Planned Parenthood

 I'm sorry, but I feel I have to somehow respond to an email I just received.

Following is a list of services/information you can find on Planned Parenthood's website:

• Abortion
• Birth Control
• Body Image
• Morning-After Pill (Emergency Contraception)
• General Health Care
• Men's Sexual Health
• Pregnancy
• Relationships
• Sex & Sexuality
• Sexual Orientation & Gender
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
• Women's Health

You may or may not agree with the complete list, but I would argue that you cannot disagree with all of them and that you most likely agree with at least one of them.  Regardless, please do your own research and information gathering on any and all topics before forming an opinion and passing judgment.  In fact, try to beware judgment altogether.

Oh, and please take me off your mailing list.

Words of Wisdom for 350 Edith

• There are 5 smoke alarms in the house (the 2 hard ones to find are in the vaults of the south bedrooms), and they are interconnected such that if one detects smoke, they all go off. 
• Learn about and understand how the boiler works, and the manual adjustments that can be made if/when necessary.  Tingey Plumbing is a great resource and has worked on the system in the past.
• The easiest way to get on the roof is by using 2 ladders (or the same one twice).  Use one ladder to get on top of he porch.  Use the other ladder to get on top of the roof in the south west valley.
• The sprinkling system in the back needs some attention.  Since the carport was put in, I don't trust that the pipes that run under the driveway aren't broken.  I'm sure a sprinkler company could do something to determine the status of the pipes.
• When it gets really windy, you may hear an odd knocking noise that may concern you.  The first time I heard it, I was concerned and found myself outside at o'dark thirty investigating the noise in my pajamas.  I thought it was the gate on the fence backing against itself.  It wasn't.  The noise is the large blue spruce tree on the south east corner of the house bumping against the house.  I've asked a tree guy about this and have been told that it's not a concern.
• The upstairs living room has a set of double pocket doors that have been trimmed in.  "Trimmed in" meaning that a piece of trim was added to hide the pocket opening where the doors are.  We never, ever closed the doors when the opening wasn't trimmed in and so it just made sense to add a more finished look.
• When we had the carport and new driveway put in, we added a 4" conduit pipe that runs from the base of the utility pole in the back yard to the south west corner of the house.  Our intention was that we could have the power lines that hang in the air re-routed through the conduit.  We never got around to it, but always felt it would be a nice change to make.
• It was always our intention to have lights added to the carport.  With that in mind, we ran another conduit under the deck to the south west corner of the house over to and up the middle support column of the carport.  We actually ran the electrical line through the conduit at the same time, but I'm not sure we ran the proper electrical line.

House projects completed

Following is a list of house projects we've done to get our house ready:

1. dining room floor trim
2. paint bedroom trim
3. upstairs tv room doors - trim & paint
4. clean up alex bedroom wall
5. back door floor mat
6. paint downstairs yellow
7. paint dining room base boards
8. paint great room
9. paint ceiling in front room
10. paint ceiling in upstairs tv room
11. paint loft ceiling
12. paint closet/pantry
13. paint spice cabinet
14. paint master bedroom crack (south wall)
15. paint half wall at top of stairs (gate repair)
16. bottom of stairs missing trim
17. paint mirror
18. misc floor repair
19. dining room floor
20. replace sconces and other fixtures
21. cork board trim
22. replace 2-way deadbolts
23. add front and back door kick plates
24. remove & replace bathtub silicone

http://goo.gl/MPzzV

Grandma Bev

Gandma Bev passed away earlier this morning around 2:00 AM.  My dad called around 7:30 to tell me the news.  He had been over to see her last night and stopped by before heading home.  He said he didn't think she'd live through the weekend.  My grandma was 82 and had been sick for some time.  I think to say she lived a full life is a fair statement.

Death is a strange thing.  It certainly makes you stop and think.  My dad and uncles were trying to plan the funeral when I saw them earlier this evening.  I don't think that's something you should leave to your kids.  I think it's important to have that stuff in order so that you can have things the way you want and so that a burden is placed on those that you leave behind.

For me, I don't want a viewing and I want to be cremated (haven't decided if it's important what happens to my ashes).  I want people to remember me for who I was in life, not in death.  Additionally, I don't see any reason in being laid in the ground.  Cemeteries are such an odd thing to me.  I just don't get it.  I can understand having a place where people go to remember me, but why a cemetery?  I'm sure that statement is somehow against my religion, but I really don't care.

As I said above, no plans have been made for my grandma's funeral yet, but I choose to remember my grandma for who she was and what she meant for my family.  Many a Christmas memory took place at her house.  I will try to hold on to those memories over the years, but I'm certain they will fade.  Many a recipe has been lost and not enough pictures and conversations were had.  I look to the future with hope, but will occasionally revisit the memories of the past.  May God rest your soul, Grandma.