2018
A Better Mousetrap
27/12/18 07:45
I'm not a big fan of Walmart but there are things that I do buy at that store. There are also things that I will never buy at that store. Examples of the latter are produce and meat. As it turns out the things that I do buy are things that I buy with some regularity. These might include flats of bottled water, bird seed, etc. I've never thought too much about the processes involved and I typically just go about my business there as I suspect people do when shopping at these superstores of sort.
I resisted the self-checkout process as best I could when they were introduced at my local store but finally relented when it seemed expeditious to do so. The number of open registers was cut in half or worse after the introduction of the self checkout areas forcing people like me to either patiently or impatiently stand in line or, for better or worse, use the self checkout area in order to pay for my purchases. I flailed about like any novice at the slightest setback and became more acquainted with the attendant's stationed in the self-checkout area than I care to admit. Their role, I suspect, is to help people feel more at ease when it comes to using the technology and to mitigate any grievances arising from the error codes one might encounter in the process. They are good at what they do.
I suppose it's like anything else in life. Once you get the hang of it there is no going back to the old ways of doing things. The actual process of shopping, that is to say going through the store and putting your various purchases in your cart, was unchanged by the introduction of the self checkout area. It never occurred to me that the all too often tedious process of locating my items, lugging them from one point to another both inside and outside the store, only to lug them one or two more times by the time I arrive on my doorstep, might well change soon and for the better.
The 24-count flats of bottled spring water aren't getting any lighter and Walmart has taken notice. If I should pass on the purchase because of the muscle involved to secure the items then Walmart doesn't make the sale. Whether it is out of their desire to make a pitch to a more affluent customer base or simply a necessary response to an aging demographic, they now offer a pick-up and delivery service.
You mean I can now just log on to their website at home, select the items I want to purchase, reserve a time to pick up my items and then drop by their store at my convenience and have them load my purchases into my vehicle? And I don't even have to go into the store? Get out of town! Did I mention that the pick-up service is free? Would I be less interested if it were not free?
Maybe they know their customers well enough to know by now that they generally buy the same things week in and week out. As I think about this a little more aren't they cutting off their nose to spite their face? In other words, if this service proves to be uber successful, won't there be fewer people who actually have an interest one way or another in actual browsing in their stores? And Walmart is one of those stores where you can go in with a modest shopping list and walk out with items you never knew you needed. I suppose I could look at extraneous items on their website but it wouldn't be the same.
The whole kiosk on steroids thing at our local Walmart is new and is part and parcel of this free pick-up service. In our last few visits to the store, we have noticed no cars parked in the 8-10 spots reserved for customers coming to pick up their purchases. I don't know that that translates to a failure to thrive as it were but rather it seems to be nothing more than a getting up and running sort of thing. Maybe there are no cars lingering in the spots because the process is so efficient that a typical pick-up lasts less than 5 minutes from beginning to end. And if at some point in the future I end up having to wait in line for my turn then this service may not be for me.
I put in my first order last night and reserved a pick up time for between 8 and 9 this morning. I received an e-mail at approximately 7:45 that my order was ready for pick-up when I was otherwise expecting a text. I also did not get a discount for my first order when I ordered online last night and I thought that was a reasonable incentive to get people to avail themselves of the service. I mentioned this to the associate (Tanya) when I picked up the order and I also included this in my feedback when I responded to their e-mail for same upon my arrival at home.
There were a couple of awkward moments when the associate arrived at the rear of my car with my purchases stacked on a four-wheeled dolly. Was I supposed to take over from there and load the items into my car? The associate hesitated ever so slightly giving me the chance to do exactly that so I asked her directly. "Do I load the items in the car or do you", I asked with a smile. She responded with a smile only an executive wannabe could muster, "it's up to you." I was all about taking advantage of the service so I deferred to her better judgement which I took as it being her responsibility. She looked like she was happy to have something to keep her busy so I was pleased to oblige her.
I continued with pleasantries while she placed the several bags in the rear of my car. For late December, the day was off to a remarkably sunny and pleasant start despite the chilly temperatures. It certainly helped from a facilitation standpoint that the month of December has been snowless. Wheeling those dollies around on icy or snow covered surfaces could prove difficult and maybe even a little dangerous. I'm certain that will be one more thing for the store and its able associates to contend with once we get a bit deeper into the winter months.
I inquired at one point about tipping and whether or not that was acceptable under the circumstances and she replied that it was not necessary. I had nothing to give her anyway but felt that by simply asking the question I might be able to defer doing so until a time when I was better prepared. Besides, I was feeling less than generous after not seeing the discount on their website when I went to place my order. Would giving her a tip make this service less appealing and more costly? I think you can't think about tipping that way.
Did I mention that they informed me that they had made a last minute substitution when sending the "ready for pick-up" e-mail? I was not expecting that and I then had the option of informing the associate that I did not want the replacement item upon arrival at the kiosk. They credited me the cost of the item as they would any other refund. My preference, of course, was to see them not offer that product at the point of sale. In other words, the item is not available to select when you are making your selections online.
So there you have it. I would say so far so good. I'm happy with the service and would recommend it to my friends and family. You don't have to like Walmart to take advantage of this service. It's no different than buying your stuff on Amazon without the obvious exception where you are actually going to the store to pick up your purchases. The things you're buying are things you would buy anywhere so don't get hung up on the whole Walmart thing if you're a Walmart hater. Lastly, I may not recognize the inside of the store the next time I go inside of my store here in Portsmouth so that should tell you something about how I expect to benefit from this service. In time, I may be taking a driverless car to the kiosk but we're not there yet. I'm not there yet. All in good time.
I resisted the self-checkout process as best I could when they were introduced at my local store but finally relented when it seemed expeditious to do so. The number of open registers was cut in half or worse after the introduction of the self checkout areas forcing people like me to either patiently or impatiently stand in line or, for better or worse, use the self checkout area in order to pay for my purchases. I flailed about like any novice at the slightest setback and became more acquainted with the attendant's stationed in the self-checkout area than I care to admit. Their role, I suspect, is to help people feel more at ease when it comes to using the technology and to mitigate any grievances arising from the error codes one might encounter in the process. They are good at what they do.
I suppose it's like anything else in life. Once you get the hang of it there is no going back to the old ways of doing things. The actual process of shopping, that is to say going through the store and putting your various purchases in your cart, was unchanged by the introduction of the self checkout area. It never occurred to me that the all too often tedious process of locating my items, lugging them from one point to another both inside and outside the store, only to lug them one or two more times by the time I arrive on my doorstep, might well change soon and for the better.
The 24-count flats of bottled spring water aren't getting any lighter and Walmart has taken notice. If I should pass on the purchase because of the muscle involved to secure the items then Walmart doesn't make the sale. Whether it is out of their desire to make a pitch to a more affluent customer base or simply a necessary response to an aging demographic, they now offer a pick-up and delivery service.
You mean I can now just log on to their website at home, select the items I want to purchase, reserve a time to pick up my items and then drop by their store at my convenience and have them load my purchases into my vehicle? And I don't even have to go into the store? Get out of town! Did I mention that the pick-up service is free? Would I be less interested if it were not free?
Maybe they know their customers well enough to know by now that they generally buy the same things week in and week out. As I think about this a little more aren't they cutting off their nose to spite their face? In other words, if this service proves to be uber successful, won't there be fewer people who actually have an interest one way or another in actual browsing in their stores? And Walmart is one of those stores where you can go in with a modest shopping list and walk out with items you never knew you needed. I suppose I could look at extraneous items on their website but it wouldn't be the same.
The whole kiosk on steroids thing at our local Walmart is new and is part and parcel of this free pick-up service. In our last few visits to the store, we have noticed no cars parked in the 8-10 spots reserved for customers coming to pick up their purchases. I don't know that that translates to a failure to thrive as it were but rather it seems to be nothing more than a getting up and running sort of thing. Maybe there are no cars lingering in the spots because the process is so efficient that a typical pick-up lasts less than 5 minutes from beginning to end. And if at some point in the future I end up having to wait in line for my turn then this service may not be for me.
I put in my first order last night and reserved a pick up time for between 8 and 9 this morning. I received an e-mail at approximately 7:45 that my order was ready for pick-up when I was otherwise expecting a text. I also did not get a discount for my first order when I ordered online last night and I thought that was a reasonable incentive to get people to avail themselves of the service. I mentioned this to the associate (Tanya) when I picked up the order and I also included this in my feedback when I responded to their e-mail for same upon my arrival at home.
There were a couple of awkward moments when the associate arrived at the rear of my car with my purchases stacked on a four-wheeled dolly. Was I supposed to take over from there and load the items into my car? The associate hesitated ever so slightly giving me the chance to do exactly that so I asked her directly. "Do I load the items in the car or do you", I asked with a smile. She responded with a smile only an executive wannabe could muster, "it's up to you." I was all about taking advantage of the service so I deferred to her better judgement which I took as it being her responsibility. She looked like she was happy to have something to keep her busy so I was pleased to oblige her.
I continued with pleasantries while she placed the several bags in the rear of my car. For late December, the day was off to a remarkably sunny and pleasant start despite the chilly temperatures. It certainly helped from a facilitation standpoint that the month of December has been snowless. Wheeling those dollies around on icy or snow covered surfaces could prove difficult and maybe even a little dangerous. I'm certain that will be one more thing for the store and its able associates to contend with once we get a bit deeper into the winter months.
I inquired at one point about tipping and whether or not that was acceptable under the circumstances and she replied that it was not necessary. I had nothing to give her anyway but felt that by simply asking the question I might be able to defer doing so until a time when I was better prepared. Besides, I was feeling less than generous after not seeing the discount on their website when I went to place my order. Would giving her a tip make this service less appealing and more costly? I think you can't think about tipping that way.
Did I mention that they informed me that they had made a last minute substitution when sending the "ready for pick-up" e-mail? I was not expecting that and I then had the option of informing the associate that I did not want the replacement item upon arrival at the kiosk. They credited me the cost of the item as they would any other refund. My preference, of course, was to see them not offer that product at the point of sale. In other words, the item is not available to select when you are making your selections online.
So there you have it. I would say so far so good. I'm happy with the service and would recommend it to my friends and family. You don't have to like Walmart to take advantage of this service. It's no different than buying your stuff on Amazon without the obvious exception where you are actually going to the store to pick up your purchases. The things you're buying are things you would buy anywhere so don't get hung up on the whole Walmart thing if you're a Walmart hater. Lastly, I may not recognize the inside of the store the next time I go inside of my store here in Portsmouth so that should tell you something about how I expect to benefit from this service. In time, I may be taking a driverless car to the kiosk but we're not there yet. I'm not there yet. All in good time.
Without Further Adieu
25/12/18 06:37
And all through the house nothing was stirring not even a mouse. Merry Christmas everyone! Yep, it's Christmas day 2018. I still have one or two presents to wrap but that aside I think we're good to go. The only thing I asked Santa for this year was a pair of slippers. What more does a man need. Right? I bought my darling a little something that she has been talking about for a while and I think she bought a thing or two for herself that she plans on surprising herself with when we get around to unwrapping everything. How exactly does that work?
Nancy asked me last week that I have a word with Evan to make sure that he knows Christmas is coming and that he should be sure to get his mother a little something. I was having none of it. If he can't figure that out for himself then it is what it is. It's one of those you can't lead a horse to water type deals. Last year Evan surprised both of us with books that he thought we might enjoy. If I recall, it was a book of cookie recipes for his mom and Michael Savage's latest book for me. As presents go, they were lovely. And neither of us prompted him to get those particular gifts so that was a plus. I knew he had it in him.
Quite honestly, if he bought me nothing that would be fine with me. I might even prefer that he not spend money he doesn't have just to do it for the sake of doing it. Christmas is that kind of holiday unfortunately. Oh, and did I tell you that I asked Santa for a lightbulb fixture with a motion detection sensor for our garage? We have plenty of lights in the garage now and there is no shortage of on and off switches to control those lights. But wouldn't it be nice if I never had to flip another switch when walking in and out of the garage? I might like that. Yessiree Bob.
We've been after Evan for some time now to think about going over to visit his grandmother who he hasn't seen for the better part of three years. It has not been for a lack of desire or trying on his part. I guess you could say that he might have tried a little harder but that ignores the bigger elephant in the room. Maybe it was our persistence or his wanting to do it after not having done it for the longest time. I would be derelict in my intentions were I not to hastily add that Evan and Mrs G have always been tight. After all, what grandmother doesn't unconditionally love her grandchild and what child doesn't love his grandmother with every fibre of his being?
Their relationship being what it was and is made it even more difficult for Mrs G to fathom why she never saw her grandson. After a while she just stopped asking about him when his momma and I would visit every weekend. Some things were just better not discussed. But I think his continued absence raised questions and concerns that simply went unanswered and to say that it was always in the back of our minds during our visitations as his parents is an understatement. But he finally decided for whatever reason that the time had come.
He was surprisingly willing after not being willing for such a long time that we thought he might change his mind at the last minute. Well, maybe "not being willing" is a little harsh. We wondered how we might get him to commit without having him feel the pressure of the commitment thinking that that alone might give him pause and perhaps even reason to not go through with it.
"We'll call Nana and tell her we're coming over for quick visit", we suggested to him. He seemed game so we talked a little more. "Let's sit in the front room and we'll call Nana right now and tell her we're coming for a visit." Nancy made the call with the speaker phone on and Evan could hear the excitement in her voice when we told her we were coming over with him to see her for a quick visit. The excitement in her voice was palpable and resonated with a heartfelt anticipation.
I think Evan was maybe a little nervous but only because so much time had passed since he had last seen her. It was only on the ride home after our visit did he admit to experiencing a certain catharsis as a result of making the visit. It was by his own admission a weight off his shoulders and it was good to hear him say it. Maybe even an ice breaker of sorts. Who knows, he might even plan to come wth us from time to time on our weekly visitations now that he has a better lay of the land.
The visit itself was emotional for all of us although we as his parents tried not to tip our hand that this was as consequential a visit for our son as it was for his grandmother. It was not our time, it was their time. We were just there as intermediaries in the event that we needed to fill in awkward silences or to head off lines off questioning not knowing how or where discussions might take us.
There is a walking on eggshells quality to these sorts of things sometimes although we as parents tend to get a little ahead of ourselves when we worry needlessly about things that will more than likely just never come to fruition. It would behoove us as well not to have a little more faith in our only son from time to time. All that said, Evan and his grandmother had a nice time catching up after having a good hug at the outset. She spent a bit of time going over family photographs in a calendar with him and it was a whirlwind visual and audio overview that probably left his head spinning. He is just not oriented whatsoever to certain relatives not to mention their associated histories.
I suppose it is a grandparents lot in life to spell it all out and I think the calendar was a good platform from which to launch that discussion. She showed Evan around her apartment and we all took a stroll down the hallway outside her apartment in order to give Evan an extended view of the premises. All of the discussion about meal plans and other niceties seemed to pique his interest.
I think the idea of not having to prepare meals was intriguing to him and that came as no surprise knowing what we know of his dietary issues. As a matter of fact, that is one of my greatest concerns when it comes to his living independently. Mrs G baked him some cheese puff type things which he shared with his mom and it may have been the first thing he had to eat all day. Thats what I'm talking about. He ate none of the chocolate kisses that were readily available but his mom and I had more than our share. If there were any residual pins and needles, surely a massive dose of chocolate would smooth out the jagged edges. And they did.
So there you have it. The visit was by far the best gift that Mrs G could give to Evan, the best gift that Evan could give to his grandmother, and for we as his parents, a monumental relief in more ways than one. It was a terrific way to end the year and quite possibly the start of better things to come all around. One can only hope.
Nancy asked me last week that I have a word with Evan to make sure that he knows Christmas is coming and that he should be sure to get his mother a little something. I was having none of it. If he can't figure that out for himself then it is what it is. It's one of those you can't lead a horse to water type deals. Last year Evan surprised both of us with books that he thought we might enjoy. If I recall, it was a book of cookie recipes for his mom and Michael Savage's latest book for me. As presents go, they were lovely. And neither of us prompted him to get those particular gifts so that was a plus. I knew he had it in him.
Quite honestly, if he bought me nothing that would be fine with me. I might even prefer that he not spend money he doesn't have just to do it for the sake of doing it. Christmas is that kind of holiday unfortunately. Oh, and did I tell you that I asked Santa for a lightbulb fixture with a motion detection sensor for our garage? We have plenty of lights in the garage now and there is no shortage of on and off switches to control those lights. But wouldn't it be nice if I never had to flip another switch when walking in and out of the garage? I might like that. Yessiree Bob.
We've been after Evan for some time now to think about going over to visit his grandmother who he hasn't seen for the better part of three years. It has not been for a lack of desire or trying on his part. I guess you could say that he might have tried a little harder but that ignores the bigger elephant in the room. Maybe it was our persistence or his wanting to do it after not having done it for the longest time. I would be derelict in my intentions were I not to hastily add that Evan and Mrs G have always been tight. After all, what grandmother doesn't unconditionally love her grandchild and what child doesn't love his grandmother with every fibre of his being?
Their relationship being what it was and is made it even more difficult for Mrs G to fathom why she never saw her grandson. After a while she just stopped asking about him when his momma and I would visit every weekend. Some things were just better not discussed. But I think his continued absence raised questions and concerns that simply went unanswered and to say that it was always in the back of our minds during our visitations as his parents is an understatement. But he finally decided for whatever reason that the time had come.
He was surprisingly willing after not being willing for such a long time that we thought he might change his mind at the last minute. Well, maybe "not being willing" is a little harsh. We wondered how we might get him to commit without having him feel the pressure of the commitment thinking that that alone might give him pause and perhaps even reason to not go through with it.
"We'll call Nana and tell her we're coming over for quick visit", we suggested to him. He seemed game so we talked a little more. "Let's sit in the front room and we'll call Nana right now and tell her we're coming for a visit." Nancy made the call with the speaker phone on and Evan could hear the excitement in her voice when we told her we were coming over with him to see her for a quick visit. The excitement in her voice was palpable and resonated with a heartfelt anticipation.
I think Evan was maybe a little nervous but only because so much time had passed since he had last seen her. It was only on the ride home after our visit did he admit to experiencing a certain catharsis as a result of making the visit. It was by his own admission a weight off his shoulders and it was good to hear him say it. Maybe even an ice breaker of sorts. Who knows, he might even plan to come wth us from time to time on our weekly visitations now that he has a better lay of the land.
The visit itself was emotional for all of us although we as his parents tried not to tip our hand that this was as consequential a visit for our son as it was for his grandmother. It was not our time, it was their time. We were just there as intermediaries in the event that we needed to fill in awkward silences or to head off lines off questioning not knowing how or where discussions might take us.
There is a walking on eggshells quality to these sorts of things sometimes although we as parents tend to get a little ahead of ourselves when we worry needlessly about things that will more than likely just never come to fruition. It would behoove us as well not to have a little more faith in our only son from time to time. All that said, Evan and his grandmother had a nice time catching up after having a good hug at the outset. She spent a bit of time going over family photographs in a calendar with him and it was a whirlwind visual and audio overview that probably left his head spinning. He is just not oriented whatsoever to certain relatives not to mention their associated histories.
I suppose it is a grandparents lot in life to spell it all out and I think the calendar was a good platform from which to launch that discussion. She showed Evan around her apartment and we all took a stroll down the hallway outside her apartment in order to give Evan an extended view of the premises. All of the discussion about meal plans and other niceties seemed to pique his interest.
