Maybe...

No More Leaky

I had some work done on the house this past week, long overdue work at that.

The attic has been leaking a little here and there, with water somehow being blown in through the ridge vent.  Also, for whatever reason, when the house was built back in the 1980's, the builder never installed any attic venting, none.  It was time to address these issues, so I had the ridge vent replaced and soffit vents installed under the eaves in both the front and back of the house.

A crew of three was onsite first thing in the morning with the installs completed and the job site cleaned by noon.

Relieved to have the leaks taken care of and hoping the new vents and airflow make a difference in keeping the house cool in the summer and warmer in the winter.

What a beautiful day it was too!

Find The Critters...

Boston State House and Charles River views from the 27th floor -

Can you find the critters, two of them, in the above picture?

Morning Commute Pedicure!

I think it's safe to say there are noises we all hear and instantly know what the sound is, right.  For example, a lawn mower, a blender, a whistling tea kettle, a screaming bullfrog (this could be just me but if you're curious, search "crying bullfrog"), etc.

Well, sitting on the commuter rail train yesterday morning about 6:15ish I heard such a sound.  However, the sound was NOT one I would have expected to hear on a train and honestly, I was grossed out!  What I heard was the unique sound of nail clippers clipping nails!  Yup, you read that correctly, a nail clipper!  On the commuter rail train! A nail clipper! I kid you not!

Sure enough, the older woman sitting in the seat directly in front of me was clipping her fingernails, all frick'n ten of them too, I kid you not!  Of course what follows nail clipping? Correct, nail filing!  Which she also proceeded to do and you know that nail dust is wafting in the train car, UGH GROSS!

Utterly and completely unacceptable!  Rude, inconsiderate, disgusting, self-entitled, a lack of boundary's, and common curtsey and respect!  Just wrong and yet another example to show how far we've fallen as a society.  People in general are disgusting, gross and just plain suck!

Not the best picture. It's a reflection in the train's window but the white thing in the center of the pic are the clippers, clipping the pointing finger of the woman's right hand -

Suppose I should be thankful she wasn't cutting her toe nails 🤢!

Think Pink!

My peach tree is loaded with blossoms this year and looks terrific!  I took this picture a couple days ago, the blossoms have popped even more and is fuller today.  Too bad these flowers don't last very long.

Fire In The Sky

What an awesome sun rise this morning!

Homemade Lasagna!

Had a hankering for lasagna, so I picked up the fix'ns and made one the other night!  I added a package of ground chicken, made some garlic bread also, and it all came out really tasty!  I ate it for two nights then cut up and froze the rest for the next time I have the urge for lasagna.

HD Sportster Upgrades!

I made a couple enhancements to my motorcycle this off season. I replaced the original air cleaner with a new, sleeker, more attractive one and replaced the rear foot peg, so they now match the front foot pegs.

Looking forward to riding season and hope to get in more rides than I did last year! 

Stock Air Cleaner Before -

New, Upgraded Air Cleaner - 

New, Upgraded Rear Foot Pegs -

Well, Good Morning To You Both!

Early morning weekend walks are the best!

Getting up and out before all the assholes start to stir, so peaceful.

Plus, if you put your phone away and actually take in the walk, you just might start noticing things that you'd otherwise walk right past.  Like these two taking in the warmth of the morning sun.

Gosh, my iPhone 12 camera takes terrible pictures.  It's also possible, ever so slightly, that it's the camera operator that has the issues...

Cartridge Problem! All Dried Up.

Signs I don't use my home printer nearly enough or at all...

Of course this is a "Murphy's Law" things because it happens when you least expect it and when it's needed ASAP!

And like everything else these days, these HP ink cartridges are super expensive.

So, in an effort to save a couple bucks I tried going with a knock-off brand for a fraction of the price but that failed, alas!  My printer would NOT recognize any of the cartridges, even though the items description claimed it supported my model.

The Amazon return procedure is wicked easy, with a drop off location not to far, so I returned them for a full refund and reluctantly ordered HP replacements that were here the following morning. Problem solved for now.

Better Than DoorDash And Uber Eats!

I'm not sure how I got so lucky but I am blessed with the best neighbor and friends, who also happens to be an excellent cook!

