Home Security in the 21st Century

Most homes in the United States already have an alarm system installed. So when you move into a home that you have purchased, it leaves you with a few options regarding how you will use the alarm system. You can: choose to go it alone and just have your alarm to ring and scare away would-be intruders, decide to have your alarm monitored by professional companies like Alarm Relay, or pay for the services of security companies that patrol neighborhoods.

In most cases, people have found that the monitoring option works the best because you can use your existing alarm system and even expand it, and have someone that will be checking to ensure that a false alarm does not bring the police and cost you money that some communities charge. Of course, the primary function of alarm system monitoring is to stop criminals from entering your residence when your alarm alerts the company that it has been triggered. 

Another reason that people prefer alarm monitoring services is that if they travel, their service will find them if there is an alarm problem, contact them, and ask them how they should proceed. You can even log in to your account from where ever you are in the world and keep up-to-date on your home security.

Home monitoring can also stop one of the latest tricks that criminals are using, which is to modify sound beam speakers, car radar, and even cell phones to direct vibration towards your home. In the 20th Century, people would drive by your home to 'case' it before they chose it to burgle. Today, using sound and vibration from the street, they can emulate a criminal break-in to test your alarm system without getting out of their car. The top monitoring firms are aware of this and will look for patterns and work with you to ensure that type of activity does not continue. 

Finally, when you monitor with one of the more prestigious firms, like Alarm Relay, you can be assured that your home is monitored by professionals that are licensed, trained and vetted in the hiring process to ensure that their only commitment is to protecting your family and your valuables.

Wordless Wednesday: Winding Path To The Woods

Winding path to the woods.

Great Day In The Patio

Mom and Dad's patio.

It's a lovely day today in Texas. We are here at our folks' in Tyler.  The usual visit.  This afternoon my father-in-law and my dear husband planned to fry some chicken.  So we had home fried chicken, macaroni salad, and deviled eggs for dinner.  My brother-in-law's here too and he brought grapes.  He joined the Glow Run in Whitehouse this evening together with our niece.

Oh how pretty the day was.  I was sitting on the patio chair on the porch feeling the breeze on my skin and I was zoning out.  'Twas so nice to take a nap right there and then.  I couldn't take the drowsiness anymore, I went inside and lied down on the couch. I fell asleep as soon as I got settled on the couch.

Weekend Snapshots: Clovers, Sunset

Clovers in our flower beds.

It's my day off today.  The plan was to visit my cousin and her kids this afternoon but when I called my cousin she said they were still in town.  They'll be home around 4:00 P.M.  Well, I decided to just stay home.  It's raining all day anyway so my daughter and I just kind of hung out by ourselves at home. There was a flood warning and a tornado warning in our area (Collin County), too.  

We waited for the rain to stop and when it did, we went outside to play for a while.  When the rain started to pour again, we went back inside the house and watched our favorite movies.  

When we were outside the house, my daughter and I checked on the roses.  Then we pulled out some weeds - mostly clovers.  And this evening, a beautiful sunset became visible after the rain.

Sunset.  View from my front porch.

Cleaning Up The Flower Beds

My dear husband and I are supposed to start cleaning up the flower beds in the front yard tomorrow in preparation for new garden plants this year.  But we are not gonna be able to do that task tomorrow because we are going out of town.  It's our 7th wedding anniversary.  So this task will get done next weekend probably.  Hopefully. We'll have to go to Home Depot to buy some new pots and garden soil on Sunday.

Wordless Wednesday: Beautiful Red Bud Tree

The Cleanliness of Electronic Cigarettes vs. Traditional Experience

Sometimes in life it is difficult to give up old habits for good.  Some people got used to doing something just because they feel the need of it or just because it's part of their routine in connection to their dependency to a substance or a habit.  I am talking about the bad habits associated with addiction to nicotine.  

I never liked cigarette smoking.  I definitely dislike it if somebody, in my family or in my circle of friends, smokes cigarettes.  But I hate to say that my husband, my dad, and a few of my uncles were cigarettes smokers.  They have been doing that since they were teens.  I felt so frustrated every time I see them go outside and lit a cigarette.  My mom and my siblings asked our dad to quit smoking.  He tried his best to, at least, reduce the need to smoke by eating a menthol candy – which was effective, I think.  

