Category: Home Improvement

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Online Music Buying Guides

If I have any options to review a product and/or service, you can bet that I will be utilizing every type(s) that I can get my hands on. It’s a whole new world out there. It’s amazing to think that we managed to live our lives without computers. At some point in the late 80’s we have become more and more reliant on what used to be referred to as the World Wide Web. I mean when is the last time you have even heard the words World Wide Web?

With all that the Internet has to offer almost all of us in the 21st century, it still surprises me that there are still some of our senior citizens who are bucking, kicking and screaming all the way to any computer who just can’t wrap their heads around even some of the most basic functions, even explaining all that they are missing by not using e-mail can’t entice some people to get on board.

My grandmother was a bit slow at getting used to the whole computer concept, but it didn’t take long once she starting realizing how useful it can be. One of the advantage that came into play during the holiday gift buying season. She actually took her time and checked out different acoustic guitars that she found at one of the major music websites that have just about anything that is musically related. It seems that a friend and neighbor told her about Musician’s Friend, which Grandma felt safe enough to go online, find a particular buying guide and actually ordered a wonderful guitar at a great price. Free shipping is always a plus when ordering anything online.

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The Meaning of the Season

Just a little more than a week until Christmas and the holiday season hustle and bustle in surely in full swing. It came to me today how much Christmas has changed in my lifetime and how commercial it’s all become.

It seems most families spend way too much money for items their friends and loved ones probably don’t really need. Weeks and months of shopping and preparation turns into a few minutes of present opening frenzy. My immediate family takes a laid back approach to the holidays and mostly just enjoy a nice meal and the time together. I’m also sentimental enough to believe that Christmas should be an attitude we have in our hearts all year.

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Hosting via the web

Hosting your own website can be a challenge if you have never done it before or have a lack of computer knowledge.  Personally, I am not a computer guru so when I decided to jump into the world of technology I decided I better get some help.

Recently, I have been taking some classes on horticulture and wanted to be able to share this information with others.  I absolutely love gardening and constantly yearn for new knowledge about plants.  One area that fascinates me is new species of plants.  I envy the horticulturists out there that are able to create and breed new plants.  One new species I currently am researching is what the article called bleeding tooth fungus.  The plant is very cool looking.  The plant is pink in color like the gums on a human and drips blood- colored liquid.  I am not sure if this plant is toxic but I imagine it must be.  The more brightly colored plants are the more poisonous they usually are.

My new website will be produced by a web hosting company.  They have been very helpful and have given me the confidence ot continue my goal of spreading horticultural news to the world.

 

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PVC Pipe garden

I really like this. It is easy to build and easy to maintain. It also has the added benefit of being up off of the ground to keep certain animals from getting to the vegetables. This can also be used on a balcony patio for those who live in apartments, or in very small backyards.

I am going to try one of these when spring comes and see how well it works for me. And who knows maybe you can see how well it works for you.

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The Old Bowling Alley

One of the Facebook pages that I like to check every day is about the town where I grew up. There are a couple hundred people who are members of that group and are very active posting photos from back in the day and reminiscing about the good old days.

One of the photos was of a bowling alley that was within walking distance of my house. My parents never seemed to mind that I spent time at the bowling alley. I would walk down there at least once a week and spend time until I knew I had to be home for dinner. It was perfectly safe to walk alone that far in my old neighborhood.

Someone posted that photo but also mentioned that the bowling alley is gone now. They tore it down and built a high-rise on that little piece of land. How sad that the kids who live there now do not get to go to the bowling alley and hang out like we used to do.

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Evil black insects

The other morning I decided to get a jump on my gardening that I has been neglected for the last couple of weeks.  The one thing I didn’t expect to have meeting me outside was a little black insect; hundreds to be exact.  There are multiple measures next time that I know I need to have in place.

