Ummm... Yuck!

The laminate floor in the kitchen was taken up today. It's amazing the things that happen at home while I'm at work! Note the ugly vinyl floor that was underneath. That will come up when I get home from work today. Our new floor is getting closer and closer!

Large chunk of old laminate kitchen floor:

Ugly vinyl floor (likely from when the house was first built)

Subfloor

Our remodeling project is in FULL SWING! Tami recently repainted the living room and dining room, and we purchased some new furniture. Saturday we spent the whole day ripping up carpet and padding, removing tack strip, and prying up several hundred staples. Today I will tear up the kitchen floor. Later in May we will have a new, laminate floor installed in the living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway. The house is looking better already. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Here we are down to the subfloor.

If it tastes good...

Just remember, if you're packing on some extra pounds, there is one undeniable truth. If it tastes good, spit it out. Foods high in carbs and fat are the most delicious on the planet. They are also the most fattening. Go figure!

President Trump

I voted for Trump. I have been open and honest in saying my vote was more for "Not Hillary" rather than "For Trump". I'll be the first to admit Trump is not my favorite person. He is a billionaire playboy, and he acted like it in his younger days. He's arrogant and smug. And he often says things without thinking first. Putting all that aside, you can't argue with his results since being in office. ISIS is in decline. The tax cuts have put more money in my wallet. He is bringing jobs and manufacturing back to the American worker. He is rebuilding our alliance with Israel. He is not taking any bunk from China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. He is denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, and is working hard on immigration reform. How many of those things did Obama do? NONE! Say what you want about Trump. Is he perfect? No. Is he an endearing person? Not exactly. Is he getting stuff done? You bet! And all this despite constant resistance from the mainstream media and unrelenting attacks from liberal Democrats.

The weather has broken

I think it finally happened. I think the weather has broken and it's about time! Now that the weather is warming up, we are probably going to drain the hot tub and shut it down until the weather cools off again in the fall. Since hot tub season is over, and pool season is getting ready to begin, I think I know what I'm going to do with the hot tub...

Blast from the Past

Last night I had the occasion to be in the music room of my old high school. I've been in the high school building many times since graduating 33 years ago, but I haven't been in the music room in eons. While in that room last night, I found myself face to face with some awards plaques hanging on the wall. I had completely forgotten winning these awards, but sure enough... there they were! My name in brass for all time! My name living on in St. Bernard choral history.

And yes, I was "Mickey" back in those days.

Tacos Authenticos

Tami and I went to a new restaurant last night. It is called Tortilleria Garcia. This place is a little hole in the wall that serves authentic Mexican food. I'm not talking about the kind of food you find at Chipotle or at your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. This place is the real deal. Authentic Mexican food using only the freshest ingredients. Tuesday is Taco night. Tacos for a buck apiece. I dubbed them "Tacos Authenticos". We got 6 tacos, chips, guacamole, and two bottles of pop for $14. Delicious food and really cheap! We will definitely be going back.

Here is a little blurb about the owner from their website:
Tortilleria Garcia is the lifelong dream of Omar Garcia. As a child, Omar lived in Michoacan, Mexico on a farm where his family grew corn. Following the harvest, the Garcia family cooked and ground the corn to make masa, the dough used to make tortillas. Omar’s grandmother Enriqueta, and his mother Dolores ,taught Omar the recipes that are used here at the Tortilleria. The Garcia family’s love of heritage and fresh food is what has inspired Omar to share this delicious tradition with you. We know you will love the fresh tortillas, meats, and all of the fresh sides as much as we do!

And yes, this is our actual food... not some photo off the menu. Dee-Lish!

Call for help!

Help! Help! Help! Fire! Fire! Fire! Call 911! This is terrible! Somebody call the Fire Depar.... Oh wait. Never mind. We ARE the fire department.

Grandchildren Update

I haven't posted anything about my grandkids in a while. Sveta and Elliott are playing soccer, and Asher is just chillin' in his crib. I suppose it's nap time, but he doesn't look as if he is going to sleep any time soon :-)

Could it be?

Could it be? Is spring finally here to stay? May is a week away. I certainly hope Old Man Winter has met his death!

More Liberal Hypocrisy

Liberal hypocrisy is running rampant in our nation. The fact is they say anything necessary to fit their narrative and their agenda. Check out the photo below. Feminist queen Gloria Steinem has jumped on the gun control law bandwagon. She is screaming about how guns kill people and we need more laws to protect our children. All the while she is proudly wearing a t-shirt that states she has killed a child (abortion). Once again, liberals, you can't have it both ways. Pick a side and stick with it... is killing innocent children okay, or not? Where's the line?

Welcome Leo

Say hello to Baby Leo, everybody. This is my great-nephew. My niece, Emily gave birth to this handsome fella late last night. This makes my sister a grandma. Welcome to The Old People Club, Sis!

