It is still early April and yet the weather here on our hilltop has turned summer-like. The weather forecast says it will be 80 degrees, but if the hilltop holds true to form, that means it will likely be in the mid-80s at least. My annual AC checkup was last week and the system is raring to go, as are the Big Ass fans on the ceiling, which are already slowly turning as though to…
While we were rounding Cape Hirn last month, Viking showed the movie Master and Commander, starring Russel Crowe as the captain of a British Naval vessel who is chasing a Spanish galleon through the Southern Ocean waters, trying to capture its prize trade booty before peace got declared back home between their two nations. The concept of rushing to justify larceny rather than anticipating peace was somehow portrayed as noble and manly in an era…
I had an interesting conversation this morning with Mike & Melisa. We are of a like mind about how we each want to maintain the aesthetic “curb appeal” of our homes. Neither of us is trying to sell our properties and neither of us are located on our streets in places that get tons of passerby traffic. So, I think its fair to say that we care about how our properties look for our own…
“Of Mice and Men” is a novella written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937. It is set during the Great Depression in the agricultural fields of Northern California, where it follows two migrant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who move from place to place in search of job opportunities. They are the real Americans in the heartland during the worst of the Great Depression. That Great Depression was caused by a complex…
You know how some days are just hard to figure out? Are they good days or bad days? I’m a little confused about today, so let me explain. First of all it’s Friday, probably the most popular day of the week because the work week has ended and yet the household chores of Saturday have not begun. I know that young people are starting to push into Thursday night as the big “date night” of…
It’s a rainy day here on the hilltop. It’s been raining steadily all day and without stop, which is unusual. It took a few days to get over my travel drudge, but starting yesterday I have been at full strength and ready to dig into my next projects. Yesterday was about the movies and dinner, but today was supposed to be about getting things done. But instead, I’ve chosen to be prudent and avoid the…
For many years we have been advised to “Keep Calm and Carry On”. The iconic poster has become one of the most recognizable pieces of British design in history, though its journey to cultural prominence follows a fascinating path. The poster was originally designed in 1939 by the British Ministry of Information as part of a series of three motivational posters intended to boost morale during the anticipated bombing of major cities at the outbreak…
Several years ago I discovered 30% vinegar solution as a weed killer. I am not the most eco-oriented person in the world and I can’t pretend that I make choices that are only the right eco-friendly option at all times. Generally, I think that adoption of these things needs to be cost neutral or better and relatively convenient as well. When you go to Lowe’s or Home Depot at this time of year, you see…
We’ve all been reading about and presumably sympathizing with the medical woes of Pope Francis for the past month or so. The pope is 88 years old and has had a lifetime of respiratory issues which have finally put him in enough of a weakened state that he required a month in a Roman hospital. His physician has declared that it is a “Miracle” that he has survived this ordeal since he was apparently very…
The irony of this title is not what I intended. I had a brilliant thought in the middle of the night last night and did what I always try to do, which is write it down. I captured it in a title for a new story and then for some reason I decided I did not need to even write down one line of that story to give myself a clue as to what I…