We’ve tried Frontline, which is “OK.” It’s pretty expensive and the applicator stinks. I usually wind up with more on my hands than on the cat. And Fuzzy has this vicious aversion to ANYTHING that remotely resembles a vet tool.

Well, the folks from Adams have seen my pitiful position, and took mercy on me. They sent me their new Adams Flea & Tick Spot On for Cats. It has a fancy applicator. Fuzzy is blissfully unaware what’s about to happen! Muahahhaa!!

It’s wonderfully easy to do. I was actually amazed at how easy. I am the kind of person who *hates* giving cats any kind of vet care– pills, meds, grabbing them by the scruff and stuffing them in carriers– it just goes against my sensibilities. But I actually thought the applicator tool was pretty easy.

You pop the plastic liquid tube into the plastic applicator. No need to tear the tube open, no scissors, nothing. Just put it in.

Then, bend the applicator top over. The action will snap open the tube! I loved this. I didn’t get ONE DROP on my hands.

That’s it. Now go rub and squeeze the stuff on the back of the cat’s neck.

Fuzzy thought nothing of it, he figured I was just scritching his neck like I usually do. I couldn’t believe that he didn’t run away! I was even able to take a PHOTO while doing it. Unbelievable. If you have feral cats or outdoor cats, you know what I mean– these cats don’t like NOTHING. They’ll run away of they even suspect you of trying to help them. But the applicator has this small lip that probably feels pretty good, like a back massager. What cat ever ran away from a massage?

All done!

The Adams Flea & Tick Spot On for Cats says it kills fleas (YAY), deer ticks (YAY), flea eggs, flea larvae, and mosquitos. It also has a natural coat conditioner. The application must be repeated every 30 days. Don’t do this more than once a month, and MAKE SURE you get the proper potency according to your cat’s weight. There’s Adams Spot On for dogs, too.

It’s also affordable. I saw a 3-month supply of liquid tube refills on sale at Wayfair for $10. Walmart carries this stuff, as does Petco and others.

All in all, I’m pretty happy with the product. And Fuzzy is, too, because now he can snuggle all he wants without me grimacing at him.

Note: I received a free sample of this product for this review. My opinion on the product is 100% mine. It is not intended to substitute any professional advice or opinions from your pet’s veterinarian. Before applying this product to your pet, consult your vet. Never apply this product to weakened, sick, or very young cats. Thanks for reading!

I came to the computer this morning and saw this.

*snort* !!!

Have a great week, friends.

I love going thrifting and finding all kinds of little things to go in my home that would otherwise cost way too much in a store. That’s how I’ve decorated most of my home and it’s an interior decorating tactic that I’m going to keep using. I recently picked up an ottoman that I knew had all kinds of potential that I couldn’t wait to uncover.

I went online to see if I could find some good ideas for refurbishing the ottoman and saw some HVAC Deals . Spring, or I guess I should say summer, is just around the corner and I think that it’s time to replace our current system. It was definitely on its last leg around August.

I’m so excited to see the final result of my little thrift store ottoman makeover. I bought some great upholstery fabric that matches our living room decor and I think it’s going to be perfect for some extra seating and a little place to put our feet when we’re watching TV.

I’ve endured these old windows for a long time. When we first moved here, we got a few new replacement windows to replace the broken ones. The remaining windows had to wait until we had the cash to buy new ones. I reached my tolerance level last year, when these old windows developed icicles on the panes in the winter and no longer kept the bugs out in the summer. It was almost better to have an open hole in the wall than these old windows!

They would no longer hold paint. I had painted them and painted them, but every year the paint peeled off. Time to replace.

These windows are not original to the house. They were installed in 1910 or so, after the builder died and his housekeeper bought the place. She did many “improvements,” such as replacing the old 9/6 windows and painting over the beautiful Black Walnut trim in the living room.

This is one of the original windows, protected behind a storm window. They are called 9/6 because they have 9 panes on the top and 6 on the bottom. Hstorians can determine the age of a home by inspecting window styles.

Well, after 100 years, the windows have reached the end of their life span. (Actually, they reached the end of their life span about 25 years ago). On with the new.

The hardest part of replacing the windows is removing the old. We have to cut through the paint seal (more like HACK THROUGH the paint seal) and pull off the sash stops and the parting stops. 160-year old wood does not like being removed, you know that?

You have to be very, very careful with this kind of job. Old timers put all sorts of toxins in their paints back then. We had to clear the living room, cover everything with sheets, and make sure no one spread any of the paint chips or dust. I frequently misted a spray bottle to keep the dust from flying around.

