June 2011
13 posts
5 tags
Tulips and dogs don't mix
Matt has created many lovely garden beds, both ground level and raised beds, in the back yard and front yard. The front yard is looking nicer every day:
And as the baby plants grow up it will look even better. The back yard looks good for a while, but then the dogs smell bone meal in the raised beds and start digging around in them. Or they run through a probably-not-so-well-placed...
May 2011
20 posts
6 tags
The Space Corner: Space Saving Corner Drawers
projectdome:
I’m a big fan of drawers over shelves, mostly for accessibility. These space-saving corner drawers are a great idea if you feel the same way.
Available in Canada from Blum (for BC hardware distributors, click here for locations).
Other space corner designs are offered in the USA from Heritage Cabinets.
Question: what about the space between the drawer rails and then next...
12 tags
Indoor Growing (v2): Insulated Garage Cabinet
A couple of weeks ago I finished (except for doors) building my indoor growing cabinet in our garage. Last year I built a smaller version that was basically comprised of a shelf, full spectrum fluorescent lights, a heat mat, plastic sheeting, and a tray. v2 is about the same width (48”) but taller and deeper (36” x 20”). I lined it with insulating foam board and plastic...
7 tags
Dog bowl elevators out of recycled trash can
When we brought Max home and I put his first bowl of food on the ground, he tried to eat it so fast he started choking. With a previous dog, we had noticed that having the food bowl raised off the ground seems to help with that and ease digestion since it allows the dog to stand in a neutral position while eating. We started putting both dogs’ food bowls on top of random objects, but the...
7 tags
Saved by the garbage disposal
Last weekend, Matt did some plumbing. And because he had some trouble getting the solder to take (it can be difficult on an existing plumbing system because any moisture you don’t get rid of first can either keep the copper from heating properly, or can turn to steam and make pinholes in the solder connection), he had to redo it twice. To help alleviate the moisture problem, he put some...
3 tags
Dogapalooza
There are four dogs in our house right now! That is 16 little feet running around, 8 sweet eyes staring up at us, and more snugglers than can fit on the couch at once. [Edit: we fit all four dogs plus two humans on the couch last night!] We are dog sitting for our friends, Aly and Tim, who watched our dogs when we went to Mount Rainier. The dogs have also had several play dates and there are...
9 tags
Fireplace installed! Mostly!
Our new Mantis fireplace insert is mostly installed (by pros -see why here) and has passed the mechanical inspection. They’ll finish it up when they come back to install the tankless water heater. Next week we’ll have our DIY electrical work for the fireplace and water heater inspected. Once our water heater is installed, we’ll have to have the plumbing and gas piping...
6 tags
Plumbing Planning for Hot Water
A couple of weeks ago, after receiving repeated kicks in the pants from Kelly, I started actually planning our plumbing needs for replacing our water heater with a tankless water heater. The immediate goal for the plumbing plan was to make a new cold water branch in copper that the heating contractor could tie into (so that I wouldn’t have to later duplicate his work when I someday actually...
6 tags
Dog walk epiphany: loose leash walking and the...
Max and Sonny are super fantastic dogs. The only thing that’s really frustrated me at times is that they pull on their leashes quite a bit when we’re out for a walk. And while I often think of it as their issue, it is really my issue because I haven’t yet figured out how to teach them to walk on a loose leash. They can’t do it until I train them to do it. It...
12 tags
Cool apartment and compost bins/composting
I really like this apartment and the excellent format that the Re-nest.com webpage uses to show it (nice photo browsing and they include the plan view drawings).
I spent Saturday morning at my community garden’s spring work party turning over plant debris and compost from compost bins like these shown on Re-Nest.com (click on photo for more pics and the story).
The bins at my...
6 tags
Tiny "Transformer" Apartment →
7 tags
Gas fireplace & tankless water heater
Back in the fall, the gas company came and installed the line from the street to our house and hung the meter. We held off on installing new gas appliances because we were right in the middle of the windows and siding project at that time, and because we had a full tank of oil to burn all winter. Now it’s finally time! We have signed contracts to have a gas fireplace insert (which will be...
15 tags
Edible Plant Sale Goodness
Today I made it to one of my favorite events of the year, the Seattle Tilth Edible Plant Sale. I arrived during the last two hours and was fortunate to be there when they announced 2-for-1 basil. After acquiring some wonderful starts (young veggie plants) I decided to mosey down to some of the booths at the sale. There I had a nice conversation with an employee from Hendrikus Organics (here are...
6 tags
Leaf Shapes
Source: Wikipedia: list of leaf shapes
13 tags
The glory of compost and a 3-prong long handled...
I spent about an hour weeding in the yard this past evening. Seldom, if ever, have I felt exhilarated by weeding. But today was the day where I was enthralled by it.
I’m slowly reclaiming my front yard from the blandness of green grass. Actually, my grass is not that green nor does it consist solely of grass… plenty of moss and other typically unwelcome volunteers adorn it (like...
5 tags
Spring cleaning
We’ve been trying to get organized and keep the house neater. My “desk,” which is really our dining table, which we only use for dining when we have people over, gets super messy in a matter of days. It gets cleaned up when we’re expecting dinner guests or when I start feeling like the messiness is draining my energy and motivation to get any work done. Here’s what...
