By DEBBIE ARRINGTON, Sacramento Bee

Some reader queries had me staring at the ceiling, trying to determine which way the indoor wind blows.

This followed a tip -- from the U.S. Department of Energy's Web site -- that ceiling fans should be set to spin clockwise during summer months and reversed in winter.

In what was once a weed-filled back yard, Paul Cox created a private oasis of shade and fantasy.

Cox drew from his passions for travel and gardening. A retired carpenter, he loves to build, too. He combined all three in this enchanted forest.

When the time came for Helen Hobart and Terry Wenner to remodel their Sacramento, Calif., home, the couple knew they wanted a green kitchen.

It wasn't about color but philosophy and deep-felt social consciousness.

Amid the rolling, grape-crazy hills of California's wine country rests a golden oasis.
Row after row of daylilies gleam in the sun. They form unexpected stripes of yellows, oranges, reds and purples in eye-popping contrast to the emerald-green vineyards.

Ashley Chapman ditched her chemical cleansers for old-fashioned white vinegar and baking soda. She grabbed a lemon and a saltshaker and started scrubbing.
Not only did her apartment get clean, it smelled good and she saved money, too.

For Mark and Kendall Richard, love at first sight turned into a family affair.
Looking for low-maintenance flowers to add spring color to their small farm near Vacaville, Calif., they became instantly enchanted with bearded irises. Within five years, a few plants became thousands.
"This is a hobby gone wild," Kendall says, knee-deep in a rainbow of flowers.

Fern Marshall Bradley has been preaching the organic gospel for decades.
A lifelong gardener and a University of California, Davis, alumna, she tends her own vegetables, fruit and flowers without resorting to chemical pesticides. She went "green" long before the word meant more than the color of her thumb.

Tucked in an odd-shaped parcel of port property between railroad tracks and cargo ships sits a slice of inspiration.
At the Red Shovel Glass Co., trash becomes treasure. Tons of discarded bottles, otherwise rejected by recyclers, find new life as brightly colored "stones," perfect for paths and garden decoration.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's latest Kentucky Derby contender looks mighty sweet. And like his trainer, Chocolate Candy refuses to melt under pressure.

When it comes to shopping for appliances, the "Star" shines brightest.
"In our latest survey, we found 84 percent of consumers said energy use -- not water or time -- was the most important factor when it comes to appliance efficiency," said Monica Teague of Whirlpool, the world's top manufacturer of home appliances. "I find that fascinating."