For many students, the last day of homework precedes the last day of school. But for those teens choosing to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the homework doesn't stop, even over the summer.

Nancy Sleeth doesn't use her oven very often. At least not her conventional oven. Instead, she turns to her more energy-efficient toaster oven, microwave and convection oven. When Sleeth bakes bread, she uses a bread machine.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - My friend's voice erupts from the other side of the phone with a degree of giddiness usually heard only in the voices of children.

Collections are a blessing.

Q: Why does the new water heater make the water smell of sulfur? We had it installed and then left for vacation only to return to stinky hot water.

I need to feed you a line - a clothesline, in this case, which, without fear of contradiction, remains the most energy-efficient way of drying laundry.

Q: I thought I was operating our air conditioner efficiently until a neighbor came over to our house and told me he just read in your column that I shouldn't leave the "fan setting" running all the time on our thermostat like I usually do. Now I'm wondering if I'm using the air conditioner properly or not. It does seem our house never cools off in hot weather. What tips do you have for staying cooler?

Rain barrels are good for the Earth, but they're not always easy on the eye. So a group of young artists has set out to change that.

After three years, I am hooked on the New Guinea-type impatiens series called SunPatiens. The heat over the past few weeks has made gardening a real struggle. But every day, as I return home from work I see the Sunpatiens near my front door putting on a dazzling show.

The quickest way to freshen a piece of furniture and lift the spirits is through fabric.

THE SHELF: SPEND WEEKEND ENJOYING SEWING

Q. I want to fix a number of holes in the drywall of my house. The holes range from about three inches wide to 12 inches. Can you help? - M. Chapman

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. That's the case with a gem I encountered from Family Hack, a blog created by the Davis family of Charlottesville, Va. At least that's the family's home base, although they spends much of their time traveling - the subject of the blog.

Domenico Scicchitano has no need for famous foodie Michael Pollan, "slow food," or any other trend that celebrates the way people long ago cooked and ate.

At a time when Inspiration Networks has been cutting jobs, freezing wages and even adjusting the office thermostat to save money, the chief executive of the Charlotte, N.C.-area broadcaster has invested about $4 million in a lakefront home under construction in South Carolina.

Some handy how-tos from the August issue of Fine Gardening magazine:

Outside the back door of Kim Caruso's home in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee is a beautiful yard.

Along with a three-day supply of water, food that won't spoil, medicine and other supplies in preparation for hurricane season, you should also be squirreling away important documents to keep them safe from damage.