While we're talking dogwood trees... In order to make the trip to check on the refrigerator not wasted, I finally cut down the other dogwood tree today. The limbs were starting to spread over the main electric line to the house. Chopped it up and loaded it in the Ranger to dump in the woods Sunday. I may also take a few more of strings of Christmas lights out there to put up inside the enclosed front porch.
The bottom of the refrigerator was cold. Ice cubes froze solid within 2 hours. It's safe to leave plugged in. I'm declaring the refrigerator fixed unless/until frost forms on the back wall of the freezer again. I refuse to tear it apart just to check, likely for no good reason. Put up two 200-count strings of Christmas lights inside the windows of the front porch in less time than it took to untangle them. It looks pretty good. Raked a few leaves from the driveway. I hate leaf blowers but one would be ideal out there, because the driveway runs along a bank that drops down into the woods. You could easily blow all of the leaves to where they would be dumped anyway. It's tempting. But for only a couple times a year? Maybe I'll try a corded one at 1/3 the price of cordless
The corded are much more powerful and a better value than cordless, but man dragging that cord is annoying. So there are plusses and minuses to each.
Our leaf blower is corded and it works great. I only use it on front walkway. I rake the other leaves on a large piece of plastic for garden mulch around flower beds and raised beds.
Beth I just pull the cord out and let it unwind on its own, although I have a small area to blow weeds off.
We don't have any self-winding extension cords, so I have to manually roll/unroll 100' of cord when I blow off the driveway and sidewalks. Also dealing with the cord getting hung up on stuff is aggravating, but the corded one we have is a much better blower than the cordless one.
I understand that, our area is nowhere near 100 feet. Our cord isn't self-winding either, I just lay it out, but not 100' worth.
I just wander all around the yard dragging the cord. I doubt that I've ever used 100' but I hate using the shorter one and running out of cord when I'm on the other side of the house.
That's what I was wondering. You've convinced me to go corded. It's just a short strip of driveway under the trees, maybe 100 feet. I have a heavy-duty shop vac that has an exhaust outlet. As soon as the dew evaporates, I'm going to take it out and see how it works on the driveway in town. Dragging that around would sure be a nuisance, but it might be worth using once a year. Still easier than raking and hauling.
Picture is about 8 or 10 years old. I still rake leaves but not as often or as much. This fall I did fill up flower bed.
I hate to keep giving unsolicited advice (but I can't stop), but your fridge & freezer will get taxed if you leave them empty. You might want to buy bags of ice and fill the freezer with them, and then fill the fridge with whatever is cheapest per cubic inch (large bags of flour or rice, large cans of veggies, etc.) The idea is to displace the air (which contains moisture and is hard to keep cool) with things that will hold the chilly so the unit does not cycle so often. But you probably already plan on doing this...
5 Ways to Fill Your Freezer for Efficiency What to Use to Fill Your Freezer for Energy Efficiency 1. Newspaper: You can move food items towards the outer sides of your freezer and stuff the interior spaces with newspaper. 2. Bags of shipping peanuts: These take up lots of room in mostly empty freezers, and the bags can be molded to fit the spaces. 3. Ziplock bags filled with water: Not only will this help with energy efficiency, but you'll also have ice on hand to keep your food cold if there's a power loss. 4. Reusable plastic to-go containers filled with water: These stack up like building blocks, and are easy to take in and out, and use for small gaps in your stocked fridge. 5. Milk jugs filled with water: If you'd like to reuse, instead of recycle, your milk jugs, this is a great use for them. How to Fill Your Freezer for Energy Efficiency 1. Defrost and dry your freezer. 2. Move what food items you have towards the front and sides so that you can quickly grab them when you need them. 3. Fill interior central cavity with the non-food item of your choice. 4. Be sure to leave air space around the edges and top so your freezer's thermostat can sense the temperature. Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com. MORE
We keep our freezers full, sometimes with water jugs and sometime with those reusable ice packs that can be used for injuries or coolers. As for the cord vs. the cordless, My corded tools from 50 years ago still work, but I have gone through countless cordless tools in that time. I have both a cordless shopvac and a corded one. I use the cordless for small jobs like cleaning the cars. Same with drills. The cordless drills/impact drivers are one of mankind's greatest inventions after the indoor toilet, but they don't last as long as the corded stuff. Same goess for the cordless vs. the gasoline-powered; convenience as opposed to power and longevity.
I find no clear consensus on keeping a fridge full. Most places agree that 3/4 full (without blocking the vents) is best so it's not empty and the air can circulate freely. Many sites recommend filling pitchers with water to take up the space. I'd be tempted to cover them with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation.