What ever happened to small houses?

[Jane]

One of my many inventions is an automatic duster.

While you are at it, can you invent an automatic bathtub scrubber? I would test it for you (don't worry I don't have any goldfish or other aquatic critters so no animal will be hurt during the process).

Jane

[Telly]

While you are at it, can you invent an automatic bathtub scrubber? I would test it for you (don't worry I don't have any goldfish or other aquatic critters so no animal will be hurt during the process).

Jane

What about a low-energy solution to the problem?

Like Jet-Dry for an automatic dish washer. They have those little hanging things, that you can clip onto the glasses rack if the auto dispenser jet-dry function has failed. Maybe a few of those, clipped onto a string, and worn around the neck will keep the ring from starting.

I'm not gonna go there if you are thinking "but I sit down in the tub, how will something worn around my neck help?" Necessity is the mother of invention...

It may start a whole fashion fad, ya know

[Jane]

What about a low-energy solution to the problem? *

Like Jet-Dry for an automatic dish washer. *They have those little hanging things, that you can clip onto the glasses rack if the auto dispenser jet-dry function has failed. *Maybe a few of those, clipped onto a string, and worn around the neck will keep the ring from starting. *

I'm not gonna go there if you are thinking "but I sit down in the tub, how will something worn around my neck help?" *Necessity *is the mother of invention...

It may start a whole fashion fad, ya know *

Ooh I know, I know. Instead of wearing it around my neck, how about if I duck-tape it around the perimeter of the tub?

If you can't fix it, duck-tape it.

McGyver was my hero growing up.

Jane

[cute fuzzy bunny]

You folks are going to get a good laugh out of this. My wife sure did.

When I started cleaning my own house (the mcmansion), I let the dust build up on all the stuff and plenty on the floors. Ok, so I'm not much of a housekeeper.

I happened to be working in the yard and (heres where you'll see this coming), I was cleaning up with the leaf blower.

Sooo I had this little idea...I opened the front door, the rear slider, and the two biggest back windows. Fired the blower back up and blew the whole downstairs clean of dust and debris.

For the sake of this discussion, anything weighing less than one pound is considered "debris".

When I was done, I turned on the whole house fan and sucked any suspended dust out through the attic and away...

I was pretty proud of myself in a Tim Allen sort of way.

I was pretty proud of myself in a Tim Allen sort of way.

LOL

I had a Tim Allen moment myself a few times. One that comes to mind was about 35 years ago, when I was not in my Fly Fishing Stage. I was trying to remove an Ice Fishing House from a frozen lake in Minnesota. It was basically stuck in the Ice. I thought if I'd give it a bit of a 'nudge' with the pickup truck, it would jarr loose from the ice. Well the pickup truck basically cut the house in half and the base remained fully frozen in the lake.

We had a 'Viking' Funeral as we set the house ablaze.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

ROFL.

Was alcohol involved?

[Nords]

... "Gee, no sir, alcohol wasn't involved. We'd stopped drinking a whole hour before that happened!"

I think it's what they call the baby boom. When all our kids move out and we get sick of all the extra house, the ranches (or ranchers as they call em here in DC) will be in high demand! For the time being, they built so many modest ranch homes around here in the 50's and 60's that NOBODY will touch one now except as a starter home. Several builders here started offering new homes with 1st floor master suites, but they did not catch on.

* I lost my canary during the testing phase.[/quote]


Those darn canaries just make for more work anyway

[trumpeting_angel]

I don't think it's the baby boom. I'm a boomer (b. 1953), and the biggest house we lived in growing up was a raised ranch with 3 br up and an extra one down. It was HUGE compared with every house we'd lived in before and every house I've lived in or owned since. And it was nothing compared to what's going up these days. Boomers may want more for their families than they had, growing up, but it reaches a point of absurdity.

The "McMansions" I refer to around here have 5-8 bedrooms, at least 4 bathrooms (I've seen ads for some houses that have more bathrooms than bedrooms), 3+ car garages, gigantic stainless steel everything and gadgets that I'm completely sure won't be used more than once a year in the kitchen, wine cellars, multiple decks. Thousands of square feet. Does one suppose that these families have 5 or 6 children, or perhaps take in foster children and need the extra room?

I'm still quietly gloating, though, that many of them are half-empty of furniture. And most of the furniture I own would probably be declared unsuitable. . .

Anne

[wabmester]

A major factor is the price of land. If a lot is expensive, the developer is going to build a large/expensive house to keep his margins high.

ROFL.

Was alcohol involved?

Not at that time. But many hours of Reminiscing about the fate of the ol Fish House were spent around drinks!

[Whakamole]

The "McMansions" I refer to around here have 5-8 bedrooms, at least 4 bathrooms (I've seen ads for some houses that have more bathrooms than bedrooms), 3+ car garages, gigantic stainless steel everything and gadgets that I'm completely sure won't be used more than once a year in the kitchen, wine cellars, multiple decks. Thousands of square feet. Does one suppose that these families have 5 or 6 children, or perhaps take in foster children and need the extra room?

Sounds like the one McMansion I was in, down in Livermore. It had five bedrooms and six bathrooms (one bathroom for each bedroom + the "public" bathroom.) The living room looked like it had a 30 foot ceiling.

I can't see buying such an expensive house when it's just a cookie-cutter home; ALL the other houses in this development looked exactly the same.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Not at that time. But many hours of Reminiscing about the fate of the ol Fish House were spent around drinks!

Gosh, do you think I can reminisce about the old fish house later on this evening over a bottle of shiraz? I'm running out of excuses.

I even cleaned out my office yesterday to pave the way for three bottles of sam adams lager.

Woo hoo! I now have an office again!

Unfortunately, as a result, I no longer have a garage.

But next weekend is garage cleaning day!!!

[Billy]

Easy care, low costs.
http://www.cavco.com/parkmodel/default.asp

Billy
Web-site www.geocities.com/ba264

[unclemick]

Circa 1989, we took our camper up the Rio Grand Valley - Brownsville area to McAllen over Christmas/New Years - seems like every RV park had a section of Park Models for Winter Texans. I'm sure they've improved over the years. My unoffical License plate count over 4-5 parks of those parked next to the models - Iowa, Kanas, Texas(? north Texans?).

[Billy]

No doubt, the snowbirds favor them, but many ER's and fulltimers enjoy them as well. They have come a long way since 1989.

Billy
Web-site www.geocities.com/ba264

Hi unclemick! Our Texas property is in extreme north Texas, and it does get cold at times. My spouse opined that maybe we should be further south. Maybe. I guess
after spending January and February there we will know better. Of course I lived there before and kind of know what to expect. However, I wasn't completely retired then. Sure loved the area at the time though.

John Galt

[charlie]

John,

On most days in North mcgdo you can get by with a
light jacket in the dead of winter ..... and sometimes
that's too much by mid afternoon. It is rare when
we have more than 1 or 2 snows lasting a couple of
days. That being said, every few years we have a
"blue norther" that even gets the attention of our
northern transplants. I hope it is not that way when
you come down in January.

Cheers,

Charlie

There is something about my computer that makes
T-E-X-A-S come out "mcgdo" sometimes. Go figure.

Charlie