Category: Home Living

Measuring Electricity Usage

Got our electric bill today: pleased with usage compared to last year. This past year, I’ve been measuring electrictricity usage on individual devices, and, in a few cases, making inconspicuous changes to reduce usage. We got a similar improvement last month. 100% of the energy is wind.

It doesn’t Woof

Replaced failed electronics in a powered subwoofer. However, the failure had damaged the speaker, so now I need to replace the speaker. Polk has been great: under warranty they sent me the replacement electronics, and now a speaker is in the mail at no cost.

Ratty Tees

On my simplification journey, it was time to send 6 of my rattiest tee shirts to recycling and replace them with 4 shirts. Cooking takes its toll: olive oil is for ever; holes mysteriously appear when drying sharp kitchen knives on my shirt.

Sitting Room

Reduced our sitting room to what we need/want. Shipped off a sofa, sofa table, and coffee table to be auctioned. A new sofa will arrive in August, but we’re not replacing the tables. Less is more.

Pairing Braise and Salad

Made a root veggie (rutabaga, carrots, potatoes, onions) with lamb braise. Tomatoes, tomato paste, and paprika made it rather monochromatic. Plating(!), and the shaved fennel and supremed orange salad by Dwight. Leftovers for dinner on Tuesday.

Categorized as Cook

Market Day

Well-maintained industrial ruins towered above while I waited in a socially distanced line at Mill City Farmers Market.

SOS

Meat and gravy left over from Sunday dinner. SOS (sh*t on a shingle) is in our future.

Categorized as Cook

Saving $17 Per Year

I’d missed this energy waster until today: on standby, a powered subwoofer was drawing 15 watts. Programmed a smart plug to only supply power when needed, saving about 130 kilowatt-hours ($17 in Minnesota) per year. Of course, I could just unplug it, but that’s no fun.