I think the idea of not having to prepare meals was intriguing to him and that came as no surprise knowing what we know of his dietary issues. As a matter of fact, that is one of my greatest concerns when it comes to his living independently. Mrs G baked him some cheese puff type things which he shared with his mom and it may have been the first thing he had to eat all day. Thats what I'm talking about. He ate none of the chocolate kisses that were readily available but his mom and I had more than our share. If there were any residual pins and needles, surely a massive dose of chocolate would smooth out the jagged edges. And they did.
So there you have it. The visit was by far the best gift that Mrs G could give to Evan, the best gift that Evan could give to his grandmother, and for we as his parents, a monumental relief in more ways than one. It was a terrific way to end the year and quite possibly the start of better things to come all around. One can only hope.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
22/12/18 09:46
I do love Christmas music. Is there anything more uplifting and cheerful at a time of year that is otherwise dark and gloomy? Just imagine the genius of the many songs that were written so long ago and yet remain timeless in their ability to lift the most hardened of hearts even today some decades and centuries after they were put down on paper.
In fact, I'm not aware of any new songs in the last fifty years or so that even come close to the classics written by Irving Berlin and his ilk. All you have year in and year out are the up and coming artists singing songs of old with a little twist here and a little twist there but staying true nonetheless to the original versions of those very same songs.
I'm less nostalgic about the traditions of Christmas and maybe even a little skeptical about the origins of same. It makes perfect sense to me that the holiday itself might well have been conjured up out of necessity by shop keepers and bean counters in order to clear year-end inventories. Further proof of this sinister collaboration are the very holidays throughout the year that appear chronologically on the calendar each on the heels of its predecessor holiday and each with its own unique rationale for gift giving, celebrations of one kind or another, or some other such nonsense where so-called tradition and Father Time conspire to gift wrap and deliver an aspirational commercial success. Yes, it's the most wonderful time of the year they'll tell you.
Maybe all that nonsense they taught me as a child about the baby Jesus, stars in the northern sky, mangers, magi's carrying gifts, and all the rest has some basis in fact. If you're a god-fearing christian then you buy the fairy tales hook, line, and sinker. You don't question the child dlddling priests, the nuns with the resurrecting rulers, or the church hierarchy that lines the pockets of the establishment with proceeds of countless lawsuits. It's simply the cost of doing business these days. It's an unholy alliance I tell you. But what about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, you ask. And why aren't you dreaming about a white Christmas?
It's probably best not to ask too many questions. It's enough that I like the music and that it's there to enjoy if you are so inclined. As for the holiday itself, the same may be true. You don't have to approve of what the church and its undisciplined disciples have done going back a lot of years to give and receive presents although a suspension of sorts may be in order if one is to fully embrace the holiday and all the joy it brings. Children do it but they don't know any better. As adults, we could take a lesson or two from our children. And yet the message from the Church and their merry band of pernicious child molesters is always the same. You better watch out, you better not shout.
This is turning out to be a very dark post indeed. I had intended about to write about Nancy and her occasional morning walk through our local cemetery. She has been complaining as of late about scowling dogs and uproarious yips from leashed and unleashed animals beyond the tree line that are enough to make even boldest of walkers fearful for their lives. I suggested that she might be wise to carry a can of mace or like deterrent in order to repel an attack should that occur.
She responded that she didn't want to take the chance that it might well further infuriate her attacker rather than repel it. "How about Tiger Lady", I inquired. You know, the hand held device that morphs into a claw of sorts and collects DNA of the attacker if used appropriately. Well, if there is a canine version then maybe that would work. "Maybe you should carry a gun", I said with a grin.
There was enough of a pause where I thought for a split second that she thought it might be a good idea. One that she could work with anyway. That would be, in my estimation, a lawful use of a firearm should she wish to deploy it under the right circumstances. Before I'm willing to put a pearl handled revolver beneath the tree for the holidays I'll need to make sure I schedule plenty of time at the range for my darling. Repetition will be key.
She'll need just the right garter to holster the weapon but that may be nothing more than a fantasy right out of a Victoria's Secret catalogue. You shouldn't have to hike anything these days much less your skirt in order to gain access to your weapon. She inquired as well about local laws where carrying guns is concerned and I assured her that we no longer need approval from the local constabulary in order to carry a concealed weapon. Until and unless she needs a bump stock to stop multiple attacks, I think we're good to go.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
In fact, I'm not aware of any new songs in the last fifty years or so that even come close to the classics written by Irving Berlin and his ilk. All you have year in and year out are the up and coming artists singing songs of old with a little twist here and a little twist there but staying true nonetheless to the original versions of those very same songs.
I'm less nostalgic about the traditions of Christmas and maybe even a little skeptical about the origins of same. It makes perfect sense to me that the holiday itself might well have been conjured up out of necessity by shop keepers and bean counters in order to clear year-end inventories. Further proof of this sinister collaboration are the very holidays throughout the year that appear chronologically on the calendar each on the heels of its predecessor holiday and each with its own unique rationale for gift giving, celebrations of one kind or another, or some other such nonsense where so-called tradition and Father Time conspire to gift wrap and deliver an aspirational commercial success. Yes, it's the most wonderful time of the year they'll tell you.
Maybe all that nonsense they taught me as a child about the baby Jesus, stars in the northern sky, mangers, magi's carrying gifts, and all the rest has some basis in fact. If you're a god-fearing christian then you buy the fairy tales hook, line, and sinker. You don't question the child dlddling priests, the nuns with the resurrecting rulers, or the church hierarchy that lines the pockets of the establishment with proceeds of countless lawsuits. It's simply the cost of doing business these days. It's an unholy alliance I tell you. But what about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, you ask. And why aren't you dreaming about a white Christmas?
It's probably best not to ask too many questions. It's enough that I like the music and that it's there to enjoy if you are so inclined. As for the holiday itself, the same may be true. You don't have to approve of what the church and its undisciplined disciples have done going back a lot of years to give and receive presents although a suspension of sorts may be in order if one is to fully embrace the holiday and all the joy it brings. Children do it but they don't know any better. As adults, we could take a lesson or two from our children. And yet the message from the Church and their merry band of pernicious child molesters is always the same. You better watch out, you better not shout.
This is turning out to be a very dark post indeed. I had intended about to write about Nancy and her occasional morning walk through our local cemetery. She has been complaining as of late about scowling dogs and uproarious yips from leashed and unleashed animals beyond the tree line that are enough to make even boldest of walkers fearful for their lives. I suggested that she might be wise to carry a can of mace or like deterrent in order to repel an attack should that occur.
She responded that she didn't want to take the chance that it might well further infuriate her attacker rather than repel it. "How about Tiger Lady", I inquired. You know, the hand held device that morphs into a claw of sorts and collects DNA of the attacker if used appropriately. Well, if there is a canine version then maybe that would work. "Maybe you should carry a gun", I said with a grin.
There was enough of a pause where I thought for a split second that she thought it might be a good idea. One that she could work with anyway. That would be, in my estimation, a lawful use of a firearm should she wish to deploy it under the right circumstances. Before I'm willing to put a pearl handled revolver beneath the tree for the holidays I'll need to make sure I schedule plenty of time at the range for my darling. Repetition will be key.
She'll need just the right garter to holster the weapon but that may be nothing more than a fantasy right out of a Victoria's Secret catalogue. You shouldn't have to hike anything these days much less your skirt in order to gain access to your weapon. She inquired as well about local laws where carrying guns is concerned and I assured her that we no longer need approval from the local constabulary in order to carry a concealed weapon. Until and unless she needs a bump stock to stop multiple attacks, I think we're good to go.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
Chapter and Verse
21/12/18 09:30
I don't think there's a lick of snow on the ground within a 50 mile radius of our home. If there are any licks to speak of, the torrential rains and temperatures in the mid fifties forecast for today will surely melt the last of them. That's fine. I'm not expecting Santa to bring me a sled when Christmas day rolls around so no snow is not a problem. The bigger question for me today is what the heck I'll be doing for exercise now that riding my bike looks like a non-starter.
I think I've been riding my bike 5 or 6 days straight now so maybe it's time for a day off. You get in a groove of sorts and you just want to ride that puppy to the end wherever that end takes you. This time of the year, grooves are hard to find and maybe it's time to start thinking "transition." Sooner or later we'll have snow and that just makes it more difficult all around to do anything consistent on the highway. I renewed my gym membership so it's just a matter of time before I transition to that environment.
Nancy is off attending to this and that this morning so the Ev man and I are on our own. She asked if I might like to have something from the one or two places she expects to end up at by midday and I responded with a lackadaisical "not really." I suggested that she check in with Evan to see if there isn't something that he might like her to bring home. I'm almost certain that he'll ask her to bring him something to eat. I'm always losing track as to whether he's having a late breakfast, an early lunch, a meal that he's missed completely, or his only real meal of the day. The fact that I worry about such things and the fact that he doesn't is concerning to me longer term. His condition being what it is, that is.
I hope I or Nancy remember to tell Aunt Debbie when we see her during the holidays that Nancy and Evan have been hunkered down while watching that Netflix favorite "Breaking Bad." It's an oldie but goodie I suppose and Debbie recommended it a while back and was surprised that we hadn't seen it. It may be Evan's second time around seeing the series but Nancy's first and she agreed to Evan's request to join her in that revisitation.
It's an odd sort of mother-son activity if you ask me but if it works for them then it works for me. Nancy has told me time and time again that if I am ever laid up for a bit that I should watch it too. We have a minimum of 4-5 shows in the queue at any given time so what's another show? How many seasons are there again?
Since I never watch television during the day that leaves me to see everything I need to see at night. Truth be told, I have a limited attention span when it comes to that sort of activity since it requires what seems to me to be an extraordinary stretch of time doing nothing but sitting in front of a television screen. I guess the same can be said for reading and I'l be the first to admit that I enjoy doing that but doing it consistently is more problematic.
Having a good book or two in the queue helps. I don't know if it's a problem or not but I'll start some books and then just stop reading them after a chapter or two. Since there is something to be said for finishing things that you start, never finishing is not a good thing.
And I cannot say with any degree of certainty that I have a preference for fiction over non-fiction or any other of the genres readily available. I don't think I "get" poetry so stay clear of that genre. Biographies, while fascinating to contemplate, are typically several hundred pages longer than I am willing to endure. There is that ADD thing again.
I'm a little too distracted as well by a variety of external and internal inputs to give in to the pleasantries of an audio book although I welcome the challenge from time to time only to discover that I'm really not up to it. The good news is that my personal collection of things to read is as extensive and diverse as it needs to be such that I'll never be without a good book to read if that is what I'm wanting to do. Keep it under 300 pages, Hermann Wouk's books aside, and I'm in with both feet.
I'm a different sort of distracted today though and I'm watching, listening, tweeting, and otherwise very tuned in to what's happening in our country's capitol, Washington DC. There is an epic battle going down between our two major political parties over one of Donald Trump's signature policy promises. He promised that he would build a "big beautiful wall" on our southern border and he was going to make Mexico pay for it.
He is still trying to work out the kinks over who is going to pay for it but in the meantime his party cohorts in congress have added $5b in funding for the wall to a spending bill that has been passed by the House and now faces an uphill battle in the Senate today.
Trump's supporters want the government shut down and the spending bill vetoed by the president if the $5b is not approved. Trump seems to be in agreement with that position after certain fits and starts so we'll see how the Senate votes today. The conservative wing of the party was up in arms when they learned that Trump was not going to push for the funding but has since relented.
With pressure ramping up from the populist orbits around Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, there was only one thing left for Trump to do if he had any designs on getting re-elected come 2020. If they (democrats) don't give Trump his funding for the wall, Trump will close down the government. It will be furthermore referred to as the "Schumer Shutdown."
As if you needed to add anything to this quagmire of quandaries, his defense Secretary "Mad Dog" Mattis has tendered his resignation over Trump's unilateral decision to pull troops out of both Afghanistan and Syria thereby giving the main street media yet one more reason to declare the president unfit and unqualified to hold the office of president.
Did I mention that Secretary Neilson arranged with the Mexican government that any and all illegal aliens wishing to gain asylum in the US will have to wait in Mexico while their cases are being adjudicated. No longer will they have a chance to disappear in the United States with their cases pending. All this winning is killing me! Trump promised us that we would get tired of winning. He was right!
I think I've been riding my bike 5 or 6 days straight now so maybe it's time for a day off. You get in a groove of sorts and you just want to ride that puppy to the end wherever that end takes you. This time of the year, grooves are hard to find and maybe it's time to start thinking "transition." Sooner or later we'll have snow and that just makes it more difficult all around to do anything consistent on the highway. I renewed my gym membership so it's just a matter of time before I transition to that environment.
Nancy is off attending to this and that this morning so the Ev man and I are on our own. She asked if I might like to have something from the one or two places she expects to end up at by midday and I responded with a lackadaisical "not really." I suggested that she check in with Evan to see if there isn't something that he might like her to bring home. I'm almost certain that he'll ask her to bring him something to eat. I'm always losing track as to whether he's having a late breakfast, an early lunch, a meal that he's missed completely, or his only real meal of the day. The fact that I worry about such things and the fact that he doesn't is concerning to me longer term. His condition being what it is, that is.
I hope I or Nancy remember to tell Aunt Debbie when we see her during the holidays that Nancy and Evan have been hunkered down while watching that Netflix favorite "Breaking Bad." It's an oldie but goodie I suppose and Debbie recommended it a while back and was surprised that we hadn't seen it. It may be Evan's second time around seeing the series but Nancy's first and she agreed to Evan's request to join her in that revisitation.
It's an odd sort of mother-son activity if you ask me but if it works for them then it works for me. Nancy has told me time and time again that if I am ever laid up for a bit that I should watch it too. We have a minimum of 4-5 shows in the queue at any given time so what's another show? How many seasons are there again?
Since I never watch television during the day that leaves me to see everything I need to see at night. Truth be told, I have a limited attention span when it comes to that sort of activity since it requires what seems to me to be an extraordinary stretch of time doing nothing but sitting in front of a television screen. I guess the same can be said for reading and I'l be the first to admit that I enjoy doing that but doing it consistently is more problematic.
Having a good book or two in the queue helps. I don't know if it's a problem or not but I'll start some books and then just stop reading them after a chapter or two. Since there is something to be said for finishing things that you start, never finishing is not a good thing.
And I cannot say with any degree of certainty that I have a preference for fiction over non-fiction or any other of the genres readily available. I don't think I "get" poetry so stay clear of that genre. Biographies, while fascinating to contemplate, are typically several hundred pages longer than I am willing to endure. There is that ADD thing again.
I'm a little too distracted as well by a variety of external and internal inputs to give in to the pleasantries of an audio book although I welcome the challenge from time to time only to discover that I'm really not up to it. The good news is that my personal collection of things to read is as extensive and diverse as it needs to be such that I'll never be without a good book to read if that is what I'm wanting to do. Keep it under 300 pages, Hermann Wouk's books aside, and I'm in with both feet.
I'm a different sort of distracted today though and I'm watching, listening, tweeting, and otherwise very tuned in to what's happening in our country's capitol, Washington DC. There is an epic battle going down between our two major political parties over one of Donald Trump's signature policy promises. He promised that he would build a "big beautiful wall" on our southern border and he was going to make Mexico pay for it.
He is still trying to work out the kinks over who is going to pay for it but in the meantime his party cohorts in congress have added $5b in funding for the wall to a spending bill that has been passed by the House and now faces an uphill battle in the Senate today.
Trump's supporters want the government shut down and the spending bill vetoed by the president if the $5b is not approved. Trump seems to be in agreement with that position after certain fits and starts so we'll see how the Senate votes today. The conservative wing of the party was up in arms when they learned that Trump was not going to push for the funding but has since relented.
With pressure ramping up from the populist orbits around Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, there was only one thing left for Trump to do if he had any designs on getting re-elected come 2020. If they (democrats) don't give Trump his funding for the wall, Trump will close down the government. It will be furthermore referred to as the "Schumer Shutdown."
As if you needed to add anything to this quagmire of quandaries, his defense Secretary "Mad Dog" Mattis has tendered his resignation over Trump's unilateral decision to pull troops out of both Afghanistan and Syria thereby giving the main street media yet one more reason to declare the president unfit and unqualified to hold the office of president.
Did I mention that Secretary Neilson arranged with the Mexican government that any and all illegal aliens wishing to gain asylum in the US will have to wait in Mexico while their cases are being adjudicated. No longer will they have a chance to disappear in the United States with their cases pending. All this winning is killing me! Trump promised us that we would get tired of winning. He was right!
Angels On High
20/12/18 10:01
We finally got our Christmas tree for the 2018 holiday. The Rotary Club was closing up shop when we drove by and there wasn't a tree left on the lot. Certainly, we'd rather make a donation to the Club for all the good they do for the community but if they have no trees then I guess we'll have to mail them a check (or not.) Or, maybe we'll just plan to go a bit earlier next year so they have lots of trees to choose from. We found a lot in North Hampton that had plenty of trees available but not before several anxious moments behind the wheel while driving there where the absence of trees on car tops was noticeable and notable.
"What if we can't find a tree", lamented my poor darling wife. The strain in her voice was palpable and disconcerting to say the least. Before I had a chance to take my share of the blame for the foot dragging that goes on endlessly this time of the year and every year since we've gone looking for Christmas trees we saw a roadside stand in the distance with plenty of trees still available for sale.
There were no prices posted but each of the 50 or so trees remaining on the lot had multi-colored ribbons which more than likely denoted a particular price tag. At a minimum we expected to see a price chart for the various colored ribbons but we found none and didn't press the attendant other than to ultimately ask him about the price of the specific tree we were interested in buying.
It was a reasonably pleasant day for mid December with plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the upper thirties, and not much of a breeze so we had the luxury of perusing the many trees at our leisure. If you owned a pair of gloves maybe you had them on and maybe you didn't. There were only a few parties milling about doing the same thing as us so we weren't feeling pressure one way or another to make a hasty decision.
We've never been in a bidding war when buy a Christmas tree but we were prepared to go the distance were it to come to that. Thankfully, the fellow assisting us was kind enough and patient enough such that we were pretty much sold on the first or second tree that caught our attention but not before going up and down the line just to be sure. Some were too short, some were too tall, some were scrubby and squat, and some were destined never to be sold.
I can be a sucker for the runt of the litter but not when it comes to taking home a Christmas tree. It reminds me of the year where we looked around in vain just a day or two before the holiday only to find the last tree in stock at Walmart and paying $5 before loading it into the car. She turned out to be a real beauty and maybe one of the better trees we've had. It was for sure the best $5 we've spent although it was a long time ago and memories can be tricky about such things.
Evan was on and off the fence about joining us to go get the tree. He wasn't interested in going with us when we talked about going to the Rotary Club in Portsmouth but was more than willing to go along were we to take a ride to North Hampton. He's funny that way these days. I think he wanted to help if he thought we might need help putting the tree on top of the car or otherwise securing it but getting involved in the actual selection of the tree was not in his wheelhouse on that particular day.
Ultimately, I think his preference was not to join us at all and it came as no surprise when he decided not to come along. If there is one thing we know for sure about that boy, it is that he can be a persnickety fellow when he wants to be. And then there are other times when what you see is what you get. You just never know. I don't think he laid eyes on the tree once before it was put up and decorated so that was that.
