November 2012 – Darlene McKenzie

November 26, 2012

Our Dog Is So Retarded

We have a Shitzu female that is over 5 years old now and is about the stupidist dog that we have had the pleasure of owning. We have tried every single trick in the book in an effort for her to stop doing her business inside of the house. She has ruined all of the carpet that was wall-to-wall when we moved in. We have always have cats and dogs for as long as I can remember, at the moment we have 5 cats so having a kitty litter box is nothing new around this house.

The past couple of weeks I have noticed that the dog has not left behind any puddles in the middle of the night for someone to step into, as she has always done, night after night after night. I think that I had heard an unusual amount of noise coming from the corner in the kitchen which is where the litter box is and so during my investigation I found the dog there and the litter was clearly newly wettened and there was some kitty poop in there also. My first reaction was to scold her, thinking that she was playing in there and even the possibility of her eating the poop as dogs have been known to do. I did manage to stop myself in time as I thought that there was a possibility that she use doing her business in there.

Well last night I heard more noise in the corner again and I did find the dog right smack in the middle of the litter box taking a leak, so I praised the little devil and gave her a treat. Now it looks like I need to buy another box and find a place for it so that there will be enough to go around for all of the users.

November 21, 2012

Nationwide Better Be On My Side

After experiencing a fender bender in the bank parking lot, we now get to deal with insurance adjusters and body shops right before the holiday season. Since this happened in a parking lot the police couldn’t do anything but write a report for us both to submit to each person’s insurance company. She backed into me, there is no way of getting around this one. I took pictures with my cell phone and made sure she did the same thing.

After waiting around all day for the insurance rep to arrive, we finally got a call telling us that the adjuster was running behind schedule and won’t be able to get to us until tomorrow. Of course that ran Hubby into a tissy, he still isn’t feeling well and is mighty grumpy.

Hubby has been sick in the bed for a few days now and his back is hurting, wish we could afford a new bed that would be gentle on his back, the older he gets the worse it seems to bother him.

We will see what tomorrow brings us.

November 16, 2012

Garage Repairs

When our neighbors tree fell in our yard last month it took out a chunk of our garage, too. It fell on a corner of the garage and tore the siding off the top parts of two of the garage walls. The insurance company adjuster said he would give us enough money in the claim check to fix all four sides, if we were smart about negotiating with the home improvement contractor.

The garage was here when we bought the house, so we didn’t have any say in how it was first built, but now that it has to be repaired, we are looking into the different types of vinyl and siding. I was reading about the benefits of vinyl siding over plasterboard and wood, which is more technical than I ever knew. To sum it up, vinyl is best because it lasts a long time and needs almost no maintenance. It doesn’t need to be scraped and painted or stained, like wood. And vinyl doesn’t split, peel or rot. So vinyl is the way to go.

I want to use a company like American Home Craft Inc to do the repair work. This company is fully licensed, bonded and insured, which is important if anything was to go wrong during the job. But American Home Craft Inc has an excellent reputation and uses only only highly trained and certified workers, so we can rest easy that the job will be done by professional who will take the greatest care with our property. I also like the fact that they use only the best materials, and every product has a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty. They care about the environment like I do, and use materials that are environmentally friendly and the most energy efficient products available.

I’m looking forward to having my garage fixed so we can start using it once again.

November 10, 2012

My Memories Of A Mantel Clock

I’ve always wanted one of the mantel clocks much like the one in my grandparents house that sat on the side board in their dining room. They brought it over from England when they came over in the 1920’s and it was one of their most cherished possessions. After they both passed away it broke my heart that I wasn’t given the mantel clock that I so loved and remembered, but at least a cousin got it and it will stay in the family, for better or worse. Every now and then I look around online and see if I can find one similar to my grandparents one that I could purchase and keep on my side board as well. I always check in on one of the more popular blogs that I read concerning clocks that I have book marked on my laptop.

There is a lot going on in the world of clocks that I find fascinating and try to keep up on as much as possible. It’s amazing what sites have good quality blogs to read that are actually fun and interesting to read, you gotta love that. I know a lot of us don’t even use watches and/or clocks these days. Our cell phones, black berries and computers have become a much more convenient way for us to watch the time, but I’m still stuck back in time as far as that is concerned.

November 5, 2012

Safe and Secure Mailboxes For Everyone

The apartment complex that is located behind our street is such a mess. The landlord is what we call a typical “slum lord” and doesn’t give a hoot about his tenants, their safety or the neighborhood in general. I feel sorry for the majority of low income people that have to live there. The place is littered with trash, old cars, drug dealers and loud music played all hours of the day and night time. Their Mailboxes are in such sad shape and most of the stair banisters and light bulbs are missing. Such a waste of valuable space.

A good quality source of Commercial Mailboxes is needed for that place. As you walk by you can see all the junk mail, newspapers and the such strewn about the stairs and entrance ways. I’m sure that identity theft must be an issue with a lot of those folks who’s mail boxes are not functioning and locking properly. I hate to see people taken advantage like that, there isn’t any excuse for conditions to be this bad for so many people. My mailbox needs to be safe and secure. I’ve got one of the nicer of the Residential Mailboxes that I’ve seen in the neighborhood. It has my street numbers on it, but not my last name, which I was told was a smart move. It should last in the outside elements for years to come.