Perfect Hat

I have had my eye on this hat since seeing it last year on one of the lovely employees at Hyams Garden Center on James Island. I took the plunge and bought it last weekend and love it! It is perfect for getting some natural highlights, sun protection, and rolls up for easy travel in the beach bag. As my neighbor pointed out, it is flat in the back, so it will stay in place for beach chair reading. Velcro makes fitting it under your ponytail a snap and comfortable. I highly recommend this and only $15. Made by San Diego Hat Co. (www.sandiegohat.com)

Halogen Light bulbs - Sizes

I installed a motion detector light above my garage about 6 months ago. One of the bulbs recently went out. I removed the old one, took it to the hardware and bought what I thought was a replacement. Do yourself a favor. Avoid causing your lamp to smoke and exploding not 1, but 2 bulbs. Notice the packaging.

Notice the blue vs yellow G rating? I never knew this existed and apparently neither did the hardware employee who helped me find the incorrect replacement. I really thought there was something wrong with my fixture after 2 failed attempts to replace it. I highly recommend taking your old bulb with you and camparing not only the wattage, but the width of the prongs too. Hope this helps you avoid a fire hazard and an additional trip to the hardware!

Mysterious drip behind the toilet?

***WARNING: This job takes some body contorting.

I kept noticing a drop or two of water behind the toilet. At first I thought the water line was just "sweating" in the humid, fall air, but I do not think that is possible and was obviously in denial about a little problem. Later I realized the drip was from the tank bolt. (Yes, I am just getting around to fixing this in February!) Apparently the bolts and washers that hold the tank on to the toilet are not made to last forever. So I found this replacement Plumb Pak kit at Lowes for about $5.



Plumb Pak, 1/2" wrench and large flathead for removal and install, old, rusty bolt and washer


First, turn off the water line to the toilet and flush. Sponge out the remaining water in the tank. You will just need a large flathead screw driver to hold the interior bolt inside the tank and a wrench, probably 1/2" to unscrew the bolt on the bottom of the tank. Strong contortion factor here. Once removed, just replace with the new. The new one has a rubber and metal washer for inside the tank as well as underneath. The butterfly bolt makes it easy to tighten everything by hand. Yeah! No more drips!

New and improved with butterlfy bolt

Now when people make fun of that workout they call "stretches" aka yoga/pilates, you can be proud you are strong and flexible enough to contort your body to fix your toilet without huffing and puffing!

Valspar Duramax Exterior Paint

I finished repainting the house exterior a couple weekends ago. I am hoping this paint lasts twice as long as the previous paint I used. It has to withstand a lot in the Lowcountry considering the hot, humid summers and salty air. Duramax was the paint recommended for withstanding these conditions. It is super thick paint and almost feels like you are painting on pudding. I am very happy with the results so far. I'll revisit this in a year or so and let you know how its looking.

January Bulb Planting

What a delightful Christmas gift from my neighbor! It may seem late to be bulb planting, but the Charleston Parks Conservancy (www.charlestonparksconservancy.org) planted bulbs the same weekend I planted mine. They are the pros!

 The inside of the package contains the planting instructions with this cool ruler. I realized the ruler was the same size as my spade blade (6"). No need to use the paper ruler to measure each hole. Just dig and plant away! Pictures of flowers to come in a few months!

Happy Hour

Not feeling well on a Friday night, so I decided to take it easy and hang the absolutely lovely chandelier my sister gave me for Christmas.

Before

To change a light fixture, you may want to enlist a 3rd or 4th hand. I only have 2 hands, but I was able to do it.

First, turn off your breaker and turn off the switch for good measure. Next unscrew the mount cover from the ceiling bracket. This should slide down the chain, leaving the electrical exposed. Memorize or take a picture of the wires before taking the wire nut off and unwinding the wires . This will help later if you have some interesting wiring in your home. Mine was easy... this time. White to white, black to black. Once the wires are unwound, you can uncrew the fixture from the ceiling bracket with one hand while holding the chandelier in the other. This is one instance where that 3rd or 4th hand will come in especially handy.

I had to shorten the chain on my new chandelier. I did this by taking 2 sets of pliers and pulling the chain apart. Another case where the 3rd hand would have been great. Wait, don't forget to slide the mount cover back on over the chain. Let it rest on the chandelier until you have everything in place. Next I slid the wires through the top of the ceiling bracket. I then screwed the top of the chain attachment to the ceiling bracket. I reattached the wires; white to white, black to black and replaced the wire nuts. This is always a good time to check and see if your light turns on. Avoid securing the mount cover until you know the light works. Go turn the breaker back on, say a quick prayer, and flip the switch. Yeah! Light! Ok, turn it back off. Push the wires up into the ceiling bracket and screw the cover plate over the bracket to finish the job.

After

Now enjoy some hot tea and honey. TGIF!

Winterize Your Irrigation Pump - Last Chance Charlestonians!

If you have waited until tonight to winterize your pump, I suggest you find your flashlight or headlamp and head outside for some QT with your irrigation pump. I thought about doing this yesterday when it was 65 degrees out, but decided to head to a Bowl game party instead. So now its 39 degrees outside and dark. Bundle up!

First, turn your system off. I have a Gould 1.5hp pump, so that requires a 9/16 wrench. I simply have to remove the 2 bolts on the front/bottom to let the water drain. Give it 10-15 minutes to make sure all the water has drained out, then replace the bolts. (The above shows the bolts. Mine is and yours will be harder to get to due to the pipe installed above the bolts.) You can also blow compressed air through your pump to really clean the water out. Your pump may be a little different, but just make sure you drain it to avoid freezing and costly repair in the spring!

Here in the South, I've never drained my lines but consider doing that if you live any where that the earth freezes in winter. Your Goulds pump manual won't be too helpful, but maybe your neighbor will be. Good luck and stay warm!