Category Archives: Home

Holiday Window Lights

Christmas displays in the upstairs windows

They are inexpensive, easy to store and install, safe, colorful, use low-power LED bulbs, and, most important, send a welcoming message. I’m talking about holiday window lights, which might be all you need to decorate your house’s exterior for Christmas or whatever December holidays you celebrate. This is the second year I have displayed them in my upstairs windows (see photo).

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Easiest Dryer Repair Ever

Note the new white selector knob.

A few weeks ago my GE dryer died overnight. One day it worked; the next day it wouldn’t start. The resulting repair, professionally done, might approach record territory for its speed and simplicity. Although I’m out almost $200, I’m happy with the result.

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Almost an ADU

Technically, a DADU not an ADU
Accessory to what?

I like ADUs (accessory dwelling units). I like reading about them, touring them, thinking (OK, dreaming) about having one built. Especially entertaining are accounts of the wars that pit neighbor against neighbor when local governments relax ADU building codes to the point of absurdity in the interest of promoting density and creating additional affordable housing. Seattle and San Diego, are you listening?

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No Room for an Airblade

Dyson Airblade

Airblade at Skipper’s restaurant in Silverdale

What high-end appliance would you want in your kitchen assuming you had the space and the budget? How about a La Cornue range or a Sub-Zero refrigerator? My choice wouldn’t have anything to do with cooking or food storage. It would be a Dyson Airblade db hand dryer (see photo) so I can say goodbye to wasted paper towels and damp dish towels.
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Battling a Rat Part II

This is Part II of the battle, which took place in January 2017 and ended in a draw.

Link to Part I

When you fail to think things through, to consider various possibilities, things don’t always go as planned. That’s obvious, I know, but it’s my best explanation for the outcome of the rat battle.
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Battling a Rat Part I

Shower Rat

Standoff in the Shower

This is Part I of the battle, which took place in January 2017 and ended in a draw.

You got a rat problem, you get a cat, right? In my case, I already had Trek, a Bengal cat, on retainer (see photo), so I figured the problem was solved. But I wasn’t battling just any rat, and Trek apparently thought of the rat more as a housemate than an enemy.
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Last Summer’s Project

Cabinets Before

Replace, resurface, or transform?

Is it a good time to be thinking about last summer given that I’m snowed in with more snow on the way? The answer is yes—if nothing else, to relive the memories of warm weather and easy travel. But there’s another reason. The results from a project at Treasure Island (see “before” photo above) easily beat my expectations.
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Changing the Date

Tivoli Satellite Radio

Clock mode and Sirius mode

The day doesn’t start, or more accurately, the date doesn’t change, until the Mud Cat returns. The behavior that enables this ritual originated at the intersection of superstition and faith. But it seems to be effective.
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Another Roof Leak

Chimney Flashing

A troubled area

The people at Patriot Roofing in Gig Harbor, Washington, stand behind their work. That’s based on the company’s quick and professional response this week to the latest leak in a troubled area of my roof (see photo). The best part: They did the work at no charge.
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Comfort Food: The Perfect Egg Sandwich

The Mud Bay Blog makes no claims about how healthy this sandwich is.

I have been making the perfect egg sandwich since I was a teenager. A buddy in high school showed me the steps to prepare one, a simple process that I learned on the first take. After more than five decades, it’s time to pass on what my friend called “the perfect recipe.”
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