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!

Nailed It, Again!

I threw together this mid-week meal - garlic mashed potatoes, garlic and butter green beans and a perfectly grilled porkchop! 

Melted in my mouth, SO good!

I had to keep reminding myself to slow down with each bite.

I'm an official member of the clean plate club!

Grateful

Guess What Time It Is!

Saturday morning is errand day and this morning was no different, as I made 6 separate stops, and back home before 10AM!

Today was a good day in terms of most of the people I encountered were pleasant.  Must be something in the air because I found it unusual but it was a welcome change.  Regardless, I loathe most people, so the less I need to see and interact with them the better!

I picked up the following at one of my stops.  Seems I have my work cut out for me - 

I will be heading out shortly to get the lime spread.  I really should have my soil tested but until then I'm hoping the lime will help reduce the moss that's creeping in everywhere.

I'll put the Scotts Step1 fertilizer down in the next week or two.

And were off, happy spring!

Birds Eye View

Here is a shot of the Expressway on Wednesday afternoon, taken around 2:30 from the 27th floor of my office building in Boston.

You can see the southbound lanes already bumper-to-bumper, which is typical.

I can't imagine driving into and out of the city on a regular basis, especially during the work week, what chaos!

Not that the MBTA commuter rail is much better but at least I can sit back and relax (not that I can really relax being in such close proximity to people, gross!) and not be all stressed and tense operating my car in commuter traffic.

Either way, it's always such a relief when I finally get home.

Residual Damage

I came across the below article this morning, which touches on how "grey divorce" reshapes family dynamics and how fathers are more likely to lose touch with their children.

I've read this a half dozen times already, each time brings tears to my eye, and I will tell you, from what I've experienced, this is sadly true.

I've been struggling with the "why" but need to stop beating myself up and accept it for what it is.

 😢

        Divorce is always messy – you have to think about finances, living arrangements and of course, the kids.

But when it comes to older couples going their separate ways, fathers are more likely to lose touch with their children, a study suggests.

There has been a growing trend in recent years for 'grey divorce', when couples in long-term marriages split after the age of 50.

Now, researchers have studied the impact this has on their children.

Scientists analyzed data on 9,000 individuals, focusing on the frequency of contact with their parents, emotional closeness and the provision of support – and how these were affected by the occurrence of a grey divorce.

Divorce is always messy – you have to think about finances, living arrangements and of course, the kids. But when it comes to older couples going their separate ways, fathers are more likely to lose touch with their children, a study suggests 

They discovered the effects vary significantly depending on the gender of both the parent and the child involved.

Firstly, the study found that grey divorce generally leads to a decrease in the frequency of contact between adult children and their fathers.

On the other hand, there was an increase in the frequency of contact and in emotional closeness with mothers.

The researchers also found the consequences of divorce were generally more pronounced in father-daughter relationships, which experienced greater declines in both contact frequency and emotional closeness compared to father-son relationships.

Meanwhile, mother-daughter relationships often showed a strengthening in emotional bonds.

Zafer Büyükkeçeci, from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany, led the research. 

He said: 'Fathers tend to experience greater post-divorce strain on parent-child relationships compared to mothers.

'Reasons for the disparity could be that traditionally, mothers often maintain closer bonds with children.

'Adult children might even strengthen ties with mothers to compensate for the loss of a spousal confidante.

'Studies also show stronger emotional and practical support for mothers later in life.'

He also said that fathers may lose their 'kin keeper' role after divorce, leading to increased social isolation.

A 'kin keeper' is someone who assist family communication, plan gatherings and help the family keep in touch.

The study, published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, reads: 'Health, wellbeing and social integration of older parents is strongly linked to the presence of a partner in the household and to intergenerational solidarity from adult children.

'The rise in grey divorce could undermine both of these critical resources, as older people who separate not only lose their partner but may also damage relationships to their adult children.

'Our central finding is the contrasting impact for mothers and fathers. A grey divorce tilts adult child solidarity towards mothers and puts fathers at a higher risk of social isolation.'

It's Right Around The Corner!

I picked up some veggie seeds this past weekend, can't wait!

I'm starting to give some thought to what I'm going to plant and where.

These items here I'll plant directly in the soil when the time is right.

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and perhaps some others, I'll pick up at a local farm already started.

Unusual But Now You Know

I found this label on door at a doctors office and thought it unusual.  Never seen a bathroom sign that used two separate words to refer to or identify a "Restroom" before.  Perhaps, it's just me, dunno.

