JRT in the Mix

Note to self:  Don't let a Jack Russell Terrier have access to a room being painted.

Click photo for better view

I'm still working on getting my home office put together but each day a buddy has a chance to help, is one step closer.  New carpet should be installed by tomorrow and windows have been ordered and will hopefully be installed by the end of the month.  Painting is ongoing, with some four-legged help, as you can see.

I love the color on the wall, and Jethro doesn't look so bad either.  He says it's his camouflaged look.

I'm not even sure how he did it, but he's got paint all over one side of his body and all down his front leg. The toes that you see in the bottom right belong to another culprit.  Edna (another JRT - do you see a trend here?), grabbed the paint stirrer out of the can and dragged it to my living room.  Yes, green paint looked great on that carpet too.

Time to Switch to Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don’t use my cell phone much, but when I need it, I need it.  I can’t do away with it entirely, but I’m determined to lower my bill.  My current plan is as low as it goes, and I’m still paying more than I think I should be, and it now doesn’t include text or nationwide service without roaming charges.

I think Straight Talk is the plan that’s going to save me the most money, while keeping the services I need.  I’m undecided yet which plan to go with;  the All You plan has 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 mb of web data, but I think I’m leaning towards the unlimited plan for $45 a month, which includes calls, texts, picture messaging and web use.

One of the biggest draws for me is that I can get all this with NO contract – no activation or termination fees either. Every other plan I’ve used locked me in with a two-year contract with a stiff penalty to bow out prior to that.  I’ve fulfilled my contract as of this month but already paid my bill, so I’m headed out soon to find a spiffy new phone that has the apps I’ll need and will sign up before my next bill is due with my old carrier.  I might even opt for The power of Android and get my butt in gear!

The Straight Talk Image... by LittleBard95

I’m determined to turn a spare bedroom into an office and have it paid for before the end of the year, so the two months of savings on my cell phone plan will go towards that goal.   I don't know about getting my dog's nails done, but I intend to Feel Richer with Android.  What would you do with money you saved if you cut your cell phone bill in half?

Old Stuff Given New Life

Pin It

I haven't been tending to my yard and flower beds like I should, but I got motivated to spend a few minutes in my front perennial garden the other day, thanks to a couple of friends.  TS knows I like 'junk' and said he had found something interesting that I might like.  Another friend has property that his family originally homesteaded and it's accumulated all sorts of things over the years.  TS has been helping to clear brush back there and came across an old galvanized washtub that he thought had Marie Anne's name on it and asked if I wanted him to haul it over here.

How could I pass that up?  It didn't take me long to know that I wanted to plant flowers in it, but wasn't sure where to place it.  I started off wanting it in a corner of the yard up by the house, but it would be partially hidden from view from the road by the taller flowers in the perennial garden.  Hmm, how about putting it in the perennial garden?

With everything else in there dying off at the end of the season, putting the washtub there with fall flowers seemed like a good idea.  I drove down to the Save-a-Lot and grabbed four potted mums (3 for $10, couldn't beat that!), filled the tub with dirt and there you have it.

I think it's the perfect spot for it.  I can still see it here from my desk and it's clearly visible from the road.  In fact, every neighbor that's gone up my street as well as many gawkers from the main county road have craned their necks to see the pretty splash of color as they drive by.

The landscaping still needs a lot of work, but thanks to MJ and TS, I'm happy to have that little gem of a throwaway out there in an interesting way.

 

Can You Trust Your Dogs With Your Chickens?

Do your dogs get along with your chickens?

I wasn't sure mine would, but I worked with them from the day I brought my first pullets home and before long, they were all getting along just fine.  Molly, my large Golden Retriever mix, and Jethro, my Jack Russell Terrier, could be trusted in the yard with the chickens at anytime.  With a little patience and plenty of supervision, your dogs and chickens can get along well too.

Read more:  Will My Dog Eat My Chickens?

I Hate Fleas!

I have to keep up with my dogs' flea treatment or it gets crazy around here. We were doing ok until I bought a new pup for a friend who lives with someone else who has two dogs in a place that's infested with fleas. Said friend brings his dog over to play with mine and oh boy, it took less than 24 hrs for my house to succumb to infestation.

I picked up flea meds for my dogs at the vet and even sprung for three extras for my buddy and his housemate's dogs, and bought the bombs to treat the house, which I also shared with him. Over $100 later and poor Molly was still scratching pretty bad after two days so I put another smaller dose on her to see if it would provide some relief.

I had a bottle of yard and kennel treatment left from last year that you hook up to the hose, so I treated the back yard last night and part of the front yard today.

We hate fleas!

I've never seen fleas like this in any one of the many other states I've lived in. I've had dogs that stayed outside a lot longer than my two do here in Ohio and never had to treat them for fleas at all.  If treating the dogs, house, yard and washing all bedding doesn't get things back down to a manageable level, I'm at a loss as to what else to try.

Walgreens Antacid Liquid

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I suffer from occasional heartburn and reflux/GERD and once an attack starts, chewable antacids don’t do a thing for me.  I’ve had the most luck with a name brand liquid antacid, but it can be pretty pricey.  My last trip to Walgreens, I decided to look at Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products to see if I could save a little.  I found a bottle of Walgreens Regular Strength Antacid Liquid at a cost of $3.99 for a 12oz bottle, a considerable savings over another brand that was priced at $5.99 for a comparable product.

 

 

In my opinion, the Walgreens Antacid Liquid worked just as well as the more expensive products, and when comparing ingredients in both, I saw no difference between the two.  I don’t particularly care for the taste and texture of any of the liquid antacids I’ve tried, but the Walgreens brand’s minty flavor wasn’t nearly as bad as others.  It worked – and my digestive system didn’t care that it cost less!

 

Buying  Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products has another bonus - A portion of the profits, up to $3 million annually, goes towards supporting wellness services in local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™.

 

Want a chance to win a Walgreens gift card?  Check out these blogs who are doing giveaways!

 

Daisies and Purple Coneflower - Finally!

Since my irises finally gave up the ghost, my front perennial garden has been void of color.  We've had a lot of rain again this last week or two which helped the weeds along and prevented me from spending much time out there, so it's a real mess.

A couple of days ago I finally saw one of the buds start to open on the daisies.  It's a start!

A single daisy coming to life

Not to be outdone by the daisies, my few Purple Coneflower are starting to come in.  I thought I had two bunches of these, one on each side of the bed, but I'm only seeing one small group of them.  I wish there were more to throw in a punch of color among the masses of white daisies that will be open soon.

Purple Coneflower finally coming in

More daisies popping open

I have no idea what's going on with my gladiola, but all the pointy stalks are there but no sign of shoots or flower buds at all.  I can't remember when they came in last year, but that punch of pink would go a long way to rounding out the mass of greenery.

What's growing out your way?