By Clyde Noel

Town Crier Correspondent

I’m always looking for a better way to be lazy and hoping to find the latest gizmo on the market to make life easier. Some of these ideas I remember from the South Bay Garden and Home Show in Santa Clara last August, and I have installed several in the house.

Dishwasher in a drawer. I hate to stoop to fill the dishwasher and often wondered why some company didn’t come up with a waist-level model that doesn’t require too much bending and stooping.

A New Zealand company has accomplished this, but you still have to bend over to get to the bottom drawer. Each drawer is an independent dishwasher so you can install two units right under the countertop.

The bad news is any time you have a back-saving convenience, it costs you. Single-drawer units go for $1,600, but some American companies are scrambling to expand on the idea. It’s called the DishDrawer from Fisher & Paykel and you can check it out at www.fisherpaykel.com.

Refrigerator in a drawer. High-end refrigerator manufacturer Sub-Zero has a two-drawer model that fits under the countertop. Now you can put the salads where you can reach them while preparing dinner.

They come in two models, either all refrigerator or all freezer. The advantage is they can tuck into a kitchen island, peninsula or any open floor plan where a traditional refrigerator would stick out. See them at www.subzero.com

For those who stand up. This is the best idea on putting the seat down since marriage counseling. It’s called Mister Miser and it’s a urinal designed for home bathrooms. Recessed between wall studs, all that shows is a hopperlike drawer that opens like a laundry chute.

When you’re ready to leave the bathroom, the door is closed and the unit flushes automatically. At $300, this is a great price to never have to worry about putting the toilet seat down again. Check it out at: www.decoratingstudio.com