It’s funny how sometimes we go off on tangents and start doing things we never planned to do and then they take longer to complete than expected. That is how my week started. We have recessed lighting in the kitchen and one of the bulbs burned out so the Judy request came in to please replace the bulb. Sounds like a simple request, doesn’t it? For most, it probably would be. Go find the new bulb, get the ladder, remove the old bulb , install the new one and in a matter of minutes the task is completed. Nope, not so when Vince is involved.
Last year, when the air conditioner was replaced in the sewing room, the installer suggested I also retrofit all of the recessed lighting in the room with more efficient led fixtures. He gave me a very good price so I said, why not? Judy originally wanted fluorescent lights in the sewing room but the electrician talked her into recessed lights and she has never been happy with the amount of light they produced. So, over the years, we replaced the original flood light bulbs with more efficient leds in an attempt to improve the lighting. There are over 20 lights in that room and each fixture had a different kind of bulb because they were changed as lighting technology advanced. We started with flood lights and then installed various types of leds and many of these led bulbs were very expensive. As the bulbs were replaced with better lights, I, of course, had to save all those old expensive bulbs.
Now, back to the kitchen bulb. I remembered I had all those expensive bulbs stashed away so I thought, “why not use them to upgrade the lighting in the kitchen?” Because I have started organizing the shop, it only took me two days to find the box which held the bulbs I wanted to use. The kitchen has six fixtures, but I didn’t have six of one kind of older led. So I picked what I thought would give the most light and I changed all six. When I turned on the kitchen light switch, the lighting was awful. How could this be, they cost so much? So I came up with another plan. I remembered on one of my trips to Aldi, a year or so ago, they had light kits, similar to the ones which were installed in the sewing room. The only thing was there were only 8 kits available. Surely, I thought, they will get more if I buy these eight and then I will have enough to replace all the lights in the sewing room. Nope, it didn’t happen. They never stocked any more so the purchased light kits were put away and forgotten about.
Here was the answer to my delima. I would replace all of the lights in the kitchen with these kits. They were not as bright as the led kits used in the sewing room but I thought they would provide better lightening than what was currently in place. These kits are really pretty neat and easy to install if the original recessed lighting was put in properly. Recessed lighting is essentially an open ended can the holds the bulb socket at the one end and the bulb sticks out the other end. The trim package (what you see around the bulb when looking up at the light) is held in place by two springs. In order to install a kit, the trim package is removed which reveals to clips inside the can. The new lighting unit has four springy wires, two on each side, that fit into these clips. An electrical connection is made by screwing a fitting on the kit into the socket in the can. Once all connected, the kit just pushes up into the can and the install is complete. The install was going smoothly until I reached the last can and realized it didn’t have the necessary clips inside the can. I began trying to engineer some new clips so, back and forth I went from the house to the shop, trying to get something to work. Finally, Judy told me just to put the old trim and bulb back and she would live with one being different. Nope, I wasn’t going to be satisfied with an odd ball light. As I was messing with the delinquent can, I noticed it had a couple of slots about where the clips should be located. If the end of the spring wires would fit into these slots, I might be able to get this kit installed without any further engineering. It was my lucky day, it worked! The install was completed and the lighting is so much better and it only took me 2.5 days to change a light bulb! No, how many (you can fill in) does it take to change a light bulb jokes please.
In the mornings, this week, as I trolled Youtube videos to quench my thirst for new knowledge, I came across one entitle, “Why I hate Windows and switched to Linux”. I have written about my dislike for Windows and this video struck a nerve with me. I have messed with Linux over the years but because all my prior work applications were based in Windows, I never pursued Linux very long. Things are different now. Being retired and not having any work related applications I have to accommodate, I was free to put more effort into my move away from Windows. Since this is already a pretty long post, I will continue it at a later date. But I will tell you that I am typing this post using Google Docs which is running on Linux Mint , which is installed on an older notebook I converted from Windows to Linux. This whole process took me less time than changing a light bulb! It sure seems that tasks that are Judy originated take so much more time to get accomplished than those that are Vince originated. I have noticed the converse it also true and that is why I never ask what time a meal will be ready.
Diane Russell says
Vince, I am sure that the better lighting was worth the 2.5 days it took to get it done. As we all know, sometimes projects take longer than expected. Those of us who are DYIer, sometimes it also takes several trips to town. We too save things, never know when they will be needed again or how can they be incorporated into another project. It sure is nice when the things we have saved actually save us money. Keep on doing, researching, and learning. When we just stand still, life gets shorter.
Erin Bennett says
Better lighting in the kitchen is worth the time! Good for you to get it resolved frugally!
I dislike windows! Am looking st Chromebooks..
Vicky says
I always refer to these type of situations as a “Give A Mouse A Cookie” situation referring to a children’s book of that name. Love your posts.
Vince says
Thank you Diane and Erin for your comments. I just found a great deal I had to share. We have cut our TV viewing to one web streaming service that costs us $1 a month (It was a holiday deal with Hulu). While I am finding that to be good, I still like watching documentaries. I the following deal yesterday and subscribed today. Here is the link
https://www.dealnews.com/Curiosity-Stream-2-Year-Subscription-for-23/17909180.html
For less than $1 a month it appears you can stream all kind of good stuff. The deal ends tomorrow, so if you are interested, you might want to take a look. I see they even have a 7 day free trial so you could try it for one day and still get the deal before it expires. We have now cut our TV bill from $57 a month to less than $2. Judy says more YARN or at least she thinks she should get to spend 1/2 of the savings. Happy streaming! Vince
Karen says
Your story reminds me so much of Bob’s projects. I remember the time he had to turn off the water “it’ll only be off 10 minutes” – four hours later the water was back on:) Love you guys and your projects – always makes for an entertaining story.
Wanda Jordan says
I hate the new LED lights. I don’t care how much !industry save on . If you can’t see you can’t see. Hey just aren’t bright enough for these old ees. My son in law laughs at !e . He is an electrician and had to get me regular light bulbs that is until he cant. I like Florissant myself . Also hate the slow light up those new lights . I find myself just leaving the lights on for extra time so don’t have to wait. yes I’m old and set in !y ways go ahead and say it.
dezertsuz says
Sometimes it takes more time, but you husbands get the job done every time. =) My husband hated Windows, but he wouldn’t try my Mac, either. He wound up using either a Linux or a Unix iteration, I don’t remember which, but it made me laugh because it was so much like my Mac! I’d quit using computers before I went back to Windows. I’ve been on Mac for 20 years, and I plan to stay there.