Britney Spears Goes Off On Spammers, Sam Pittman Lights Up His Hog & A Jacked Up FIFA Referee
On Reid's torn up turf because his neighbor wants a pool dilemma
• Reid is back with an update on this situation:
Thanks for post and thanks to the guys for the suggestions, I felt bad at first asking for money until I read the TNML opinions. Here is the outcome of which I am pretty happy with.
First off, to Mig……. No, Lord I hope they don’t read this. lol
Neighbors agreed to these expenses paid upfront before a tire sets rubber on the Ryegrass, Since they agreed to pay upfront I didn’t feel the need to get a lawyer involved.
$1000 - upfront inconvenience fee
$694 18 Yards of topsoil delivered from Haffner & sons
$106 9 bails of straw delivered from Haffner & sons
$234 - (2) 25lb bags of SS9000 grass seed from seedsuperstore.com
$80 - 40lb Bag of Anderson's Starter Fertilizer with Mesotrione seedsuperstore.com
$68 - Aerator rental from Cincy Tool Rental
$2025 - 45 hours of labor @ $45 an hour (includes time spent watering twice a day for 2 weeks)
$4,207
I would also like my 2022 September water bill reimbursed
I request the use of ¾ inch plywood when equipment is being driven across my yard
No gravel or other material will be left in my yard when project is complete.
When I drafted this I thought to myself wow that’s a lot. Then I looked up what it would cost to SOD my yard with a yard company and now I’m thinking I am most likely saving them money. SOD supplied & installed on average is $1.50 a square foot and with my yard being approximately 3,500 sq ft that would of cost them around $5k so I don’t feel so bad now.
Now I have some work to look forward to this fall and can focus on other parts of my property that don’t get quite the TLC that this front yard does in the spring.
Anyway, Thanks for the support Joe, My fellow Hoosier Sean C. (I grew up in Indiana, Go Hoosiers!) and Mig! This really did make me feel better and more confident about my proposal.
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OK, now it's game on for Reid's summer. We have the money paid and Reid is locked into his beautiful turf being torn up as a pool company comes in with its machinery.
The more I think about this dilemma from Reid, the more I think Reid is cherishing this challenge. He's clearly a guy's guy who wants a battle. It's like guys finding projects around the house for the sake of having a project. I picture Reid's mind wandering at work where he's thinking of how he will battle through and prove that he can rehabilitate his yard to its glory after the pool company comes in with its excavators.
And he's clearly happy with the money paid by the neighbor.
Now we need bi-weekly updates on this project so we can all follow along this summer. As a content guy, I'm locked in on this one.
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• Marty M. sent me an email Thursday morning to give Reid a look at what's in his future with that beautiful turf:
Hello Mr. Kinsey. So, I'm currently pouring concrete into a skid steer for a pool being built, and just got done reading today's screencaps between bucket fills. I've attached a couple of pictures for you to share with Reid. I'm in agreement with you that it totally depends on how good of a neighbor he is, but it's never a guarantee how long the project will last and what issues could arise. Just something to think about.
Marty wrote back later in the day:
Just a quick follow-up on my email from earlier. I've thought about it some more and what Reid really needs to find out is what kind of equipment they will be bringing in. Is it just the equipment to dig the pool or will it be dump trucks and concrete trucks? To me that makes a big difference. I have been to a situation like this before, and the neighbor made them put several layers of rock down first before driving trucks on his property to not make big ruts. Then they hauled the rock back out and replaced the grass.
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Let's all hope the 3/4" plywood path works for Reid. Clearly, there's going to be destruction. Now it's a matter of how well the pool guys drive on that plywood.
• Mark in Frisco writes:
Good morning sir. Meant to respond to the pool conundrum yesterday, but was busy selling my wife’s jewelry to pay for gas.
Regarding Reid’s note, I think the key thing to consider is, how long does he plan to be neighbors with these folks? Having good neighbors(and it sounds like these folks are trying to be good neighbors) make all of the difference. We’ve stayed in our house for 27 years mainly because we have the best neighbors. We’ve never had to worry about the house during vacations, or having somebody to keep an eye on the kids while going out for dinners, etc. Giving a little goes a long way towards good relationships. Grass grows back. Bad blood with a neighbor can negatively impact those evenings in the garage, crushing beers.
Now my only problem with your column. You bring up too many good topics, so unless I can write in every day (and I can’t), I feel like I’m missing out. Yeah yeah, that’s my own problem, but thought I’d mention it.
What if you organized some of your main topics for a specific day? Obviously, life doesn’t come at us in an organized fashion, but the important topics (TNML results/topics on Friday, for instance) would help. That way, someone as ADHD as me could think, “I know Monday is car talk day, so I’ll send my contributions on that over the weekend.”
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I get it, Mark. There tend to be 10 different topics rolling at once. However, my brain would explode if I tried to schedule car talk Mondays or BBQ Wednesdays.
Don't worry about trying to write emails on multiple subjects. Wait for the column to roll right into your wheelhouse and then pounce. There are readers who have been lurking for the last two years who will pop out from the shadows to give their expertise on a subject.
One subject that sticks out was the 'Don't blink' theme. I lost count of how many elders I heard from that shared stories about raising their children. It was seriously inspiring. Then they went back into the shadows.
My favorite emails are when readers just share what's on their minds about life and what they've learned.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
On the state of the trade show life and the economy
• Guy G. from western New York who has a massive yard, a bunch of grills & huge stacks of firewood, writes:
Back from my Vegas trip, and I couldn’t be happier to be home. Not only am I back with the family, but I hate Vegas so much. My wife can choose any vacation she wants, except to Vegas. I’m out there 5-6 times a year, each for about a week, and I can’t stand being there. Being the country guy that I am, living in the middle of nowhere, Vegas for more than a month a year is way too much!