When I met my husband, he was already a smoker.  I liked everything about him except his smoking habits.  But I accepted him because I love him so much.  Yet in my mind, I want him to stop it because it's BAD for everybody's health.  If you're smoking cigarettes, you have unpleasant smell (bad breath, body odor...etc.)  I talked to him about quitting.  It's for his overall health and of course, my daughter and I want him to live a longer life.  And guess what?  It's over a year now that he got rid of smoking cigarettes.  He switched to e-cigar.  Hey, it's a little better than an actual stick.  Though there is still nicotine intake, but it's in the least amount than an actual pack of cigarette contains.  21st Century Smoke e-cigarettes has affordable kits and supplies.  

I know that smoking is a hard habit to break.  But in this way my husband is getting there slowly and I completely understand it.  This is the important thing right now.

Back to the habits associated with cigarettes smoking, hubby has got rid of the following:

• going out to the garage every morning just to smoke

• going out the office every hour to light a cigarette
• leaving in a middle of conversation
• spending much money on packs of cigarettes
• unpleasant smoke smell and bad breath

He has complete focus on everything he does now and has more time for us.

I am not saying that e-cigarette is an alternative to quitting smoking.  But, it can be a tool for a transition to completely stop cigarette smoking. This is a serious issue and I am hopeful that my husband, and my dad also will totally get rid smoking.

Remember:  Cigarette smoking is a health hazard.

New Water Heater

During the holidays, we had a major repair in the house. It started when my husband detected water on the floor by the sink. He thought DD or me spilled some water accidentally on the floor. He even called me just to ask about that. But the water on the floor continued to flow.

My husband checked under the sink but there was no sign of leak anywhere under there. He even removed the dishwasher but he didn't see any sign of leak there either. The water was coming from under the sink cabinets. So he bore a big hole where the hot and cold water were connected. And sure thing the pipe for he hot water was leaking.

The professional plumber he contacted did a great job fixing the leak. But we had to replace the water heater. All these repairs happened during the Holiday season.   

Our new water heater.

5 Ways to Winterize Your UTV

Winter can be tough on your UTV. Even with modifications and cold-weather equipment, you still have to contend with snow, sleet, ice and freezing temperatures that can sneak into your engine and steal your power.

The good news is that there are certain precautions you can take to lessen winter's deadly grip on your UTV. They may not be foolproof, but they'll block the worst of the elements and keep you running no matter how many polar vortexes come your way. Here are just five tips for winterizing your side-by-side.

1. Check Your Fluids

Make it a point of checking your fluids before you head out. If they're too frozen or chunky to be operational, you'll need to warm up your UTV before you can take it anywhere. This is also something that should be done gradually and not all at once.

2. Be Careful With Your Antifreeze

In the same vein as the above, remember that winter comes with different rules for antifreeze. More specifically, you shouldn't be topping it off with water anymore. That can induce swelling in cold temperatures.

3. Throw Out Your Old Fuel

If you haven't ridden your UTV in awhile, you shouldn't take it out with the same old gas that's been sitting in it for months. Your engine can get so gummed up with bad fuel that it stalls in the middle of the wilderness, and what will you do then?

4. Buy Cold Weather Parts

Look for UTV parts that are made for snowy banks and icy terrain. For example, you might buy track systems to get through the slush or skid plates to protect your vehicle from chunks of frozen ice and dirt. You should also look into things like windshields and cab enclosures to keep the frost out of your face.

5. Check Your Tire Pressure

If your UTV goes from cold to hot to cold again, your tires can start swelling and deflating in time with the temperature. This will result in a loss of tire pressure that might require you to purchase completely new wheels.

When the temperature starts dropping, these tips can be the difference between a dead UTV and one that powers through the snow no matter how thickly it falls. If you're serious about staying on the road despite bad weather, follow these guidelines for winterizing your side-by-side.

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