When we moved into our house, we were thrilled to find wild rabbits frequently visiting our yard. We’re animal lovers, so while many people consider them pests, we don’t mind too much that they come and eat our sprouting grass and leave giant rabbit pellets all over our yard; we figure it’s good fertilizer. We even tried to feed them once, but they had no idea what carrots were for (a squirrel ended up eating it). But this time these cute little rabbits have gone just a little too far.
With our automatic garage door inoperable, we’ve been parking our car in the driveway these last few months. Last week, when I needed to go the hardware store, the car wouldn’t start. Everything sounded fine, the engine cranked, the battery was good, but the bloody car simply wouldn’t start.
I called our auto insurance company (Progressive) with which we have roadside service, and arranged for towing to our local mechanic, and 2 hours later my mechanic called with the diagnosis: rabbits had chewed the cables under the car. This is a common problem in our area due to large amounts of undeveloped land - our house is one of 5 or 6 on our street.
This simple problem of chewed cables cost us $150 for the mechanic to take apart the engine and fix the cables. This repair supposedly took him 2 hours (at $75 per hour), but I have a hard time believing that it really did, because when I got there a little under 2 hours later, the mechanics were playing solitaire on the computer. This is what I hate about hiring people to do work that I myself don’t know much about. I have half a mind to go and learn auto repair - and everything else it takes to maintain the entire house.
On top of it all, I had to traipse across the desert (alright, just a small chunk of desert - about 10 minutes) in 101 degree heat to pick up my car.
So a word of advice: If you live in an area where there are wild rabbits, try not to park your car outside, especially during hot summer days. They hide under the car to get away from the sun, and because there’s nothing else to do, they gnaw on whatever they can find under the car - namely, wires. When I went to pick up my car, the mechanic pointed out parts of my engine that had rabbit hairs stuck to them.
I do still think they’re cute. I suppose you can’t blame them. They don’t know any better, and they have to chew things to keep their teeth from growing to long. To prove just how cute they are, here are a couple of bunnies that visited us a couple of years back. Now how can you hate anything as cute as this?
P.S. We are now looking harder to find a professional repairman who will service our area.
With the charms of summer also come not-so-charming and unwelcome visitors. With consistent 100+ degree weather in the desert we call home, 6- and 8-legged visitors (or really more like trespassers) are almost a regular part of life. But we have discovered a few safe and relative effective ways to keep the trespasser traffic under control without endangering our health or that of our children/pets Ludwig and Wolfgang.
Ways to Safely Repel and Kill Ants
Ants are the largest problem for us. In this desert, there are more types of ants than we have seen anywhere else we’ve lived - there are tiny red ants, medium ants, and jumbo ants (luckily the jumbo ones don’t see fit to come inside).
Prevention is the Best Medicine
The most basic, safest and easiest way to keep the ant traffic down is simply keeping the kitchen as clean as possible.
Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
Wash pots and pans immediately if you cook anything with meat or a lot of oil.
Wipe the counters several times a day with soap. A minuscule crumb or little drop of something sweet can quickly bring a hoard of ants.
Take out the kitchen trash everyday. Take out trash immediately if it contains meat, bones, greasy paper towels and napkins, meat packaging and sweet things.
Avoid eating in bedrooms, and be careful of dropping crumbs in other rooms of the house.
I’ve also found that having the air conditioner on helps.
Creepy Fact:When you dispatch an ant on duty, you are in fact killing a “she” and not an “it” (or “he”). Worker ants are all female. The males are only used for breeding.
Ways to Safely Kill Ants
Sometimes keeping clean doesn’t keep them away completely (scouts sometimes explore squeaky clean counters), or if you miss a crumb or two. If you have children or pets as we do, the fewer poisons you use around the house the better. Even if you don’t have children or pets, it is best to avoid using toxins as they will affect your health.
Vinegar
Vinegar is our preferred ant killer. It kills small ants almost immediately and is completely safe. Simply spray the ants and wipe them away.
Yeast and Sugar
Mix some dry yeast and sugar and leave it out in a place ants frequent. The sugar will attract the ants to the yeast, which once brought back to the nest and consumed, will expand in their bellies and kill them. This method might cease to work after a few times as the ants might wise up and avoid the yeast. Caution: Make sure the yeast is in a location that can’t be reached by your pet(s). It’s not poisonous, but ingestion can be dangerous.
EcoSmart
I recently discovered a natural and effective insecticide called EcoSmart, which is made of organic vanilla, cinnamon and rosemary oils. It kills ants and other insects on contact and smells nice while at it. It is also affordable at $3.87 per can at Walmart. This is the only commercial insect repellent and killer we use in our house.
