Category: General Musings

Ok so who’s with me on this?  After I’ve gone grocery shopping the LAST thing I want to do is cook!  Yes I know I have it better than even my mom did, there wasn’t fast food delivery after a long day of cleaning, grocery shopping then putting away, when I was growing up.

The thought of grabbing some of that well thought-out purchased food after I just fought the fridge and the cabinets to cram that stuff in, just makes me want to scream.

So what shall it be tonight?  I chose pizza.  To top that off, a MEATZZZA pizza.  Extra meat, and hand tossed crust.  I am, however, putting together a salad with the items I thoughtfully purchased earlier, to go with the stomach boggling meat, grease and carbs that we will be ingesting for dinner.

My husband, I’m sure will be thrilled to come home after a long day wearing combat boots, to pizza and a salad (at least in my mind he’s smiling and saying thank you, but we all know reality and fantasy are two totally different things).  I will add that I chose a great salad mix; fresh spring greens, sliced beets, carrots, celery, feta cheese, and some really yummy dressing.  I’m the type that likes to add olives (green AND black), cheese, sesame seeds, bacon bits, any assorted fruit, and nuts to my salad.

Sometimes chinese is the way to go, you can eat those combo dinners for a couple days, at least we can in this house.  Saves cooking for a dinner and the following day lunch.  When it’s just two for dinner, sometimes more economical as well.

When the kids are home for summer, or we have company, yes I make huge dinners, and we have a routine, but for now….pizza!  Enjoy!

So this isn’t news.  Vehicle repair is costly.  Gone are the little guys on the corner that you could trust. Although, you can find one here and there, as a matter of fact, there is one in my hometown, in Harrisville, NY…we actually have a few repairmen that don’t rake you over the coals when its time to pay the bill, and you can trust them.   Replacing these landmarks are these huge conglomerate of money pits.  For example my Town and Country Mini Van.  I bought it brand new in 2011, has all the bells and whistles.  All these nice electronic extra’s are nice until they need fixed.  My side mirror blind spot sensors went out, you know what they are telling me they cost to repair?  $1000+!  That’s absolutely ridiculous!  So-add that per mirror, you’re looking at over $2000 just for little sensors.  The tire pressure system sensor?  well thats $185 just for that to stop dinging and irritating you, and the cat only knows what the heck they are good for.  Now take the blower, you know, the thing that pushes hot or cold air out, for your heat or air…it’s been making a really loud noise and to replace that?  $208!  I’m not even done…we have the switch to lock the doors with the main driver’s door…that’s been caput since I had it at a dealer the last time.  Well, that’s another $165.  Highway robbery!

Needless to say, I am opting out of replacing those blind spot sensors, which, by the way, Chrysler should have recalled that, from what I gather, it happens to them ALL.  Shame on Chrysler!  So just for those niceties, I’m looking at $550.  Just for little switches and buttons!  Technology isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be is it.  Oh, but wait, I’m TYPING on technology, right?  Such a conundrum I create right?

Seriously thinking about horse and buggy…but then you have to feed the horse, clean the horse’s poo up nonstop, and fix your buggy, and the cold in NY?  nope…not happening.  I just need a magic want like Harry Potter, I’d whip myself up a new vehicle, or a magic carpet.  But wait, then I’d have to clean THAT too.  Nevermind.

 

On a good note, its a beautiful fall day…sunshine and not so hot you need soap and shampoo when you walk outside, and I have spaghetti sauce in the Ninja Crockpot.  Enjoy your day everyone and yes, I do appreciate the fact I woke up and my family is ok, I’m just tired of Conglomerate Monopolizing Big Auto Greed Monsters.

 

So Amazon has changed their policy for reviewers and reviewing.  Basically in a nutshell, they only want their Vine reviewers to review products.  These Viners are chosen, you cannot apply, and sellers have to pay up to $1300 in fees to have reviewers.