Seems, perhaps, to be a reference back to the late 1800, when there were rooms designated for 'rest" and back then they did not include a commode.  The toilet requirement followed years later.

"Restroom, also rest room, rest-room, 1887, "room set aside for rest and quiet" (in a workplace, public building, etc.). As these often later had (or were required to have) accessory toilet-rooms, by 1930s the word came to be a euphemism for "lavatory, toilet."

Here I was ready to make fun of the sign, rather I learned a thing or two instead.

Moo Moo Cows

I was in North Smithfield Rhode Island on Friday morning for an appointment, so I took advantage and popped into Wright's Dairy Farm & Bakery and picked up some goodies!

Like this pistachio cannoli, outstanding!  Pleased with myself for showing some self control and only buying one of these!

Shameful Really

Why was Biden yelling at me last night during his state of the union address?!

Why was he so fixated on his "predecessor" and NOT the issues at hand?

Here are the topics he touched on in the first 20 minutes - Putin, Ukraine, his predecessor, NATO, the insurrection, IVF, Roe v Wade, COVID.  Why was America and the troubles here at home NOT a priority? Illegal migrants flooding into the country! The economy - crazy high food prices, rent prices, interest rates!  The lawlessness, homelessness (for legal US citizens like our military veterans)! The gangs, drugs and violence problems?  

Why did it take him about 40-minutes before he touched on the crisis at the boarder?!

Are the following price examples, from a local grocery store, what that senile fucktard was referring to last night when he was talking about, and taking credit for, how well the economy is doing?!

He certainly showed me where is priorities are, which are NOT where they should or need to be in my opinion, and just how disconnected he really is on what the typical, everyday citizen is dealing and struggling with.

I'm Rooting For Karma!

So it is written, so shall it be done!

Worthless!

What is the deal with the daytime talk show The View?

Who watches this shit?  Honestly, who in their right mind would take the time, any time, to sit and listen these shit heads rant and ramble and spew their slanted foolish opinions?!

The hosts are annoying, opinionated has-beens' who need to just go away!  The only time I hear anything about them is when they overstep their bounds and put their foot in their mouth, argue among themselves and even with guests and usual with some over the top assessment or statement, which seems to happen often!

Worthless television.  Worthless POS and they really outta keep their thoughts and opinions to themselves.

I would rather sit in a room and listen to someone with long fingernails run them up and down a chalkboard.  Those douche bags are SO irrelevant and unwatchable!

Same with that other idiot Stephen A Smith over on ESPN, UGH!

OH, and let's not forget that dickwad Robert De Niro! Another over opinionated, overrated POS! I will NEVER watch another movie of his, old or new.

Wish they would all just go away from the public eye; crawl back to wherever they came from and die a slow death!

A Rafter Of Turkeys

I was able to snap a few pictures of this flock of wild turkey's this morning, slowing taking their time foraging and seemingly oblivious to the cold but moving with some sort of purpose.  Perhaps, they just don't like being exposes out in the open and were working their way into the wooded area.

I've not see such a herd of them in a while, so it was nice to see and like that they're milling around my back yard.

I'm sure they're thankful that it's been a fairly mild winter here in New England.

As cold as it was, this Tom has other things on his mind -

In Need Of Assistance

A hot-button topic for sure!

So, I've been going into the Boston office more often these days; taking the commuter rail into South Station, then it's a short walk to office.

I will tell you that I've noticed a substantial increase in the number of homeless folks loitering in and around South Station. Some inside to get out of the cold and some inside to use the restrooms.  Sadly, it's not unusual to also see one or two inside splayed out or passed out or whatever you want to call it, assuming high as a kite!  They appear to be keeping to themselves and not bothering people, so suppose that's a good thing and why they're tolerated.

I have heard that some homeless do not care to stay at shelters for whatever their reasons.  Pictured above is a person cocooned in that tattered blue tarp and with an umbrella overtop of him.  Guessing that's his spot, as he's been there for a couple months now.  In the mornings, he's sitting atop that pile with a sign asking for money but in the evenings, he appears to be nestled inside and bundled up.

Of course, I have no idea of this person's story, how he ended up here, not being in a shelter, etc. but it's sad really. Guessing he's an American, otherwise he'd be setup comfortably in one of the Boston area hotel that have been converted into housing for the illegal migrants versus taking care of one of our own, sad really.