What's New? Kitty Door Wars! We have a fun story about our cat, Miss Kitty Kitty this week that we think you'll enjoy. You have to remember that we have only been cat people for the past year and a half so after years of being dog owners this is all pretty new to us.
We've been having an issue with the neighbors cats coming in through the kitty door that we installed. They come in and eat all her food during the night and trash her cat nip plant by rolling and slobbering all over it. To prevent this from happening we decided to put in a magnetic release cat door where she wears a collar that has a magnet attached.
This is supposed to unlatch the door so only she can get in. As luck would have it the magnet just wouldn't release the door but for some reason changing the door confused her. I guess she doesn't like change.
We decided to get a more high tech door that releases using an inferred transmitter on her collar. Of course this meant installing yet another door. This only confused her more and now she will not go through it at all.
We've coaxed her through it a couple of times when we stand there and hold the flap open but no matter how cold or rainy it is outside she refuses to use the door. She'll scratch at windows and doors until somebody gets up (read that as Marilyn) and lets her in.
We'll keep working with here but our hopes are low and we're sure that the neighbors hopes are high for more free food and cat nip. We'll let you know how it turns out next month.
DigiTalk
While we were on vacation Ken's brother-in-law Del showed us a neat little device that we thought you should know about. It's a small electronic part that changes your inferred TV, DVD, Radio or other remote into a RF (radio frequency) remote.
What this means is that if you have a cable box that several TV's are tied to you can change channels from almost anywhere in the house. You no longer have to stand in front of the box and point at it. It seems to have a pretty good range and will travel through the walls of your house. Where I'm using mine is about forty feet from the box and through a wall. It works pretty darn good.
Del uses his for the stereo/tuner he has for his outdoor entertainment area. The receiver is in a small storage shed about thirty feet away from where he uses his remote.
All you have to do to use it is replace one battery in your receiver with this device and set up the RF receiver in front of the box you want to control. Click on the picture below to get your own.
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SITE OF THE MONTH
In case you hadn't noticed the leaves are falling and piling up everywhere. There are several things that you can do with them. You could burn them, bad idea these days. You could throw them into the yard waste container for curbside pickup, another bad idea. You could spread them around some of your plants to help protect them from the cold or you could compost them. Both of these are good ideas.
This weeks web site specializes in composting. In fact the web site name is Composting 101. They have gathered together a world of information on composting and their web site is very user friendly. To start your composting education go to www.composting101.com and get to work.
MARILYN'S CORNER
Craft Kits
This craft project is not something I've invented or created myself but thought that it would be worth sharing. The holidays are on the way and nothing makes people happier than to receive home made gifts. If you haven't made your own gifts before we think that these kits might be a great way to get you started.
You can purchase kits for just about anything that you can imagine. Some kits have all the wood parts cut out and you just need to assemble and paint it. The kit I've featured here can be purchased at almost any fabric store. All you really need is a pair of scissors and a sewing machine. The pattern is completely printed on the material along with the instructions.
This kit is for an apron that will look great for Thanksgiving. The steps are very simple to follow and they are printed right on the material along with the pattern.
Basically it's cut out the pattern along the edges, fold the edges in 1/4" and sew. Obviously there's a little more to it than that but it's pretty darn simple. This took an afternoon to make and it turned out really nice.
Other printed fabric patterns include pillows, stuffed animals, pot holders and mitts, Christmas stockings, tree skirts and almost anything else you might be looking for.
Check out your local craft stores for all kinds of craft kits as well as the fabric stores. And most importantly have fun!
Well somebody had to try it on :-)
Remember we have all of our past projects archived on our web site at www.runnerduck.com. Just click on the Craft Egg.
Kids Stuff
 
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Save $20 in December when you spend $100 or more on toys and games offered by Amazon.com. See details. Choose from thousands of toys from top brands, including Hasbro, Mattel, Barbie, Cranium, Fisher-Price, LeapFrog, LEGO, Little Tikes, Playskool, Polly Pocket, Star Wars, Thomas and Friends, and Transformers. Plus, get FREE Super Saver Shipping (restrictions apply) and Amazon Prime.
The Tempos
News and CD of the Week
Here's a great holiday gift idea. Buy your favorite music lover The Tempos "Big Swing" CD!
"Big Swing" features fourteen great swing songs from the 40's and 50's. If you love the old big band swing music we think you'll enjoy this CD. It's the kind of music that makes you just want to get up and dance, you do remember how to swing don't you?
The only place you can get this CD is from our web site. Go to www.thetempos.com and click on the "Click Here" at the top of the web page or
CLICK HERE.
We only printed up a thousand of them so get yours before the are all gone!
If you'd like to get a taste of this CD just go to The Tempos web site. When you are at the Tempos web site click on the horn valve button that says "Hear our CD". Then click on the song titles to hear a little bit of each song.
The Tempos big swing band is available for hire. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic sixteen piece big band be sure to contact kennyb@runnerduck.com. We perform all over the Seattle area for all sorts of events.
