Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in Home improvement

Tear it down and start over

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Did they put the pool in first? I’ve never seen that before.”

“And look, there’s an AC air handler and a paver driveway.”

“Wait a minute. this is where that house was. You know, the one torn up by the tornado.”

I went back through my dog walking photos and found these crazy pics from last fall, when a tornado spun off from some strong thunderstorms last fall. No one was in the yellow house when the twister tore the roof off. It sat there roofless for six months before anything happened.

And then suddenly, one day, it was gone. At a time where lots are cleared and new homes go up every week, this is an unusual sight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a block home demolished in preparation for new construction. I’ll bet it’s expensive to demo a home, remove the debris, and start over. There was one house around the block that was destroyed in a fire. But they rebuilt it after stripping it down to the block and foundation. Construction is supposed to withstand 150 mph hurricane winds. Clearly you don’t want to mess with a tornado.

I didn’t see any permits, so I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I suppose you would feel secure living in the next house built here. After all, what are the odds of the same home in Florida being hit by a second tornado?

Posted in grandparenting, Life

Mother’s Day preparation

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I spent some time with my nine- and five-year-old grandsons yesterday while my daughter took my wife out for an early Mother’s Day brunch. When they show up at my house, the boys typically chase the dogs around, climb and swing on the play fort, and exercise with all the garage gym equipment. Yesterday the older rode his long board up and down the street while the younger did a few odd jobs to earn a few quarters. But then it was time for the main attraction.

One of my grandfatherly tasks was to get them working on Mother’s Day cards. I printed out a few card templates I found online, got out our bucket of crayons, and announced it was time to get to work.

To my surprise, they dove into the project with passion. They took their time carefully coloring the cards rather than hurried scribbling. Each was proud of his work, showing off color combinations and attention to detail. I enjoyed watching the “I love my mom!” side of the boys that is usually hidden behind a young man’s “What can I climb?” “How can I annoy my brother?” and (while hanging upside down from something) “Look what I can do!”

The five-year-old was filled with pride as he wrote his message inside the card, along with a bonus picture. The older thought, “I need to get her a present.” Boys definitely need a dad, but they sure love their moms!

I got a whole hour of focused worked out of them before they started asking about lunch. That’s impressive.

Posted in Life

“It’s almost the weekend.”

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Dawn McDonald on Unsplash

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a nip hit the already full trash can next to the gas pump. It was a small bottle of E & J brandy, rather than the popular Fireball or Smirnoff. On the other side of the pump, a young man was lying in the bed of a pickup truck while another filled it with gas.

A voice said, “Good evening, sir.”

“‘Evening.”

I thought he then said, “It’s almost the weekend.” It was a Wednesday evening so I said, “Yup, hump day.”

He was very hard to understand and I thought he repeated, “It’s almost the weekend.” He must have seen the puzzled look on my face and spoke slower, but still slurring his words. After a third try, I finally figured out he was trying to say, “It’s almost Mother’s Day weekend.”

Unsure where the discussion was headed, I said, “My mom died about nineteen years ago.”

“I wish I could talk with you. Mine died a week ago.”

“That must be hard.”

“I was right there with her. A massive heart attack. I’m not sure what to do.”

I said, “I guess you’re not looking forward to this weekend.”

He went on, “Nope. But she was a good Christian woman.”

“It’s sad, but at least you know she’s with the Lord.”

He reached out his hand to shake mine and said, “God bless you, man.”

“God bless.”

And that was it. The pump clicked off and I closed the gas cap. As I drove away I saw three others standing outside the pickup truck. I didn’t catch the license plate, so I don’t know if they were local or passing through Daytona Beach.

Most people at the gas pump do their thing and drive off. Occasionally I’ll have a random conversation. The culture of convenience stores is interesting, including huge cups of coffee, tiny bottles of booze, and plenty of scratch off lottery tickets.

Posted in gratitude

They gave him a plaque.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The thought was nice. They wanted to show their appreciation for nearly two decades of faithful volunteer service.

So they gave him a plaque.

Who came up with the idea of giving a plaque? The history of plaques is interesting. They date back to the fourteenth century to commemorate important people who served the Benin empire (modern day Nigeria). Memorial plaques were set in church walls and tombs in the Middle ages. Modern day plaques often mark places of historical events and remember those who died in military service. Your name might appear on an “employee of the month” plaque. Or as of your class in high school.

