Fun Reading as You Fire Up the Grill and Celebrate July 4th
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The July 4th holiday is one that holds a lot of nice memories for me. My parents would hold barbecues at our house where our neighbors and just about all the Cubans that lived in Birmingham would come over. It was loud and it was fun.
My Pops would squeeze every bit of lighter fluid out of the can. I can still hear the crinkle of the tin. We would each take two to three generous steps back as he flicked the match into the pit. The flume of fire was a thing of beauty. It simply was not July 4th without the whiff of lighter fluid floating through the air.
So as we coast into the July 4th holiday and since I was already on memory lane, I thought I would share some of the funnier Wednesday WTF’s that you can read while grilling your burgers and fajitas, walking along the beach, or splashing your toes in the plastic pool you share with your dog.
Please know that I wish you and your family a very happy and safe July 4th holiday.
Alaska Home Gives New Meaning to Rugged Indoor-Outdoor Living
An accurate description for the State of Alaska is rugged. The terrain is rugged. The people are rugged. The attitude is rugged. The fact that the state flag is not some big burly Alaskan swathed in red check flannel, chopping wood, is a shocker.
The only thing missing is the red checkered flannel shirt. Back to Alaska and its ruggedness.
This rugged attitude extends into all aspects in the state. Take, for instance, the handicap ramp we came across in Homer, Alaska. Before you got to the ramp, anyone in a wheelchair would have to go across really soft sand. Assuming you do not sink, the ramp had slats of wood going across the ramp that would cause anyone in a wheelchair to go flying a la OJ Simpson in the movie The Naked Gun. The attitude is very much, “Ya gotta ramp. What’s the problem?”
Waste Away in Your Own a Piece of Margaritaville With This California Parrothead Paradise
There have not been many times when I wanted to meet the people selling the homes I write about. I tend to make up little stories about them in my head and make up excuses as to why they felt the need, for instance, to put urinals in the kitchen.
(If you are a new reader, yes someone put a urinal in the kitchen. It was insane. Go check it out.)
That brings us to the home featured in this week’s column. I would love to be a fly on the wall of this home and just observe this couple in action.
No Need For Chicken Soup With This Colorful Soul-Inspiring California Home
Back in the early ‘90s the book Chicken Soup for the Soul got a ton of attention.
It was a compilation of inspirational stories about ordinary people and how those stories could help you change your life and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I never read the book but I remember Oprah could not shut up about the book. Give me a good character-driven piece of fiction any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I digress.
Tchotchkes And More Tchotchkes Dominate This Canadian Home
The house featured in this week’s column serves as a personal cautionary tale. You see, nothing gets me going like tchotchkes. It is a heck of an admission to make but it is an honest one. It does not matter the trip, I always have to come back with one or two, maybe more, tchotchkes, refrigerator magnets, chainsaw carved statues, etc.
Yes, I am one of those people.
Beat the Heat (or Hot Flash) With This Australian Clubhouse for Menopausal Women
I have reached a point in my life where some things are abundantly clear. The heatwave we are currently enduring does nothing positive for 55-year-old menopausal women. Our clubhouse is located in the dairy section of your local Sam’s. You will find us all just standing there finding sweet, sweet relief as the chillers blow ice-cold air.
It was during this reprieve from the hormone wave I am riding that I decided Wednesday WTF was going on the road to someplace cooler. So grab your passports because we are on our way to Australia.
