David A. Ross asked:




In Greece, a cat is considered by many to be a garden animal, much as a squirrel or chipmunk is regarded in Britain or America. Most cats are left to fend for themselves, the thinking being that they will control the rodent population more effectively if they must hunt for their food. The average life expectancy for an outdoor cat in Greece, I’m told by a veterinarian, is about three years. This is due to the many hazards they encounter (mainly car traffic) as they prowl through village alleyways, congregate in front of restaurants, or explore the countryside unprotected.

We adopted our cat Felix from an animal shelter about a year before we came to Greece to live. At the time it was assumed that he was about three years old, but his actual history was unknown. Over time we have concluded that he’d been brought to the shelter after his original owner had died. (We have our reasons for making this assumption).

For the first year that Felix was with us, we lived in a city apartment, so he remained an indoor cat. He seemed happy enough with the arrangement, so we naturally assumed that that had been his previous lifestyle as well. When we decided to come to Corfu to live, the question obviously arose about what to do with Felix. Even during the first year he’d lived with us, we’d grown quite fond of him, and we really did not want to give him up. At the same time, the thought of moving an animal five thousand miles to a new home on a different continent seemed to us a bit far-fetched. Finally, we made the difficult decision to give him up, and Kelly found a very nice fellow who agreed to adopt him. Arrangements were made, and on a Saturday morning one week before we were to leave for Greece, the new caretaker arrived to collect him. After a short bonding session, and a tearful good-bye, Felix was off to his new home. Or so we thought…

As the hours passed that day, we grew more and more despondent about giving Felix up for adoption; and about seven that evening my wife decided to telephone the new owner to see what might be arranged concerning his return. “I’ve made the biggest mistake,” she told the fellow. “I’ve given away my best friend.” Well, it’s easy to say in hindsight that Felix had worked his way deep into her heart, and the decision was made to take him to Greece, come what may. We telephoned the airline and bought his passage from Denver to Frankfurt, then on to Athens.

Felix made the journey to Greece like a real trooper. Inside his flexible carrier bag, he flew underneath the forward seat for fourteen hours without making a sound (somewhat uncharacteristic; he’s normally quite a talker, which he probably gets from me) and without making a mess (if you get my drift).

Once we’d moved into our new digs on Corfu, Felix seemed to make the adjustment without concern. He was still an indoor cat, as he’d never known anything else; but when we’d return after being out, we’d see his little head looking through the parted shutters of our kitchen window, and I began to wonder just how long we could keep him inside our small apartment before he grew curious and ventured out on his own. We decided to introduce him to the great outdoors of our small garden, and of course his new outdoor life was soon underway.

As that first summer grew hotter and hotter, we of course left our windows open, and Felix soon determined that the open window just above the stairs leading to the garden was his doorway. He came and went at will, and sometimes he was gone for hours. Yet he always returned, sometimes with a gift for us.

As autumn came and the nights grew colder, Felix became an avid hunter. Not only did he leave mice he’d caught on our windowsill, he picked bats right out of the air in mid-flight and deposited them in our small lounge. As cats will be, he was immensely proud of his conquests. One night, I got up in the middle of the night to find a very large (and very dead) rat deposited smack in the center of our lounge. All in a night’s work for Felix!

I was personally quite happy Felix had attained his freedom to come and go at will, and to do as cats do outdoors. He seemed very happy with the new arrangement, and obviously there was a vast world beyond our walls for him to explore. All seemed to be going quite well until one day he went outside in the early morning but failed to return by ten that evening. Needless to say, we were worried for his safety and went round the immediate environment looking for him. We found no trace of him, nor did he return that night. Next day, we searched the village, but of course finding a cat that does not wish to be found is next to impossible. He did not return on that second day, or the next. We posted his photo around the village, along with a message that said he was missing, as well as our contact information. For nine days we neither saw him nor heard any information that might determine what had happened to him. I admit that I thought the worst, that he’d wandered out to the highway and been struck by a car, then his remains disposed of by whomever. Kelly remained more optimistic. “I know he’s not dead,” she maintained. “I’m just afraid that he’s been injured and is unable to come home.”

