I started this project 894 days ago and this is my 800th column.
I thought it might be fun to celebrate some of the projects I discussed that have brought me joy. In no particular order, then…
water filter
I got the water filter, a Bluevua Ropot Mini UV, during a water emergency when our county-supplied water shut off. I installed catchment for the laundry equipment and for emergency backup, but it isn’t well-enough filtered to drink. I expected the little filter to sit on a shelf until the next time the county let us down, but the water from the filter was so incredibly tasty that we made it our primary source of drinking water. We use it a lot. They claimed a filter life of one year, but I couldn’t imagine that they’d anticipated our kind of thirst. The first filter finally ran out yesterday (16-Aug-2026). We purchased the machine on 22-Aug-2025. So I think they called it pretty well.
ceiling fans
I am downright amazed at our ceiling fans (Amazon link). We have had eight of them running 24/7, most since early March 2024. They are using very little power (I think we turned them off once when power was really scarce, but hardly noticed the difference). They are still completely silent. They’ve helped at least a bit to keep the mold at bay.
There is one kind of annoying problem. They have a feature to allow one to turn on the light without using the remote control by toggling the power to the fan, assuming you have a wall switch. We don’t have any wall switches, but when we use the generator and it shuts off, it fools some of the fans into turning their lights on.
chargearium
The chargearium is one of the best things I’ve ever set up. It keeps growing, and I still enjoy every time I need to charge a tool.
ceiling TV mount
The ceiling TV mount was a great idea. The one we bought isn’t perfect (a cord that won’t reach the floor? on a ceiling mount? really?) but once we got it set up, it’s great. The TV doesn’t dominate our living room but lives out of the way and mostly out-of-sight on the ceiling. Yet it’s just the touch of a button away from being ready to watch.
rapid hot water
Our point-of-use rapid hot water heaters got us away from burning fossil fuels for hot water and provide rapid gratification when your hands or dishes need a hot wash.
induction cooktop
We now have three induction cooktops. I like them far better than any other electric stove I’ve ever used. I even like them better than any gas stove I’ve used, and they don’t produce toxic gasses that pollute so many kitchens. Since we’re running on solar power, they don’t contribute to climate instability.
bite zapper
This is a tropical mist forest, and there’s no escaping mosquitoes. There is, however, a way to treat those itchy bites without medication. I do pretty well avoiding bites, but when I don’t the bite zapper really helps keep things tolerable.
random button
One of the best additions to twoprops.net for me was the random button. At the time, the LLMs I queried said it couldn’t be done. Now, they’ll tell you to use my method (without credit, natch).
hot tub
I worried that dragging the hot tub here was a excessive. Not so. I use it every day. Sometimes twice. It remains therapeutic, relaxing, and just plain fun.
old garage
The ancient, probably 19th century, old garage just survived the hurricane, and is still looking good. A tribute to an era long past.
solar plant
The solar plant was one of our biggest projects, with a huge payoff both in terms of energy cost savings and environmental management.
Thermacell
I dislike putting insect repellent on my skin. I dislike wearing long sleeves and pants. Those feelings are at odds with living in the tropics. I usually do pretty well as long as I can move around and avoid areas where mosquitoes congregate, but when I have to work where I can’t protect myself, I can use the Thermacell mosquito repeller. I’m not at peace with breathing the insecticide fumes it produces, but it seems as though the risk is better than the alternatives and I find it quite effective.
Wireguard front end for mail server
It’s been a joy to be able to move the mail server around and use it reliably without a static IP address. Wireguard just works in the best possible way.
garage
The new garage was one of our biggest projects. Most of it was done before we could be on site, and even though I did the design, it ended up somewhat larger than I had envisioned. The crew did a fabulous job, though, and it’s a wonderful outbuilding for our car, hoarded stuff (important on an island!) and even a guest bed.
site restoration
I screwed up and deleted all of twoprops.net, then discovered that my backup script had started failing after I moved to the island. I was devastated, and surprised how important this site had become for me. I was eventually able to restore the site — and my sanity (such as it is).
fiber optic cable to studio
One of my smarter move was to use multimode fiber to connect the internet to the studio, over 100 meters away. It’s been completely reliable, fast, and trouble-free.
laundry equipment
I don’t like going to laundromats. Getting laundry equipment working in the garage — even if it did mean starting out with a 240 V 50 A extension cord and a garden hose — keeps me at the beautiful compound instead of the crowded, noisy, dryer-sheet scented laundry in the village.
studio path
It was a pain to do it, but we have saved uncounted steps and hours by having a path through the down tree to get to the barn and studio from the house.
studio drywall
I wish I could take credit, but the interior finish on the studio was done by the Hired Hand and another contractor. It’s beautiful.
driveway gravel
Making our gravel drive really spruced up the compound’s entrance, and also helped keep the interior of the house cleaner. It’s held up really well. It could use some weeding and blowing (especially after the hurricane) but it still looks great a year and a half later.
catchment
Having our own source of water independent from the county (which is struggling to keep the water flowing post-storm) is a comfort.
pavilion
Even with all the rain we’ve been having, we’re spending a lot of time in the screened-in pavilion. It’s glorious.
toaster oven
We disconnected the propane oven and have been using a large, French-door convection oven which works great, even for baking. It’s electric, which means solar, which means minimal climate impact.
electric gate
Ahhh, the electric gate. It’s great to have, but I have to admit it’s what Brits would call “fiddly.” It works well 98% of the time, but sometimes it doesn’t close all the way. Sometimes it closes, then opens a bit. Sometimes it opens partway and screams. I don’t think the average homeowner would be happy with it, but I’m good with having to do the occasional reset and recalibration.
sheep
HA brought sheep into our lives to help with mowing. They’re cute and fun to watch, especially since we added a third.
Home Assistant/control center
The compound wouldn’t run without the help of Home Assistant. It manages the solar plant, load control, surveillance, and the many connected devices around the house. I especially like the control center I was able to fashion from a $60 tablet and some Home Assistant software.
front porch
The front porch was downright scary when we moved in. I was expecting to have to completely rebuild it, but it turns out just adding some stringers and pressure washing the whole thing made it sturdy and beautiful.
chicken door
The chicken door was a big surprise. I was going to build a little chicken-sized manual door for the coop, but I thought I’d look online for inspiration. I was inspired, instead, to buy a solar-powered electric door. The chickens love it and it saves us trips to let them out of the coop in the afternoon closing it up in the evening.
front yard path
Especially with all the rain, having a wide stone walkway from the gravel drive to the front porch has been a boon — and attractive, too!
prostate artery embolization
I’m two months out from my PAE and I have to declare it a complete success. Highly recommended! The first couple of days after the procedure were rough, but mainly because I wouldn’t take NSAIDs. Since then, my BPH symptoms have steadily abated. (I had it done by Vascular and Interventional Partners in Scottsdale, AZ — such things aren’t currently available on the island.)
—2p