Tech Inspector

Merit badge mentors…

The Inspector — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:48:41 +0000

Our oldest son is in Boy Scouts and has been working on various merit badges in order to become an Eagle Scout. This has been a really great experience for us both to be a part of. Earning a particular badge means that my son must meet with a community volunteer who has agreed to mentor scout’s in order to fulfill the badge requirements. We have gotten to me so many people we wouldn’t normally get to know. It turned out that the music merit badge counselor lives just down the street from us. He invited my son to see his music studio and test out his equipment. Being a music fanatic I went along and had a great time looking at his drums, guitars, and gear. I don’t really know the difference between a mbox 2 pro and any other piece of audio equipment but I can appreciate the sound that comes from these devices. It has been neat to find out just how many talented people there are in our tiny town.

Crazy weather…

The Inspector — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:42:13 +0000

This is a winter that I do not know what to make of. It seems like one day the weather is in the 50′s and the next it near zero. Our fruit trees have started to bud that I have been storing inside and I have no idea what to do with them. It is far too early for them to have buds and I suspect this is not a good sign for them at all. It is very likely if this weather continues that there will be less maple syrup on the market as well as fruit this year. I am sure prices for both will skyrocket. We intended to tap a couple of trees this year but have not because being new to the process we can’t judge weather because it just isn’t normal. Typically at this time of year we have several feet of snow and the weather is frigid. Warm weather like this would be ideal for tapping trees if it were a month or more later in the year.

Windy night…

The Inspector — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:06:55 +0000

As I type this post the wind is blowing wildly outside. Every time a storm comes through like this I start to worry about this big old tree in our neighbor’s backyard. The tree is on the property line and the majority of the weight of it leans towards our side. We park our camper near this area for the winter because there is nowhere else to put it. I am wondering if we need motorhome insurance if the tree falls on the camper or if our home owner’s insurance would cover it? I keep hoping the neighbor’s will have someone come trim the tree and I won’t have to worry about it any longer. I doubt that they will because they built a shed underneath it last summer. I would have thought they would have dealt with the tree then if they cared about it.

Looking forward…

The Inspector — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:03:24 +0000

This summer we are hoping to expand our gardening efforts greatly. Last summer we tilled a rather large garden plot at my in-laws house. It is approximately 100 feet on each side. We will share this spare with my in-laws but it should be ample for our needs. We have a 20 by 20 plot in our back yard with several additional growing areas spread around the house. This new garden will be a place where we can experiment with techniques that would could not employ at the community garden. We are still going to keep our spot at the community garden but it may not be used in such detail as previous years. Hanging on to the spot is our way of hedging our bets against the future if the plot at my in-laws proves to be too much to keep up with because of the distance from our house. It is nice to plan a garden not limited by space for once. I only hope that we are successful with growing there and it ends of being worth the expense of fencing and supplies.

Reversing roles.

The Inspector — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:53:53 +0000

It is funny how as you become older the roles between parent and child start to blur. I am seeing this more and more with my own mother. There was a time when she quite clearly didn’t believe I knew the sky from the ground. But as time has passed she has started to rely more and more on me to help with decisions and daily household matters. It kind of astounds me some of the things she will ask to me handle for her now simply because the are topics I have no expertise whatsoever in. Last week she wanted my input on choosing a medicare plan. I will be the first to tell you I am more likely to know how to choose furniture stores in los angeles than I am a medicare plan. Considering I have never been to Los Angeles you can see where I am headed with that statement. What troubles me is that she seems to want me to make decisions that she once would have sought out professional advice for. I like helping her but I don’t want to make all of her important decisions.

Bra-less?

The Inspector — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:47:12 +0000

Sometimes the conversations I have with my wife astound me. The topics that she reads about are so diverse that it is sometimes hard to keep up. I love that she has vast and diverse interest but at the end of the day I have trouble focusing and staying on topic. Tonight she came upstairs to tell me about an interesting article she read. I was all prepared for something related to gardening as this is usually the topic she wants most to talk about. Instead she went on to tell me that apparently women who wear bras are more likely to develop breast cancer. I have to say that I wasn’t sure if she was telling that she was going to start forgoing the donning of a bra or what. I know that she gave up under wire bras some time ago but I am just not ready for no bra altogether. I am sure that she will have to read some more on the topic before making a final decision. I can’t imagine her not wearing a bra at all.

Home gym…

The Inspector — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:46:08 +0000

We have been slowly acquiring the equipment we need to work out properly at home. I realize it would easier to just join a gym but I like working out at home. My wife would never go to a gym because she is intimidated by the body builders at most gyms. There was a time when I would have been completely happy to work out at a gym but I am older now. In my youth there was nothing I would have like more than to strut around without my shirt on sporting a gold chain and flexing my muscles. My now forty year old self is much happier in the quiet of my basement and has no need to strut my stuff. Right now we have pretty much everything we need to get in a good workout. The only thing missing is some free weights. I am on the fence about purchasing some kettle bells. Anyone have an opinion on these as opposed to traditional weights?

Smooth smoothies…

The Inspector — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:40:30 +0000

For about 3 years I have listened to my wife expound on the reasons why we need to purchase a Vitamix blender. If you are not familiar with these blenders be aware that they cost as much as our washing machine…. I really didn’t pay much attention to what she had to say about them. About a month ago I sat down and watch a million videos with her featuring people using these blenders on YouTube. I have to say my mind was changed about these blenders and we decided to order one when we found a good sale on them. Two weeks ago we ordered our new Vitamix and it arrived over the weekend. I have to say that despite my initial trepidation about such a pricey appliance I am very impressed. I even made soup in it this weekend and it was superb. It goes to show that some things truly are worth the price you pay.

Days in bed…

The Inspector — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:17:59 +0000

My poor wife has spent a week in bed. She came down with the flu over the holidays and is still recovering. The last time she spent this much time in bed was when she hurt her back. A few years ago she herniated some discs in her lower back. I thought we might end up at the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute but with time and therapy she overcame her injury. She still has some trouble with her back but has not been bedridden since then. Right now she is so sapped of energy and strength that I believe she might prefer an injured back to having the flu. I know in time she will be on her feet again but this has been a particularly vicious case of the flu.

Back on track…

The Inspector — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:14:29 +0000

The holidays are now over and our diversion from bad eating must come to an end. To be quite honest I didn’t enjoy all the holiday treat quite as much as I thought I would. You might think that after two month of clean eating and avoiding grains and sugar I would love the taste of cookies and pies. The reality was that eat bit tasted good but how I felt after was not worth it. My gut swelled and I felt so very sleepy. I can now draw a direct correlation between the foods I eat and the amount of energy I have. Clean eating leaves me with a high energy level and good digestion. Eating grains and dairy leaves me sluggish and bloated. Not worth it at all just to have a delicious taste in my mouth for moments.