ainslies.org

I was talking to the installer about unexpected issues he ran into when he was installing my doors and windows. I asked what he would do. He replied, “I’ll figure it out. It’s like working on a puzzle. There’s more than one way to solve every problem.” As I watched him and his assistant work…

Most of my life I envied men who could service their cars, do carpentry, repair their appliances and maintain their homes with skills they were taught by heir fathers. My friends worked with their fathers to build sheds and treehouses, change the oil and brakes in the family car, do repairs around the house and…

Last week, one of the window installers was coughing up a lung and going hoarse from some illness. I’m certain I caught whatever he had, because two days after he left, I was struck with the same sore throat, hoarse voice and nonproductive cough. I though it might be a mild cold so I took…

My 86 year old girlfriend passed away this week. She was my neighbor who introduced herself to me the day I moved in and insisted I come up to her house to see “how the furniture was arranged so you can get ideas for your house.” When she learned I was widowed, she was sympathetic…

This morning Wiggles and Sparkles were lying on the back of the sofa soaking up the sun coming in through the side window. They take great pleasure in sun bathing – in all seasons. As I looked at them and thought “how cute!”, I was reminded of the last time my wife joined me to…

I just received my 5th vaccination this year. I’m not a vaccination fanatic by any stretch of the imagination. I received the standard array of childhood vaccines. I got a tetanus shot in my early teens when I stepped on a rusty nail. When I was 18, I was required to have several more. After…

Every home improvement project* I’ve ever done begins with a moment of frustration. Suddenly, after saying to myself “This is bullshit!”, it occurs to me that there’s gotta be a better way. There almost always is. Sometimes I can think about the problem for a while and come up with a better solution. Other times,…

After waiting 9 weeks for my new windows and doors I got an email Saturday from the contractor saying they could start on Monday morning. I knew it would take 8-12 weeks before they would schedule me, but I had expected they would give me more than 1 day’s notice. Nonetheless, I agreed because I’ve…

Optimizing sleep has become a trendy self-improvement topic. It’s pitched on podcast, in news stories, on wellness blogs and through social media. Companies are now trying to make money pitching “better, more effective sleep“. They might be selling a product: Or they might be selling services: There have been times in my life when I…

My dogs were quite accommodating during my convalescence this past week. Our routine, schedule and high level of activity was thrown completely off kilter. Walks were nonexistent for several days and then short and slow. Mealtimes were later. I couldn’t play with them much, nor even sit up between themon the sofa for mushing and…