Study in Yellow - 06/30/12 10:31 AM
I am thinking of painting the walls in my home from a C2 Paint called Thatch to a Benjamin Moore neutral called Cable knit.  Now, cable knit can look very yellow in the right light.  Do I like yellow?  Will it be an improvement?  When I was working in an office, having a home done in a brown thatch colour was fine but now, I want a lighter colour.  I went looking through some of my photos to see if I had done anything in yellow.  I guess my eye is attracted to yellow.  I had the painter in to give … (25 comments)

Pink Flamingos, Gnomes and Other Lawn Ornaments - 5 Guidelines - 06/30/12 03:09 AM
There is a huge market for lawn and yard ornamentation.  One of my neighbours has collected dozens of angels at yard sales and places them everywhere in her yard.  Another person has some concrete bird baths, pagodas and urns.  Chacun a son gout.  Each to his own taste.  There is so much that you can do in the yard - even small condo balconies and patios.  The danger is going overboard.  
Now you are thinking of putting your house on the market and it is summer.  Your yard is an extension of the living space you are selling.  Time to do … (54 comments)

Make Your Home a Hellmann's - Calorie Laden With Your Taste - 06/29/12 03:57 AM

Late last night I saw a television commercial for Hellmann's mayonnaise.  
The tag line had to do with eating a sandwich made with Hellmann's was the difference between eating a sandwich or savouring it.  
That made me think about first time homeowners. A quick trip to a big box store and all the basic for the first house could be covered.  
To me that is the sandwich without the zip, the flavour and the zing.  
Go out and get some 'mayonnaise' something that gives the home your taste - photos, art, flowers, painted walls.  The list … (19 comments)

A Letter for Everyone with a Dog or Cat - Thursday Joke - 06/28/12 04:11 AM

I received a copy of this letter in an email from a friend with two dogs and thought that I could have written it to Hoover and Tulipe, my two Westies.  Now that we only have Hoover, most of the letter still applies.  
Dear Dogs
 The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the … (28 comments)

Take Care of Your Feet and Your Feet Will Take Care of You - 06/27/12 02:33 AM

Meet Liz.  She is a trained and certified  Aesthetician at The Spa in Bells Corner.  I have been going to The Spa at Bells Corner for several years.  Liz has been my aesthetician for so many years that she knows my stories, has listened to my real estate rants and, in the past year, has been providing my husband with foot treatments.  If you send family then that is a HIGH recommendation.  I am here to say that so few people are allowed to touch His Nibs' SACRED FEET. 
Liz is young, energetic, has an infectious laugh, has made … (17 comments)

Cicada Time is Here - Boy those Bugs Can Hum - 06/26/12 04:22 AM
On Sunday I met Nancy and her dogs. We were all at the Experimental Farm enjoying a beautiful morning.   She called me over to a big Butternut tree to show me a cicada that had just molted. 
It was amazing.  She found the hard shell on the ground and picked it up to show me.  Apparently she was walking by the tree when the light green of the wings caught her eye. 
Now, I love meeting new people and Nancy was very interesting.  She is a biologist with the Federal Government (explains why she knew so much about bugs- … (26 comments)

Cleaning - The Guest Bedroom - 06/25/12 05:00 AM

Now here is something that you wish the Good Fairies Would  Appear and Do.
Without exception, Buyers want to look at clean homes.  Sellers are told to make sure that they do a thorough cleaning before the house goes on the market.  To some, whose mothers did all the work, this doesn’t have a meaning other than panic.  What does it take to really clean?  Let us talk about the guest bedroom.  Supposedly, a room seldom used and seemingly the easiest to clean.
First, take a few hours with boxes and wrapping paper (avoid newspaper) and start to pack away … (29 comments)

Sunday Funny - And So Appropriate for Today - 06/24/12 01:58 PM

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. 
 
At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home,
but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.
Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20'
on the back of it and stuck it in the door.
 
When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found
that his card had been returned.  Added to it was this cryptic message,
'Genesis '3:10".
 
Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up … (24 comments)

Meet Justin and His Flying Helicopter - 06/24/12 09:32 AM
I decided to go back to the Ornamental Gardens to see if there were any peonies left.  I saw a couple of late bloomers but not the glorious array from two weeks ago.  Still, I had my camera and time so I walked around taking photos and talking to people   Of course, I only had my macro lens on the camera so thought I was limited in what I could photograph.  Well, apparently, there are limits but not many (I am really proud of the portrait of Justin and of the helicopter).  
Justin had a remote control helicopter and … (14 comments)

Goofing Around at the Ben and Jerry's Mecca - 06/23/12 07:05 AM
Is this Ben or Jerry or Georges?

This week we went on driving vacation to Lake Placid but always with the intent of going to Vermont and visiting the mecca of ice cream - Ben and Jerry's.  We were there on Wednesday - a day of record breaking heat. Who knew Vermont and upper state New York could get that hot!!!??!!!  I digress.  After our favourite local ice cream - Pascale - we love Ben and Jerry's and are always looking for new flavours.  Sure we return to Cherry Garcia after venturing into unknown flavours but it is always fun … (23 comments)

Silence is Golden - Placement of the Central Air Conditioning Unit - 06/17/12 06:45 AM

We had an opportunity to move our central air conditioner this past week.  It had conked out and the choice was a new fan motor (about $500) or a new unit (over $3,000).  The unit was between 15 - 20 years old but the cost of the fan motor was so attractive.  However, the HVAC company owner determined that there was sufficient space at the side of the house to relocate the unit:  closer to the furnace room and off the backyard patio.  The first thing we thought was if this would be any issue with the neighbours.  I talked … (21 comments)

The Pillsbury Dough Boy and I Need to Shop More Carefully - 06/14/12 06:57 AM

This morning I was baking some treats for tonight’s  Book Club meeting.  Half way through and with the oven going, the counter full of bowls and spoons and dirty baking dishes, my husband decided it was time for his breakfast.  This made me think.  What if he was as pudgy as the Pillsbury Dough Boy?  It would not have worked – even though I was tempted to whack him against the counter just to see him pop.  
When we bought this house, we fell in love with it because of the kitchen.  It has all the high end appliances, … (18 comments)

Trying to Make Space on my Hard Drive - 06/13/12 06:31 AM
I had about 2 GB of space left on my C drive because I had stored all of my photos there.  That is over 80 GB of photos.  My computer was not performing and it was time to clean up my photos and move some to an external storage and back-up device.  (PCClone).  In any case, over the past three days I have been going file by file and   eliminating those photos that are just not worth the storage space they are using. I made some interesting finds.
Sometimes, you cannot see the forest for the trees and the dog … (59 comments)

Monday Funny - I'll have nun of that. - 06/11/12 05:44 AM
I went to Catholic school from K-12 and during a time when the nuns wore long habits.  This joke just makes me laugh.        

                                                                                                   An old nun who was living in a convent next to a construction site noticed the coarse language of the workers and decided to spend … (26 comments)

Dog gone it - Hoover and I won the Prize at DAWN OF A NEW DAY - 06/10/12 08:58 AM

 
I got a phone call yesterday telling me that Hoover (my Westie) and I had won a basket of dog goods from a draw at the groomer's shop.  Having a Westie means that you get to know your dog's groomer very well.  Chantal Raby has been grooming my dogs for the past several years and she is wonderful. Hoover is so relaxed with her that he falls asleep during the process.  That alone is a high recommendation.  I think you can tell from the photo that Chantal also is good with Airedales. They almost look stupid happy.  
Chantal owns … (12 comments)

Breaking My Arm Patting Myself On The Back - A Thank You Note - 06/09/12 07:07 AM

Today I received the most wonderful thank you note and a bit of recognition.  I often tell people to open up a file and keep all the nice notes that they receive, in cards or letters or emails, so that they can go back to read them on those days when the world seems to be turning against them.  We all have those days and those clients who can make you question your skills and abilities.  When I get a note like the one below, I feel so good and so motivated to keep on working.  Here is the note: … (17 comments)

The IKEA Lamp on the Curb - Coming to your Neighbourhood - 06/08/12 04:17 AM

 
One of the saddest commercial, until the IKEA man talks, is the lamp that is put out on the curb.  There it sits, lonely and abandoned with rain pouring on it.  You have to feel sorry for that poor lamp. 
 
