Starting the Garden

For those of us in Zone 5 this is the time of year when our green thumbs start to thaw out and we begin to prepare for the coming gardening season.

This year I plan to grow lots of tomatoes, so I wanted to start those from seed.

I have started 63 tomato plants.  Even if you estimate only $1.50 for each plant buying them from a green house, on sale, that amount of plants would be nearly $100!  All I needed was to purchase the tray refills (about $5 at Menards) the seeds ($4 total for all seeds) and soil ($3 at Menards).  I already had the heating pads and lights.  $12 invested means a savings of $88!

Here’s what I planted:
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Replacing Fill Valve on Eljer Patriot

Replacing the fill valve on your commode is a project that anyone can undertake and complete in an afternoon.

For this project, I replaced the original fill valve and flapper, on my Eljer Patriot.  The old flapper leaked, causing the fill valve to run constantly.  Also, water was runing constantly down the overflow tube and was wasted.  I also noticed that the bowl fill hose was broken and the toilet in general was not flushing correctly.

In the course of the repair, I opted to replace the shutoff valve as well; with a quarter turn shutoff — that will give me the option to quickly turn the water off in an emergency.  Finally, the throne needed a new seat, and I replaced that as well. Continue reading →