Chances are you’ve received a plaque for an accomplishment, for perfect attendance, volunteer service, or a generous donation. Did you hang yours on a wall? I’ve been in offices where plaques and framed certificates covered the walls. But I’ve also seen plaques piled in boxes along with old trophies at a yard sale.

I received a plaque for being a board member of a service organization in New England. I didn’t do much more than attend some meetings. But this thank you plaque was affixed to a wooden framed clock that sat on my bookshelf for many years. I positioned it so I could glance at it during meetings in my office rather than rudely looking at my watch. I appreciated that plaque.

My daughter received a plaque for a summer internship at a small concert venue where she went above and beyond expectations. On the back of the plaque was a lifetime admission ticket. Now that’s a great plaque!

I guess I’m not a huge fan of plaques. A note with a bottle of something or a gift card can express gratitude, too.

Posted in recycling

A swimsuit from recycled plastic

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Most of the recycling bins out on the curb this morning were chock full of empty water bottles.

On the one hand, that’s a good thing. It beats having all of them sitting in landfills for who knows how long. And it means that people are drinking a lot of water, which is healthy.

On the other hand, we have good tap water in our community. Unless you’re stocking up for a hurricane or you need to pack some drinks for a trip, how much bottled water do you really need to buy to drink at home? Is it really better than what comes from your faucet at home?

And, the bathing suit I just bought from Fair Harbor clothing is made from recycled water bottles and a little bit of spandex. Now you might think such swimwear would be a little uncomfortable. I don’t know how they do it, but the fabric is soft, feels great, and dries quickly.

So far, I’ve only bought the one suit made from twelve plastic bottles. But they also make shorts, pants, t-shirts, polos, and hoodies. I had a coupon and am getting a rebate for my first purchase. Since it’s pricey, I wait and see if they send me discount codes to buy more stuff.

Posted in zoo

I hope the animals got a raise

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Either the zookeepers union got what they wanted or all the animals got a nice raise, because a trip to the zoo has become expensive.

We frequent the Jacksonville (Florida) zoo. It’s the best one within driving distance, even though it takes us over an hour to get there. A membership there used to be a great deal. I think we paid $140 for an annual family membership which included two named adults and four unnamed grandchildren. Two trips with a could of kids and it paid for itself. Now it’s $75 per adult and $60 per named child.

If you visit the zoo more than three times a year, the membership will be worth it since admission is $29.95 for adults and $24.95 for children. That’s if you buy them online at least a day ahead of time. Add $5 for tickets purchased day of your visit.

Oh, and that doesn’t include the train, the carousel, feeding giraffes a piece of lettuce, and a movie in the 4D theater. Everyone must pay a flat $10 extra for total experience tickets, which includes all of those things. Even members. And you cannot purchase any of those things separately. And I can’t imagine telling the grandkids, “No, you can’t ride the train or the carousel.” That’s pretty much what they want to do at the zoo.

Kona shaved ice trucks are strategically positioned around the park. Moms and dads can get a $10 beer or wine to go along with a $14 burger. A cup of ice cream tastes great, but sets you back $9. And of course, you exit the zoo through the gift shop. I know, these aren’t Disney prices, but if you aren’t careful, you could spend $100 per person.

The last time we went was disappointing. The much promoted tiger cubs had the day off. All the animals from the Americas (bear, coyote, eagle, etc.) were off site while their habitats were bring rebuilt. The stingrays were on sabbatical.

Having said all that, I still love going to the zoo. We bring our lunch and some drinks. We know how to bypass the gift shop. The elephants and giraffes are more than happy to pose for pictures. It’s all good.

Posted in birthday

Of course I’m going down the birthday water slide!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

As we pulled up to my daughter’s house, I saw the biggest inflatable water slide I’d ever seen in a yard. They had rented a twenty-foot double slide for my grandson’s ninth birthday party. It was really cool.

Each of my grandson’s friends broke into a huge smile as they arrived, shedding their t-shirt and flip flops to scramble up the ladder to the top of the slide. Laughter and splashes filled the air as about twenty kids climbed up and slid down over and over again. Every once in a while, one or two would take a break to grab a slice of pizza, rip open a bag of chips, or (believe it or not) dip a carrot into some dip. After a quick refuel, they were back at it.

Suddenly, everyone ran across the driveway to the other side of the yard, ready for a baseball game. Inflatable bats hit plastic balls all over the yard as runners rounded the bases. Five minutes later, everyone headed back for more water slide fun.