I'm freezing!

I woke up to temperatures below freezing this morning. To be clear, the date is April 18th. We are less than two weeks from May and we still have freezing weather! We had snow on Monday. It was the 4th day of measurable snowfall in April. That is a record, ladies and gentlemen! The Enquirer even says so!

Poker Face

I love this!

April Showers

April showers bring May... Oh wait. I can't type that. It's SNOWING on April 16th. SNOWING I TELL YOU!

This year it's not "April showers bring May flowers. This year it's "April snows. That really blows!"

The month of May is two weeks away and it's snowing. I'll just let that sink in for a while.

Goodbye Gunny

R. Lee Ermey has passed away. You probably recognize him as Gunnery Sargent "Gunny" Hartman from the movie "Full Metal Jacket". He also voiced the army man in the Toy Story movies. This guy was a Marine who became an actor later in his life. R. Lee Army was a great American and he will be missed.

Liberal Hypocrisy

So which way do you want it, Liberals? Are people in charge of their own bodies or not? You can't have it both ways. That's called hypocrisy!

Cincy Weather

If you don't like the weather in Cincinnati, wait five minutes... It'll change. Today the temperatures will push 80 degrees. Sunday night it could snow. Don't believe me? Check out this headline from the Enquirer:

The Teflon Candidate

I'm just going to leave this here...

The FBI raided the home and office of President Trump's lawyer. Looking for what, you say? Looking for proof that the President paid hush money to an adult film star about an affair. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton who broke more laws than I have time to mention, gets away scot free. Mrs. Clinton is the Teflon Candidate who happens to be above the law.

Liberal Lunacy

I post a lot of silliness on this blog. Most of my content is posted in jest and is meant for pure fun. This post is not a joke. I promise it is real.

This is liberal lunacy at its finest! Insanity on full display! The city of Los Angeles is painting some of their streets light gray or white in order to combat global warming. Even if I believed global warming was real (I DON'T!), this is still a ridiculous, futile effort. A small fraction of the earth's surface being cooled by 10 degrees or so is not going to fix the problem. What a colossal waste of time, labor, and money. I didn't realize California was awash with cash. Oh wait... it's not. California is billions of dollars in debt. Read the story below from Fox News. Is it any wonder California is drowning in debt?

Here's the story:
California officials are hoping their latest attempt to stem the rising tides of climate change leads to a more socially conscious -- and cooler -- summer.

Officials in Los Angeles have been painting streets white to reduce the effect of urban "heat islands" and combat the effects of climate change.

The LA Street Services began rolling out the project last May, which preliminary testing shows has reduced the temperature of roadways by up to 10 degrees. The project involves applying a light gray coating of the product CoolSeal, made by the company GuardTop.


"CoolSeal is applied like conventional sealcoats to asphalt surfaces to protect and maintain the quality and longevity of the surface," according to the company website. "While most cool pavements on the market are polymer based, CoolSeal is a water-based, asphalt emulsion."

While each coating could can last up to seven years, they are also pricy, with the estimated cost of $40,000 per mile, the L.A. Daily News reported.

$40,000 per mile???????? Are you kidding? Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States. It has thousands of miles of streets and roadways. This is absolutely the dumbest thing I have ever heard of.

Still cold

It's April 10th, and it's still cold. I'm sorry, but this is flat out ridiculous!

Engagement Photos

Here's the elated couple...

It's official!

And Abby makes three!

It's official! On Saturday night Abby accepted the marriage proposal of Mr. Thomas C. Bell. These two lovebirds are now engaged. Although the date has not been firmly set, a wedding is likely in December of this year.

I'm one proud dad of our baby girl.

Congratulations, Abby and Thomas!

It's not difficult

Keep in mind a PROFESSIONAL painted this wall. C'mon man! The English language isn't that difficult. It's "You're" not "Your".

As in... Where you're (you are) always welcome, unless you're (you are) a jerk.

It never ends...

And the hits keep on coming! The winter that never ends. April 7th and it is freezing outside with snow on the ground. Our community yard sale was not officially cancelled today, but I've not seen a soul pass by the house this morning. In years past it has been a veritable traffic jam in Hidden Valley Lake on yard sale day. It's tough to have a spring yard sale when there is half an inch of snow on the ground. People are not going to venture out into cold weather to buy a candle holder for a quarter. UGH!

Friday Funny

This just never gets old :-)

Smoking Ham

On Easter Sunday I smoked a ham for our family dinner. For the first time in my short career of smoking meat, I was disappointed in the results. The ham was good, but it wasn't much better than a regular ol' baked ham. The smoky flavor was minimal and was not worth the trouble. Maybe my expectations were o high. I was expecting to have my socks knocked off, but instead found myself with a rather blah reaction. Oh well. You can't win 'em all!