One Person

A Fresh Coat Of Paint Makes a Difference III

I've completed painting the master bathroom, hooray!

The ugly lilac color is no more and has been replaced with a light grey called "Etched Glass".  I like it SO much better and it brightens the room up too!

The shower has a new, more appealing curtain (yes, it needs to be ironed, just too lazy on my part) and I've replaced the light switches from almond to white. I even sanded and painted the baseboard heater to match the wall color.

I still have some decorating to do.  I'm mulling things over and in no rush.  Leaning towards a wall mounted, over the toilet farmhouse style vanity, new throw rugs and perhaps, even a new light fixture over the mirror and sink.

Before -

After -

Before -

After -

Before -

All the shelves and stuff were removed from the walls, all the holes patched and sanded before I began painting

After -

On to the next project...

Oh, Those Signs Don't Apply To Me!

I'm at the point now where I'm appalled at most people, their antics, how they carry and represent themselves. Selfish, rude, inconsiderate, hypocrites. Brace yourselves but I find dog owners some of the biggest hypocrites too, with many VERY opinionated that are quick to attack and defend how wonderful they are and how 'they' do no wrong.

I see it so often when I'm out on my walks, people out walking their dog but have almost NO control over them.  They pull and bark and lunge and jump.  I see piles of dog crap all over, not picked up, just left behind and lately I'm seeing more and more bagged up dog crap just left behind or tossed off the side of the road.

This past week I walked through a town recreation area known as Dacey Field, which is just up the road from me. This complex has a dog park that is used year round and always busy - keep that in mind.

Each of the times I walked through this area there have been individuals exercising their dogs on the baseball\softball fields even though both fields each have two of the below, "NO PETS ALLOWNED IN ATHLETIC FIELD AREA" per order of the town of Franklin AND the Board of Health, signs mounted on the fencing at each gate!  Yet for some reason these selfish POS ignore the signs and are on the fields with their dogs!

There are reasons why dogs are not allowed on the ball fields, e.g. some kids are allergic, kids shouldn't needs to worry about stepping in dog crap and how does on pick up or clean up after urination? Also, urine kills grass and these are town maintained fields, which means our tax dollars are going towards maintenance.

As mentioned above, there is a DOG PARK in this complex!

I see it more and more these days, people care only about themselves and with complete disregard for others!  Seems the town signs don't apply to these selfish POS.

I'm sure if confronted they'd have some excuse to justify why they can do whatever they want or become confrontational and it's just NOT worth my effort, however, it's infuriating to say the least.

Here are the vehicles of the offenders.

You just can't make this stuff up!

Survey Says!

I'm Throwing A Flag On Sports!

I've posted about this before, and yes I did recently go to a New England Patriots game, but came across the below screen shots from Foxnews.com the last couple of weeks and thought I'd reiterate my feelings about this foolishness.

Sadly, the games have changed.  Sportsmanship just isn't what it once was and with more and more of the below happening these days AND it's all drive by BIG business and money. I have very little desire to watch these overpaid primadonnas.

The fighting.  The constant whining. The showboating. The endless penalty calling and game delays. Not to mention the endless commercials and ads that run while trying to watch a game, UGH!

It's also worth noting, that the behaviors below are NOT limited to the pros.  It's happening with fans in the stands and even happening at the high school and town rec levels too (parents fighting and assaulting coaches and refs), shameful.

The utterly foolish money many of these ballplayers are getting is just stupid awful. How can anyone justify a 15-year, $765 million dollar deal (for baseball player Juan Soto)?!  Ultimately, the fans pay the price for these ludicrous salaries.

It's already a bank-breaking proposition to attend a game in person.  Parking prices, ticket prices, food, souvenirs, concessions, etc., too darn expensive.

This right here is SO dirty!  An Arkansas linesman, or better yet POS, intentionally steps on the ankle of an opposing player, I kid you not!  He should NOT be allowed to play college ball ever again!  How is this ever justified and further proves my point about how sportsmanship has changed.

I find it ironic that the player has since issued an apology, which I believe the only reason he's done so is because he was caught; his dirty antic was caught on camera and the news media blew it up, so he had no choice but to apologies in an effort to save face.

I've not heard, nor could I find anything on the Google machine, about whether this POS has been punished.  College football is BIG business, so no surprised it's all been swept under the rug.

In summary, I'm all but done with pro sports.  I'll still watch here and there but very unlikely that I'll offer support beyond that.  I won't be paying extra streaming fees, nor purchasing clothing with team logos and at the end of the day, I don't care if my home teams win or lose.

Poor sportsmanship and what has now become big business has ruined most everything.  For another example, look at the holiday's now and what's become of them too. Over commercialized and shoved down our throats...

New Boiler Observations

If you recall, back in May 2024 I replaced my older gas boiler and water heater, see previous post - "BIG Home Improvement!", and for the most part I am pleased.

