The "A Trend Setter Before My Time" Story

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation bracelet.

It was an ordinary day.  The headline in the newspaper caught my eye: "Mens wrists not just for watches anymore."  Tried to remember how long ago I gave up wearing a wristwatch for four reasons, (1) made marks on my arm when I sweated, (2) wasn't cool to wear a watch, especially when my iPhone was a pocket away with the time of day, (3) most of my male friends wore wristwatches and could tell me the time and (4) time doesn't really matter much since I'm retired.  Can't believe the newspaper actually posted a story telling the public that men are giving up wearing watches, since it isn't an acceptable accessory on a powerful man's wrist anymore.  Wow, I've been chic for years now and didn't realize it.  But, what should I be wearing on my wrist?  Story said I should be wearing a bracelet made of beads, leather, sterling silver or even a plastic "remembrance band."  A few years ago I wore a blue JDRF bracelet for about half a year and I still have a plastic bag full of them in case I decide to don the bracelet once again.  

A few of my necklaces I have draped across
my wife's wedding portraiture on my dresser.

JDRF are the initials for Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund and I was wearing it since my oldest granddaughter has Type I Diabetes.  Instead of wearing the bracelet, my wife and I began to make donations to JDRF which is probably the reason I was given the bracelet in the first place.  Now, for me, being chic and in style goes farther than wearing something on my wrist.  I enjoy wearing a necklace which to me is more trending than something on my wrist.  I have been making purchases of necklaces for over 15 years which I enjoy wearing when going out for lunch or dinner as well as when vacationing in the Caribbean.  

LDub with his necklace and ... a watch!

The necklaces are made with beads, leather and even small sea shells.  My wife at times claims I'm trying to be a hippie dude from back in the 1970's, and maybe I am, but I still like the look of a necklace with flair that draws attention away from all the loose skin I have on my aging neck.  And, in case you didn't realize it, my photo that appears on this blogspot site to the right of this story, and has been there since I began writing stories in 2009, features a photo of me with a really neat necklace around my neck.  Betcha didn't know that, did you?  Click on my photo in this story to enlarge it and you can see it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - You'll also see that I'm wearing my wristwatch! How uncool is that!!

The "Tiny Home Mania" Story

A tiny home on Rt. 30 in Lancaster, PA which is for sale.
Notice the upper level is very small.

It was an ordinary day.  Driving east on US Route 30 from Lancaster, PA to SR41 to a small town known as Gap when I mentioned to Carol that there were a few tiny home builders who occupy the sides of the three-lane highway along that stretch that are now building tiny homes.  We noticed a few new shows during the past year or so on Home and Garden Network that featured these tiny homes.  I should begin by telling you that the typical American home is around 2,600 square feet in size while the size of a tiny house is somewhere between 100 and 400 square feet in size.  Some of the homes are built on a trailer bed while others ware built on a concrete slab or built in a shipping container.  

This tiny home is built on a wooden platform.
This home didn't even have a second level.

Why would anyone want a home that you had a hard time turning around in or had to sleep on a mattress where you couldn't even stand up?  Seems that tiny home owners buy their homes because of freedom of debt, freedom to travel, freedom of location and having the option to pursue dreams versus working a thankless 9-to-5 job.  But, the homes are necessarily cheap to construct.  They can cost anywhere from $20,000 to maybe $100,000 depending on what small amenities the buyer wants.  There are a few home builders in Lancaster County, including Amish builders, who now seem to specialize in the tiny houses.  I believe it is just a fad at present and many people who begin with a tiny home and eventually have a family would have a tough time raising that family in a 100 square foot home.  The cost and mobility ideas are great, but when I was growing up, people who had the same idea bought mobile homes, but I must admit they are slightly larger than the tiny homes produced today.  

Another tiny home on wheels.

