Bobservations

Some of you may remember the day I got a strange call about a “Health Alert” alarm regarding my father, and how I tried calling him all day, both home and cell phone, and couldn’t get through. I came very close to calling the police in his town to check on him, but then I found him at home and everything was fine and he didn’t know why we had gotten the alert.

Well, this week, while I was at work, Carlos called to tell me we got another “Health Alert” on my dad, and again we called his house and his cell and again we got no answer. I called; Carlos called; no response. I asked Carlos to call the police and they did a check; no one was home and my Dad’s truck was gone and the driveway gate was closed, all normal things; the police even said there had been no reports of accidents so, for now, it all seemed fine. Except we didn’t know where my dad was, so I called the hospital in Newport and as I was waiting, Carlos called; Dad was home, he had been running an errand and blah blah blah … again.

So, I called my Dad and chewed his ass out, telling him when he is not at home I want his cell phone on, and here’s the story of the “alert”:

My Dad has a Health Alert system, but it had some issues so he canceled the service and was told he needed to FedEx the system back to the company. He boxed up the system, loaded it and his dog into the truck and took off to the nearest FedEx office, a couple of towns away. But, he had set the box on the floor of the car while driving and his dog stepped on it, which sounded the alarm, called my house, and set all this in motion to scare the bejeesus outta me.

I told my Dad I’m’a need a health Alert button just to get through this.

Tuxedo wonders why anyone would need a gun when you can just get a cat with a punum like his; that face alone tells you to stop what you’re doing right now!

Over at Amazon, the bestselling LGBTQ+ Book on their site is Johnny the Walrus, a hateful picture book by Matt Walsh that compares the gender identities of trans youth to a young boy who imagines he is a walrus.

Amazon ALLEGEDLY mislabeled the book into its LGBTQ+ Books section and, as a result, is promoting harmful anti-trans views to its consumers interested in LGBTQ stories.

Just one more reason to boycott Amazon, though I didn’t need one. Jeff Bezos.

Flori-duh Governor Ron DeSantis announced a series of steps to improve drainage, raise sea walls and take other steps to fight defend Florida against rising sea levels .

But he says “climate change” and “global warming” are used as a “pretext to do a bunch of left-wing things.”

Then why all the effort to fight rising sea levels, which are a result of both climate change and global warming you unhinged ignorant tool.

A 10-month-long review of Wisconsin’s 2020 election, conducted by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, an ultra-conservative group, has revealed no signs of widespread or significant election fraud.

And that means Thing 45 lost Wisconsin again.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Michel Aupetit, the archbishop of Paris, because the monsignor could no longer effectively govern thanks to the “gossip” about his relationship with a woman a decade ago.

But Priests who rape children … ? 

You cannot make this stuff up, but Robert Gieswein, a member of the Three Percenters militia group accused of assaulting police officers at the Capitol on January 6, is seeking his pretrial release from jail because, and this is rich, it’s “not healthy” to be “stuck in a bubble” with other insurrectionists who share his views.

Um, Gieswein? You should’a thought about that before committing treason, you asshat.

Way to go Chile!

By overwhelming majorities in both chambers, lawmakers in that country legalized same-sex marriage this week in a landmark victory for LGBTQ+ rights activists that underscores how profoundly the country’s politics and society have shifted in the past decade.

Chile is now the 31st nation to allow same-sex marriage.

Ponysaurus Brewing Company, a Durham, North Carolina  brewery has launched a fundraiser for the LGBTQ+ community in the wake of rabidly homophobic comments made earlier by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. A portion of profits from each pint of its "Don't Be Mean to People" beer will be donated to the LGBTQ+ community:

"The Lt. Governor said some not very nice things. But Don’t Be Mean to People believes in the goodness of everyone. So we know in his heart he doesn't believe other North Carolinians are 'filth.' We’re so sure of it, we’re helping to fund the good work that could be his greatest act in public office. That’s right—a portion of profits from every pint of Don't Be Mean To People will go to help the LGBTQ+ community grow, thrive, and find acceptance. All in the name of his illustrious title."

