Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Betty LaRue]

5 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Yikes, they have Aldi and Lidi in the US now??? 

 

Allan, fortunately, the large Liverpool Lidi is a bit far for me to walk. I love shopping at the M&S Foothall . . . except for some of the prices. There's a BIG Tesco a bit further, but the one near me is a small express and not good; I do buy my beer there.

 

Yes, Edo. I don’t remember just exactly when Aldi came to Oklahoma City, but possibly 10 years ago. I’ve been in Wichita 4 years come February, and Aldi’s been here all of that time. It’s in the same lot as a neighborhood Walmart, the Walmart being more of a true grocery store with a drug/toiletry section, unlike the Walmart Supercenters that have everything including tires/tyres.

 

What I don’t like about Aldi is figuring out the shopping cart thing, and the fact they don’t bag the groceries. If I have something too heavy for my back, I don’t have help loading it into my basket then into my car. Like large water bundles. If I don’t bring my own bags, then stuff rolls around as I drive. Sometimes I‘ve gone on the spur of the moment while running around to other places, and didn’t have what I needed in my car. I remember the first time I ever went to Aldi’s, it was like what I’d imagine shopping in a foreign country would be like. I unhappily mumbled all the way to my car and on the way home as my milk, cantaloupe and onions rolled around with every turn! 😁

I’m better prepared now that I understand what it’s all about.

[Betty LaRue]

2 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

The fee was minimal, but goes to support community efforts to properly dispose of household items. I think I could have driven up the road a bit to a rural refuse center that was free, but it would have cost at least as much in gasoline, so not worth the drive. 

Plus your extra time to drive there.

[Ed Rooney]

 

In the UK and Europe, everyone has to bag their own groceries. And pay for the bags. I carry my own. I don't think NYC has an Aldi or Walmart. Aldi is a German family business that's gone international. My NY news is 4 years old now. 

[Michael Ventura]

Having such a nice time with my daughter and three of her friends, from her high school days, (and two dogs) up at this remote cabin.  The cabin sits on a ridge at 2,200 feet (670 meters) with a splendid view.  The girls are playing Christmas music and exchanging gifts.  It warms my heart to no end that they have this bond.  They met in their first year of high school when they all joined the rowing team (some knew each other longer) racing four and eight person sculls.  Now 26yrs old, they call themselves "The Wolf Pack".   I have a close group of five friends from high school days and it makes me happy to see she has the same sort of bond with her girlfriends.  Another nice thing happened today.  While waiting for her friends to meet us,  my daughter and I were getting lunch out in this little nearby town and she was wearing her volunteer firehouse logo'd jacket.  When the waitress came to see if we were all finished, she asked my daughter if she was a first responder, and she said yes.  The waitress thanked her for her service and took ten percent off the check...that was nice.   Below is an iPhone pic from the cabin with the Shenandoah River Valley (Virginia) below. 

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by Michael Ventura

[Cecile Marion]

Gosh, what a marvelous view!

[gvallee]

9 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

Having such a nice time with my daughter and three of her friends, from her high school days, (and two dogs) up at this remote cabin.  The cabin sits on a ridge at 2,200 feet (670 meters) with a splendid view.  The girls are playing Christmas music and exchanging gifts.  It warms my heart to no end that they have this bond.  They met in their first year of high school when they all joined the rowing team (some knew each other longer) racing four and eight person sculls.  Now 26yrs old, they call themselves "The Wolf Pack".   I have a close group of five friends from high school days and it makes me happy to see she has the same sort of bond with her girlfriends.  Another nice thing happened today.  While waiting for her friends to meet us,  my daughter and I were getting lunch out in this little nearby town and she was wearing her volunteer firehouse logo'd jacket.  When the waitress came to see if we all finished, she asked my daughter if she was a first responder, and she said yes.  The waitress thanked her for her service and took ten percent off the check...that was nice.   Below is an iPhone pic the cabin with the Shenandoah River Valley (Virginia) below. 

 

 

What a lovely post Michael. Warms my heart.

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

In the UK and Europe, everyone has to bag their own groceries. And pay for the bags. I carry my own. I don't think NYC has an Aldi or Walmart. Aldi is a German family business that's gone international. My NY news is 4 years old now. 

