"I was just kidding which I had hoped to express with my smiley faces"

:-)

I stand by my statement that I feel sorry for dogs that are kept
outside, and anyone here is welcome to interpret that any way they want,
including calling it passive-aggressive BS. I'm sure my neighbor, whose previous dog is pictured below, considers me presumptuous, nosy, and totally out of line.

closeup:

There is a vast difference between those photos and the photo Errant shared above. I would just venture a guess that those who frequent this forum and keep a dog outside do not chain it and keep it in unsuitable conditions. The entire purpose of my interjection into the dog conversation was to point out that not all of them who spend a good portion of their day outdoors are mistreated or cause for someone to feel "sad".

And there's a vast difference between dogs kept outside during the day and those who are never allowed in the house.

Years ago there was the sweetest black lab who lived next door. Abby was never allowed in their house. I never saw her owners take her for a walk or play with her. Doesn't mean they didn't, but I never saw it. Couple times a week I'd toss a tennis ball over the fence and she would retrieve it. It made me sad that she didn't have more human interaction. She was just a fixture in their yard.

kswl, I enjoy your decorating posts and what you do in your home and yard but trying to explain why you don't get it is like describing a weekend to the Dowager.

So why do people have these outside only dogs? As alarms?

She doesn't look TOO mistreated does she? ;) I bought her a plant to help decorate her summer space (she has a summer home and a winter home) and to help provide more oxygen ;) Oh, you can't see it from here but she also has her own pool Poor baby. And when she feels like it, she has the entire East Texas Piney Woods (and lakes) to explore. Not sure you can see it in this photo but that bowl is half full of ice. Never seen such an ice-crunchin' dog! There ARE so MANY dogs that are abused and mistreated. It's heart breaking :( Every time I go to my mother's I pass a dog that is chained to a stake, no shelter, not eve a tree to protect it against the hot sun or inclement weather.

I haven't read every comment, but have none of you grown up on a farm? Outside dogs are the norm. They are usually beloved members of the family, but they live outside. In Canada. In the winter (with very well insulated doghouses, and with a very good diet). People would have a lot of photo-taking to do if this bothered you.

I think we are talking about residential homes here.

okay, thanks, I'll relax ;)

"Every time I go to my mother's I pass a dog that is chained to a stake, no shelter, not eve a tree to protect it against the hot sun or inclement weather."

Don't they have any animal protection laws in Texas? That's against the law where I live.

What? A farm can't have a residential home on it? I've grown up in the country with acres and acres (we only have one acre) but as a child we had lots and lots. My town has 3000 residents. I live 3 miles from town. We have a barn but we don't "farm". Are you saying people that farm don't have residential homes on their property? Yeah, I don't think you meant that. I'm surrounded by working FARMS with residential homes on them :o STAYING OT, that's one way we maintain wear and tear on our home...no pets inside. BUT, they are VERY well cared for and loved (and come in when it's too cold). She also can worm her way in the house during a thunder storm! We might not intentionally LET her in but she'll bust thru the legs of anyone standing at an open door to get in! <g>

jellytoast, my mother has called 2x. Police say as long as there is food and water, there is nothing they can do :(

"What? A farm can't have a residential home on it? "

No, I didn't mean that. It's hard to take your post seriously.

Pets. Not working animals on a farm.

Are you saying you live on a farm? Your dogs are working animals? I'm not getting the misunderstanding at all.

Why do you have a dog that lives outside if they are not working animals, such as on a farm?

I HAVE A DOG THAT LIVES OUTSIDE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT ANIMALS IN THE HOUSE. I'M NOT QUESTIONING PEOPLE THAT DON'T MIND IF THEIR HOUSE HAS DOG/CAT HAIR IN IT. NOT QUESTIONING ANYONE WHO LET'S THEIR DOGS SLEEP IN THEIR BEDS. LETS CATS WALK ALL OVER THEIR COUNTERS (GAG). I PREFER DIRT, TICKS AND FLEAS AND FECES AND URINE AND DANDER AND HAIR AND VOMIT OUTSIDE MY LIVING QUARTERS THANK YOU. IN NO WAY DOES THAT MEAN I LOVE MY DOG ANY LESS THAN SOMEONE WHO HAS A HOUSE PET.