Nancy whimpered here and there while hanging ornaments that brought back memories of better times. We talked past each other when discussing the possible purchase of new ornaments, the origin and remembrances of existing ornaments, and just how delighted we were with the tree we ended up with in 2018.
We regretted not buying a larger mat to go beneath the tree to protect our new wood floors but thus far that seems not to be an issue. Shedding of the needles is minimal and the tree is just too tall by the right amount such that it holds the tree in place against the ceiling without the need for any additional bracing one way or another.
If that means the Baby Jesus or one of his angels doesn't have a place to sit at the top of our tree this Christmas then so be it. It's not detracting in the least so far but the holiday is yet to arrive so we may yet regret not finding a place for him. Whether we can in good conscience enjoy everything there is to enjoy during the Christmas season without that being the case, including the music of Christmas which endlessly sings his praises and rightly so, only time will tell. If we thought for one moment that it would make a difference when and where divine intervention is concerned you can bet your bottom dollar we'd be there with bells on. I'm just not so sure anymore.
"What if we can't find a tree", lamented my poor darling wife. The strain in her voice was palpable and disconcerting to say the least. Before I had a chance to take my share of the blame for the foot dragging that goes on endlessly this time of the year and every year since we've gone looking for Christmas trees we saw a roadside stand in the distance with plenty of trees still available for sale.
There were no prices posted but each of the 50 or so trees remaining on the lot had multi-colored ribbons which more than likely denoted a particular price tag. At a minimum we expected to see a price chart for the various colored ribbons but we found none and didn't press the attendant other than to ultimately ask him about the price of the specific tree we were interested in buying.
It was a reasonably pleasant day for mid December with plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the upper thirties, and not much of a breeze so we had the luxury of perusing the many trees at our leisure. If you owned a pair of gloves maybe you had them on and maybe you didn't. There were only a few parties milling about doing the same thing as us so we weren't feeling pressure one way or another to make a hasty decision.
We've never been in a bidding war when buy a Christmas tree but we were prepared to go the distance were it to come to that. Thankfully, the fellow assisting us was kind enough and patient enough such that we were pretty much sold on the first or second tree that caught our attention but not before going up and down the line just to be sure. Some were too short, some were too tall, some were scrubby and squat, and some were destined never to be sold.
I can be a sucker for the runt of the litter but not when it comes to taking home a Christmas tree. It reminds me of the year where we looked around in vain just a day or two before the holiday only to find the last tree in stock at Walmart and paying $5 before loading it into the car. She turned out to be a real beauty and maybe one of the better trees we've had. It was for sure the best $5 we've spent although it was a long time ago and memories can be tricky about such things.
Evan was on and off the fence about joining us to go get the tree. He wasn't interested in going with us when we talked about going to the Rotary Club in Portsmouth but was more than willing to go along were we to take a ride to North Hampton. He's funny that way these days. I think he wanted to help if he thought we might need help putting the tree on top of the car or otherwise securing it but getting involved in the actual selection of the tree was not in his wheelhouse on that particular day.
Ultimately, I think his preference was not to join us at all and it came as no surprise when he decided not to come along. If there is one thing we know for sure about that boy, it is that he can be a persnickety fellow when he wants to be. And then there are other times when what you see is what you get. You just never know. I don't think he laid eyes on the tree once before it was put up and decorated so that was that.
Nancy whimpered here and there while hanging ornaments that brought back memories of better times. We talked past each other when discussing the possible purchase of new ornaments, the origin and remembrances of existing ornaments, and just how delighted we were with the tree we ended up with in 2018.
We regretted not buying a larger mat to go beneath the tree to protect our new wood floors but thus far that seems not to be an issue. Shedding of the needles is minimal and the tree is just too tall by the right amount such that it holds the tree in place against the ceiling without the need for any additional bracing one way or another.
If that means the Baby Jesus or one of his angels doesn't have a place to sit at the top of our tree this Christmas then so be it. It's not detracting in the least so far but the holiday is yet to arrive so we may yet regret not finding a place for him. Whether we can in good conscience enjoy everything there is to enjoy during the Christmas season without that being the case, including the music of Christmas which endlessly sings his praises and rightly so, only time will tell. If we thought for one moment that it would make a difference when and where divine intervention is concerned you can bet your bottom dollar we'd be there with bells on. I'm just not so sure anymore.
Naughty or Nice
06/12/18 08:02
If Evan wants to have a designated cooking pot then he needs to attend to it after he uses it. How is it exactly that after all this time he needs to be reminded of such things? I guess that will be something for him to think about when he moves to his new place. We took a swing by Newmarket the other day just as it was getting dark to take a closer look at his prospective place but he seemed less than interested once we arrived. Cmon, Ev, let's go take a look, we urged him. He wasn't having any of it.
We were practically across the street from the house and we were parked on a busy downtown street to be sure. Busy enough in fact that if we had to guess we might have guessed that it wasn't his cup of tea. Too busy, too many strollers, too many of this and too many of that. He wasn't communicating this in so many words but his actions spoke clearly and decisively. Maybe that place in Exeter off the grid comparatively speaking would be a better choice. We know one thing for sure. This process is going to take time.
I want to make sure that I keep after Nancy to make sure that we stay on track with our annual donations during the holidays. Sometimes I just need her to point me in the right direction and I can take care of the rest. This year I have been charged with buying or ordering the items of interest and delivering them by a date specific. I can do this. I'm half way there truth be told although I may have to rely on Nancy for the wrapping and such. I could do the wrapping but she has the touch. Me, not so much.
As we all know, presentation is everything. Well, almost everything. And these things will come in handy for those receiving them so they will be practical gifts by and large. Nancy wanted to be sure that the gifts could not be easily converted to cash so that the recipient might well turn in the gifts in exchange for alcohol or other. I suppose if someone wants to smoke, inject, or drink his or her gifts that's their business. Having said that, it won't be on Nancy's dime. No sir-eee Bob, Not on her dime.
I don't know when I became a stickler for such things but it's for the best when I think about it. It all came to a head of sorts when the holiday season began. I noticed around about late November that every time I checked our mailbox, infrequently as I do since Nancy is in charge of such things, that it was inordinately full. So much so in fact that I began to concern myself with the machinations required to deliver mail and the cogs in the proverbial wheel along any mail route. It's just a matter of time, I thought to myself, before we begin to receive notices from the post office that our mail has being diverted to the post office due to lack of space in our mail box.
To say that our mailbox has been a cog stuffed as it has been with very little to no space remaining for the new incoming items would be an understatement. I envisioned the mail person having to get out of his or her delivery truck and pushing with both hands and the full force of their body just to squeeze it all in. I wanted no part of this charade and to think that my darling's laziness or insensitivity to such things created a hardship or worse for anyone much less our mail person is simply unacceptable. Ahem, can I have a word?
Explanations and promises were in short supply so I jumped in with both feet. I'll pick up the mail from now on and that will be that. I'm still not sure to this day whether the problem is an extension of her hoarding tendencies or simply a natural reaction to the oversupply of this, that, and the other thing or things that end up in our mailbox during the holiday season. Maybe she is thinking why pick up the mail every day when I (she) can pick it up every third or fourth day.
That just doesn't cut the mustard this time of year. And where is her empathy for the poor mail person who has to struggle to get things in the mailbox each and every day. Furthermore, does she not realize or even care that her indifference to what is or isn't in the mailbox can be a serious problem for the person delivering the mail?
If every mailbox were chock full with no room to spare, that would be a logistical nightmare. They would need to pass laws, impose penalties, post restrictions, and it could mean the difference between naughty and nice especially around the holidays. I'm more than happy to lend a helping hand this holiday season so that no one person is unduly burdened. Besides, getting on the good side, or more importantly, staying off the bad side of your postal person, should be high on everyone's list this time of year.
There, I said it.
We were practically across the street from the house and we were parked on a busy downtown street to be sure. Busy enough in fact that if we had to guess we might have guessed that it wasn't his cup of tea. Too busy, too many strollers, too many of this and too many of that. He wasn't communicating this in so many words but his actions spoke clearly and decisively. Maybe that place in Exeter off the grid comparatively speaking would be a better choice. We know one thing for sure. This process is going to take time.
I want to make sure that I keep after Nancy to make sure that we stay on track with our annual donations during the holidays. Sometimes I just need her to point me in the right direction and I can take care of the rest. This year I have been charged with buying or ordering the items of interest and delivering them by a date specific. I can do this. I'm half way there truth be told although I may have to rely on Nancy for the wrapping and such. I could do the wrapping but she has the touch. Me, not so much.
As we all know, presentation is everything. Well, almost everything. And these things will come in handy for those receiving them so they will be practical gifts by and large. Nancy wanted to be sure that the gifts could not be easily converted to cash so that the recipient might well turn in the gifts in exchange for alcohol or other. I suppose if someone wants to smoke, inject, or drink his or her gifts that's their business. Having said that, it won't be on Nancy's dime. No sir-eee Bob, Not on her dime.
I don't know when I became a stickler for such things but it's for the best when I think about it. It all came to a head of sorts when the holiday season began. I noticed around about late November that every time I checked our mailbox, infrequently as I do since Nancy is in charge of such things, that it was inordinately full. So much so in fact that I began to concern myself with the machinations required to deliver mail and the cogs in the proverbial wheel along any mail route. It's just a matter of time, I thought to myself, before we begin to receive notices from the post office that our mail has being diverted to the post office due to lack of space in our mail box.
To say that our mailbox has been a cog stuffed as it has been with very little to no space remaining for the new incoming items would be an understatement. I envisioned the mail person having to get out of his or her delivery truck and pushing with both hands and the full force of their body just to squeeze it all in. I wanted no part of this charade and to think that my darling's laziness or insensitivity to such things created a hardship or worse for anyone much less our mail person is simply unacceptable. Ahem, can I have a word?
Explanations and promises were in short supply so I jumped in with both feet. I'll pick up the mail from now on and that will be that. I'm still not sure to this day whether the problem is an extension of her hoarding tendencies or simply a natural reaction to the oversupply of this, that, and the other thing or things that end up in our mailbox during the holiday season. Maybe she is thinking why pick up the mail every day when I (she) can pick it up every third or fourth day.
That just doesn't cut the mustard this time of year. And where is her empathy for the poor mail person who has to struggle to get things in the mailbox each and every day. Furthermore, does she not realize or even care that her indifference to what is or isn't in the mailbox can be a serious problem for the person delivering the mail?
If every mailbox were chock full with no room to spare, that would be a logistical nightmare. They would need to pass laws, impose penalties, post restrictions, and it could mean the difference between naughty and nice especially around the holidays. I'm more than happy to lend a helping hand this holiday season so that no one person is unduly burdened. Besides, getting on the good side, or more importantly, staying off the bad side of your postal person, should be high on everyone's list this time of year.
There, I said it.
Gotta Start Somewhere
27/11/18 07:30
Hells bells! He's back. Not sure for how long but he's back. It feels odd to be sitting here doing this truth be told. If I can cut through the usual pomp and circumstance I might get to say a few words that are worth keeping. Maybe not caring so much about that sort of thing will make a difference going forward. I do feel as though I am at a particular juncture in my life where I can go one way or another and it doesn't matter which way I go. None of that involves the people in my life and it's all just me. Can you think of anything more boring? So what if I wear more blue than black in the year 2019? Or, more polyester than wool? Fewer wingtips and more loafers? Here's a keeper for you. How about more protein and less carbs? I don't think I have the rules down on when to use "fewer" and when to use "less" so I probably ought to work on that. Not that anybody would notice.
I don't know how how on earth I am going to catch up since I last sat down to write in this here journal. Some things don't change much and other things change a lot. There are some things I don't want to talk about and other things I talked about a lot before and now, well, not so much. This is the thirty thousand foot view, folks. Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas and New Year's lie ahead. I'm a little less focused on politics these days and I have no talk radio on at this really hour but rather holiday music coming to me thanks to Sirius. I'm making more of an effort to read books of interest but find that having too many books to choose from makes making choices difficult. I tried reading multiple books at once and that became overwhelming so I stopped altogether. I'm back to reading one at a time which is what I think most people do. The more things change the more they stay the same?
When people ask how I'm making out in retirement I say unabashedly that it took me a couple of years to find my groove. I only say that because this year compared to the past two years prior has been a very productive year. My checklist of things to do started small and grew exponentially throughout the year. It's not enough to have a list though. You need to get things done. Evan helped early on when I needed a hand staining a certain section of the back porch and despite paying him handsomely for his services he soon lost interest. It seems he never got his arms around that feeling of accomplishment that propels the do-it-yourself crowd to start small and end big. His mother and I always implored him to "end strong" when he was in school and I think that sentiment might have been lost on him. Anyway, I kept going and before the Fall was out I had stained most of the house myself. Just so you know, that was but one of many things I took on in 2018. Maybe even one of many many things.
Did I mention that I am still riding my bike as the weather permits? In years past you wouldn't find me riding when the temperatures went below 40. I don't really know what changed but I'm doing the thirties now and loving every minute of it. I'm careful not to ride when the temperatures fall below freezing since hitting an ice patch could be dangerous. I'm reckless enough as it is but prefer the open road to the confines of a sweaty gym so I'm staying the course for now. As long as temperatures permit and there is sufficient space in the bike lanes to ride Ill be riding. Nancy's bike is in the shed until Spring. Need I say more? Oh, and cleaning out the shed was the hardest thing I had to do this year. I even paid somebody to come and take away the riding mower that hasn't been used for years. That and multiple trips to the local recycling center got the job done.
2018 was so productive that I worried that if I didn't leave some things undone I might not have anything to do with myself in 2019. Can you imagine? So, I left some thing undone. There are areas in the garage that need painting, I have a wood pile that needs to get relocated, I have a clothesline post that will need to be dug up and replaced, and that is all just for starters. Just for starters. Maybe that will be my motto for 2019.
I don't know how how on earth I am going to catch up since I last sat down to write in this here journal. Some things don't change much and other things change a lot. There are some things I don't want to talk about and other things I talked about a lot before and now, well, not so much. This is the thirty thousand foot view, folks. Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas and New Year's lie ahead. I'm a little less focused on politics these days and I have no talk radio on at this really hour but rather holiday music coming to me thanks to Sirius. I'm making more of an effort to read books of interest but find that having too many books to choose from makes making choices difficult. I tried reading multiple books at once and that became overwhelming so I stopped altogether. I'm back to reading one at a time which is what I think most people do. The more things change the more they stay the same?
When people ask how I'm making out in retirement I say unabashedly that it took me a couple of years to find my groove. I only say that because this year compared to the past two years prior has been a very productive year. My checklist of things to do started small and grew exponentially throughout the year. It's not enough to have a list though. You need to get things done. Evan helped early on when I needed a hand staining a certain section of the back porch and despite paying him handsomely for his services he soon lost interest. It seems he never got his arms around that feeling of accomplishment that propels the do-it-yourself crowd to start small and end big. His mother and I always implored him to "end strong" when he was in school and I think that sentiment might have been lost on him. Anyway, I kept going and before the Fall was out I had stained most of the house myself. Just so you know, that was but one of many things I took on in 2018. Maybe even one of many many things.
Did I mention that I am still riding my bike as the weather permits? In years past you wouldn't find me riding when the temperatures went below 40. I don't really know what changed but I'm doing the thirties now and loving every minute of it. I'm careful not to ride when the temperatures fall below freezing since hitting an ice patch could be dangerous. I'm reckless enough as it is but prefer the open road to the confines of a sweaty gym so I'm staying the course for now. As long as temperatures permit and there is sufficient space in the bike lanes to ride Ill be riding. Nancy's bike is in the shed until Spring. Need I say more? Oh, and cleaning out the shed was the hardest thing I had to do this year. I even paid somebody to come and take away the riding mower that hasn't been used for years. That and multiple trips to the local recycling center got the job done.
2018 was so productive that I worried that if I didn't leave some things undone I might not have anything to do with myself in 2019. Can you imagine? So, I left some thing undone. There are areas in the garage that need painting, I have a wood pile that needs to get relocated, I have a clothesline post that will need to be dug up and replaced, and that is all just for starters. Just for starters. Maybe that will be my motto for 2019.
On a Wing and a Prayer
20/07/18 17:40
One of these days I'm going to come down the hill and into the intersection riding my bicycle like a bat out of hell and I will miss seeing a car rapidly approaching from my left while looking to the right. I may miss seeing one or more pedestrians on foot walking or running in the deep shadows of the many ancient elms that straddle the intersection. I will perhaps miss seeing a bicyclist coming pell mell from my left or right. I may even miss that which is totally unforeseen, and that will be that.
It's that funky little voice in my head telling me that all bets are off and, if nothing else, life is a collection of opportunities where you go for the gusto or you go home. Looking both ways as I near the intersection in real time is a given. Processing what I see traveling at the speed of light is part wishful thinking and part reality. Separating the two is a matter of life and death and therein lies the thrill.
I've mapped out the landscape in my brain so I know and can instantly recognize patterns or objects at a glance that do not otherwise belong within microseconds of entering the intersection while traveling at near warp speed. I similarly make appropriate adjustments on the fly for seasonal changes where acorns or debris from the trees might lie in or across my path. Whether I see any of them in time to apply my hand brakes is an altogether different matter. There is barely time to care about such things much less act in such a way as to prevent an accident or minimize the impact of same.
My apparent death wish notwithstanding, getting up a head of steam by barreling down the hill at breakneck speed gives me something of a running head start as I round the corner and head up the slight incline in the final stretch of my ride. As unfortunate as it is, from time to time there are cars ahead of me coming down the hill and we are forced to approach the intersection in tandem exercising as we do the appropriate due diligence. As annoying as that can be, divine intervention is always welcome.
The incline that lies ahead then becomes a slog of sorts and one that could have been avoided had the intersection not been clogged with local traffic. The setting is more akin to a country back road than a busy city intersection so it works out to my benefit more often than not. That is to say, I'm able to fly down the hill and around the corner without incident. I'm halfway up the incline before my momentum breaks and then my only remaining concern is traffic coming up behind and aside me.
Truth be told, I'm forever mindful as I should be of senior citizens, trucks with swing out mirrors, inattentive drivers, texters, and people who would not have my best interests in mind. But I am in the final stretch now so it's all good. The bicycle path along the highway is well defined and there is a sufficient space just off the path on which to travel if necessary. Most drivers appear to honor the "share the road" mindset and move over or slow down in order to accommodate bicyclists. With any luck I will see those who don't in good time. God willing.
It's that funky little voice in my head telling me that all bets are off and, if nothing else, life is a collection of opportunities where you go for the gusto or you go home. Looking both ways as I near the intersection in real time is a given. Processing what I see traveling at the speed of light is part wishful thinking and part reality. Separating the two is a matter of life and death and therein lies the thrill.
I've mapped out the landscape in my brain so I know and can instantly recognize patterns or objects at a glance that do not otherwise belong within microseconds of entering the intersection while traveling at near warp speed. I similarly make appropriate adjustments on the fly for seasonal changes where acorns or debris from the trees might lie in or across my path. Whether I see any of them in time to apply my hand brakes is an altogether different matter. There is barely time to care about such things much less act in such a way as to prevent an accident or minimize the impact of same.
My apparent death wish notwithstanding, getting up a head of steam by barreling down the hill at breakneck speed gives me something of a running head start as I round the corner and head up the slight incline in the final stretch of my ride. As unfortunate as it is, from time to time there are cars ahead of me coming down the hill and we are forced to approach the intersection in tandem exercising as we do the appropriate due diligence. As annoying as that can be, divine intervention is always welcome.