There are a couple things I'm still getting adjusted to, things that it would have been nice to have been given a heads up on by the plumbing company.  They're not show stoppers but rather annoyance that come with making the change from an older boiler to a newer, wall mounted system.

Now that we're into winter and the heat is on...

The first and most noticeable is that my basement is CONSIDERABLY colder, see thermometer pic below - mid to low 50s!  My old boiler was a steel box that sat on the floor and would radiating heat into the basement as it ran.  That alone kept the basement somewhat toasty.  I never took a temperature reading with the old but was definitely some ~10 degrees warmer than it is today, so mid 60's.

It was also nice, after shoveling snow, to be able to place my wet items, e.g. boots, gloves, hat and coats near the old boiler to help them dry quicker.  That 'feature' is no longer available with the new boiler, alas.

The second item is hot water.  I have endless hot water now, once it's warmed up, however, it takes much longer to call and get hot water when needed.  It's not the time that irks me, rather the amount of cold water that runs down the drain while waiting for the hot water to arrive. Potentially saving money, on gas, with a new energy efficient boiler but it's costing me more in water and sewer use for all the extra water going down the drain.

Meant as observations rather than criticisms.

I'm thankful for all that I have! 

To A Crisp

She burned it twice... 

Who Walks By Your Side?

I don't put too much stock in these silly things, however, and perhaps because it references my dad, I like what this has to say -

Hawk Walk

I took a different route on my walk yesterday to change things up a bit.  I made my way to Dacey Field, which is just up the road from me.  It's a pretty nice area with several ball fields, a swingset play area, dog park, frisbee disk course and walking trails.

Coming around a wooded path towards one of the ball fields, I spied a Red-Shoulder hawk perched atop the foul poll of the baseball field.

I was a bit surprised at how close I was able to get before it flew off AND equally as surprised at how well my iPhone camera captured the below pics -

I luv me birds of prey!

I saw several other perched hawks on the walk too but to far away to get good pics.

Bundled Up, Then Bundled Up More!

"Crazy is as crazy does.".

Being in the low 30's and with the windchill in the upper teens, we took in the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro this past Sunday, the last game of the regular season.

Our seats were in section 335, which is almost at the top of the stadium seating and where the wind gusts were ripping, BRRR!

The recently rebuilt lighthouse and the tallest lighthouse in America, Lighthouse Landing, now has 360-degree observation deck, known as the Lookout that provides spectacular panoramic views of the stadium and the surrounding area, including the Boston and Providence skylines -

The view of the field from our seats -

The final score - 

New England Patriots 24

Buffalo Bills 16

With the win, only their 4th of the season, the Patriots squandered their chance at the No. 1 pick in 2025 NFL Draft.  Instead they fall into the number 4 slot, alas.

Although, a very cold day, the game was a good take.  It was a good game and from a fan perspective, a win is a win, and I have high hopes I'll be able to feel my toes again soon...

Another "Here's Your Sign"

Admittedly, I struggled for a bit trying to figure out how to put on my new wool socks.  It was only by chance, with my blood pressure rising and tears in my eyes, did I notice the, "How to use your Chill Buster Merino Wool Socks:" instructions.

Phew, thank goodness the packaging had instructions!

Unfortunately, and I plan to write a sternly worded letter to the company, there was NO warning label listed on the packaging!  I almost choked myself out trying to get one of these over my head...

Gone Country!

Just like Alan Jackson's song...

I've made some aesthetics updates to my upstairs bathroom, with the goal being a more farmhouse look.

I'm please with my upgrades to date!

It's hard to tell but the stripes on the shower curtain are green, which matches the counter top.

I'm tackling the master bathroom next and will be starting with a fresh coat, and new color, of paint. I NEVER cared for the existing color, a lilac, so it's time for it to go!

Just Thought I'd Share

FYI

I despise when people make the "heart hand" symbol, which is why I've made the icon here as small as I could!

For some reason it just REALLY irks me!

To those that do this, PISS OFF!

Life Is A Paradox

Where Has Modesty Gone?

I happened upon the below Instagram video the other day and thought I would share it.

Social media seems to teeter on the edge these days, with many posts pushing content awful close to nudity.  Women, perhaps trying to cash in on "Only Fans" hype by luring followers with risque pics and videos, as they push the envelope of what's allowed and often times leaving very little to ones imagination.

It's pathetic really!

As Tara says in her video, "we need to bring back modesty...", and I couldn't agree more!

People need to have more self respect.  Take pride, work on themselves and become better, put in an effort to look presentable - bathe, clean themselves, brush their hair and teeth, etc.  Enough with this sweatpants, pj and just rolled out of bed look. By the way, this laziness and unkept look applies to all - men and women, young and old too.

Sorry, NOT sorry, but how do you take someone serious who's sporting head, face and neck tattoos, dressed in Sponge Bob fleece pj pants, walks scuffing their feet in slipper-type shoes and looking unkept?!?!

It's just not a good look, and in my opinion, sends the wrong message.

Sadly, a sign of the times.

