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Putting our resources to good use and not wasting them is an important thing these days. Cutting back on electricity and not wasting water are probably the two biggest ways people are trying to help out. There have been plenty of creative ways to save water over the last couple of years and I want to add my own to the list. I might not be the first person to do this, but hopefully I will inspire more to follow suite. I have a typical 15' pop-up pool that I got at Wal-Mart a few years ago. Every year I drain it and put it up for the winter so that the liner doesn't get destroyed in the cold winter. I got tired of just pulling the drain plug and letting it all run out in a tiny steam that just went toward the storm drain. The end of summer is also one of the driest times for my yard. So I decided to to put my pool water to better use. And I had to do it in a better way then baling the water out with paint buckets. So I retrofit a pump that I had and hooked it to my sprinkler. Problem solved. Watch the video here to see more of how I did this. #savewater #everydropcounts #water
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I'll be honest here, I am really divided on Pinterest projects. I see I a lot of ideas that people put there, because I have people asking me to make them, that really are not practical at all. Many are much more labor involved then they need to be and others just are not good ideas at all. But there are a few out there that are excellent. The Tiki Torch Wine Bottle is one of them. Taking a couple of simple items like an empty wine bottle decorated to your liking, a replacement Tiki wick, a copper fitting ( 1/2 MIP x 3/8 slip ), and some Tiki Torch Fuel and you have yourself a very classy looking torch.
I know what you are thinking. It's still hot outside, what the heck am I talking about? Fall cleanup doesn't come until November. Here is the thing though. Getting a head start on the fall cleanup of your yard on the cooler days that grace us now is a great thing to do. Even if you insist on waiting, then taking a little time to make sure that your equipment is ready to go will make a much more pleasant time taking care of your yard. So, that's what I am leaning toward, your equipment. And one of my favorite yard tools is the chainsaw. This powerful tool can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. A big part of it being your friend is using it safely and keeping it maintained correctly. Here is a video of how to inexpensively sharpen the chain. Because a dull chain won't cut a thing.
So, my grandson is almost a year old now. Man, how does the time fly. I know that is said all too often, but that doesn't make it any less true. Little Cooper spent the night last weekend and got me up early so Grandpa did what Grandpas do. A little bit of crazy and a little bit of awesome.
What can I really say here. The title really sums it up. It is most definitely the most used and abused part of your home. There is not one single person that doesn't use it multiple times a day. When the stool works great it is a life saver. But when it isn't working right life as we know it falls apart. We are talking about human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! Ok, that was a bit over the top and props to all of you out there that caught that movie quote. Though you never really know how much you appreciate your toilet until that moment it doesn't work. So I have added a full set of videos going over the replacement parts of a toilet to help you troubleshoot and repair your porcelain throne. Just go up to the Around The Home tab and click on the Plumbing sub-tab to see my repair videos. I am talking about when you find a product that you think is totally awesome, then they discontinue it. What the heck?! Am I right or what? Some things are great and timeless, like WD40 and seem like they will be around forever. Other items that come out and you are like that is so awesome, but in the back of your head you are like I better get some more before they discontinue this. Case in point, there is an accessory for the Werner MT ladder series that is totally awesome, but you can't buy anymore. I am talking about the Dynamic Hinge kit that was given away during the introduction of these ladders. I don't know if they were ever for sale separately, but I can tell you that they are not now. If you want one then you have to buy them used on Ebay or other such sites. Here is a video of them and how they work and add to your already great ladder. P.S. I know that the video could have used better lighting, I was trying to get this out quickly for a viewer that requested a how to video.
We love our dogs and it's great watching them play. But personally, I feel that most dog toys are not that good. I mean, unless you have a 10 pound Yorkie. But what if you have dogs that are larger and a little bit rougher? There are some select items for larger dogs, but most are just hard chew toys. And if you think about it that's really not a toy. You are not going to play catch with a heavy, hard as a rock, chew thing. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the Nerf line of dog toys. Some of the tougher dog toys out there are a bit on the expensive side, pushing a nearly $30 price tag. Nerf now has a football and softball sized toys that hold up to the abuse a larger dog gives them and at a price tag around $15. So check out my demo video with my Boxer pup and how she loves them.
There's nothing like watching a sporting event live. I don't care how much your TV cost, it's just not the same. And having a good variety helps out too. I know some smaller towns just have baseball/softball. I know that I will catch some flack for that, but I'm just not a fan. Living in the Springfield, MO area there are not a lot more choices then that. There is one sport that is gaining attention here and that is Roller Derby. That's right, I said roller derby. Now, it's not what many of you picture. It's not a bunch of girls with tight shorts and fishnet stockings punching each other out on roller skates, though there is one girl in fishnet stockings if that makes you feel better. These girls are out there to professionally play a sport. And though there are rules against punching and use of elbows, it is a contact sport. An exciting sport to watch that is typically indoors so the weather doesn't effect that game. Personally I have the pleasure of not only watching, but doing the video for our local team. Below I will have a highlights video of one of their most recent home games. I recommend that you get outside of your home to do more then catch Pokemon.
Ok, so what the heck, right?! You used to just walk into the store and unless you had a special application, you just grabbed either the 60, 75, or 100 watt. Now stores have to have entire aisles just for the regular bulbs. Right now you have three different categories of choices to make. Type of bulb, color or temperature of the light output, and light output. This is all crazy. I have a video here that I made a while back that helps you straiten out this can of worms. The only thing that has changed is that LED bulbs have come down in price so they are now economically viable and my favorite choice.
I mean it when I say it. Save your back and knees. Home improvement tasks can be very taxing on your body, and no one is as young as they used to be. Personally I have an old knee injury from high school that I will take to the grave. Even if I would double up on expensive knee pads, I would still be limping the next day after working on a floor or some other task that required me to be on the ground for most of the day. Instead I would just try and bend over, but of course you know that put undo stress on my back. I had to come up with something else to help me out, and I did. I call it the flooring creeper. I call it that because I based the idea from an automotive creeper, but then modified it to work with you facing down, instead of up. So, here is a video of my flooring creeper, explaining how I made it so that you can make one of your own for you DIY projects in your home.
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Author - Nathan CoxI'm just a guy in his late 30's, well 40's now, living in the Mid-West. Just an average family guy hoping to share my knowledge and entertain a little along the way. Archives
March 2020
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