Visiting our son in Brooklyn some years ago we struggled to find a supermarket, as you say there is no Walmart,  but were surprised to learn that there was a branch of Aldi there. From memory, we had to take both a subway train and a bus to reach it, something of an adventure.  This prompted me to do an Internet search and there are now 3 Aldi stores in Brooklyn. Nowhere is safe from the German discounters. 

[Bryan]

9 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

You have to pay to get rid of rubbish. I have never paid to dispose of rubbish.

 

Allan

 

We've just agreed to pay the local authority £10 to dispose of our old fridge freezer, they are going to pick it up after Xmas. We could have taken it to the recycling centre, which would have been free, but it's too big to fit into the Yeti and I'm getting to be too long in the tooth to be humping heavy objects around.

[Bryan]

9 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

I cleaned out my garage over the weekend, and it’s a very good feeling. Especially since my garage is used more as a front entrance than my actual front door, and I’m expecting company soon after Christmas (recently discovered sister who has never been to my home). Today I took a couple of items and dropped them off at the hazardous waste center, then went around the corner to the entrance of a vast complex where I first had my car weighed, before being sent down a long winding road to a large building with a big hole in the side. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, but finally figured out how to back up to the hole, toss in my few household junk items, and then return to the entrance where my car was weighed again and I was charged $3.00. Now, all I need to do is sort out the manageable pile of recyclable items of clothing and books, then take them to the various donation centers. At least that pile looks fairly neat and orderly, so my garage looks much nicer now. 

I've noticed a recent trend to convert garages into living accommodation, the people across the road have done this. Modern cars don't really need to be kept under cover, unlike the rust buckets of the past, while DIY servicing or engine rebuilds is now a minority sport.  I read recently that less than 25% of UK garage owners keep a car in there. I've toyed with the idea of using our garage as a utility room, with a sink and a location for the washing machine etc, but it's probably not worth the hassle/expense and where would we keep all of our bikes and junk? I guess the next owners might use the space as a granny flat or similar.

[Cecile Marion]

After outgrowing our first family home, we turned our two-car garage into a master bedroom, bath and laundry, then built on an additional one-car garage for the car and assorted junk equipment. It worked out okay. 

[Ed Rooney]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

Visiting our son in Brooklyn some years ago we struggled to find a supermarket, as you say there is no Walmart,  but were surprised to learn that there was a branch of Aldi there. From memory, we had to take both a subway train and a bus to reach it, something of an adventure.  This prompted me to do an Internet search and there are now 3 Aldi stores in Brooklyn. Nowhere is safe from the German discounters. 

 

Wow, those 3 Aldis are as far out as you can go in Brooklyn. ja, das ferne ende der erde.

[sb photos]

2 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

After outgrowing our first family home, we turned our two-car garage into a master bedroom, bath and laundry, then built on an additional one-car garage for the car and assorted junk equipment. It worked out okay. 

 

Over the years I've known garages converted into home extensions, and also offices for home based businesses, and gives a business entrance separate from the family home front entrance. This way friends have not only added home extensions, but workshops and in some cases utilised larger double garages as small photographic studios. The downside is adding to the growth of front gardens being tarmac'd over in urban area's to create off road parking. This contributes to a lack of natural drainage, far from ideal with the heavier torrential rain we see due to climate change.

Edited December 21, 2021 by sb photos

[Bryan]

13 minutes ago, sb photos said:

 

Over the years I've known garages converted into home extensions, and also offices for home based businesses, and gives a business entrance separate from the family home front entrance. This way friends have not only added home extensions, but workshops and in some cases utilised larger double garages as small photographic studios. The downside is adding to the growth of front gardens being tarmac'd over in urban area's to create off road parking. This contributes to a lack of natural drainage, far from ideal with the heavier torrential rain we see due to climate change.

Yes the removal of natural drainage is a real problem leading to flash flooding, however it's not necessarily garage conversions which lead to this as garages typically have hard standing in front of the doors in any event.  Rather it has been the growth in car ownership that has been the problem. Our relatives in Canada were given financial encouragement by their local authority to turn their front garden into a wet space, able to absorb water. I've not heard of that happening in the UK.

[Dave Richards]

1 hour ago, Bryan said:

Yes the removal of natural drainage is a real problem leading to flash flooding, however it's not necessarily garage conversions which lead to this as garages typically have hard standing in front of the doors in any event.  Rather it has been the growth in car ownership that has been the problem. Our relatives in Canada were given financial encouragement by their local authority to turn their front garden into a wet space, able to absorb water. I've not heard of that happening in the UK.

