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Safe disposal of unused medications
Last year I had to have emergency surgery and the hospital prescribed some opiate painkillers for my recovery. I only took one or two of those pills because they made me feel so woozy, and the pain...
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Solar panel and equipment warranties
Note: this is a revised re-post from my old defunct blog A year ago I was using the Enlighten web interface for the microinverters on my solar array and noticed immediately that one of the solar panels...
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Reducing waste - repairing my trash can
Last winter when the temperatures here in Maine were well below 0°F the trash collectors accidentally drove over the plastic lid of our plastic trash can and it cracked across the middle. I repaired...
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Solar water heater tank failure
A few days ago I was showing someone my solar domestic water heating system and when I opened the utility closet I was confronted with a quarter inch of standing water. Clearly my solar heated water...
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Upgrading my TV and recycling the old one
A few days ago I went to turn on the TV and it would not turn on either using the remote control or the button on the side. This TV does not owe me much because I bought it over six years ago on...
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My artwork that inspired an Invention that became a successful Business
I am going to start by going off topic for this post and tell you about a surprising success I had back in 2002. At that time I was making turned wood artworks that took the form of undulating shapes...
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Who killed the vampire loads loads in my entertainment system?
In a recent post I wrote about replacing my dead 37" LCD TV with a new 50 inch unit. I didn't realize I was buying into an entirely new AV ecosystem. I got talked into purchasing a sound bar for the...
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Bumper crop of fruit
The previous owners of my property had planted 4 high bush blueberry bushes, and numerous fruit trees about 20 years ago. I have carefully pruned and maintained the blueberry bushes and pick as many...
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It's Brush Hog Day!
My 2.5 acre rural lot here in Maine is mostly wooded and the front half acre or so is divided between lawn areas and open field where I let the weeds grow. I maintain the lawn with my solar powered...
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A thinner wallet can be a good thing!
A few years ago I decided that my wallet had become too thick. It contained the usual assortment of cards including driver's license, library card, debit and credit cards and also half a dozen rewards...
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Another small repair
This beautiful polished metal torchiere lamp was damaged a few years ago at the point where two of the sections of the main column screwed together. It has been limping along for a while and I decided...
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Low cost to operate night lights
Here in rural Maine there are no streetlights or reflected city light at night so it gets DARK at night. This means that when the lights are out inside the house it can be difficult to navigate to the...
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Sustainably sourced dining room chairs
My wife and I have separated after 20 good years and she has moved back to California where we first met. It is an amicable separation but nonetheless she ended up taking a lot of furniture and other...
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Unsustainable tech product packaging
Linx evaluation kit - case not to scaleFor the last 40 years or so I have been designing and developing electronic products. Many of these products incorporate short range radio controls, and this has...
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Charging up my solar heating system
South end of my workshop showing 4 solar collectorsIt is mid October and we have had our first few frosts here in Maine and they had a few inches of snow in western Maine yesterday. This means that it...
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Energy efficient motion sensing night lights
I am revisiting the topic of night lights. Last month I wrote about "Low Cost to Operate Night Lights" and discussed electroluminescent and LED nightlights that provide a sufficient glow for...
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Renewable energy Net Metering billing explained
I installed the first phase of my solar power system back in the summer of 2009 with the help of many friends and neighbors. Once the system was commissioned and approved by my utility, I signed a Net...
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Shopping at my local Farmers Market
Bath Farmer's Market on the riverfrontNow that I am renting out my guest room as a Bed and Breakfast (via airbnb), I have decided to feature local foods for breakfast. So I go to the local farmers...
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From tree trunks to bowls
A few years ago my friend Tom asked me if I would clear some trees from the field below his house. I was delighted to discover that there were several cherry trees with trunks ranging from 6 to 8...
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Safely disposing old paint
Paint cans accumulating in my utility roomDo you have a place in your home where old partly used paint cans have accumulated? Have you thought about how to dispose of those cans of paint safely?...
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