CONSERVATION TIP
Don't let a broken or leaking water pipe waste a bunch of water because of a frozen water line. Here are some tips to help prevent pipes from freezing:
- Insulate exposed pipes and faucets
- Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses
- Drain in-ground sprinkler systems
- Keep garage doors closed, many water pipes come into the garage
- Block off outside air vents where plumbing is present
- Keep the water meter box lid closed
If you have a conservation tip please send it to kennyb at runnerduck.com and we'll post it in our newsletter.
The RunnerDuck web site is hosted by
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Highlight the XML link (right click and drag over it), select Copy and paste it into your newsreader.
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JOKE OF THE MONTH
This was sent to us by Roger H., thank you Roger for another great contribution :-)
Men in Heaven
When everybody on earth was dead and waiting to enter Paradise, God appeared and said, "I want the men to make two lines. One line for the men who were true heads of their household, and the other line for the men who were dominated by their women. I want all the women to report to St. Peter."
Soon, the women were gone, and there were two lines of men.
The line of the men who were dominated by their wives was 100 miles long, and in the line of men who truly were heads of their household, there was only one man.
God said, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves, I created you to be the head of your household! You have been disobedient and have not fulfilled your purpose! Of all of you, only one obeyed. Learn from him."
God turned to the one man, "How did you manage to be the only one in this line?"
The man replied, "My wife told me to stand here!"
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THIS WEEK'S FREE RECIPE
Ribbon Salad
This is an old recipe that Marilyn's mom use to make every holiday season. Everyone always liked it and we think you'll like it to. It would be great to serve with your Thanksgiving dinner or at Christmas.
- 1 Package Strawberry or Cherry Jell-O
- 1 Cup Hot Water
- 1 Pint or 1 Can Cranberry Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 8 oz. Package Cream Cheese
- 1 Cup Whipped Cream
- 1/2 Cup Nuts, I prefer pecans but use your favorite
Dissolve Jell-O in Hot Water.
Add Cranberry Sauce and Lemon Juice.
When cool pour the mixture into a lightly oiled pan and chill until thick.
Soften and cream the Cream Cheese.
Fold in the whipped cream and nuts.
Spoon the Cream Cheese mix over the thickened Jell-0 mixture.
Place in the freezer unwrapped about three hours or overnight.
Remove from the freezer and let stand about ten minutes at room temperature before serving.
Should you have any left over's, highly unlikely, wrap and place in the freezer.
Now go have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Remember, if you have a recipe you'd like to share please send it to Marilyn@runnerduck.com. We'd be happy to post your favorite recipe on our Kitchen site or in our newsletter and give you credit.
Every month we post a new recipe on our web page. Be sure and check out the New recipe at the RunnerDuck Kitchen Store.
COOKBOOK
SUGGESTION OF THE MONTH
"Jell-O Collection: 3 Cookbooks in 1
(Spiral-bound)"
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Katie from Pennsylvania wrote the following review about this cookbook. I think it pretty much sums it up!
I recently purchased "Jell-O Collection", and I must say that it's jam packed with excellent, easy to follow recipes - plus, most of the recipes only call for a few ingredients, so you can have dessert whipped up in no time!
In this book, you'll find everything from parfaits to beautiful and delicious pies, as well as several "fun" desserts for kids. There is also a whole section on cream cheese desserts as well.
Overall, I would recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves jell-o gelatin, pudding and/or cream cheese - as well as those who just love dessert in general.
WOOD PROJECT PLANS
DOWNLOADABLE & MAIL-DIRECT
WOODWORKING PLANS
Download WOOD Store® woodworking plans directly to your computer and start building in just minutes! OR, we'll mail them to you, your choice!
CLICK!
PROJECTS
Zero Clearance Table Saw Insert
If you need to do precision woodworking one of the necessary tools is a zero clearance table saw insert. The reason these are so important is because they help prevent tear-out on the bottom of the board that's being cut. They are simple to make and you should have one for each of your saw blades and different width dado cuts.
Next months project is going to require a lot of precision cutting and I'd suggest making at least two blanks that you can work with.
Here's what you'll need:
- A piece of wood as thick as your table saws metal insert.
- Dial or digital calipers.
- Band saw or scroll saw
- Router with a flush trim pattern bit
Cut a piece of wood about three inches longer than the metal insert and about 1/4" wider. The extra length will allow for any snipe you have from your planner.
Using a dial caliper measure the distance from the top of the tablesaw to the top of the pads that the insert sits on.
Measure to get the thickness for the wood insert
Plane down the piece of wood to that thickness.
Place the metal insert upside down on the wood and trace around it leaving about 1/16" to 1/8" clearance all the way around.
Trace about 1/16" to 1/8" wider than the insert
Cut out the insert staying just outside the line.
Cut close to the line but on the outside
To see the rest of this project go to www.runnerduck.com/table_saw_insert/insert.htm
If you have a project that you would like to share please send us an email and we'll help get it published in the RunnerDuck review. We are looking for woodworking, gardening, crafts and kids projects so send us your thoughts at kennyb@runnerduck.com.
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If you want to talk about something just drop us a line to kennyb@runnerduck.com any time, we like to talk about most anything. We are always looking for content for our newsletter so if you have something to add we'd love to publish it. Assuming it meets our strict family oriented requirements!
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