Citrus Fruits and Apples.

"Every DIYer knows that fruits like oranges, lemons and limes aren't just good to eat; they're superb household helpers too. We've handpicked a bunch of our favorite uses for citrus fruits around the house. A few of them might surprise you.

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Last holiday season, my family received a huge bag of oranges as a gift from a friend in Florida. While nothing beats a Florida orange, there were just too many in the bundle -- certainly more than we could eat before they'd go bad. So I got thinking -- as I usually do when I have spare things around the house -- what else could I use these oranges for? Come to think of it, I had some lemons in the fridge too.
The citric acid in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits have special properties that make them a powerful household cleaner, disinfectant, and lots more. Their peels come in handy too.

Citrus Fruits for Cleaning
-- Cut a lemon in half, dip it in some salt and it will bring copper bottom pots back to their shiny glory. Dip the other half in some baking soda and you have a perfect, scrubber that cleans, freshens and won't scratch surfaces, try it on sinks, stoves and counters!
Citrus Fruits for Odor and Stain Removal
-- Rub cut lemons on your hands or your cutting board will get rid of garlic, onion and fish odors. It will also clean away stains left from slicing berries!
-- Lemon juice will brighten whites that can't be bleached! Just pour a quarter of a cup of lemon juice into the washer. If you have light stains that won't come out of those whites, pour lemon juice on them and spread the clothes in the sun to dry. The lemon juice will react with the sunlight and the stains will disappear!

AP

-- Zest the rind of a citrus fruit and sprinkle it in your vacuum bag. The zest will keep the bag smelling fresh and will spread the scent around the house as you work.

Citrus Fruits for Pest Control
-- Use a blender to grind up 2 lemons and a liter of water, strain out any solids. Fill a spray bottle and spray under doors, and sinks and anywhere else you've seen ants, they hate the citrus and will head in the other direction!
-- Zest an orange and put it in a bowl on the table at your next picnic. It will keep flies away from the food. Orange peels in the garbage will keep flies out of there too!

Citrus Fruits as Kindling
-- Orange peels make great kindling for your fireplace. Just spread them on a cookie sheet and let them dry in the air. Then toss them in your fire. They actually smell good, they burn longer and they produce less creosote than paper!

Citrus Fruit as Sugar Preservative
-- You can also put a slice of orange peel in your bag of brown sugar. The moisture in the peel will keep the sugar from hardening."

From: http://www.diylife.com/2010/09/21/citrus-fruits-uses/

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Easy way to core an apple:

Aimee Herring

"There's an easy way to core an apple, demonstrates chef Joseph DiPerri of The Culinary Institute of America. After cutting the apple in half lengthwise through the stem, you can simply remove the seeds with the help of a melon baller. Just one quick scoop, and they're gone.

You can also use a serrated grapefruit spoon, giving it a quick twist around the seeds. Worried about oxidization? Just run a cut lemon over the apple flesh -- it will keep your apple from turning brown. "

Read more about The Culinary Institute of America.

Read more: http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/07/how-to-core-an-apple/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl8%7Csec3_lnk2%7C172053#ixzz10JdMqQSo

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Today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nigel installed his new water heater, and as with any job, one seems to drag out so many tools.  His old water heater will go back to England for his son's RV.  It still works, but they wanted a new one.

 

Pamala spent most of the day catching up on emails.  We have set her up with her own 'office' as she calls it, and have her plugged into my router, as none of us could make the WiFi work.  They still have to arrange for the shipping of their RV.

 

I finished grooming Muffie:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her 'Dad' wanted her clipped very short like this.   She is really a long coated dog like a Llasa.

It seems that it did her good to be groomed at that other place last time.    She behaved like a different dog, and she didn't give me any trouble at all today. 

21 Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You! Memories.

(But these convicted Burglars did!!)