Keep reading for tips on repelling and killing other insects (spiders, roaches, silverfish, etc.)
I apologize for this off-topic post. I don’t usually get my family, friends or acquaintances involved in politics or issues, however this is something that is very important to Madoline and me, and therefore we would like to ask for your help in defending our rights as pet owners.
Some legislators in the State of California are trying to pass a mandatory spay and neuter bill (AB 1634, deceivingly named the “Healthy Pets Act”) that would require every pet dog and cat to be sterilized. We are not against the practice of spaying and neutering in general. However, we feel that it is an indivdual, medical/veterinary decision that should be left to pet owners under advice of their personal veterinarians.
Just a few reasons to oppose AB 1634:
It will not solve the overpopulation problem which is caused by irresponsible pet owners who already don’t bother with licensing,leashing and anti-roaming laws. These same irresponsible owners who are the cause of the problem are not going to bother with complying with yet another law.
Studies have shown that sterilization, especially early sterilization which this law will require, is unhealthy for animals. Sterilized animals are at higher risk for:
Increased aggression
Abnormal and disproportionate bone growth (early spaying/neutering)
Increased susceptibility to infectious disease (early spaying/neutering)
Behavioral problems including fear, aggression, noise phobia, and undesirable sexual behaviors
Tripled risk of hypothyroidism
Increased risk of hemangiosarcoma (cardiac tumor)
Increased risk of bone cancer
Increased urinary ailments including calculi, urine scald, incontinence and obstruction
Doubled risk of urinary tract cancer
Doubled risk of diabetes
Increased risk of prostate cancer
Adverse reaction to vaccinations
Decreased activity and drive
Tripled risk of obesity which is already common problem associated with many health problems
Increased chance of “perpetual puppy syndrome” which causes undesirable urination
Inhibited social adjustment if neutered prior to complete cognitive development
Appreciable demeanor change due to hormone drop (similar to that of menopausal women)
Increased cognitive disorders
Increased and accelerated degenerative osetological disorders
On a personal note, our dogs Ludwig and Wolfgang are our only close family. They are purebread, ABCA (American Border Collie Association) registered dogs with excellent working dog bloodlines. They are licensed, live indoors, are never left home alone and never run loose. We bought a house 2 1/2 years ago for the sole purpose of being able to have pets because it is difficult renting with pets. We’re just finally getting settled in to our home and now face the possibility of having to relocate again, an expense we can’t really afford at this time, because we do not want to give up our right to make our own decisions in regards to our dogs’ health.
Again, we are not against the general practice of spaying and neutering. It can be a beneficial procedure for some pets and owners. But this extreme, blanket law would only serve to punish pets and responsible pet owners who are already living in compliance with the law. We just want to retain the right to make our own decisions for our pets.
Whenever I used to hear this quote, my reaction would be something like “Yeah, okay.” I’d figure that it was probably true but never really gave it much thought, and it pretty much went in one ear and out the other. But now that I’m getting a little on in years (the big 3-0 inching eerily closer), I’m beginning to see why this quote is so-oft quoted.
Some of you may have noticed that my posting has been a little inconsistent lately. As I explained in my recent roundup of personal finance articles, our cousin has been visiting us since April (and will be here until July 8th). Because most of our relatives live overseas, when we do see each other, it is usually after a span of several years. Despite the physical distance between us, we have always been very close to most of our cousins, and consequently, there have been a lot of late nights of catching up on the last half decade or so - chatting about other family members (there are a lot of us), reminiscing and laughing about our childhoods and complaining about the “grown-ups” who still treat us like children even though most of us are now in our late twenties and early thirties.
While these late night chats have been priceless, they have also taken a toll. We often all stay up together till about midnight, and after the others turn in for the night, I usually spend several hours catching up on work (for our other businesses or this blog), and it isn’t unusual for me to go to bed at sunrise. While it’s great to have these quiet and uninterrupted hours in which to work, there is also a price.
Apologies for not posting anything of substance yesterday or today, but due to feeling a little under the weather these few days, I thought I would post a summary of recommended reading for those of you who are new to this blog, and a few news items from the personal finance blogosphere.
Tax Rebate If you are truly interested in helping the US economy, check out Don’t Spend that Tax Rebate Just Yet for a few suggestions on how to and how not to spend your tax rebate based on an article by Liz Pulliam Weston of MSN Money.
