So after discussing the product with the trainer at the store we decided to return it. Besides the collar rubbing my pup's neck raw, there were times when it would not work when needed. This was a common complaint of the internet and it was not a battery issue or the prongs not hitting. It just would not work all of the time. I don't normally return stuff like this and the $189 pricetag was not bugging me even if I only used it a few times. It was the accumulation of issues. The store says they will return it to company with "customer dissatisfied" as the reason. So this morning he goes outside to check out the wind. Yeah, he sticks his nose out and just sniffs with his eyes shut. The neighbors boxer pup was running circles in his yard, jumping around like a kangaroo. So naturally my 2yr shephard had to join in. He barked a little but observing what they were both doing to each other it was clear it was puppy play. As soon as we asked him to Leave It and come Inside he obeyed wagging his tail. I felt bad for neighbor pup. From my upstairs window I could see him just staring at the fence with his little head tilted. I swear his eyes were tearing up! lol I think I need to see if my neighbor would agree to take them to a dog park so they can really play together on neutral territory. That could be really fun.

Sharon: I don't know about any other kinds of cutters, but the ruler with all the slits cut in it so you can use a rotary cutter is, IMHO, a waste of time. I used it for my first Peek-a-Boo, but it doesn't cut perfect circles. You have to be awfully careful about where you place it on the fold, since the slits are only for a 1/2 circle. And then the slightest difference in the distance of the cutter from the edges of the slits throws the circle off. I was cutting out all the circles and then trying to sew 1/4" from their edges. Well, first of all, the lining circles and the colored circles wouldn't match up properly. There was no way to be sure my circles were accurate so that they could be joined in rows and the while quilt put together so that the intersections of seams would match up. It was a nightmare. I was so glad when I got the idea of making a template and penciling circles in and stitching on those lines and cutting out afterwards. Now, although it wastes a bit of material, I rip out squares of the right size, pencil the circles for sewing, and trim the seams later. It is heaps faster. Can anyone say if there is some other sort of quilt where having a circle cutter is worth it?

No idea why someone would do this. Apparently it's been discussed before on the gardenweb. Reminds me of the old Right Guard commercials. If there's no purpose in it, then I'd definitely consider removing it. I like the idea of making it a niche on one side. If it's not in a good location either way, then it's not a big job to remove the molding and add sheet rock, tape and paint. You might also look into putting in a wall safe if you have a need for such a thing as the opening is already there. Depending on what's going on in the rest of the room, perhaps you can hang a full length mirror or buy one of those large mirrors that sit on the floor and lean up against the wall. You may have to remove those door handles though if they stick out too far. Or they old fashioned folding screen is another way of hiding a corner...makes space to stash stuff behind it too.

I've just been scrolling through this forum and stumbled upon this thread. It is so interesting to hear everybody's stories. So often we share our specific questions and present situations, but without the background, which says so much about all of us as human beings with histories. Yolanda, your great-aunt sounds just like mine. Exactly! Anything to do with dirt and experimentation, right where she was, Amanda was messing around with it, and amassed a minor library about gardening. It was on account of Aunt Amanda that my Mom had African violets when I was a little girl. I only remember violets being around for a few years when I was a child, but I know my great-aunt had a lot to do with my Mom's having them at all. [When I think back to what Mom was trying to do with those violets, and consider what I have since learned about them, I think their being relatively short-lived in our house was because all we had was natural light. Where we lived in Anchorage, Alaska, in the winter the shortest day length is about 4.5 hours - and that's sunup to sundown. During the rest of the day in midwinter the sun is always low on the horizon when it shines at all; and on those days the colors of the landscape are mostly blue and gold, not even really white. This quality of light lives romantically in my memory of childhood, but it's not conducive to plant life. No way a violet is going to survive that, even though anything bought in the late Alaska winter would totally thrive even in the darkest north window, with you-can-read-a-book daylight from 4:00 am to midnight by summer solstice. It's no wonder she accepted the science of the situation and moved on.] I went to Walmart in early March (pre-lockdown) to look for an orchid. I needed flowers - and I like LOTS - when I had only one orchid in bloom and all the amaryllises were nearly done. When I saw no decent orchids but about 5 African violets to choose from - all slightly abused but looking like they could recover - I picked one and brought it home, because of Mom in the 1960s, because of Aunt Amanda in the 1940s and 50s. (Quick edit: If Aunt Amanda were alive today, she'd be 122. She was born in 1898. I'm so privileged to have known her. One of the things she taught me in the 1980's was How To Chop an Onion. :)) She was so special that my cousin named his daughter after her.) Joan, west central MN, USA