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Before You Jump Into That Pool This Summer, Make Sure It’s Ready
The weather is starting to heat up, so it’s only natural that you might be eyeing the pool in your backyard with a growing urge to jump right in. However, if it’s been a while since you made use of it, you want to make sure that it’s in good swimming condition. Here, we’re going to look at how you can pave the way for a summer full of swimming bliss. Photo – CC0 License Make Sure It’s Safe Before anyone jumps in, you should make sure that all safety features are working as expected. This means inspecting the gates, locks, and any alarms, as well as making sure that pool covers fit as they’re supposed to. You want to get your kids to spend more time outdoors, and opening up the pool can be a perfect way to do it, but remind them of the rules before they get out there, including no running, no glass around the pool, and diving (unless there’s a deep, diving-suitable area). Check The Water Quality The pumps and filters of the pool should be doing a decent job of maintaining the water, ensuring that it’s clean, clear, and properly balanced. However, over time,…
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Writers of the Future Volume 41; The Best New SF & Fantasy Short Stories of the Year
The Ultimate Commute Escape: Getting Lost in the Future (While Avoiding the Present) Hello, fellow readers and audiobook lovers! Let’s have a quick moment of honesty. I absolutely cannot be in the car without a story playing. It is a non-negotiable rule of my life. Why? Because the car is my temple of solitude. It is the only place on Earth where the dog isn’t aggressively demanding attention or a treat, and “The Husband” isn’t wandering from room to room asking, “Hey, where is the remote?” “( Spoiler alert: It’s exactly where it was yesterday, babe. )”What’s for dinner?” (Ummmm it’s 9am. I have NO IDEA!) So, when I click that seatbelt into place, I am not just driving to the grocery store—I am escaping. My Five-Star Genre Mashup Now, my reading tastes are a bit of a chaotic cocktail. My top five genres are romance, mystery, thriller, sci-fi, and suspense—basically, anything that keeps my heart rate slightly elevated. If you looked at my all-time favorite series, you’d find a hilarious contrast: the gritty, futuristic suspense of the In Death series by J.D. Robb (our beloved Nora Roberts) sitting right next to the ultimate sci-fi holy grail: Writers of the…
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The Orchid: Nature’s Most Beautiful Drama Queen (And How to Please Her)
My green thumb is AWAKE!! My plants are happy little guys, growing like crazy, EXCEPT of course The GG Cactus (remember my Mom’s cactus? The one that grows EVERYWHERE but Idaho?) Everyone else including my orchid plants are thriving. I know! I KNOW! Orchids are the high-maintenance divas of the botanical world. They don’t just “grow.” They negotiate. They don’t just “wilt.” They throw elaborate, silent tantrums because you dared to look at them wrong on a Tuesday, or because the draft from the hallway was exactly two degrees too cool. However mine are blooming with amazing regularity. I’m THRILLED! Now, while owning an orchid is less like gardening and more like hosting a volatile, aristocratic houseguest who refuses to leave but demands the finest linens. If you throw a classic, waterlogged plastic pot at a creature this refined, she won’t just die—she will judge you on her way out. Enter the BUYMAX Ceramic Orchid Planter. It is the ultimate peace offering for your green roommate. Modern Craftsmanship Meets Plant Diplomacy I was so excited to clean up my orchid and replant her in an elegant premium ceramic sanctuary. This orchid planter is beauty fit for the drama queen of…
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Adulting 101: Why Life Insurance is Easier (and Cheaper) Than Training My Puppy
When you woke up this morning and think HEY! I need life insurance? I didn’t. Nope, I woke up to Mr. Walter the 4 month old Great Bernese throwing up. Seriously, does anything get a person out of bed faster? Let’s be honest, no one wakes up, stretches and thinks “You know what sounds incredibly thrilling? Shopping for life insurance!” AND if you do, well, ummm yeah, I got nothin’. I’m sorry? My Mom associated getting life insurance as a jinx. The ultimate buzzkill, existential dread, complicated paperwork, and most importantly coming face-to-face with her own mortality. She truly felt that getting life insurance put a date on her death. She thought life insurance was a jinx and she would die as soon as the insurance went into effect. When my Mom did pass away it was upto me to take care of all the expenses. SO NOT COOL MOTHER!! Yes, shopping for insurance might feel like the ultimate “adulting” chore. But here is a secret that I can’t shout loud enough: checking this massive box off your to-do list is actually easier, less stressful, and often cheaper than trying to teach a brand-new puppy not to chew on your…
