I’m glad to hear that rain harvesting has once again becoming commonplace for a good amount of people. With our drought conditions that we have been experiencing these past years we really need to take advantage of any type of water conservation that we possibly can. There are plenty of rain barrels for sale these days. You can find tons of them online and from what I hear these wonderful rain barrels are selling like hot cakes.
My father used rain water barrels when we lived at the old home stead back in the day. I really never gave it much thought back then, but I do appreciate all of his efforts now a days. I plan on ordering some rain barrels for my own place come next pay day. If it will help with keeping our garden producing, I’m all for it. There has been a big effort to get this garden up and running and I look forward to a good harvest coming in soon.
I love this time of the year when folks are harvesting their gardens and giving away all of the extras that they have no need or use for. It’s all good!
When MaryAnne was telling me that she was looking for an AbeBooks coupon code to help her save money on her college textbooks, I was reminded of how my wife managed to get her college degree. She was lucky enough to work for a large corporation that had a great tuition reimbursement benefit for their employees. If you could prove that the college courses you wanted to take were related to the job you either had or wanted to have within the company, then the company would pay for the tuition and fees for the courses. All we had to pay for were the books.
Unfortunately, this was before the Internet was available and we didn’t know how to find college textbooks anywhere other than the university’s own book store. We spent a lot of money on college textbooks. Don’t get me wrong, the education was worth the expense, but as far as I’m concerned the textbooks should be provided to the student as part of the tuition money. The book stores would tell you that they’d buy the textbooks back after the semester was over, but the money that they paid for used books was a small fraction of their original cost. And many times they would refuse to buy them back at all, saying that the books weren’t going to be used again for another class.
Sure, you could save a little bit of money by buying used textbooks, but now buying used textbooks from Abebooks over the Internet is a huge advantage to today’s students.
I have always liked the look of tiles in various rooms in the house. I like how easy it is to keep bathroom tiles clean. They are very durable and classic. I’ve seen some beautiful tile work done in many of my friends homes – some use them as kitchen backsplashes, and some use them on their kitchen countertops. I’ve always liked the look, but I’ve often wondered about the difficulty in keeping the kitchen countertops clean!
I’ve seen some beautiful table tops done with tiles as well. I’ve been very tempted to buy a few of them. The only thing that kept me from buying them is the practicality of keeping them as beautiful as possible – I can easily forsee food stains in the grout!
I think it is amazing how many different patterns and colors exist in the tile market today. From subway tiles to floral, one can set the mood of a room quite easily decorating with tiles.
My parents always told me that rich people were just like poor people – they all put their pants on one leg at a time. Well, these guys put their pants on both legs at a time!
My wife has been telling me that we spend too much money on our entertainment. Naturally I got defensive about it, since I am the one who spends the most money on things like going to the movies and buying DVDs and CDs. What I didn’t realize at the time was that she was thinking about trying to save money by switching our television service from cable service to a local tv satellite service.
She was telling me that her friend Nancy just switched to satellite because she found a good deal on www.localtv-satellite.com, and she suggested that we check it out too. The biggest concern that I have about signing up with a service like localtv-satellite.com is regarding how many sets can be hooked up to it, and how many can watch different shows at a time. I don’t want to have to buy or rent a lot of different receiver boxes – but if they are free it wouldn’t be so bad. I just don’t to lose my favorite channels just to save a few dollars!
If you know some one that deals with MS then I have a wonderful website for them to check out at allaboutms.com. It is a very user friendly site that talks about many aspects of the Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and is chock full of Multiple Sclerosis News that I think would be beneficial for all people exposed to the horrendous disease.
I think most of us have someone close to us that has some type of serious illness or disability that effects us in numerous ways each day. The Internet is such a powerful tool for us to utilized in gaining some major knowledge that can empower us tremendously in cases just like this.
As with most illnesses there are things that we all can help with such as the much talked about Multiple Sclerosis Diet and the Multiple Sclerosis Exercise that is making such an impact on so many MS patients. You can find out so much information like this and much more at this wonderful website. Read it and pass it on, if you will.
