Cat Love: Unrequited

“You adopted a kitten?” asked the woman behind the cash register.

“He’s five years old so technically he’s not a kitten anymore—”

“You adopted an adult male cat?” she gasped peering at me over her reading glasses. 

“Yes and my husband thinks I’m stupid for—”

“Bless you, woman!”

I was at the local bookstore buying a gift for my friend when, before I knew it, I was knee deep in a cat discussion with the bookseller.  She had rescued four cats of her own and insisted they—like all rescues—were happy just to have been adopted into a good home. 

“It makes rescue cats want to be cuddled.” 

“Not mine,” I said.

“Give him what they love and he’ll love you,” she said nodding vigorously, which seemed to contradict her theory of cats being happy just to have been rescued. 

But, then, what did I know?  I wasn’t a born cat lover like her.  She jotted down the names of the cat litter, food and toys she swore by and pressed the slip of paper into my palm.  Since adopting Jackson was still such a new thing, I was thankful to get advice from any enthusiastic, successful cat owner.  I thanked her warmly and on my way home, took a detour. 

Pet stores have a distinct smell I can only equate with “zoo”.  Scanning the shelves I noticed all the brands the bookseller had recommended contained the words “royal”, “majesty” and “your highness”.  Even the cat food labels were purple—the color of Old World, moneyed royalty.  In fact there was a direct correlation between the more purple on the label, the more green I had to spend to buy it.  But if the bookseller was right, this chi-chi food might be the way to Jackson’s heart and help him cuddle up to Mr. Wonderful and me.  I scooped up all the suggested cat items and charged them to my credit card.

At home I spooned the can of moist food into his bowl.  I refilled his domed litter box with clumping, lavender scents.  I lay the catnip-filled toy on the kitchen floor beside the scratch lounger.  Then I made a pot of tea and waited.  

Sometime after nine PM Jackson slunk out from behind our bedroom door and into the kitchen.  He skirted the table where I sat with Mr. Wonderful, then sniffed his food and ate a few bites.  Then avoiding us, he slunk back to our bedroom.

Following him I found he’d resumed his spot sitting in the small corner behind the door.  I whispered to him, I stroked his fur.  I treated him like the royal prince the food company told me he was.  In response he looked at me with a blank stare. 

Then I realized this cat was different.  His love wasn't for sale. 

Renting A Car

When you rent a car, you are liable for injuries and property damage you cause to others, and damage to the rental car whether it’s your fault or not. With some restrictions, your insurance policy will cover you in your policy territory (United States, its possessions and territories, and Canada) if you injure someone or their property. In most cases, your auto policy will also cover damage to the rental car, but you must carry comprehensive and collision coverage on at least one of your covered autos.

If you plan on your credit card covering damage to your rental car, read the fine print. Some only provide coverage after you prove there is no coverage under your personal policy. Some cards actually have dollar limitations and very restrictive coverage.

Tenant’s Improvements to the Premises

A common circumstance surrounding commercial leases involves the tenant making alterations, or improvementsto the rented premises. A strip mall retail location could be used for many different types of tenants. It is unreasonable to assume that the premises is already set up to handle any type of tenant from a clothing store to a restaurant. For example, a new tenant might have to build partitions, add refrigeration or install a kitchen.

The commercial property policy defines improvements and betterments as “fixtures, alterations, installations or additions that are made a part of the building that is occupied but not owned by the named insured, and that the named insured acquires or makes at his expense but cannot legally remove.” Since business personal property coverage insures the tenant’s “use interest” in improvements and betterments located at the rented premises, the amount of these improvements should be calculated into the limit you choose for your business personal property.

Wine Group 2

It's wine time!  This month's outing was about not feeling stupid while wine tasting.  It's called "Lost Wine Tasting" and you can find it here:

http://centralcoastfoodie.com/2012/04/lost-wine-tasting

Enjoy and Cheers!

Fig and Apricot Trees

How does your garden grow?  Here's how the fig and apricot trees are growing in my garden. 

http://www.kcet.org/socal/food/the-nosh/the-home-orchardist-the-black-jack-fig.html

Enjoy!

Insurance Industry Loses Big in 2011

When a wave of major storms strikes Ohio, or anywhere in the United States for that matter, your carrier uses insurance premiums to pay claims to help customers, like you, recover. If they expect more storms, your rates increase. Ohio has been rocked with several devastating storms this past year, causing damage from hail to tornadoes.

Catastrophe losses in 2011 caused the U.S. property and casualty insurance industry to experience its worst losses since 2002, and analysts say 2012 should only see modest improvement. A.M.Best, the industry rating agency, reported the industry experienced more than $44 billion in catastrophe losses, driving down net income.

Simply stated, a greater frequency and severity of storms create higher premiums, regardless of whether or not you have had a claim.

“We are in the midst of a very long-term trend. Whatever the underlying causes are, this is pushing up the cost of providing insurance in many parts of the country. Insurers have begun to reflect that in their rates,” said Robert Hartwig, chief economist and president of the Insurance Information Institute.

The Buckeye State ranks 6th lowest in the United States based on its average homeowners insurance premium. Even with the increase looming, the cost of coverage remains considerably lower in Ohio than in most other states.

How to save on homeowners insurance

The best way to reduce the impact of a rate increase is to talk to your independent insurance agent about your coverage options and let them find the best solution for your needs. Their knowledge and professionalism is your best option.

Protect Your Phone's Data with a Passcode

Do you have a passcode on your iPhone or Android device? If not it is recommended as phones can easily be miss placed or stolen. A passcode to get into your device will help keep your information private and secure. Many personal and business phones have apps on them that hold a lot of important personal information. That information in the wrong hands can be dangerous and because of this we have three steps we recommend in helping protect your phone.

The first step is simple; decide to put a passcode on your phone. I know, it may be annoying to have to type something into your phone each time you use it but it is better for you in the long run.

The second step is to make the passcode something more than just four digits. Recently there was a software invented called Micro Systemation XRY app. This software can crack any four digit code in only a few minutes. Currently this software is only used by law enforcement agencies however the hackers are never to far behind in developing their own. We recommend you using the setting in your phone that lets you put in more than just four digits. Letters and numbers help to make the cracking process harder. Throw in a few other characters and it becomes even harder to break.

The third step in protecting your phone’s data is to put on the setting in which your data is wiped from the phone after so many failed attempts to login. I know it would be annoying to lose your data from your phone but hopefully you have it synced and backed up on your computer or in a cloud (plus is someone stole your phone you not only lose the data anyway but also the phone). By having the phone wiped after so many failed attempts you are preventing hackers and thieves form being able to use software to try and figure out your passcode.