Changes Are Coming!

I have a handful of irons in the fire with changes and upgrades in the works, stay tuned.

Here is one, although minor, change is change and an upgrade in my foyer was needed.

Something To Ponder...

Boston Walkabout

Here are a few pics from my afternoon in Boston this past Sunday.

As you can see it was cloudy and overcast, a tad nippy too, but a good day none-the-less.

The Massachusetts State House -

The Embrace sculpture - 

I've posted pictures from the 27th floor looking out over Boston, how about a view looking up from the sidewalk.  100 Federal Street, also known as Boston's pregnant building, and where my company occupies several floors -

Another trip into the Public Gardens in a week or two is in order, when the oodles of spring bulbs - tulips and daffodils, are in full bloom with all their colors.

Smokey The Bear

Although, there's truth to the billboard advertisement that, "Only you can prevent wildfires", I found it odd that such a sign would be hanging in the heart of the city of Boston.

When I think of wildfires, I'm thinking the forests. Trees. Deer's like Bambi.  Certainly not bricks and concrete and high-rise buildings.

For it's effectiveness or lack there of, the sign might as well read, "Help stamp out trampolines"...

Villain

The key take away with this quote, to me, is the last sentence - "Sometimes you're just a mirror of what they're hiding from."

But it's not just how someone perceives you, it's also how someone treats you.  Both are a reflection of that person, what they're struggling with or hiding from and ultimately how they see themselves.  Seldom is it you.

28th Annual Greek Independence Parade of Boston

I took a drive into Boston yesterday and attended the Greek Independence Day parade!

Although, a cold and overcast day, there was a good turnout with plenty of Greek being spoken and Greek flags a flying throughout the crowd!

I parked in the financial district and walked to downtown crossing, over to the Boston Commons, past the state house and made my way through the Public Gardens and the famous swan boats to Boylston Street.  Grabbed a hot coffee and found a nice, unobstructed place to stand and watch the parade and festivities.

It was a good take. I'm glad I attended!

 

I picked myself up a Greek flag too -

Very Satisfying And Yummy!

The meal I made last night, SO freak'n delicious!

The steak melted in my mouth!

Washed down with a Shiner Bock beer.

"They" say not to go grocery shopping when hungry, suppose I should listen.  However, grabbing the fix'ns for this meal worked out for me, YUM!

Even Trixie enjoyed the fat I trimmed off!

Abracadabra!

I thought I'd give this so called "brilliant" social media hack a try and it was a fail.

I'm guessing I did it wrong or rather used the wrong knife.  I thought the serrated bread knife was the way to go but in hindsight it was NOT.  It made a terrible mess and left both cut ends frayed and messy.  Perhaps, if I had used a sharp straight edge knife the outcome would have been better, alas.

Think I'll be more selective with social media suggestions moving forward and will definitely be staying away from Tide laundry pods...

"Jungle Jack" Hanna

Generally speaking, I'm getting tired of the daily new, whether on the TV or Internet. Seems most of what's reported is nothing but terrible news and bad things happening all over the globe, even right next door in many cases, unsettling for sure.

This morning news was no different when I sat down with my coffee and connected to one of the news sites I check each day.

This story hit home with me and truly upsets me.  It's very sad for a number of reasons; father time can be brutal but also because I was a big Jack Hanna fan and always enjoyed watching his programs and when he was a guest on one of the talk shows.  Hearing about his illness and decline is sad and a loss for his family, friends, fans and the animal world.  At the same time an uplifting and wonderful story between Jack and his wife of love, admiration and dedication, which seems rare these days.

"Jack Hanna's family says famed zookeeper 'continues to decline' amid battle with 'advanced' Alzheimer's".

Life is too short my friends, enjoy it while you can!  Be thankful for each day, what you have and what you've been blessed with. 

Do You Know What These Are?

I recently bought the items below - 

People from the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers and Generation X will prolly know what these are.  Millennials maybe but unlikely, and it's a big no way for Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

Do you know?