On a couple of occasions in the past few years our borough council tried to introduce a residents parking scheme in the road I live on. There isn't really a problem with parking here and it was viewed by the residents as a cynical attempt to raise revenue. In any case it was voted down both times but not before a lot of people panicked and tore out their front gardens to make, or increase, their off road parking. Consequently, what was a pleasant street with attractive Victorian houses was disfigured to some degree and yes, some natural drainage lost.

[Ed Rooney]

 

As an out-of-towner, I'm unsure who it is that sets up the matches on Boxing Day. Is it the City Council? I'll get in the ring with anyone for a couple of rounds but I broke my arm last year and I need to balance things out. Maybe they could tape my opponent's left arm to his lower leg? Or I could be issued a weapon? Not a gun or a knife -- I'm not crazy. But maybe a club. I don't want to offend tradition too much. 

[spacecadet]

16 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

I have never paid to dispose of rubbish.

You have, just through the rates.

 

7 hours ago, Bryan said:

Modern cars don't really need to be kept under cover

I greatly disagree! Many are prone to flooding via the scuttle or sunroof drains, which after a few years outdoors are always blocked, or via the doors and up over the sills. The water then gets in the electrics and causes severe death.

We had the water ingress, but not the severe death, so we are now one of the 25%. You can also clean the car and it stays clean.

The garage is a year younger that the house (1908) with a pitched roof, oculus and loft, and big enough for the woodwork, DIY, painting  jobs, soldering, the odd few cwt/50kg of apples and the bicycles hanging up.

7 hours ago, Bryan said:

DIY servicing .......... is now a minority sport.

I'm keeping that particular flame!  Brake discs, driveshaft.......my tour de force was the timing belt. This is probably why we average about 0.8 cars per decade.

Edited December 21, 2021 by spacecadet

[Bryan]

16 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

I greatly disagree! Many are prone to flooding via the scuttle or sunroof drains, which after a few years outdoors are always blocked, or via the doors and up over the sills. The water then gets in the electrics and causes severe death.

We had the water ingress, but not the severe death, so we are now one of the 25%. You can also clean the car and it stays clean.

The garage is a year younger that the house (1908) with a pitched roof, oculus and loft, and big enough for the woodwork, DIY, painting  jobs, soldering, the odd few cwt/50kg of apples and the bicycles hanging up.

I'm keeping that particular flame!  Brake discs, driveshaft.......my tour de force was the timing belt. This is probably why we average about 0.8 cars per decade.

I used to maintain our car, but that ceased years ago. I've unhappy memories of rebuilding a gearbox on my mother's kitchen table, lying in snow removing an engine etc, dealing with rusted brake components etc,  not a lot of pleasure in it. 

 

Our garage space is far too valuable to use for the car, I guess I have a love, but mostly hate, relationship with cars, with the hatred growing over the years. These days I prefer to take the train, or walk/cycle. Sadly, with society structured as it is, it's difficult to live without a car, but, you never know, things may change.  I don't see battery cars as the solution.

 

 

[wiskerke]

11 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Having such a nice time with my daughter and three of her friends, from her high school days, (and two dogs) up at this remote cabin.  The cabin sits on a ridge at 2,200 feet (670 meters) with a splendid view.  The girls are playing Christmas music and exchanging gifts.  It warms my heart to no end that they have this bond.  They met in their first year of high school when they all joined the rowing team (some knew each other longer) racing four and eight person sculls.  Now 26yrs old, they call themselves "The Wolf Pack".   I have a close group of five friends from high school days and it makes me happy to see she has the same sort of bond with her girlfriends.  Another nice thing happened today.  While waiting for her friends to meet us,  my daughter and I were getting lunch out in this little nearby town and she was wearing her volunteer firehouse logo'd jacket.  When the waitress came to see if we were all finished, she asked my daughter if she was a first responder, and she said yes.  The waitress thanked her for her service and took ten percent off the check...that was nice.   Below is an iPhone pic from the cabin with the Shenandoah River Valley (Virginia) below. 

 

Great place! Great image and great story!

Now sing with me: Oh Shenandoah.

Now which one today? The Kingston Trio? Pete Seeger? Bob Dylan? Hayley Westenra; Richard Thompson; Bruce Springsteen; Tennessee Ernie Ford or the Tabernacle Choir?

