Ugh

Ugh. No more Subway sandwiches for me. I used to like them. There was a time when I probably had a Subway sandwich at least once per week. In the past two days I've tried their sandwiches again. They're terrible ... dry bread and flavorless sandwiches as a whole. How can sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwiches be flavorless? It's inexplicable. The other one I tried was seafood; used to love it, but not this one I just had.

There used to be a Blackeyed Pea restaurant near us. We like the food until it got waaay too salty. So we stopped going there several years later we gave it another shot. Still too salty. Several years after that, the restaurant shut down. It's a different restaurant in that spot now.

If Subway doesn't get their act together, they'll be losing too much business as well. Our other options in the area include Quizno's and Panera. So far we love Panera. We're going to be leaving Subway sandwiches alone for a while ... possibly a long while.

some promising lighter weight mobility scooters

The Ewheels Speedy EW-01

• good looks
• solid seat with back rest (no arm rests, though)
• very respectable top speed of 11mph
• 30 miles per charge under the most ideal of conditions
• 69lbs. including batteries

The Drive Medical Zoome recreational scooter

• not bad looking
• does have a seat (though rather small and has no back rest or arm rests)
• whopping top speed of 15mph
• 20 miles per charge
• 78lbs. (probably includes the batteries)
• it has tighter turning radius and higher curb clearance than the Speedy EW-01 ... unfortunately this also translates to more cramped leg room and bump in the deck may make it difficult for the user to mount this trike

Of the above two, I'd pick the Speedy EW-01 based on what I know about the user I have in mind. The solid-looking seat, the step-through deck, and the more traditional "mobility scooter" look win out.

But there is plenty of room for improvement. The 69 lbs of the EW-01 is 29 lbs more than the lightweight and very "bare-bones" 40-lb Smart Scoot. That's quite a bit more, and I hope the weight of these things will continue to drop in future designs. Carbon fiber, anyone? Lighter weight wheels? Their videos never demonstrate how you would get it in and out of the trunk of your car. And as far I as can tell, the battery is not normally removable.

For prices on these scooters, please do an internet search for them and the various vendors will have the prices.

Happy Easter!

Wishing everyone Happy Easter! For the next fifty days!

nativity scene?

A baby was found at a church manger scene. According to the news story, the church is Holy Child Jesus of the Diocese of Brooklyn. So for real, there is a manger scene at this parish, before Thanksgiving, and before the first Sunday of Advent?

leaking at the hose bib?

Several years ago, I purchased a new water hose with brass connectors. I was quite disappointed when I connected it to my hose bib in the backyard and it sprayed and leaked all over the place when I turned on the water. I just thought something was wrong with it. I had an old hose and it too leaked when I hooked it up. I figured it was just old. 

I have a third water hose which I use almost all of the time. At this point I should explain that the water hose always gets disconnected, drained, rolled up and put away after each use. This third one that I use almost exclusively is lighter than the others and probably the shortest of them all. It is my go-to hose since it was easier to handle.

I finally was convinced that something was amiss when I hooked up my go-to hose to the backyard hose bib and it too leaked and sprayed at the connection. I didn't have any such problems when hooked up to the front yard hose bibs. As you may have guessed, I don't use the backyard hose bib very often. One winter I did see water dripping from that hose bib. Apparently if it isn't turned off quite tight, it will drip. I don't make that mistake any more.

Putting two and two together, I figured out what was causing the leak. As water dripped from the hose bib at various times over the years, it left a mineral deposit. Over time the build-up is sufficient to cause the threads to not seal correctly. This is particularly obvious in that it was difficult to thread the hose connection onto the hose bib. It would feel rough and wouldn't thread on smoothly. The build up of mineral deposit can be seen upon visual inspection.

I used a brush and a bathroom cleaner intended to remove hard water deposits and scrubbed the hose bib threads. It took a few minutes and quite a bit of brushing to clear off the deposit. Afterwards, it was easy to thread on the hose and best of all, the connection no longer leaked. Easy fix. It only took me a few years to figure it out. :)

Happy hosing to every one.

 

I like it but it doesn't like me

I like the Hunt's Gel Snacks. I like the smooth, firm texture and wonderful flavor. But they give me a tummy ache. It took a while before I figured it out. I would snack on them in the late afternoon. Then by dinner time they would ruin my dinner experience. I don't know what's in it that's not agreeing with me. I just have to ban it from my eating repertoire. Jell-O is fine with me. And so is Dole Fruit in Gel. Just not this stuff.

I believe ...

I believe ALL good comes from God; there is no other source of goodness.