Yes, I'm sure she is going to get called out by many, as too many people are quick to add their two cents.  Yes, that's what I'm doing here but I'm the exception.

Home Repairs, So "Draining" II!

After my recent kitchen sink plumbing repairs I noticed the new drain that was installed wasn't installed properly in the recessed area of the sink itself, see first pic below.

Unfortunately, I didn't notice it while the plumbers, who did the work, were still here, otherwise I would have said something then.

Frustratingly, I decided I'd just live with it, yet I struggled with my darn OCD every time I placed an item in the sink. 

It remained that way for about a week until I received the invoice in the mail for the work done. Well, that was all the motivation I needed and sent a text, with picture, to the owner to request they return to correct their mistake.  He responded immediately, apologized and had the plumber back out the next morning to fix, see second pic below -

After the initial installation of this new sink drain -

After having the plumber come back out to the house to fix the new drain properly -

Phew, all better, which has quieted and satisfied my OCD.

Keep Moving Folks!

Drum roll please...

Here are my 2024 walking breakdowns and totals, as captured by the app Strava -

194 walks

191 hours

706.6 miles walked

We're onto 2025!

Volkswagen Bugs

Grey, yellow and blue punch-buggy, <as I punch you three times>, NO punch-backs!

There is a fourth one at this same house, it's red, but wasn't home when I took this pic.

Lessons

I still haven't forgiven 2022 and 2023 yet either.

Hang in there!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2025!

Be Proud Of You

A message from me to you as 2024 comes to an end -

Is It Me?! It's Gotta Be Me.

Okay, admittedly I've become a grumpy 😠 old man 🧓, and I am perfectly fine with it too, I've put my time in!  I find myself bothered and complaining about SO many things recently.  For example, the idiots who speed up and down my street, aggressive drivers, the knuckleheads with deafening mufflers and bafflers, delivery vehicles and landscape vehicles that double park, selfish dog owners who don't pickup after their dogs and those that doo (hehehe) but leave the bagged turds behind, lazy people who don't return their shopping carts, most cell phone users and on and on and on!

I'm sure many of you can relate and perhaps might even have similar frustrations, and to those that do WELCOME!

I believe I was belly aching to my brother not too long ago about the FedEx delivery guy who I watched trudge through my shrubs so he could walk straight from his truck curbside to my front steps to deliver my package, instead of walking the driveway and up the walkway, AND then stopping to pee 🍆 on a tree in my front yard before driving off.  I kid you not!  If I recall I said something during the conversation about "it must be just me" and without missing a beat my brother said, "yup!"!  So there's that...

Anyway, all the above was a segue to the following incident that has me incensed and would luv to get your take on it and how you'd all handle\react to it -

So, the snow ❄

 we had before Christmas 🎄 makes for perfect sledding 🛷 conditions, ah to be a kid again.

My neighbors kids, boy 10ish and girl 7ish, are taking full advantage of the snow ❄, out having fun, frolicking and sledding 🛷. What's been bothering me, and I've been biting my tongue and trying to ignore, is that the kids are sledding 🛷 down and into my fence!

My concerns are two fold; one, I don't want to see them get hurt and two, I don't want my 'stuff' to get damaged.  Both seem very reasonable to me.

The kids are using a snow ❄ tube and sledding 🛷 down their lawn\hill, which is short and then slamming into my fence; literally slamming into the wire fence!

I've been biting my tongue and trying my best to ignore this but it lingers, as I just cannot understand how their parents would allow this.

Anyway, a couple days ago, the boy had three friends over and boys will be boys. They were sledding 🛷 but wrestling and jockeying for the tube, which prevent them from getting too far down hill, until three kids piled onto the tube, flew down the hill and really slammed into the fence, which bent the fence post; the one with the bird house mounted on it, to a 45 degree and also broken some of the fencing.

Well, that set me off and all I needed...

"When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the chair to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear."

I yelled at them, told them the fence wasn't a backstop and to STOP slamming into it, then pointed out that they damaged the post! GRRR I was SO pissed 😡!

They didn't say a word and soon thereafter disappeared into the house.

Again, I know snow ❄ is a fun time for kids and sledding 🛷 is too, and even though they have a slopped side yard, it's just NOT a good one for sledding 🛷 since there is a fence and line of trees and shrubs along the property line.

This isn't the best angle to see truly how bent over this fence post is -

Robert Frost was onto something when he said, "Good fences make good neighbors", but I don't think he took sledding 🛷 kids into account when he wrote this.

*** UPDATE ***

Now that the snow has all melted, I took a better angle picture this morning, so you'd get a better look at the damage.  You really gotta hit the post pretty hard to bend it like that 😡 -

She's Very Impressionable!

I made the above, with the help of Ms. Trixie of course.

Just my first draft.  I need to do better on the paw print, actually would like to get two paw prints on the one card.  I might need a second set of hands to accomplish this, as Trixie wasn't overly cooperative.