Commentary | Maria Zannini

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41st Wedding Anniversary and a Poll

By Maria Zannini • October 10, 2016 Commentary, Homesteading

I still can’t wrap my head around that number. It doesn’t seem possible that that many years have passed. When we passed 30 years I felt like we were part of the old timers’ club, the kind where we give knowing looks to one another because we survived being married to one person without an injunction.

After we hit the 40 year mark, we were not quite part of the noble gang of the 50+ marrieds, but we had a good chance of getting there, so they cut us some slack.

This year is number 41. I sometimes wonder why Greg hasn’t traded me in for a younger model, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s because he enjoys comfortable and familiar surroundings. A younger woman wouldn’t understand half his jokes. Besides, she could never keep up with what I do all day. 🙂

That brings me to the bone I have to pick with Greg. Please tell me if you recognize this scenario or if it only happens to me.

Why is it I can empty the garbage a hundred times and not expect one iota of recognition, but Greg does it ONE time and he has to make sure to mention it so I can commend him on it?

Why? Why, I ask you?

It’s like that scene in the movie, Kate & Leopold where Kate’s brother gives Leopold stellar advice. He shows him how to load the dishwasher, but tells him to wait to turn it on, so that she SEES him doing it.

Men! I think it’s just men anyway. I’ve never heard of a woman doing this.

Anyway, I love my shadow. He might not anticipate my every need, but he’s there when I need him most. And he even made dinner last night!

Happy anniversary, hubby. Here’s to 41 more.

This is a picture of our wedding bands. We haven’t worn them in a long time. We did at first, but then Greg nearly ripped his finger off when it caught as he jumped off a metal platform at work. I kept taking my rings off (and constantly misplacing them) because I painted in oils. Finally, we stopped wearing them all together.

As it happens they no longer fit anyway. Between arthritis and weight gain, my fingers are no longer that tiny size of 4 ½. We still have them though along with both engagement rings. (Yes. I gave Greg an engagement ring too.) I’d like to trade them in for something else, but Greg’s sentimental, so back in the box they go.

If you’re married, do you still wear your wedding band? Are we atypical for not wearing ours?

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Is It Waste or Want?

By Maria Zannini • September 21, 2016 Commentary, Homesteading

How much time do you think you waste in a day?

I was reading an article about how much time we spend on the internet, tv, radio, streaming, email, using apps, and social media. In the US, we average an astounding 10 hours and 39 minutes a day doing all these activities.

Some people can listen to radio while they work so I don’t see this as a valid addition, but the other stuff? Yeah. I can see that. According to the study, we’re divided by age. The over-50 age bracket watches more tv than Millennials. And it comes as no surprise that younger people surf the net and use more apps than older people.

It can be argued that you’re not really wasting time if that’s how you decompress, but I think that’s kind of a cheat. The brain doesn’t rest if it’s constantly being stimulated. That’s why medical professionals tell you to turn off the tv and computer a couple of hours before bedtime.

On average we watch 2-3 hours of tv or streamed movies a night. Greg might watch a little more because I tend to get antsy when I know I have something to do.

I spend another two hours on the net in the morning usually reading and responding to emails, with intermittent breaks throughout the day poking into social media and blog reading. For the sake of argument, I’ll be generous and say I spend an additional two hours on the net for a total of four hours a day.

That means I spend 6-7 hours a day on the net or watching media. Some of that time is either work related or necessary viewing to stay abreast of current events, but the rest of it is entirely for folly.

Sometimes when I hear people say they have no time, I wonder if they take their “down time” into consideration. Do we really have no time to exercise, eat right, or play with the kids, or are we hiding behind Facebook and online games?

For years I refused to get the internet at home and at work. I know I speak blasphemy, but it’s true. I knew even back then it was a rabbit hole.

I prefer to be physically active only because I’m the fidgety type. The only time I actually enjoy sitting down and doing nothing is after I’ve worked my keester off. If I’m too tired to lift my arms, all I want to do is watch an old movie, something I’ve already seen so my brain doesn’t have to engage.

