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@gsciencechick - I've had cat sitters for probably 30 years - most of them excellent. I used to use them a lot when we both traveled for work. Now it's just for vacation travel but right now I won't go anywhere (during MN season) because I don't have anyone I trust to take care of my cats, especially the senior one with IBD who needs medication. It would be torture for them if they were boarded and unfortunately we don't have family who can take care of them. On the plus side I think I have a good cat sitter lined up in SC - referral from a neighbor. I have not used her yet and only talked with her over the phone but will meet with her when we go back. Only drawback is she is very busy so probably no spontaneous trips that aren't planned well in advance. I could live with that.
I have used Rover a few times with good results for our high maintenance 5-cat situation (one special needs, couple need meds, one pees outside of box, one vomits regularly, etc.). To find those few good people, I read tons of reviews and interviewed a LOT. Here are some tips: I made sure to read reviews and find people who had repeat customers. Weeded out the reviews made by mothers and friends. I would never choose anyone who says in their profile that they bring their kids or significant others along. I always ask, if they have pets, who they use as a vet and how do they like that particular practice. I ask about their pets - love the ones who get their phone out and show me a thousand pics. I watch how they are with my pets - love the ones who talk baby talk (even though personally, it puts my teeth on edge) to my cats, *ask* if they can pet before just assuming, ask about the personalities, etc. I like the ones who appreciate written instructions, ask for local backup contacts if an emergency happens and they can't get to my house (though Rover supposedly has provisions for that instance), and for the phone numbers of other people who will be with me just in case they can't reach me. I like when they confirm on the day we are coming home that we are still on schedule, and ask me to let them know when we arrive home - if we were to be a no show due to an accident or something, they would go over and feed/scoop until they heard from us.
Hope that is helpful!
@Bluebell66 - Yes! Those are the exact kinds of things I look for too when I interview a pet sitter. For now I think I have two non-Rover possibilities lined up. One is a previous sitter who worked for the woman who retired/closed her business. She lives nearby and I really liked her but she's very limited in her availability to come by on weekday mornings though she could make a brief visit to feed them and then stay longer in the evening. I have two cats that barf if they eat too much too fast so I usually have someone stay longer to feed them smaller amounts over time. The other person takes care of a neighbor's dogs including staying at their house sometimes. She works nearby and loves kitties too so I'm going to meet with her and see what I think.
Oly, it sounds like a sweet memory for you. It reminds me of my aunt, who called to give her regrets for our family Christmas Eve because she was dying with cancer. We had a lovely chat, I told her how much we would all miss her, meaning not just that holiday but always. She was always the life of a party.
And I’m thinking of an exchange student we had. He was from Netherlands. and we knew he had lost his mother to cancer. One day, DH and my kids were out, and Dom and I were chatting in the kitchen. The topic of his mom came up. He said how much pain she had been in, and there was no hope at all, so she was able to choose her time and place. Just as we were about to head into the weeds, as it were, with my arms ready for a big motherly embrace, my guys came in the door. I always regret that we were interrupted.
I’m so glad you had your moment of sharing and virtual embrace. Love and compassion are our gifts to share and receive as humans.
You all are right. I deleted my response to our predictable mean spirit.
Carry on.
Well, I was away from the forums for a while and apparently missed something. I can probably fill in the blanks and the players.
This is a confusing issue for me, not being able to imagine killing myself, not sure how I feel about it all. But this is not MY life and I believe I don't know what I would chose for me or my loved ones in circumstances I can only imagine. Wishing that someone continue to suffer horrendous pain, with no hope for change in the future, doesn't seem like a very moral or compassionate view. Today I would say I would never make this choice. Five years from now, if I had a terminal illness, I don't know what my view would be.
Doesn't matter what I think; it's her choice to make.
