Talk with your Animals

posted by Luke Lansing on Jul 31

Stressed out about picking the home builder that’s best for you? Picking a home builder is an easy process once you know what to look for. A new home should be an enjoyable experience and if you pick the wrong home builder it can be a nightmare.

As luck would have it there are hundreds of home builders all around that are competing for your business. However, not all of these builders are willing to do a good job for you. Some will be a big disappointment. Some don’t meet their deadlines, do poor work, and charge way too much.

So how do you weed out the bad ones so you can have your pick from the good ones?

Next are a few questions that will help you compare and separate the good builders and the bad builders.

How much time do they spend building residential homes? This is going to be important when setting deadlines. You don’t want to have a home builder that doesn’t build residential homes full time. Building your new home shouldn’t be a part time job especially when you have specific time restrictions your new home needs to be built in.

You don’t want a builder that builds as a hobby. They need to have enough work experience to do a good job building your home, and building on a part time bases just won’t cut it.

How much time have they spent as a company? The longer the company has been in business the more experience they have and the more established the company is. A well established company also makes it easier to find previous clients to use as references. Most reputable companies will gladly refer a few clients that were satisfied with their work so you can hear their testimonials.

This is the place you should also ask about the custom homes they specialize in. When you have a dream home you want built you want to know that the home builder you choose is able to create a brand new dream home from just an imaginative thought.

What types of services are they willing to offer after the home is built? While new homes don’t usually have any problems with them you want to be ready. There are some occasions where a new home will have a small and sometimes major malfunctions. You want to know that your builder is confident in their work and will stand behind it 100%.

What does their warranty include? The better the warranty the more confident your builder is in their quality of work. Make sure to understand everything the warranty entails.

How do they work? One way to find out how they work without taking their word for it is to see it yourself. Ask to go down to a job site. Here you can check out exactly what a house they are building looks like.

You can also see the quality of the materials, and how they treat the materials. (Materials should be stored in a cool dry area.) Also, meet with the crew on site. This is the only way you can get a feeling for who is working on your new home.

Once you have gone through these six questions you will have a much better idea of what type of home builders you are dealing with. Choose wisely and be sure to take the necessary time to research them a little bit before making a decision of this magnitude. You’ll thank yourself later.

posted by Darryl Andrews on Jul 31

I recommend getting a bass guitar though, because the strings are fatter, harder to press than those of an acoustic guitar, and the frets are wider apart. You can learn on your own, but looking up tabs, listening to songs and individually listening to the bass lines and trying to figure it out.

Getting a guitar strap can help your hands focus on playing instead of carrying the instrument. It is advisable to keep your fingernails trimmed so that they do not interfere with the sound. Blisters signify the first signs of learning. They hurt a lot, but eventually you will get used to them and eventually calluses will develop to protect you from the sting.

If your strings ever break mysteriously at the bridge, check your saddles. If there are any string “bite” marks, snags or burrs on the saddles, it means that they are wearing down your strings and the constant vibration of the strings makes the burrs act like little saws on the windings of the string. Eventually the core gives in – and POW, there goes a string – and possibly an eyeball.

Make sure you learn all the most common scales. The scales you should learn are the major scale, minor scale, melodic minor, harmonic minor, pentatonic, blues, and minor blues. These are all really common and should prepare you for just about any situation. I have also a few tips for gigs:

Save the beer for in between setlists. Drink water if you’re thirsty. If someone offers you a beer just before a setlist, just set it to the side and save it for the next break. Water drinking musicians onstage just look more professional than beer-drinking ones.

It combines the plucking of the bottom notes with the percussive hits that the palm makes when it slaps the strings against the fingerboard. Slap bass is a very percussive style. It’s invention (on electric bass) has been credited to Larry Graham, of funk bands Sly& the Family Stone and Graham Central Station, allegedly improvising on an occasion when their band was left without a drummer! Slap bass is a must for the musicians who use spectacular and popular funk slap techniques which demands specific snappy attacks.

Never play in a club where there’s a “house soundman.” Guaranteed – they will get paid more than the band, in most cases, and the probably have a standard sound for all the basses, without knowing your playing style. He probably eq your bass with an insane volume range.

