View from our patio.........

Lost shoe(s) findings..........

Continue to receive photos of lost shoes. The single work boot photo was located in West Newark by T. Taft and D. Stewart. The now completely barefooted person left his shoes and socks in Walmart's parking lot, sent to me by B. Nichols.

Did have a report of a bikini top in the middle of W. Church St., but the WPDGNEWARK reader was not willing to take a photo. This could have been really interesting.

Baby boomers like discounts...just not the senior discount!!!!!!!!

Ranch style homes in all price ranges and all school districts during the past eight years have become a commodity, values hurt, but not as bad as other home styles by the recession. Baby Boomers are moving, not necessarily downsizing. Active lifestyles with different instruments such as IRA, Roth IRA and 401k helped groomed the way for "older" living.

@TIME had an interesting article I found via Twitter:
Concerning Senior Discounts:
The senior members of the Baby Boom generation are turning 65 at a clip of roughly 10,000 per day. Even so, the generation famous for being at the center of the “youth culture” of the ’60s, doesn’t particularly like to think of itself as old. Senior citizens? According to boomers, the term refers to their parents, the World War II generation, not the folks who could have gone to Woodstock. So even though Baby Boomers love getting a deal as much as the next person, they hate the idea of getting a “senior discount”—which is tantamount to accepting the fact that they’re officially old.

Concerning housing:To varying degrees, age-appropriate updates are necessary should boomers want to stay safely in their homes as they get older. And yet, “Nobody wants their home to look like a hospital facility,” says Bill Millholland, an executive at the remodeling firm Case Design. This is especially the case for a generation that doesn’t like to think of itself as old, let alone aged and dying.

Click here to read the complete TIME Magazine article.

Old Licking County, Ohio Jail tour...................

If you have seen the above photo (stolen from Newark Advocate) you are old and most likely arrested for public drunkenness between 1889-1987.

This Friday from 4-8pm as part of the Newark Downtown Association's Final Friday celebration, the old County Jail will be open for tours. This is a unique opportunity to view a little of Licking County, Ohio's history. There will be a small tour charge with the funds going towards the jails preservation.

It will be your decision to make if we treat/punish criminals the way they should be treated today. Click here to read the interesting article by the Newark Advocate and view other photos.

Angry wife.........................

For women only.....................

Earlier this year I shot this photo in a small Italian walled hill town mid-morning on a Sunday. The reaction this photo has received from ladies one would think they had never seen a man before. With the boots, knee pads, all leather dress, they were not out for a Sunday ride on a Harley.

5:30am making your own sun.........

Country Club Drive at Granville Road

Last of the June 29th storm damage report.........

Initially I was planning on writing a post of what I have learned by the happenings of June 29th and the 80mph winds through our neighborhood. I still feel "Going Amish" is the best explanation.

Today may be the last day of estimates. The chimney "guy" is coming, as you can see the problem above. When the winds whipped our metal chimney cap high into our neighbor's tree it took along some concrete from the chimney's crown. The metal cap was so mangled, I could not even measure it for a new one.

All tree branches have been removed, eight 50-60' fir tree tops have been removed and the trees somewhat topped, our water is finally clear from the results of a water main break five hours after receiving electric after eight days, new fascia has been installed on all three gables, branch stabbed car radiator replaced and a new air filter and oil change makes the generator ready for the next Wizard of Oz moment. Hope to never use my chain saw for more than an hour ever again.

Today is Back to the Future's arrival date......

Thanks to Jeff Walker for passing this along.

How to tell how much propane is left for your gas grill.......

Evening #9 water main break!

Kevin, Jeremy, Harry & Bob of the Newark, Ohio Water Dept. were taken away from their families last night for six hours so our neighborhood could shower today. The power guys re-drilled a hole in the same exact spot for a new street light pole that was snapped in half last week. The auger hit the water main.

I spent the entire five hours learning and I can not tell you how many questions of mine were answered by this amazing team. By midnight as they drove away, I appreciated the first class service we receive.

To Newark, Ohio City Council: they need a better generated light system for night work. I hope you do not wait until there is an accident to find out they have a need. Home made with a traffic cone does not cut it in my book especially when you are in a six foot deep hole.

UPDATE: Morning #8

Power is on! Thank you to the power crews from Zanesville! Now the big decision, to turn it off and keep Going Amish? Still have two homes in neighborhood with the main power line in the creek, they are heading your way.

Morning #8

The photo above was sent to me by Sister Tina, the photo was taken June 29th after the storm showing the power outages after the storm.