Another problem was fitting the window into the existing frame. The height and length were very good, but the depth of the window gave us trouble. The old sill was too narrow for the thick replacement window. Our only option was the chisel away the 3/16-inch wood off the sill.

AH! Success!

We got two out of the three done so far. One more goes in the living room, and then it’s to the upstairs. And because we had to remove the old window stops and chisel the sill, I also have some patching up and molding replacement to do. But it is SO GOOD to have new windows!

Windows are not difficult to replace yourself. Oh sure, you can pay a professional, but expect the bill to be twice the amount. I figured that our labor was worth $100 an hour. No need for kroger jobs for this– we just watched a few instructional videos on the computer, read a DIY book, and away we went. It’s not that difficult. The hardest part is making sure you measure for the new windows accurately and removing the old window…. And containing the mess!

Here, rentals are BIG. I live in a relatively “rural” area close to a big city. I say the area is relatively rural because it sure doesn’t seem very rural. The population is probably under 1,000, but there are no rural gaps between the neighboring townships. Way back when, when settlers were first building around here, they discovered the amazing power of hydropower, and built a ton of mills around the many fast-flowing creeks nearby. The mills brought workers, who needed homes, and so homes were built up and down the creek. After 200 years, you can imagine how crowded the creek areas got…. so it’s often difficult to tell where one town ends and another begins because there is no visual gap between the municipalities. As a matter of fact, some municipalities even share or double up on services— for example, our area gets mail delivered by TWO different post offices. :S It’s confusing.

My area also doesn’t seem very rural because there are a LOT of rental houses here. We see people coming from the big city, finding cheap apartments here. And of course, crime usually follows. Plus, the rental homes here are not anywhere near as attractive and well kept up as. These houses are usually one wind storm away from collapse, and yet landlords seem to make the money. ???

Personally, I greatly dislike the growing switch from home ownership to rental buildings. It’s not good for the country, politically, economically, and morally. I think that a top-heavy renting population generally feels less connected to the country and local events, and has less interest in community pride, voting, etc. America was once the land of dreams, where a person could OWN land and not be enslaved to the feudal system of Old Europe. What’s your opinion?

Well, I finally found some inexpensive kitchen cabinets suited for a home office. They are Aristokraft, in saddle oak. They are very plain, and are made of particleboard. But I don’t care– I don’t need a solid wood desk and the simple style suits me. The cost of the three cabinets with countertop was a fraction of the price of a new desk (one of those cheapo Chinese-made junk desks).

All I’ve got done so far is the bottom half. Eventually, I will build the top hutch portion when I can wrastle up the funds. For now, the base will have to do. Livvy likes it.

The area looks quite empty and sterile. Oh, I have plans, though! I am going to build my own hutch. It will have two narrow bookshelves and a pair of cabinets. Eventually, I will create a huge built-in bookshelf along the wall. I intend to convert the room (living room) into a library, with big wall bookshelves and a gas fireplace.

I also plan on installing crown molding along the top of the ceiling and placing LED white lights in the tray. It will give the room lovely ambient lighting.

The garage, once I have renovated it, will become the new family room where we will have sofas and chairs and the family’s huge assortment of musical instruments.

But before I rebuild the garage into living space, I have to build a barn in the backyard, to hold our power tools and auto equipment. Oh yeah, I’ll be busy for a long time. And then , of course, I still have to renovate the upstairs of the house and the downstairs bathroom….

Sheesh, who knows, maybe by the time I’m finally done renovating, I’ll be too old to maintain such a big house. I can then turn around and sell the place for a nice profit. It sure would be nice to enjoy the fruits of my labors here, though. I’ve spent most of my years living in a dumpy house!

Contributed by Milford Woods

Well, I just signed my life away on a dotted line….or at least the next 30 years of my life. I just bought a house. My very first house. Am I even grown up enough to do that? I might should have let the bank know that I still sleep with a night light. Oh well. Here I am….a homeowner. Bye-bye annoyingly loud neighbors that live above me. I am so excited to not have to hear you vacuuming your floors at 1 o’clock in the morning. I still have a few things left to buy to decorate my new house but hopefully all the furniture from my apartment will fill the rooms in my house nicely. I just need to transfer all my services to my new house, except my internet provider. I had a friend at work tell me about http://www.wildbluedeals.com/ so I am going to cancel my current account with my internet company and switch to them. Once I get all settled in, I’m going to beg my brother to agree to come cut my grass once a week in the summer for a nice, home-cooked meal.

