Old House Finishes

I follow Circa on Facebook. They post links to old houses like this one. Isn't that dramatic curb appeal? Beside the house information is a menu that lets you look at old houses that are or have been for sale. Some are nice. Some are in bad shape. I've perused some of the ones in my and neighboring states to see what's out there.

Circa stuff shows up in my feed a lot, but I generally focus on Victorians and ignore the rest unless something reminds me of the houses I used to see when I was a kid. Times were simpler back then. I also watch some of the house hunting shows on television. I've noticed a very disturbing trend: people painting wood white. In the old days people stained wood. Painting it is a little like blasphemy. If the wood is on the outside where it rains, it's okay to paint it. If it's interior trim, it's most likely blasphemous to do anything but stain it.

If you have to shop for a replacement for a piece trim or a window, something consistent appears. Look at the sample pictures for these windows and doors, building supplies and moulding buying guide. Nearly all of the samples are white. When you go to the store, it's the same way.

In a previous post I mentioned that after looking at a lot of Victorians modern houses feel sterile. Here's another observation. White is not a color. It's a neutral default manufacturers use as a primer so they won't have to carry so much inventory by having multiple colors. People are supposed to paint the primer an actual, real color. It's not supposed to stay that dead white.

A lot of times I'll look at a Circa house or see one on television that has all the door frames and trim work painted white. A house built in the 1800s will have all that beautiful woodwork painted. People made that by hand and carved it by hand and took pride in their work. Painting it steals the house's soul! I'll see white cabinets. I'll hear people casually say they can paint wooden cabinets. No. It's probably blasphemy.

People, show some taste and refinement. White is a default. It's not a color. If wood is painted, the grain can't show. Its soul has been stolen. Would elves paint the wood in their houses? Of course not. They would enjoy the natural beauty of the wood. You should, too. Staining is permitted. It lets the grain show through and can even enhance it. Painting is an act of blasphemy.

In all of Middle Earth Bilbo and Frodo never saw a single piece of painted trim in any elven dwelling. It's a lesson for all of us.

Have a good weekend.

Is Your Deodorant. . .Killing You?

I was picking at the label on my deodorant, when I noticed a health warning: Ask a doctor before use if you have kidney disease. They put the first part in bold type for emphasis. Finding a warning for a daily-use product is disturbing. What is this stuff doing to people's kidneys? Forget kidney disease. What is it doing to healthy kidneys? Is it causing damage? Is it making them work too hard to clear out chemicals? Does it depress kidney function in some other way? I can't help but wonder if this deodorant is doing fractional damage that accumulates over the years to contribute to kidney disease and failure. Who would notice? Maybe people who already have kidney disease. Maybe that warning label means healthy people should stop using that product. Is anything we use safe?

I did a little research and found this link that kind of makes it sound like the warning is nanny-state nonsense to healthy people. This link seems to think deodorant is safe. The whole thing makes me want to switch deodorant. I can't help but wonder about the alternatives. Is there some ingredient in them that hasn't been tested the way the scary warning label deodorant has? What if I switch to something that has no warning label only to find out later it was the scariest one of all? Is anything we use safe?

So, the other day I mentioned a stray cat that comes around that I named Nelson. When my mom found out I had named a cat Nelson, she was scandalized, because a woman she used to go to church with lives across from a widow whose deceased husband was named that, and I simply could not use that name in case she ever found out. I had to rename the cat Patrick. We don't know any Patricks. Here's a picture of Patrick:

Isn't he cute?

So, the local paper had a story about the Hurricane Irma, which was a tropical storm by the time it hit us, damage. Remember a while back I mentioned I was supposed to get fiber internet, but the company doing it changed its mind, and I ended up with nothing from them? The paper said the fiber was out for 5 days. Isn't that something? My 1.5Mbps el cheapo copper line was back in less than a day. Just something I noticed.

Have a good weekend.

Tropical Storm Irma

Hurricane Irma. My area wasn't in the direct path of what by then was Tropical Storm Irma, but that didn't seem to matter. Sustained high winds still knocked down trees and damaged buildings and knocked the power out. Not everyone has power yet. Across one of the roads was a power line people had to drive over until yesterday. I think it was a power line. It could have been an internet or phone line. A traffic light outside of Cleveland, GA was still out then, too. It's taking a while to clean up and get things repaired, even traffic lights. The state has to inspect bridges to make sure they're safe before some of the power lines can be fixed. Is that a dumb rule when society has no electricity? Something to ponder.

I lost all the food in the freezer and refrigerator. It was peanut butter for breakfast. The way I do food is to cook meals ahead of time and divide it into portions and freeze it. Also, I'll cook something like chicken and freeze it and then use it to make something later. It's a lot faster and easier to warm something up than to make each meal. So, I lost a month's worth of eggs, the rest of the month's lunches and maybe a week of dinners plus things like mayonnaise and mustard. Before the storm, the bread aisle at Walmart looked like this:

The cheese section was hard hit, too. After the storm, when the power was back on, I expected the worst. I figured there would be people like me out buying new food to replace the lost. It turned out to be a normal day at the store. Despite having to go to two grocery stores, I was able to find everything on my list.