I’m old enough to remember pre-internet days. For some reason I don’t remember anyone back then saying they had no time. I’ve actually given this some serious thought. We were busy, but when the work was done we spent time with family or actual flesh and blood friends.

We read more. We savored every page of a newspaper. Meals were always sit-down and slower. And we took more Sunday drives to nowhere in particular. I miss the drives. We used to pick a new destination every week and discover our “back yard”. Going to the movies was date night. Eating out wasn’t just grabbing a bite. We actually had real conversations over dinner.

So what do you think? Do you know how much time you spend a day on media, social media, and the internet? If you’re old enough to remember pre-internet days, what did you do back in the day in your spare time?

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What Can You Live Without?

By Maria Zannini • September 16, 2016 Commentary, DIY

Guess what went out now? The microwave. The irony is we sold our spare microwave at the last garage sale.

A hole in my kitchen

The one I sold was a counter top model and I need a built in. If you’ve ever priced built ins, they are outrageously expensive. On top of that you also need to buy a “trim kit”, basically a metal frame to make your microwave look like it was part of the cabinetry.

Only one trim kit can’t sub for another. Oh, no. That would be too convenient and cost effective for consumers.

Each trim kit only fits a specific brand. And you can’t mount the much cheaper counter top model in place of a built in. You can, if it fits in the hole, and if it can vent properly, but guess what won’t fit? Yup. The trim kit.

I’m seething because I don’t want to buy the same model I had before. It only lasted five years. It’s a Frigidaire Professional Series. Unfortunately, it might come to that. At least I won’t have to buy another trim kit. It’s ridiculously expensive for a piece of pressed metal. I hate the idea of Frigidaire making another sale from us after they soured me on this one.

The sad part about all this is it made me realize just how much we use our microwave. It surprises me how quickly we accustomed and embedded ourselves to technology–even me–Nanook from the Wayback.

I don’t think we even had a microwave until the 1980s, so why is it so hard to live without one now?

It made me wonder what else I’d hate to lose.

• Cell phones
Handy, but I mostly use it to look up stuff on the internet.

• The internet
Wonderful as it is, the few times I’ve lost internet has been more of a blessing. I get so much more done without the distraction.

• Television
We don’t watch a lot of tv, but we do stream movies. Guess Greg and I would have to come up with something else to do. 🙂

• Printer
I’d really miss this. My hands hurt too much to print everything by hand.

• Electricity
The Mother of all Inventions. We have solar energy at Greg’s shop so we could theoretically live without electricity.

• Toilets
Okay. If there was one thing I absolutely would hate to give up more than anything else, it would be the toilet. I make no apologies. That’s the line in the sand for me.

How about you? What would you hate to give up more than anything?

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Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Neuritis in the Stubborn Patient

By Maria Zannini • September 14, 2016 Commentary, Homesteading

I’ve been unwell for several months brought on by sudden attacks of dizziness. At first, I thought it was a sinus headache because sometimes a change in barometric pressure can make me lose my balance. It would come and go. I’d no sooner think it was over when it would come back. Once I’d lost my equilibrium I’d wallow in an abyss of annoyance because that meant my work was piling up. I felt useless and unwell. There’s no other way to describe it.

I mentioned it to my friend, Mel, and she put me on a Facebook chat with her sisters, both medical professionals, one a doctor in Brazil. I didn’t think it would do much good, but I agreed and received a long distance diagnosis of Labyrinthitis. I was told to give up caffeine and sugar which I promptly did because the flare ups were so severe I was nearly bedridden.

Fast forward, things got better, but not great. The onset of the dizziness was rapid and unpredictable. If I looked up too high or turned my head at the wrong tilt, I’d start walking to the left. The worst was at bedtime because the room would spin if I tried to lay on my left side.

I never knew when it would flare up. I became paranoid about moving too suddenly, fearful the room would start spinning.

As usual, I put off going to the doctor, but last week enough was enough. My left ear was still tender and warm even after months. I knew it had to be some sort of infection. I had tried high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs and that seemed to help for a while, but that in turn created holes in my stomach lining which made me feel worse. That’s what finally made me go and see the doctor.