I don’t claim to speak geek. So when my brother-in-law started talking to my wife and I about how he makes a lot of money managing the IT needs of several local businesses it was really hard for me to understand what he was talking about. My wife was talking to him about creating a web site for a new business that she wants to start up. I tried to stay alert and involved in the conversation, but when he started using terms like dedicated server and managed hosting and colocation I’m quite sure that my eyes glazed over.
To be honest, I’m not even sure my wife understood all of the terms he was using. Getting onto the Information Superhighway of the Internet can be a confusing and frustrating thing! Sometimes I think I’m getting to old to learn all of these things!
Last night I took my wife to a party. There was a live band (very unusual) and we danced several dances. She had more fun then I can remember seeing her. This was one of the dances we danced to. I think the song says it all. I think this is a good song to rekindle some romance!
Almost every Friday evening, a few of my friends and I get together for some good, old fashion, quality guy time.
We have the same traditions as any other group of guys–we pick up some snacks, open a couple of beers, and then relax on the couch watching the television from best choice tv together.
It may not be completely accurate to call us typical, though, because instead of lounging around watching the big game or something like that, we like to watch movies. More specifically, chick flicks. Actually, we love to watch them! You might call them a guilty pleasure.
Take my personal favorite, Never Been Kissed, as an example. We saw it recently on satellite tv.
It’s incredibly cheesy, exceedingly unrealistic, and somehow it utterly reels you in until you’re hooked and wouldn’t be able to let go if your life depended on it. The four of us might as well have been in the stadium supporting Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) on her big night, because the dog only knows that she had all of us rooting for her from the couch!
Maybe it’s because movies like Never Been Kissed can allow us to vicariously live a life we never personally knew, or perhaps we’re all just big, masculine hopeless romantics. Whatever the reason, chick flicks with the guys is evidence enough for me that all guys have a sensitive side.
One of the things we really liked about this house that we live in is the fact that there was a gas fireplace in the living room. I’ve had enough of the experience of burning really wood, but I love the ambiance of flames dancing in the fireplace. There is something very soothing and hypnotic about relaxing in a chair by the fire. I’ve always enjoyed doing that. Many times I’ve fallen asleep on the floor in front of the fireplace!
So having a fireplace in the house was a big plus! We really didn’t care whether it was vented or ventless, because it is easy to buy Vented Gas Logs or Ventless Gas Logs. Just recently we had a problem getting our logs to light, so we went online to see if we should call a repairman or just replace the logs. We found some really fantastic prices on Peterson gas logs. Now we’re even thinking about putting in a fireplit and Outdoor Gas Logs in our back yard. I think it would be awesome to have a party area back there, and a fire pit would be a really nice touch.
I’m not saying that the Gulf oil spill is funny. Not at all. But this video that is poking fun at the company who was involved is really funny! I hope you enjoy it too!
Next spring will be my father’s 70th birthday. My brothers and sisters have decided that we want to surprise him with a a special surprise party and give him a gift that he has always dreamt about – a trip to Myrthle Beach. He’s been retired for five years now, and he’s dreamt about playing on the Myrtle Beach golf courses as one of the retirement fantasies that just haven’t come to pass yet.
My wife and I have been trying to review the many different Myrtle Beach golf packages on the http://www.myrtlebeachgolf.net web page to see which ones might be the best ones to get. We all agreed to split the cost equally, but we still need to keep a close eye on the cost. And we want to make sure that our mother has plenty to do while our father is out on the course.
We also need to figure out if any of us should accompany them, or if we should try to make it a romantic getaway for the two of them. After all, maybe booking some spa time for our mother while our father is out on the golf course would be the perfect touch!
One of the things that has disappointed about during the past few years is how many of my favorite restaurants no longer offer salad bars. Many of the restaurants have simply closed down. There are only two local restaurants anymore that even have salad bars, and I go to them as frequently as I can. My wife doesn’t usually eat salad; she tells me that she wants to save room for dessert! But last night we went out to eat and she decided to order the salad bar with her meal and she ordered her appetizer and dessert to go!
She certainly made up a huge salad! She ended up taking half of her entree home as a leftover, too! She said that was going to be a really good lunch for her to eat sometime in the next couple of days! I don’t think I’ve seen her so happy in a long time, bringing so much food home to eat later! She said that any time she can eat food that good without having to heat up the kitchen and wash up pots and pans is a good thing!
