Cleaning Up My Act (Yard)

Before -

 After -

Going once?  Going twice? SOLD!

I hemmed and hawed over the last couple years about this old chain link kennel and what to do with it.  We bought it off Craig's List years ago in some town on the north shore like Reading or something silly. I don't believe we paid that much for it and certainly got our money out of it.  

In the past we've used it to house ducks and chickens and even rabbits, however, the latter tunneled  right out in short order.  In recent years it's been used for storage to hold miscellaneous outside items, e.g. tomato cages, metal tomato stakes, old cages and barrels.  All in all it was more of an eye sore than anything else.

So, I pulled the trigger, threw together an ad on letgo and I "let it go"!

Red Couch Chair, Free!

I belong to a local yardsale-type Facebook group.  Most are Franklin or neighboring town residents that sell stuff.  This particular posting grabbed my attention immediately.  Nope, not because it was listed as "FREE".  Nope again, not because it was listed as "very comfy", although tempting.  Rather, what caught my attention was the visible condition of the item! The listing says, "some cosmetic damage", but good lord what I see is NOT cosmetic damage, c'mon man.  Seems a lion or tiger was sharpening their claws on this jewel.

Not surprising, I passed on this freebie...

Swung It's Last Swing...

Alas...

After some back and forth and with Emilie's okay, we decided it was time to sell the Creative Plaything swing set of ours.

Although, it took several attempts via Craig's List, beginning in the Fall of 2014, we finally found someone who was truly interested and someone who wasn't expecting it for free (the gall of some people).  He showed up with a buddy around 1:00 this past Sunday, dismantled the set, loaded it up and drove away by 4:30ish.

Truth be told it took much longer that I would have guessed.  I suspect the buyer was thinking the same thing too.

We purchased in 2004, which included installation.  It was a terrific swing set that got a lot of use by Emilie and many others over the years.  We have pictures of the set with Uncle Tommy, Barbara, my mom, my dad and many others.

It's going to another home where it will provide additional memories for another family.  We'll have our fond memories. On the other hand, I can tell you with the utmost certainty that the person who mows the lawn is VERY happy to no longer mow around that structure...

Swept Me Off My Feet

So, I found this Agri Lawn Sweeper on the side of the road for free some 15 or so years ago.  Quite a find to say the least!  Over the years it got plenty of use and not just by me but my neighbors also.  I mostly used it for Spring and Fall yard cleanup and it worked great.

However, all that being said the problem with this lawn sweeper is storing it.  It's big, bulky and heavy.  So, the other day I made the spur of the moment decision and posted it for sale on Craig's List.  In less than a week this dude was sold and we pocketed $120.

It'll be missed but with my lawn tractor bagger's do an excellent job at pickup also, so it had to go.

Help - My Dog's Bum is Very Red

I came across yet another comical posting today while reading the 'Pets Community' on Craig's List. Each time I read one of these funny/odd postings it puts my issues into perspective and I realize things could be worse.

Hopefully this person will resolve the dog's problem but more importantly I hope, at a minimum, she has her carpet cleaned. I would lean more towards ripping it out!

Hi, I know that sounds like a funny title but it is true. When I took my dog out last night, I noticed that his stool was very hard and he seemed to struggle to push it out. Later that night, he was dragging his bum on my rug. I figured it must be worms so I was going to pick some up medicine today. But when we went out this morning, he again struggled to release his stool and again it was very hard. Now his bum is very red (almost to the point of some blood) and looks sore. I have never seen a stool softener for dogs, but I don't want to give him dewormer if it won't be effective. Is this worth a visit to the vet? Any advice would be great! Thanks!

Help "Humping" Problem Embarrassing

I came across this while reading 'Pets Community' on Craig's List this morning. It's reassuring to know that I am not the only one with problems and after reading this my problems don't seem too bad after all...

I need some advice. Can some one please tell me the most effective way to get my mothers dog to stop humping other dogs??? My mother has a Lhasa Apso/Shitz Tsu mix and I just got a Lhasa pup. Her dog is a really wonderful dog that is not neutered and he is 6 years old. Vets have told us that neutering him may not stop the problem and we are nervous to get it done just because he is a little bit older and why put him through it if it won't help. Is this a behavioral problem that we can train out of him???? We want to be able to use each other as dog sitters but this behavior is so bad I don't know what to do. He also did it to my friend's 2 year old daughter. He seems to do it to anything his own size b/c he doesn't even try it w/the bigger dogs on his street. Please help I need this to stop. We are planning on going away and were hoping my mother could dog sit.
Thanks