As a point of reference, below are the generation names and date ranges -

Silent Generation 1928 and 1945

Baby Boomers 1946 and 1964

Generation X 1965 and 1980

Millennials 1981 and 1996

Generation Z 1997 and 2012

Generation Alpha 2010s through 2025

Big Bad Villain

There are two sides to every story.

It's my belief that big bad villains never actually are at peace with themselves.  They will forever have that lingering feeling of knowing they did someone wrong.

It's A Pasta Thing

Made a batch of chicken, broccoli and penne alfredo with garlic roll garlic bread and I nailed it! It was SO darn good and I ate every piece, drop and crumb on that plate!

Easter Garden Work

Happy Easter!

I spent the morning working in the yard, after my walk.

I got the first bag, step1, of Scott's fertilizer spread on my lawn.

Then off to my gardens where I turned the soil, using a shovel, in my 2 raised beds and my big garden!

It's amazing how quickly you fall out of condition over the winter but this was quite the workout.

Do Our Part?!

I am SO happy knowing how the restrictions the US government is proposing on gas appliances are going to help the ozone layer and environment, phew!

Dad Doodles

My dad drew this picture!

It's of my dad, my mom and the grandkids 💗

Dad always had pens and pencils at the ready.  It was typical to see a doodle, a thought, an idea or numbers jotted down whether on lined paper, in the newspaper he was readying or in a magazine.

I miss him and wish he was still with us.  He would be especially proud of each the grandkids, their accomplishments to date and the amazing young adults they've become.

Not How The Story Was Supposed To End

Not only did I lose time, I also myself!

**This is NOT related to a cheating ex-wife!

Urge To Kill Rising

Akin to placing a seashell against your ear to hear the ocean, you can also go outside every morning some where around 5:00AM to 5:30AM Eastern time and listen closely, it's quite possible that you can hear me screaming and cursing, as I'm either cleaning up cat puke from my carpets or scooping cat excrement from the litter box!

Who's idea was it to domesticate cats?  I'd like to dig this person up, just to be able to slap them in the face!

Oops I Did It Again!

Cod, scallops and shrimp seasoned, bread crumbed and cooked in beer. Garlic broccoli and green beans with a piece of garlic bread made on a fresh from the farm onion roll, OMG!

So darn good!

Relaxing Soaks!

I've used my jacuzzi bathtub more in the last several months than the previous 20 years, I kid you not!

SO frick'n relaxing!

Mind Your Business And Do You!

I couldn't agree more with @deshawn_sings advice for 2024!

Too many people with opinions, most are hypocrites too, and who think their opinions are the gospel, ENOUGH!

Using Deshawn's words, "shut up, the world would be better"!

Bikes Bikes Bikes!

With spring upon us, riding season isn't too far off!

I've not been as diligent as I should have been over the winter months and just started working on cleaning my bike.  Much more work needed to get her sparking - on my list.  Have a couple of upgrades coming too, so stay tuned.

Here are a couple pics of what spiffy, shinned and polished Harley Davidson bikes look like.  They'll blind you in the sunlight with all this chrome!  A sea of colors too -

A Fresh Coat Of Paint Makes a Difference II

Bedroom #2 repainted this afternoon!

I dismantled the bed and moved in into the other bedroom with all the other miscellaneous stuff from this room.  Slid the dresser out of the way and off I went.

Sanded the walls where I had previously patched, removed the outlet plates, shop-vac'd around the base of the walls, removed the radiator covers and vacuumed and then scrubbed them clean. Taped off the areas I was about to paint and off I went! 

Wall #1 before -

\

Wall #1 after -

The paint is a Disney themed\titled paint from The Home Depot and it's color is called "Oh Bother Blue".  It's from 2003 and was fine just a tad thick, so I added a little water to thin it out a bit and it went on super easy. The problem is that the paint can and lid rusted. It was difficult to get it opened and as you can kinda see in the pic, there's no way the lid was going back on.  There wasn't much left when I finished, so I added a cup of kitty litter to it, stirred it good and in the trash it went.  The other paint cans I've opened from early 2000 all had rusted lid issue.

Wall #2 before -

Wall #2 after -

I'll let the paint dry, then maybe tomorrow after work I'll put on the new outlet covers and move all the furniture back in.

Looks SO much better! I am pleased!