Guess what? She immediately diagnosed Labyrinthitis. She put me on steroids and antibiotics. For the first time in months I finally had a good night’s sleep. I can’t say I’m cured because my ear is still tender but the spinning room is under control. Chances are the infection is viral and not bacterial, which means only the steroids are helping me at this point.

Unfortunately, I waited too long to see a doctor and there’s a chance I might’ve caused permanent nerve damage to that ear. I’ll have to cross that road when I get to it.

The moral of this story. Next time, go to the doctor.

Are you a good about seeing the doc when you’re ill, or do you wait until you’re at death’s door?

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Could You Cull a Pet

By Maria Zannini • August 24, 2016 Commentary, Dogs, Homesteading

As an animal lover I found this article from the BBC News shocking and painful. I had mentioned in an earlier post about British Farms that during WWII much of their livestock was culled because they couldn’t afford to feed such big animals.

What I didn’t know until now is that the government began a campaign before the start of the war urging people to destroy their pets because food was certain to be scarce. In the course of one week, Britain destroyed 750,000 pets.

I know Britain suffered greatly during WWII. Rationing barely kept body and soul alive. A very good friend of mine lived during the war and she often told me about the shortages they endured. She never mentioned the government had urged them to destroy their pets.

She was obsessive about her dogs in her adult years and now I wonder if that cull had anything to do with it. We worked at the same veterinary hospital.

I can’t put myself in their place because we deliberately created a situation where we could provide for ourselves and our pets. If the government started urging me to destroy Nana and Iko, they better hope they never tell me that in person.

There is very little I get worked up about, but when it comes to my dogs, that’s where the line is drawn.

In the US, we eat too much anyway. I can afford to eat a lot less if it means my dogs get to live.

I do want to give kudos to the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, in operation since 1860. According to the article, with only four people on staff, they took in 175,000 dogs during the course of WWII.

I have no right to judge, never having experienced that kind of shortage of resources. I just know I would not, and could not comply to such a request. I have the luxury of living in the country and growing my own food. As long as Greg or I draw breath, our animals will be safe.

To be fair, I’m a little more suspect of the government for starting such a panic. Back then though, people were much more willing to do as they were told. Today we question everything, and we should. If history has taught me anything, it’s that governments are not infallible. They make mistakes and sometimes they’re whoppers.

How would you feel if the government warned you today that food would be scarce for the unforeseeable future and urged you to euthanize your pets? How awful would life have to be to make such an painful decision?

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Kinetic Typography Animation: Shop Vac

By Maria Zannini • August 5, 2016 Commentary

This has nothing to do with homesteading or saving money, but this touches my designer soul. It’s called kinetic typography.

Typography is awesomely complex, digging deep into the psyche. Seeing it animated just makes it come alive.

PS If the melody seems familiar, it was written by Jonathan Coulter, the fantastic creator of Code Monkey (one of my all time favorite YouTube videos).

What do you think? Did you recognize any of the brands or imagery by the fonts alone?

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Mini-Review: Star Trek Beyond

By Maria Zannini • July 27, 2016 Commentary

Simon Pegg (aka, Scotty) co-wrote this script. You can sort of tell because Scotty got a meaty role out of it. Not that he wasn’t good at it. He definitely delivered.

The breakout star though was Sofia Boutella who plays Jayla. Her character was fresh and charming, and steals every scene. You might also know her as the villainous Gazelle from The Kingsman.

I was expecting more from Idris Elba but I thought the script limited him to stereotypical bad guy. That kind of talent deserved better.

If I had one qualm about Star Trek Beyond, it’s that I felt it was a little preachy. The Federation subscribes to unity and peace while Krall (Elba) believes war and struggle make us strong.

It’s a common trope, the life blood of Babylon Five if any of you remember that series. That might be fine in the early 1990s but in 2016 it comes off as a dull story line. I can argue philosophy all day long but when I go to the movies I want to be entertained.

