Physics, cooking, energy efficiency, and public health: so many of my passions are the ingredients of this blog post about our new induction cooktop. Magnetic induction cooking equipment has recently been getting cheaper, more accessible, and more popular, but it has long been safer, cleaner, and more energy efficient than the conventional alternatives, such as gas flames and electric coils.
After several years of trying to replace my turf lawn with clover, I’m no longer sure clover is what I want. Native alternatives to turf grass can require a massive amount of time, effort, and maybe some unsavory chemicals to ensure a successful conversion. While I won’t be doing that any time soon, I still hope that what I have is “better,” if not “best.”
Every homeowner has to battle termites at one point or another, in one way or another. The only thing notable about our situation is the stubborn public health professional and organic gardener who refuses to allow bee-killing pesticides on her property. After some research and a couple informed conversations, we revisited a method we tried several years ago — with better results after following the instructions.
My Halloween costume in 2024 honored San, the heroine of “Princess Mononoke.” While she is flawed and biased, she is passionate and driven, and no one can deny her strength. But the concept of “strong” female characters raises many questions about what that word means and how it is portrayed in popular culture. Director Hayao Miyazaki has a perspective more grounded in reality than most.
Gardening teaches patience, persistence, and flexibility. The “Capital G” Garden will never be done, since it is in a constant state of becoming, but necessary tasks just haven’t gotten done during what has been a busy and challenging year. I did what I could to at least spend some time enjoying my happy place – and I hope you can too through this post.
After deciding to replace our gas-powered tank water heater with an electric tankless model, it took us about six months to actually make it happen. The process was reasonably easy and cheaper than it would have been otherwise, thanks to my husband’s DIY skill set. Now I’m thrilled that our hot water is coming to us thanks to renewable energy, not fossil fuels.
Many people associate monosodium glutamate (MSG) with Chinese food, but it’s actually in a lot of what we eat, whether it is added to processed foods or naturally occurring in more umami foods, like cheese, fish, and mushrooms. While it gets a bad rap, recent studies indicate that it’s probably not the villain it has been painted to be over the years.
Since I had purchased far too many plants to get in the ground before leaving town for a few weeks, I turned to a tool that might help me work smarter, not harder: the garden auger. As long as your garden’s soil is reasonably conditioned (i.e. not solid clay), using an auger is an excellent way to move your gardening project forward faster than ever.
Love it or hate it? Rose of Sharon is an oft-planted ornamental shrub, but it is considered invasive in Pennsylvania. The original bush planted by our home’s previous owners has allegedly colonized our neighbor’s yard and is now trying to expand further into ours. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of it before it annexes any more territory.
Once I got around to demolishing the dilapidated fence around our back porch, I knew I had to get rid of it in a responsible way. Landfilling is about as antithetical to “responsible disposal” as I can imagine, but because of the chemicals in pressure treated wood, there aren’t many better alternatives. The real key is making informed choices about whatever replaces it.