Last Commented Lifestyle Blogs (2,467)

8 pm in Spain - so I went to my doorway to join in the clapping. I don't always (busy, or forget) but when I do my neighbour on the left beams at me like her face will split. If she was allowed to hug me she probably would.

Same neighbour has up to now stared at me as if she can't believe el Dios bueno punished her - ¿¿¿por qué??? - by letting an Inglesa move in next door.

The neighbours opposite speak English and have always been friendly and the neighbours on the right don't but we smile and chat until my abominable social Spanish has been plumbed to its depths. Clapping is a small price to pay to complete the magic circle.

I suppose I'm a basic hypocrite, I've often done things not from conviction but because they are polite and grease the wheels of social acceptability. Some examples from around the world, following Jig's lead -

1. Would you burp to compliment the chef, if it was expected
2. Stand back to let the man (or, if you are a man, your host) enter the restaurant before you
3. Put used loo paper in the bin, not into the toilet

Bonus question, what's the oddest polite custom you know

I've been spending a lot of my free time -of which I have quite a large
amount at the moment- messing about with a 3D modelling computer
programme. It also does animation. It isn't simple to use, in fact, it is
quite complicated and would probably require a college course to gain
proficiency. After much persistence I am starting to get to grips with the
basics.

This is a sample of my achievements so far. Providing I can manage to
upload it to the blog.

I put an old house up for sale. Within a week, I had a buyer who was planning to put $50,000 in upgrades prior to moving in. He's in the restaurant business and a few weeks before the closing, due to COVID-19 is out of work. Ignoring the money he has in savings, the bank cannot verify his employment and refuses a mortgage. The deal is off.

The house goes back on the market and again within a week another buyer shows up. This buyer has a stable job and also plans to put a chunk of money into renovations. Just like the other buyer, they paid for a home inspection. Different from the other inspector, this guy comes with video equipment capable of sewer and drain pipe inspections. In most areas he does a more thorough job.

I was there the day of the inspection (intentionally, to my benefit) and met the buyer who came along with the agent. I already know the plan is to completely gut the kitchen and bathroom that share the plumbing wall, remove all the room air conditioner units, tear open a hall closet to install central air conditioning unit, remove all the windows and install insulated impact windows, change the front door to solid panel, close in the car port and make a family room, move the laundry station to the back of the house that requires 60 feet of plumbing. With all those changes, I'm sure the water heater will be replaced with a tankless system.

The inspection report came through this morning and I have to laugh as many of the items that were noted as missing, marginal or failed will be removed/replaced when the new owner does their renovation. One item the inspector tried to make an issue was the lack of attic insulation.

10 years ago, my neighbor had a central air conditioning system installed. After they cut the ceiling and attic space for pipes, they installed 'blow-in' insulation a few inches thick in the top. His electric bill in the summer is over $400 a month. I was running window units in every room and only had the bedroom a/c on at night. My electric bill peaked at $125. He's got insulation and insulated impact windows, I've got no insulation, old style windows, some don't close tightly, and a jalousie front door that on a windy day you can feel a breeze.

Sometimes I feel that having insulation is a non-issue. At least, that's the way it worked out for me.

Can you think of any?



another question...



Do the "entitled" complain the most?

The official nickname for New Jersey is......The Garden State.

Two weeks ago I planted 10 different types of vegetable or herb seeds
and I also planted blue morning glory seeds.
I'm happy to report, that radishes, spinach and leaf lettuce are up in abundance.
The others - not yet.

The Monday after Easter (1 week ago) I stopped by the grocery store to buy a week's worth of food.
I also do that with a fruit & vegetable market each week.
Apparently, the grocery store was expecting lots of flower sales for Easter and it didn't happen.
So, they had plenty of pots of either tulips (red, red & white tipped, or yellow) and pots of blue hyacinth. The Tulips had 4 or 5 bulbs in each pot and the hyacinths had 3 larger bulbs in each pot.
They were on clearance at 3 pots for $3. I bought 12 pots, 6 of the hyacinths and 6 of the red & white tulips.

When I got home, I walked a pot of hyacinths over to my neighbors across the street and a pot of
hyacinths to my neighbor on my left. The neighbor on my right didn't want any.
I brought one pot of hyacinths inside, and they made the house smell great for the past week.

Today I planted everything I had left. 9 hyacinth bulbs and 24 red & white tipped tulip bulbs.
The bigger hyacinth flower stalks were drooping. So, I had to put them on stem support.
Don't worry. I think they will make it. The tulips are in on either side of my sidewalk leading to the front door. The last 3 bulbs on both sides are hyacinths and I planted the remainder in front of 2 big spruce trees that I have.

