laura_dc's Profile

I love how Nicole repurposed the bumper. It adds so much visual interest.

This article reminds me of an unfortunate incident with the first roommate I had following college. She owned a condo, and I subletted from her. She had some odd habits. She would fall soundly asleep in front of the lit fireplace with the TV blaring.

One morning I found that a critter of some sort had gotten into the wrapped pumpkin bread I had left out on the counter. Seeing some overturned lamps, I figured a mouse had gotten in, and my roommate had knocked furnishings about in her effort to shoo him away. Being a renter, I shrugged and left for work.

Turns out that when she arrived home from work my roomie saw a baby squirrel peering out the window at her. A mess of ash in the living room revealed that the little guy entered through the chimney flu--turns out my roommate left it open all the time. As if he knew his natural place, our furry visitor took up residence in the guest bedroom. My roommate hired a pest control professional to escort him out.

My understanding is that one need not wait for a smart grid to save energy on water heating. Dan Grossman of Slate did a series about saving energy in his home, and one of the solutions he hit upon was to add a timer and thermostat to the water heater.

It turns out that the water heaters in our homes are keeping hot water ready to use at a moment's notice, and with this gadget you can set the times of day that you want instant hot water (ie: you want hot water from 5-7 am am when you may be showering, not from 9-5).

Gross' column is here: http://www.slate.com/id/2250824

Thank you so much for this how-to. I have considered turning my shady backyard lawn over to moss as grass doesn't grow well there, and the fertilizer and watering requirements for grass don't sit well with me. Now I know how to do it.