Apr
24

Dog barking driving you crazy?

MERYL on April 24th, 2011

Benny

I love canines, (theoretically). I also hate to hear dogs barking incessantly, especially little ones.

There seems to be the same syndrome working both with people who let their little dogs bark frantically and people who ignore their children yelling or crying in public oblivious of the disturbance it causes for others.

I live in a dog friendly complex. Specifically in a “small dog” friendly complex.

I wonder why is it OK for people to own 2 barking snapping small dogs, (Chihuahua , Yorkies, Terriers, etc. and not OK for me to keep one large well behaved non barking dog who has a 12 year plus history of no biting and no aggression?

I co-own a large gentle dog, Benny, who I describe as 1/2 polar bear 1/2 lion. That’s somewhat how he looks. Benny mostly lives at my brother’s so he isn’t really on the radar where I live and truthfully is a visitor when he’s here. He has the most docile even disposition imaginable and is a good will ambassador at large.

I recently came across this web site about dealing with dogs barking and it seems to be chock full of good sound advice.

So if you’re wondering how you can train your dog to have better manners and be a good neighbor or if you want to learn what you can do to help someone who has a dog that barks incessantly I believe you’ll find this site covers it.

See what you think and comment back if you care about well behaved dogs, (or children)
Take me to Barking Dogs.net!

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Nov
7

Farewell, GOOG-411 – NYTimes.com

MERYL on November 7th, 2010

Farewell, GOOG-411 – NYTimes.com.

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Jul
16

$695 / 1br – $695 1br -SLICK CRIMINAL SCAM-Beautiful Lower Duplex Apartment (Del Dios) (map)

MERYL on July 16th, 2010

BEWARE SCAM ALERT, CRIMINAL FRAUD! If you see this ad or a similar one.

I responded to this listing and got this letter back from a supposed Janice Cutler, of Mayer Properties with a scam about sending me to a site to get a credit report to bring to her when we meet. It’s all made up, it’s a scam.

I didn’t fall for it, because I had my suspicions and their letter goes against everything a normal owner or property manager would do.

There is no Mayer Property Management or Janice Cutler. Go to Google and type: Mayer Property Scam & you can read all about their scams.

There’s not a chance on earth that anyone would ever actually meet with me, once they got me to use their site to enter my data, I would never hear from them again.

They are licking their chops as they steal identity and use your name and info to apply for credit cards and buy things and destroy people’s credit! Don’t be taken in. I EVEN COPIED THEIR PHOTOS TO SHOW HOW EASY IT IS TO SCAM PEOPLE. THEY ARE GETTING SLICKER AND MAKE NO MISTAKE THEY ARE CRIMINALS!

If they don’t give you a name and telephone number it’s probably a scam. Search on Google for the name of the company and verify. Check & verify their name & number in your city. If they’re for real call them and verify they employ the Agent before you respond.

Sometimes scammers will even use the name of a bona fide rental agency so make sure you talk on the phone with them and don’t submit any info, or application before you meet with them. Get the address of the subject property and Google it to see if it’s for sale or listed.

Unfortunately they take advantage of the internet. The scams are rampant in Craig’s list and in other online classifieds. They will make up different aliases and fake company names but if you scrutinize you’ll see through the deceit and won’t get scammed. Tell anyone you know to warn others.

Just louse internet scammers. Here is a copy of the fraud ad they are running and the fraud email I received when I inquired.

Link to Craig’s List

$695 / 1br – Beautiful Lower Duplex Apartment (Del Dios) (map)

Available Now!!

Situated in a Cul-de-sac this is the perfect starter home. Move in ready with neutral decor, Stainless steel appliances, updated bathroom, washer and dryer inside the unit. The front porch adds charm to this nicely maintained home. Generously covered side patios along with a semi-enclosed room lets you entertain comfortably. The backyard boasts a mulitude of fruit trees and a lovely garden to enjoy.

A cul-de-sac street location makes it less transited and more private. House can Be changed to a three bedroom by adding wall back to dining room. Tenant pays electric, expanded cable. Owner pays Basic cable, water, trash. Located between Escondido and Rancho Santa Fe, off of Del Dios Hwy. Super central location to major thoroughfares, elementary school around the corner along with Shopping districts. One block from the Lake, 10 miles from the beach. Pets Ok
Escondido at Rancho Santa Fe (google map) (yahoo map)

HERE’S THE FRAUD EMAIL I RECEIVED:

Hello,

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you sooner! Things have been so busy for me these last couple of days!

The good news is that the rental is still available! (you also get a 2-car garage…I forgot to list that in the ad) We had an offer from the first couple we showed it to, but now it appears that they are changing their mind, so we need to start showing it again as soon as possible. You were the second one to email me about it.

It is the whole place that is for rent, and it’s in pristine condition. We know a lot of prospective renters want to do a quick look of the property, but my husband doesn’t want me to mass send out the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, the empty property was broken into and vandalized. We don’t want that to happen again! I CAN tell you that it’s a very special property, that would normally rent for quite a bit more than other comparable properties in the neighborhood.

For utilities, your electric, gas, water, sewer and trash will be covered. (Included in the rent) You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this property.

The rental term is 12-month lease, but can be switched into a 6-month lease if preferred. We just ask that you give us fair notice if you are moving out.

