At fifty I found a job that I was born to do. I was Director of a Humane Society’s animal shelter. Working with the animals was a joy. The daily bookwork, staff and pet emergencies were handled with ease. I lost track of how many kittens that I bottle fed in the five years I worked at the shelter. I know I had four litters of kittens at one time in our kitchen. Baby kittens have to be fed every two to four hours night and day. One kitten, Sara, came to me starving and with a birth defect that left her hind legs useless. Sara was adopted by a Veterinarian and is thriving. Previously I had been a secretary, and was secretary to the Mayor, but Director of the Animal Shelter was the most difficult job I had ever had, and my favorite job of all.

Let me start by saying that I love learning. There are few things more exciting to me than learning something new or mastering a craft. Therefore, my favorite website is www.about.com. It is supremely user-friendly, and it has a wealth of well-written articles on how to do almost anything under the sun. About.com rescued me last year in August, when my doctor put me out on maternity leave. I worked for as long as they would let me, and I still ended up having a week and a half before my due date to sit around doing nothing. Everyone told me to use the time to relax and enjoy my pregnancy, but that sounded a lot like wasting time to me, and I wanted no parts of it. Unfortunately for me, though, my huge belly wouldn’t let me do much else. I did my share of waddling around town, but since my husband didn’t want me out waddling without him, I spent most of his work days sitting in the house. The tedium of those days would’ve killed me were it not for about.com. Instead of wasting all my time refolding tiny baby clothes, I learned how to design my own filet crochet patterns, how to make my own baby food, and how to use breast milk medicinally, among other things. Now I have an 11 month old baby and very little time for about.com. I look back fondly on our days before I gave birth though.

Many people have questions about simple things that typically don’t deserve being tested. Pop rocks and coke, umbrella parachuting, etc. Most of the time, these questions just go unanswered. There’s no real need to actually find out if you can actually detonate a gas station with your cell phone, just don’t pull out the cell phone. But for Adam and Jamie of the Mythbusters, that’s not good enough. On their Discovery channel television show, the pair of veteran special effects engineers will put any interesting sounding question to the test. Common fair for the show is legends and myths as the title would suggest, and have led to investigations into such topics as rocket powered Buicks, toilet paper ropes, chopping bullets in half, and even one episode that dealt with homemade personal aircraft. Other topics are more esoteric and stem from simple speculation to scientific scrutiny of common phrases, such as “Hit the ground running.” However, each task is approached intelligently and scientifically, with plenty of humor thrown in to keep you laughing when the experiments aren’t doing so on their own.

Personally, I like a bargain. I’m always looking at the weekly sales ads to see where the better bargain is. I like Walmart but Target actually has a lot of nice stuff for a decent price. And now that the Targets have freezer/refrigerated items in their food aisles there’s a lot more to shop for. Recently I went shopping for some food items at Target and was pleasantly surprised to see that they had several items that I normally buy at a fairly decent price if not lower price than the grocery store. Granted, they don’t carry ALL the items you would find in a grocery store, but they carry most items. I have 3 children who love to eat cereal. I always buy the store brand at Target which ranges from $2.00 to $2.80 a box. Target brand cereal has some big boxes too for that price. So I usually buy at least 3-4 boxes of cereal. Target also has some great prices on kids clothing. I love to look on the clearance racks. We also like to buy movies on DVD so Target is also a great place to buy these. For me, Target is the place to shop.

There are several things about large powerlines near a home that can affect resale and the ability to sell the home at all, besides health perceptions. There are some people that swear they get electrical charges from the electricity that leaks from the lines and causes an electro magnetic field. Besides the way they look, large power lines have been linked to increased health problems including cancer.

When you are looking for a good deal, you will find some nice homes listed for less than other comparable homes in the area without power lines. There are some people that see the large power lines and turn around when coming to look at a home. The only way you should consider purchasing one of these types of homes is if you expect to live there for forever, or take a loss by the time the home sells.

If the only home you can purchase is one that is drastically reduced due to these large power lines being nearby, you might want to wait until you can afford the home you want. Some homeowners claim the lines sway in high winds and creak or let out a whistling noise. The other thing to consider is how close they are to your home because they can break, especially in areas where there are ice storms.

Even if you take the negative health images out of the mix, you still need to consider the difficulty in selling the home. It gives you an uphill battle in recouping money from your investment before you ever get started. Unfortunately, there are homes on the market that may sit there a long time, unless the sellers lower the price, due to nearby high voltage power lines.

There are some towns where it affects many of the houses in town. People that live in close knit towns like this might not have as hard a time selling their home to others in the town. For those that live in the suburbs or metropolitan areas, this can be another story.  If you ask many realtors, they will probably all tell you the same thing. Nearby power lines are like the plague to some buyers. There are other problems that are just as bad, including steep driveways, retention ponds and being next to active railroad train tracks. It’s hard to decide which of these problems are worse than the others.

