The Mornin' Mail is published every weekday except major holidays
Monday, August 13, 2007 Volume XVI, Number 40

did ya know?

Did Ya Know?... The McCune-Brooks Hospital Blood Pressure Clinic is open M-W-F from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Clinic located at 2040 S. Garrison in the mbh wellness Center. Call 358-0670 M-W-F. BP logbook available.

Did Ya Know?... A Pancake Breakfast will be held on Saturday, August 18th from 6:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Carthage First Church of the Nazarene, 2000 Grand Avenue. $3.00 adults, $1.50 ages 3-10. Donations go toward teen mission trips, camps and outreach ministries. Free fingerprinting by the Carthage Police and stress tests by McCune-Brooks from 8-11 a.m.

today's laugh

A man left his hotel without paying the bill. The hotel sent him a letter saying, Please send the amount of your bill now.
He wrote back, The amount of my bill was $165.14. Regards.

A terrible violinist finishes a composition, and someone from the audience yells up to him, "Play Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto."
"Again?"

I went to Switzerland on a vacation last summer.
So did I. While over in Switzerland, how did you like the Swiss Alps?
They were the nicest people I ever met.

1907
INTERESTING MELANGE.
A Chronological Record of Events as they have Transpired in the City and County since our last Issue.

The Furniture Factory Busy.

H. E. Mason, of the Mason Furniture Factory, has just returned from a week’s trip among the firm’s customers. He reports great activity in the furniture trade in this district. The factory is so filled with work that they cannot catch up with orders, even by running over time for the next two months.

This factory gives steady employment to twelve men. Their machinery is run by a 40 horsepower Weber gasoline engine, which however, scarcely furnishes sufficient power to run the numerous woodworking machines. Their specialties are cupboards, wardrobes, safes and cheap bedsteads, mostly made of Texas cottonwood.

F.E. Purple and Andrew Howen, who have been here for several days, departed this morning for their home in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. They have taken a lease of the New Richmond mines on the Chitwood land at Carl Junction, and Mr. Purple expects to return here in about three weeks to reside.

 

Today's Feature

Sign Was Difficult to Move.

Workers ran into an unexpected difficulty when trying to move a sign at the corner of Garrison and Fairview recently. Dynamic Signs of Carthage was awarded the bid to relocate signs for Aldi Grocery and UMB bank, part of the intersection improvements being done by the City and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler explained the complication to the Public Works committee last week. Wampler said that when the workers tried to remove the 10 inch diameter steel pole which held the Aldi sign they discovered that it was set in a block of concrete approximately 4 feet wide, 8 feet long and 8 feet deep. It became apparent that the workers would be unable to remove the pole from what Wampler described as, "more concrete than you would need to put down a small barn."

The pole was instead cut off slightly below ground level and a new pole will be used for the sign in its new location. The Public Works committee approved a change order in the amount of $742.98 for the replacement pole. Dynamic Signs plans to have the project completed when the new pole arrives, later this week.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',
There are some things that just don’t interest me anymore.

Like seein’ how far and high I can jump a chat pile on a bicycle. I can remember spendin’ summer hours with a couple a friends developin’ the guts and skill to accomplish a good long jump. I don’t think about that much anymore. Just not interested.

Don’t know if it’s cause I’m smarter or just don’t have the energy, but it’s way down on the long list of things I do have an interest in. It’s down there with learnin’ how to do tricks on a skateboard, or playin’ football. Use ta be pretty important stuff.

I still do get the urge ever now and then to play a little softball, but the thought of slidin’ home and gettin’ a mouth full of catcher’s mitt usually calms the desire.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Oldies & Oddities

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Contractor Says It’s Too Humid to Paint

Q: I am having a painter come in and repaint some interior rooms of my home this month. The painter told me it would only take a couple of days, asked for an advance payment of $500, and said he would start the next Monday. So far it has been two weeks since he made that appointment and he has yet to start. I called the company and was told that because it has been raining so much, it’s too humid to paint. Is this true? If not, how do I get my money back? -- Sandra L., Concord, N.H.

A: Excess humidity can have an effect on interior paint’s adherence to wall surfaces, causing paint to wrinkle, blister, crack and peel. So, if it is exceedingly rainy and humid outdoors, your painter may be exercising caution by delaying the work until the sun comes out, to avoid having to do the job all over again much sooner than anyone would like.

The contractor responded to your phone call, which is a good thing; however, he does need to confirm that as soon as the weather dries up, he will be over there doing the job he promised to do. Be polite but persistent in calling him daily and get him to commit to a time and date -- after all, you have to take time out of your schedule to let him in to do the work.

I’m hoping you got some sort of estimate on cost and time in writing, or better yet, a written sales contract. But many contractors are hired with a handshake. If this is the case, set a time limit for him. If the contractor fails to start (and complete) the work within a certain period of time -- say, a month from the time he said he would begin -- I’d recommend you ask for the advance back.

If he fails to complete the job or absconds with your advance, you should certainly file a report with the Better Business Bureau and consider getting the money back through small claims court.

HOME TIP: Insist upon written estimates and agreements with repair contractors, including details of work to be done, labor and materials costs, and when the contractor will start.

Send questions or home-repair tips to homeguru2000@hotmail.com, or write This Is a Hammer, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

 

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