The house remodeling/Carlos Pueblo

 The house remodeling/Carlos Pueblo

The house remodeling is a basic maintenance to keep a certain quality of the house. It is a necessity yet not a choice. I really don't need to gather all my expanse for the future calculation of the cost to save some gain because I don't really like it. I am forced to do the house remodeling. Recently we did a replacement of the exterior frame siding and repaint the entire exterior. This is what happened.

First, we must find a reliable contractor to begin with the procedure. We have this handy person who has done some works for the plumbing inside the house. We are told that he can also do the painting. He took a look of the exterior of the house and recommended certain steps which I could follow. I purchased some hardy planks to replace the original pressed paper sidings. I also purchased two 5 gallons paints and two pieces of cedar pine boards which were to replaced a back yard window frames. He has two junior contractors to help for the job. Second, they removed those old paper frame sidings and put hardy planks boards on the wall. We replaced most of the siding except upper 4 layers of the paper board around the car garage because he thought that they were still alright.

After sealing all spaces adjoined. The painter sprayed the new paint of course some parts must use the brush. After the first round paint over night, he put the second layer with a roller. By the way, he also fixed the damaged gutters with long nails before paintings. I asked him to spray my salvaged plastic Buddha statue with the left paint. He did a good job. I place the new painted statue by the newly build fence with the neighbor on the south.

Now I go   outside all the time to view the hardy plank walls and the buddha statue. I feeel that I live in the paradise.

欣賞老屋修葺／莊峻華

 欣賞老屋修葺／莊峻華

最近老屋修葺，暫告一段落，我們換新烹煮熱盤，兩浴室水龍頭，抽水馬桶零件，廚房自動排水機，這是一40年老屋，許多零件開始崩潰，老師傅能幹，我們又請他換外牆有脫落之木板，順便油漆整屋外面木板處，包括車庫，他還幫我濆新漆在佛陀塑像，每天我都出外庭院，欣然老屋修葺翻新，非常悅目。

老師傅幫我設計購買，然後他安排年輕師傅兩三位來幫忙，先需拆卸舊腐敗木板，這是紙板，風吹雨打，底層已呈鬆弛敗壞，前任屋主已修葺一輪底層，我們再換車庫三層板，主屋二樓全換新，只留幾片前屋主換過之水泥板，這次我們採用水泥板，其實25年前租屋換新板，已經採用水泥板，外面濆新漆，年輕師傅再輪漆一次，非常結實，我同意老師傅建議，使用最佳亮光漆，耐於水洗，他估計可耐20年以上，風吹雨打，若我們憶得，可以10年後再濆漆一次，隨時保持屋況嶄新。

車庫外圍尚有四層紙板，他估計尚算堅實，暫時保存，其餘腐朽木板塊，和窗戶外圍，全換水泥板條，僅後院大窗兩木板換新，這兩木板成本較高，現在環保顧慮，美國人不喜歡砍樹，而且砍樹很貴，一兩棵樹砍價甚高，而且需要加上運費拖走，美國就是很難想像。

愛美開始又要填土，買牛糞，我出身赤貧，很不習慣花美金買牛糞雞糞施肥，想賞花出外旅行，想吃蔬菜水果，超市購買即可，家庭園藝，蒔花節草，免費者即可，最好耐乾燥，能等到墨西哥灣，吹來濕氣，帶來自然雨量。

Up load and down load/Carlos Pueblo

 Up load and down load/Carlos Pueblo

It is very essential to lean the up load and down load documents on the computer nowadays. I close one long time bank account and must change the ACH, automatic clearing house, for two insurers, a property and a flood business that still pay the renewal commissions. The insurers can no longer accept an attached void check for their reference and I must down load a void check picture and e-mail it to myself, then send it to the insurance company. Previously, I always ask my son Arthur to do the chore for me and now I am forced to learn how to do it myself.

First, I must take a picture with my i-phone which is not that difficult and convenient in compare with a traditional camera. After the picture is done, the i-phone will ask if I want to send it to some one. I send it to my own e-mail address and I'll tell you why in just one moment.

Once I open my e-mail, there is an arrow which I must hit it in order to down load it to my computer file. So far so good, isn't it? I type the insurer's e-mail address with a request of an attachment. I ask the computer to bring up my file in the desk top computer. It will show what I have just down load of a picture which I like to show it to the insurer for the reference, a new check void with the route number and account number of my designated new check account which I like the company to send money to me from now on. I goes through with my new e-mail address. I have had an old e-mail address with the Southwestern Bell and now is not functioning well. It is confusing with AT&T and the Yahoo and I don't know why. I am switching to the Google's Gmail.

I feel good not only that I shall continue to receive those two residual but also learn how to deal with the high tech. It may not be so high tech nowadays yet still something. I don't have a land line at home and no use of fax machine for quite some time. This up load , down load, i-phone picture, and e-mail have replaced most of my office work beck to the old time.

幾項文書手續／莊峻華

 幾項文書手續／莊峻華

一家老銀行，因為人收購，新銀行更改支票帳號收費，我忍痛關閉兩帳戶，其中一帳戶有兩保險公司，電郵傭金自動轉帳戶，我需要更換到其他銀行帳戶，以便繼續自動收到續約傭金，雖然數目不多，但也不願放棄。更換銀行帳戶手續，需要填表和寄張作廢支票，過去我都不遇困難，現在不做文書多年，書房文具已跟不上進度。

保險公司服務處，寄來表格，我需要印下表格，填好資料簽字，然後電郵回去，沒有過去的郵寄，如此，我真需要學會智慧型手機照相，照下表格和作廢支票正面，元兒先將兩相片寄到我的電郵住址，然後下傳到我的桌上型電腦，然後經由我的電郵寄給公司，承辦者不接傳統郵件，這是我能了解者也。