Just when we’d really come round to giving him up for lost, my wife heard our neighbor calling to her. “Gato! Gato!” We rushed down to the garden to find Felix, emaciated and a bit delirious (or so it seemed). Wherever he’d been for the past ten days, it was obvious that he’d not had food, and probably little to drink. We brought him inside our apartment, but he was so bad off that he did not even seem to recognize that he’d come home. He crouched underneath our desk, barely moving, and I was afraid he would not last the night. We telephoned a vet, who said he would come after four hours. When the vet arrived, he too was skeptical about Felix’s recovery. He gave him a shot of Cortisone to help him breathe, and also to ease whatever pain he might have been experiencing. “He’s obviously starving,” said the vet. “If he’ll take food and water, there’s a chance, but we’ll just have to wait and see.” When the vet left, I was able to coax him to take a few bites of tuna, though I was still fearful that he was on his last legs, so to speak.

That night we took turns sitting up with him. When morning came, he was still with us, though very, very weak. His back legs would barely carry his weight, and it was heartbreaking to see him try to walk, only to falter and fall down. For two straight weeks we fed him better than we fed ourselves, giving him an entire roasted chicken, tuna fish, pork chops, steak, and whatever else we thought might nourish him back to health. Slowly, he began to regain his strength, though it took several months before he was able to use his hind legs to even jump the short distance from the floor onto our bed.

Another time, he managed to get some sort of wild reed inside his eye, and we had to have the vet perform surgery to remove it. “This plant is particularly dangerous for cats,” Dr. Markos told us, “because it grows into their system and entangles itself around the heart.”

Sometime later, Felix was attacked by a fox, required two separate surgeries, and spent the next three months gaining back the use of one of his hind legs.

The apartment where we now live is two and a half stories above the street. It has three balconies. Felix likes to walk the railings, fearless and indignant as a circus performer, and does not seem very concerned that there is no net below to catch him if he falls. And fall he has–twice!

These days, Felix has gone into voluntary retirement. He seldom goes outside, and when he does, it is only to sniff around the garden. Unlike his more independent youth, he always comes home when we call him. He’s nine years old now, after all, and he’s earned his leisure. He still walks the railings though; there seems to be no way to stop him. By Greek standards, he is a very old cat. By my calculation, he’s used up eight of his nine lives. He’s durable if nothing else. We still take great enjoyment from his company, and it seems that the feeling is mutual. We’re hoping that his so-called retirement will mean no more mishaps, but perhaps that is too much to assume. Until Felix’s next great misadventure, we bide our time. This morning, as I write, he’s camped out on top of the bookcase, which means he’s about to take yet another nap. I can relax, knowing he’s safe and sound. But I often wonder: Just when and how did I become so devoted a pet owner? And aside from that, who actually owns whom? It’s a question that every cat owner must face sooner or later.



Hands On CPR

Mark Lewis asked:


There are many universal laws that exist and operate amongst us all whether we are aware of them or not.

They work on the vibrations of your life force and that of all other entities around you. Be it living matter (people, animals, plants etc.) or physical entities (metals, minerals, planets etc.).

These vibrations are part of the make-up of all matter and are a basis of the saying “that which can be seen has no form, that which cannot be seen has form”.

To simplify an explanation for this ancient line would be this:

The person standing in front of you or even the bookcase made of wood are both actually made up of molecules and atoms that are in a state of constant movement and of comparatively vast distances between each other.

So what you see (the person or bookcase) which appears solid is actually made up of multiple entities in constant state of movement.

That which you cannot see (atoms and molecules) actually are the basis for the entity and in fact are of solid form.

And all states can vibrate in either a positive or negative manner. Thus attracting entities of similar frequency be it positive or negative. Hence the old saying, “You reap what you sow”.

Now with a basic understanding of the emanations from within us and this particular ‘universal law’, how can we use this to our own advantage in personal or business promotion?

Let’s take the “Law of Reciprocity”:

The act of giving to receive something in return.

Be it basic items like a free t-shirt, stickers or pens that can get your name circulated. These alone will not have a ‘viral’ appeal to them and thus minimal return, but are a good place to start.

If your free giveaway is something more substantial like a book (or e-book) on how to solve a problem, a guide to commonly used but difficult to find resources or a collection of where to get free items then you have a generous gift that will enhance your standing and appeal to recipients.

Many newcomers to promotion believe that as they have to initially pay for a service then they must recoup their costs at the first opportunity that comes along. This is a fundamental flaw in their promotion philosophy and will leave them wondering why their customers don’t have a good ‘feel’ for them.

So work in with the universal laws, emanate only positive vibrations and be on your way to becoming Famous By Morning.



Gas Furnace Prices

Not Active asked:


I’m considering repainting a bookcase I found left in my first grade classroom. It’s been painted yellow, but the paint has chipped, is dirty, and basically doesn’t look that great. An artsy friend of mine told me to use acrylic-based paint to repaint. She said I could even do it inside my classroom, as long as I put some newspaper under the bookcase. I’m wondering about how long it will take for the paint to dry, and if I should use a roller like she suggested. I have never painted anything, and will be doing this by myself. Any suggestions on supplies I need and how to do this? Thank you!

