Barking Dog Ordinance Questioned.

The City Council Public Safety Committee heard a request for modification of the current barking dog ordinance from citizen Randy Schmidt during its regular monthly meeting last Monday.

Schmidt told the Committee that the current regulations require that a police officer personally witnesses a dog creating a nuisance before the owner can be cited. Schmidt wants the Committee to consider changing that portion of the ordinance so that evidence such as a sound recording or a video could be used as evidence. He said that typically by the time an officer arrives the annoyance has ceased.

Schmidt read excerpts from ordinances created in several surrounding communities that allowed such evidence to varying degree.

The Committee also heard from the neighbor that owns the particular dog that spurred the request by Schmidt. They also heard from three other nearby residents that said the dog doesn’t bother them.

Committee Chair Bill Welch told Schmidt they would take his request under consideration and get back to him.

They say that folks that live in the far north get grumpy when the sun doesn’t shine for long periods durin’ the winter months. I think I was havin’ some of those symptoms myself durin’ last week’s downpour. I was glad to see the clouds go away for as while, it was good ta have some reassurance that I hadn’t gone where the sun don’t shine.

I always wondered where that was. As a kid there were lots of expressions I didn’t really understand, but repeated anyway, just ‘cause they sounded neat.

Usually expressions like "big deal" or "what-of-it" or the ultimate "so?" seemed to irritate adults after a while, even though such sayin’s weren’t aimed at adults. Kids understood this and would exaggerate usage just to push the limits a little. The result was somethin’ like bein’ without sunshine for more than a couple days I suppose.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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• If you’re patching an article of clothing that has a hole, put a small piece of aluminum foil underneath it as you iron on the patch. This way, you won’t accidentally adhere the patch to the ironing surface. Hey, it’s happened!

• "Baby food jars make excellent reusable containers -- especially now that many baby foods are sold in plastic containers with snap-on lids. I use these to make small portions of prepared gelatin and pudding, which I then freeze. I pop one in my children’s lunchbox, and by lunchtime they are defrosted and ready to eat. They serve the dual purpose of helping to keep other items cold." -- M.L. in Georgia

•"I use baby powder to give my dog’s coat a freshening between baths. I take her outside, rub a nice portion in, then brush out. It removes dirt and grime, plus leaves her smelling sweet as a baby!" -- O.S. in California

• For quick and easy cleanup after outdoor gardening, stick a bar of soap in a net bag or piece of ladies’ stockings and hang it from the hose bib. You’ll always know where it is, and it’s always handy when you need to wash up before going inside.

• "Use greased muffin tins to bake stuffed peppers." -- V.B. in Illinois

• "The best way to pack clothes for camping is in complete outfits rolled up together. I use small wastebasket liners to hold my daily outfits together. The benefits are that it stays neatly rolled, new clothes don’t get wet from rain, and the bag can be used along the way to keep litter in its place." -- R.F. in Colorado