i repaired the leaking hose end. originally i thought i could fix it by changing out the washer, but that didn't work, so i had to take more drastic measures. cutting off the original hose end feels wrong somehow, but that's the only way to fix the problem. getting the replacement hose end insert to fit into the rubber hose was a challenge: i ended up spraying it with some WD-40 for some additional lubrication, and then gently tapped it it with a hammer until it went all the way in. after i screwed on the plastic clamp, the hose worked without leaking. it's actually the 3rd hose end i've fixed, because when i examined the other hose ends, 2 of them had been replaced (the last time i was back in october; don't remember when i replaced the first one).

i have an old ray padula sprayer that i remember was broken but i forgot how. i tried to open it up to see if i could repair it last night, but i can't figure out how to disassemble the sprayer, and no amount of internet searching could i find a solution. when i plugged it in, it sprayed water everywhere, so obviously it's no good. paul has an old plastic miracle-gro sprayer, but it has terrible pressure and seems very delicate. i ended up attaching a metal orbit adjustable sprayer i had and watering both the front and back yard.

today i deposited my first check online using my banking app. this technology must've been around for a while, and i vaguely remember hearing about it on banking commercials. even my mother has been telling me for years that my sister deposits her checks using her phone app, but i never got around thinking i'd be able to do that myself, instead just used to depositing checks at the bank ATM, which is already a step up from the way i used to do it maybe 10 years ago, when i used the teller. what finally got me thinking was when my mother told me my sister does this all the time, and she only uses a local bank with barely any online presence. if her bank has it, surely my citizen banks would have it too. so i checked the google play store to look for my banking app. surprisingly, i'd already downloaded it before a while back, and online check deposit is one of the features. it's really pretty easy, you essentially just take a photo of the front and back of the check, and enter the amount. i guess a more advanced app might have written number detection and know the amount automatically (like they do on ATM's), but this is already good enough. being able to deposit checks online will save me time, and i can make deposits as soon as i get a check, so no danger of accidentally losing it.

i went to the dollar store to buy a cheap $1 adjustable garden sprayer just so i could strip it for parts and transfer the spring-loaded peg into the better orbit sprayer back in belmont. while i was there, i also picked up a hard clear plastic betty crocker square container for storing my tongbaechu kimchi, which currently sits in a round pyrex bowl in the refrigerator. it can actually hold a lot, 6.25 cups (50 fl. oz.), which is big enough to hold at least 4 tongbaechu kimchi bundles (i just have 2, letting it slowly ferment in the fridge to build up flavor).

i went to the garden to water my plants. i planted the rosemary on the southwestern corner; it might not get maximum sun, but it'll have plenty of room to grow. i was happy to see that one of my nasturtium seedlings have sprouted. i was not happy to see that one of the hot peppers has some insect/slug damage. it makes me worried that i should be protecting all my tender seedlings but i'm going to wait until there's more damage more i do that; maybe it's just a fluke (but in my experience, it's never a single time thing). i also planted some summer squash (zucchini) and several mounds of cucumbers interspersed through my tomatoes. i planted some nasturtium seedlings as well (red variety) and some sunflowers.

i biked to belmont again, trying to get more exercise. it was a bit cooler than yesterday - temperature in the upper 60's - but still pleasant enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt. i did bring a long-sleeved pullover for later in the evening when i biked back home. when i arrived, the first thing i did was to repair the old sprayer but pilfering from the $1 sprayer. i opened it up, the spring-loaded peg was plastic instead of rubber, but it was the same size, and it fit into the old sprayer without any problems. now the old sprayer works like new. as for the $1 sprayer, it still works, but doesn't make any clicking sounds when you adjust the setting.

i borrowed the car and drove to the watertown home depot to pick up 4 bags of compost mixed top soil and a bag of manure. i also wanted to buy some leftover remainder bulbs but they were all out (it's sort of late in the season to be selling those anyway). i checked out their live plant selection. the people who work there really don't care about the garden department, as nobody has watered the flowering cherry trees, and most likely they're all dead by this point. i was tempted to buy a red columbine for our new perennial garden, but left empty-handed.

i relocated the lavender plants after first tilling the soil of their new location. there was one main plant and several smaller plants, which i strung out in a row. not sure how well they do, but the neighboring sages have done very well since we moved them so hopefully the lavenders will do the same. next to the lavender i planted the rosemary we bought from home depot on saturday. i still didn't get around to planting my vegetable seedlings yet, but i did lay them out in place. as for the perennial flower seedlings, i put them out in a row along our new perennial garden bed, alternating between red chrysanthemums and white daisies. saturday will be the big planting day.

my parents made chinese dumplings at the cafe and brought back some fresh ones for dinner. they'd already ate so i was the only one eating. when my father went to go check the car, he asked me when did i drive it. apparently the contacts on the battery was installed in reverse. he thought maybe i did it, but i told him it was like that when i drove away, so this was something he did a day or two ago. maybe it might've killed the battery but the trickle charger might have a safety switch for reverse polarity; when my father tested the battery, it wasn't drained but it also wasn't 100% charged. he put back the right polarity and reset the trickle charger.

biking home, i saw that someone on my street was moving, and had thrown out a pile of household items out onto the sidewalk. one man's trash is another man's treasure they say! there was already a woman carefully going through the piles, loading up things into her car. i left with a 16 qt. stockpot after i found the matching glass lid. inside were a pair of santoku-style knives. i also took a brand new kryptonite kryptoflex cable (i already have a bunch of those) and a porcelain flower pot.

back at home, i cleaned out the stockpot with a brillo pad. it's stainless steel (i tested it with a magnet) and is in pretty good condition with the exception of a dent at the bottom from where the previously owner probably dropped it at some point. not sure what i'll do with it since i already have a 16 qt. stock pot, maybe give it to my sister if she wants it. as for the knives, one is a stamped faberware, the other a forged calphalon. but of them need sharpening.

though we weren't expecting it, we actually set another new production record, but by the smallest margin - just 5Wh - 60.623 kWh today versus the previous record set on monday 50.618 kWh. but judging from the graph line, we should've made even more energy, since there was a substantial spike at 7:45am this morning. that makes me now question the accuracy of the graph lines. it only takes a reading every 15 minutes, but there are always spikes and dips so it might've just made an inaccurate reading. besides setting a new production record, we also surpassed the total energy output we made last month (860.85 kWh) and we still have a week left in may.