Veronica

tomoraitis asked:


Not metal grid. Not cubes you just stack, but a wall system that will fill an entire wall

Marian

Tanya Wiseman asked:


Ashley Furniture: Make the best use of floor space for your home

In today’s modern living, the homes feature “great rooms” with high vaulted ceilings and wide and open floor space. Designed for a casual living/dining combination, these rooms can often be excessively large, so they become overwhelming. Ideally we love to have a lot of space, but when it is too much space or the spaces is odd and challenging for designs, it can become more difficult to design this kind of spaces.

There are several tips on how to find a solution for your living room and family room spaces:

1. Divide a large space into several smaller ones using furniture groupings that you can easily find at Ashley Furniture store. Find a focal point of the room, such as fire place with a loveseat, comfy chairs or recliners; and make it in to the conversation area. Use the opposite side of the room, or the corner of the room, as a TV entertainment space surrounded with long sofa, TV stand, end table and coffee table. Many of these items are available at Ashley Furniture gallery .Another are of the large space can be designated for reading alongside of the window, you can place an armchair and ottoman, with some additional lighting.

2. Use the flooring to separate the room into distinct zones. You can create reading are with book shelves and book stands; or use area rug over hardwoods to create separation between living and dining areas.

3. Use moldings to create dramatic looks for your ceilings and floors.

4. Use darker colors for some walls to create and differentiate the look of the entire space. Or you can use a specific painting technique or wall paper to separate the space; choose one with a large pattern and deep, rich colors.

5. Furnish the room with large pieces, including tall bookcases and fully upholstered sofas and chairs covered in plush materials, velvets, tapestries and other heavy fabrics. Use dark woods, and avoid glass tops on tables, which give the illusion of space. You can find many of these pieces at Ashley Furniture online store.

6. If you have pairs of bookcases, position them back-to-back and use them as a room divider. Attach them together at the backs for maximum stability.

7. Avoid decorating with mirrors. If you must have a mirror in the room, hang it so it does not reflect a window or other light source. Instead, try positioning it so it faces a favorite piece of art. You’ll enjoy the reflection, but it won’t lend to the spaciousness of the room.

8. Fill the room with accessories and plants. Use potted trees to match the scale of a tall ceiling.

9. Use columns and arches to create an aisle or corridor between the spaces.

Many of the furniture items and accessories can be found all in one store, and have Ashley furniture delivery bring it to your home. More information on Commerical Real Estate, Leasing and Executive suites located here: http://optawise.blogspot.com



Painting Vinyl Siding

pisan asked:


As we all know that the internet has ruled our lifestyle and everyday activities, especially in terms of getting information from different kind of resource. Internet has also change people in many ways, particularly reading behavior. Meanwhile most people read from print put paper and from the computer screen in stead of read from books. This situation seems to be increasingly continued and the importance of book has become decreased among this group of people. However, there is other group of people who still see the importance of reading from books and they still be kind of books lovers no matter how much the internet has changed our life style.

This group of people continues to seek the best way to keep their books securely and one of the most popular ways to keep books is bookcase. Generally, book case is not the same as book shelf. As books case is something that you can contain just one or two of your favourite books to make sure that they are kept in a good place with maximum protection but book shelf is something that we use for keep bulk of books and book shelf does not provide enough protection. However, in some case, book case could be referred to book shelve as they have similar functions, many libraries defined bookcase as same as book shelf.

The material that commonly used for bookcase is wood due to its sturdy, handsome and traditional, reasonable price as well as durable and resist to severe temperature changes. There are some type of book case that made from metal but they still not popular because metal does not provide elegant look and aesthetic appeal, which sometime do not match to the taste of home users. Moreover, there are book cases that made form other type of materials such as granite stone or marble. But they also not popular as book case itself needs intensive care and they are very expensive.

About the design, the traditional design of book case still be the square shape with plain colour or wood color. This trend seems not to be changed in the near future as people still focus on form and function rather than design and color. If the book case could provide maximum protection to their favourite books so the design and colour are not the top priority. However, there is a great development of book case colour and design. New book cases have been developed in different shapes in a modern, stylish fashion, with shelves of different sizes and lengths. Some design even more fashionable by adding some decorative items.