The incline that lies ahead then becomes a slog of sorts and one that could have been avoided had the intersection not been clogged with local traffic. The setting is more akin to a country back road than a busy city intersection so it works out to my benefit more often than not. That is to say, I'm able to fly down the hill and around the corner without incident. I'm halfway up the incline before my momentum breaks and then my only remaining concern is traffic coming up behind and aside me.
Truth be told, I'm forever mindful as I should be of senior citizens, trucks with swing out mirrors, inattentive drivers, texters, and people who would not have my best interests in mind. But I am in the final stretch now so it's all good. The bicycle path along the highway is well defined and there is a sufficient space just off the path on which to travel if necessary. Most drivers appear to honor the "share the road" mindset and move over or slow down in order to accommodate bicyclists. With any luck I will see those who don't in good time. God willing.
Flying the Coop
15/07/18 19:01
I read somewhere that you are supposed to clean the thatch out of your bird houses between broods. Who knew? I've been doing that for the first time ever since spring going into summer and now into the month of July. Not long after the first group of sparrows flew the coop went silent and I took advantage of that moment to clean out the thick thatch in preparation for a new nest. It's quite amazing, really, at just how complex the nest is and you don't realize it until you go to extract it after the fact. I couldn't tell whether it was dense and matted as a result of having supported a family of birds for a period of time or whether the thickness and complexity of the thatch was a result of some DNA driven design.
I was a little disappointed the first time around that I didn't get to see the fledglings leave the nest. That was not my goal, per se, but it would have been the icing on the cake after watching their collective activity for the better part of two to three weeks. I was also struck at just how attentive the parents were in feeding and otherwise attending to the needs of their offspring. The parents appeared to take turns bring food to thee three gaping mouths darting in and out of the circular hole at the front of the birdhouse and were equally attentive to removing what appeared to be unnecessary waste at regular intervals.
While we tend not to look for our own attributes in the activities of other of God's creatures on this planet we call Earth, it is inescapable not to conclude that we all share a common genetic goal or predisposition when it comes to procreation, family, and the furtherance of our own species. Not to go all Darwin on you or anything but it helps to pay attention to such things. Only then can you even begin to appreciate it all and even marvel at the scheme playing out before your eyes.
I watched with growing interest as the second set of fledglings grew large enough to sit in the opening of the birdhouse only to be coaxed out and on the wing one at a time by one or both of the parents. Not to be outdone by their siblings, the remaining fledglings took to flight after seeing what appeared to be diminishing returns when considering what their parents were willing to do or not do now that their brood had reached maturity. The absence of options can be a motivating factor and with any luck the young birds will now complete yet another cycle of life and will do for their young what their parents did so capably for them.
Presidents' Putin and Trump are at this very moment sitting down for a one-on-one meeting in Helsinki, Finland. They had met in passing on two other occasions going back to November 2016 but this was pre-planned as a summit of sorts where the two will have an opportunity to discuss world affairs, etc. There is an equally nefarious backdrop to this whole arrangement where certain American "news" outlets have been and continue to refer to Trump as a Russian agent and a puppet of Putin.
One day removed from the press conference that followed the sit-down, it is clear that the fifth column had their narratives laid out in advance and their rage machine primed to pin labels like "treason", "traitor", and "disastrous" on President Trump without any regard to the truth. The New York Times published a carricature as if on cue portraying Trump and Putin as lovers not realizing that they were using homophobia as a backdrop to their comedic insanity.
The media continues to conflate Trump's comments about the so-called "witch hunt" as Trump being critical of his own intelligence agencies appraisals of Russian interference with our elections when, in fact, Trump has always referred to Mueller's probe of his alleged collusion with the Russians as a "witch hunt." They also point to the fact that Trump has never been openly critical of Putin as proof of his selling out American's interests and acting in the best interests of the Russians.
The Russian conspiracy angle was hatched by Hillary Clinton and her minions when she realized that she might well be on the losing end of an election to which she thought she was otherwise entitled. She thought she had a clear path to the presidency and with a wink and a nod to the progressives who came before her she thought she would easily overcome the insurgent campaign of one Donald J. Trump. After all, he used to be a democrat, didn't he?
The extent of the involvement of so-called establishment forces, including a labyrinth of governmental agencies in her expected ascension to the highest office in the land, was considerable indeed and the surprise and dismay in the wake of her loss became a rallying cry for liberals, progressives, the left wing media, and anti-Trumpers alike.
These are the same institutions today who cannot and will not indulge a president that they did not vote for, did not and will not support, continue to tear down at every opportunity even if it means destroying our Republic, and with their every breath do promote and spin liberal and progressive narratives that to further their cause. A civil war may be the only way to settle this matter once and for all. Take your sides and make your peace is what I say.
I was a little disappointed the first time around that I didn't get to see the fledglings leave the nest. That was not my goal, per se, but it would have been the icing on the cake after watching their collective activity for the better part of two to three weeks. I was also struck at just how attentive the parents were in feeding and otherwise attending to the needs of their offspring. The parents appeared to take turns bring food to thee three gaping mouths darting in and out of the circular hole at the front of the birdhouse and were equally attentive to removing what appeared to be unnecessary waste at regular intervals.
While we tend not to look for our own attributes in the activities of other of God's creatures on this planet we call Earth, it is inescapable not to conclude that we all share a common genetic goal or predisposition when it comes to procreation, family, and the furtherance of our own species. Not to go all Darwin on you or anything but it helps to pay attention to such things. Only then can you even begin to appreciate it all and even marvel at the scheme playing out before your eyes.
I watched with growing interest as the second set of fledglings grew large enough to sit in the opening of the birdhouse only to be coaxed out and on the wing one at a time by one or both of the parents. Not to be outdone by their siblings, the remaining fledglings took to flight after seeing what appeared to be diminishing returns when considering what their parents were willing to do or not do now that their brood had reached maturity. The absence of options can be a motivating factor and with any luck the young birds will now complete yet another cycle of life and will do for their young what their parents did so capably for them.
Presidents' Putin and Trump are at this very moment sitting down for a one-on-one meeting in Helsinki, Finland. They had met in passing on two other occasions going back to November 2016 but this was pre-planned as a summit of sorts where the two will have an opportunity to discuss world affairs, etc. There is an equally nefarious backdrop to this whole arrangement where certain American "news" outlets have been and continue to refer to Trump as a Russian agent and a puppet of Putin.
One day removed from the press conference that followed the sit-down, it is clear that the fifth column had their narratives laid out in advance and their rage machine primed to pin labels like "treason", "traitor", and "disastrous" on President Trump without any regard to the truth. The New York Times published a carricature as if on cue portraying Trump and Putin as lovers not realizing that they were using homophobia as a backdrop to their comedic insanity.
The media continues to conflate Trump's comments about the so-called "witch hunt" as Trump being critical of his own intelligence agencies appraisals of Russian interference with our elections when, in fact, Trump has always referred to Mueller's probe of his alleged collusion with the Russians as a "witch hunt." They also point to the fact that Trump has never been openly critical of Putin as proof of his selling out American's interests and acting in the best interests of the Russians.
The Russian conspiracy angle was hatched by Hillary Clinton and her minions when she realized that she might well be on the losing end of an election to which she thought she was otherwise entitled. She thought she had a clear path to the presidency and with a wink and a nod to the progressives who came before her she thought she would easily overcome the insurgent campaign of one Donald J. Trump. After all, he used to be a democrat, didn't he?
The extent of the involvement of so-called establishment forces, including a labyrinth of governmental agencies in her expected ascension to the highest office in the land, was considerable indeed and the surprise and dismay in the wake of her loss became a rallying cry for liberals, progressives, the left wing media, and anti-Trumpers alike.
These are the same institutions today who cannot and will not indulge a president that they did not vote for, did not and will not support, continue to tear down at every opportunity even if it means destroying our Republic, and with their every breath do promote and spin liberal and progressive narratives that to further their cause. A civil war may be the only way to settle this matter once and for all. Take your sides and make your peace is what I say.
A Beauty from Bow to Stern
06/07/18 15:41
It's hard to say why Uncle Wally wants to sell his Century boat a mere one season after buying it and having it transported to NY from Texas or thereabouts. It's not for a lack of sentiment because I truly believe he loves that boat more than life itself and if he had his druthers he would surely keep it forever. How much does he love that boat? Enough so that he had it photographed professionally last summer by a very talented photographer based out of Saratoga Springs, NY. It's very care and maintenance has been entrusted to none other than the famous Fish Bros who specialize in the building and restoration of classic boats in the Adirondacks.
I have but one of many prints produced and likely distributed to friends and family far and wide hanging on our bedroom wall here in New Hampshire. I'm a sucker for any photographs of Lake George not to mention one that has Uncle Wally sitting front and center albeit well offshore and not immediately recognizable in the picture itself. Come to think of it I think his back is to the camera if I'm not mistaken. Nancy was initially against having the picture up on the wall but has come to welcome the peace and serenity it proffers.
In the brief conversation that I had with him a couple of days ago Uncle Wally says he now plans to buy a bow rider for the lake and will reluctantly sell his beloved Century. He offered to have it delivered to my doorstep were I to purchase it but, alas, I am not in the market for a boat. This is speculation on my part but I'm guessing the bow rider will afford he and his family a more practical approach to boating on the lake for the remaining weeks of the 2018 summer season. That is to say, until his daughter goes off to school for her freshmen year at Skidmore College after Labor Day.
This particular Century is a beautiful wooden boat rebuilt from stern to bow in the traditions of wooden boats built back in the 50's. It is perhaps one size down in length and width from that which our father owned and the difference in size once delivered surprised even Uncle Wally. Size aside, it is not a boat which lends itself to fun in the sun if you are a teenager wanting to hang out with your friends on the lake for a day doing what teenagers do. Seating capacity is limited and climbing in and out of the boat for a swim or other can be a challenge.
It's remarkable to me that I have not only not seen the boat "in person" but I have yet to even ride in it. Just to be clear, it is not for a lack of an invitation. Getting up to the lake has not been a high priority and while we have gone to visit the family there just hasn't been an opportunity to get out on the lake with Uncle Wally. I'm sure he would love to take us out and has said as much over the many months since he took possession of the craft. I should make it a point to get up there for a ride before he sells her. Speaking of which, did he ever get around to having a name stenciled on the stern of the boat? I know we made a recommendation of sorts and I know he had a couple of ideas but where it all went I'm just not sure.
Nancy is a bit apprehensive truth be told to get into a boat where for whatever reason she may not feel safe. I suppose if you ended up in the lake for some odd reason it wouldn't be the end of the world as long as you had a flotation device of sorts to hold on to. You are clearly at the top of the food chain so no worries there. And in the summertime you are more prone to getting waterlogged after prolonged exposure to the elements than anything else.
In the midst of all the mayhem were the boat to actually capsize, assuming you were caught beneath the craft looking to take advantage of the air pocket ala Mary Joe Kopechne, there is sufficient traffic on the lake during the summer months such that someone would more than likely stop and lend a hand. That assumes they stop long enough to hear you rapping your knuckles raw against the floorboards of the boat in a bid to attract attention. Screaming would be a waste of time given the density of the boat construction and it would likely waste precious time and air that you would not otherwise wish to squander away under normal circumstances.
Nancy inquired as one would expect of a prospective passenger if the boat had a back seat (you can't tell from the picture hanging in our bedroom.) I assured her that there was ample seating for the three of us were we to join Uncle Wally and in all likelihood there is a back seat. There is also an unmistakable solidity to riding in a wooden boat that you can't replicate in a fiberglass boat. Combine that with the wonderfully throaty drone of a flat six cylinder marine inboard engine running at 3000 RPM and the world is most definitely your oyster. Nancy might be a little cramped initially but is likely to throw caution to the wind once under way. If she wishes to further assuage her fears, she can certainly feel free to partake of an adult beverage or two prior to climbing aboard.
Not wanting this lifelong dream of his to slip away completely, Uncle Wally wistfully mentioned on our phone call that were he to get another boat like the one he is now wanting to sell that it would likely be closer in size to the boat he had hoped to buy the first time around. There are downsides to buying things unseen and had Uncle Wally seen this particular boat close up and personal prior to the purchase I think it's safe to say now that he would not have made the purchase.
Size and scale was never an issue when looking far and wide for a boat just like the one he had remembered from his youth but everything was bigger back then. Isn't that always the case? He was infinitely more focused on the specific model (Century) and year (early 1950's) and if not the precise year then the next closest year to that of our father's boat would have to do. If his initial reaction to the boat upon first seeing it wasn't enough, getting behind the wheel brought home an uncomfortable truth: the boat was not big enough. Or, put differently, it was not as roomy as he expected it to be. It's all water under the bridge now. The tides are shifting in more ways than one and Uncle Wally is looking to move on. His family agrees with that sentiment. I just want him to be happy.
I have but one of many prints produced and likely distributed to friends and family far and wide hanging on our bedroom wall here in New Hampshire. I'm a sucker for any photographs of Lake George not to mention one that has Uncle Wally sitting front and center albeit well offshore and not immediately recognizable in the picture itself. Come to think of it I think his back is to the camera if I'm not mistaken. Nancy was initially against having the picture up on the wall but has come to welcome the peace and serenity it proffers.
In the brief conversation that I had with him a couple of days ago Uncle Wally says he now plans to buy a bow rider for the lake and will reluctantly sell his beloved Century. He offered to have it delivered to my doorstep were I to purchase it but, alas, I am not in the market for a boat. This is speculation on my part but I'm guessing the bow rider will afford he and his family a more practical approach to boating on the lake for the remaining weeks of the 2018 summer season. That is to say, until his daughter goes off to school for her freshmen year at Skidmore College after Labor Day.
This particular Century is a beautiful wooden boat rebuilt from stern to bow in the traditions of wooden boats built back in the 50's. It is perhaps one size down in length and width from that which our father owned and the difference in size once delivered surprised even Uncle Wally. Size aside, it is not a boat which lends itself to fun in the sun if you are a teenager wanting to hang out with your friends on the lake for a day doing what teenagers do. Seating capacity is limited and climbing in and out of the boat for a swim or other can be a challenge.
It's remarkable to me that I have not only not seen the boat "in person" but I have yet to even ride in it. Just to be clear, it is not for a lack of an invitation. Getting up to the lake has not been a high priority and while we have gone to visit the family there just hasn't been an opportunity to get out on the lake with Uncle Wally. I'm sure he would love to take us out and has said as much over the many months since he took possession of the craft. I should make it a point to get up there for a ride before he sells her. Speaking of which, did he ever get around to having a name stenciled on the stern of the boat? I know we made a recommendation of sorts and I know he had a couple of ideas but where it all went I'm just not sure.
Nancy is a bit apprehensive truth be told to get into a boat where for whatever reason she may not feel safe. I suppose if you ended up in the lake for some odd reason it wouldn't be the end of the world as long as you had a flotation device of sorts to hold on to. You are clearly at the top of the food chain so no worries there. And in the summertime you are more prone to getting waterlogged after prolonged exposure to the elements than anything else.
In the midst of all the mayhem were the boat to actually capsize, assuming you were caught beneath the craft looking to take advantage of the air pocket ala Mary Joe Kopechne, there is sufficient traffic on the lake during the summer months such that someone would more than likely stop and lend a hand. That assumes they stop long enough to hear you rapping your knuckles raw against the floorboards of the boat in a bid to attract attention. Screaming would be a waste of time given the density of the boat construction and it would likely waste precious time and air that you would not otherwise wish to squander away under normal circumstances.
Nancy inquired as one would expect of a prospective passenger if the boat had a back seat (you can't tell from the picture hanging in our bedroom.) I assured her that there was ample seating for the three of us were we to join Uncle Wally and in all likelihood there is a back seat. There is also an unmistakable solidity to riding in a wooden boat that you can't replicate in a fiberglass boat. Combine that with the wonderfully throaty drone of a flat six cylinder marine inboard engine running at 3000 RPM and the world is most definitely your oyster. Nancy might be a little cramped initially but is likely to throw caution to the wind once under way. If she wishes to further assuage her fears, she can certainly feel free to partake of an adult beverage or two prior to climbing aboard.
Not wanting this lifelong dream of his to slip away completely, Uncle Wally wistfully mentioned on our phone call that were he to get another boat like the one he is now wanting to sell that it would likely be closer in size to the boat he had hoped to buy the first time around. There are downsides to buying things unseen and had Uncle Wally seen this particular boat close up and personal prior to the purchase I think it's safe to say now that he would not have made the purchase.
Size and scale was never an issue when looking far and wide for a boat just like the one he had remembered from his youth but everything was bigger back then. Isn't that always the case? He was infinitely more focused on the specific model (Century) and year (early 1950's) and if not the precise year then the next closest year to that of our father's boat would have to do. If his initial reaction to the boat upon first seeing it wasn't enough, getting behind the wheel brought home an uncomfortable truth: the boat was not big enough. Or, put differently, it was not as roomy as he expected it to be. It's all water under the bridge now. The tides are shifting in more ways than one and Uncle Wally is looking to move on. His family agrees with that sentiment. I just want him to be happy.
Red, White, and Blue
04/07/18 16:08
Happy Fourth of July everybody! It's piping hot her on the seacoast of New Hampshire and I'm trying to work out the kinks with an iced coffee and a little Bob Marley. Well, maybe a lot of Bob Marley. The coffee isn't getting the job done in the sense that it not a cold brew but rather coffee that I made this morning and threw in the refrigerator to have later today (like now.)
Nancy just stopped in and after grabbing a sip announced that it is not as good as the traditional cold brew that we usually have. Damn straight. She said something about it tasting like ash. I agree completely. Not sure how I'm going to get the rest of it down. Maybe listening to a little CSNY will take my mind off this nasty beverage of mine.
For some reason the sun is overbearing today and without a cloud in the sky it is free to radiate as it pleases. With our outside thermometer reading 111 on the back deck I would say that the heat is arriving right on schedule and as predicted by the forecasters. The humidity seems to be off again on again this week and we have a couple more days of this weather before relief of any kind arrives.
I'm trying to get my act together to clean the grill grates so I can throw a couple of kabobs on the barbie for dinner. I cheated this time around in that I bought skewered veggies and the chicken separately not wanting to bother buying one of everything only to have some go to waste when all was said and done. I have a bag of chicken marinating in Italian dressing so that should work out well. I was going to make a pasta salad but decided on a black bean salad instead. It's just a healthier option all around.
Evan said something about having burned his palate while eating tater tots he took out of the microwave. That didn't stop him from eating this newfangled Pizza in a Bag product that we brought home for him from Walmart. He saw it advertised somewhere and decided that it was something he wanted to try. He sat in the kitchen and was reading the nutrition readout on the back of the package and began to wonder aloud about the amount of fat in the "food" that he was eating.
I didn't have the heart to ask him about the saturated vs. non-saturated fat so let him come to his own conclusions. That's hard to do when your mouth is full with the food that you are trying and wanting to assess. I think the conclusion that he came to, but did not articulate, is that even though it may taste good it may well not be good for you. Live and learn.
I finally got around to cleaning the ledge on the window in the kitchen facing the back yard and directly over the sink. It's funny how you tend to ignore things until you don't and then sometimes it's too late. How ever did it ever get that way, you might ask yourself. How ever did I let it get that way? Did nobody notice that the paint was peeling and from an aesthetic standpoint it was unsightly and maybe even a little gritty?
