I’ve noticed a lot of “hot spots” on our old dog lately. That makes me kinda sad, because I know it is a sign of old age. Do you know what a “hot spot” is? It’s veterinarian lingo for “bed sore.” Our dog is spending so much time lying down that she is developing bed sores on the pressure points of her hips, knees, and ankles. Kinda perplexing because she has a nice soft dog bed to sleep on; I have a hard time imagining that she would even get bed sores. But there they are, just the same! Makes me sad to think how this is such a sign of aging, and that means that she won’t be “with us” for many more years.
One of the things my water-conscious nephew has suggested to me that I can do in my own house is to save water by installing dual flush toilet. I told him that I had some concerns about low flush toilets because I have heard that a lot of them take several flushes to actually flush the sewage down past the trap, and if that is the case then I really didn’t see how it could conserve water at all! And to be honest, I’ve gone into some people’s homes where that was the case, and the people were not happy with their toilets at all! He said that dual flush toilets are different than low flush toilets.
He said that issue can be resolved through the use of a dual flush conversion kit. Those are conversion kits that can be used on existing toilets that conserve water without sacrificing the ability to accomplish a successful flush. Apparently the way it works is that you can select how much water gets used to accomplish the flush that needs to be done. Well, the kits only cost about $29.95, so I think I’ll give it a try.
One of my nephews is studying environmental engineering at Princeton. He has been working on a lot of projects revolving the earth’s water. Last summer, and this summer he has worked internships with organizations that are focused on researching and solving water issues. He tells me that he would like to ultimately become involved in creating public policy regarding water conservation and water quality. The last time I saw him I offered him a bottle of water to drink and he refused it, saying he would prefer to drink tap water! He’s really serious about that!
I’ve been noticing some commercials on the television lately where the point of the commercial is to get consumers to rethink the attitude that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you. In recent years high fructose corn syrup has been broadly considered bad for the consumer, linking it to diabetes and obesity. I’ve never believed that it is any worse for you than regular table sugar. And yes, regular sugar can also lead to diabetes and obesity – if too much is consumed! So the point is that we all have to be responsible for our own health and not eat too much of anything! High fructose corn syrup is not the enemy!
My mother’s house has old wood shutters on it. They have started to peel, and rot. I told her that she should replace them with some new vinyl shutters. They look great, won’t rot, and won’t peel. I told her that if she paid for them, I’d install them for her. So my wife is going over to her place tomorrow to help her pick out what color she would like to have.
Yesterday I stopped over to see my buddy Tom. When I walked in the house I asked her where Tom was. She says “oh, you mean the big game hunter?” I said “yeah, whatever.” He came out around the corner, wearing a big fancy hunting hat and a carrying a new elephant gun. I about fell over backwards, laughing! As soon as I gained my composure, I asked him “what the heck are you doing?” He said “I bought a new gun!” I said “I guess you did!”