Can you dig it ? I certainly did.....33 times today.

Mother earth fihts back.

Seems like some kind of Poetic Justice at work here...

Clean Skys Clean water time for each other we are starting to think about making our world green again and what about health insurance for all Maybe this could be a new start for us all.

A 93-year-old Pennsylvania woman received 150 beers from Molson Coors on Monday in response to her viral plea for more beer during the state’s lockdown, a report said.

Reps from the beverage giant delivered 10 15-packs of Coors Light to Olive Veronesi’s Seminole home, news station KDKA reported.

The senior cracked open a can of the suds with the workers still there. “That tastes pretty good,” Veronesi told the network.

Veronesi said she was down to her last 12 beers when a family member snapped a hilarious photo of her holding a Coors Light can and a whiteboard saying, “I need more beer!!”

“I have a beer every night, you know what, beer has vitamins in it, it’s good for you, as long as you don’t overdo it,” she told KDKA on Monday.


Mark Linder, one of the Molson Coors reps, told the outlet he and his coworker “made sure Olive got her beer so she can continue her healthy regimen of a Coors light a day.”

At the end of February, I pulled an early retirement. It was time for a break from a job that was 50-55 hours a week and if a mistake slipped through a crack the owner was first to come tell me about it, especially if there was an audience.
Not having time to process an order for one of his friends who wanted a free buffet cabinet but couldn't finalize the color & design carried the same weight as something more important like missing a few custom bathroom cabinets on a house with 8 rooms. It didn't matter if my department had 2 people on vacation and one was out sick. It was always my fault and I got tired of hearing "There is no excuse for your mistakes"

So I pulled the plug. The good thing is I lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks. Less stress? Some of my ex-associates call me asking for things that can be found in emails, job folder, shop drawings, but I respond with the answers. Even when I'm gone they need my help.

Now that I have some control over my schedule, I've been on a 24/7 summer vacation just like the time I was 17 and my parents went out of town leaving me grocery money!
Actually, a similar time was after a hurricane. I was listed as part of the emergency team ham radio operators for 2 meter communications to pass messages helping people in need. Tools, generator, gas, chain saw, boots and a hard head hat.

Naps 3 times a day, breakfast at 5pm and dinner at 2am. It's great. Internet research marathons until 5am. I was able to restring a guitar that I avoided for a year, so I'm making progress. The best part is my partner is doing much the same as me. Her family and friends on the other side of the world have a 13 hour time difference. Now they can chat for hours at a time!
No problem, we're running this thing 24/7...

Looking for something to do that would help the community, I considered buying a sewing machine and making face masks. Not the 1 or 2-layer cloth ones so many have tried. I found instructions for using thick polyester HEPA air filters that are available at Home Depot.

Hmmm... decisions.

Okay....another thing...lol This one not so funny actually.

Back in the day, there was a gentleman in his 80's who had told me about the mark of the beast. He told me 20+ years ago, we will not be able to buy or sell without taking the number. Once you take the number, he goes on to say, you in essence are accepting Satan as your god. I am not exactly sure how he concluded this.

As a side note: I suppose it can be figured out. He had a Bible out and then he had another book out. He kept on telling me and my ex-gf, any question you have about life, the answer for it is in the Bible....it had to be reference through this book and then in the Bible. He said, any word you use...this book will tell you how many times it was used in the Bible and where. He said with that information, you could answer questions. I remember I mentioned this in a blog before and somebody told me what book that was. But, I don't know how to exactly use it or interpret it.

But...anyway...back to the point of my blog.

I was just listening to the news with Mr. Anderson Coop.., and he was talking to a doctor/scientist...or something...I a not sure what her title was. But, they were both agreeing among themselves that, yes...we do need contact tracing..in order to prevent a pandemic like this in the future.

How would that happen...contact tracing? Well, they hinted at monitoring people through the GPS in their phones. But, what if a person does not have their phone on them all of the time, or they don't own a phone? Hmmm... I know with 5G, connection issues are much less of a problem. Like today, I have many areas where I don't get signal with my phone. I am assuming 5G will solve that. I wonder if a nice and cute little implant might not solve the "contact tracing" issues?

Isn't it something....today....as we are living right at this second....many of us are unable to buy and sell.


Maybe String is on to something.

So, while in this isolation state that most of us are sharing, have you had any epiphanies? Any newly discovered purpose for your life? Any thoughts you feel are worth sharing? Anything you think may be meaningful to anyone else?

Me....I just got back into playing Spades. :)


...been thinking though.

Happy isolation all...stay safe.