After you’ve been around something for a while, you start to take it for granted.

Things like dissolvable cornstarch packing peanuts.

It took one imaginative 11-year-old boy and an email from a happy customer to remind us just how nifty these little earth-friendly peanuts are.

If you’ve received a shipment from Pegasus Lighting in the past few years, your box most likely had a sticker on it with those words. Inside the box is a note that shares the reasons behind our choice to use biodegradable cornstarch packing peanuts, not the least of which is because they are really fun to play with.

Thank you, Happy Customer, for restoring our packing peanut fascination by sending this great note and photo of your son’s clever art sculpture (whatever you decide that it will be)! Oh, and for the record, I’m voting Rocket Ship.

With a hot, dry summer predicted for this year, it is going to take a little creativity to stay cool without the luxury of endless amounts of water and electricity. You are going to need to do everything you can to stay cool, without relying on a swamp cooler or your air conditioner. There is a possibility scheduled blackouts will be performed to try and conserve resources. You can still stay cool by doing the following things recommended by your Glendale Electrician. If you have any more questions, you can give the team a The Electric Connection a call.

1-Keep the blinds closed. You may feel like you are living in a cave, but caves are cool. You need to do what you can to block the sun from heating up the home. Investing in heavy, sun-blocking curtains is also an option.

2-Consider having any south facing windows tinted. This can give you the openness you like, while still blocking the heat from the sun. Tinted windows are becoming more and more popular as people look for ways to save on cooling costs.

3-Have a ceiling fan installed by an electrician in Glendale in your bedroom and main sitting areas. This can help you feel much more comfortable. The cool breeze stirred up by the fan will go a long way to keeping you cool.

4-Don’t run the dryer during the day. Only dry clothes in the early morning hours or late night hours.

5-Avoid cooking with the oven if you can. Consider cooking outdoors on the barbecue or using the microwave. A crockpot is another, much cooler option.

You can stay cool, without running up your electric bill or soaking in a tub of cold water. If you need a ceiling fan installed, call your electrician. Glendale residents can count on the professional team at The Electric Connection to take care of their ceiling fan installation needs.