As I write this I am a bit sore and tired from a busy few days of vacation. Sore from all the adventures, tired from all the much-needed sleep. Sounds terrible doesn’t it, I mean how awful to spend a few days with no agenda, fresh water to swim in and plenty of sunshine in December? We decided to take a quick four-day getaway before all the holiday festivities were upon us. Being that we are dog owners we always try to find places where we can take them along as well. My wife did a little bit of research on the Web and found a site called Home Away. Home Away is where people open up their homes or other real estate to be rented as a vacation rental. After spending some time and numerous emails we found our destination over on the Gulf Coast of Florida near Pensacola on the Santa Rosa sound. We packed up our two dogs and hit the road for about a five-hour trip to the other side of our home state last Thursday. After traveling the entertaining stretch of I-10 (anyone that knows the stretch knows that is a stretch) we arrived at our destination in a small town of Mary Esther tucked in between Fort Walton and Pensacola Florida. We were greeted by our host Steve and our dogs soon to be best friend, his dog Cooper. Steve showed us the two bedroom cottage that would be our home away for the next few days along with […]

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For some you may be thinking what the heck is Scrivener, better yet what is NanoWrimo. As a writer they are indispensable ways to write your first novel or even fiftieth. Let me start by saying I am tired, worn out and whooped from competing in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)  a writing competition the entire month of November. I had to rely on some incredible bloggers to guest blog for me over the month as I wrote my first novel. OK well sort of novel, I wrote 50,350 words in a month and compiled it into a story. Is it finished? Not really, it is 50k more words written of my first novel than I would have had if I did not participate.  I struggled through fear, extreme mood swings, emotional turmoil and sheer exhaustion yet I kept writing. I wrote in the morning, lunchtime and night, words consumed me for days on end. I had been told for years that I needed to tell my story, I cannot claim the words I wrote to be my story per se, yet they are fiction inspired and based on truth like many books would be better to claim to be. Whether the work actually will make it to print remains to be seen, at least for public consumption. However without Scrivener it is quite likely is simply would be a bunch of words making little real sense. I purchased a license to Scrivener and even became an affiliate as I felt the software was made […]

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A Rain Barrel is a great way to save a little cash, help the environment and even class up your house. Imagine how much water you could collect when for every 500 square feet of roof equals around 300 gallons of water for every inch of rain. That is a great deal of water that usually goes right down your downspout to one area of your yard, or worse your driveway, street or sidewalk. By using a rain barrel you can collect water to use on your plants, garden and lawn that would otherwise go to waste. Be sure to check with your local ordinances though, as states like Colorado and Nevada the use of rain barrels is illegal for one crazy reason or another. “A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure.” ~ Justice Oliver Click To Tweet I will show you in a few easy steps how to build a rain barrel inexpensively and creatively. First you will need a few supplies, most of which you can find at your local hardware store. I purchased mine at Lowes and have provided the item numbers to make your shopping list easier. PVC 3/4″ x 1″ SCH 40 Slip and Thread Adapter – Lowe’s part #22695 made by Lasco (2 per barrel) PVC 3/4″ Elbow [Threaded] –  Lowe’s part #126822 made by Lasco (1 per barrel) 3/4″ quarter-turn brass Sillcock – Lowe’s part #248909 made by American Valve (1 per barrel) 1″ zinc flat washers -Lowe’s part #15012 made by Hillman (2 per barrel) You can purchase […]

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