Some type of book case especially if it refers to book shelf, require users to manual assemble it. By having this kind of book case, sometimes you have to spend sometimes with it. However, as mentioned above that there are many kind of book case available so you probably do not have to choose the most expensive one as they may not always worth its value. Just to make sure that you get the one that good function at reasonable price. Now you have better idea about what is book case actually as well as how to choose the proper one to fit to your need and budget.



Roberto

sherryamerson asked:


Office furniture is very important as this is where you work and in order to do your job correctly, you must be comfortable. There are many different types of furniture that one can get for their office. If you work on a computer everyday then you should have tan appropriate computer desk. Under the heading of computer desk, there are once again many different kinds to choose from, although they are all for computers, it is just the color, style and size that’s different. For example, there is one computer desk that’s called the slate and sandstone desk; it has a melamine finish so it can resist scratches, marks and burns. It has two normal drawers and one draw made for files. It has a keyboard tray and other facilities for your computer. This desk is very comfortable for office use.

Every office needs a good bookshelf. The size would obviously depend on how many books you plan on storing, but one can never have too many books. For a medium sized office, you could have a three shelf bookcase. This should take care of all your books. The shelves would have to be at least 1” thick so it can hold all the weight steadily. A bookcase with adjustable shelves would be ideal because then you could also put large books on it and just adjust it to the right height below or above the other shelves.

A file cabinet should also be present in an office. Even if your desk accommodates files, you might have many more than the desk can handle. The cabinet should be in the corner of the office and have easy access so you could get a file out in a hurry. The cabinet can have as many drawers as you need, but six is normally ample space.



Residential Hot Water Heater

OctoNightKGA asked:


If possible maybe one with doors would bed good so the messiness is hidden.

Bernice

H John Johnsen asked:


Plan for a little growth, but don’t overbuild or over design a space. Instead, look ahead to how that space will be used when you’ve grown or moved out of it.

Conceal as many of your electrical cords, telephone wire or cables out of sight as possible. If you have long lengths of cable running from room to room (or down a hallway), consider drilling holes and lifting baseboards as necessary to get them out of sight. Lots of cords can make an office look messy and may have visitors wonder how neat you really are.

Plan for places to display your art, mementos, collectibles, personal photos, or anything else that reflects your life and passions. Let your workplace reflect the things in life that reminds you of why your are working.

Plants add color, soften hard lines and work great for hiding unsightly areas! Silks are beautiful and easy to care for or if you have a green thumb life plants are perfect.[ Plants can also make the office space look more relaxing and less sterile.

There is a wide range of furniture and finishes to fit in with your existing decor to suit your budget. Look around and get the best possible price when shopping.

Computer chairs can be chosen from high back pneumatic tilter, desk chairs and leather chairs. Try out the chair and be sure it is comfortable because you will be sitting in it for a long time during the workday. You may want to consider using a foot rest and placing it under the desk.

Storage space is an important factor in good home office design plans so make sure that your layout contains enough space to stay organized. And, storage is at a premium in a small area. By placing a small shelving unit with baskets or closed boxes on them, under or next to the desk, you can provide ample storage for everyday documents, books and supplies. Buy a desk with plenty of drawer space for your home office and computer set-up.

Furniture retailers can give you discounts for your bulk purchase of office equipments. More so, if they are on a sale promo then almost any furniture including home office chair is on sale at almost up to fifty percent discount.

Bookshelves for office use can be bought in many different types and sizes and are typically used for folders, files and books. Bookcases can be installed and arranged in different ways according to need and available space and don’t have to be expensive, Bookshelves should be only as deep as needed to avoid stealing floor space. Place office supplies on top of filing cabinets, bookcases inside of baskets to give a more professional appearance; and inside closets to maximize office space.

Modular cube units are idea for storing items and creating bookshelves. These cubes can also be arranged and re-arranged as your office grows. Mix the cubes so that some face the office and others face the living space. Modular units design for wardrobes or similar could be used. The boxes could be built of standard modular units stacked up to near ceiling height and then a custom size door used to provide a neat finish. The large bulk of the units could be disguised by giving them a similar finish to the wall and placing them in a corner and with a shelving or entertainment unit alongside.

Saving power can be achieved by adding up the wattage of your office equipment (and related office design features such as lighting). You may be able to cut down on your power needs by “combining” some of your office equipment such as a combined fax, printer and scanner.



Vinyl Log Siding

sarabearr asked:


im designing a set for a school play and one scene requires a bookcase to be in the back of a 1958 ganster’s hideout..

so far ive thought of a safe and a tomy gun, what else???? (im at the school ofice at the moment and im trying to do this scene today)
(oh and as copy of guns and ammo)

Jesse