"I’m already over it. This kitchen trend is everywhere and overdone."..."so overdone I don’t see anything else -anywhere on any new design the past six months"..."This is the pickle ball of the kitchens"..."I’m a little sick of looking at the same exact style in 100 new kitchens if 2024"
And then: "It wasn’t meant to have any negativity towards anybody. If you direct negativity please keep me out of it."
Your post most definitely was meant to be negative. The subject title was negative. The words you wrote were negative. And posting a photo of a lovely expensive-looking kitchen just to denigrate it, which means denigrating the thousands of people who frequent this forum who might have opted for white kitchens. And who spent their hard-earned tens of thousands on a white kitchen. So you "want to be kept out of it"? But you disparaged anyone who chose a white kitchen - why do you get a pass?
In any case, that's a myopic viewpoint as a designer, since people opt for white kitchens in that pictured design for many reasons, not because it may or may not be a trend. Perhaps their kitchens are dark and they want a white color and bright metallics. Perhaps their last kitchen was wood and they want a change. Perhaps they just like a white kitchen, only to have you come on here to be supercilious about it.
I don't carry a purse very often anymore. I use pockets in my pants, vests, hoodies, jackets...
Seems I certainly could have, however I’m not a contractor, roofer or a 1970’s solar water heater salesman and I certainly wouldn’t have noticed a few pipes from an old solar water heater and said, ”aha, it’s an old solar water heater!” So yeah, posting here to have the strange object identified would probably still have happened.
Depending on the height of the people who use the kitchen, and the height of the drawers - those t bars will (eventually, given enough time) eat some of your pants.
The first time they caught and ripped a pair of shorts, I forgave them and said I'd be more careful. But then they caught and wrecked my most favorite pair of yoga pants ever - and that is the day they were banished.
YMMV, of course. :-)
Thank you. I'd like to also replace the pulls with something a bit more rectangular and simple.
Ok, was just a suggestion--you do you.
Thanks for the hat, hair, and outfit compliments! You all know how to make people feel good about themselves 😊.
I took a few selfies with my hair in a low bun with the hat. I am going to be able to have fun with the look. Can't wait to wear it next week. Too bad it's not warm enough here tomorrow for it. I'm in Iowa and it is freezing.
People who make their own jewelry are my people. Making it at a Lego party must have been a huge job! I had to put an end to that travel project because I probably made over 100 rings. When will I ever get around to wearing all of that?
I don't always travel with a glue gun but I will if I think I might need one. My dh thinks it is a bit ott. Lol
"I think RBF is just another name for 'person who is not smiling'.”
Actually, it's another name for WOMEN who are not smiling! What's the equivalent for men? Don't think there is one.
It made me grow a third arm, I just didn’t want to say anything.
Anyway, it’s a bonus. I always need another hand to do things.
After all you've been through you deserve to take a break. And just maybe while you're not actively looking fort a dog - one will show up.
at this point, after all you've been through recently, taking a break is a wise decision.
i'll just put this out here in case you, and maybe others reading this thread are unaware...rawhide chews are not a good idea for any dog. they are notorious for causing blockages that more often than not, will require abdominal surgery to remove. i don't know why stores even sell these!
Ally, we never feed rawhide and although we've found some alternatives, the calories on some of them are just amazing. (We started tracking treat calories when we noticed our pup was expanding.) Someone suggested pizzles and controlling calories by monitoring her chewing time. So, we tried one and have just concluded getting her digestive system back on track. She woke us up crying to go out with the runs for about three nights. No more pizzles in this house, either. Your story was so scary.
I don't like not knowing if a thread has new comments. They're all the same color for me now, whether I have read them or not.
I try to note the number of replies, and sometimes I remember that number...
In the last ~10 years I've sold 2 homes and bought 2 others....and I also love to look at listings online and do so every day.
My experience as both a buyer and seller - and interested bystander - is that well done photos are always a plus. How can they not be? Some realtors do a fine job, others have apparently no skills or interest in showcasing a home properly. (Why I don't know, it would seem like it should be important to them. But I've seen photos that a real estate agent voluntarily put up online for all the world to see that were appalling...so....)