Well, another year is winding down. I haven’t been thinking of any thoughts on renovation lately until about a month ago. It was about that time that I really “let” my desk “go.” I have always been a neatnick with a super-tidy desk, but I’ve been SO SO busy the past few months (since October, really) that my desk is a SHAME. A cryin’ shame. I even took a photo for you to see how bad it is. lol

Yes, everything but the kitchen sink and the diamond necklace. Yow.

The desk is actually one of the best ones I’ve ever had, The thing is solid wood, an old teacher’s desk from the 1940s. But it’s not exactly computer-compatible, as you can see. I just juggle way too much stuff on this desk, and with all the paperwork for the home business, I’ve run out of places to put things.

Which leads me back to thinking about renovation again. I’m going to create a built-in bookshelf and desk system in the living room. We have tons of books, most of them in boxes, still! I think my living room will look beautiful with some elegant shelves and a nice tidy area to work. I’ve ordered a few base cabinets and am waiting for them to arrive. Once they finally do, construction begins. I will have to reroute one wall sconce light and make a bit of a mess with the existing furniture, but we can handle it. I think I’ve finally got a vision for the room. It will probably take us about a year to or more to finish it, as it also involves removing an existing gas heater and installing a gas fireplace to a more central part of the room. Because a large portion of this room is my “home office,” I can deduct some of the expenses on my taxes. Thank God.

Anyway, I’ll have more updates about this later. I intend on building my own shelves from wood, so the project will certainly take some time. But when it’s done, it will look and function SO MUCH better. And the new shelves will give Livvy all sorts of amazing new places to hide!

It was our first time Livvy was alone in her 3.6 years she’s been with us. Well, the dogs and the bird were home, too, but they don’t count. I had the webcam set on surveillance (watch this video and it will revolutionize your thinking about the simple webcam!!!) and Livvy mostly sat by the back door and in my desk chair, waiting for us. Nearly broke my heart. I couldn’t bring her with us this time, though. We were staying at a nice hotel and would be strolling through caves during the day. Not exactly a cat vacation. Should we ever gear up with eureka tents and go hiking again, maybe I’ll bring her….

But Livvy survived and she is all lovey and cuddly now. Hey, I could get used to this!

While we traveled through Schoharie County, we saw many, many homes devastated by the flooding from Hurricanes Irene and Lee. These folks were hit the worst– bridges and homes and barns and cows just floated away. This is a rural area where money is always tight and work is always hard. New York’s Upstate economy really shows here, and then the floods came and made bad to worse. I saw some homes that were skeletal, just barely able to stand upright.

Lots of our photos were taken from the moving car, so they didn’t turn out very well. We saw yards filled with garbage bags and strewn tree limbs, boulders and rocks in weird places, and bulldozers everywhere.

In one area, I drove past a small group of trees on the bank of the Schoharie River. The trees were literally covered with tons and tons of white feathery strips of what appeared to be toilet paper and paper towels (me being a suburbanite). As we rounded the bend, we saw that the white stuff was not toilet paper. It was the plastic wraps that go around hay bales. Large hay bales were clogging one area of the river bank, and great strips of the shredded white wrapping hung from the TOPS of the 20-foot trees. My heart ached for these folks. Wow.

Yet what makes this area so remarkable is the amazing cheerfulness of the people. EVERY SINGLE PERSON I met was cheerful and generous. Even when they spoke of their losses (some folks lost everything on the first floor), they smiled and said, “Thank God, no one was killed” or “It’s just stuff.” Now that’s an amazing community. No self-pity and wailing for government help. Help is welcome but these people weren’t going to sit on their tears and wait for FEMA. They just sucked it up and are starting again. And wherever we traveled, the folks were so generous. The coffee shop gave us two free coffees. The hotel gave us a free breakfast. The New York Power Authority Visitors Center gave us free coffee travel mugs and light bulbs. I can only admire their generosity, grace, and happiness. I also wonder if Schoharie County has the most churches of all New York’s 62 counties, because it seemed there was a steeple peeping out from the farms and forests every mile or so.

Houses come and go but communities are what make or break a town. It’s good to be home again but I can’t get those folks out of my mind. I understand flooding problems– yes, indeed. But I’ve never had to rebuild EVERYTHING like these folks have. Ya got guts, Schoharie County folks. God bless you all.