On the whole I found Irma to be much more stressful than anticipated. Blowing debris striking the side of the house in the dark while waiting to see if a tree will hit the house is no fun. I heard two trees fall in the woods and something big crack. Leaves are everywhere.

On a different note I've been looking at Lyft. I was thinking maybe it would be something to do to get by on for moving somewhere else. From what I've seen so far, after expenses it pays about minimum wage or a little better. It depends on location, and it's extremely unstable. It seems to be good as part-time work or during the holidays. That's a shame. If it paid a decent wage, I was kind of thinking about moving to Savannah or back near where I grew up. Apparently, to make it work requires 50 or 60(or 100 depending on location) hours a week at odd, non-consecutive hours of the day and night. I might still try it and see how it is. I'm going to have to do more research finding driver reviews. What I've seen so far is not encouraging.

Have a good weekend.

Pricing on the River Cruises vs Other Options

A quick update on last week's blog about European river cruises to include more pricing numbers. A 15-day cruise like this would cost $15,798. That's one cabin with a balcony for two people. It's very possible to get a half-price deal that would make it $7,899. I saw quite a few of those while researching it. The prices include air fare. Tipping the staff and so forth would be extra. So, half price for 15 days would make it $526.60 per day.

A rental of a house or apartment such as listed on https://www.vacationrentals.com/ could start in the $35ish per night range, but realistically it's closer to $50 a night and up. So, 15 days would cost at least $750 plus air fare, making it $1,500 a month. A car rental would add to that, although France has an extensive train system. A car might not be necessary.

Last week I mentioned a rental for maybe half a year would be the cost-equivalent of a river cruise. Here's the math on that. A full-price $15,798 cruise divided by $1,500 for a rental is about 10.5 months. With the half-price deals, it comes out to 5.26 months. When you include the tips, it's closer to six months. It's kind of crazy how expensive some of the cruises are. It makes a lot more economic sense to rent an apartment or a house for a couple of weeks.

On to other things.

This woman I know has been going through some difficulties lately. I want to help, but other than feel bad for her, we're not close enough that I can do anything without intruding. However, an idea came to me for something that wouldn't be sticking my nose into someone else's business. Remember how fun it was to get a surprise when you were a kid? I can give her a surprise. It wouldn't help the situation, but it would express sympathy. Sometimes that's all that's needed. And it would be fun for me. It wouldn't be as fun as The Mysterious Package Company, which you should totally check out because it's awesome, but nevertheless fun.

The best part is that she would never suspect a surprise was coming. I don't know her very well. It would be a complete and total shock. The idea is that she would be going through her normal day, and then, something completely unexpected. So, to make it happen I'm going to have to do some planning and figuring out of things. I have an idea in mind for something that would be meaningful to her personally, but she might read the blog. I don't think she does but still. Mentioning it might ruin the surprise. This may takes at least a few weeks to develop and even longer to arrange. There would be pictures later of the surprise. Hopefully, it will be a lot of fun.

Have a good weekend.

European River Cruises

Things haven't been going well, and I've been trying to think more positively. Just because things are negative doesn't mean I have to give in to that, right? One hopes. I was thinking again this week that traditional wedding vows might be too negative. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. Isn't that speaking curses into people's lives? What if I changed it to something that would bestow blessings? For better or for best, for richer or for richest, in health and in healthy longevity due to anti-aging treatments. Maybe that last bit needs some polish, but doesn't that sound so much better? Why would I want take a vow of poorer or sickness or worse? No way. I don't want those things in my life. I'd prefer to be happy and well off.

Something I've wanted to do for years is take a European river cruise. Viking River Cruises is one of many companies that do those. I like their balconies more than the others I've seen. I could picture myself sitting on the balcony after a day of touring talking about the sights and planning the next day's adventures. An Eight-day or 15-day cruise in France. I'd like to do either one of those, if money was no object, which it is. The listed prices are actually half the real price. Those are one-person prices with a two-person minimum. Ugh. I wish they would be more honest about that. Some of the other companies will waive the double fee, if you're. . .alone. Sadly, I'm. . .alone. It's okay to feel sad for me, if you want to. One of the other cruise operators has an impressionist painting trip I'd love to do, but they don't have balconies on their ships.

At the moment, if I wanted to take a female friend with me who was only a friend, it would require two cabins. I need to win the lottery. If only I played it. After looking at some of the prices, I decided to see how much it would cost to rent a house in France. Hotels and apartments around Paris start at about $48/night. That would be something small and basic. So, for the cost of a cruise, I could rent a place in France(probably not Paris) for possibly up to half a year. Isn't that crazy? Cruises used to be called luxury cruises. We need to bring that expression back.

I could spend the entire summer in France with maybe a week or two in Tuscany and still come out cheaper than a cruise. Autumn in Europe? I could imagine that. The problem is money. If that was no object, I could see myself living in France for a year. Maybe not Paris, but I would visit there. Seeing the Louvre is mandatory.

Sometimes, it's good to sit back and dream a little dream. I give you permission to take some time for yourself this coming week and dream a little.

Have good weekend.