Feel the beat, playing the bass guitar differs primarily from playing a regular guitar because it entails an emphasis on the beat of the music. One can compare the bass guitar into a drum or percussion set that is made into a guitar. Beats are very important in playing bass guitar because this type of guitar gives depth and timing to any song.

posted by Michael Malandruccolo on Jul 31

If you want to keep the carpeting in your home cleaner, we need to prevent the soils from coming into your house. The dirt should be outside where it belongs. Most of the dirt that enters your home comes from your shoes. We can slow this process down in order to keep your carpets cleaner.

Keeping a clean entryway will help keep your carpets clean. Lanscaping can really help keep dirt from entering the home. Cleaning your outdoor porches and patios will keep the dirt at bay. Entrance mats will capture alot of the soils before they can enter your home.

An indoor mat to wipe your feet is important too. Buy big enough mats so you can wipe both feet. You must wash these mats often. Buy a mat that you can easily launder yourself. A mat with a rubber backing will help it stay put on nearly any surface.

It’s also a great idea to wear some sort of inside slippers. Just think of where you shoes have been through out the day. Having indoor only slippers, will drasticaly cut the time you spend vacuuming your carpets.

If we can cut down the amount of dirt entering our home, we will have a cleaner place to live. If you are only to do a few of the recommendations above, the allergens in your home will be reduced.

posted by Terry Howarth on Jul 31

Your kitchen room can take on a particularly appealing look from the design of kitchen range hood you use. They will provide safety and general much pleasure to the persons occupying the kitchen and they are a vital factor to consider when decorating the room. Most modern kitchens are usually very classy and the make of range hood you use will largely be dependent upon the overall style of your kitchen and the particular kind of look you wish to display. Wood is slowly becoming very popular as a choice of material for range hoods, because of their classy, quality and timeless appeal.

Since the kind of range extraction hood you put in will add to the overall design of the kitchen, it is highly recommended you do some window browsing in some of the kitchen and furniture appliance shops in your area to acquire the good design ideas.

The following have to be thought about before you settle to invest your money in a wood kitchen range hood that you find whilst browsing through the particular stores:

Wood type: By investigating the wood type, you will be in a good position to determine its long term durability. You will frequently find the more expensive woods are more durable. In the long run, you will often find that the better quality kitchen range hoods and more expensive wood will usually be more cost effective.

The range hood size: Wooden hoods come in a variety of different dimensions. They often come in standard dimension, which corresponds to a standard hob size and large and small. You need to take into account the overalll size of your kitchen in order for the hood to operate efficiently. To extract the cooking gases from the whole of the cooking range it is important to achieve the correct overlap.

The finish of the hood: Since you want to achieve the best look, you have to consider the type of finishing to achieve that desired look to your kitchen area. The color of your kitchen area and the kind of image and atmosphere you want to convey will determine the appropriate finish.

Select the best custom profile: The custom profile will definitely add to the overall picture of the kitchen range hoods. You should be sure whether you wish the addition of beads within the trim, and additional colorful paraphernalia, and to how much.

A lot of people often take the easier direction and buy the same kitchen range hood to that found in a neighbor’s or friend’s kitchen. However, attending home design exhibitions is often a more favorable plan, as you will find a better idea of the range of kitchen hoods out there and you will more often than not find a hood more suitable for your needs. It is also often recommended to utilise the services of a professional interior designer to aid you to choose your hood.

posted by Matt Hellstrom on Jul 31

Stern is the only company making pinball machines today, so if you’re in the market for any other brand you’ll have to look at used pinball machines. Don’t worry – there are many places to find good used pinball machines, and some of the ones you find have been cleaned up so they’re just like new!

What’s the best place to find used pinball machines?

It would be nice to find a used pinball machine locally, since then you would be able to play it first, and wouldn’t have to pay for shipping. You can look in your local want ads, and on Craig’s list. You might be able to find a bargain that way, but you’ll probably have to do some work on the machine. That’s ok, because you’re going to have to learn to do minor things to your machine anyway. Pinball machines have lots of moving parts and quite often are in the need of “shopping” or cleaning up.

You can look on google for new and used pinball machines, and can find quite a few sites. When I did this search I noticed that there are many different kinds of sites – ones that are very professional with lots of pictures and even some with videos, ones that are very unprofessional, and everything in between.