I wish Eva Cassidy had recorded it.

 

wim

[Michael Ventura]

50 minutes ago, wiskerke said:

Great place! Great image and great story!

Now sing with me: Oh Shenandoah.

Now which one today? The Kingston Trio? Pete Seeger? Bob Dylan? Hayley Westenra; Richard Thompson; Bruce Springsteen; Tennessee Ernie Ford or the Tabernacle Choir?

I wish Eva Cassidy had recorded it.

 

wim

The other great song with a reference to the Shenandoah River is “Take Me Home, Country Roads”. Of course that John Denver song is more about West Virginia 
 

[Ed Rooney]

 

I believe I heard Eva do that song in a club in Georgetown (DC). She was special. I used to sing it with my folk duo. I would begin solo with an accent on the words and then my female partner would let go with her better voice. I miss making music. 

 

And, Wim -- I expect you to know a great deal more about the Netherlands and more about Europe. The fact that you may know more than me about the USA is disconcerting. 🤔

[wiskerke]

47 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

The other great song with a reference to the Shenandoah River is “Take Me Home, Country Roads”. Of course that John Denver song is more about West Virginia

Ahh! I knew the part of the broken thumb, but there's more: this all happened in DC!

My favorites are his next 2 albums btw. It's very difficult to choose between Aerie and Rocky Mountain High.

No Shenandoah in East Virginia by Joan Baez. (Was she 19 at the time of that album?)

 

1 minute ago, Ed Rooney said:

I believe I heard Eva do that song in a club in Georgetown (DC). She was special. I used to sing it with my folk duo. I would begin solo with an accent on the words and then my female partner would let go with her better voice. I miss making music. 

 

And, Wim -- I expect you to know a great deal more about the Netherlands and more about Europe. The fact that you may know more than me about the USA is disconcerting. 🤔

 

My goodness you've met her.

We've only lived in DC for 3,5 yrs.  Eva was born in 1963 and had been dead for 8 years when we came to DC.

I had her The Water is Wide play on my mother's funeral.

Also this medieval bridal march. Think of it what you may, I said then. And now. The Water referred to the flood disaster of 1953 that they had been in. Born in 1954, I am a product of that disaster.

It must be the Christmas Spirit all this.

 

wim

[Jill Morgan]

17 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

In the UK and Europe, everyone has to bag their own groceries. And pay for the bags. I carry my own. I don't think NYC has an Aldi or Walmart. Aldi is a German family business that's gone international. My NY news is 4 years old now. 

 

In Canada, we have been bagging our own and bringing our own bags for awhile.  You have to pay if you want store bags.  Sobeys, one of the chains here, no longer carry plastic bags at all.  Back to paper.  Funny how back in the 70's we switched over to plastic to save trees.  Now we are full circle.

 

I like bringing the bags I make.  They are much stronger than those you can buy.

 

Jill

[Ed Rooney]

 

Blues Alley was the club. Don't know if it's still open. I was just a customer; didn't meet her. The guitarist Charlie Byrd suggested I go and hear her. She was a fusion of folk, pop, and jazz. She only lived to age 33. I'm 87. Where's the fairness in that? 

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, Jill Morgan said:

 

In Canada, we have been bagging our own and bringing our own bags for awhile.  You have to pay if you want store bags.  Sobeys, one of the chains here, no longer carry plastic bags at all.  Back to paper.  Funny how back in the 70's we switched over to plastic to save trees.  Now we are full circle.

 

I like bringing the bags I make.  They are much stronger than those you can buy.

 

Jill

 

I always take my own cloth bag and pack my own groceries. However, I'd say that only about 50% of customers at the grocery stores I frequent bring their own bags. They seem to prefer paying 5 cents for plastic ones. Some stores here do offer paper as an alternative. I guess they are perceived as being more environmentally friendly. Plastic container use is still totally out of control, though. We're going to be literally drowning in plastic soon. In fact we already are. COVID must have really increased global solid waste, with so many people ordering takeout food, etc. I shudder to think where all those millions of disposable masks are ending up...😷

[spacecadet]

44 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

I shudder to think where all those millions of disposable masks are ending up...😷

Billions!

Courtesy of some volunteering I now have one of the re-usable face shields which are much pleasanter. But I can't wear it out and about because my hat feels like a loose dustbin lid with it.

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by spacecadet