CARLY DOESN'T NEED TO COME INSIDE DURING A THUNDERSTORM. SHE HAS HER CHOICE OF A 24X26 PATIO TO GET UNDER OR 2 STORY BARN. DEPENDS ON THE CONDITIONS. WE MIGHT LET HER COME IN.

SEEMS LIKE SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A REASON TO ARGUE.

SNOOKUMS...I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR LAST MESSAGE AT ALL SO ANY ATTEMPT AT ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS WOULD BE USELESS.

I will never understand the need of some people to chastise someone that isn't just like them. I have kept my postings light and positive (unlike some) until now. Shame on ME for letting the misguided writings of others to bring me down to their level.

She also can worm her way in the house during a thunder storm! We might not intentionally LET her in but she'll bust thru the legs of anyone standing at an open door to get in!

That borders on inhumane.

This thread is off the rails. Anyone want to get back to discussing how we maintain our homes and keep them looking their best?

Having not had wall to wall carpet in many years, I'm not sure what to expect beyond regular vacuum sessions. Someone upthread mentioned having a professional with truck- mounted equipment come in (annually?) to do a deep clean. How many of you do this and how have you gone about finding the best provider for this service?

Good gravy! Just read through parts of this post and cannot believe how someone can twist something completely innocent around till it totally overpowers the original question. So sorry Jenn.

Auntjen, until we finally bought a steamer, my DH used to rent one of those carpet cleaners at Safeway - he did a better and more thorough job than any of the pros we had hired previously.

Wow, really sjhockeyfan? I've used those rented machines in the past but it's been so long ago that I don't even recall how good a job they did. I swear, with new (to me) items in this house, it's like there's a learning curve involved!

The latest is figuring out how our garage door opened and closed itself this evening.

"That borders on inhumane"...Wow! <lol> Sorry, that's all you'll get out of me.

Sometimes our garage door, only the one side, opens by itself. Happened a couple of times now WUWT?

So weird! Ours malfunctioned on Sunday and I had a hard time getting it to close from the remote in the car. And yesterday it opened on its own. It's brand new though, and I've only read of the ghost opening happening with older openers. Kinda freaks me out though - the thought of the thing opening at whim when we aren't even home. Yikes.

We've had the ghost openings with one of our two garage doors. Brand new. Identical doors and openers. It was odd and random. When I called Genie for support they claimed we needed to reprogram our codes because of neighbors. We have no close neighbors. At least 1000 feet as the crow flies... tried all they suggested. LSS -- the mother board needed to be replaced (which they've sent me). They had me on the phone for an hour troubleshooting the opener. The unit stopped working altogether after about 6 months. Never really worked correctly. I will have to have my DH take the whole unit down from the ceiling to replace the brain inside. Can't do it when its up on the ceiling. The company (supposedly reputable) that installed is useless, the guys who did the install --- oiy! Would never have them back. Now the weather is frigid so I will wait for a warmer spell. No big deal cuz the garage is still full of junk; ATV's etc until we get the barn finished.

As far as carpet cleaning, I would just rent the Rug Dr from the grocery. I could tell no difference from hiring it done vs. doing it myself except for the cost. It is really not a huge job. I could take my time and go over it until the water was clear. Carpet was fine, no ill effects. I've always gotten tired of the carpet color and style way before the carpet wore out...

Rose, could there be something that is slightly in the way of the door closing? Something, even a small corner of something would make a door reopen as soon as it hits.

Aunt Jen & Rose, make sure that you know what battery your opener takes so you can replace them as they lose their power. Sometimes as those batteries are going dead they start to work erratically. I also advise knowing what batteries are in your key fobs because they will also start to act wonky as they are ready to go dead.

Good idea to know in advance what type of batteries are needed, Holly-Kay.

Missymoo, that's a garage door opener horror story! Oh, how I absolutely HATE troubleshooting machines and gadgets by talking to someone over the phone. I almost always give those tasks to DH, who hates it as much as or more than I do. We do have neighbors now two doors down (new development and people are slowly starting to move in), and I wonder if their garage door opener is somehow throwing signals to ours. It seems kinda like when you take your car to the mechanic because it's making a noise, but it stops making it when he's checking it over. When things are random, it's really hard to know where to even begin.

Jeez, I cant believe this is still going on. You have all made your points. This is getting to the point of being childish.