If youre looking around at the different sites, be careful to choose one that seems reputable, as this is a pretty major expenditure, and you want to make sure you dont get cheated. For this reason, I think one of the best places to shop for used pinball machines is Ebay. They have very strict controls over fraud, and with their rating system, you can be sure youre dealing with someone thats reputable. In fact, Ive bought a couple of machines from there myself.

I like Ebay for another reason – the fact that it’s an auction site. What this means is that there is considerable competition there, so you have a good chance to find the best possible price for your used pinball machine. When I was searching the web, I found a really cool site with lots of great looking machines, but the prices seemed kind of high. At Ebay, you’ve got the advantage of shopping around.

So there you go, there are lots of options for finding used pinball machines, either locally or on the web. Happy shopping!

posted by matthew lewis on Jul 31

Wicker is a popular term that essentially describes any type of furniture or object that is woven from natural organic materials. This includes willow. Reed. rattan and bamboo. This special sort of furniture made of reeds and vines needs a special type of care and environment. Many opt to accessorize their wicker sunroom furniture with fashionable cushions and fabrics. These too must be maintained in order to save the look of the furniture.

Choosing Cushions for Your Wicker Furniture

Many don’t understand that the beautiful layout they see in the advertisements for wicker furniture regularly doesn’t include the padding or cushions. Careful examination of the details customarily exposes cushions must be purchased separately or may simply be included for an additional fee. About. Cushions for wicker furniture can be found at any department store with a home decorating section. If the furniture need a certain size or kind of cushion. there are always many options available online. Sturdy fabrics are the best choice for sunroom furniture which will see a lot of use. However. regardless of the amount of use the furniture will see. it is usually a good idea to treat the cushions with a stain repellant. Not only will this help the fabric retain its composition. it will make cleaning simpler in the off probability that something is spilled on the fabric!

Maintaining Your Wicker Furniture

Be certain to keep your wicker furniture away from sources of dry heat as this will make it brittle. This kind of furniture will do best in environments with a certain amount of humidity in the air. The manufacturer’s instructions are the prime source for information on a way to restore the moisture content of the furniture. Usually . The moisture content of wicker can be as straightforward as a fast rinsing with a garden hose.

To maintain wicker furniture and keep it in the best condition. a regular light dusting with the brush attachment that incorporates a vacuum cleaner is advised. Carefully following the weave of the wicker will help to remove dust and waste that may have become trapped in the wicker. For heavy build up on arm rests or tabletops. wipe the wicker with a wet material which has been dunked in a mild soapy solution ; then follow with a clean damp rag to get rid of any soap residue.

For bamboo furniture. a wax or polish is recommended.

posted by matthew lewis on Jul 31

Start the spring off right with good lawn care and your lawn will thank you by growing green and pretty in the spring and summer seasons. Spring lawn care is critical in that it is the time when you can catch, diagnose, and fix any grass issues like crabgrass. The good news is that spring lawn care can be finished in 5 simple steps. Make sure you follow these steps every year when spring rolls out and your lawn will start looking better and better each year!

1. Clean up the Lawn Cleaning the grass of any waste is step 1 in spring lawn care. This step includes raking any leftover leaves, branches, twigs, and so on. This may actually help to ensure a problem free first cutting.

2. Distribute Remaining Snow If any piles of snow have amassed and not melted then you’ll need to get the spade out and break he snow pile apart. Simply spread the snow around the lawn in areas where there is lots of sun. This is a critical step as the snow pile could cause the grass beneath to develop and grow slower than the remainder of the grass.

3. First Fertilizing Find a good fertilizer for early spring application. It will have the right mixture of manure compounds for your lawn. Bear in mind to fertilize light as over fertilizing in spring can harm the roots of the grass and cause you more problems than you need.

4. Crabgrass- Remove it before it grows! Early spring is the best time for crabgrass treatment. If your grass had crabgrass growth last spring or summer than you will need to treat it this spring. The way to treat for crabgrass is with herbicide and it has got to be applied two weeks before crabgrass germinates in your area. If you are uncertain about when this occurs then you may need to consider asking a professional landscaper for some helpful advice.