I wore my bathing suit to the party, just in case. Maybe, just maybe, I would get to hurl myself down the slide into the pool of water at the bottom. But I waited, sitting with parents and other grandparents in the shade. Did anyone else wear a bathing suit? Maybe, but I wasn’t sure.

After a few hours, some families began to say goodbye and head home. The hoard dwindled to a few cousins and neighbors, and I saw my chance. As I took off my t-shirt, my grandson said, “You’re coming in? Alright!”

As I scrambled up the ladder, the grandsons were challenging me to a race. Before I even sat at the top of a slide, they yelled, “Three, two, one, go!” I lost every race except the ones where I yelled, “Go!” And then they all said, “You cheated!” Too bad, so sad. Life is tough. Get used to it.

I was the only grown up to go up the ladder and down the slide. I loved every descent, laughing the whole way down. It’s not easy being the big kid, though. But you better make sure no one is there at the bottom. Once you commit, there’s no way to slow down.

When people ask me, “So what are you doing in retirement?” I’m going to start answering, “Water slides!”

Posted in Travel

I’m crushed

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I chuckled when the eBay buyer sent me these pictures yesterday along with the comment, “Should have been packaged better.”

First of all, what did the United States Postal Service put this box through on it’s journey from my town to California? How many heavy boxes would have been stacked on top of this one to crush it like this?

I’ll bet you’re wondering what was inside this box. It was a large ceramic plate for tortilla chips, with a smaller dish for salsa. I wrapped each in three layers of bubble wrap. After placing it in the box, I stuffed more bubble wrap around the sides to keep it from shifting around. I was certain that it would have a nice, comfy ride from my home to theirs.

However, I had no idea that someone would run over it with a forklift. Or close it in the cargo door of the plane. Or stand on it to reach something up on a shelf. Or sit on it for lunch break.

As bad as the box looks, the contents were intact. Well, almost. The small dish had a piece broken off an edge. The larger plate survived the trip with no damage. I would call that a pretty good packing job. Actually, looking at the pictures again, I would call it a miracle.

What could I have done differently? I suppose I could have put the box inside a box, cushioned with a million styrofoam packing peanuts. Do they even sell those any more?

The buyer had paid $25 to ship a $10 tray. I refunded his money. A couple of drops of superglue and he’ll be munching chips and salsa and throwing back margaritas for Cinco de Mayo in no time.

Posted in waiting

Patiently waiting

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Someone coined the phrase “an exercise in patience.” I guess it’s good to exercise your patience from time to time. I got the chance two times yesterday.

The first occasion was, of course, at Walmart. There were only a few people at the self-checkout machines and cashiers. But all of them had huge carts full of items, and they all seemed puzzled by the self-checkout stations. I told myself, “You’re not in a hurry; just be patient.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw no one in line for the ten items or less checkout. Sweet. I hopped over there and put my three items down. What I hadn’t noticed was two cashiers staring at the touch screen with furrowed brows and concerned looks on their faces. The only customer ahead of me was showing them pictures of prices that hadn’t scanned properly, and they were trying to figure out how to make it right. Finally, they got it to work. But he had yet another picture of a price for them to enter manually, which required another supervisors to tap in some numbers. By now the line behind me was six people long. The same people were still bagging groceries at self-checkout. I thought, “Just be patient. Just be patient.”

After about six or seven minutes, it was my turn, and the cashier kindly thanked me for my patience.

Next, I took our Great Dane to the vet for her monthly weigh in and heart worm medication purchase. It was about five minutes after noon, and one tech was working the front desk while the other front office people were sitting outside eating lunch. We headed over to the scale to learn that our six month old puppy now weighed seventy pounds. She gained twenty pounds in the last month.

Two other pet owners walked in while we were at the scale. One needed some records. The other needed some medication. So my dog and I wandered around looking at the salt water fish tank, the dog food displays, and a few toys for sale. After about ten minutes, it was our turn, but the tech asked, “Can you wait one more minute? I’ve had people on hold for ten minutes.” I said, “Sure,” mostly because I spotted jars of free dog treats on the counter. After a few minutes on the phone, she thanked me for my patience, she got the heart worm and flea pill we needed for the month.

I often thanked for my patience, which makes me wonder if that’s a rare experience for those in retail or health care or whatever. Judging by the way people drive, push their way through stores, and complain loudly on their phones, I’m sure it is.