Michelle was out of town for the weekend and I enjoyed a game that lasted over 3 hours with the kids.  Dad lost....

When vehicles and equipment sit, rodents will inhabit them.  This is an actual picture from one of my customer's misfortune when he started the truck after sitting about a month.  When a mouse eats the insulation from wiring the resultant arcing can start a fire.  The responding fire department took over an hour to contain this mishap!! 

For a long time I have been meaning to share my favorite websites and I just came across a new one today that I wanted to share-Click Here to check out 2nd Vote and learn how you can vote every day and support the values you want to preserve.  Fancy accounting and hidden agendas are everywhere and it is important to understand what your money is supporting.  I have been teaching my children to "follow the money" to see what is really important to a person or organization. 

My oldest (Son) is doing some school research and came across this.  amazing how
true this is today…. 

 
Thomas Jefferson "I place economy among the first and most important virtues and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared.
  To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with public
  debt. We must  make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude. If we  run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities  and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements. If we can prevent the  government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of 'caring  for them,' they will be happy."

As we head into the winter months, you should be getting your assets ready for the cold weather and hazards associated.  Blankets, food and checking the battery in your car are all a good idea.  At home, clean gutters to prevent ice dams, remove hoses from outdoor spigots etc.
Be aware that property policies-Home or Commercial-have very limited coverage for power outages caused by a natural disaster.  This is especially true if the outage is off your premises and there is no direct physical damage to your property.  In  many cases, a generator may be your best peace of mind.  If you have questions, contact me to discuss possible coverage options.

Beau has had an experiment going on in our house for the past month.  He has a large terrarium cage full of salamanders, lizards and frog which I will post for you on a future date.  These creatures eat LOTS of mealworms and the boys buy them from the pet store. It can be quite costly as they don't exactly make a whole lot of money right now.  They have solved their problem....mating mealworms.  Beau bought a three drawer plastic container and above you can see the three stages.  Egg - Larva(mealworm) - Pupa - Adult (Beatle) - Egg( Repeat).  This little science experiment has proven to be a success and cost effective for my kids!  

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down, and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?  Luke 14:28
  

Our Dining room took on a transformation.  We pulled the wood trim outlining the walls off, removed carpet, popcorn ceilings and replaced the light fixture.  My great grandmother's dining room table was broken in the move from Enid as the packer (aka Mike) stacked way to many heavy things on it and the legs were broken.  In all honesty it was beautiful but it had seen better days and was definitely an antique so I was happy to purchase a new table and chairs for my contemporary dining room. 

Now I do have a story for you... Mike and I invited our first dinner guests to our home and sat in our dinning room with a plastic long table (new table wasn't in yet).  Our new chairs had arrived days before and my sister and I had assembled them.  When the guest sat down and leaned back in his chair the back popped off and his legs flipped in the air, knocking our food and beverages everywhere.  How embarrassing!  Fortunately he wasn't hurt and we have a good memory to laugh about.  That night was a disaster.  My kids had a fire in the fire pit that night - fire department showed up.  The Weber Grill failed to ignite so our BBQ dinner couldn't be cooked ( ate leftovers).  And then the chair....we are lucky this family is still our friends.  Needless to say we waited a few months to have anyone over for dinner again.    

A big part of my job is just helping people understand Risk Management.  It is one of my favorite things to discuss and whether it's healthcare, finances, or home hazards-sometimes Prevention is the best answer.  While we can never prevent ALL risks or causes of loss, some things are just tried, true and proven.  Visit www.floodchek.com for one of my recommendations.