Holly Kay, thanks for the info. The garage door closes fine, it opens hours later. The other morning we went into the garage to find that the door had been open all night!

DH is going to look into it.

Like SJ, I used to rent one of those cleaners from the grocery. I had it professionally done, once, but felt I had done a better job myself. Then I bought my own cleaner and do it that way now.

As for the garage opener, reprogram the code on the unit, clickers, and your cars :)

DELETING MY COMMENT BECAUSE IT'S NOT WORTH A RESPONSE.

Rose, have him check the sensors on each of the door~ they'll be at the bottom and stick out like 2 steel 'arms'. They each have a light and it should be green. If they don't 'sense' each other the door would have 'ghostly powers'. lol

After our opener "ghosted", DH said, "Oh great. This house is built on an ancient Indian burial ground."

;-)

(It's not. I don't think.)

patty, I just checked our lights and they are both red not green.

So back to the topic -

My kids always take their shoes off when they come in. As do their friends. However - it's not like I ask their friends to or there is a sign that says "take off your shoes". I think it's something that most families "our age" do - and it's just habit. When my boys have friends over, there is a pile of shoes in our front hall. I'll have to snap a photo next time. :)

Our dog doesn't shed, but we still put a blanket down for her.

I don't like standing for long periods without shoes, so I will wear mine inside the house - especially when I'm cooking.

I think not being complacent about how neat you want to keep it as time goes on is key. Our place looked great 6 mos after moving in. Now, almost 2 yrs later;. Carpet in the high traffic areas need to be replace with hardwood. Whomever choose white didn't realize I'd have 2 large indoor dogs & 2 kids with a plethora of friends. To combat I've bought a heat steamer and a water hog entry mat. I also wipe the 4 legged feet when it's yucky out but, someone always forgets and let's them in without controlled measures. Ie. Kids & kids friends so it's lots of stem cleaning.

I use pads on my chairs.

touch up what I can't clean off painted areas.

i use exterminators for treating so we don't have any bug damage (it's the south). I do inside on rotation and outside annually. trying to minimize the toxins in my home.

i provide Lysol wipes in all bathrooms. I let guest know where they are. I clean up after a non family person (child) uses it.

I stopped cleaning the dog saliva from my full glass door so often. Whenever I do I have birds to clean up (3+) as they fly smack into it. :( Every. Single. Time.

i vacuum every other day. I'm sure this puts more wear on the carpet but the dog hairs cling to my kids pants like leaches.

you can put foam strip bumpers on your vacuum to avoid baseboard beatings.

change the filters every month for good air quality.

I guess my homes areas are as good as my cleaning regime. However life is to be lived and when the home begins to look shabby, it's time to replace and then continue to live.

This thread is good timing for me, I was recently discussing this very topic with DH.

Our house is 12 yrs old now, we bought it new .... and this year, I'm really, really starting to notice the wear and tear.

After my late husband's long illness and death, I just couldn't keep up with it all, and let things go. I didn't touch up things, didn't fix things, didn't care. Example: my nephew (3 at the time) was over the night of the memorial service, and somehow pulled both door levers off the office French doors. They stayed that way for a while, and were the first thing you'd see coming into the house. Or I'd just watch blankly, as my kitty scratched the couch right in front of me. I didn't have the carpets shampooed as I should. Didn't touch up paint nicks. Things like that. Grief can be very paralyzing.

Now we're playing catch up. After 12 yrs, there are things that need to be replaced, etc. Plus, DH brought two more very destructive cats with him ( I love and adore them dearly, but wow, they create a lot more work).

This thread has inspired me, so thanks, Jen and all! I'm posting as an example of what not to do .... stay on top of things, it can go get away from you fast (whether you live in a new home, 100 yr old home, 20 yr old home, whatever). Jen, when we toured your beautiful home, it really made me remember how excited I was in our brand new home, and just how much I'd let it slide. I like patina and lived-in, yes, but I let mine get downright run-down.

My wood blinds throughout this house are the hardest thing to keep clean. Ugh! They get so dusty, so quickly. I'm going to do what was suggested here, and swipe them daily, instead of letting them build-up to the point of being muddy when I finally clean them. :D

I agree very much with regular carpet cleaning (pros). It can extend the life of the carpet by years. As I said, I didn't, and ours need to be replaced, which is a huge price to pay.

