New York Renovator

Hairball Hassles

Posted on Nov 06, 2009

My cat Livvy is 15 months old, and she’s never had a hairball. Is that weird? Not that I’m disappointed or anything! It’s just that.. all my other tabby cats coughed up the little balls o’ barfy fuzz regularly (like, every other day, it seemed!) Livvy has not had one. She has emitted a “cough” from time to time; it’s something like a sneeze and a hack. Hmm. It’s kind of comical, when she does it. It’s sudden, loud, and then she acts like nothing has happened.

So today, we were all sitting in our Living Room, enjoying light conversation and our morning coffee before the day’s chores come crashing in. Our kitty Livvy was meandering around us, spying the assorted bagels that the children were munching. She came very close to sniff the one in my daughter’s hand, and suddenly let out a loud HACK. For a moment, I thought this was THE MOMENT. We stopped our chatting and looked at her, expecting one of those little balls o’…. well, you know…. at any moment.
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Find the Kitty Friday 11/06

Posted on Nov 06, 2009

I can’t believe it’s Friday already! This week has been so busy… it seemed to fly right by. How did your week go?

Here she is! Can you find the kitty? Sorry the photos are a little dim; the kids used my nice “business” camera to capture the moment but don’t know how to use the flash. I actually like that warm color to the photos.

So do you see her? If you need a little help, click to read more…
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Raking Season Almost Over

Posted on Nov 02,, 2009

We had some terrific windstorms last week and over the weekend. We usually do every late October/early November. What a site! People’s trash cans, litter, assorted clothing and tarps.. everything that wasn’t nailed down or as heavy as a water softener was blowing around the neighborhood. :S
Despite the inconvenience, the winds are nice because they [...]

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Find the Kitty Friday 10/30

Posted on Oct 30,, 2009

We’ve been doing our twice-annual tradition around the homestead– the changeover from summer to winter clothing. It’s a big chore, where we spend the entire day unloading the closets, pulling out boxes and bags, and sorting clothing for the coming season. The kids are old enough now to do a good deal of it on [...]

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Secure Your Home Before Vacation

Posted on Oct 27,, 2009

February is a big vacation month for us in the Northeast, but you don’t want to wait until then to prepare your vacation plans. If you will be leaving your home for any length of time on a holiday, you want to be sure that your home and all its contents will be safe (and [...]

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Super Sale on Holiday Getaways!

Posted on Oct 26,, 2009

Summer is over and winter’s chills are beginning to roll in. Need a good reason to start planning your mid-winter vacation early? There’s an incredible travel promotion if you’ve been waiting in the wings for a deal. It’s the Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific deal. I’ve spent the morning looking it over and [...]

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Bug of the World

Posted on Oct 24,, 2009

Have you been invaded by ladybugs lately? We have. Last week the temperatures were below freezing; but this week, it’s been very mild– near 70 degrees today! And all this week that the temps have raised, the ladybugs are EVERYWHERE. We had a swarm swirling around our back door and our living room window. A [...]

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Heating Season: Remember Safety

Posted on Oct 24,, 2009

If you have a woodstove, gas- or oil-fueled furnace, please remember to have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for your home. These devices are not expensive and in some locations, they are mandatory. Usually, you can find a good sale on these devices this time of year.
There are two types of smoke detectors:
The ionization type [...]