When it comes to buying a home, you should always be considering resale before you write a contract. You never know when you will need to relocate for a job or a change in family conditions. You should try to find a home at a good price that is likely to hold resale the best. Very rarely will a home near large power lines ever see much appreciation, so if you are getting such a great deal you can’t refuse, you should think hard before investing.

Of course, the seller probably went through the same thoughts you are having if you have found the price of one of these homes an attractive incentive to purchase. Just beware that you might have to think of the same tactic and hope for the same kind of buyer when you decide to resell.

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Sedalia Colorado real estate, Longmont Colorado real estate, or anywhere else in the Colorado front range.

I was reading an article about DIY Wills & Trusts services being on the rise, and I have to say I agree with them. I’m not a lawyer, and yes, a will is a simple idea. However, everyone has individual circumstances that can mean huge differences in how a will should be drawn up. Based on that fact alone, I wouldn’t want to cause my heirs a lot of grief because I wanted to save a couple hundred bucks by doing a last will and testament by myself. I figure it’s worth the investment to at least consult with an attorney before finalizing that DIY will or trust.

Christina McDonald – a Castle Rock Colorado Attorney specializes in Wills, Trusts & estates & recommends the same thing.

My favorite music to listen to is Alternative. Although, I do like R & B, some Hip-Hop & Rap and some pop as well. But I always go back to the alternative music. I love 30 Seconds to Mars. They have some great songs. Not to mention hot lead singer Jared Leto. Love to see him in movies too. My all time favorite group is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I could listen to them all day every day. I never get tired of any of their songs. Even my 3 kids who are ages 13, 9 and 7 love the Red Hot Chili Peppers too. Another group I like is Fuel, but only when the lead singer was Brett Scallions. He is no longer with the group anymore. But I have some of their CDs and their songs are great. Brett Scallions is an awesome singer. I play their songs over and over in the car. I play Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fuel so many times in the car that my husband and my kids are sick of hearing all those songs. I can’t help it. If I like it, I’m going to listen to it.

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An “R” value on insulation became popular in the 1990’s during an energy crisis, giving us some kind of measurement to compare home insulation. The “R” stands for resistance to heat loss. In theory, the higher the “R” value, the better the insulation should work. The only thing to consider is that the “R” value is a number that is derived from the amount of heat loss via conduction, but there are other ways to experience heat loss including convection, air infiltration and radiation.

Fiberglass insulation is the most common insulation, but it is only effective for heat loss through conduction, where other materials, like cellulose insulation is effective in all four heat loss situations. Some of the newer insulating materials are better at preventing the spread of fire, deterring mold or insects and blocking the transmission of sound. Another thing to consider when analyzing “R” values in insulation is that gaps and seams can let the wind in, which can make insulation less effective. For this reason, many homeowners are using spray insulation and having air-sealing tests done for the highest energy efficiency.

Recommended “R” or resistance values vary based on where in the home the insulation is being applied and what temperature zones you live in. For example, in the United States, recommended “R” values for attics can be anywhere from R-22 in the Southern-most areas, but most of the country is R-38 to R-49 in new construction. Walls can range from R-11 in the South to R-28 in colder climates.  For basements, exterior area ranges can be R-4 to R-15 and most interior walls are R-11. Not all present homes might be able to accommodate these thicknesses, but it gives you an idea of how “R” values range for certain applications and what new home construction is commonly using.

When you consider that you should get the best “R” values you can afford, you will also realize that your energy bill savings will be more the higher the “R” value on your insulation. Besides “R” value, you need to consider air sealing, especially if you live in windy areas like mountainous and hilly terrain or open water areas. Either way, you should purchase the highest “R” value you can afford for your attic, since this is where the majority of heat loss occurs, and since heat rises.

Walls in an existing home can have insulation blown in from the attic to give a higher “R” value and you might want to consider some of the more efficient cellulose insulation products that offer better insulating qualities. No matter what part of the country you live in, even warmer climates need good insulation to keep heat out, as well. Insulation can lose some of its “R” value a number of ways, including when it gets wet, so any roof leaks and foundation leaks should be taken into account when you are trying to make your home more energy efficient.

Hiring professionals to consult you on “R” values for your home and recommendations for air sealing might be a good idea if it has been awhile since your home was built, or insulation was installed. You may be eligible for tax credits and you will also see energy savings on your utility bills.

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Boulder real estate, Longmont real estate, Sedalia CO real estateor anywhere else in the Colorado front range.

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Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are a two man detective tag team and they really get off to an awful start. After they have a while to work on this case they become true friends. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Brad Pitts wife and does a fine job of it at that. Her role is minimal but the most important role in the film. These two detectives take on the most engrossing case I have ever seen. Twists and turns and full of I should have known the answer to that! Moments. Without giving away anything I hope you choose to watch this movie and I hope you have a strong stomach. If you have a penchant for a serial killer movie that is full of mystery and funny moments, you have got to see this one. It is Ashton Kutcher’s favorite movie and that is why I watched it. He certainly has good taste!

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