Appliances

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet — one-tenth the size of the average new American house — and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap — that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

I'm confused about choosing a color to paint my kitchen. I've heard that green is the color of the year. And then I hear about gray being the new neutral. What are the best colors to paint the kitchen? A kitchen should be an inviting gathering space, so warmer or brighter tones are ideal, such as deep ivories, rich coppers, luscious reds, golden yellows and yellow-greens. Be sure to take countertops, appliances and floors into consideration when selecting your color. You'll want something that complements these accents and flows naturally into the surrounding rooms of your home.

I'm confused about choosing a color to paint my kitchen. I've heard that green is the color of the year. And then I hear about gray being the new neutral. What are the best colors to paint the kitchen? A kitchen should be an inviting gathering space, so warmer or brighter tones are ideal, such as deep ivories, rich coppers, luscious reds, golden yellows and yellow-greens. Be sure to take countertops, appliances and floors into consideration when selecting your color. You'll want something that complements these accents and flows naturally into the surrounding rooms of your home.

If the idea of owning a chic, contemporary home, high on a hill in Baltimore's historic and colorful Mount Washington neighborhood appeals to the village dweller in you, then 2705 Rockwood Ave. is worth a visit. "One of the home's many assets is its convenience to downtown Baltimore, whether driving or taking public transportation," said Cummings & Co. Realtors listing agent, Cara Fabian. "And yet there is a strong feel of suburban neighborhood living. " This 1955 rancher is built of brick and features a driveway leading to an attached carport.

In U.S. history, there may have been no better time to own a junk car, a rattling old fridge and a leaking dishwasher. On the heels of its ballyhooed "Cash for Clunkers" program for cars, the federal government is expected to finalize details in the coming weeks of another tax-supported shopping extravaganza, known as "Cash for Appliances." Supported by $300 million from the economic stimulus, the program will offer rebates to consumers who buy energy-efficient refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners and other appliances to replace their older models.

Maryland shoppers, don't forget that you can avoid paying the state's 6 percent sales tax if you buy Energy Star appliances and products this weekend. The tax holiday runs from Feb. 18 through the 20 th . Eligible items include air conditioners, heat pumps, refrigerators, programmable thermostats and compact fluorescent light bulbs. More info available online . This is an annual event that occurs during starting the weekend before the third Monday of each February.

Certain appliances that meet Energy Star requirements will be exempt from Maryland sales tax from Feb. 19 through Feb. 21, the state comptroller's office has announced. During the "Shop Maryland Energy" weekend, consumers who buy Energy Star air conditioners, clothes washers, furnaces, heat pumps, boilers, standard size refrigerators, dehumidifiers and compact fluorescent light bulbs will not pay sales tax in Maryland stores or online. Dishwashers are not eligible, even if they meet Energy Star specifications.

Imagine this: In the kitchen you have a video monitor hooked up to the same kind of electronic scanner that's at your grocery store checkout. When you're unbagging your groceries at home, you run the items across the scanner before you put them away to create an instant inventory. Later, when you're planning a meal, you can check the electronic inventory. How much canned chicken stock is in the pantry? Are there fresh greens in the refrigerator? Are those frozen peas in the freezer or frozen green beans?

Electronics and bartending were Raynard Edwards' favorite vocations, and few days passed that he didn't engage in both.Friends said that Mr. Edwards, 70, who died Friday of heart failure at his Southwest Baltimore home, could wire anything from a car's electrical system to computers to the most ornate Christmas displays.Mr. Edwards worked for many years at an appliance repair shop on West North Avenue where he fixed items as varied as Victrolas, compact disc players and electric shavers six days a week.

After a small fire on the second floor of her Eastport Terrace home last summer, Devera Pounds was told by the Annapolis Housing Authority to remove her window air conditioner and deep freezer. She did so without question but now wonders why. Pounds is preparing to file a grievance against the authority. And she's not alone. "As soon as you buy something to make you comfortable, they take it," said Pounds, who has lived at the public housing development with her two sons and two grandsons for almost three years.

Renee Washington says she's not asking for special treatment from City Hall. The 58-year-old paraplegic just wants to make sure she and her neighbors are reimbursed for the stoves and water heaters damaged during a Valentine's Day gas main break that caused water to rush into their appliances. "We want to make hot meals for our families," says Washington, a resident of the Southwest Baltimore neighborhood of Mill Hill, who is attempting to organize her neighbors to action. "We want to take hot showers and baths.

Among the 77 calls for medical and fire-rescue service the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department received for fire and rescue service during the period May 20-27 were the following: Beechfield Avenue, 1000 block, 8:16 p.m. May 25. Crews responded to the report of an injured person in Arbutus and transported one person with non-life-threatening injuries to a local hospital. Colony Hill Court, unit block, 11:54 a.m. May 25. Crews from the Arbutus volunteer station and Halethorpe career station responded to the report of an appliance fire in Arbutus and found an overheated air conditioning unit, but no fire.

My laptop was my most devoted companion during two months in a wheelchair with a broken ankle, so of course I took the opportunity to buy a new refrigerator. Online. It was actually easier than buying a bathing suit online. I know, because I did that, too. Anyway, I researched the most popular refrigerator styles, the best manufacturers and the best prices. I clicked on all the pictures and all the consumer reviews. I watched for the February appliance sales, and I read about the Presidents' Weekend tax holiday, and I printed out the form for the energy-efficiency rebate.

Maryland shoppers, don't forget that you can avoid paying the state's 6 percent sales tax if you buy Energy Star appliances and products this weekend. The tax holiday runs from Feb. 18 through the 20 th . Eligible items include air conditioners, heat pumps, refrigerators, programmable thermostats and compact fluorescent light bulbs. More info available online . This is an annual event that occurs during starting the weekend before the third Monday of each February.

While the legislators battle it out over taxes in Annapolis, Marylanders will get a brief respite. From Feb. 18 through the 20 th , Marylanders buying certain Energy Star products can avoid paying the 6 percent state sales tax. Items that qualify for the tax holiday include air conditioners, clothes dryers and washers, furnaces, refrigerators, programmable thermostats. For a full list, check out the comptroller's website . This three-day tax holiday on energy products takes place annually on the weekend of the third Monday in February.

What if you had to save the Chesapeake Bay and you had almost no money? It's a fitting question in the aftermath of the Great Recession, as governments across the watershed wonder how to afford the next round of bay cleanup requirements. I've been investing cheaply in a host of advanced green technologies: a clothesline in the backyard ($3) and a rainy day drying rack ($20) in the cellar; organic cooling systems (aka trees) to shade the south and western sides of my house ($500)

Protesters packed a small meeting room at the Annapolis Housing Authority yesterday afternoon to complain about poor living conditions at the city's 10 public housing developments. Earlier yesterday, a few Annapolis aldermen worked on reviving an ordinance giving the city the power to inspect Housing Authority properties. The authority does not answer to city officials but to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The protest by more than 150 people -- a crowd that stretched down the hallway at the authority's monthly board of commissioners meeting -- culminated five days of community work to improve the quality of life for the nearly 3,000 people in Annapolis public housing.

Charles G. "Chris" Baker Jr., a salesman who earlier had worked for a drug testing company, died June 2 of lung cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Overlea resident was 60. Mr. Baker was born in Baltimore, raised in Ednor Gardens near the old Memorial Stadium, and was a graduate of city public schools. Until he was laid off in 2004, Mr. Baker had worked for 12 years designing drug protocols for Nova Research Co. at the National Institutes of Health in Washington. He also was a committee member of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.