I’m getting thirsty for some Don’t Be Mean to People.

This week we discovered MaxGoldberg had a snaggle tooth sticking out of his mouth, so off to the vet we go, to be told that his tooth is loose and needs to come out. The vet prepares an estimate for the extraction, which will require blood work, anesthesia, perhaps more than one extraction, and hands us the cost breakdown” $982.00. Clearly she saw the look of shock on our faces and said:

“It looks like it may come out on its own if you want to wait a few days. Call me on Thursday if it hasn’t and we’ll see what next steps we need.”

Wednesday night Max is staring at me, snaggletooth sticking out, and I think, let me get a picture of this crazy mess before we take him bath to the vet, and as I set the camera on him to snap a photo, he sneezes and blows the tooth on my leg.

And we saved nearly a thousand dollars!

A couple of years ago that I spent over a month at my Dad’s helping him recover from surgery and he got me hooked on Yellowstone … think Dynasty on a ranch or Dallas on a real ranch. Anyway, one of the cowboys, played by Taylor Sheridan caught my eye and then I realized he is also the creator and writer for the show, and a hot nugget of a cowboy.

And that begs the question: Would You Hit It?

Architecture Wednesday: Curaumilla House

This small, though beautifully situated house is on a steep hill above the sea in Curaumilla, Valparaíso, Chile.

Curaumilla is a vacation home divided into two areas, one private, with two bedrooms en suite—the bedrooms are divided on two floors, yet both have sea views—and the other the social space, an open kitchen, guest bathroom, dining area, living room and terraces.

The house is located right on the edge where the forest ends and the gorge begins to fall; it is almost the only place where the entrance to the sea can be seen, and in this way the house kind of celebrates that “border” between forest and sea.

Curaumilla is a broken volume, with two bodies, social and private, oriented in different directions and connected by a glazed corridor. The first of the volumes is where social life takes place, it begins to sink and gradually takes off until it rises from the ground. At the far end, the roof is at ground level, functioning as the access to the house and ending in a deck with views of the sea and coastline.

My father lives in Oregon, very near the coast, and this is a house that would be perfect for out there. Small, yet gorgeous views, welcoming, and yet private.

I really need a winning Lottery ticket …

As always, click to emBIGGERate ...

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Architecture Wednesday: Patagonian Retreat

Oh, there are times when you just want to get away from it all, and this home, located on top of a mountain, in the “Region of the Lakes” on the Peninsula of Lonconaos Lake, in the Patagonia region of Chile, is just that spot.

This small, just about 700 square feet, modern, yet rustic cabin frames its main view towards the lake and the mountains and the view and everything else is forgotten.

The living room and the master bedroom are connected to a terrace above the lake, with a glass wall providing a spectacular view. The bathroom, and the other rooms, are at the back of the house, reducing the overall space and creating an ‘A’ form.

A backyard with an acrylic roof serves as access to the house via a metal door that works in two ways: the first is to protect the house in periods of storms, and the second is to give privacy to the bathroom since it has an open window that leads directly to the lake.

The sloping roof rises to create a loft which is accessed by a retractable staircase, which frees up space in the small dwelling.

It’s small, it’s in the middle of nowhere, but it really speaks to me.

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Architecture Wednesday: Wooden Lake House On Stilts

I like the idea of a lake house; someplace cozy and quaint and not at all like this place. But then why do I want this one?

This is the 2Y House in Colico, Chile, and it puts a new spin on lake homes with its unique shape, its interesting layout, the way it hugs the hillside, the materials used to build it, and because it’s also environmentally friendly.

Approaching the house, you’ll notice it’s built on stilts to keep the floor level despite being built on the side of a hill; it almost looks like a treehouse at one end. Inside, it’s glass and wood, and light and shadow, and levels and angles.

It’s not your mama’s lake house!

And that’s another reason to love it.

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