WreckCheck

The National Association of Insurance Commisioners or NAIC has created an app.  Sounds like a yawn fest to you?  Well, in the insurance world, accidents happen.  When they do will you remember all the information you need to provide your insurance carrier?  Not always.  This app will help.

The App is called WreckCheck.  It is a mobile quetionnaire that can be filled out at the accident site along with pictures and emailed to your carrier or customer service agent.  If you are like me I am leary of any app I add.  This is a safe app to add to your smartphone. 

In an accident the information you need to provide the other driver is your name, your telephone number, and your insurance information including your agent's telephone number .  Do not let someone copy your driver's license or provide your home address to the other driver.  You can provide all that information to the police.  Identity theives and plain old theives have many scams to get your information auto accidents are one. 

After an accident do you call the police?  The answer is yes.  The police report can help facilate the insurance claim process.  If the other driver offers to take money not to report the claim do not give or agree to give anyone money.  You disrupt any insurance claim process and the other person will still present a claim to the insurance company. That too is another scam.

Accidents happen and the free app can help take some stress out of already stressful situation.  No smartphone?  http://www.insureuonline.org/auto_accident_checklist.pdf  download the brochure with the same information as the app and keep it in your car.

Had an auto accident? We got an app for that.

A Dreaded Job

It is harvest time at my house.  My small yet prolific garden has produced more Roma tomatoes than I can eat in a week.  It is time to take action. It is time to make tomato sauce.

 

I am a pasta-loving person.  I love all kinds of pasta.  I do not think there is any pasta that I will not eat.  My favorite topping for pasta is tomato sauce.  I love garlic and onions fried in cold press olive oil; the green olive oil is my favorite.  I mix slightly caramelized garlic and onions with fresh Roma tomatoes along with fresh basil.  That is all it takes to make a pasta dinner for me.  

 

This weekend I gathered all the ripe Roma tomatoes in my garden, washed, halved, and placed them in a pot over a low heat.  I had time so I sliced eggplant and placed those in a pot to soak in salt water for 4 hours to remove any bitterness eggplant can have.  In the meantime, I chopped up zucchini to make relish.  Harvest time is wonderful.

My husband thought the house smelled funny.  He is a meat kind of guy, while I am all veggies.  The liquid for the relish smelled of all the spices and vinegar.  He did not appreciate that smell.  I liked the house smelling of tomatoes, basil and relish spices.  Though I admit it did make our smoke detector shrill through the house, must have been all the aromas. 

Once the tomatoes were cooked and I stirred them for several minutes, I began to think.  I like fresh Roma tomatoes over pasta.  I do not remove the skins; I eat the skins.  Why can’t I use my submersible blender and see if it will make a smooth sauce?  Well, it worked.

I did not have to strain out the tomato seeds.  I did not have to play with all those tomato skins.  I am not a tidy cook.  I cook big and messy.  My kitchen mess from making 4 quarters of tomato sauce was minimal thank s to the submersible blender.  My experiment turned out terrific. 

 

This year, in the middle of winter when the snow is on the ground, I will pull out a jar of my sauce made from my fresh as sunshine Roma tomatoes, which was rather easy to make, pour it over a plate of pasta and manga. 

Green Clean Your Oven

In my house, the worst cleaning job is the oven.  Not the top of the stove, it is inside the oven.  I am a baker and my oven gets messy.  The pies spill their juices over the bottom of the oven.  Grease splatters on the window that I have never once looked thru.  My oven is a mess.
 

I love a clean oven, I can use the self-cleaning option on my oven, and I have.  It is not a perfect system; it is for the bottom on the oven not for the sides or that door with the unused window.  Also when reading about the demise of an oven it usually starts with “after using the self cleaning option…”  The self-cleaning option heats the oven to a much higher temperature than my normal cooking.  You will remember, I am a frugal person using that energy for cleaning versus for cooking does not appeal to my cheap side.

 

So how do I clean my oven and stay green?  Let us start with what I do not do – I do not use commercial oven cleaners.  I despise oven cleaners.  I did not use them when I was pregnant nor did I use them with my children in the house.  Those cleaners are toxic! The smell from those cans makes me sick literally, since I have asthma.  I use a mixture of baking soda and water. 

 

My not so secret solution is a runny paste consisting of about a cup of baking soda to about a ¼ cup of water adding more water or baking soda to spread it on the oven surfaces.  If you look at the photo, you will see the consistency I use.  I wipe it onto the bottom, sides, door, and that useless window.   Wait approximately 30 minutes and wipe off.  I rub with a soft scrubby sponge. 

 

 

It is not perfect there is some grunge that remains.  Some grunge remained when I used the caustic oven cleaners too.  I can repeat if it is bothersome and I do sometimes.  I can also wait until next time when I clean the oven and I choose that option more times than repeating. 

 

I no longer dread cleaning my oven as I once did.  It is relatively easy and painless.  Happy messy baking my friends.

A garden never knows when its over. ~ Paula Deitz

Sadly, in NEPA a garden is over at the end of summer.  Responsible business and homes owners do outdoor clean up each season.  There are chores for summer, winter, fall and spring that improve the fire and storm safety of your property; some chores just plain ole make your landscaping appear professionally manicured.

The end of summer at DGK meant yard work.   Our chore list included weeding, tree trimming, signpost painting, wood staining & sealing, mulching and banister painting.

the list

 We split our volunteers inside caring for our clients and outside caring for our property.  Everyone was involved and each decided which chore they would prefer.  After lunch we divided and conquered. 

 

Tree Trimming - Kathleen Glattly & Mulch -  Jim Davis



Weeding - Jeff Kyle & Sweeping - Anna Jenkins

Bush Trimming - Beth O'Malley & Denise Maleski. Still on mulch - Jim Davis

 

As a result, DGK Insurance is ready for autumn.

Back at home, I stained both decks with Thompson water seal.  Olympia seal has a better rating but I could not find it in our local stores.  Next year I will look for a greener option.  We also had our driveway sealed.  This weekend will be harvesting the garden and apple picking.  The peaches are long gone; they were yummy!  Trimming of fruit trees are scheduled for the first weekend in March. 

sealing the driveway

water proofing/sealing the deck

 

time to pick apples

freezing blueberries

 tree trimming scheduled for March

Next, we will be getting ready for colder temperatures.  Winter comes before December 21 in NEPA.