I'm also friends with a professional photographer so have a bias in that direction. However the photos she does of homes are beautiful. They're never stretched out or deliberately altered - she knows how to make photos look nice, good color, good composition, etc. - and yet they're still real, if that makes any sense at all.
In terms of how many, it sounds like yours is a larger home so I think ~31 is reasonable. Sometimes I do think less is more...I don't need to see 4 shots of a standard sized secondary bedroom with a window and a closet and no other defining features. :) I'm seeing some listings online now that put up 100 photos and that's just too much IMO. Leave some mystery! LOL.
It seems that you have a good number of photos covering the most important aspects of the house. If you do not include a walk-through and buyers are interested they can have their realtor do a Facetime walk-through with them. This is how we bought our vacation house, homes were selling immediately and we could not get there as quickly as needed, we made an offer after our Facebook tour.
@nicole___ this place is in a more rural area, in the deep woods on a lake - it's not really lit up so night photos aren't very popular here. Met with the realtor today and she had no problem with my choice of photos, or any of my other feedback, and astutely suggested that maybe I wanted to be involved in writing the verbiage for the listing. So I gave her my input, she will write it and I will review/edit. Coming soon is popular around here so it will be coming soon in a week and listing will go live a few days after that. I've gotten several professional opinions on the listing price, which seems high to me, but we will go with that to start as DH is in agreement with it. However we won't dawdle to reduce the price if needed depending on feedback. We have four months to get this done before we head south again. Step one - get it sold. Step two - get rid of everything that's still left here. Should be interesting.....
My best product so far is denial...
I would snap up that house in a heartbeat. It's really gorgeous and looks very well built and maintained. I could live with all of it, as is, for quite a while! It looks much larger than the stated square footage. I hope they are successful, if they decide they want it!
"My default is to disbelieve, not believe"
The police didn't believe a woman I knew or didn't care when a boyfriend broke her arm. She tried to file charges but they just took away his guns, and gave them back a week later. I started dating her a few months later and he kept calling her nonstop to come and visit him but I convinced her it was dangerous and she never did, thank god.
A few months later the guy Shoots and killed his new girlfriend who was leaving him and then shot himself. My girlfriend was traumatized and left me because how could she trust any man? I left her alone and a few months later we reunited and married in 1996.
The Victim's name was Jennifer Noack, and the killer's name was Duane F. Arbuckle, it happened in Crystal MN on October 16, 1993.
The only reference I could find was in the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women.
"Jennifer Noack, 23 Crystal October 16, 1993. Jennifer was shot and killed by her boy friend,Duane F. Arbuckle, who then shot and killed himself. Jennifer had just started a
graduate program at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire and worked in the Twin
Cities on weekends. She was breaking up with Arbuckle and had gone to his apartment
to pick up some belongings. When she didn't show up for work on Saturday morning the police were called."
Elmer, I'm not judging you on your comment but 1 in 3 women have faced some type of Physical violence by a partner and a claim of abuse should always be believed by default.
" The American dream is still there--if you remember how all those that sought it--got it! =HARD WORK, SACRIFICE, GOOD CHOICES....... "
And luck. We all need good luck too.
Those are some big ass carrots in the OP. I thought they were sweet potatoes at first.
Exactly. You know how mine ended, mtn, and you’re so right — dealing with seven figures in bills afterwards just added more trauma to what was already so unbelievably traumatic.
❤️Thank you for your empathy, it’s in such short supply nowadays.
I could write a book here, but won’t — there’s too much hostility in general on these boards lately. I don’t feel comfortable sharing more, even though it might help in understanding what people go through in regards to this particular topic.
My 2 cents...
If you are going to build something that some people might find objectionable, then you better follow CC&R's to the letter. So, if I was building a 2,200 sq.ft. house with an outbuilding that was 2,000 sq.ft. in a neighborhood where that was not typical, I would only consider materials that were specifically named in the CC&R's or used extensively throughout the neighborhood. If that outbuilding is visible from the street, there is a very solid chance that someone is going to find it objectionable and take action against it if possible.
