As you grow older you begin to understand why your parents cared so much about you not breaking things and wanting the house to look nice – not just when people came over, but all the time. It’s a matter of pride and stature, and with the purchase of a new house, the plan is to make the place into a home – something to be proud of and show off.

We started with art that we found interesting, hanging and placing in the living room, bedroom, and kitchen pieces that spoke to us along with accent pieces that were appropriate. We didn’t flood the place with décor, but it certainly wasn’t boring.

Outdoor lighting can be one of the easiest improvements that you can make to the exterior of your home, and it can make a huge impact. Not only will outdoor lights improve the way your home looks at night, but it can also increase the value of your home. If you wish to sell your home in the future, you will be able to add your exterior lights to the list of amenities that your home can offer potential buyers.

Some of the most popular places to add landscape lighting are along paths or walkways, and around patios or decks. Los Angeles homeowners often place outdoor lighting at different points throughout their flower gardens, too, which creates a beautiful setting for any summer evening. By placing small outdoor lights throughout the yard, it gives the impression of twinkling stars right in your own back yard. Landscape lights can be installed in many unexpected places, such as your own vegetable garden!

The Electric Connection, a licensed, bonded and insured local electrician in Los Angeles, can be a big help when it comes to deciding what type and style of outdoor lighting to use. They can also recommend where to place your lighting, and how far apart the lights should be. It’s always best to have this type of electrical lighting done by a licensed electrician.

Strategically placed outdoor lighting can be just the thing to help you make better use of your deck or patio, whether you’re spending time outdoors at night simply enjoying a quiet evening at home, or if you’re hosting a big party or a neighborhood get-together.

When it comes to the types and styles of landscape lighting choices that are available, there’s no need to worry because you’ll discover that there are plenty of options to choose from. For help and suggestions, you can find us on our website at TheElectricConnection.com. You can also give us a call to chat with us about your outdoor lighting options during our regular office hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. We’ll be happy to set up a free landscape lighting estimate for you whenever you’re ready to get started.

As a Licensed Dallas Electrician, I’ve learned (and shown you) that it’s easy to save money on your electric bill if you think ahead and put some consideration into the choices you make.  But saving money sometimes means making a trade-off. Far too often, that trade-off has been the environment.  More coal and gas power plants produce more electricity when we want it, but the price is pollution. It’s not a price we always have to pay ourselves, so we tend to ignore it. But our children aren’t going to have that luxury.  Thankfully, people are starting to really think about the effects our choices will have on our descendants. That being said, a lot of “green” initiatives are really expensive, and with the economy like it is, people are stretched too thin to really make an impact.  But what if there were ways to not only help save the environment, but save money too?

That’s the best news of all: there are ways to do exactly that. Solar PV and Wind Power have been around a very long time, but they’ve always been impractical and difficult to apply for your own use. For instance, wind farms may generate a lot of electricity, but they’re expensive, huge and mostly benefit electric companies.  Most people don’t have millions of dollars to spend on a huge windmill, after all.  But technology has improved rapidly over the last year or so, and renewable energy sources are not only finally available to individual consumers, but are quite affordable and efficient.  Anyone can now buy a solar panel or a small wind turbine with Power Storage to help power their home or office.  These power sources provide freedom from the power grid. No more outages when the rest of your neighborhood goes dark or spikes in your power bill.

Wind turbines are much better designed than they used to be.  Unlike the old models, which had motors designed to turn them into the wind, these turbines spin no matter which way the wind blows, which means they’re much more efficient and less prone to motor failures. They don’t have to be powered exclusively by natural wind either; turbines can be powered by wind coming from man-made objects. In fact, in the future you might well drive down the highway past a long line of wind turbines, spinning with the wind your car makes as you pass!

Of course, there are still a few limitations to Solar PV and Wind Power.  Despite the great advances in technology, the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. Of course, at times like these there are other options.  The energy produced by your solar panel or wind turbine can be stored in an indoor generator Power Storage unit. A quality indoor generator can help you not only be free you from outages, but can even generate extra electricity – electricity the electric company will pay YOU for!  A wide variety of these generators are available to meet your needs, but any of them can help you save money, help provide better power options for you, and leave behind a better, cleaner planet for future generations.

As part of our series on pop culture from 15 years ago – a continuing celebration of our 15th anniversary as Pegasus Lighting – here are 15 moments from March 1999 you may remember. Monica Lewinsky’s book on her affair with Bill Clinton goes on sale; the Dow Jones average beats 1000 for the first time; and The Matrix is released. Ah, the sweet 90s. Where were you?

1. Jar Jar Annoys Basically Everyone

At the Golden Raspberry Awards, better known as the Razzies, the award for Worst Supporting Actor went to Ahmed Best, who voiced the character Jar Jar Binks in STAR WARS: EPISODE 1, THE PHANTOM MENACE. Poor Jar Jar, you-sa not much appreciated by STAR WARS fans.

2. The Worst Picture of the Year

The Roth 401(k) combined elements of the Roth IRA and the traditional 401(k). In a traditional 401(k), you contribute income without paying taxes on it. You then pay taxes on the funds when you withdraw them during retirement. With the Roth 401(k), however, you pay the taxes upfront so that you can withdrawal funds tax-free during retirement.

 5. The Melissa Worm Attacks the Internet

At the end of March 1999, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 10,000 mark at 10,006.78. This was unprecedented! People made “DOW 10,000” hats and celebrated. In hindsight, people wonder whether that day represented the peak of our economy’s health up to that point or the peak of market excess that was responsible for the economic instability of the 2000s.

7. You Are the One, Neo

Legendary film director Steven Spielberg was once again named Best Director at the Academy Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. In fact, the director of early 80s movies like E.T. was on a real tear, just coming off of the JURASSIC PARK series and SCHINDLER’S LIST. He continues to direct great movies today.

9. Roberto Begnigni Is Exuberant 

Roberto Benigni won Best Actor for his role in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL at the 1999 Academy Awards. His reaction immediately became more popular that the movie itself. I’ll have a glass of whatever he’s drinking!

10. Gwyneth Wins Best Actress

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE was the most awarded film of the night of the Academy Awards. Perhaps the most touching award acceptance, though, was Gwyneth Paltrow’s. Try to watch her acceptance speech without getting teary. I dare you.

11. Lewinsky Tells All

In March, 1999, The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the murder convictions of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing, which left too many dead and wounded to even go into detail here. It was a tragic and totally unnecessary crime, and the Supreme Court decision echoed the feelings of many Americans.

14. Stanley Leaves Us

On the day after we lost Stanley Kubrick, we lost another beloved American hero, the legendary baseball player Joe DiMaggio. His death was caused by lung cancer. He was 84 and sure saw America from an interesting point of view. The loss of this former star was felt all over the nation.

It’s fun to think back to these moments in the popular culture of 1999, even though not everything that happened was happy. Most of us lived through all these events and remember them well. Come back next month to see what we resurrect next.