This week, I saw the lamp's cousin sitting on the sidewalk waiting for a new home.  Okay, this may be the adult version of the IKEA lamp but it was there when I walked past it the first time and still there 4 hours later.  
 
In my neighbourhood, with no HOA, we can put things on the … (54 comments)

Thursday Funny: Bring on the Olympics - 06/07/12 04:31 AM
Sometimes you get a joke sent to you three times in days and you know it is making the circuit.  Here it the one that must be leading right now:
 
THE FIRST OLYMPICS JOKE
It's 2012 and it's the Olympics in London.
A Scotsman, an Englishman and an Irishman want to get in, but they haven't got tickets.
The Scotsman picks up a manhole-cover, tucks it under his arm and walks to the gate.
"McTavish, Scotland," he says, "Discus," and in he walks. The Englishman picks up a length of scaffolding and slings it over his shoulder.
"Waddington-Smythe, England," he … (21 comments)

My Four Favourite Peonies - Almost Wordless Wednesday - 06/06/12 10:11 AM
Early this morning, I went for a walk to the Ornamental Gardens at the Experimental Farm.  It seems so easy to take photos of such beautiful flowers.  Hope you like these as much as I do.  The peony season is well underway so one or two more trips and then I will have to live through these photos.   

… (19 comments)

Downsizing Boomers - FAQ 10. What can I toss from my clothes closet? - 06/06/12 04:12 AM

We never have enough room in our clothes closets.  Now, before moving and finding that the downsized house has even smaller closets, is the time to sort and purge.  Here are  9 things that you should rid your closet of and never worry that you have made the wrong decision: 
Never keep wire hangers.  They ruin your clothes Any clothes with stains that cannot come out and cannot be hidden.  You are never going to feel good wearing these. Toss those fashion mistakes.  What were you thinking when you bought flesh coloured (aka pink) leggings?  Do you really wear that … (18 comments)

Downsizing Boomers - FAQ 9. What do I do about all those KEYS? - 06/05/12 08:37 AM

Even the smallest things in our lives can occupy considerable time and effort.  Have you ever lost your keys?  Have you ever found a key in the house and have no idea what it is for?  As you get ready to move, you may come across keys in every room.  Here are some ideas on what to do with keys.
Always put your keys in the same spot in your purse or briefcase and, when you get home, in the same spot in the house.  This will save you months of time over the years that you would normally spend … (12 comments)

Downsizing Boomers - FAQ 8. What do I do with all my MEMORABILIA? - 06/04/12 03:42 AM
As we age, we seem to have huge collections of memorabilia – those are things that we keep that remind of someone, somewhere, or sometime in the past.  The biggest problem with memorabilia is that it can get out of control and take valuable space and peace of mind.  If you are downsizing, there may not be enough room for your things. 
 Everyone is sentimental about something.  We want to be and it is good to have a sentimental side.    Here are some guidelines on keeping and storing sentimental items:
 If you treasure it, treat it like a treasure and … (46 comments)

Downsizing Boomers - FAQ 7. Do I have to KEEP those horrible gifts? - 06/02/12 05:49 AM
I have seen a lot of homes that have shelves full of knick knack (sometimes in the living room and sometimes in a closet in the basement) that scream "I am a gift.".  Well, when you are downsizing, you need to look at the gifts you are keeping and those that you know are likely to arrive over the next few decades.  You will not have room for everything nor are you opening the museum to gifts from your children.  Here are a few things to think about when you are looking at those not so fabulous gifts.  
Gifts are … (24 comments)

 

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