ABODE
 Building a better broadforkA Dane County blacksmith forges the right tool for the jobDavid Medaris on Thursday 03/25/2010, (6) LikesLarry Cooper wanted a tool he could use to loosen and aerate the soil on his property, to render it more receptive to mixing and planting. A rototiller was out of the question: Beyond their gas consumption, he contends, they do too much indiscriminate damage to the soil's flora, fauna and profile. >More  The kindest cutWays to be good to the environment, yourself, and your lawnDavid Medaris on Thursday 03/25/2010, (1) LikePushing a manual reel mower can feel like a shoving match. Noisy, stinky, gas-powered lawnmowers are notorious for belching impressive volumes of small particulates, volatile organic compounds and other pollutants. Electrics? Either the battery life is too short and recharge time too long, or you have to avoid mowing over the cord. >More I love paintWhy a new color is the best way to change your perspective on your living spaceRosemary Zurlo-Cuva on Thursday 03/25/2010I love pretty much everything about paint, from the little tool I use to pry open the can to the wet latexy smell. I love the way it pours out in a v-shaped stream of thick, viscous color. >More Emphasis: Spring 2010Linda Falkenstein on Thursday 03/25/2010, (2) LikesIt's not like quality cheese is difficult to obtain around here, America's Dairyland and all that. But some people just like to do for themselves, and that's a fact. Making your own cheese is a fun rainy-day project with the kids (and beats the Suzy Homemaker oven for sure). >More A conversation with Madison designer Heather LinsPillow talkLinda Falkenstein on Thursday 03/25/2010, (3) LikesHeather Lins heads toward her neighborhood coffee shop, Atwood Avenue's Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery, pushing a double stroller and trailing a wheeled suitcase. The stroller holds her eight-week-old twins; the suitcase, samples of the home goods she produces through her company, Heather Lins Home. >More Two rows of lettuce, two rows of carrots, six tomato plants...Plant a 20' x 20' vegetable garden on Thursday 03/25/2010If Frontera Grill chef Rick Bayless can grow vegetables for his restaurant in his urban Chicago backyard, you should be able to plot out something to at least tide you over from trips to the grocery store or farmers' market. Here are suggestions for favorite plants and some more adventuresome choices to shake things up a bit. This plan is for a 20' x 20' backyard plot, with planting dates and other hints. >More Emphasis: Antiques + adaptive re-useAntique shops that make creative use of historic spacesLinda Falkenstein on Thursday 09/17/2009If you're heading into the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin this fall for apple picking or leaf-color gawking, don't forget to bring home some vintage treasures. The area has plenty of antique shops to choose from, but two of our favorites make creative use of historic spaces. >More Emphasis: Kitchen agility trialsMicroplane graters and silicone spatulas are great kitchen toolsLinda Falkenstein on Thursday 09/17/2009If you're still trying to flip an omelet with that metal spatula your aunt got you at a Chef's Secret party, trade it in for the super-flexible silicone versions now on the market. Spatulas or turners come in a variety of shapes to match your kitchen task. The ZipFlip from Chef'n comes in small, medium and large and has both a turning end and a spatula end. The Mario Batali line offers turners in extra-wide. >More Innovation creates dream ovens and energy-saving ideasReplace older wall ovens with the newest convection modelsEllen Meany on Thursday 09/17/2009I have a 19-year-old Kenmore double electric wall oven I want to replace. I got all excited recently when the cash-for-clunkers stimulus chatter moved to Energy Star appliances. Could I get some of my tax dollars back if I bought a new oven? >More Emphasis: How old is your toilet? Flush in the newWaterSense certified toilets look great and save moneyLinda Falkenstein on Thursday 09/17/2009How old is your toilet? Quite apart from where the top is chipped and the inside seat looks a trifle too used, there's another reason to replace it — old toilets use a lot of water. The Madison Water Utility wants to nudge you along the path to toilet replacement with rebates of up to $100 for residential customers who replace a high water volume toilet with an EPA WaterSense-rated High-Efficiency Toilet (HET). This is part of the utility's goal to reduce Madison's per capita water usage 20% by the year 2020. >More
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