Ask the builder if they are willing to pay for the costs to prove it is a high quality material, because it really doesn't matter. What matters is whether or not your neighbors will find it objectionable enough to take action against it. You can still spend a fortune in court proving that you did nothing wrong. So don't be penny wise and pound foolish.
Judi, I work on washing machines. I've seen any number of times what cold water washing does to the machine ... layers of smutz on the exterior of the inner drum and interior of the outer tub. No cold water here. Lowest I go for the few temperature sensitive items is 90°F to 95°F.
I use liquid softener only on sheets, a low dose for the scent. Excess/frequent softener also smutzes-up the machine, *especially* with cold water washing.
I don't use dryer balls. There's logically no appreciable effect garnered from them.
I use dryer balls on most loads, not for a softening effect but to keep things from rolling into a ball. I have a Bosch gas dryer that I absolutely hate. When I wash sheets , even with the balls I can only dry one at a time. Two, or one sheet and 2 pillowcases will roll into a ball. The washer that went with this dryer, died after 15 years.
I don't have much static because of the gas dryer. Never use fabric softener. Have you looked at the ingredients in fabric softer?? " Downy fabric softener contains Dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride, which comes from the cattle, sheep, and horse industry. "
I do not ever wash in cold water unless it is programed in a particular cycle. I just don't believe cold water will get out the the waxy sebum out of out clothing. Just try cleaning a greasy frying pan clean in cold water. Same think for getting out sebum and body oil.
I don't care what all the experts say about cold water washing. I do my share with the environment and my laundry because I don't dry any of our clothing all the way. I dry them only to take out some of the wrinkles and then hang them to finish drying because I think they shrink less.
My husband and I were polar opposites about money. I was raised poor, he was raised working class but with two parents working for very large international companies and they were well compensated with great benefits. But his mother was a 'we don't have enough money' type and his dad LOVED to spend money, esp on big boy toys. His mom reined him in but once in a while would 'let' him buy something nice and shiny and new and made him feel like he was the 'man of the house'. She did all the financial stuff. My husband absorbed her attitudes about scarcity of money and according to him we could NEVER afford anything. But he also was used to an opinionated woman, so we meshed well, there.
I have a very laissez faire attitude about money. I decided we should buy a house early on (we were 24) and because he qualified for the GI bill, we bought a really cute little home. I really had to convince him that it would be fine; we could make the payments, but he was a nervous wreck. We had to move for his job and sold if within a year, pretty much breaking even. Moved to a place with no home inventory, so I decided we should buy land and build one. He literally almost died at the thought of that, but I persisted. We had a lot of arguments about all purchases in those days. I always 'won' in that we eventually made the purchases after much gnashing of teeth by him. Every car, every home, even though we didn't carry a lot of debt, always could pay for what we bought, his confidence never changed....it was always going to be the end of us and I knew it was his mom's voice speaking.
Finally, with our last home purchase, a bit more $ than we thought we would spend (but found a house that we loved so much), when he started in with his 'we can't afford this' I finally just said - you've been making that argument for 12 years now, we've bought or built two homes, we've made money on both, we have a nice car and truck that are both paid for and no credit card debt, so I am NOT having this argument with you again! It was clear he wasn't going to change and that I was not going to do without, so I just did it. And eventually he always came around to being glad we'd done what I wanted.
Compromise didn't work in this situation because we NEVER would have purchased anything. No amount of money in the bank would have made up for his scarcity beliefs. We took turns over the years paying the bills; one of us would get sick of doing it - or he'd get nervous I was going to bankrupt us, lol, and want to take over. That all worked out fine.
He was a good housekeeper/cleaner and did all the vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms, cleaned up after me in the kitchen (I am a terribly messy cook), emptied the dishwasher...all the jobs I really hate doing. I had to take them on after he died, but I don't like it, lol.