It seems that someone just kept adding plants, kick-knacks, and god only knows what else until the ledge was a cornucopia of bullshit from end to end. It wasn't just the ledge. Things were hung on nails around the frame and the accumulation of dust had finally become noticeable after maybe years of neglect. Even though I had cleaned the windows and screens last year or maybe the year before, they too suffered the same fate and the lack of attention paid to such matters was palpable on a day when I was noticing such things. That is a good thing.
If nothing else this year, I am in a tear it down and build it back up mode or mindset. Call it a restoration mindset if you must. I suppose I could look back in my notes to see when it all began but that is not important. It's not even all that important that my hard work goes noticed or even appreciated. I'd rather not put my better half in the position of not feeling as though she isn't carrying her weight around this joint so take before and after pictures for my own edification and that of none other. The "window" project, as I am happy to refer to it, was a wonderful success if I do say so myself.
I stripped down the wooden window frame with an orbital sander, repainted the entire frame with not one but two coats of pristine white paint with a high gloss factor, and arranged a more appropriate array of knick knacks left to right on the inside ledge looking out over the back yard. I actually vacuumed the screen, and it works well if you've never done this before, and washed and polished the glass until it was spotless.
The only remaining task at that point was to put away all the tools, wash any remaining dishes left over from breakfast, wipe down the countertop and clear the area of any dust, and wait for my darling to arrive home after work so I could wow her with what I thought was a project well planned and well executed. I showed her the before and after pictures since some things are harder to remember than others and just stood back while she admired the new look. Well, I like it anyway. I still pinch myself from time to time when looking at it. I think Nancy has moved on (you want unconditional praise, admiration, and loyalty - get a dog.)
This was the first year in a long time that we did not go to the fireworks in downtown Portsmouth. The weather was hot, muggy, and oppressive during the day and the evening hours brought little in the way of relief. You just can't get motivated to do anything in those conditions so we didn't. Nancy confined herself to our air conditioned bedroom where she languished and lamented not having a pint or two of ice cream to help take off the edge. I was satisfied to have a large cup of soda water with ice.
I might have liked to have some sweet cherries but none were available. Nancy has transitioned from grapefruit to plums now that they are in season although she and I differ on how to go about eating them. I prefer to hold them in the palm of my hand while biting into the fleshiest and more than likely sweetest section of the plum first and foremost. Oh, and yes, they must be ripe and more importantly, refrigerator-cold. They only go in the refrigerator after attaining the proper ripeness while sitting on the kitchen table for a period of time. That is to say, they must be firm but not too firm and never ever mushy before going into the refrigerator.
Nancy prefers to slice her fruit and not always correctly I might add. And it never fails to surprise me that her choice of knives to get the job done is not always the best choice. You don't use a butter knife to carve up a watermelon and that is a fact. You don't even use a steak knife no matter how sharp it is. You need a serrated blade long enough to extend from one side of the melon to the other before using both hands to exert just enough force to push the blade down through the melon until the sides cleave off in opposite directions creating two halves of equal size and heft. This is how you do it.
When I saw her carving the flesh off her plum side by side while standing at the kitchen counter this morning I had to laugh. Not out loud, mind you, as that would have been at a minimum, impolite. But, who cuts up a plum with a knife? The quick and dirty answer is, nobody I know. Oh well, to each his or her own. I'm no expert in such matters but there is such a thing as common sense so look for the laws of nature to impose their own penalties on those who violate nature in ways that are otherwise inviolate. I don't think it impaired her enjoyment of the plum in the least and, in fact, it may have enhanced the overall experience for her. Like I said, to each or his or her own.
I can't believe how I've gone on endlessly here so need to wrap it up and get it out the door. As for Trump's Supreme Court pick that he plans to announce next Monday evening, I think I want to go with either Mike Lee as my first choice and Amy Rona Barret as my second choice. We constitutionalists have an opportunity to tip the balance on the court for a generation or more in favor of those who believe in the rule of law and an interpretation of the Constitution that is true to the intent our nation's founders when they crafted the document. The statists on the court need to be kept out of the majority for the betterment of our country. With any luck, Trump will be re-elected in 2020 and he will get maybe one or more vacancies to fill. Eat your fuckin' hearts out, you never Trumpers!
Nancy just stopped in and after grabbing a sip announced that it is not as good as the traditional cold brew that we usually have. Damn straight. She said something about it tasting like ash. I agree completely. Not sure how I'm going to get the rest of it down. Maybe listening to a little CSNY will take my mind off this nasty beverage of mine.
For some reason the sun is overbearing today and without a cloud in the sky it is free to radiate as it pleases. With our outside thermometer reading 111 on the back deck I would say that the heat is arriving right on schedule and as predicted by the forecasters. The humidity seems to be off again on again this week and we have a couple more days of this weather before relief of any kind arrives.
I'm trying to get my act together to clean the grill grates so I can throw a couple of kabobs on the barbie for dinner. I cheated this time around in that I bought skewered veggies and the chicken separately not wanting to bother buying one of everything only to have some go to waste when all was said and done. I have a bag of chicken marinating in Italian dressing so that should work out well. I was going to make a pasta salad but decided on a black bean salad instead. It's just a healthier option all around.
Evan said something about having burned his palate while eating tater tots he took out of the microwave. That didn't stop him from eating this newfangled Pizza in a Bag product that we brought home for him from Walmart. He saw it advertised somewhere and decided that it was something he wanted to try. He sat in the kitchen and was reading the nutrition readout on the back of the package and began to wonder aloud about the amount of fat in the "food" that he was eating.
I didn't have the heart to ask him about the saturated vs. non-saturated fat so let him come to his own conclusions. That's hard to do when your mouth is full with the food that you are trying and wanting to assess. I think the conclusion that he came to, but did not articulate, is that even though it may taste good it may well not be good for you. Live and learn.
I finally got around to cleaning the ledge on the window in the kitchen facing the back yard and directly over the sink. It's funny how you tend to ignore things until you don't and then sometimes it's too late. How ever did it ever get that way, you might ask yourself. How ever did I let it get that way? Did nobody notice that the paint was peeling and from an aesthetic standpoint it was unsightly and maybe even a little gritty?
It seems that someone just kept adding plants, kick-knacks, and god only knows what else until the ledge was a cornucopia of bullshit from end to end. It wasn't just the ledge. Things were hung on nails around the frame and the accumulation of dust had finally become noticeable after maybe years of neglect. Even though I had cleaned the windows and screens last year or maybe the year before, they too suffered the same fate and the lack of attention paid to such matters was palpable on a day when I was noticing such things. That is a good thing.
If nothing else this year, I am in a tear it down and build it back up mode or mindset. Call it a restoration mindset if you must. I suppose I could look back in my notes to see when it all began but that is not important. It's not even all that important that my hard work goes noticed or even appreciated. I'd rather not put my better half in the position of not feeling as though she isn't carrying her weight around this joint so take before and after pictures for my own edification and that of none other. The "window" project, as I am happy to refer to it, was a wonderful success if I do say so myself.
I stripped down the wooden window frame with an orbital sander, repainted the entire frame with not one but two coats of pristine white paint with a high gloss factor, and arranged a more appropriate array of knick knacks left to right on the inside ledge looking out over the back yard. I actually vacuumed the screen, and it works well if you've never done this before, and washed and polished the glass until it was spotless.
The only remaining task at that point was to put away all the tools, wash any remaining dishes left over from breakfast, wipe down the countertop and clear the area of any dust, and wait for my darling to arrive home after work so I could wow her with what I thought was a project well planned and well executed. I showed her the before and after pictures since some things are harder to remember than others and just stood back while she admired the new look. Well, I like it anyway. I still pinch myself from time to time when looking at it. I think Nancy has moved on (you want unconditional praise, admiration, and loyalty - get a dog.)
This was the first year in a long time that we did not go to the fireworks in downtown Portsmouth. The weather was hot, muggy, and oppressive during the day and the evening hours brought little in the way of relief. You just can't get motivated to do anything in those conditions so we didn't. Nancy confined herself to our air conditioned bedroom where she languished and lamented not having a pint or two of ice cream to help take off the edge. I was satisfied to have a large cup of soda water with ice.
I might have liked to have some sweet cherries but none were available. Nancy has transitioned from grapefruit to plums now that they are in season although she and I differ on how to go about eating them. I prefer to hold them in the palm of my hand while biting into the fleshiest and more than likely sweetest section of the plum first and foremost. Oh, and yes, they must be ripe and more importantly, refrigerator-cold. They only go in the refrigerator after attaining the proper ripeness while sitting on the kitchen table for a period of time. That is to say, they must be firm but not too firm and never ever mushy before going into the refrigerator.
Nancy prefers to slice her fruit and not always correctly I might add. And it never fails to surprise me that her choice of knives to get the job done is not always the best choice. You don't use a butter knife to carve up a watermelon and that is a fact. You don't even use a steak knife no matter how sharp it is. You need a serrated blade long enough to extend from one side of the melon to the other before using both hands to exert just enough force to push the blade down through the melon until the sides cleave off in opposite directions creating two halves of equal size and heft. This is how you do it.
When I saw her carving the flesh off her plum side by side while standing at the kitchen counter this morning I had to laugh. Not out loud, mind you, as that would have been at a minimum, impolite. But, who cuts up a plum with a knife? The quick and dirty answer is, nobody I know. Oh well, to each his or her own. I'm no expert in such matters but there is such a thing as common sense so look for the laws of nature to impose their own penalties on those who violate nature in ways that are otherwise inviolate. I don't think it impaired her enjoyment of the plum in the least and, in fact, it may have enhanced the overall experience for her. Like I said, to each or his or her own.
I can't believe how I've gone on endlessly here so need to wrap it up and get it out the door. As for Trump's Supreme Court pick that he plans to announce next Monday evening, I think I want to go with either Mike Lee as my first choice and Amy Rona Barret as my second choice. We constitutionalists have an opportunity to tip the balance on the court for a generation or more in favor of those who believe in the rule of law and an interpretation of the Constitution that is true to the intent our nation's founders when they crafted the document. The statists on the court need to be kept out of the majority for the betterment of our country. With any luck, Trump will be re-elected in 2020 and he will get maybe one or more vacancies to fill. Eat your fuckin' hearts out, you never Trumpers!
Boxers or Briefs?
01/07/18 19:13
I can't say that I've been hankering for a new pair of briefs as of late but when Nancy asked if I had any interest in buying a pair of underwear from Tommy John's it piqued my curiosity. I've always gotten a bit of a chuckle out of their radio ads that promised to "nestle your goods" like nothing else on the market. Who can resist that kind of offer? Well, I said, let's look online and see what they have to offer. I'm not accustomed to choosing anything but style and size and my purchases typically come in the color white and are three to a pack and perhaps more when purchased on sale.
I am if nothing else John Q. Public when it comes to my underwear purchases and I'm a briefs man all the way. Their site had everything under the sun except edibles (who in god's name purchases underwear only to consume them?) so it was a veritable cornucopia of choices which seemed, in a word, tantalizing. I worry sometimes that underwear is a little like music in that my taste in music stopped around 1973. I may be stuck in the seventies as well when it comes to what I like to wear beneath my shorts so maybe it's just time for a change. Enter Tommy John.
If the plan is to build a better mousetrap and, truth be told, that is what Tommy John's is wanting to do with their offerings, then you'd better make sure that your product lives up to the promises made. One of my requirements was that my purchase differ in color than the briefs I already own. No sense in having a drawer full of underwear where you can't distinguish between those that nestle your goods and those that don't. There may well come a day when you feel like being nestled for lack of a better term so it's better to know certain things ahead of time.
I also have no orientation one way or another to fabrics when it comes to underwear. If I had to admit that the cotton briefs I've been wearing all these years nestled anything I might well say that the answer to that question is "no." So much so, in fact, that I was willing to give modal a try. Nancy had to explain to me what modal is precisely and since it is not a variation one way or another on cotton I was reticent but willing to place my order for same.
Now that I have my new underwear I have to say I think I know what it must feel like to wear women's underwear. It's all about the modal, folks. They are snug fitting but smooth to the touch and not confining in the traditional sense of the word. Walking about town I almost thought they gave me a newfound sense of confidence and security that I never experienced even on a good day with my cotton briefs. They are akin to wearing a pair of olympic swim trunks under my shorts and if that doesn't give you a psychic advantage then you may be beyond help.
So far, so good is what I say. I doubt very much that I will scuttle my existing inventory of cotton briefs but their days are clearly numbered thanks to Tommy John. To sweeten the deal, they should offer 3-packs or more and then we can talk. You know what they say - The more things change the more they stay the same.
I am if nothing else John Q. Public when it comes to my underwear purchases and I'm a briefs man all the way. Their site had everything under the sun except edibles (who in god's name purchases underwear only to consume them?) so it was a veritable cornucopia of choices which seemed, in a word, tantalizing. I worry sometimes that underwear is a little like music in that my taste in music stopped around 1973. I may be stuck in the seventies as well when it comes to what I like to wear beneath my shorts so maybe it's just time for a change. Enter Tommy John.
If the plan is to build a better mousetrap and, truth be told, that is what Tommy John's is wanting to do with their offerings, then you'd better make sure that your product lives up to the promises made. One of my requirements was that my purchase differ in color than the briefs I already own. No sense in having a drawer full of underwear where you can't distinguish between those that nestle your goods and those that don't. There may well come a day when you feel like being nestled for lack of a better term so it's better to know certain things ahead of time.
I also have no orientation one way or another to fabrics when it comes to underwear. If I had to admit that the cotton briefs I've been wearing all these years nestled anything I might well say that the answer to that question is "no." So much so, in fact, that I was willing to give modal a try. Nancy had to explain to me what modal is precisely and since it is not a variation one way or another on cotton I was reticent but willing to place my order for same.
Now that I have my new underwear I have to say I think I know what it must feel like to wear women's underwear. It's all about the modal, folks. They are snug fitting but smooth to the touch and not confining in the traditional sense of the word. Walking about town I almost thought they gave me a newfound sense of confidence and security that I never experienced even on a good day with my cotton briefs. They are akin to wearing a pair of olympic swim trunks under my shorts and if that doesn't give you a psychic advantage then you may be beyond help.
So far, so good is what I say. I doubt very much that I will scuttle my existing inventory of cotton briefs but their days are clearly numbered thanks to Tommy John. To sweeten the deal, they should offer 3-packs or more and then we can talk. You know what they say - The more things change the more they stay the same.
Dragon Energy
21/06/18 08:31
She really is incorrigible. As hard as I try to throw things away she (Nancy) sabotages my efforts at every turn. For example, I took a number of books to the recycling center yesterday so that some young person unable to afford same might have the chance to catch up on his or her reading. Granted, the books were vintage and the titles were not likely in the top ten on any bestseller list but that was precisely the point. If they are gathering dust in any meaningful way sitting on our bookshelves then they might as well sit on someone else's bookshelves doing the same.
My only cardinal sin, if there was one, was that I did not consult my better half before removing the books from the shelves. When I am on a bender to get rid of things, the last thing I want to have with anyone much less my dear wife is a protracted discussion on what and what not to throw away. Ask any hoarder their preferences on which parcel of the many parcels in their possession they might like to get rid of and you might not be surprised to hear that the answer is a resounding "not a one."
If there was any saving grace for Nancy it was that the book bin at the Center was full so I was forced to return home with the books. Leaving them in the car for a return trip another day, she caught sight of them sitting on the front seat and culled them by half. Somewhere in the mix, the art of compromise endures as the law of the land.
I don't know what's gotten into me lately but I have a fire in my belly when it comes to doing things around the house that have been long overlooked, ignored, deferred, or simply sloughed off. I'm literally transforming space after space, room after room, and taking my zeal with me out of doors as I stain cedar shingles, decks, etc. Maybe I had forgotten over time that there is gold in them thar hills when it comes to putting things behind you.
There is something to be said for accomplishing things that need to be accomplished and for getting things done that simply won't or can't wait another day. Whether it be getting our driveway repaved, carting off old books to the local recycling center, replacing dinged windows that have long since fogged over, buying new office floor pads that have long become frayed and unsightly, adjusting door hinges that have run afoul of their original alignment, they are all there for the taking.
Nothing is too ambitious, too difficult, or too time consuming to tackle. Isn't there a musical standard out there somewhere in the ether that goes like this: "If you've got the time, I've got the inclination"? Probably not, but don't tell that to my to-do list which, incidentally but not surprisingly, grows longer every day. Having recently bulletized the list if for no other reason that to gain additional satisfaction by checking off my accomplishments one by one, I now look for variations on that theme that will hopefully further detail the exploits brought to bear by my maddening but exciting and adrenaline induced energy levels.
Try this one on for size: Cleaning the windows in our house is a bit of a job so I joined the small bites crowd (how does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time) and decided that doing one window a day until they are all done should get the job without killing me in the process. What better window to clean first than the window in our bedroom a mere few feet from the foot of our bed. I can marvel at what a pristine window looks like from the moment I open my eyes at the crack of dawn till the moment I go to bed when the stars in the sky seemingly sparkle that much brighter thanks to my prodigious efforts. Did I mention that yesterday was the longest day or the year? It's all downhill now but still plenty to look forward to. Never lose hope.
And then there were days like yesterday when I couldn't seem to get a solid foothold on anything so I did next to nothing. But today, I can feel the fire in my belly once again and I'm off and running as soon as I get finished with this blogging business. I'll spend an hour or so tidying up before I get out for my bike ride. Evan has an appointment at 9:30 so he will hopefully be getting up and out of the house for that.
Nancy had an appointment at 8 this morning so she is long gone. John greeted me as he was walking his dog across the street and as I was walking out of the house this morning and thanked me for the peaches that I picked up for he and Betsi at Trader Joe's. "It was my pleasure", I responded. The line of cars going through the drive-thru was long at the local Dunkin Donut's this morning and as I approached the window I ordered the Bacon Egg and Cheese bagel on an everything bagel with a side of toasted hash browns. The order was not for me, mind you, but that is a topic for another conversation. Another conversation for another day. Until then.
My only cardinal sin, if there was one, was that I did not consult my better half before removing the books from the shelves. When I am on a bender to get rid of things, the last thing I want to have with anyone much less my dear wife is a protracted discussion on what and what not to throw away. Ask any hoarder their preferences on which parcel of the many parcels in their possession they might like to get rid of and you might not be surprised to hear that the answer is a resounding "not a one."
If there was any saving grace for Nancy it was that the book bin at the Center was full so I was forced to return home with the books. Leaving them in the car for a return trip another day, she caught sight of them sitting on the front seat and culled them by half. Somewhere in the mix, the art of compromise endures as the law of the land.
I don't know what's gotten into me lately but I have a fire in my belly when it comes to doing things around the house that have been long overlooked, ignored, deferred, or simply sloughed off. I'm literally transforming space after space, room after room, and taking my zeal with me out of doors as I stain cedar shingles, decks, etc. Maybe I had forgotten over time that there is gold in them thar hills when it comes to putting things behind you.
There is something to be said for accomplishing things that need to be accomplished and for getting things done that simply won't or can't wait another day. Whether it be getting our driveway repaved, carting off old books to the local recycling center, replacing dinged windows that have long since fogged over, buying new office floor pads that have long become frayed and unsightly, adjusting door hinges that have run afoul of their original alignment, they are all there for the taking.