我的電郵住址，是過去西南電話老帳號，西南貝爾統一美國電話後，尚且接受西南電話電郵，但我的電郵件開始和美國電話，糾纏不清，後來美國電話又和雅虎有關係，我的電郵住址和郵件，開始不順，有時候甚至發不出信件，因此，我開始使用谷歌郵址，我也不知需否注意舊西南電話郵址，一時無法完全更換。

活到老很多變化，無法跟上，例如我跟不上電視節目，我只興趣網誌節目，我也不會臉書，平常也是離群索居，沒有甚麼朋友，只是我習慣這種獨居生活。

Recycle Sakyamuni plastic statue/Carlos Pueblo

 Recycle Sakyamuni plastic statue/Carlos Pueblo

Current Buddha Sakyamuni is a great teacher of the mankind. He was born in 583, B.C. and lived up to age 83. I adore him and read many of his teaching. One day my new neighbor through away a plastic Buddha statue and I picked it up and placed on my back yard by a newly built fence on the south. The gray color statue was shown fading in color and I decided that one day I would paint it. Yesterday, I asked my house painter to use some left over paint to spray on top of the gray color. He did a good job. It is an earth color closed but not like the golden color. I am very happy and go to the back yard quite often to enjoy the recycle Sakyamuni statue.

This plastic statue is the American design similar to my old neighbor Estella's in her front garden. It looks like the famous Japanese Kamakura one, the way he sits on a lotus platform. I am going to plaint a flower pot in the front. Now the statue and the platform is sitting inside an empty stump of a sugar gum tree. It used to be a shelter of small animals around our yards.

Sakyamuni statue shows us the serenity and the nirvana and I call it the meaningful way of life. The statue can be a recycle plastic one and repaint it. Some rich Buddhists like to built gold plate statue such as those in Bangkok, Thailand. I have seen photos of small golden solid buddha, a symbol of the wealth. I have my recycle plastic statue to enrich my life.

This year I have moved two wood Kuangin statues to the dining room from my garage. Kuangin is a bodhisattva of an ancient buddha. There is a slightly different between the bodhisattva and the buddha. The bodhisattva is a kind person with a big heart while this person gets this insight or nirvana. The bodhisattva becomes the buddha; therefore, every one obtains the buddha's character and every one can be a buddha that is what the Buddha says.

尼佛塑像／莊峻華

 尼佛塑像／莊峻華

後院南端籬前，有一尼佛塑像，新搬來鄰居遺棄街道旁，為塑膠棄物回收，我拾回後院，置於老樹頭空隙，年前老香楓倒下，箸人移走巨樹幹，此塑膠佛像若日本鐮倉巨佛，原是灰退顏色，尼佛盤座蓮盆，十分安祥，日前，家裡整修換外牆油漆，我請老師傅金裝佛像，塗上一層尼土色漆，返回端坐，每天我都外出徘徊多次禮佛。

我從小信佛，佛為我主要信仰，尼佛安祥帶來我內心寂靜，出外旅行，我最喜歡參觀大佛像，像台灣的彰化八卦山，日本之鐮倉，還有曼谷幾座室內金佛，這是兩年前的往事。茶花女街舊鄰居，愛斯帖菈有一尼佛，端坐在其花園中，該像酷似我後院塑像，顯然是美國藝術家同一設計，尼佛首傾端坐，顏面稍小而圓，和鐮倉巨佛稍異，鐮倉佛面稍長面型，一年她搬出社區，佛像也跟隨搬離，我開始外出旅行，總希望帶回一尊佛像。

我收集觀音雕像，家裡有兩具木雕觀音，置放於室內，雕像漆暗赤，有些已經脫落，過去置於車庫書房，最近我將兩具移入餐廳玫瑰木酒架上，酒架上置放者，均為茶具酒杯等，許多空隙。

原車庫書桌上，置放文房四寶，這是我在日本奈良街上添購，只是我靜不下心，無緣勤練中國書法，轉眼間老已到來。

Arthur's eye issue/Carlos Pueblo

 Arthur's eye issue/Carlos Pueblo

My son Arthur's eye issue seems never go away. Several days ago, he told me that he needed to see his eye surgeon again for a check up due to something growing in his eye. He was afraid of a repeat of the retina detachment. I am his chauffeur and I need to change my tennis schedule and that's it. We went to see my eye surgeon instead of the one who operated on him because out of office. My eye surgeon is also a retina specialist who refers Arthur to another specialist for last procedure. Arthur is very alert now for his eyes and he doesn't want to go blind.

Mt eye surgeon did check on Arthur's problem eye carefully and indicated that nothing serious, yet agreed to clean Arthur's issue eye with a laser. I misunderstood the cleaning was to rinse the eye with eye drops. No, it is a laser to get rid of those extra and not needed in the eye. He did it inside one of his room with a portable laser machine. It was quick and convenient. I was very impressed. I asked Arthur what he felt afterward. He said that it was gone.

While I was waiting outside of the out patient surgery room, I ran into a Chinese female patient of the surgeon. I thought that she was accompanied with another patient. Actually that she is the patient. She grows a shadow in her eye and is required to wear a par of glasses with a low description. Recently she find that eye vision is getting worse. I explain how wonderful my eye surgeon is and explain how urgent to find the vision issue early and get it corrected. I mentioned that my elder brother lost his right eye vision at the old age and I suspected that he didn't find it early like Arthur.

This eye surgeon is very busy all the time. He is very busy to help patients to get a better visions. He has the advanced skill, we call it the specialist. He can help patients avoiding the blindness. We are waiting outside to be called on our turn to gt in. They are so many patients outside his office to wait to get the help.

Outside of his office in the city of Houston or another corner of this world, people are killing healthy people to the opposite and extreme. I feel fortunate and lucky.