Based on price alone, I would put in the flooring that does not cost any extra and then remove it and put in what you want. I know that is wasteful and I hate that but you may be able to sell the carpet since it is brand new.
Did you try speaking to the builder and see if he would just go ahead and not install any flooring. Don't ask for a credit or anything - try to be a simple and as accommodating as possible.
I bought one of these because I was always wacking my head on mine when I was using the back burners.
It's a good news/bad news outcome, for me...
The good news is that it's a low profile and so it sits up higher and I can no longer smack my head into it. I can use the back burners and the microwave doesn't feel like it's in my face.
The other good news is that it does look sleeker to me, which I like - but that's subjective.
The bad news is that it sits up higher. (Ha ha.) I rarely use mine - I use it to microwave the dog's food every day, but beyond that I only it to warm up a cup of coffee. Because it sits up higher I can't see into the dish that is being microwaved. Not a problem for a quick warm up of the dog's food, big PITA when I'm trying to see how my cup of coffee is doing.
I have a little step stool in the kitchen, which I now climb to watch my coffee. It feels dumb, but it's either that or try to guess if there is a boiling risk when I pull it out.
I have a small kitchen in this house. I hate the OTR microwave. HATE IT. However I really have nowhere else for it. Now I wish I'd bought a standard-sized one, only because of how high up the floor of the microwave is for me. The lower profile one looks nice but using it is a massive annoyance, for me. However if your cabinets hang lower, and/or you're taller than me then this may not be an issue for you.
Dear WD Cruise - "she" didn't install it, so "she" bears no blame for whatever was or wasn't followed.
Correct - I purchased it. I did not install it.
I bought it so that it would give me more head room. It does that. I am no longer able to hit my head, because it is higher than the lower-hanging "regular" model which it replaced.
I solved one problem and created another which I did not anticipate. If you would like to make fun of me for that, have at it. I was politely sharing my experience so that the OP could consider the installed height relative to use. My sincere apologies if somehow my experience bothers you.
I think that the first two pictures look fine, but the bottom one looks like the microwave is installed too low -- there's not enough clearance for the cooktop surface. Is is possible to get a smaller cabinet for over the range, so that you can have a microwave and still have the required amount of space between cooktop and the surface above?
There is no design in 2024 that prefers an otr micro.
There are *many* kitchens, especially in cities, that are too small for a separate hood and microwave, and also *many* families who use their microwaves all the time, to heat up leftovers and so forth. OTR microwaves aren't going anywhere in 2024 or anytime soon. Your giant kitchen bias is showing.
@theresapeterson thank you for your explanation.
@gracie A hood is designed to pull smoke, greasy and smells from cooking out of the kitchen. A microwave is designed to cook, defrost and also pull smoke.. out of the kitchen. If you can vent your mw then wonderful it will be as effective as a hood. I just found my kitchen to smell better with a powerful hood than a mw. Both work I just happen to like one more.
State averages:
https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/
My area is among the lowest. The gas station nearest my house is at $3.26.
The Fox vs CNN vs whatever team debates are tiresome. There are so many ways to get news — we have more information at our literal fingertips than any other time in history.
There’s really no excuse to not find the truth. This thread is a good example: Lucille was curious about that photo and asked about it, rather than immediately taking it at face value. People from the state in question came on with relevant information and answers.
The problem isn’t with news sites (who are in it to make a profit), it’s with people who have such strong biases they’re ready to trust anything that aligns with such … and pass it all along without question.
Certain aspects of the internet and 24/7 news shows have brought back the type of Yellow Journalism last seen in the late 1800s-early 1900s, but unlike then we can find out ourselves if what’s being reported is true or not.
I don’t read or listen to Fox, CNN, or MSNBC. There are so many other sources besides those.
ETA: I’m not putting down anyone who reads or listens to the the news sources I listed. That’s your choice. I listed those because they’re always the ones being debated and put up against each other.