We have hard water, so I always make sure we wipe faucets, etc, after each use. Water spots can build up fast, and be tough to remove.

I'm noticing a lot of nicks and rubbed spots on our kitchen cabinets (cherry stained wood), and I used to have a spray that was great for making cabinets look good again, but can't remember the brand. I think it had the word "magic" in it?

Mr Clean Magic Erasers are my favorite cleaning item ever. I use them on nearly everything. They're great for scuffed or dingy spots on walls and trims.

Decals to stop birds from flying into glass doors:

http://windowalert.com/

MizzGG, I just want to give you a big hug. I shall when I see you next.

((((((Hugs)))))

Your post touched me tremendously. The grief - I can only imagine how that immobilizes a person and makes everything else seem so very inconsequential.

You are in my heart today.

Jen, thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words. I'm looking forward to a big hug! :)

MizGG, and a big (((((((hug)))))(with a sqqqueeze!)from me also since I can relate as it has only been 4 1/2 years for myself, though my second loss of a DH. My first was age 27, and 3 little ones left to care for. It's so hard to get back into the groove as all you've known are dr. appointments, treatments appts, hospital stays, phone calls/conversations you don't want...the list was endless. Somehow I did manage to keep things up, and I think it's what saved me from thinking too much, which meant my sanity, or what was left of it. My 5 kids(all adult)and grandchildren were also what got me thru it, as well as my faith in God. Bless you Miz GG. ;)

Patty Cakes, thank you, and big hugs to you, too! You're such an inspiration to me, I can't fathom all you've been through. I'm so very sorry for your losses. You are amazing. :)

We need to have a GW Texas get-together, I'd love to meet you!

MizGG so sorry for your loss. The best advice I once got when in nursing school was there are periods of time in our lives that we need to lower our expectations. The devastating loss of your husband must have been so hard and it is expected that other things in life took a back seat.

For my house- We take our shoes off in the breezeway. We keep our dogs groomed and their nails trimmed. I am a neat freak so everything gets cleaned and dusted quite often. After that it is just updating in my current house and every house I have owned. Fresh paint every few years, and replace things that show signs of wear and tear. I usually do not replace things that do not need replacing unless I have the urge. For example my kitchen cabinets are over 60 years old. We refinished them instead of replacing them because they were in freakish amazing condition and we had other things that needed our attention and money such as refinishing floors, replacing floors, ceilings, doors and garage doors and openers.

My next big expense is new windows for the house because I cannot find anyone in my area competent to refinish my old windows. Then within the next 10 years I expect to replace the roof, furnace and AC as well as have the house paid off.

"MizGG so sorry for your loss. The best advice I once got when in nursing school was there are periods of time in our lives that we need to lower expectations."

Thank you, acadia, I really appreciate it. :) So true about accepting that sometimes we have to lower our expectations. I was always very anal about cleaning, things being perfect, etc, before. I'm still somewhat that way, but am much more laid-back now.

Re:windows ... same here! The ones the builder used are just awful, and many have lost their seal, so condensation gets in between the panes. Not looking forward to pricing them!

MizGG and Patticakes Hugs to you both from another widow. My first DH died suddenly at 45yo. I was 41 with 3 children and had just started nursing school. I can tell you keeping my house in tip top shape was not even on my radar screen.

Holly-Kay, hugs back! I'm so, so sorry for your loss. My DH was 48, and our daughter was 15. I can't imagine nursing school and three children, amid the pain. You are amazing. <3

It took me a while to get back to caring about my house, and doing new projects. I'll never forget the first thing I did, 2 yrs after he passed.... spray painted an iron bench. When I finished, I cried, because he'd never see it, but also cried because I was feeling a glimmer of the old me again. It felt like such a huge accomplishment. Bittersweet.

"there are periods of time in our lives that we need to lower expectations."

This. But for me, with the dogs/cat/birds, it is a permanent lower expectation.

The way I make it easier to keep up is to have plenty of cleaning stuff available and within easy reach. Those Clorox wipes are good. Some years ago I replaced my large heavy sofa set with lighter ones that could be moved easily, and they have slipcovers that can be laundered.

For those of you who have lost loved ones, my condolences, and time to grieve is essential. MizGG, I'm glad you are getting back the the old you.

MizGG, I still take double pleasure in the happy times, once for me and once for my DH. I was really so blessed to have him for my husband.