all my appliances (except the stove and fridge) are unplugged or on power bars which are turned off when not in use.  even the modem and router. as for my landline phone i don't even bother with the transformer -- so what that it rings a little less loudly and it doesn't blink red when there are messages waiting? here are more tips on reducing ( Read more... )

i got a free washer and dryer (apartment sized)! via the totally awesome freecycle.org
i used the washer. my sister has a clothes line set up in her laundry room in the basement, but i don't have a serviceable basement.   so i converted my ikea book shelf into a drying rack, which has worked really well.  maybe i'll put the dryer back on freecycle.

the first priority in my new home was to plug the drafts.  I fixed windows in the basement and stuffed insulation into cracks and plugged wholes.  i put weather stripping around the back and front doors, and a door sweep on the front door. i've a draft under the kitchen sink cupboard that i've stopped with a rolled-up towel for now. and i put ( Read more... )

i have to note that from my bedroom window i have a fine view the churches and businesses on yonge street, because norman's garden centre has cut down the woodlot behind my house this week. this area used to be a sugar bush, but a neighbour up the road, i was told today, cut down all the trees in his sizeable yard so his girlfriend could sunbathe.

it's 10.30 a.m. and everything is moved out of storage and into my little house.  many hands make light work; thanks so much to all!  and now for unpacking!

Garden Song
by David Mallett

CHORUS:
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
Gonna mulch it deep and low
Gonna make it fertile ground

Inch by inch, row by row
Please bless these seeds I sow
Please keep them safe below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down

Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones
We are made of dreams and bones
Need a place to call my own
'Cause ( Read more... )

it's a good thing it's raining. it shows the house in the worst possible light, so to speak. the house inpection today revealed that structurally, the house is in good shape, but a couple of things need *immediate* attention: new shingles and 100-amp service. oh, and there are a few inches of water in the basement/crawlspace -- that's because the ( Read more... )

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