5. Over Seeding Over seeding is the process of placing a major quantity of grass seeds on patchy or worn down areas or grass. This process helps to buttress and quicken the grass expansion and to help it look better. If you used an herbicide for crabgrass then you need to wait at least a month before over seeding.

posted by Chris Copeland on Jul 31

Winter White, Raborovski and Djungarias. Interesting names for equally interesting creatures. These three species all actually belong to the Russian Dwarf Hamster family. Here is a guide to distinguishing these amazing and interesting hamsters.

First let us discuss size. The smallest among the three are the Raborovski Dwarf Hamsters. They measure four to five centimeters in length. The Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamsters and the Djungaria or Campbell’s Russian Dwarf Hamsters measure at least eight centimeters.

The most unusual of Russian Dwarf Hamsters is the Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster. They are often sold two-by-two. They have the unique ability to blend in with the whiteness of snow, as a disguise so that they will not be easily spotted as prey. They are the most amiable among the three species.

So amazingly, even when you keep them as pets at home, they turn white when they do not get exposed to natural sun. However, if they are mostly indoors and therefore only able to receive light from lamps and bulbs, they will not change color.

Cambell’s Russian Dwarf Hamsters or Djungarias, named after their hometown in Djungaria, Mongolia, are the most prevalent of dwarf hamsters. Some breeders even played around with their natural coloring, so they come in cool fur colors like cinnamon, blue, lilac, mottled or even polka dots!

The third and smallest kind of Russian Dwarf Hamsters are the Roboroski, which are all the way from Mongolia and China. Their distinctive features are their sand brown color and gray undercoats. They have long legs and they are very prissy.

These tiny pets are hard to contain. Their small size allows them to make quick escapes so look for cages that are sealed all throughout. One great feature of this specie though is that they are very hygienic. The love to clean and bathe themselves constantly.

Nurture your Russian Dwarf Hamsters as you would with any other hamster. They love to eat seeds, wheat cereals, vegetables and the like. A weekly cleaning of their containers and fresh substrate are musts.

Another must for Russian Dwarf Hamsters is exercise. They love to run around outside their cages but it would cause you to lose them. In order to satisfy their urge to get out, keep them in a hamster ball (but away from the stairs please) so that they can roll all over your house, and still be in a secured enclosure.

posted by Corey Larson on Jul 30

Knowing the fact that the approach you use to learn the guitar is the key-determining factor in your success or failure to actually learn, these three conclusions follow:

Surround yourself with better players (or at least with those on your same level.) When you started out playing guitar, everyone was better than you, but now you have grown and there are less people better than you than before. The better you get, the harder it will be to find others who are superior to you to hang around or jam with.

Remember that its ok to daydream and fantasize about where you are planning to go, but it can’t stop there. Don’t wish without planning! Don’t dream without doing! And always, always, have a strategy.

You may need to revise certain aspects of your strategy as time goes on and that’s ok, but don’t try to go forward without one if you want the maximum results in the shortest amount of time. In my early days learning to play guitar, I wasted a lot of time aimlessly desiring to get better without having a clue as to how to plan for it. Sure I practiced a lot, but without direction and without an efficient path to follow. Most of my substantial progress as a musician came only after I developed a strategy and worked with it.

For instance, the process may go like this: I notice I have trouble with a fast scale passage in a piece I am playing. I notice a particular note starts disappearing when I reach a certain speed. The note is being missed.

Now that we have the proper attitude in focus, let’s talk about how to go about “managing” the process of changing bad playing habits. How do we actually conduct ourselves, and our practicing and playing? As I have said, some people become paralyzed, afraid to play, afraid of undoing work done in practice sessions by what they do when they play. And for those who play professionally, it is of course, absolutely necessary that they continue to play, even if they are doing “remedial” work on their technique.

I believe “Self Expression” is the pinnacle of all art. Anything less, “is less” in my opinion. I’m not going to debate that view or try to persuade any of you to also believe it. Instead I am going to assume you already hold that view and discuss ways in which I may be able to offer you both philosophical and practical advice.

For instance, practice chord changes. Perhaps switching from an F barre chord to a D open is driving you crazy. Spend ten minutes going over and over the change.