Nothing is too ambitious, too difficult, or too time consuming to tackle. Isn't there a musical standard out there somewhere in the ether that goes like this: "If you've got the time, I've got the inclination"? Probably not, but don't tell that to my to-do list which, incidentally but not surprisingly, grows longer every day. Having recently bulletized the list if for no other reason that to gain additional satisfaction by checking off my accomplishments one by one, I now look for variations on that theme that will hopefully further detail the exploits brought to bear by my maddening but exciting and adrenaline induced energy levels.
Try this one on for size: Cleaning the windows in our house is a bit of a job so I joined the small bites crowd (how does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time) and decided that doing one window a day until they are all done should get the job without killing me in the process. What better window to clean first than the window in our bedroom a mere few feet from the foot of our bed. I can marvel at what a pristine window looks like from the moment I open my eyes at the crack of dawn till the moment I go to bed when the stars in the sky seemingly sparkle that much brighter thanks to my prodigious efforts. Did I mention that yesterday was the longest day or the year? It's all downhill now but still plenty to look forward to. Never lose hope.
And then there were days like yesterday when I couldn't seem to get a solid foothold on anything so I did next to nothing. But today, I can feel the fire in my belly once again and I'm off and running as soon as I get finished with this blogging business. I'll spend an hour or so tidying up before I get out for my bike ride. Evan has an appointment at 9:30 so he will hopefully be getting up and out of the house for that.
Nancy had an appointment at 8 this morning so she is long gone. John greeted me as he was walking his dog across the street and as I was walking out of the house this morning and thanked me for the peaches that I picked up for he and Betsi at Trader Joe's. "It was my pleasure", I responded. The line of cars going through the drive-thru was long at the local Dunkin Donut's this morning and as I approached the window I ordered the Bacon Egg and Cheese bagel on an everything bagel with a side of toasted hash browns. The order was not for me, mind you, but that is a topic for another conversation. Another conversation for another day. Until then.
Going On and On
19/06/18 07:32
It's my Father's Day gift and if I want to put my cold brew in a gallon jug for easy sippin' then that is what I am going to do. Nancy would prefer that we parcel it out and add the required water and milk with each beverage concocted. If you know anything about cold brew you know that it comes in a concentrate and you are required to mix it with water and milk if that is how you like our drink.
The water is mandatory unless you like drinking mud and the milk is optional. I might have deferred to her way of making the drinks once we received the cold brew in the mail but told myself that it is my Father's Day gift and I should be able to do with it what I please. I'm only kidding about sipping the darn stuff from the jug although there are days. You know what I mean. At the end the day I'm just a little curious as to how many glasses of cold brew I can get out of the jug and will be asking the following question: Maybe it's cheaper to just buy a cold brew from Dunkin' Donuts every day?
I don't know why it takes so long to do some things that should have been done a long time ago. I'm talking about common sense sorts of things that when you finally get them done you wonder what took you so long. In this particular instance I ordered a handset for our main phone so we could have a phone in the bedroom. Keep in mind that if you have a cell phone, which most people do, the need for a second handset in the bedroom seems unnecessary.
Before ordering this second handset I increased the number of rings on the main phone to give me more time to get to the phone before it went to voice mail. Not that I am getting slower in making that trek but running to the phone only to ignore it after seeing that it is likely a robo call of sorts makes you wish there was a better way. The better way in this instance was to get a second handset. I can now rest easy when the phone rings. No need to rush. The second handset has caller ID and the usual bells and whistles to which we as consumers of such products have become accustomed. Nancy was on board with the purchase but insisted that I keep the handset on my side of the bed. Is she ever going to get tired of trying to wear the pants in this family of ours?
The gathering in the Falls for Carli's HS graduation was a good time for all. We made the 5 hour trip without incident and stayed in a hotel near the malls for a change. Uncle Wally and the Mrs had the event catered so everything was uber organized and tidy down to the crisp white tablecloths draped over the 6-foot tables. Tarpaulins were erected in the event of rain. Tables and chairs for sixty guests were arranged neatly and slowly but surely guests arrived to take their seats. The smell of Sterno was in the air but only became noticeable when the breezes died down or when someone sat in close proximity to the serving stations. There was ample cover from the sun provided by the many oaks in the yard and it was a pleasant but warm day so shade was welcome.
Carli and her small contingent of friends busied themselves apart from the adults and that I'm guessing was by design. The caterers cooked their BBQ goods in a portable smoker which sat in Uncle Wally's driveway before delivering the final product to the serving tables within an hour of the last guests arriving. Everyone seemed to have a preference for one thing or another be it the pulled pork or the ribs which were according to those who had them, "to die for."
I made a point to stay away from the carb rich items like pasta salad and rolls of any kind and did just fine. Getting in shape for the summer biking season requires discipline and I was determined not to let a good backyard BBQ get in the way. Not sure anyone noticed anyway so that's fine. Nancy asked me if I wanted a piece of cake but I declined her all-too-subtle attempt to sabotage my best efforts. Had someone offered me a piece of key lime pie I'm not sure I would have been as resolute in my resistance. All in all, everyone looked good and everyone was in good health. Some are actually looking for career changes of sorts. Best of luck to everyone!
Speaking of staying away from food that may not be good for me, I stopped into McDonald's for a breakfast sandwich a little before eight in the morning on the day of the graduation party. I ordinarily go through the drive-thru window but decided that I might like to check my iPad while having breakfast so went into the store. I had heard about the stores getting ordering kiosks but thought that might be down the road a piece.
In fact, I thought it nothing more than an idle threat and a message to those even thinking about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. I don't know what the minimum wage is in NY but I can say that I was very surprised to see kiosks set up in the store. Apparently, the "raise the minimum wage and we'll bring in automation" movement is alive and well in the food industry.
I'm typically not flummoxed one way or the other when it comes to navigating GUI's so thought I might like to give this one a whirl. There wasn't anyone in line at the counter and I didn't see anyone rushing to take my order so I was good to go with just following the instructions on the screen. I had a couple of fits and starts until the very end where the instructions on the screen were less than clear as to what the next move was. I can't say that I panicked but it was just about then that I noticed a small contingent of what appeared to two or three small family units converging at the counter.
They looked suspiciously like illegal aliens and their command of the english language was rudimentary at best. So there I was standing at the kiosk struggling with a poorly designed GUI and this group of folks with children in tow and speaking broken english were being waited on hand and foot. I may have thought that I should have forgone the kiosk and gone directly to the counter. I would have been half way though my egg mcmuffin by the time the Guatemalan's showed up. Life would have been good.
Apparently, I hesitated just long enough so that the kiosk cancelled my order while I was standing there dumbfounded and with low blood sugar to boot. The last thing I wanted to do was get behind a family of ten trying to order in a foreign language. Forget the foreign language angle, a family of ten any way you slice it would not be a welcome sight for anyone waiting in line for anything. Let me just say that there was a lot of pointing going on by the time I headed out the door and on to the drive-thru.
There is something to be said for taking the path of least resistance. On the issue of illegal aliens, I can take them or leave them but believe in the rule of law so prefer that they return to their own country sooner rather than later. Nancy has been warning me forever that we are being invaded by foreigners and I've aways told her to wake me up when it's over. Maybe that day is now. Oh, and by the way, I think the kiosks are here to stay.
The water is mandatory unless you like drinking mud and the milk is optional. I might have deferred to her way of making the drinks once we received the cold brew in the mail but told myself that it is my Father's Day gift and I should be able to do with it what I please. I'm only kidding about sipping the darn stuff from the jug although there are days. You know what I mean. At the end the day I'm just a little curious as to how many glasses of cold brew I can get out of the jug and will be asking the following question: Maybe it's cheaper to just buy a cold brew from Dunkin' Donuts every day?
I don't know why it takes so long to do some things that should have been done a long time ago. I'm talking about common sense sorts of things that when you finally get them done you wonder what took you so long. In this particular instance I ordered a handset for our main phone so we could have a phone in the bedroom. Keep in mind that if you have a cell phone, which most people do, the need for a second handset in the bedroom seems unnecessary.
Before ordering this second handset I increased the number of rings on the main phone to give me more time to get to the phone before it went to voice mail. Not that I am getting slower in making that trek but running to the phone only to ignore it after seeing that it is likely a robo call of sorts makes you wish there was a better way. The better way in this instance was to get a second handset. I can now rest easy when the phone rings. No need to rush. The second handset has caller ID and the usual bells and whistles to which we as consumers of such products have become accustomed. Nancy was on board with the purchase but insisted that I keep the handset on my side of the bed. Is she ever going to get tired of trying to wear the pants in this family of ours?
The gathering in the Falls for Carli's HS graduation was a good time for all. We made the 5 hour trip without incident and stayed in a hotel near the malls for a change. Uncle Wally and the Mrs had the event catered so everything was uber organized and tidy down to the crisp white tablecloths draped over the 6-foot tables. Tarpaulins were erected in the event of rain. Tables and chairs for sixty guests were arranged neatly and slowly but surely guests arrived to take their seats. The smell of Sterno was in the air but only became noticeable when the breezes died down or when someone sat in close proximity to the serving stations. There was ample cover from the sun provided by the many oaks in the yard and it was a pleasant but warm day so shade was welcome.
Carli and her small contingent of friends busied themselves apart from the adults and that I'm guessing was by design. The caterers cooked their BBQ goods in a portable smoker which sat in Uncle Wally's driveway before delivering the final product to the serving tables within an hour of the last guests arriving. Everyone seemed to have a preference for one thing or another be it the pulled pork or the ribs which were according to those who had them, "to die for."
I made a point to stay away from the carb rich items like pasta salad and rolls of any kind and did just fine. Getting in shape for the summer biking season requires discipline and I was determined not to let a good backyard BBQ get in the way. Not sure anyone noticed anyway so that's fine. Nancy asked me if I wanted a piece of cake but I declined her all-too-subtle attempt to sabotage my best efforts. Had someone offered me a piece of key lime pie I'm not sure I would have been as resolute in my resistance. All in all, everyone looked good and everyone was in good health. Some are actually looking for career changes of sorts. Best of luck to everyone!
Speaking of staying away from food that may not be good for me, I stopped into McDonald's for a breakfast sandwich a little before eight in the morning on the day of the graduation party. I ordinarily go through the drive-thru window but decided that I might like to check my iPad while having breakfast so went into the store. I had heard about the stores getting ordering kiosks but thought that might be down the road a piece.
In fact, I thought it nothing more than an idle threat and a message to those even thinking about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. I don't know what the minimum wage is in NY but I can say that I was very surprised to see kiosks set up in the store. Apparently, the "raise the minimum wage and we'll bring in automation" movement is alive and well in the food industry.
I'm typically not flummoxed one way or the other when it comes to navigating GUI's so thought I might like to give this one a whirl. There wasn't anyone in line at the counter and I didn't see anyone rushing to take my order so I was good to go with just following the instructions on the screen. I had a couple of fits and starts until the very end where the instructions on the screen were less than clear as to what the next move was. I can't say that I panicked but it was just about then that I noticed a small contingent of what appeared to two or three small family units converging at the counter.
They looked suspiciously like illegal aliens and their command of the english language was rudimentary at best. So there I was standing at the kiosk struggling with a poorly designed GUI and this group of folks with children in tow and speaking broken english were being waited on hand and foot. I may have thought that I should have forgone the kiosk and gone directly to the counter. I would have been half way though my egg mcmuffin by the time the Guatemalan's showed up. Life would have been good.
Apparently, I hesitated just long enough so that the kiosk cancelled my order while I was standing there dumbfounded and with low blood sugar to boot. The last thing I wanted to do was get behind a family of ten trying to order in a foreign language. Forget the foreign language angle, a family of ten any way you slice it would not be a welcome sight for anyone waiting in line for anything. Let me just say that there was a lot of pointing going on by the time I headed out the door and on to the drive-thru.
There is something to be said for taking the path of least resistance. On the issue of illegal aliens, I can take them or leave them but believe in the rule of law so prefer that they return to their own country sooner rather than later. Nancy has been warning me forever that we are being invaded by foreigners and I've aways told her to wake me up when it's over. Maybe that day is now. Oh, and by the way, I think the kiosks are here to stay.
Painting by the Numbers
11/06/18 08:27
It looks like another stellar morning in the neighborhood. I can hear the morning banter of my neighbors across the way as they discuss god only knows what and I can't say that a I care one way or another. Sometimes I just want the noise to go away. Sometimes I like to think that I don't want to be distracted by this or that especially in the early morning when my whims are easily jolted. I'll turn up the music and that should do the trick. Loud enough so that I can no longer hear them but not so loud as to disturb their sensibilities. And not so loud, mind you, that it starts to bother me. The focus needs to be on the task at hand and music occasionally helps in that regard.
Having the choice between going to the market with my shopping list early on and writing in this here journal I decided that the store can wait. Were I to wait to do the journal thing it might well not happen. That's just the way it works. To borrow a much overused phrase, one needs to strike while the iron is hot.
I have to say that the staining of the cedar shingles on the back deck yesterday went probably better than expected. I offered to pay the Ev man 15 clams an hour to lend a hand and he signed on without a fuss. I don't know that this boy has ever even held a paint brush in his hand much less used it to do a job. We drove off early on to Home Depot to grab the stain (a nice Cape Code grey), a couple of brushes, and miscellaneous other items. Evan wanted to stop at Dunkin Donuts for an iced coffee just to light a fire under his butt a bit so we did that before going to Home Depot to buy our supplies.
Once back at the house, he helped me lay out the materials on the back deck after clearing away the chairs and table and that included putting down a plastic drop sheet. Evan, always making connections in his head that may or may not be useful or constructive, commented that it reminded him of the kill sheets used by Michael Hall in the terrific Netflix series, Dexter. That's just great. Now our son is thinking like a serial killer.
But he worked fastidiously the better part of an hour and stayed away as I asked him to from the edges of the window frames and molding along the roof overhang. I figured if he could just concentrate on broad strokes with the brush that would be a good place to start. After an hour he had had just about enough and that was that. Tomorrow, I said to him, you will work two hours painting and you can work your way up to doing a full days work. I've not determined what "tomorrows" project is as yet but we can probably find another section of the house requiring a fresh coat of stain if for no other reason that to use up the existing stain.
Evan covered a pretty good section in the hour that he worked and I was satisfied that it was a good start. It significantly reduced the amount of time required for me to finish the back deck area which I ultimately did by later in the afternoon. Did I tell you that it looks just fabulous? I love to take before and after photos when I expect a vastly different look and did so this time although not as extensively as I should have in retrospect. That is how good I think it looks after the fact.
In a funny sort of way, I finished it up so that Evan could see what finishing it himself might well look like. In other words, I wanted to prove to him that it's worthwhile to keep plugging away when you are on the right track. Not that he couldn't see it for himself, or that he needed me to point it out to him, but just seeing the finished product knowing full well that he made a major contribution to something that ended up looking just terrific might well incentivize him to take on such tasks in the future.
The look on his face after all was said and done told me that my thinking was correct. Not that he was chomping at the bit to get started on another project, but that the project he contributed to was beyond successful. The fact that we did it together, even if not concurrently, was secondary. He helped his dad and I helped my son. Is that not the way of the universe? I was also glad that I had asked him to help and I think he was happy to know that I had enough confidence in his abilities to ask him to assist in the first place. Never mind that he knew not a whit about painting. It's not really about painting at the end of the day.
Nancy was good enough to stop by Amato's in Seabrook on her way home from Rosman's and pick up a pizza for dinner. I almost made the mistake of ordering a half pepperoni when he had asked me to have her pick up a half buffalo chicken. Evan overheard me ordering the pizza on the phone and he stuck his head out of his bedroom just long enough and quickly enough so that I corrected myself mid sentence while on the phone with the man taking the order.
I think Nancy got to the store while I was on the phone ordering it so that led to confusion and we exchanged texts back and forth until it finally got straightened out. It was the perfect ending to a satisfying day. Nancy was wowed by the new look on the back deck and said as much to the two of us responsible. Glad you like it. We do too.
Having the choice between going to the market with my shopping list early on and writing in this here journal I decided that the store can wait. Were I to wait to do the journal thing it might well not happen. That's just the way it works. To borrow a much overused phrase, one needs to strike while the iron is hot.
I have to say that the staining of the cedar shingles on the back deck yesterday went probably better than expected. I offered to pay the Ev man 15 clams an hour to lend a hand and he signed on without a fuss. I don't know that this boy has ever even held a paint brush in his hand much less used it to do a job. We drove off early on to Home Depot to grab the stain (a nice Cape Code grey), a couple of brushes, and miscellaneous other items. Evan wanted to stop at Dunkin Donuts for an iced coffee just to light a fire under his butt a bit so we did that before going to Home Depot to buy our supplies.
Once back at the house, he helped me lay out the materials on the back deck after clearing away the chairs and table and that included putting down a plastic drop sheet. Evan, always making connections in his head that may or may not be useful or constructive, commented that it reminded him of the kill sheets used by Michael Hall in the terrific Netflix series, Dexter. That's just great. Now our son is thinking like a serial killer.
But he worked fastidiously the better part of an hour and stayed away as I asked him to from the edges of the window frames and molding along the roof overhang. I figured if he could just concentrate on broad strokes with the brush that would be a good place to start. After an hour he had had just about enough and that was that. Tomorrow, I said to him, you will work two hours painting and you can work your way up to doing a full days work. I've not determined what "tomorrows" project is as yet but we can probably find another section of the house requiring a fresh coat of stain if for no other reason that to use up the existing stain.
Evan covered a pretty good section in the hour that he worked and I was satisfied that it was a good start. It significantly reduced the amount of time required for me to finish the back deck area which I ultimately did by later in the afternoon. Did I tell you that it looks just fabulous? I love to take before and after photos when I expect a vastly different look and did so this time although not as extensively as I should have in retrospect. That is how good I think it looks after the fact.
In a funny sort of way, I finished it up so that Evan could see what finishing it himself might well look like. In other words, I wanted to prove to him that it's worthwhile to keep plugging away when you are on the right track. Not that he couldn't see it for himself, or that he needed me to point it out to him, but just seeing the finished product knowing full well that he made a major contribution to something that ended up looking just terrific might well incentivize him to take on such tasks in the future.
The look on his face after all was said and done told me that my thinking was correct. Not that he was chomping at the bit to get started on another project, but that the project he contributed to was beyond successful. The fact that we did it together, even if not concurrently, was secondary. He helped his dad and I helped my son. Is that not the way of the universe? I was also glad that I had asked him to help and I think he was happy to know that I had enough confidence in his abilities to ask him to assist in the first place. Never mind that he knew not a whit about painting. It's not really about painting at the end of the day.
Nancy was good enough to stop by Amato's in Seabrook on her way home from Rosman's and pick up a pizza for dinner. I almost made the mistake of ordering a half pepperoni when he had asked me to have her pick up a half buffalo chicken. Evan overheard me ordering the pizza on the phone and he stuck his head out of his bedroom just long enough and quickly enough so that I corrected myself mid sentence while on the phone with the man taking the order.
I think Nancy got to the store while I was on the phone ordering it so that led to confusion and we exchanged texts back and forth until it finally got straightened out. It was the perfect ending to a satisfying day. Nancy was wowed by the new look on the back deck and said as much to the two of us responsible. Glad you like it. We do too.