While watching the shows on H&G TV, I wonder how owners handle water and sewer issues.  Will they be hooked to running water?  How about a sewer hookup for sink and toilet waste.  And, what about power hookup.  I must admit that some of the homes featured on TV are rather unique.  Some have an eat-in kitchen with a small living area on the first floor and a crawl space for sleeping.  And, what about heating and cooling issues?  Can large sized pets be kept in a tiny home with you?  Carol and I have been talking about downsizing to make it easier to maintain the house and property, but we really aren't interested in a tiny home.  No way would I want to, or could, climb a ladder to go to bed.  I read an online article telling that tiny homes has been a slow-growing community that started about 15 years ago and only became well-known because of TV networks picking up on the fad and making it look like a fantastic lifestyle.  I would like to see what people think ten years or more after buying and living in a tiny house before I would recommend the lifestyle to anyone.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Remembering Formstone? Story

This city home has Formstone on the front of
it.  The side of the home still remains stucco.
The home next to it on the right is painted white
while the home to the left is red brick. Click on
photos to enlarge them.

It was an ordinary day.  Driving south on Prince Street, Rt. 222/272, thru center city Lancaster, PA and mentioned to my wife about all the homes in the city that still have Formstone on them.  I can remember when I was a child and the rooming house/local bar at the other end of our block on North Queen Street covered their brick walls with Formstone.  At the time it was a popular way to make you home stick out from the rest of brick homes in the block.  Many also added Formstone because of home additions whose brick didn't match the original home brick.  And, if you didn't look too hard, it did look similar to real stone.  Mom and dad talked about doing it to our semi-detached home, but finally decided the cost didn't justify having it done and Deb and Bob, the owners of the other half of the semi didn't plan on having it done.  For those who have no idea what Formstone might be or what it might look like, it was patented by Albert Knight of nearby Baltimore, MD in 1937.  

The boarding house/bar still stands at the
south corner of the last block of North Queen
Street.  The old building's Formstone is beginning
to break away in some places.  An old phone
booth still stands in front of it. Still looks like
a structure in the 1950s or 1960s. 

There were four other very similar products on the market at the time, but around our area, Formstone was the big fad.  Formstone was applied in three layers, much like stucco, anchored by a metal lath which was attached to the brick underneath it.  The layer that you see contains the coloration used to imitate stone and is textured using waxed paper and an aluminum roller.  Simulated motar joints were scored into the Formstone to give it the "real stone" look.  In 1997 a 30-minute documentary was filmed about the practice of applying Formstone.  The coproducer of the documentary, Lillian Bowers, got the idea for the film after dreaming that her father's gravestone was being covered with Formstone.  

You can see the depth of the Formstone and how it is
coming loose from the original building in this photograph.

For those who purchased a house with Formstone and hated it, it could be removed from a three-story building in a weekend, but repairing the damage the metal lath did would take much longer.  Restoring old buildings and old neighborhoods along the east coast with many houses that had Formstone, or something similar, are being done by communities who are trying to restore all homes to their original condition.  As for my old home on North Queen Street, it still remains the old stucco that it used to be.  Years ago the home owner enclosed the front porch to add a room which looked terrible when finished.  That was recently removed and now the house looks like it did when I lived there.  That is except for the huge pine tree standing in the front yard that totally ruins the look of the home.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

My childhood home, the last home on North Queen Street, with it's new front porch.  Years ago the porch, on which I played throughout my childhood,  was enclosed to make another room.  It was recently torn down and the porch refurbished.

The "Decisions, Decisions and Decisions" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I are trying to decide what to do about our phone service.  For years we had a land line and when the cell phone was invented in 1973 and then went public ten years later, we knew we would eventually have to follow with the trend.  We waited a few more years until the flip phone came out and broke down and got cellular service to go with our land line.  And ... that's were we are today.  I still have my flip phone while Carol has just a regular cell phone.  She uses the text feature and we both use our phones to take photos, but she tends to take more and send them to friends and family.  It's been eight years since Apple released the iPhone and we still are lagging behind.  We have many friends who have gone the iPhone/Smartphone route, but we just aren't sure why and if we need one.  We can still receive cellular calls and call others when we want to do so.  But, we can't search the web for info or check driving directions when needed.  Not sure if we should talk to our current provider, Verizon, or try the Consumer Cellular (CC) service that is advertised on TV and in our AARP Magazine.  Found out that we can purchase an iPhone and use the CC service, but not sure if the service we get will be the same reliable service that we now have.  The reason we are thinking more and more about changing is the fact that the copper network behind landline phones is slowly fading away after a century of use.  The new fiber-optics lines that will replace then are not able to withstand power outages as the copper ones and could leave us without service.  The cable companies that sell internet packages which include home phone lines are required to let you know about the possible outages, but that still won't solve the problem.  And having just a cell phone may not be the answer since cell service in some areas isn't reliable.  We also use our land line provider as our provider for our Internet service and are satisfied with the speed of the service.  Verizon tells us that the new fiber optic lines will be better than copper and will not need as much maintenance.  But, if there is a power outage, both the home phone and the Internet will be lost.  Today about 55% of homes have a land line.  The lower that number gets the more costly it will be for land line service.  And, what about a phone book.  Will there be a directory, printed or online, that can be used to obtain phone numbers of our friends and businesses?  There probably is an online one right now that I don't know about, but will there be a printed one in the future?  I hate to see the printed world go away.  Both my boys are employed in printing and fear they will struggle in the future if all printed items fade away.  So many changes and choices to make!  I sure it will all work out, since it always does, but I hope it isn't more expensive that it is right now.  Again, I know it probably will be, but at least I can hope!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Lawn Art Revisited! Story