Morning #8 is no different than yesterday, a little frustrating when the generator would not start easy for the brewing of morning coffee. I have really begun to respect the Amish, going Amish is not easy without a years notice. Rick Platt last night twitted me saying his calculations show we have now been out of power for 2% of this year. My car is officially fixed, my punctured radiator by a stick is now fixed.

Yesterday afternoon when the four large trucks and seven fellows from a southeaster Ohio showed up in my rear yard, I felt like a fifth grader looking at a Playboy for the first time. The guys and two bucket trucks installed several new poles, cut a bunch of limbs down between my neighbor's and my home, yelling commands to each other. Talked to several of them, very nice considering it was 101 degrees, they had been out since 7am.

The excitement ended at 5pm, when they went back to camp. One promising sign was they left behind a large truck and trailer with three more poles. As of this writing they are back at the home crawling on roofs. Not a worry, but I hope they remove the street light from my front yard, I am afraid it is killing the grass.

The other 1126, Andrew's has the same house number as we do now has power. Alabama Electric guys took care of his issue. Andrew was the one to follow the published notification, if you have a power line ripped from your home have an electrician reinstall the line on the home and call AEP. It worked. He said he had a good day yesterday: closing, power back on and an exciting baby doctor appointment.

This may be the last day of spending $35 per day on gasoline for the generator. I worry about all the people who do not have the advantages I have to maintain a household minimally during the power outage.

The Calvary has arrived at my home......

I have the gut feeling power will not be tonight, but we are closer than we were an hour ago. Installing a new pole. Wonder if they will remove the street light from my front yard?

Morining #7 is no different

Morning #6 is no different. Yesterday brought some good news. Unlike most of my neighbors my roof made it through the storm with a two nail job. As I woke up this morning at 5am to start the generator so coffee could be made, I sat on the patio enjoying the 72 degrees and reflected on today and what it would bring. This is the first time this year I have sat on the patio without trying to catch my breath from working in the yard or on the house.

I can not believe how comfortable it makes me feel to find someone who does not have power yet. Now that we are down to 19% of Licking County, we are a minority. I hate it when people look at you and say "you poor thing" with regards to not having power. This kind of goes with the salutation of "Hey Girl".

Steve Layman asked me this morning what lessons I have to share from the past week. My main thought is never post a photo of a Amish Buggy on your blog as I did on June 29th. Click here to see what brought the storm curse upon me.

Photo above is my third grade school picture.

One Guanciale down, one to go...........

The rain broke my laundry dryer......

Morning #6 is no different...................

Morning #6 means we are past half way to Sunday of when AEP promises power to the five homes in my neighborhood without.

Morning #5 brought my Ford Explorer to it's knees by not wanting to go faster than 35 miles per hour and the temperature light coming on due to the high rpm.  My goal was Lowes to buy facia siding to replace what the windy beast removed from my home.

Refusing to call for a ride, I dropped my vehicle at Browns Transmission and walked home. When asked why I walked, I would reply that I was pretending my buggy wheel broke and I was walking back to the farm.

By the end of the day, Applebees, Target, Pizza Cottage and Meijers had more money in their registers.

The simple life morning........

Photo: laundry during rinse cycle.

Morning #5
We have been operating our generator for 6-8 hours with a 2 hour break to cool down, top off the tank, check the oil and air filters. Since we are into the simple life for several days yet I have my home chores before leaving for the office.

Check and turn on generator & start coffee, look at four sides of home and yard as if a magic fairy repaired the siding and hauled away the trees, check the todo list to see if we are on schedule. Once the coffee is ready, with cup in hand I do my personal laundry. I want to be like my neighbor OSU-Newark: lit up like the Vatican at night.

Going Amish

This hat was made by Mrs. Zimmerman in Knox County, Ohio. Her husband has a wonderful workshop building large custom staircases powered by a diesel driven drive shaft operating all his equipment by leather belts. Frank Frye has the same hat.

Rick Platt comented via Twitter he did not mind going Amish this week until his neighbors had electric and he does not. I feel the same way now.

Yesterday I said to Mrs. Guanciale that it was not bad Going Amish, making sure their is gas in the generator, using hand tools to install a new mailbox, using more brawn & brains than power etc, all she did was dropped her jaw and said "oh no".

Please do not think I feel ill towards the Amish, their faith or lifestyle. But I must admit my similar style of living during the past couple of days has made me appreciate the basics and what can be done with less.

Going to hang someone, BUT NOT WINDSTREAM...

During the past almost 72 hours without electric, but had telephone and Internet to my home and it stopped last night. The reason for the outage is because of people cutting the chains to Windstream's generators and stealing the generators.

July 4th spiked watermelon....................

CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS