Someone once said that plans are worthless but planning is essential. Does that apply to pecan pie? Read on.
Phoning It in at the End of the Year
Once again, I find myself at year end torn between posting something deep and insightful, and not. Guess which one won out.
It’s A Repair Of The Heart
If anything other than your significant other makes your heart race, you might oughta see a doctor.
DIY: Installing Soft Close Drawer Adapters
A few weeks ago, we and another couple spent a few days in Santa Fe at a very cool B&B a few blocks away from the downtown plaza. The B&B was a remodel with nicely updated interior features, including soft-closing bathroom and kitchen drawers. Our almost-20-year-old home in Horseshoe Bay has nice custom cabinetry, but… Continue reading DIY: Installing Soft Close Drawer Adapters
Learning Spanish to Teach English
¿Hablas español? Solo un poco. Pero quiero apender más. MLB and I are volunteering as teachers in an English As A Second Language (ESL) class sponsored by our church. We inherited a class comprised of adult students primarily from Mexico. Since they are all native Spanish speakers, we are trying to improve our fluency in… Continue reading Learning Spanish to Teach English
There’s never an ophiologist around when you need one
Alert Gazette readers will recall our encounter with a cottonmouth (aka water moccasin) last fall. Then, a couple of months ago we discovered a four-foot-long blotched water snake [Update: which I now know is more correctly known as a plain-bellied water snake] in our courtyard. The latter encounter taught me that distinguishing between the poisonous… Continue reading There’s never an ophiologist around when you need one
Web Weaving Weirdos
I’ll fight a bear, but I don’t like spiders. I’m not a fan of those. — J. J. Watt I’m an unabashed arachnophobe. Spiders are not just creepy; they’re intentionally malevolent. God created spiders because snakes weren’t sufficient to remind us that we live in a fallen world. Spiders are the only creatures that… Continue reading Web Weaving Weirdos
Wildlife Update
It’s been awhile since I provided a wildlife update. But, first, here’s a squirrel (turn up the sound to get the full effect): Your browser does not support HTML5 video. That’s the noise a squirrel makes when its annoyed or angry. I couldn’t discern what caused this one’s panties to get in a wad, but… Continue reading Wildlife Update
Ambient Bias Lighting for Your TV: A Review of the Halo
So, I’m kind of a sucker for Best Buy‘s Deal of the Day. It’s not so much that the prices are that low — although sometimes, for some items, they really are — but they often draw my attention to products that I might not ever consider buying, or even know about. I’ve been known… Continue reading Ambient Bias Lighting for Your TV: A Review of the Halo
Clash of Species – Woodpeckers vs Snakes
Earlier this spring, an oak tree across the street from our house attracted the attention of a pair of golden-fronted woodpeckers*. The tree’s trunk has a hollowed-out place about twenty feet off the ground and the opening faces our front windows; I can see it from my usual seat in the living room. Since April,… Continue reading Clash of Species – Woodpeckers vs Snakes