Safety at home

Sometimes I think my wife is extra paranoid about Home Security.  She wants to keep all of the doors and windows locked at all times, whether we are home or not.  I am not used to having the house locked up that tight because I grew up in an area where no one locked their house up - ever.  But my wife grew up in an area where there were a lot of home intrusions and she gets frightened if she goes out and then comes home and finds that house empty and unlocked.

She has been telling me that she wants to invest in a  Home Security Surveillance System.  Especially now that her sisters and her mother have all bought Home Security Systems for their homes.  I told her to start researching the different systems and get some information about features and prices, and then we’d sit down and talk about it.  I don’t feel the need for one because I own a gun and know how to shoot very well.  But my wife abhors guns and doesn’t want to learn to shoot, so for her peace of mind maybe we’ll get a system for her so that when she is home alone she will feel safer.

Get it in writing

I am really sad to say that gone are the days when a man’s word was as good as his handshake. There have been too many times when I have put my trust in people who are my relatives, and supposedly good friends that when they borrow something from me that they will return it. It’s really sad to think that I cannot trust my own friends and relatives anymore! What makes it really sad is that I hate to say “no” to them when they come to me and ask me to borrow something. But weeks go by and when I ask for it back they sometimes claim that they never borrowed it!

 My wife tells me that when they borrow something that I should have them put in writing that they are borrowing it and when they will return it. I hate to think that I have to do that with my own friends and family, but I think that it has come to that! And she says to tell them that if it isn’t returned by the “due date” that they can not borrow anything else until it IS returned. I hate to take that heavy-handed course, but I can’t afford to keep lending out things and never getting them back!

Keeping cool

In our attempts to keep our electric bill as low as possible, we have been thinking about installing ceiling fans throughout the house.  I’d like to have one in every room except for the bathrooms.  Keeping the air circulating will allow us to raise the temperature on the thermostat but still be comfortable.  And of course, using less electricity helps the environment!  It might also help my wife’s dry skin problem I mentioned in my previous post – less air conditioning will lessen the dryness of the air.

Last month I installed two Hunter ceiling fans in our living room.  I chose them because they have the reputation of being quiet, and I don’t want to have to turn up the television any higher to hear it over the noise of anything mechanical! 

I’d also like to install a couple of outdoor Minka aire fans on our porch. Having the air moving out there while we are sitting outside would make the porch a much more pleasant spot to sit and socialize.  Especially for my wife, who loves to sit outside and look at the flower bed and watch the dogs playing with each other.

Humidifier in the summer

I think that one of the most ironic things about summertime is the fact that it is so hot and humid outside that we run an air conditioner (and fans) day and night to help keep the house cooler so we are more comfortable. But the air conditioners do also act as dehumidifiers, so the air inside the house is so dry that we have to run humidifiers to keep our skin from drying out too much! My poor wife’s skin is so dry that her fingertips are cracked! I think we should buy stock in the hand-cream business! She sure has to use a lot of it!

Money money money

A few years ago a friend of mine (Ed)  decided to become a stock broker.  I tried to be supportive and do my Stock Trading though him and the brokerage firm that he was working with.  The only problem that I had with him was when I called him and told him that I wanted to buy stocks in certain companies he always tried to talk me out of what I wanted to buy and steer me towards what he thought was a better investment.

I got pushy and demanded that he buy the stocks that I wanted (and he did) and they made money.  The stocks he recommended lost money (I kept track.)  I came to the conclusion that I was better off with an Online Broker because that was not going to ruin my friendship Ed.  Well, maybe it would if he found out!  So I’ll just keep my Online Trading a secret from him as long as I can!