Back in the 1970s, there was a British sitcom called Good Neighbours, starring Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal as Tom and Barbara Good, names which mean exactly nothing to American audiences. Anyway – the premise of the series was that one day the Goods have had enough with their fast-paced, rat race, pollution-creating, junk food-eating, and costly life and decide to go the hippy-dippy sustainable route. They decide to dig up their lawn and put in a garden, raise animals, and use natural, home-made products, all to the horror of their social climbing neighbors, the Leadbetters. It’s light and silly a la a Three’s Company episode. The goals of the Goods probably sound a bit like some of the lefty-ish people in your life today, as sustainability and eco-friendly living has become quite a bit more trendy than it was in the ’70s. The original sitcom is certainly worth checking out, but so is a modern spin-off of the show, a short reality series from the UK called Giles and Sue Live The Good Life, which informs about environmentally friendly, urban homesteading life – and pokes a bit of fun at it too. Read More
comic relief
Comic Relief – This Old House’s Craziest Holiday Homeowner Disaster Stories
As happy as the holidays can be, they can be stressful too. Figuring out what to buy family members, battling the mall crowds, hosting in-laws, making grand meals … phew! I’m just wiped out listing those things! With all the extra activity going on in your home during the holidays, it’s little wonder that accidents happen. That doesn’t add to the stress at all, now does it? At least we can laugh at ourselves, and the good people at This Old House have compiled some of those holiday horror stories for us to chuckle at and hopefully learn from. Read More