We all know the little guy starting out cannot afford a $1300 fee just to have someone review an item.  In my opinion, and only mine, I can see both sides.  There are unscrupulous reviewers and sellers.  Some of the reviews I’ve read, you can tell the person reviewing never even tried the item out.  Some less then above the board sellers have, in the past, requested a 5 star vote (which I am very greedy about giving).  It’s people that have done this, that have made Amazon push to this extreme.  On the other hand, there are people that review that do an honest job and work hard to give an unbiased review.  It’s a slippery slope and I hope there is at least a fix to this slide.

Amazon knows what item you have been given a discount for, and what you have paid full price for.  Their update on the forum they provide says you can review the item, but cannot review items you got at a discount, or cannot say you got it at a discount…that’s where the FTC comes in.  You are required, by law, to state that you got the item at a discount if you did.  This is the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION people…no one to mess with.  While no one is doing anything illegal….it is very frustrating to say the least.

Here’s a link to the FTC…in case you’re interested in reading 🙂

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking#review

If you are a reviewer, a seller, or a passerbyer…just some points to ponder 🙂

There is a traditional Canoe Classic race in the Adirondacks, called “The Adirondack Canoe Classic” always the first long weekend of September.  The route of the race follows the original road routes before the present day road as it is now.  Here is a link that can explain it better than I could ever try…http://www.macscanoe.com/awa.html

My husband, John Homer III, has entered it 5 times now.  His enthusiasm for this “90 Miler” grows with each race he enters.

 

 

Being in the Military sometimes makes it strategically challenging, but he’s done his best, except for the year we were out in WA State at JBLM (Joint Base Lewis-McChord).  His first race was in 2009, in a boat he made himself, an Adirondack Guide-boat, fashioned from a pattern he made out of a half of an antique guide-boat, built originally by William McCaffrey, that he purchased in Saranac Lake, NY.  Never having built something of this magnitude that he knew he’d have to ensure was safe to ride and row in, he jumped right in, often working late nights, after coming home from work all day with the military at Fort Drum.  A good friend of his who had built a few boats himself helped out, enduring the late evenings himself.  Six months later, the boat was ready!  My house was full of sawdust, as our garage was under our bedroom, but he was happy, and its a gorgeous boat.

This year he rowed with a friend we met at last year’s race, Ed Van Keuren.  They made an amazing team, work great together, and are in it for the pleasure of maintaining the tradition of the 90 Miler, and making the full 90 miles, and enjoying the camaraderie.  His lovely wife, Rose and I were the “Pit Crew”. Our job is to replenish their water, and food supply while on foot, during the carries.  Rose is way more experienced at this than I, and more mobile then I am, so she hiked into the areas she knew I’d never make it into, she never failed to amaze me with her experience at making sure all the items needed were packed into the black tote and carried by the all terrain cart (which I will be buying before next year’s race).  We attend to the hotels, restaurant/food arrangements, making sure easy to grab sandwiches or high energy snack foods are plentiful.

 

All the racers and their pit crews are close knit-if someone needs something, there isn’t anyone that wouldn’t offer help.  This year, a few people tipped at the Brown’s Tract Racquette River beaver dam, and there was always another paddler coming up behind that person offering to lend a helping hand.

This race is a three day race, the final day winding up at Lake Flower in Saranac Lake, New York, with a ceremony shortly after the last racer gets in.  This year, unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating.  Rain doesn’t deter these paddlers, but high winds and advice from the DEC (NY State Department of Environmental Conservation), halted day three.  Wind gusts between 20-35 MPH is a huge safety hazard for alot of the paddlers.

Last year John won the Terry Healey award, the Tom Evans award, and this year he won the Pete Clark award, so very proud of him!!!

We look forward to next year’s Adirondack Canoe Classic 90 Miler, I’m already looking at making reservations!  The last two years of the race we have stayed at Shaheen’s Motel, right in Tupper Lake.  Very nice people and great accommodations!  There are other wonderful hotels/motels in the area, but book early!  Here’s the link to Shaheens.  http://www.tupperlake.com/lodging/shaheens-motel

 

More to come next fall on the 90 Miler!!