I wasn’t out there for the food show this week. I was looking for it, but it wasn’t around me. Mandalay Bay Convention Center is pretty big though. I worked with real men this week, with lots of money to blow. Scrap is through the roof right now, with short steel getting somewhere around $500/ton (to a smelter)
While this economy sucks, every industry that I deal with has money to blow. I was selling $28k equipment this week, rather than the $8-15k I sell into other industries, and these guys didn’t blink. I’ll be in Nashville next week for another trade show, and am taking more equipment than normal, to not have to take PO’s the following week.
Make all the money while you can, because this wont last forever!
On the state of TV comedies
• Tony DeB in Cincy writes:
Give American Auto another chance. In my opinion, the show actually does a decent job of mocking the corporate social justice warrior bullshit that permeates too much of our world today. Check out the episode "Commercial" - a hilarious example of politically correct nonsense, agonizing over whether the lesbian couple in their ad appears "lesbian enough" to appease the mob. The show is silly and unrealistic, but for a basic cable comedy, it's been a winner for me.
A few others that come to mind recently - The Goldbergs, American Housewife, Speechless, Home Economics - have also been enjoyable, but I may be biased as they all coincidentally feature a family with three kids (and a minivan), just like my relatable young family. Mr. Mayor (Ted Danson's still got it) is excellent as well (think the rapid fire banter of Tina Fey and 30 Rock).
Finally, I could do without the promotion of a double murderer in these pages like I saw the other week. I'll consider it a one-time honest mistake - other than that, keep up the good work.
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I think that last paragraph is on Ray Lewis' new TV show. Never forget it's always a goof on Ray Ray if I post anything on Ray Ray.
And never forget that I came face to face with Ray before he went into the Hall of Fame when I asked him if he would steal T.O.'s speech time since T.O. was boycotting the HOF. Ray denied he'd use up T.O.'s time and then proceeded to go 33 minutes in one of the longest rambling speeches in HOF history.
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The TV comedies subject caused commotion amongst the emailer community with many guys wondering if I've been in a coma for the last decade after shows like The Office ended.
• Andrew D. writes:
I work for a local affiliate of one of the big networks. The ratings disasters for Comedies are very evident because they peddle woke drivel that any human with a brain and common sense does not want to see.
They pander to the vocal minority and are just not funny. I am sure you can agree, nobody wants to get lectured to and that is what these comedies have turned into. Basically, since Seinfeld left the air there have been maybe 2-3 watchable network comedies.
Early Modern Family was solid and Last Man Standing were pretty good.
It is pretty much all trash....
• Roger C. writes:
I haven’t watched a show on network television since Two and a Half Men before Walden. Everything went Woke and I quit watching. We watch Yellowstone, INSP rerun shows and movies like Gunsmoke, and rerun sitcoms that were actually funny – Frasier, Two and A Half Men (pre-Ashton Kutcher), and Everybody Loves Raymond. Haven’t watched anything on ESPN except for select live sporting events in at least 15 years.
I recently had an elderly neighbor come thank me at church for how good my yard looks. She lives on a hill overlooking my front yard and says she and her husband enjoy looking at my yard while eating every day. My next-door neighbor uses my yard as a landmark when giving directions to her house. Not saying this to brag because many TNML members have better yards than mine but just to point out you could say we provide a public service too!
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(Bold is for my emphasis.) This is pretty much one of my life goals. Holy crap, what a statement from that woman. Screw watching the network shows, Roger. Keep humpin' it in the yard for your elderly neighbors to enjoy. The world would be a better place if people heard stories like this on a weekly basis.
This is what Roger uses to keep that yard looking so good.
Roger with his granddaughter Parker during the summer of 2021
On the cost of living
• Mark W. is in the financial wealth industry so he has some serious insight into what we're seeing right now in the economy. Mark writes:
The following chart shows the correlation between inflation and wages. As the cost of living rises, those on fixed incomes suffer the most as there more of their income is consumed for essentials such as food, healthcare, and energy. Also know that inflation calculations exclude food and energy increases since they are considered too “volatile”, yet these are items that comprise significant outlays from the budget of most individuals.
The downward spiral that results is that there is less disposable income to be spent on movies, restaurants, entertainment, etc., which cause the economy to slow. A slowing economy coupled with rising prices (and they are going up significantly this year for reason such as drought in farming areas and supply chain disruptions) results in the dreaded condition known as “stagflation”. Think of the Jimmy Carter presidency when we has inflation closing in on 20% and economy that was contracting. Looks like we are heading in that direction again, so ScreenCaps nation should prepare.
I am not a Cassandra or a prophet of doom and gloom, just a realist.
Which makes SC ever so more enjoyable to fraternize with genuinely good people across the country. Keep up the great work.
On coaching
• Brad H. from Rocky Top writes:
Joe, Happy opening day TNML. I’m trying to hold of two more weeks til April.
I enjoy your content, reading screencaps is a highlight of my day.
I am coaching two of my sons in their 7-8 year old coaches pitch baseball, can you share the email address of the gentleman who offered youth baseball practice plans from two weeks or so back? I’ve spent time today scrolling to find his name as a reference to no avail.
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Brad's looking for Brandon C. in Michigan and I connected the two.
I'm very proud of the calm influences this column has brought out from the coaching community who are willing to walk parents through what they're about to experience as coaches. I'm telling you right now, we have at least 3-4 coaches who are a huge asset to this community and are willing to answer questions. Brandon C. is one of the top guys.
And with that, let's get it rolling across this incredible country filled with people who get up on a daily basis to make life a little better. Enjoy that half-day you scheduled. Enjoy those duck pin bowling games (I'm going tonight...need to get my first strike). Enjoy another night of March Madness.
Have a great day.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com