REFLECTIONS

This week I'm having my septic system worked on.  When I called for a periodic draining they found a problem with the tank. It may have somehow cracked. Septic tanks can last about 25 to 40 years. Ours is 40 years old so I guess it must be time. They dug up our tank and distribution box.  The distribution box is further back in the photo. Here is the tank with its two lids. This is the distribution box which empties into the drain field. Below is a short video showing how it works. It's sort of gross so skip it if you think it will bother you.

I don't go to garage sales myself.  Maybe I'll give it a try.

This is how the technician left the outside cable box after the repair.  The kitchen TV was not working after the storm we had the other day.  Luckily the bedroom TV was working.  He told me not to worry because it is still waterproof! But how? This is the way it looks from inside the house behind the TV. This is the view from the other side where he added some sort of plug which it didn't have before.  He said that this time both TV's will stop if something goes wrong.  Why did he do that?  There was no way he was listening to what I said so I let it go, for now.  It was not worth getting into a fight.  Besides, he was much younger than me. I called the cable company to get a different technician to fix up the mess. But for now both TV's are working. What happened to pride in workmanship? 

My garden tomatoes taste great! Sliced Italian bread makes it even better. I have some of the sandwich with fresh basil and some without. Soaked in olive oil adds the final touch. These slightly different photos make me hungry.

As a hobby I do a little Family-Tree type genealogy and I came across this old photo.  It's not my father but the family resemblance from my father is there.  I look different because of the effects of my mother's and grandmother's genetic influence. I think he's one of the grandfathers I never met. Here's an extra large view: Here's the back.  I can't make out the writing but I can see a few Italian words. Some blue numbers are written over part of it. Here's an extra large view: Some of the words I think : "Hope that...this...no...life that...true..." Mt guess on the numbers on the back: 500, 1072, 1011, 1010 Could it somehow be a phone number? I don't think it's some coded message. It was written upside down over the letters with a thicker pen and different ink. I'm considering having it restored by a professional.  Some sites can do it from an uploaded photo.  That way the original will always be wi

I have more Basil than I can use right away so I'm going to freeze some.  This is one of my six plants. Here's the procedure I'll try: (From the web) My cucumbers are growing faster than I can eat them. Here are three from the past two days. I'll try to pickle some of them by using this recipe from  Easy Summertime Sweet Pickles | McCormick EASY SUMMERTIME SWEET PICKLES These easy-to-prepare sweet pickles require no special jars or vacuum sealing since they are stored in the refrigerator. Perfect for when you have a bounty of cucumbers. INGREDIENTS 2 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (1/4-inch thick) 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onion 1 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon McCormick® Celery Seed 1 teaspoon McCormick® Mustard Seed 1 teaspoon non-iodized salt PREPARATION 1. Place cucumber slices and onions in medium glass bowl. Set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on medium-high heat, st

Years ago I installed these types of lights myself but now I'm just not steady enough.  It's not worth it to take a chance on falling and injuring myself. The jobs were so small that I had trouble finding an electrician.  Thank goodness I know a dependable handyman.  He's very honest and does good work. The old post light was crooked and falling apart. Installing this motion detector security light over the garage is as easy as changing a light bulb.  But not for me. Frank the handyman estimated the job to cost about $100 if there were no problems.  He wound up charging me $75.  What an honest man.  He also took away a rotting wooden swing and patched a banister while he was here, no extra charge! This part of the house has two windows that are hidden from view.  I was able to put this light in myself.  There's no wiring. You just position it and plug it in. This bright light operates with a motion detector.  It makes it safer from a break in.  T

This was yesterday right after planting. This is the tomato plant this morning! When I Get Low I Get High.

This is a thin "oriental" version of an eggplant that should produce a sweet crop (if one plant can be considered a crop). Cucumber, Tomato, Eggplant, Basil  Basil and two Cucumber Plants The cucumber plants came with roots entwined.  If I pull them apart both roots will tear away leaving two plants with no roots.  I'm supposed to cut away the weaker plant as they grow.  Which one?  Maybe I can keep both.  The tomato plant is a bit floppy because I planted a large part of the stem horizontally as recommended and Lynette said it will be in shock for a while until it gets used to its new home. I hope so. I checked on the tomato plant a few hours later and it's starting to straighten out.  I'll take a photo in a day or so to let you know how it's doing. :)

Right now I'm trying Google Keep as my main to-do list but I'm going to also use an application I've tried before called "Do It (Tomorrow)". I have anxiety about missing out on something important and that's why I keep trying different to-do lists; hoping I'll find the perfect one.  There is no perfect to-do list for everyone.  We have to find what works for us. With Google Keep I'll separate my to-do lists from my list of projects.  Projects are made up of a collection of to-do items. I'm going to use "Do It (Tomorrow)" to help prevent a feeling of rushing myself. That rushed feeling interferes with my enjoying myself right this moment. Hopefully this combination of to-do list applications will be just what I need. If not I'll go to pencil and pad with Google Keep as a holding/organizing area. Oh no! Here I go again! This video explains the very easy "Do It (Tomorrow)" program. Notice the coffee stained pa

Now that Wunderlist is going to be discontinued, I'm trying Google Keep. https://keep.google.com/ Besides saving notes, images and other things it can be used as a to-do list. I found a useful article about " How to Make Your To-Do List Doable". The link:  How to Make Your To-Do List Doable The article: There's no better feeling than checking something off your to-do list. Done! Finished! Mission accomplished! Yet it's so easy to let a whole day or week go by without knocking one task off your list. How does that happen? Well, your to-do list can be a tool that guides you through your work, or it can be a big fat pillar of undone time bombs taunting you and your unproductive inadequacy. It all depends on how you write it. Think of your to-do list as an instruction set your Boss self gives your Assistant self. Like a good computer program, if the instructions are clear, specific, and easily carried out, you're golden. If not, you'll get undesi

While I was clearing away some weeds I found two or maybe three toads.  I must have wrecked their home.  One was larger so he must be the male. The smaller toad must be his mate.  I'm not sure if I saw a third toad. One went under a concrete square.  The other watched me for a while, then moved away.  I blocked his path making him go in the opposite direction. But I decided to leave him alone to go back to weeding.   They lined up their bodies against the brick wall as if posing.  It must be a defense mechanism.  Last year a toad made its home in one of my flower pots and it stayed all summer.  I messed up their home while weeding so I want to make them another. They sell "toad abodes" but the prices are high: I decided to make my own, something like the flowerpot a toad used last year. Here is an article from the National Wildlife Federation. I'm sure I can make a better looking home than this one.  Lynette seems interested in making a few t

I took this with me when I moved from Brooklyn to Levittown to Virginia.  It was used in my Brooklyn home when I was growing up.  I never used it but I like its appearance.  Years ago I scrubbed it down and painted it with black paint used for stoves. Here are some images I edited for fun.