America First
09/06/18 07:47
It's good to mix things up every once in a while. To that end, I decided to make my own cold brew coffee. I like Dunkin Donut's version of this summer beverage although Starbuck's has one that comes in a very close second. No reason to run out to buy one if you can just grab it out of the refrigerator. Right? I followed a recipe I found on the internet and after all was said and done it came up a little short. It was weaker than both the DD and Starbuck's brand. I suppose I could have made it stronger but I was faithful to the recipe so there you have it.
La Colombe advertises a cold brew for $28 and I'm more than a little tempted to give it a whirl. I buy coffee frequently from La Colombe so I guess I trust them to do the right thing when it comes to this product. Then again, I'm a faithful customer of Trader Joe's but find their Cold Brew to be maybe a little bitter. Not sure bitter is the right word but there is just something about it that bothers me. Maybe I just don't like the taste?
It is a lot cheaper than the $28 version by La Colombe and maybe that explains it. Keep in mind that when you buy cold brew that you are buying a concentrate so a small container goes a long way after you add in all the extras like ice, milk, and water. I'm not sure I'll be trying to make my own any more or at least not anytime soon so will have to be satisfied with keeping a jug of purchased concentrate in the fridge. Okay, that works.
Nancy is heading down to Portsmouth this morning to attend the annual Market Square event. I reminded her to pick up a couple of Portsmouth Hospital caps like she always does and she promised she would. One cap is for me and one is for uncle Wally. Last year was a complete bust as the hats were a fluorescent orange and more befitting of something you might wear deer hunting instead of around town. Not something that you would fancy wearing one way or another.
Oh, and don't forget to keep your eyes open for a nice little something for your mums upcoming birthday. And, if you see something for Carli the high school graduation girl, all the better. What do you buy for a niece who lacks for nothing?
It's a beautiful day here on the seacoast without a cloud in the sky, not even a smidge of humidity, and temps currently in the mid sixties. We all remember those events in years past when the rain ruined everything from attendance to the hopes of vendors who asked nothing more of Mother Nature than to hold off the rain until they had a chance to empty their push carts. Neither Evan or I am inclined to join Nancy but wish her well on her outing. She who peruses alone peruses best is what I say. I think she would agree with me.
I think Evan wasn't looking forward to the volleyball game that Katie had planned but was determined to go through with it come hell or high water. Worse case scenario was that he would show up and be nothing more than a half hearted participant. It's all about the anticipation sometimes and that may have gotten the better of him but as the morning wore on it became clear that he was not only willing to go but he was going to throw himself into the experience for better or worse.
The proof of the pudding was when he arrived back home later that afternoon and he was brimming with relief and maybe even a little excitement at having gone and made the best of it. I think he surprised even himself and that is a good thing. It's all about baby steps for all of us and every step counts. You learn quickly that once you are on your feet you are good to go and there is no turning back. Having a spring in your step helps.
This whole "America first" trade thing that Trump has been working on is interesting. The more he talks about it the more I'm of the mind that he's right about previous administrations not standing up for America when it comes to the issue of fair trade. We have the biggest market in the world and we have been bending over for decades when making trade deals with allies and other countries.
In other words, we allow their goods to freely flow into our country while they charge us or limit the flow of our goods into their countries. Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I don't recall Trump's predecessors making an issue out of this one way or another. There is no question that Obama did everything he could to bring our country to its knees but that doesn't explain Bush, etc.
The globalists might well have us paying our dues to the globalist gods by opening up our markets and shipping our jobs and our industries to these less advantaged nations. You can see how deleterious trade deals like NAFTA were and continue to be for our country - just look at hollowed out places like Detroit and Flint Michigan. Maybe it took a business man like Trump to understand and articulate an altogether different vision. A vision where America is no longer on the losing end of these horrible trade deals. We want free but fair trade. Nobody says it better than Trump.
According to Trump, if we're in bad trade deals and they can't be renegotiated we're getting out of them. Exiting the Paris Accords was a good start. The good news is that given the size of our markets, countries around the world cannot afford to not trade with us. Our relative size gives us the advantage we need to negotiate fair trade deals. Trade wars are off the table since cutting off trade with the US will decimate the GDP's of our allies and friends around the globe. Again, advantage Trump. And he reminds us every day and in every way, he is working for the American people. Did I mention that he donates his salary?
La Colombe advertises a cold brew for $28 and I'm more than a little tempted to give it a whirl. I buy coffee frequently from La Colombe so I guess I trust them to do the right thing when it comes to this product. Then again, I'm a faithful customer of Trader Joe's but find their Cold Brew to be maybe a little bitter. Not sure bitter is the right word but there is just something about it that bothers me. Maybe I just don't like the taste?
It is a lot cheaper than the $28 version by La Colombe and maybe that explains it. Keep in mind that when you buy cold brew that you are buying a concentrate so a small container goes a long way after you add in all the extras like ice, milk, and water. I'm not sure I'll be trying to make my own any more or at least not anytime soon so will have to be satisfied with keeping a jug of purchased concentrate in the fridge. Okay, that works.
Nancy is heading down to Portsmouth this morning to attend the annual Market Square event. I reminded her to pick up a couple of Portsmouth Hospital caps like she always does and she promised she would. One cap is for me and one is for uncle Wally. Last year was a complete bust as the hats were a fluorescent orange and more befitting of something you might wear deer hunting instead of around town. Not something that you would fancy wearing one way or another.
Oh, and don't forget to keep your eyes open for a nice little something for your mums upcoming birthday. And, if you see something for Carli the high school graduation girl, all the better. What do you buy for a niece who lacks for nothing?
It's a beautiful day here on the seacoast without a cloud in the sky, not even a smidge of humidity, and temps currently in the mid sixties. We all remember those events in years past when the rain ruined everything from attendance to the hopes of vendors who asked nothing more of Mother Nature than to hold off the rain until they had a chance to empty their push carts. Neither Evan or I am inclined to join Nancy but wish her well on her outing. She who peruses alone peruses best is what I say. I think she would agree with me.
I think Evan wasn't looking forward to the volleyball game that Katie had planned but was determined to go through with it come hell or high water. Worse case scenario was that he would show up and be nothing more than a half hearted participant. It's all about the anticipation sometimes and that may have gotten the better of him but as the morning wore on it became clear that he was not only willing to go but he was going to throw himself into the experience for better or worse.
The proof of the pudding was when he arrived back home later that afternoon and he was brimming with relief and maybe even a little excitement at having gone and made the best of it. I think he surprised even himself and that is a good thing. It's all about baby steps for all of us and every step counts. You learn quickly that once you are on your feet you are good to go and there is no turning back. Having a spring in your step helps.
This whole "America first" trade thing that Trump has been working on is interesting. The more he talks about it the more I'm of the mind that he's right about previous administrations not standing up for America when it comes to the issue of fair trade. We have the biggest market in the world and we have been bending over for decades when making trade deals with allies and other countries.
In other words, we allow their goods to freely flow into our country while they charge us or limit the flow of our goods into their countries. Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I don't recall Trump's predecessors making an issue out of this one way or another. There is no question that Obama did everything he could to bring our country to its knees but that doesn't explain Bush, etc.
The globalists might well have us paying our dues to the globalist gods by opening up our markets and shipping our jobs and our industries to these less advantaged nations. You can see how deleterious trade deals like NAFTA were and continue to be for our country - just look at hollowed out places like Detroit and Flint Michigan. Maybe it took a business man like Trump to understand and articulate an altogether different vision. A vision where America is no longer on the losing end of these horrible trade deals. We want free but fair trade. Nobody says it better than Trump.
According to Trump, if we're in bad trade deals and they can't be renegotiated we're getting out of them. Exiting the Paris Accords was a good start. The good news is that given the size of our markets, countries around the world cannot afford to not trade with us. Our relative size gives us the advantage we need to negotiate fair trade deals. Trade wars are off the table since cutting off trade with the US will decimate the GDP's of our allies and friends around the globe. Again, advantage Trump. And he reminds us every day and in every way, he is working for the American people. Did I mention that he donates his salary?
Git er Done
05/06/18 07:41
I'm not a big Supreme Court watcher but you can't plug into our collective media bubble these days without taking sides on certain issues. In a 7-2 decision that came down yesterday, the Court decided a case that focused on the rights of a baker in Colorado to deny service to customers based on his religious beliefs. The baker had refused to bake or design a wedding cake for the gay couple given his religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. He offered to make them any number of things but they were insistent that he make the cake as requested and sued the baker when he refused to comply with their request.
I think we have to put this one down as a win for those people who hold that the rights of the individual are sacrosanct and should not be abridged by big government. This is a significant victory as well for the rights of religious groups who, under previous administrations, had seen their rights continually eroded through mandates on everything from birth control to proposed sexual orientation and gender identity laws. It was not a broader ruling on the equal rights amendment and, for now at least, we can take some satisfaction that the bullies on the left will have to go back to their respective corners and rethink their strategies to impose their will for the "greater good." We'll be waiting.
I'm getting more and more disillusioned by the day watching the machinations in our country's capitol as they play out in real time. There are any number of investigations ongoing involving the Clintons, the FBI's role in investigating the Clintons, the role of the Justice Department and the FBI in spying on the 2016 Trump campaign, the felonious leaking of documents and data, and the ongoing Mueller investigation which is suspect at best on any number of levels.
My fear is that we will never know the truth and justice might never be served or even restored to our great republic. We essentially have agencies investigating themselves and agencies pushing back when faced with a broader review by an independent counsel or other. I swear to god that if one or more of Obama's minions don't go to jail for the damage they have done to our democracy I will be the first to get on a bus with my pitchfork heading to Washington, DC. The IG report, which focused on the FBI's investigation of the Clinton e-mail thing over the last year or so, is due out any time now. Let's hope my pessimism doesn't pan out starting now.
So much to do, so little time to do it all. It's the same old story year in and year out. Some days, it seems like I am busy from the minute I get out of bed in the morning to the moment I lay down at the end of a long day. I'm not complaining, mind you, and I suppose having so much to do could be considered a blessing when one has no other commitments professional or other. I don't now what took me so long but I finally got around to staining our back deck.
I had been dragging my feet not wanting to use any cleaning agents that might poison the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks that come around with some regularity. I decided that I was attracting one too many little critters to our back deck area so I took down the bird feeder and took away the bird bath but left up a thistle and hummingbird feeder. I also decided that the deck was pretty well worn such that a cleaner was probably not necessary and I could stop worrying about poisoning the little critters. So the stain went down and it looks much better - thank you for asking.
I'm thinking breakfast burrito in a bit. I took one of Nancy''s muffin pans with rectangular muffin shapes and decided that that it would be well suited to making some egg soufflé kind of thing as a prepackaged deal. A grab and go meal so to speak. I sautéed lots of veggies, mushrooms and broccoli mostly, and filled the holes halfway and topped the concoction off with whipped eggs to the brim before putting in the oven for a half hour or so. Whether or not Nancy and Evan decide that they are interested in same remains to be seen.
It makes eight little egg loaves the likes of which you can eat cold in a pinch, microwave for 60 seconds, cut in half and make a burrito sandwich with melted cheese and diced Canadian ham, and I suppose a half dozen other things I haven't even thought of. I tried making my own cold brew coffee in the last week and I'm not sure it is any better than the very same drink I can buy at Dunkin Donuts. Not sure where I'm going with that idea. There is nothing quite like a nice cold brew on ice as a pick-me-up on a summer afternoon.
Lastly, before I go off to work on my list of to-do's, I should say that I met with a fella yesterday and scheduled a date in September to have our driveway re-done. It's cracked here and there, has some pretty rutted out spots at the end where it meets the road, and is in general just showing its age. It's just one more thing that should have been done long ago. I can tell you with absolute certainty that it will make snow blowing the driveway a lot easier. I can stop worrying about picking up chunks of asphalt with the snow blower and maybe even getting stuck in one or more of the holes while doing my snow blowing. Oh, and I never did get used to the water that collected at the end of the driveway forming a small pond more often than not. I went so far as to buy a water pump to get rid of the water once. The best I could hope for was that the water would collect at the end of the driveway and freeze for the winter covering up the holes and making for a glide path of sorts for the snowblower.
Did I tell you that the queen is dead? Not sure where her soldier ants went but they are gone too. Good riddance.
I think we have to put this one down as a win for those people who hold that the rights of the individual are sacrosanct and should not be abridged by big government. This is a significant victory as well for the rights of religious groups who, under previous administrations, had seen their rights continually eroded through mandates on everything from birth control to proposed sexual orientation and gender identity laws. It was not a broader ruling on the equal rights amendment and, for now at least, we can take some satisfaction that the bullies on the left will have to go back to their respective corners and rethink their strategies to impose their will for the "greater good." We'll be waiting.
I'm getting more and more disillusioned by the day watching the machinations in our country's capitol as they play out in real time. There are any number of investigations ongoing involving the Clintons, the FBI's role in investigating the Clintons, the role of the Justice Department and the FBI in spying on the 2016 Trump campaign, the felonious leaking of documents and data, and the ongoing Mueller investigation which is suspect at best on any number of levels.
My fear is that we will never know the truth and justice might never be served or even restored to our great republic. We essentially have agencies investigating themselves and agencies pushing back when faced with a broader review by an independent counsel or other. I swear to god that if one or more of Obama's minions don't go to jail for the damage they have done to our democracy I will be the first to get on a bus with my pitchfork heading to Washington, DC. The IG report, which focused on the FBI's investigation of the Clinton e-mail thing over the last year or so, is due out any time now. Let's hope my pessimism doesn't pan out starting now.
So much to do, so little time to do it all. It's the same old story year in and year out. Some days, it seems like I am busy from the minute I get out of bed in the morning to the moment I lay down at the end of a long day. I'm not complaining, mind you, and I suppose having so much to do could be considered a blessing when one has no other commitments professional or other. I don't now what took me so long but I finally got around to staining our back deck.
I had been dragging my feet not wanting to use any cleaning agents that might poison the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks that come around with some regularity. I decided that I was attracting one too many little critters to our back deck area so I took down the bird feeder and took away the bird bath but left up a thistle and hummingbird feeder. I also decided that the deck was pretty well worn such that a cleaner was probably not necessary and I could stop worrying about poisoning the little critters. So the stain went down and it looks much better - thank you for asking.
I'm thinking breakfast burrito in a bit. I took one of Nancy''s muffin pans with rectangular muffin shapes and decided that that it would be well suited to making some egg soufflé kind of thing as a prepackaged deal. A grab and go meal so to speak. I sautéed lots of veggies, mushrooms and broccoli mostly, and filled the holes halfway and topped the concoction off with whipped eggs to the brim before putting in the oven for a half hour or so. Whether or not Nancy and Evan decide that they are interested in same remains to be seen.
It makes eight little egg loaves the likes of which you can eat cold in a pinch, microwave for 60 seconds, cut in half and make a burrito sandwich with melted cheese and diced Canadian ham, and I suppose a half dozen other things I haven't even thought of. I tried making my own cold brew coffee in the last week and I'm not sure it is any better than the very same drink I can buy at Dunkin Donuts. Not sure where I'm going with that idea. There is nothing quite like a nice cold brew on ice as a pick-me-up on a summer afternoon.
Lastly, before I go off to work on my list of to-do's, I should say that I met with a fella yesterday and scheduled a date in September to have our driveway re-done. It's cracked here and there, has some pretty rutted out spots at the end where it meets the road, and is in general just showing its age. It's just one more thing that should have been done long ago. I can tell you with absolute certainty that it will make snow blowing the driveway a lot easier. I can stop worrying about picking up chunks of asphalt with the snow blower and maybe even getting stuck in one or more of the holes while doing my snow blowing. Oh, and I never did get used to the water that collected at the end of the driveway forming a small pond more often than not. I went so far as to buy a water pump to get rid of the water once. The best I could hope for was that the water would collect at the end of the driveway and freeze for the winter covering up the holes and making for a glide path of sorts for the snowblower.
Did I tell you that the queen is dead? Not sure where her soldier ants went but they are gone too. Good riddance.
When The Ants Come Marching In
01/06/18 07:28
My honey-do list is growing by the minute. These are not personal requests, mind you, but things I just have on my plate which require doing. They may or may not please my darlin but that is secondary (don't tell her that.) Some are recurring in that they happen every year around this time and others are one-off's. The black ant thing is an annual event and just like clockwork they appear rummaging around our kitchen like they own the place. I'm generally against extinguishing the existence of god's creatures big and small but make an exception when it comes to sharing our living space with black ants. To say that hearing them crunch underfoot gives me a pleasurable pause might be an understatement but it's true nonetheless.
They also seem to know what fate awaits them should they be seen in open spaces and they frantically scurry back to the nearest crevice or opening when I make an appearance. Knowing what I know about ants and their duty to the queen, the goal is to kill the queen and by extension imperil the colony. Any short term satisfaction I get from hearing them crunch underfoot has to be secondary to the long game of killing the queen and restoring order to our usual ant-free environment.
To that end, I typically employ the use of a poison which, deployed in just the right dosage, has the soldier ants taking the poison back to the queen. Make the concoction too strong and it will kill the soldiers on contact. It needs to be weak enough not to kill them and strong enough to kill the queen once the poison is delivered for her consumption. Once consumed, it is lethal and the queen will get her just desserts. I'm not sure where the ants go once their queen is dead but gone they are. The natural order of things has been restored and my to-do list is shorter by one.
I'm quite satisfied with just how much I've accomplished in servicing the machines we own which typically require annual maintenance of one kind or another. I don't consider myself to be all that handy when it comes to mechanical matters but am willing to surprise myself at just how good I can be when I want to be. I get an occasional glimpse into what it feels like to be satisfied at having done such things although people who do it for a living probably lose perspective over time. I do it so infrequently, mind you, that the learning curve is quite steep and more often than not I need to reference Youtube videos for guidance.
I'm talking about changing spark plugs, changing oil, draining gas, tightening belts and cleaning filters so nothing remotely complicated. Taking things apart is easy. Putting them back together can be an even greater challenge. I'm done with the snowblowers now and I just have the generator left to tend to. I should be running that every now and then but don't do anything religiously so carry that guilt around like a sack of potatoes. Time to make some french fries!
One little irksome task calling out for my attention now is the door that leads out onto our back deck. It isn't opening and shutting well these days and I suspect that the culprit is a strip of wood at the bottom of the door that has swelled over time with exposure to excess moisture. I'm doing my best to plane down the piece of wood but the sweetness of success seems to be eluding me for the moment. Is my analysis correct? What rabbit hole have I gone down now? I'll keep planing away and see if my hunch pans out before I do too much damage to the existing structure. File this under "when you are in a hole, stop digging."
Nancy and I will get out on our bike ride early today since the weather looks like it could take a turn for the worse any moment. Rain is expected but not until later today. And the clouds are just pervasive enough to keep the beach goers at bay and the traffic down on Ocean Boulevard in check. She may well turn around once she gets to the beach club and I will continue on while she turns back and heads for home herself. It's just a matter of her getting up to speed and that will not happen overnight. I've had more than enough of a head start since I have more free time on my hands so can complete my usual route without any trouble. Before long, we'll be starting and finishing together and while our speeds may differ our points of departures and destination will be the same.
They also seem to know what fate awaits them should they be seen in open spaces and they frantically scurry back to the nearest crevice or opening when I make an appearance. Knowing what I know about ants and their duty to the queen, the goal is to kill the queen and by extension imperil the colony. Any short term satisfaction I get from hearing them crunch underfoot has to be secondary to the long game of killing the queen and restoring order to our usual ant-free environment.