Motivating Children to Practice Music Take advantage of summer vacation to help your kids get ahead on their music practice and get the most out of your music lesson fees with some advice by Madoline, who majored in music and has had experience in teaching children’s piano lessons.
(If you like the image to the right, which is an original illustration by my sister Madoline, check out our CafePress store Mozartini for gifts and collectibles featuring this image and other artwork by the same hand.)
Editor’s Picks
We’re starting to get the hang of blogging (which was completely new to us when we started this blog in February), and have produced a few Editor’s Picks in recent blog carnivals:
Merriam-Webster defines the word “vacation” as “a respite or a time of respite from something”. Well, if that “something” from which one is taking a respite is “peace and quiet” then I would have to agree with the definer. Otherwise, gathering from my 2 recent “vacations” (one to Disneyland, one [working] vacation to Las Vegas from which I have just returned), vacation seems more like a respite from peace and quite to me.
Anyhow, I thought I would put together a pre-vacation checklist to help all you other poor vacationers prepare for your vacations, because if there is one thing I have learned, vacations are costly - and I am not just talking about transportation, lodging and amusements, but all the little everyday necessities - and the only way to travel frugally is to travel prepared.Also, the better prepared you are, the better the time you will have on your vacation; knowing that everything back home is taken care of and that you are prepared for most common travel mishaps will allow you to enjoy yourself to the utmost.
And yes, I am the extremest of Type A personalities, but admit it, sometimes it is handy to have someone who has the bases covered. You’ll certainly be glad to have one of us along when the unexpected happens because we’ve planned and prepared for it (or at least have given some thought to it beforehand so as not to be caught by surprise). This isn’t a list of what to pack (toothbrush, underwear, etc.) but rather more of a pre-departure to-do list to help prepare for your trip. I’m not saying you need to do everything suggested, but hopefully a few items will prove helpful or relevant to your circumstances.
Prevention is the best medicine
Just because you are on vacation, it doesn’t mean everyone else is. This goes for utility companies, burglars and your own plumbing and wiring. When you come home from vacation, you want to make sure you still have an intact home to come home to, and aren’t met with a mountain of additional expenses. Therefore before you leave, you might want to try some of the following:
(These checkboxes are check-able, so feel free to come back and use it.)
Home and Business
Bills
Schedule (online) or mail all your bills that are due during and a few days after your vacation in case of travel delays. You never know if there may be technical difficulties that prevent you from accessing your accounts while you’re away. Better to pay early rather than pay late fees.
Library Books
Return or renew library books. Libraries often offer a vacation extension loan period if you want to take a few books with you. It might be a good idea to bring a few books if traveling with children who might need an occupation at airports, on flights, etc. If taking library books, just be sure to count the number of books you take and bring them all back.
Windows & Doors
Secure and lock all doors and windows, including any in the garage, and draw blinds or curtains.
Appliances & Faucets
Unplug all appliances including computers, TVs, lamps, hair dryers, etc. Check that all faucets are securely shut off and not dripping or leaking.
Mail
Request a Mail Hold with USPS if you’ll be gone for more than 3 days (this can be done online). This way any packages that arrive while you’re gone won’t be left outside your door and stolen or blown away.
Neighbors
If you have a neighbor or two that you can trust, let them know that you will be away and ask them to help keep an eye on your place for you. Offer to do the same for them the next time they will be away. A small thank-you souvenir when you return probably wouldn’t hurt.
Houseplants
If you have houseplants but would prefer not to have people entering your home, consider asking a neighbor if he/she wouldn’t mind keeping and watering them for you at their home while you’re away.
Lights
Leave at least one light on that is visible from the exterior of the house. If you will be gone more than a few days (or even for a few days), it would probably be worth the money to purchase an automatic timer that switches a lamp on and off at certain times. Using energy efficient bulbs would definitely help cut costs.
Business Email
If you have a business, be sure to set up an automatic Vacation Reply for your email(s) to let customers and clients know that you are away and that you will get back to them as soon as you return.
When we moved into our house, we were thrilled to find wild rabbits frequently visiting our yard. We’re animal lovers, so while many people consider them pests, we don’t mind too much that they come and eat our sprouting grass and leave giant rabbit pellets all over our yard; we figure it’s good fertilizer. We even tried to feed them once, but they had no idea what carrots were for (a squirrel ended up eating it). But this time these cute little rabbits have gone just a little too far.
This isn’t a list of what to pack (toothbrush, underwear, etc.) but rather more of a pre-departure to-do list to help prepare for your trip. I’m not saying you need to do everything suggested, but hopefully a few items will prove helpful or relevant to your circumstances.
