Posted by Sam on June 17, 2009
I have this very large entry hall in my home, and when it was built we had a special outlet put right on the curve of the curved staircase so that we could plug in a large saltwater fish tank. That thing was a big fat pain, and I’m glad it went with the ex when we divorced.
But now I have this big empty space. I thought about putting a big fake plant there, but I’m debating whether to get a water wall fountain instead. You know, one of those indoor fountains that sits pretty flat against the wall and runs water straight down the wall of itself instead of spurting out a little spigot.
Has anyone had one of these in their home? Does it spray - even a little? Because it would sit right on the tile and the slightest bit of water might cause someone to slip. I’ve seen these wall water fountains in restaurants and hotels and stuff, but never in a smallish (well, larger than most) entryway. You can look at the St. Augustine model of Village Homes to see what I mean. Would I have to put a mat under it, just in case? I kind of hate to; I think it would take away from the Mediterranean look I’m after.
Technorati Tags: Village Homes, wall water fountains, water wall fountain
Posted by Service Man on
A long running family tradition has been the traditional summer vacation. Every year since as early as I can remember, my parents would pack us into the station wagon and we’d ship out to some new and exciting destination. Now days, with money and the economy being so tight, I have to really focus to be able to afford taking my wife and kids on our annual summer outing.
A friend shared with me this winter the Canada tour packages he had gone on with his church group. He said that in addition to there being a ton of options to choose from, the affordability of the vacations was simply amazing. Because we are close, and I trust his sensabilities about these things, I decided it would be worth my while to look a little deeper into the offerings of heading up north this year.
The one vacation option that really just grabbed my attention and still has not let go was the opportunity to take Canada coach tours and leave all the tough work to the tour company. From everything I was able to learn online and by calling the company, we would be taken care of from start to finish.
And the amazing fact was that we’d be able to actually do more with our vacation budget than we might if we’d struck out on our own. This was going to be an amazing summer trip.
Technorati Tags: Canada coach tours, Canada tour packages
Posted by Sam on June 16, 2009
Shortly after I finished college, I was blessed with a most wonderful job at a nursing home. I have such a big spot in my heart for the elderly. I watched my grandmother battle Alzheimer’s disease and I saw, it first hand, what the disease did to her. This made me understand more about these people who lose every sense of who they are. In the end, grandmother had no idea who I was, but I still knew exactly who she was and that was what got me through the tough last months of her life.
In the nursing home that I was working in, I had my first experience with lift recliners. I had never seen such a thing before. A few years ago, my mother had a bad fall off of a ladder and broke her upper leg in two places. Right away, I thought of getting her a lift chair recliner to use during her recovery. I knew she would be so much happier than if she had to stay in bed the whole time. I was right. She pretty much lived in that thing.
She had the stair lifts and she had her recliner. She was certainly not going to let this accident slow her down. She was still able to do her knitting, her crossword puzzles and her scrapbooking, from the comfort of her own chair. In fact, I think she was rather sad to have to give that chair up. I think she may have even faked it at the end a little.
Technorati Tags: lift recliners, stair lifts, Upper leg
Posted by Service Man on June 14, 2009
During a recent family reunion I was chatting with a cousin of mine who had recently been diagnosed with extreme sleep apnea disorder. He indicated to me the sleep apnea was the reason he had always snored so much. We had spent many summers together as teen agers, and he was always ridiculed for his tremendous ability to snore like an elephant.
After his doctor prescribed him a sleep apnea machine, he had begun to see some real improvement to his quality of life. While his snoring had definitely decreased tremendously, there were other benefits as well.
I was able to tell just by looking at his complexion that he was resting better. Additionally, the weight he had lost since starting use of the bipap machine made him look fit, trim and years younger than the last time I’d seen him.
The best part of his new medical treatments, however was something he shared with me in private. Since he had been receiving the regular treatments necessary to sleep and live better, he’d become much more mellow and relaxed during his waking hours. He shared that this was helping him at work and with customers, but even better in his relations with his children and wife. And in return, he and his bride of 14 years were returning to a healthy and active personal life as well!
Technorati Tags: bipap, sleep apnea machine
