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Blogs:
Pets:
Not 101 Dalmations…but close!
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Saturday entertainment, one more time …
Akron Zips:
No. 1 UA hopes to be perfect on Senior Night
Tribe Matters:
Tribe makes roster moves
Cleveland Browns:
Lewis doesn't like boycott
Kent State Sports:
Kent State @ Akron | Preview
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Knicks
Buckeye Blogging:
Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
Varsity Letters:
Wrestling, bowling teams prepare for season
All Da King's Men:
Bigger And Better Boondoggles
Blog of Mass Destruction:
The Shooter
Akron Law Café:
NEW U.S. Supreme Court Database
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
Let's Talk Real Estate:
RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Jun 27, 2009
Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest.
That's the case with a gem I encountered from Family Hack, a blog created by the Davis family of Charlottesville, Va. At least that's the family's home base, although it spends much of its time traveling — the subject of the blog.
Dad Michael Davis figured out a way to use a wet/dry shop vacuum to remove objects dropped down a sink drain. A video of his technique is making the e-mail rounds and landed in my in-box.
Davis slips a leg from a pair of pantyhose over the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner's hose and sticks the nozzle over the drain opening after removing the stopper. The nylon keeps the item from being sucked into the machine.
If the item is heavy, plug the drain hole first to increase the suction, he recommends. Don't use a regular vacuum cleaner, because it's not made for use in a wet environment and could present a shock hazard.
When you're finished, run water into the drain to refill the trap and keep sewer gases from backing up into the room.
Davis said the idea hit him after he was roused one morning by his 6-year-old daughter, who had dropped a bottle cap into the drain. He didn't want to walk all the way to the basement to get his tools, and he was inspired when he spotted his shop vac, which was sitting out during a painting project. ''I was literally in a pre-coffee fog,'' he said.
The video has been posted on the site since 2007, but Davis said it went viral in early May when someone distributed it by e-mail.
You can see it at http://www.familyhack.com. Look in the videos section.
Contests to note
• Armacost, a producer of antiques shows, is awarding a mid-19th-century English candle holder called a chamber stick to the winner of its Brighten Your Home With Antiques contest. To enter, post a comment on the firm's blog at http://antiquesshows.blogspot.com (search for ''contest'' to find the details). Deadline is midnight Wednesday. The winner will be chosen at random.
• Win a baseball-theme hideaway in the Who Wants a Man Cave? contest, sponsored by DIY and MLB networks. To enter, submit a video by July 24 explaining why you want a baseball-theme man cave at http://www.diynetwork.com. The winning project will be featured on a special edition of the DIY Network show Man Caves.
• Sweeney's, which makes mole-deterrent products, is again seeking tales of mole woe in its I Hate Moles Because . . . contest. Submit a written entry or video for the chance to win a $500 gift card to Lowe's or one of 10 gift baskets filled with mole-control products. Details are at http://www.wrsweeney.com. Deadline is Aug. 31.
Events, programs
• Walking tour of homes, 1-4 p.m. today, starting at Temple Israel, 333 25th St. NW, Canton. Tours of homes in the Historic Ridgewood neighborhood, starting on the hour. $10. Admission includes a carriage ride through the neighborhood, entertainment and a classic car showcase. Information: http://www.historicridgewood.com.
• Ask the Gardener, noon to 4 p.m. today, Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd. Representatives of the botanical garden and the Ohio State University Green Gardeners will answer questions. Garden admission: $7.50; children ages 3-12, $3; members and younger children, free. Information: 216-721-1600 or http://www.cbgarden.org.
• The Well Decorated Garden, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Shaker Historical Society, 16740 South Park Blvd., Shaker Heights. Landscape architect Ann Cicarella will share examples of American and European functional objects used as garden ornamentation in the last half of the 19th century. Free. Reservations: 216-921-1201 or http://www.shakerhistory.com.
• Natural Artistry, 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Cleveland Botanical Garden's Hershey Children's Garden, 11030 East Blvd. Create artwork in nature with student apprentice artists from ArtWorks. Free with garden admission ($7.50; children ages 3-12, $3; members and younger children, free). Program will be repeated July 15. Information: 216-721-1600 or http://www.cbgarden.org.
• Herb Society Tea Party, 2-4 p.m. July 12, Manor House, Quail Hollow State Park, 13480 Congress Lake Ave., Lake Township near Hartville. Sample herbal teas and sweet and savory delicacies, visit Herb Show exhibits, tour the herb garden. $12. Ticket purchase deadline is Wednesday. Make checks payable to Quail Hollow Herb Society and mail them to Mary Lovin, 2615 Trares Road, Mogadore, OH 44260. Information: 330-325-3028.
Mail notices of classes, programs and events two weeks in advance to: Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Please include your name and telephone number. All events must be open to the public.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com
Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest.
Get the full article here.
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