Photo of lawn art taken on a previous visit to a neighbor's house.
"Creativity Takes Courage" shows on a sign in front of the display.

It was an ordinary day.  Just walked a few blocks to take a photo of a neighbor's idea of art that is stationed on his lawn on Roseville Road in Lancaster, PA.  It was less than a year ago that I posted a story about the same lawn and alleged art gallery that the home owner has placed along the road for all to view.  He was given air time on our local TV station and commented that he studied art when he went to college.  

Photo taken a few days ago of the same lawn.

I'm sure the college was so glad that he didn't mention it's name on the air!  The display that he featured when I first photographed it for a story slowly deteriorated in the winter weather since it was partially panels that he had purchased that were used for some type of indoor play or musical.  Since then he has made many new additions to his display, much to the chagrin of his neighbors who more than likely don't agree with his idea of art.  A home across the street from the lawn art took forever to sell when it was listed for sale.  Any guesses why?  Well, I have included an overall look at the yard and individual photos of most of the pieces in his yard.  My only question I guess I have for him is ..... how do you mow around all that stuff?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - remember to click on photo to enlarge.

Even is mailbox is an alleged  piece of art!

His pink sports car with a window box full of flowers on the passenger's side.  

This is rather cute and does draw a chuckle from motorists I suspect.  Notice that this piece of art? has a light in front of it.  Most of the artwork? is illuminated at night.  At times it causes traffic to slow while passing his house.  

You have to click on this to able to appreciate it!

And, this one was just added a few days ago.

The bed of flowers was actually very creative, but certainly not what I would call art.

And this is my favorite.  A pink night stand with accompanied sign.  Pretty tacky art, to say the least!

The "Boy, Do I Have A Deal For You" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Asking Carol if she can remember when the Pet Rock was all the craze.  Same time when the Lava Lamp, Disco, Leisure Suit and Safari Jacket reigned.  Same era when a high school friend of mine, Josh, invented the Mood ring.  And, the same decade when we purchased our waterbed.  After some thinking, she was able to come up with the 1970’s.  Reason I asked her was because the inventor of one more fad or craze of that time period just died at the age of 78.  Does the name Gary Dahl mean anything to you.  Gary’s craze rivaled the biggest fads for a mere $3.95.  His fad sold more than a million units and made him wealthy in a few frenzied months.  What was meant to be a joke turned out to be a real success.  Gary’s idea was developed in a bar when the bar talk turned to pets and the need to feed and clean up after them.  Gary announced to the bar patrons that his pet caused him no trouble at all.  “I have a pet rock,” he explained.  People Magazine reported that Gary told them that people are so bored and tired of all their problems that the Pet Rock can take them on a fantasy trip.  He claimed to have packaged a sense of humor.  Soon after his bar episode, he and two of his college buddies and visited a building supply company and bought a load of smooth Mexican beach stones at about a cent each.  Packaged a single stone on a bed of excelsior in a cardboard carrying case with air holes.  Also included a manual for the care of, feeding of and house training of the Pet Rock.  So you see why I just had to have one for Christmas in 1975.  They went on sale the same time as people began their Christmas shopping and in a matter of months he had sold 1.5 million Pet Rocks or about 2 tons of stones.  He traded in his Honda for a Mercedes and bought a house with a swimming pool.  Wonder what the gang at the bar thought about that. Gary died at the age of 78.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Found this one for sale on eBay 40 years after it sold for $3.95.