My wife and I like to think that we are not stupid. We’ve signed up for Online Trading for the stocks we own, and we each have IRA Accounts. We try to be conservative, however, with our Stock Trading activities. We’ve been burned a little bit a couple of times, and we really can’t afford to lose very much money.
The most confusing part about owning stocks (to me) is how to go about reporting the profits, losses, and dividends on our income taxes! I’m really glad that we have a great software program that keeps track of all of that. I’d never be able to keep it all straight if I had to keep track of it on paper! And I’m more than happy to let my wife take care of that portion of our financial life! I tell my wife that’s why I keep her around – to do the bookkeeping! (And her cooking’s pretty good too!)
My sister was telling me that she has several websites that are due for renewal and she is thinking about switching the web hosting service that she uses for the sites. She said that the webhosting services that she has now are too expensive and don’t give her enough storage space. I asked her how in the world does one even learn about the different web hosting services? This whole thing can get complicated!
She told me that she has found several websites that provide a variety of webhostinghub reviews that feature the pros and cons of many of the different web hosting services. She says that she is still learning the tricks of the trades, but that fortunately there is a lot of helpful information on many of the websites that are geared towards helping her make the right decision. All I know is, I’m glad I don’t have to figure all of that out! It can get confusing!
After all these years since the E-911 went on board throughout the state, I am still amazed by how many people don’t have any address signs on their houses! The law states that in order to be in compliance, so that emergency personnel can locate a victim that needs help that an address sign needs to be on the house, clearly visable from the road. If the house itself is not visable from the road, then an address plaque should be beside the driveway that leads to the house.
Too many people think that having a rural mail box with their address on it is sufficient. Which would be great reasoning except for the fact that many people’s mailbox is not even on the same side of the road as their house! And what about those mailbox groupings where six or seven of them are all sharing the same post? How is an ambulance driver supposed to find you then? People are so numb sometimes!
Have you ever seen a Tim Sample performance? In case you don’t know, Tim Sample is a Maine humorist, that gives performances around the state. He’s good for a night’s entertainment when you get the chance to see him. One of his funniest gags involves poking fun of one of my favorite household accessories – the tarp. He talks about how just about every Mainer has something in their front yard covered with a blue tarp. It’s been a few years since I last saw him, so I can’t recall the joke exactly, but the performance and the joke came to mind when my wife told me that she wanted to buy a clear tarp to use to cover the screening on the back porch.
I can’t remember a time when we haven’t had at least one or two things in the yard covered up with a tarp! They are durable and versatile. One of the great inventions of all time!
The first day of summer is also the day of the year that has the most daylight hours. I’ve always felt that the most daylight hours should be right smack dab in the middle of summer, not the first day! I find it interesting, though, that even though the first day of summer has the most daylight hours, and the daylight hours get shorter after that day, that the daylight stays later in the day. So I guess that the shortening of the daylight hours people are usually sleeping through in the morning! I can remember as a child being very angry with my parents for making us go to bed at night while it was still daylight out! Just wasn’t fair!
I have to admit that video game companies have really taken gaming to new heights – with games that you compete and cooperate with other people via multiple player games on the Internet. What a huge evolution from the very first Pong game that I remember buying back in the 1970′s when I was a teenager! (Now I’m showing my age, I’m sure!)
But now people are even setting up websites where you can Buy WoW Accounts to get a jump start on your game and Sell Aion Accounts to cash in on your expertise. Who would’ve thought that you could actually make money legally playing video games that didn’t involve gambling! I’m curious to see what the video gaming companies come up with next! It should be interesting, that is for sure!
I keep dropping hints around the house that I want gift cards from Lowe’s or Home Depot for Father’s Day. I plan to be spending a lot of time this summer working on various household projects and I’ve been window shopping for the various hand tools that I’m going to want to be using. My cordless power drills have just about lived their life expectancy, and I’d like to buy a new one.
My wife has been suggesting that should consider buying a pneumatic nail gun, too. I’ve never used one before, but I have to admit that I’d get the work done a lot faster if I had one! I’m also going to be taking a look at the new saws on the market. I have to admit that I’m a total tool junkie!