1. Of course I look familiar.   I was here just last week cleaning your carpets,  painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey,  thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week.    While I was in there,  I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers.  That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside.  Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes,  I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway.    And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it...!!
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set.     That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink.   And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom  -  and your jewelry.     It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining,  you're fumbling with your umbrella,  and you forget to lock your door  -understandable.      But understand this:     I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first.    If you answer,   I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters.     (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer?     I always check dresser drawers,  the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet...
11. Helpful hint:   I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right:    I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down,   I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system.   If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town,   you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)
14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard.  Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever,  look like a crook.
15. The two things I hate most:   loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
16. I'll break a window to get in,  even if it makes a little noise.   If your neighbor hears one loud sound,  he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again.    If he doesn't hear it again,  he'll just go back to what he was doing.     It's human nature.
17. I'm not complaining,  but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
18. I love looking in your windows.   I'm looking for signs that you are at home,  and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like.    I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night,   before you close the blinds - just to pick my targets.
19. Avoid announcing your vacation or weekend holiday on your Facebook page.   It's easier than you think to look up your address.
20. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me,  it's an invitation.
21. If you don't answer when I knock,  I try the door.    Occasionally,  I hit the jackpot and walk right in. . . . .
Sources:   Convicted burglars in North Carolina,  Oregon,  California, and Kentucky;   security consultant Chris McGoey,  who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright,   a criminology professor at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book,  "Burglars on the Job."

One more protection for you and your home:
"If you don't have a gun,  here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil  plans for you.
 I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.   Get Wasp Spray!
A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection.  She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to TWENTY FEET away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you.    The wasp spray temporarily BLINDS  an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote.   
She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would.    She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection... "

Because of Anonymous' comment, I am adding this: http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/waspspray.asp
I thought this was interesting & might be of use!!

So, of you're looking for protection, look to the wasp spray.
"That's going to give you a chance to call the police;  & maybe get out."
Maybe even save a life.
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A lazy day today, as no one was coming, and I didn’t have to take any one anywhere.  I leisurely drank my morning coffee, tended to emails, then a long soak in the tub, washed my hair, and laundered sheets.
I think I have a head cold, but with my sinuses messed up, it is difficult to tell.  I still haven’t been to my new doctor to find out what can be done about these cysts in my sinuses.
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This is a ‘mizzy’ time of year for me.  Four years ago today,  my granddaughter was laying in Galveston Hospital (UTMB) in a coma hooked to numerous machines, having been hit my a DDD (dam drunk driver).  Also, I had just been informed that my dog had terminal inoperable spleen cancer, and needed to be PTS.

On top of that, I had about 10 sick and injured Llasa Apsos here who belonged to a neighbor who had had a severe stroke.  Her daughter and granddaughter saw the $ signs in the dogs, especially the puppies, and wouldn’t let me take care of them.  They thought it was going to be easy!! But they had never been around a mess of dogs, and didn’t know how to take care of them. They lost some pups with coccidiosis, and then didn’t vaccinate them, so they got parvo.   They hadn’t left food or water for the dogs, so they dug out of two fences, and were all over the streets, some injured,  trying to get to me.  Naturally, I had to pick them up and take them in, and got the worst ones to Kenya of the SPCA, for immediate medical attention.   So I couldn’t leave or spend time with my dog.

I was so stressed that I had some kind of a kind of heart attack, like Atrial Fibrillation and angina.  I was weak, and even passed out on the dog room floor, awakened by being licked by the Llasas, who all loved me, as I had lovingly groomed them for many years.

 I knew that I had to do something, so I called my friend Sherry of the Llasa Rescue. (The dog’s owner had told me that if anything happened to her, that is where she wanted her dogs to go.)   Sherry and her family drove many miles, and took all the Llasas that night.  But I still wouldn’t go to the hospital, as I wanted to spend the last day or two with my dying dog, and see my granddaughter one last time.

I took aspirin, nitro glycerin, green tea, and sat and held him all night.  The following morning, Jay helped me pack the old motor home, and I drove to Galveston, with enough pain meds for my dog for three days.  I did see my granddaughter for the last time before she passed away on the 14th. February. Jay went with me to watch my dog while I was in the hospital.

Jake and Shari, yes, our JATexas, who I have known since the old RVAmerica chat, of http://jatexas.blogspot.com/ and his great website : http://jatexas.com/ let me plug in outside their house at High Island, so I could see my granddaughter again the following day in Galveston. 

But my dog was getting worse, and Jay had got hold of some beer, so I unplugged, and I drove through the night to the only Animal Emergency Hospital that I knew where it was.  So early that morning, my doggie went to Rainbow bridge.

Finally, after Jay dug a resting place next to Honky, my white cat, and Critter, my late DH's dog, I went to the Urgent Care Clinic near the house, and an EKG confirmed that I had had a heart attack.

In loving memory of my Levi, today.