To that end, I typically employ the use of a poison which, deployed in just the right dosage, has the soldier ants taking the poison back to the queen. Make the concoction too strong and it will kill the soldiers on contact. It needs to be weak enough not to kill them and strong enough to kill the queen once the poison is delivered for her consumption. Once consumed, it is lethal and the queen will get her just desserts. I'm not sure where the ants go once their queen is dead but gone they are. The natural order of things has been restored and my to-do list is shorter by one.
I'm quite satisfied with just how much I've accomplished in servicing the machines we own which typically require annual maintenance of one kind or another. I don't consider myself to be all that handy when it comes to mechanical matters but am willing to surprise myself at just how good I can be when I want to be. I get an occasional glimpse into what it feels like to be satisfied at having done such things although people who do it for a living probably lose perspective over time. I do it so infrequently, mind you, that the learning curve is quite steep and more often than not I need to reference Youtube videos for guidance.
I'm talking about changing spark plugs, changing oil, draining gas, tightening belts and cleaning filters so nothing remotely complicated. Taking things apart is easy. Putting them back together can be an even greater challenge. I'm done with the snowblowers now and I just have the generator left to tend to. I should be running that every now and then but don't do anything religiously so carry that guilt around like a sack of potatoes. Time to make some french fries!
One little irksome task calling out for my attention now is the door that leads out onto our back deck. It isn't opening and shutting well these days and I suspect that the culprit is a strip of wood at the bottom of the door that has swelled over time with exposure to excess moisture. I'm doing my best to plane down the piece of wood but the sweetness of success seems to be eluding me for the moment. Is my analysis correct? What rabbit hole have I gone down now? I'll keep planing away and see if my hunch pans out before I do too much damage to the existing structure. File this under "when you are in a hole, stop digging."
Nancy and I will get out on our bike ride early today since the weather looks like it could take a turn for the worse any moment. Rain is expected but not until later today. And the clouds are just pervasive enough to keep the beach goers at bay and the traffic down on Ocean Boulevard in check. She may well turn around once she gets to the beach club and I will continue on while she turns back and heads for home herself. It's just a matter of her getting up to speed and that will not happen overnight. I've had more than enough of a head start since I have more free time on my hands so can complete my usual route without any trouble. Before long, we'll be starting and finishing together and while our speeds may differ our points of departures and destination will be the same.
Ride Like the Wind
25/05/18 07:36
I'm looking for just the right music this morning. I need to get in the mood as it were. It's not enough that the NY City police department is booking Harvey Weinstein today. It's not enough that Evan seems disinterested in the bagel sandwiches I'm bringing around these days and it's not enough that Nancy is talking about giving CBD oil a try. Can you blame a girl for wanting to try? I think this O'Jays music isn't cutting it either. Writing on an empty stomach can be taxing too but I'm not wanting to walk away without at least getting a good head start on this journal business.
And now, Morgan Freeman is being accused of this and that by various women? Where does this end? You say he rubbed a woman's shoulders? Oh, and it was unwanted and it made her feel uncomfortable? Let me go out on a limb right here and say without hesitation that Morgan Freeman is no Bill Cosby. What kind of prison sentence do you give to someone who caresses a woman's shoulders without an invitation? Oh, the things he did with his eyes! He practically undressed me! Why you poor little fucking snowflakes. Get over yourselves! Walk away. Just walk away.
At what point does this become frivolous and intolerable? When do we men get to fight back? When do we get to stand up for our rights and say enough is enough? It's bad enough that the #BLACKLIVESMATTER types want to eradicate any and all vestiges of historical significance when it comes to our male caucasian culture. I think we need a million man march on Washington and the sooner the better. We won't be wearing pussy hats and carrying pitchforks but we will be there with our balls intact and our testerone raging. Whether or not anyone is paying attention is another matter. If we can't beat our collective chests then who will?
I really shouldn't let another season go by without getting our driveway repaved. I can live with a crack here and there, oil stains galore, chunks of asphalt missing from the end of the driveway and gone god only knows where, and red ant hives that appear and disappear with the passing of seasons. If I could fix it with a hammer and saw, I surely would. I look at other driveways while biking and have noticed that some are seemingly better than others and some without asphalt are surprisingly nice looking.
And then there are those asphalt driveways that are partially paved with brick like stones placed at the end of the driveway where the driveway meets the road. I asked the only paving expert I know, who goes by the name of Willie, and he seemed to suggest that those brick-like stones at the end of the driveway are for the most part cosmetic. All the same, they seem to change up the appearance of what has become perhaps all too traditional when it comes to the standard driveway. I'm good with that.
Speaking of biking, it's going pretty well. I've biked most days so far this month and every time I ride I build up a little more endurance. I can feel it in my legs, in my arms, and if there is such a thing as muscle memory, it's like an old friend coming back to pay a visit after a long and unforgivable absence. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Nancy has been riding infrequently if not at all? Seems she has some issues to work out first so we'll see how that goes. I'm not sure I would be quick to admit this to her but I don't miss her companionship on our rides. We don't really ride side by side and we never chit chat when we do since it is distracting to me and somewhat takes the pleasure out of the ride we're on. Them is just the facts, ma'am.
And now, Morgan Freeman is being accused of this and that by various women? Where does this end? You say he rubbed a woman's shoulders? Oh, and it was unwanted and it made her feel uncomfortable? Let me go out on a limb right here and say without hesitation that Morgan Freeman is no Bill Cosby. What kind of prison sentence do you give to someone who caresses a woman's shoulders without an invitation? Oh, the things he did with his eyes! He practically undressed me! Why you poor little fucking snowflakes. Get over yourselves! Walk away. Just walk away.
At what point does this become frivolous and intolerable? When do we men get to fight back? When do we get to stand up for our rights and say enough is enough? It's bad enough that the #BLACKLIVESMATTER types want to eradicate any and all vestiges of historical significance when it comes to our male caucasian culture. I think we need a million man march on Washington and the sooner the better. We won't be wearing pussy hats and carrying pitchforks but we will be there with our balls intact and our testerone raging. Whether or not anyone is paying attention is another matter. If we can't beat our collective chests then who will?
I really shouldn't let another season go by without getting our driveway repaved. I can live with a crack here and there, oil stains galore, chunks of asphalt missing from the end of the driveway and gone god only knows where, and red ant hives that appear and disappear with the passing of seasons. If I could fix it with a hammer and saw, I surely would. I look at other driveways while biking and have noticed that some are seemingly better than others and some without asphalt are surprisingly nice looking.
And then there are those asphalt driveways that are partially paved with brick like stones placed at the end of the driveway where the driveway meets the road. I asked the only paving expert I know, who goes by the name of Willie, and he seemed to suggest that those brick-like stones at the end of the driveway are for the most part cosmetic. All the same, they seem to change up the appearance of what has become perhaps all too traditional when it comes to the standard driveway. I'm good with that.
Speaking of biking, it's going pretty well. I've biked most days so far this month and every time I ride I build up a little more endurance. I can feel it in my legs, in my arms, and if there is such a thing as muscle memory, it's like an old friend coming back to pay a visit after a long and unforgivable absence. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Nancy has been riding infrequently if not at all? Seems she has some issues to work out first so we'll see how that goes. I'm not sure I would be quick to admit this to her but I don't miss her companionship on our rides. We don't really ride side by side and we never chit chat when we do since it is distracting to me and somewhat takes the pleasure out of the ride we're on. Them is just the facts, ma'am.
Crusty and Delicious
24/05/18 07:41
We finally stumbled into that new pizzeria in town the other day. It was far too busy during previous visits so we never stayed long enough to order anything. That doesn't mean we weren't interested. We were. It was around dinner time when we arrived and we were surprised to find that while the bar was busy with a private party there were plenty of seats otherwise empty so we decided to stay. One item on their menu in particular caught my eye. A pizza with a cauliflower crust? Whoever heard of such a thing? I like newfangled and when I see something newfangled I am more inclined to want to try it than not. Besides, I've been trying to lose a couple of pounds here and there so removing bread from the list of things that I consider "good" for me has been a priority.
Not to belabor the point, but I have been eating more cauliflower as of late for whatever reason and while I prefer it roasted in the oven I can certainly think of other ways to consume it. Anyway, we went ahead and ordered the pizza and were more than pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. The expression that came to mind immediately was, "guilt free." I think we ordered the garden pizza which came with lots of veggies so it was a win-win.
I was somewhat mystified as to how they created a cauliflower crust that was almost indistinguishable from a bread crust. Did they cheat and add some kind of four product just to hold the thing together? Could I buy this product off the shelves in my local grocery store? I went so far as to look it up on Trader Joe's web site and noticed that they did indeed sell such a thing. I also noticed that someone had posted a review and it was not good. The review was very clear about the fact that the crust never browned up once in the oven and that to me was a non-starter.
The more I read about it the more intrigued I became and after looking at a recipe or two that I considered within my wheelhouse I bought the ingredients and made my own cauliflower crust pizza. To say it turned out perfectly would not be an overstatement. I loved the way the crust turned golden brown after about 12 minutes with the oven cranked up to 450 degrees. Then, you add the ingredients: Feta cheese, green olives, red onion, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, and organic tomatoes. Did I mention that the recipe called for the use of parchment paper? I told Nancy that that was the first time I've ever used parchment paper and she snickered. Silly boy.
Nancy and I stopped by the house on 5 Park Ridge last evening to see what it looked like now that the staging was done. Truth be told, it looked pretty good. Darn good if you ask me. The motif had a decidedly beach-like orientation and why not since the house itself is but a block or two away from the beach. Maybe that is what a prospective buyer expects when looking to buy a home that is "oceanside"? The open house is planned for this coming holiday weekend which is but a day or two away as I sit here now. Not sure about the forecast but sunny would be good when the open house rolls around.
I might even suggest that the realtor open the windows during the showing and hope for a nice breeze off the ocean. The grass has been cut and the various articles of this and that removed from sight so as not to distract from the illusion crafted by the realtor with the help of her stager. No one has mentioned parking but that particular street is tight with no available slack for people wanting to snug up to the curb in their expensive SUV's. I suppose they could run a trolley to and from the beach but aside from that they will have a bit of a challenge with the parking. That should not stop a determined buyer one way or the other.
Being a news junkie I have to say that I am not looking forward to the upcoming three day holiday weekend. I will hope against hope for something to drop late Friday evening that is designed to be muted by the weekend itself and muted even further by an elongated three day weekend. It may well provide me with the appropriate elixir that will tide me over until the talking head shows come along Sunday morning. I will have to rely on podcasts and rehashed news from the weeks events to get me over the hump since I will not be joining the rest of the universe toiling on the local beaches and wading in the surf with their tutu's and surfboards. Twitter will provide me with the usual alternative news sources which of course never sleep and more often than not twist the tale of the tape so you never know quite who to believe and not to believe. Believing the unbelievable can be fun too so I am understandably open to it all.
Not to belabor the point, but I have been eating more cauliflower as of late for whatever reason and while I prefer it roasted in the oven I can certainly think of other ways to consume it. Anyway, we went ahead and ordered the pizza and were more than pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. The expression that came to mind immediately was, "guilt free." I think we ordered the garden pizza which came with lots of veggies so it was a win-win.
I was somewhat mystified as to how they created a cauliflower crust that was almost indistinguishable from a bread crust. Did they cheat and add some kind of four product just to hold the thing together? Could I buy this product off the shelves in my local grocery store? I went so far as to look it up on Trader Joe's web site and noticed that they did indeed sell such a thing. I also noticed that someone had posted a review and it was not good. The review was very clear about the fact that the crust never browned up once in the oven and that to me was a non-starter.
The more I read about it the more intrigued I became and after looking at a recipe or two that I considered within my wheelhouse I bought the ingredients and made my own cauliflower crust pizza. To say it turned out perfectly would not be an overstatement. I loved the way the crust turned golden brown after about 12 minutes with the oven cranked up to 450 degrees. Then, you add the ingredients: Feta cheese, green olives, red onion, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, and organic tomatoes. Did I mention that the recipe called for the use of parchment paper? I told Nancy that that was the first time I've ever used parchment paper and she snickered. Silly boy.
Nancy and I stopped by the house on 5 Park Ridge last evening to see what it looked like now that the staging was done. Truth be told, it looked pretty good. Darn good if you ask me. The motif had a decidedly beach-like orientation and why not since the house itself is but a block or two away from the beach. Maybe that is what a prospective buyer expects when looking to buy a home that is "oceanside"? The open house is planned for this coming holiday weekend which is but a day or two away as I sit here now. Not sure about the forecast but sunny would be good when the open house rolls around.
I might even suggest that the realtor open the windows during the showing and hope for a nice breeze off the ocean. The grass has been cut and the various articles of this and that removed from sight so as not to distract from the illusion crafted by the realtor with the help of her stager. No one has mentioned parking but that particular street is tight with no available slack for people wanting to snug up to the curb in their expensive SUV's. I suppose they could run a trolley to and from the beach but aside from that they will have a bit of a challenge with the parking. That should not stop a determined buyer one way or the other.
Being a news junkie I have to say that I am not looking forward to the upcoming three day holiday weekend. I will hope against hope for something to drop late Friday evening that is designed to be muted by the weekend itself and muted even further by an elongated three day weekend. It may well provide me with the appropriate elixir that will tide me over until the talking head shows come along Sunday morning. I will have to rely on podcasts and rehashed news from the weeks events to get me over the hump since I will not be joining the rest of the universe toiling on the local beaches and wading in the surf with their tutu's and surfboards. Twitter will provide me with the usual alternative news sources which of course never sleep and more often than not twist the tale of the tape so you never know quite who to believe and not to believe. Believing the unbelievable can be fun too so I am understandably open to it all.
Resurrected
21/05/18 08:17
Is it possible that this is my first posting in the year of the lord 2018? Don't even ask. What does that tell you about the state of affairs here, there, and everywhere? It's easy to lose your footing in this fast-paced world of ours and that may well explain why I've not been doing something that I otherwise enjoy. That is to say, writing in this here journal about nothing in particular. I hope as well, that if I do get going in earnest here, that I am not distracted from my task at hand by that which has plagued me from day one in 2018. It is something I surely hope to resist with every fibre of my being but we'll have to wait and see how that turns out. You know what they say about good intentions.
The home on Park Ridge is finally on the market and not a moment too soon. The window of opportunity closes quickly as Spring fades and, to make matters worse, there is no shortage of available homes for sale here on the seacoast. In other words, competition for sales is keen if not acute. Proximity to the ocean is a key selling point and the planned staging, according to Nancy, is designed to play precisely to that strength. The realtor even wants to repaint the ceiling fan blades white saying that essentially "dark brown is so yesterday."
All is not perfect with the property in question but with a bit of any work here and there remedies are within reach by prospective buyers or their hired hands. Why worry about that coat of paint you never applied, or that stain you didn't fix, or the gate you decided not to repair, when the plan all along has been for someone to come along and tear down the property only to rebuild again? It doesn't help, certainly, that the realtor comes off from time to time as unscrupulous. Let's hope everything goes off without a hitch so Mrs G can put the entire matter behind her. Any attachments, emotional or otherwise, have dissipated over time and she is ready to rid herself of a property that she no longer has any use for. That is as it should be.
I am increasingly optimistic that this whole Russia charade orchestrated by Obama and his minions in the Intelligence agencies to 1) prevent Trump from becoming president, and 2) if unable to do that, render him ineffective by launching a counterintelligence investigation against him and his administration, will now get the proper attention from the legal authorities within our government in order to bring these people to justice. The width and breadth of this scandal is unparalleled in the history of the United States.
President Trump's tweet yesterday reads as follows: "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes - and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!" He's referring to the latest in a series of activities by those who would unseat and destroy Trump and now, for the first time, allegations of the FBI planting a spy within the Trump camp prior to the election has come to the fore. Enough is enough. Meanwhile, in the halls of the leftist media, they would rather talk about newly revealed discussions between Donald Trump Jr and parties foreign and domestic who wanted Clinton to lose and offered advice on same.
We go back and forth about the cars and who should be driving what car and when. We came pretty close to putting Nancy's car in Evan's name but that never happened and, for now anyway, it is probably a good thing. You want some separation when it comes to personal liability in the event something catastrophic occurs so that has been a consideration in making the change. We considered doing it before Evan went down to Connecticut for his visit with Weinstein and in hindsight it is probably just as well we didn't go that route. Suffice it to say that things might have ended very differently had we made the change.
And now, we go day-to-day with our decision making but have yet to do anything. He isn't around long enough when he is around to warrant making the change and when he is around it seems like he's not likely to want to take the car on any given day. Besides, Nancy is somewhat attached to her vehicle and giving it up would leave her in the position to either drive a car she isn't interested in driving or taking my car which she can do but then I might be left to my own devices. Neither option is a good one for her (or me.)
The home on Park Ridge is finally on the market and not a moment too soon. The window of opportunity closes quickly as Spring fades and, to make matters worse, there is no shortage of available homes for sale here on the seacoast. In other words, competition for sales is keen if not acute. Proximity to the ocean is a key selling point and the planned staging, according to Nancy, is designed to play precisely to that strength. The realtor even wants to repaint the ceiling fan blades white saying that essentially "dark brown is so yesterday."
All is not perfect with the property in question but with a bit of any work here and there remedies are within reach by prospective buyers or their hired hands. Why worry about that coat of paint you never applied, or that stain you didn't fix, or the gate you decided not to repair, when the plan all along has been for someone to come along and tear down the property only to rebuild again? It doesn't help, certainly, that the realtor comes off from time to time as unscrupulous. Let's hope everything goes off without a hitch so Mrs G can put the entire matter behind her. Any attachments, emotional or otherwise, have dissipated over time and she is ready to rid herself of a property that she no longer has any use for. That is as it should be.
I am increasingly optimistic that this whole Russia charade orchestrated by Obama and his minions in the Intelligence agencies to 1) prevent Trump from becoming president, and 2) if unable to do that, render him ineffective by launching a counterintelligence investigation against him and his administration, will now get the proper attention from the legal authorities within our government in order to bring these people to justice. The width and breadth of this scandal is unparalleled in the history of the United States.
President Trump's tweet yesterday reads as follows: "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes - and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!" He's referring to the latest in a series of activities by those who would unseat and destroy Trump and now, for the first time, allegations of the FBI planting a spy within the Trump camp prior to the election has come to the fore. Enough is enough. Meanwhile, in the halls of the leftist media, they would rather talk about newly revealed discussions between Donald Trump Jr and parties foreign and domestic who wanted Clinton to lose and offered advice on same.
We go back and forth about the cars and who should be driving what car and when. We came pretty close to putting Nancy's car in Evan's name but that never happened and, for now anyway, it is probably a good thing. You want some separation when it comes to personal liability in the event something catastrophic occurs so that has been a consideration in making the change. We considered doing it before Evan went down to Connecticut for his visit with Weinstein and in hindsight it is probably just as well we didn't go that route. Suffice it to say that things might have ended very differently had we made the change.
And now, we go day-to-day with our decision making but have yet to do anything. He isn't around long enough when he is around to warrant making the change and when he is around it seems like he's not likely to want to take the car on any given day. Besides, Nancy is somewhat attached to her vehicle and giving it up would leave her in the position to either drive a car she isn't interested in driving or taking my car which she can do but then I might be left to my own devices. Neither option is a good one for her (or me.)