If you would like to set up an appointment, go to the link below and request the free copy of your rental / credit report. We use this company for all the properties we manage. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the free credit report. The actual scores on the report aren’t important to us, it’s more of a formality that we have it on file.

Get your report here: http://rental-verification.com/property09126/

Remember, we only need to see the page about the rental history. That will be all you will need to bring with you to the showing.

As far as getting together to see the property goes, I am available to show it any time from 10:00 am on, for the next couple of days. Let me know when you’ve printed out your report, and we will set up a time to do your walk-through.

Thank you once again for your interest!

Janice Cutler

ESCONDIDO at RANCHO SANTA FE (google map) (yahoo map)

* cats are OK – purrr
* dogs are OK – wooof
* Location: Del Dios
* it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 1842877194
* Copyright © 2010 craigslist, inc.
* terms of use
* privacy policy
* feedback forum



I’ve posted some of the emails I’ve received from Craig’s list users and they can be read in the comments section below.

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Jun
24

Ten Garage Sale Tips

MERYL on June 24th, 2010


I am posting this great and timely article I found on getrichslowly.org.

I’m currently in the process of downsizing, and eliminating lots of excess “stuff” and I think most people are too, but just need a little motivation to start the momentum.

I hope these tips prove useful.  They are ones that I use and they seem to me to touch on the essentials for successfully having a garage sale, downsizing event.

Enjoy!

We’re in the midst of the annual neighborhood garage sale, which makes it difficult to find time to post. I have drawn up some garage sale tips, though. This isn’t everything you need to know, but it’s a start:

  • A group sale is better than selling alone. If you can coordinate a weekend with your neighbors, you will draw more traffic. Our street has a sale every May. My neighbor Al places an ad in the paper; I post ads on craigslist. People come from all over to wander from yard-to-yard. When I sell on my own, I’m lucky to get one-tenth the traffic.
  • Be prepared. Wear comfortable clothing. Have water and snacks at hand. Get one-dollar bills the day before. (I forgot to do this yesterday, and so spent half an hour scrambling from store to store breaking big bills before the sale opened. Good thing, too: the first two people paid with twenties.) Move things out early. The hassle of early birds is that they prevent you from getting displays set up.
  • Plan your sale layout with customers in mind. I am writing a review of the book Why We Buy for Get Rich Slowly. I was able to apply principles from this book to my garage sale. I had wide traffic lanes. I used clear signs with bold lettering. I placed the stuff that would appeal to older customers on tables. The stuff for kids is on the ground. The stuff I want more people to look at is in the center of the driveway, accessible from all sides. Eye-catching stuff is near the road.
  • Price things carefully. Most things are easy to price, but some will give you trouble. You don’t want to just give away your perfectly functional television, but at the same time you want the price to be low enough that people will be interested. Some stuff just won’t sell at any price. “You’ll never sell that encyclopedia set at $35,” a man told me yesterday. “I run a book store, and I haven’t been able to sell an encyclopedia in eight years.”
  • Label things well. It won’t matter. People will still ask you how much that potholder costs, even though it has a $2 price tag on it. Label anyhow. If something “works great”, label it as such.
  • Be friendly. You don’t need to chat with everyone, but be open to conversations. Say “hello” to people. Answer questions. Entertain the kids so that their parents can shop. Build goodwill.
  • Do NOT bad-mouth your items. At one group garage sale, a friend consistently explained to customers what was wrong with the items they were purchasing. “Oh, that book is awful. That’s a terrible movie. That skillet doesn’t heat very well. That game is boring.” Needless to say, we sent this friend inside to drink beer ASAP. Your goal is to sell the items. Don’t lie — just emphasize the positives. “Oh, that book is very popular. That movie won three Oscars. That skillet is great for pancakes. That game is fun for kids.”
  • Be willing to bargain, but be less flexible at the start. On the first day, you want to get as much as you can for each item. Most people will still buy Aunt Lucy’s soup tureen at $5 even after asking you to sell it at $3. If they’re bargaining, it’s because they want the item. Don’t be completely rigid on the first day, but don’t give your stuff away.
  • Keep a ledger. It’s easy — and useful — to keep a written ledger. For everything you sell, jot down a brief item description, how much it cost, and who it belonged to. This is especially important in large multi-person sales. The price and the item description are most important; if the description is good, it’s easy to find out who owned the item.

  • Do NOT use a cash box. Carry your money on you at ALL times. You don’t want to present a target for casual thieves. More than that, you don’t want to be duped by professional swindlers who run distraction con games. It happens. It is devastating to see the profits from all your labor and the proceeds from your hard-to-part-with items vanish in an instant. This happened to a woman on our street on the last day of the sale last year. Do NOT use a cash box. I use a cheap cloth apron/utility belt from the local hardware store. It works beautifully. Some people use fanny pack or a zippered bank deposit pouch.

    • Garage sales are a popular with most frugality and simplicity types. They help achieve multiple objectives. They’re especially good at generating a chunk of cash, and at purging excess stuff from your life. They’re also an excellent way to meet neighbors and to learn about the history of your community.  
    * I think they’re a great way to eliminate clutter and then plan a well deserved vacation!

    This article is about DIY, Hints and Tips, Odds and Ends Friday, 12th May 2006 (by J.D. Roth)
    Ten Garage Sale Tips

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