The Edge of Empty

Shortly after we brought our ferret home, we realized that he needed someplace he could call his own.  We went to our resource of choice--the book  Ferrets for Dummies . The book describes how to make a nest box out of a storage bin and a pvc connector.  On our next visit to the home improvement store, we picked up the items necessary to make a home for A. G. Ferret.  Much to my surprise, the house turned out great and you can see that he loves it.  He did the decoration himself.  That blanket started the day on the lower level of his cage, but he dragged it upstairs and into the box.  Here, he is looking mighty pleased with himself and ready for a nap after all the hard work.

I don't know about you, but I have never been a conformist. This didn't go over too well in high school -or the police academy either for that matter-but it serves me well now.  As individuals, we each have ways that we like to do things-they work for us, but might not work for someone else. Some things are universal though, and I think that most people like to customize their work space to suit the way they work.  Many people also like to add a dash of personality to their cubicle as well. Since I spend so much time at my computer, I like to regularly change the way my screen looks. In winter, it may feature a picture of the beach.  In summer, tropical fish may swim across my screen. Unfortunately, my desktop is often not visible because I am deep in some program or other. I have mentioned previously that my office uses CryWolf to process our alarms.  When our rep shared that the main CryWolf screen could be customized, I was immediately on board. It is very simple,...

My grandmother was Rosie the Riveter during World War II.  Actually, she was a welder at a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama while my grandfather was off in the Army.  My dad was a toddler during this time, so he was left in the care of her parents while she traveled the 90 miles to work.  Each Monday morning, my grandmother rose hours before dawn to walk several miles to town and board a bus back to Mobile.  Each Friday night, after a rigorous and exhausting week, she would board a bus back home.  She recalled that most trips she stood the entire way. Hard work was nothing new however.  As a child, she spent her summers in the cotton fields helping her family eke out a living. Growing up with 5 brothers, she learned at an early age to not let them see her cry. She eventually became a professional seamstress for a manufacturing company.  I remember her telling me of the times that she sewed right through her fingers.  I am cringing now thinking about...

Our travels last week took us through Kentucky.  Of course I had to peruse the web to see what is going on in the world of false alarm reduction in the bluegrass state.  Of the cities that we would be visiting, Lexington was the first that I found with a false alarm reduction unit . Alarm systems in Lexington must be registered and there is an application fee of $15, which seems to be a one time fee. (Update: the $15 fee is an annual fee). Lexington's ordinance is similar to most other ordinances, but it has a feature that I have not seen before.  The fine schedule lists minimum and maximum fines.  If an alarm user doesn't contest the alarm, they pay the minimum fine.  If they contest the fine and lose, they could end up paying the maximum fine. Fines begin at the fourth alarm with a $25 minimum fine and go up to a $300 minimum fine for the 9th alarm (maximum fine is $500).  These fines are relatively low compared to fines in the area where I live;...

Law enforcement agencies have always struggled with how best to serve the public and provide the most service on budgets that never seem to have enough funds.  One of the creative solutions that  many departments utilize is placing a "field office" in whatever business will give them a space.  Many field offices consist solely of a desk in an unused corner of a store.  This provides officers with a place to take care of paperwork more comfortably than in their cruiser.  It also saves on fuel costs and reduces air pollution because the officers do not have to keep the engine running to maintain some sense of comfort .  Wise businesses realize that having a police presence is beneficial to them as well.  It would be an unwise criminal who decided to hold up a store where an officer was doing paperwork. This Philly police badge was located on the door of what I imagine is a field office in the Target store next to our hotel in Philly .