Still, the characters we know and love are all there, made even more bittersweet by the touching and elegant tribute at the end of the movie to Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin.

The story revolves around the Enterprise getting tricked into a rescue mission by a ruthless soldier bent on retrieving an artifact that’s more than it seems. It’s up to Kirk to reunite his crew and save themselves and millions more.

There were so many instances when a simple beam out, or more logical steps should’ve been taken to reach a solution. Instead, they threw in a lot of contrivances to keep the story going.

It wasn’t a deal breaker because in the end it was an enjoyable movie, but as a writer, I can find plot holes in my sleep.

The plot didn’t have the headiness of the first two movies, but it’s still got all the Star Trek goodness and the camaraderie we love.

Once a Star Trek nerd, always a Star Trek nerd. It will go in my dvd collection when it comes out.

Recommended!

Have you seen Star Trek Beyond yet? Are you a Star Trek fan?

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Memorial Day 2016

By Maria Zannini • May 30, 2016 Commentary

A somber post today. I’ve been ticked off by recent news articles about vandals damaging several Memorial Day displays; a couple at cemeteries. What is wrong with these people?

I know it’s a tiny minority but it riles me that these miscreants exist at all. Karma needs to smack them in the head.

Men and women have DIED for our country when we needed them most. I suppose the concept of death is alien to younger people, but when you see enough of it, you come to grasp the enormity of that sacrifice. Someday we’ll all cross that bridge. Give a care to those who did it willingly for their families, for their brothers and sisters at arms, and for their country.

Their families still grieve for them. Both should be respected and honored.

Are you a veteran or do you have anyone in the military? Are you traveling this holiday? It’s estimated 38 million Americans will be traveling over Memorial Day. Wow!

Stay safe.

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The Tax Man Cometh

By Maria Zannini • April 15, 2016 Commentary, Quotes

This year in the US, in an effort to keep us confused, taxes will be due April 18th because Washington DC celebrates Emancipation Day. If you live in Maine or Massachusetts your filing deadline is April 19 because they’re celebrating Patriots Day.

aspirin bottle1 Whatever. Just tell me when you need me to have my headache.

I found out all sorts of interesting facts about taxes. Check out this page with some tax facts from all over the world. It seems many of the world’s best known events were the results of taxation.

For instance:

• The American Revolution began because of high taxation from the British Empire.
• William Tell was forced to shoot an apple off his son’s head as punishment for tax resistance.
• In Texas, cowboy boots are exempt from taxes.

There were a lot of facts on this list I never knew before and some I will never understand. For example, why do we pay death taxes? It’s like one final grab from the government. They ought to call it an exit tax.

I was shocked to see the countries that paid the highest taxes. Aruba (a Dutch territory) had the highest, followed by Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. All of them were above 50%! The US was not in the top ten. Thank goodness. I think we pay enough for bureaucracy.

I leave you with a quote from one of the most astute observers of the 20th century, Will Rogers.

The difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get any worse every time Congress meets.

How was tax day for you this year? Every time we finish our taxes we have to take aspirin then spend the rest of the day on the couch watching a nice movie where people don’t talk about taxes.

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April Fool’s Day: Ask a foolish question

By Maria Zannini • April 1, 2016 Commentary

I’m not a fan of April Fool’s Day pranks. It’s okay if it’s harmless, but I’ve never thought them funny. My question is, where and how did this even start?

There are a lot of theories but no definitive proof on how this day came about. The most common theory is that it started after Pope Gregory (not to be confused with my long suffering husband, St. Greg) replaced the Julian calendar with his own. The Gregorian calendar moved the first day of the year to January 1. In the Julian calendar, the year started on March 25th.

Oddly enough, people back then didn’t celebrate the new year until April 1st due to the previous week being a holy week. According to one theory, those who continued to celebrate the new year on April 1 were fools, hence it became the day of fools.

green bird Have you ever played a prank on someone on April Fool’s Day? How did it go?

Word of warning, the best response you’ll get out of me is the squinty eye of disapproval. I must disappoint Greg. He loves to play pranks and I’m not a good sport about it.

How about you?

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