Charest Family on the Web Posts

Published March 28, 2022 by

This Old House

This Old House
Our Second House Restoration Project

Estimated reading time: 58 minutes

In 2008 Winnie and I purchased a second house as investment property. We had settled into our new community of Woodbridge, Virginia, and purchased a home to live in the year prior.

Through a friend, Winnie learned of a house for sale “at a good price.” This turned out to be true. The house, a 1954-vintage masonry-construction house was for sale at an amazingly low price – because it was a total fixer-upper.

So we bought it. This is our old house home improvement story.

Continue…This Old House

Ron Charest

home improvement renovation

Published March 13, 2022 by

Two Years of Living With Covid

Coronavirus As Seen Under An Electron Microscope
Coronavirus As Seen Under An Electron Microscope

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Today marks the second anniversary of the great global shutdown from COVID-19. Two years ago today, businesses and Government organizations across America announced sudden shutdowns of public spaces. Over the next several days effectively all of America and most of the world went into stay-at-home mode.

While everyone’s experience has varied, everyone’s life has changed or been changed. The world seems to be slowly going back to a before-times normal. But things feel different to me. I see the tide receding, revealing the clutter of lives past laid bare for examination.

Continue…Two Years of Living With Covid

Opinions & Commentary

Published February 11, 2022 by

The Banning Of Books

So Many Books To Burn. So Little Time!
So Many Books To Burn. So Little Time!

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

I often think that American “progress” in growing a culture of enlightened social values means taking three steps back for every one step forward.

One recent, and growing, trend seems to be the Republicans’ taste for banning books. Yes, the very people decrying “Cancel Culture” have decided they need to Make America Great Again by – canceling people’s ability to read books not approved by people worshipping former Pres*dent trump.

It’s so hard to keep the latest wingnut outrages straight, I thought I’d help by making a list.

Continue…The Banning Of Books

Opinions & Commentary

Books Republicans

Published February 7, 2022 by

Back In The Trenches – A New LTE

Newspaper Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Back quite a few years ago, when we first moved up to Northern Virginia, I was actively writing Letters to the Editor (LTE) of my local newspaper. Between 2007 to 2008, we still had a local dead tree newspaper, an openly hard-rightwing publication judging by their columnists and general editorial slant.

Regrettably, that all ended when the newspaper collapsed. All we have now are some small online publications, still mostly right-wing oriented. This week I decided it was time to get back into writing LTEs again.

Continue…Back In The Trenches – A New LTE

Opinions & Commentary

LTE Prince William County

Published January 27, 2022 by

Let It Go

Grace Slick – 1967

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

I post music clips at random intervals of songs and musicians I particularly enjoy. But to date I’ve been remiss in not posting any music from my all-time favorite singer-songwriter. A musician who has not only created some of the greatest rock music ever, but is otherwise incredibly vibrant. A musician who was ahead of her time in setting standards for “liberated” women.

A singer-songwriter who I also had a teen-aged crush on, and still deeply admire even after all these years.

I’m referring to Grace Slick of Great Society / Jefferson Airplane / Jefferson Starship / Starship.

Continue…Let It Go

Just For Fun

Grace Slick Music Video YouTube Video

Published January 21, 2022 by

A Tribute to Meatloaf

A Meat Loaf but not the singer
Not This Meat Loaf

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

So this brave new year of 2022 has barely started, and already too much of the news is bad news. Today’s sad news is about a famed Rock Singer with the unlikely name of “Meat Loaf,” passing at the age of 74.

He was/is one of my favorite “Classical Rock” performers. A trailblazer in his art who built a place among the great musicians of our era.

Continue…A Tribute to Meatloaf

Just For Fun

Meat Loaf YouTube Video

Published January 6, 2022 by

The Snowpocalypse of 2022, Part I

Snowpocalypse of 2022 tree covered in heavy snow
Snowpocalypse of 2022

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

This past Monday folks here on the north-eastern seaboard of the United States discovered that it really is winter. The realization came from temperatures changing from 60 degrees on Sunday to 30 degrees on Monday. Accompanied by our first snow of the season, a whopping nine inches in my neighborhood.

Nine inches doesn’t seem like all that much snow, compared to what I’ve experienced even since living here in Northern Virginia. But, perhaps because we’ve had almost no snow for the past couple of winters, people forgot that snow happens. This past Monday, going into Tuesday and Wednesday, the great snowpocalypse of 2022 shut down a major interstate highways and dumped power for thousands of people in my area.

And this is only January. We have lots of time for a Snowpocalypse Part II, and more…

Continue…The Snowpocalypse of 2022, Part I

Family Stories

disaster planning Snowpocalypse

Published January 1, 2022 by

Happy New Year 2022

Happy New Year 2022. Photo by Vladislav Murashko from Pexels
Happy New Year 2022

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Yes, today is the first day of the year 2022 as per the Julian calendar, as devised by non other than Julius Caesar himself. So we managed to survive another year of lockdown due to the seemingly never-ending Zombie Apocalypse, along with all the horrors of the post-trump-presidency error era.

So, for my first post of this brave new year I feel we need a little bit of celebratory music.

Continue…Happy New Year 2022

Just For Fun

Music Video New Year 2022 YouTube Video

Published December 29, 2021 by

On Shutting Off The Electric

Reaching for Electricity by holding a lit light bulb.
Reaching for Electricity

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Our moving had a number of challenges, but one challenge we didn’t expect was having our electrical service cut off. But we did, at absolutely the wrong time. Not that there’s ever a good time to lose electrical service.

Continue…On Shutting Off The Electric

Family Stories

Dominion Energy moving

Published December 28, 2021 by

The Tao of Moving

The Tao of Moving - how hard can this be?
The Tao of Moving

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

So Winnie and I have successfully finished moving into our new old house. As it’s been 15 years since I last moved housing, this most recent experience re-taught me old lessons. With luck, I won’t need to re-use my re-learned lessons again.

This all comes under the heading of “The Tao of Moving: How to Move Gracefully.” As opposed to “Dear, where the hell is my other slipper?”

Continue…The Tao of Moving

Family Stories

moving in Moving Out