Hi,

After my post Sunday, you guys must be pretty bored, I had over 250 people read my blog on Fb in less than 12 hours.  :I thought I should post a follow up.  The reason for this quick post, is I’m doing OK.  I received several emails and phone calls from friends and past guests that were very uplifting with things like “hang in there ed, we are still looking forward for our visit this summer” and “we need to cancel this reservation for next week, but just want to reschedule it for July”.  Monday was a very nice day with the attention I was receiving.  Which brings me to question you about something I spoke about a little while ago.  When was the last time you called someone you haven’t spoken to in the last six months or more?  Just do it.

That’s one of the main reasons I haven’t been blogging  so much as of late, I hate being Mr. Negativity and with the current reality it’s hard to be Mr. Positive.   Yes, business is very bad, but with my business line of credit. cost cutting measures I have a lot more flexibility than many of my fellow small businesses that are currently going belly up don’t have.  I’m seeing more and more for sale signs outside closed restaurants.  We need people in Washington that lead our country, not play politics or run a campaigns for re-election.  Besides dedicated politicians we need Covid19 test kits and a Covid19  vaccines  and we need leaders that can produce.

Yes, business is bad (but my CPA did my quarterly audit today and before the shut down, I was on track for a banner year).  And I did pick up that wedding for May 2, my June wedding is still on the books as is both reunions.  And I sent Governor Wolf a letter explaining how he can open the big event spaces and how to have safe distancing, we’ll see if I get a response.  🙂

OK, my current project is painting that wicker furniture on the veranda.  This is another good thing about my slow business.  Like pressure washing the veranda, instead of just hosing it off in the spring, I usually just pull the wicker furniture in the ballroom and do a quick white spray paint on the tops.  This year, I hosed them off and scrubbed them.  Then I took  Rust-Oleum underneath and on top.and working the paint into the wicker I re-discovered how cool they are.  Look at the braided edge on this chair:

wicker chair

The battle with the pigeons is back in full force.  Maybe they were smart and were snow birds and traveled to Florida for the winter.  After my taser incident, I’ve tried keeping back around the veranda when I would shoot at them.  When I’d shoot into their crowd, they would fly up to the gutter on the third floor.  And I would take my rifle and shoot up there.  They learned and now scamper up on to the roof proper, which I can’t see (and aim) without going all the way out into the courtyard.  As if my neighbors don’t already have enough to say about me, they now see me aiming my Daisy rifle at my roof.   And if you want to hear the story of me getting tasered by the swat team, you have to visit for me tell you the story.  🙂

i have salt stains on the brick wall on the side of my courtyard from 100+ years of rain and weather.   This is called Efflorescence last spring  I hosed them off then took a bucket with Tri Sodium Sulfate and took pot brush and scrubbed it, then hosed it off again.  It made it better, but there’s still the white marks.  I even took Jeff’s pressure washer last week and it didn’t take it off. Any suggestions on how to clean it off?   I’ve asked the internet god Google and the only thing that he/she says is a paid advertisement Sure Klean Concrete Cleaner.  Anyone have suggestions here?

salt on brick wall

OK, I’m doing fine, which brings me to something I’ve been wanting to talk about-mental illness.  It’s OK to have mental illness, just like it’s OK to have the flu or other physical problems. Mental illness is something we don’t talk about, When was the last time you spoke with someone and they nonchalantly said “Oh, I have the flu”  OK, now when was the last time you spoke with someone and they said “I’m depressed”.or I’m concerned about my OCD.    OK, I’m coming out of the closet and admitting I’m depressed.  It’s not the Covid19, although that’s pretty depressing.  I love polar bears but don’t want to meet them on an ice floe.but I think they are magnificent creatures that deserve to live.  And letting the petrol chemical companies drill up in northern Alaska seems like it’s sealing their doom.  This America greed of chasing the almighty dollar at any cost has to stop.  How would the executives at these petrol chemical companies like it if I went to their  houses and spilled toxic chemicals on the manicured lawns their privileged children and pets play?  Now I know I’m going to be back on the government’s watch list.  I guess I’ll start seeing those dark SUV’s with their tinted windows sitting across from my house again.  🙂   It’s the aftermath that scares me.  We will recover, it will be painful, but we will persevere.  A world govern by ego maniacs like Putin, Erdoğan,and Trump is that really scares me..

OK, thanx for hearing me out, I promise the next post will be more positive. Or if I can’t find enough positive to write about, I’ll remain mute.  🙂

Take care,

ed