Author: shellzonit

Former investigator and mother of three wonderful girls. My blog is about learning how to navigate through life without placing yourself and the people you love at risk. I focus on parenting, community, and issues that define us as a nation.

With The Democrats In Charge, It Is Time To Visit The World of Green!

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When we were stationed in Europe back in 2006, I noticed something. I noticed that most of my neighbors had beautiful gardens. I would often get a cup of coffee and stand with the window open, taking in the blissful aromas of strawberries from the farm across the street. It reminded me of home. My father farmed potatoes, greens, peas, watermelons, cabbage, and corn.

After we returned home, I noticed a lot of the beautiful trees that I used to walk through, were no longer standing. For whatever reason, someone had chopped them down, and replaced a lot of the open space with cows. Now that the Democrats are in charge, I think we will gravitate more towards a European way of living when it comes to efficiency. However, with that change comes a few obstacles due to the price that comes from upgrading.

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Upgrading will not be an easy transformation for many Americans. No matter how you cut it, energy efficiency requires money. We often hear people talk about solar panels as a means of controlling electric bills. While they look cool, and the idea rocks, solar panels are expensive. Solar panels will run you anywhere from 7500 to 9000 just for the solar panels, and maybe a generator. We are not even talking about the installation process or replacing a roof because it is not in compliance with the installation.

The entire installation can run as much as 24000 in some cases. Panels might not be an option for some residents if they live in areas with rules preventing the solar panels because of HOA’s. In some of your historical districts, solar panels are not allowed at all because they want to keep the areas authentic. Other things could hinder the installation of panels could be trees. Solar panels have to access direct contact with the sun. Cost isn’t the only issue with solar panels. Solar panels have been known to hurt habitats due to the destruction of trees and cause harm to farmland.

So, if panels seem a little too iffy, it might help to look at solar windows and screens. I have 23 windows in my house, and if I were to go solar, the cheapest replacement would cost me 2392.00 for all windows. Blinds are another story! For some reason, blinds are expensive. For all 23 windows in my house, it would cost us 2691.00 which, means we would have to pay at least 5k for upgrading our windows and blinds. I went with the cheapest windows and blinds, by the way.

If you are looking to learn about pricing. Try stores like Home Depot, shopsolarkits.com, Lowes and other stores that focus on home repair. It is a good idea to start looking now because the future is fast approaching.

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The Unending Quest For Freedom

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There have been recent arguments over freedom and what amounts to being restrictive when we think about our rights. When people talk about freedom, the first thing that comes to mind is uncontrollable restriction. Some view this in different ways. Some people feel that restrictions come in boxes with the government wrapped around them. Others might view it as a box wrapped in relationships.

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We have been dealing with the fear of giving up freedom for many years now. It has created a group of people that no longer want to get married or be in monogamous relationships. Ask any single person why they want to be single, and the chances will be because they like having their freedom.

As Americans, we have come to worship the word more so today than any other day in history. We have used the word so often today that I fear some of us no longer understand the meaning. It’s sad when you see people who have so much, continue to want more more more. The lack of empathy has helped to spread COVID-19 to millions of people.

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I look at the young adults of today, and it scares me. Take social media, for example, people have stopped going out to meet people the old fashion way. They use the apps to search for dates like they would use a catalog to search for clothing. It gives them freedom to date as many people as they want, but it also helps to spread STD’s.

Whenever we focus solely on our liberties, something negative happens in return. We were too focused on not wearing a mask with COVID 419,000 people died. We were too focused on having a good time, people stopped getting married, we were too focused on our political views, our Capitol was stormed.

We were not held captive inside our homes; we still had access to the outside world. We did not have an iron mask nailed to our faces or marriages forced on us, yet we heard cries for freedom. Unless you are a victim of the human slave trade, captive in an abusive relationship, or live in some countries that truly do take away your freedoms, is it okay to cry about freedom?

Perhaps, freedom looks different to me because my ancestors were in chains and sold at markets. They were forced to work sun up to sun down with all kinds of physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Perhaps, it looks different because of my time spent with women to help rebuild their lives after they were held captive for months by abusive boyfriends. What is freedom?

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Would You Be Open TO An Arranged Marriage?

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In America, we do not often hear or have to think about arranged marriages. We pretty much, for the most part, marry for love. As marriages have now been on the decline for a few decades, one has to wonder about the future of marriage. Are we looking at a future that shuns the union of marriage? https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/republicans/2020/4/marriage-rate-blog-test

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What happens to those people who still want to get married when a majority of people now lean towards the “not for me” lane? Do they write off their dreams of being a wife or a husband, or do they sign up for shows like the ones we see on Netflix and TLC?

Shows like Married at First Sight and Love is Blind are similar to arranged marriages. Instead of family members picking the potential bride and groom, a TV show does the picking. When I say arranged marriages, I am not talking about forced marriages. A forced marriage is when one or both parties have no say in getting married.

A forced marriage would be sort of like my marriage! I was standing in front of the judge, with retreat written all over my face. I looked at my husband, and then I looked back at my cousin. She was the one who paid for my wedding dress, so she was invested! She mouthed the famous words “I WIll KICK YOUR ASS,” so I politely turned back around and spit out the two little words, which started the rest of my life.

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In the seconds before she threatened me with bodily harm, I was about to go the bathroom and never come back! I look back at that day and laugh! Little did I know, I would still be with my husband 23 years later. While I would not recommend getting forced into marriage, I would recommend signing up for some of the shows like Love is Blind or Married at First Sight.

Maybe arranged marriages can help to revamp the union before it fades into the background.

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Quarantine Is Costly For Many

We are still in quarantine, and I must admit something to you. Being in quarantine isn’t cheap. Perhaps it would be easier for people who have family around them, but for us, we are it. Our nearest family lives two hours away.

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By now, I do not think we have anything. We are all doing fine without any signs. My daughter had contact with the student who tested positive for COVID was on Friday. Today is Thursday, so maybe we will all be in the clear. She will be able to go back to school in 6 days if all is well.

We have still been taking our medication, and I have zinc arriving today just in case something happens. The nurse informed us that she thinks we will be fine, but we still have to wait out the quarantine days. She also told us to take multivitamins and zinc. I am so glad I stockpiled meds last week. When I buy chicken, I buy large bags of chicken that can be broken up and used for soup.

This is a mind-opening situation. It shows that if you do not buy groceries the right way or have medication on hand, you could be in trouble. We always hear about having three months’ worth of rent saved up, but right now, people have to have money for food and medicine in case a quarantine happens.

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You have to have either enough food to last you the quarantine or money to get takeout. You also have to enough money for medication or have medication on hand. If you do not have those things, you could be in trouble. This is why these stimulus payments would be a big help right now. There are too many people who do not have enough food to last through three days, so ten would be a no-go.

I am not one to tell you how to live your life. Yet, if I were you, I would stock up on food and meds if you get another round of stimulus. Being in quarantine isn’t cheap. For many of the people who have gotten really sick or died from the virus, I wonder if they were able to afford simple things like soup, or vitamins. Many people never thought they would have to add a pandemic survival stash as a doomsday prep fund.

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