my Easter Island head is cracked. 

I'm unsure if I should try to fill this crack with something. There is no drainage hole in the bottom so water and debris accumulate over the course of a summer. You plop a gazing globe in the head but I've just left him as he is. He looks kind of funny with a translucent blue globe in his head.

There are two of these in the shed. These are citronella torches. I have a bunch in the basement in various stages of use. All of them are cracked, horizontally, between some of the rings.

You jammed these in the ground and sat "near" them and they warded off mosquitos. We would put them around the perimeter of the deck or in a circle and then we'd sit inside the circle. I think the optimum distance between each was 6 feet. That was more than enough room to get through the circle of torches if you needed to go inside.

I don't remember how well they worked. They looked cool when lit, like typical torches, and burned fairly slowly. The hard part was getting them into the ground, particularly if the ground was hard. I should see if the shortest of these two will still burn. If it does, then perhaps I should take these to Virginia for the next guild meet up. We like to sit outside, even in screened porches, so warding off bugs would be a good thing. If it doesn't light up and stay lit, there's the garbage can and I won't feel guilty about chucking them. They've been in the basement for years. It's time to use them or pitch them.

Finally, I was moving stuff about and suddenly had a feeling I was being watched. It took me a bit to spot her.

She never moved, even when I spotted her. Could this be a nest? I thought they liked more cover than this, not that she's in real danger in my yard. She was there yesterday when I got home from work. Part of me wonders, because she hasn't moved, could she be sick? Oh that would be lovely, in a not so great way. I'll keep an eye on her.

After asking about, my cousin is going to take all of the pots I want to give away. The cracked ones I won't send her, but I'm happy to be rid of everything else. "Don't spend a lot to ship them," she said. It is worth it to me to spend $20 to get them off my hands. Now to set about emptying all the dirt.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

Everyone Needs a Zombie Gnome

I thought about posting this tutorial earlier so you could have your very own zombie gnome for Halloween, but because this was a gift to Carole and Larry, I wanted to surprise them before posting a step-by-step.

First, you need a garden gnome.

I was in luck. Garden gnomes after Labor Day were 40% off at an Ace Hardware I happened to be by. It was kind of difficult to decide which one of three poses I wanted. I decided the one with the rake had the best opportunities for zombieness. You'll probably find garden gnomes on sale at garden stores or online. You can use my directions as suggestions for zombiefying your gnome.

This is for Halloween so I need bats and spiders and skeletons. I searched the Halloween aisles at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts and struck out. Then, I had to get buttons for another project and there they were. Halloween buttons. Of course.

Now, we're going to use fishing line to attach our buttons to our gnome. I've had this fishing line for some 20 years specifically for craft projects. I got out my needle threader because it can be tough to thread thread through the eye of a needle and thicker fishing line wasn't going to be easy. You'll need a darning needle because regular hand sewing needles do not have a big enough eye to shove fishing line through.

Once I got the line threaded, I positioned one skull on the rake and threaded the needle through the button and around some tines of the rake. I tied several knots once the skull was in position. This was repeated for each of the skulls in the package.

I left extra long lines so I could tie another knot if I felt the skull wasn't on the rake securely enough.

The rake provided a great place to stagger the skulls. There was a gnome with a spade and, I think, one with a bucket.

When the skulls were in place, I leaned the gnome over and put white glue on the knots on the back of the rake.

I really saturated the knots to make sure they were securely anchored to the rake. This was left for 24 hours to dry thoroughly. Once 24 hours had passed, I trimmed the ends to be close to the knots.

The next step was to begin the zombification. This was going to involve adding paint to the gnome. First color added was red. After all, zombies desire braaaaaa-aaainnns.

I used acrylic paint. Aside from the gnome himself, this was my biggest expense. Carole and I used to have acrylic paints in the basement. They last for a long time, but there wasn't any red. I had to go to the art supply store and get the smallest tube I could find of blood red. I did have brushes, however. Art brushes are very expensive so I was thankful I didn't have to buy one.

I took a small brush and just started adding strips and spots of red to the gnome. I went with the places where he'd have residue from his search for brains. I started with the face and hands and then moved to the clothing.

When that was done, I took black acrylic, something we did have, and added black smudges.

What really made him look zombie-ish was painting the black circles around the eyes. It made the eyes seem sunken. Black smudges were added to the hat and the pants and to the back side, which most people aren't going to see but which I knew I wanted to do. I took a moistened paper towel and smudged some of the black and red spots. When I was satisfied with the distressed look, I let him sit overnight.

Included in the button package were some flat buttons.

The small spider and the tombstone had button backs. Everything else was flat. I would need to glue those somewhere on the gnome and then tie the spider and the tombstone to something. The day after painting, I began placement of the other items.

The bats were glued to the hat. The large spider was placed in the middle of the web and both pieces glued to the base.

I tied the headstone to the base of the rake and glued it down. In the basement craft drawers, I found some wire. No clue why I have it. I cut a hunk, twisted it around the small spider and then anchored it to the rake. I could find no logical use for the hat item so that went in my give away bag. Seriously. I'm giving something away. I really can't think of why I would want to keep it. It doesn't have a button back so I can't use it on a sewn item. You know, it was hard to put it in the give away bag. I could hear this little voice saying, "Why give it away? You know you'll find a use for it." But I resisted the voice. I have so much "I'll find a use for". It's really time to be proactive about what I decide to save.