The Okay American Eclipse

I live in the path of the recent solar eclipse in an area of 100% totality. I was able to see it. I also saw some of the news coverage. One man talked about how emotional it was, which he didn't expect. One of the reporters mentioned how emotional it was, too. Mmm. I don't think so. I saw other people talking like that as well. I hate to say this, but it was just an eclipse. It wasn't an emotional experience. It's a big shadow. Shadows don't make me emotional unless they're coming up behind me holding a weapon. :) I was playing this video game one time that had a day/night cycle, which created moving shadows. I was standing alone on this planet during a rare moment when I wasn't running or driving, and I saw what looked like someone's shadow walking up behind me. That was more emotional than the eclipse. That scared me, because it was technically possible for that to happen, although it was mostly a solo game with no other players. When you're the only person on a planet, and you see the shadow of a helmet, it gets your total attention fast. It turned out to the tip of a hill.

One of my friends on Facebook said the eclipse was beautiful. I thought that was a good and much more reasonable comment. The eclipse was neat. The problem was it didn't last long enough. It didn't get as dark as they said it would either. There was a band of light around the horizon. The clouds were gone by then, so there was no surrounding sunset effect. Basically, almost nothing the experts said would happen actually happened. It gave me the realization that they don't know what they're talking, because they've never been through one. They were only reporting something they've read about in a book. It's not the same thing.

After all the hype it was a bit anti-climactic. I saw two or three stars during the darkest part. Just when I was getting used to it, it started getting brighter. I couldn't believe it had been two minutes already. It made me feel sorry for the people who drove a thousand miles or some long distance. A lot of people did that. A lot of people put so much time and money and effort into what ended up being a two-minute experience.

Have a great weekend.

Why the Russia Story is Fake News

I don't much politics, but...

 

Ever since the election, Democrats have been trying to link Trump with the Russians despite the fact that the previous administration issued a report citing no link. Why does the story continue? The Democrats are weaker than they've been since the 1920s. They can't do much politically, so they're resorting to non-political tactics such as rioting, burning cars, smear campaigns, racial incitement, etc.

Here's why the Russian tactic is fake news. If there had been any proof whatsoever that Russians tampered with the election, the results would have been thrown out and new elections held. Period, end of story. The fact that that did not happen proves there was no tampering. At least not by the Russians. The government would have been legally forced to do the elections over. However, this would not have affected most people. Like the Republicans and Democrats do when they cheat in elections, the Russians would have targeted specific districts. Only the results in those districts would have been thrown out. What would have happened was that counting of votes and certification would have proceeded normally in nearly all districts except for a few. New elections would have been held within a couple of weeks. It would all have been over in time for the December tally. None of that happened, because there was no tampering. By the Russians, I mean. The normal tampering was there and will not be investigated.

One may argue that the reason there was no proof of Russian tampering is that that an actual investigation would have exposed Democrat and Republican tampering. That is a valid point. Did you notice there was no real investigation into it? Because it would have expose the real cheaters. It was all talk and accusation by politicians with no substance. Have you noticed the story keeps going as a series of accusations while never finding anything real? That's part of the political tactic. The government has always met with Russians. It's their job. Hillary did it all the time. Creating a news story every time the Trump administration tries to do its job in relation to Russia is completely dishonest and purely a political strategy.

While I'm on fake news, I should mention the racial tensions. During his terms, Obama almost never spoke about racial matters except in statements that were carefully designed to incite racial strife between whites and blacks while at the same time were carefully designed to leave Hispanics and other races out of the incitement. Have you noticed that the racial tension since Trump took office is only between whites and blacks while being careful designed to leave Hispanics and other minorities on the sidelines? Have you noticed the incitement is being ramped up only since Trump took office? If I were a conspiracy person, I would believe that the money behind the KKK stuff is coming from the Democrat party or its allies. We know they were running ads on Craigslist for rioters after the election. We know they were funding riots. The KKK thing seems like a continuation of that political tactic. The Democrats are the only winners in this.

If the racial tension were grass-roots and real, it would be between other races, too. We would see blacks against Hispanics, whites against Asians, multiple races against Muslims, etc. We're not seeing that, because the money behind the racial strife isn't paying for that. It's being spent to incite whites and blacks against each other the same way Obama was doing, when he was in office. Hispanics are the largest minority now, not blacks. If there was genuine racial tension, wouldn't it be between whites and Hispanics, since they're the largest groups and have the most opportunity to rub each other the wrong way? Hmm.

Trump has spoken out against racism for years and was even given an award at one time for his hard work hiring so many minorities. He cares about the color of people's money not their skin. Have you noticed all the accusations of racism leveled against him while he has never said anything racist? Like the Russian thing, it's a series of accusations with no substance. It's a Democrat political strategy.

The point of what the Democrats are doing with all this fake news and racial strife is to drown out real news. Trump has been fulfilling campaign promise after campaign promise. I saw the other day that over a million jobs have been created under Trump. Stories like these are being ignored or distorted in a sea of fake news. If Trump were a Democrat, all we would hear from the media would be stories of his accomplishments and how amazing he is.

Have a great weekend.