The season is young and I didn’t expect to have such an encounter.  I was only outside for two hours and I was completely bitten from head to toe.  I was miserable afterwards.  In fact, I still am itching.  The next time I decide to do dome landscaping I will have to be sure to not wash my hair first, wear a hat, put on some bug spray and equip myself with knee pads!  Maybe this is the magical combination to reduce being attacked by black flies!

At any rate these bugs are evil and I wish I could garden in a bubble.  Unfortunately that will never happen so I must arm myself the next time I decide to go outside in order to fight their army.

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Coventry 3′ x 5′ Oval Tawny

Don’t get me wrong, I love my new hard wood floors, but there is something about having some thing nice and warm to step on that a hard wood floor just doesn’t have to offer. I think having a couple of nice area rugs to place strategically in a few key places around the house just might be the best way to handle this.

There used to be a guy that always set up at the Flea Marker down in the city that I used to like doing business with, but I hear that he retired and no one has heard from him since last year. I love going to this up scale Flea Market.  You won’t find any used toys or baby clothes, it is strictly antiques and collectibles and other top quality merchandise. Well worth the trip down into the city on a nice weather day. There is such a variety of merchandise, as well as a variety of customers that it is a great way to spend the day people watching and seeing all the unique dealers that set-up there each weeks. But I have purchased a few items here and there through-out the years.

Thank goodness for the Internet. I found a great selection of that I have seriously been eyeballing the past couple of days. Amazing how many types of rugs are available these days. I think I’ll stick with the classics, now I just need to decide what size will be the best for what I need and want. It could run me anywhere from $40 all the way up to just under a grand.

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Mailbox Battle

Every winter I have to worry about my mail box.  The plowman can be so vicious. I feel as though he really does not care about any one’s mailbox, not just mine. I have to replace my mailbox nearly every year.

One year I actually rebelled and refused to fix my residential mailbox. It was extremely bashed in and did not meet the federal post office box standards. Unfortunately, the post office won and I had to fork out money to replace the box and the post. I was not happy.  What made this worse was that the mailbox I replaced was a decorative one.

I love decorative mailboxes. However, with this situation I am not able to have a pretty mailbox. This upsets me but that is the price I have to pay for country living.  I would not give up country living for the world. I enjoy going out on a daily basis to pick my mail out of my mailbox.  I not only get to pick up my mail but also get to enjoy the birds and flowers in my gardens.

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Martha Stewart

Recently I was watching some old episodes of the Martha Stewart Living show. The one that I particularly enjoyed was the one where she featured animals that have been know to possess high IQ.  This was a fascinating segment.  I was surprised to see this type of topic on her show.  To my knowledge Martha Stewart rarely features animals on her shows.

During this particular segment she featured camels, parrots and multiple other animals found in Madagascar.  The animals featured from Madagascar were mostly from the Marsupial family.  The parrot featured was able to tell the differences between shapes and colors.

The part of the Marsupial family of animals that makes them super intelligent are their tails.  As for the camels I cannot recall what their “specialty” was.  All I recall from the camels was that the camels with one hump are from the Middle East while camels with two humps are traditionally found in China.

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Another Friend Moving

I have great news. I have always been very aware that I live in a transient area. Many folks move in and out of this area, mostly for jobs. I have another good friend who is moving to Connecticut. She got a great job in New York and plans to do the daily commute by train so that she can live in a quiet country home while working in a Big Apple job.

Luckily, while making her plans she found Connecticut International Movers. I am sure she’ll make great money, and I’m envious of the country lifestyle she will also be able to maintain while having a great job. She has found a great old house with a wonderful yard, high ceilings, and crown molding in all the rooms.

Moving to a different state takes a lot more work than moving across town. She had to do a lot of research on Connecticut Moving Companies. Moving close by you can get away with throwing clothes into trash bags, moving several states away requires you to be a lot more organized. It would be embarrassing to hire a company and have a bunch of dark bags.

I am sorry for myself that I am again losing a close friend. I guess a positive way to look at this is that I’ll have more places to visit and vacation.