Monday, December 28, 2015

Here comes winter

The first significant winter weather event of the season is forecast for tomorrow.  They are calling for sleet and freezing rain changing over to rain.  The morning commute will be a mess.  Thus far it has been the warmest December on record but it's looking like that will end. 

I'm ready with an ample supply of wood, calcium chloride and if necessary a snow blower.  My generator is charged and gassed up as well. 

Finally, I've located the ice cleats that Becky bought for me a couple of years ago in case the driveway is covered in ice and I need to spread around the calcium chloride.  I've already used them several times and they work perfectly.

We leave for Florida on New Year's Day and returning the 10th so we get a little break from the cold but after that it's hello winter.  Let's hope Mother Nature is a little easier on us this year.  The past few years have been brutal.

My next post will be from Florida!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas One and All

With the holiday season in full swing, let's hope some Christian/Judeo values emerge.  Things like civility, kindness, consideration, generosity, patience, tolerance and general concern for others are sorely lacking in far too many quarters.  Make no mistake, there's plenty of these things in evidence and I suppose the optimists among us will focus on only them but how is it possible to ignore those who don't when  making one's way through the day? 

For example take  driving.  The number of motorists who lack the above is incredible.  And how about the political climate these days?  Unbelievably low. 

I guess the only thing to do is behave properly and hope others fall in line-and above all-TURN OFF THE TV.

No matter what religion you happen to be, it's possible to embrace old fashioned common sense decency and values.  That's pretty pretty much all there is to it.

Merry Christmas.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Recommendation

Whether or not you follow the substantial political commentary making the rounds these days, I would like to recommend you check out New York Times columnist Gail Collins. 

Collins is one of the most intelligent and perceptive journalists out there.  She brings to her columns a degree of wit and humor that makes reading her pieces a real pleasure. 

Check out a few.  You won't regret it.

http://www.nytimes.com/column/gail-collins

Monday, December 14, 2015

Three Years Ago

Three years ago today there occurred the tragedy at Sandy Hook School. This is the first day the anniversary occurs on a school day. 

Most elementary children are not aware of the event so nothing will be done to draw attention to it.  The staff and faculty however will have a difficult day indeed but being the professionals they are, they'll put a smile on their faces and get through the day.

It's difficult to move on from this because there are constant daily reminders with so many other gun related acts around the country with the last being San  Bernardino.  Inevitably whenever one of these shootings occurs, the gun-rights debate heats up and Sandy Hook is dragged into it.

Next year will be another milestone year when the brand new Sandy Hook School opens.   Our two grand sons will be there-grades two and three.  It's going to seem very strange and it will be somewhat difficult to go there to see their programs or volunteer in their rooms but I'll certainly do it because they won't know the full story of why they're at a new school.

So life goes on and we adapt as best we can.

In the meantime, remember:



Thursday, December 10, 2015

The faces of insanity

Several years ago I posted a picture of Michelle Bachmann who was at the time a republican representative in the House of Representatives and I labelled her the picture of insanity.  Make no mistake, she's still insane.  She's a  genuine nut job but she's definitely not alone.  Check it:

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Life is about routines

As you may or may not be aware we just returned from a family trip to our condo in Naples, FL. It has become a family tradition for all 10 of us (6 adults, 4 children).

A trip like this is more than a chance to enjoy family time and good weather.  It represents a break from the routines that have become a part of everyday life.  Many of these routines become tiresome and sometimes stressful so a chance to unwind is always welcome.

But  there are some early morning rituals that refuse to be set aside.  We just can't seem to let go.  Check out the below picture to see what I'm talking about. Four other people are out of range of my camera but they're all doing the same thing with either an iPad, iPhone or a laptop. 

The good news is at some point not too far off, someone will yell  "OK. That's it. Electronics off.  Let's get going."  And then it's breakfast, workouts and of course the beach.  In other words...more routines!

 

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Updates

Click here to see updates to my web site.
georgeswebpage.com

Friday, December 4, 2015

More home repairs

Are you a home owner? Do you ever get tired of dumping money into your house and property?  We sure do.  In the last two years we've had our driveway redone, added insulation to our attic and are now having our roof redone. 

For many people a house is their most valuable asset.  It needs to be maintained so there's no other option but to get the work done.  I'm hoping we have finally gotten to the point where we can take a breather from this stuff for the next few years-at least as long as we're going to be here anyway.  That could be for as many as 5 or 6 more years.  We'll see how long it takes me to get sick of doing the driveway every winter.

For now at least we'll be free of ice dams (and therefore interior leaks) and the cost of heating and cooling should go done quite a bit with R60 insulation in the attic.

Here's a picture of the work currently being done.  If you need someone to do similar work, contact me.