The completed gnome went with me to Virginia at the end of the month and was presented for their side deck.

He actually looks kind of happy there. You know he's waiting to steal your soul if getting your brains doesn't work.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Get Outta Here!

Ace Hardware, last week, started a celebration of their 90th year in business. I perused the sale flyer and found a few things I use for very good prices. I am set now, for a year, a year!, in furnace filters. But one thing caught my eye that I had to have.

That, my friends, is a brand spankin' new garbage can, in dark forest green. Plus, look. It has a lid that actually closes. As my friend, Jon, said when I told him I was going to get a can in something other than black, "Get outta here!"

Why is this important? Well, for years now, I've used this set up.

Last year, I assume it was raccoons that ate through the top of the lid. This kind of can isn't made anymore so finding a lid that will work with the "locking" part of the handles has been futile. I'm rather used to timing the tossing of the garbage to coincide with garbage day or stacking bags of used kitty litter on top of the garbage bag only to find that didn't deter the raccoons and I have garbage to clean up in the back yard.

The old can's locking lid was nice, in theory, but the raccoons figured out that all they had to do was get on top of the can and lean on the handles and the lid could be popped off. I have no illusions that the new lid, which snaps on with a very satisfying "click", will be any less easy to open. I was looking for something that the wind couldn't snap the top off and then scatter the contents.

The new can doesn't have wheels which will be interesting come winter, when I have to drag it down the drive. The old can is going to be used for yard waste now, occasionally garbage if I'm really cleaning.

I realize it's kind of silly to get excited about a garbage can, but I am. It's going to make life a bit easier. What can you say that cost $12 that's made your life easier? And it's green.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Into the 21st Century

I admit it. Technological updates can have me baffled. "But it worked so well. Why do we have to change?" is something I know I've said to myself on occasion. Such is the case with lighting.

Did you know that 40 and 60 watt incandescent lightbulbs will no longer be made come January 1st? In fact, there haven't been any made since September and stores will be selling their remaining inventories without restocking them. 100 and 75-watt bulbs were phased out last year.

I knew this was coming but the last time I looked, compact fluorescent bulbs were $12.00 each. When you are on a tight budget, you'll go get a package of 4 60-watt bulbs for $3.50 before you'll pay that for one bulb. Never mind that the fluorescent will last 9 years, that's a lot of upfront money.

And then the light in the bathroom went out.

Knowing that the incandescent bulbs were to be phased out, I went to Ace Hardware to see about finally, finally taking the plunge into CFLs (compact fluorescent light). I set aside $20 for light bulbs, relying on a very long ago memory of buying one bulb for the light in the hallway. This light gets used, a lot, and we were replacing it sometimes twice a year. A standard lightbulb just wasn't doing the job so we invested in a compact fluorescent back when the idea was first proposed, that they could save a homeowner money because they lasted for years. Honestly, I don't remember when this bulb was replaced, it's been that long. The design of CFLs has improved substantially over this. They are much more compact. This bulb has been going strong for a very, very long time. The $12-15 we spent on it has been recouped a couple times over.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a 5 pack of CFLs was $1.99, on sale to promote changing to these from incandescent. I read everything on the package. This will replace the 60-watt bulbs which were in the bathroom fixture. The quality of light won't change, just the amount of electricity used. I was concerned about heat generated since the bathroom lights are horizontal and not vertical as in the hall light. The salesman said they generate the same amount of heat as an incandescent bulb. Yes, the older ones were warmer, but technology has improved and these are much cooler. Plus, these are guaranteed for 9 years, 9 years, with average use. I would say my usage is average. That means I don't have to replace these light bulbs in the bathroom until 2022. Given the difficulty of removing the fixture to access the bulbs, I'll take that.

So, I have entered the 21st century. I looked about the basement when I was down there today to do laundry. Every socket has an incandescent in it. As they burn out, you can bet I will be replacing them with CFLs. Let there be light!

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Another Reason to Like Them

When I need hardware supplies, I go here.

It's on the way to and from the office. They were very helpful in getting my deck and front porch stained and painted last year. I buy garbage stickers here. When the office needs hand tools or the like, we come here. Sometimes the small size of the store works to its disadvantage. On this particular shopping trip, they did not have a replacement sponge for my mop. In fact, they didn't even carry the brand I bought there last year which now needed a new mop head. I wound up going to a different Ace Hardware to get it.

On this trip, I was checking out and my clerk said to the other clerk, "Have you see Ace around today?" She replied, "He was down here earlier this morning, but I think he went back upstairs." My clerk looked at me and chuckled, "That cat."

I looked at her. "This store has a cat?"

"Oh yes," she replied. "We've had him for, oh, 3 months now. He's very friendly, when he wants to be, of course."

"A rescue?"

"Absolutely. One of the guys spotted him trying to get into one of the dumpsters behind the store. He was scrawny, looked like he hadn't had a good meal in months, but he was friendly. So, the owner let us bring him inside, got him all his shots and had him fixed. He is happy as a clam and has no desire to go back outside. He's probably about 3 years old. Usually, he sleeps on the paint counter, but he has the run of the store. We named him 'Ace', of course."

How awesome is that? Seriously? They took in a stray and he's now the store cat. A cat will adapt better to a store environment than a dog because you don't have to take a dog out for a walk. She said someone is always here and on the handful of days the store isn't open, they have all the days covered for someone to come over and check on him.

I already liked this store. Now, I like it even better.

Beverage:  Water

Deb