Tom Waits on Letterman

Tom Waits was on David Letterman last night to promote his new 3-disc album - "Orphans:Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards" I know it's at the top of my Christmas list. Tom was on the daily show too but it wasn't as good as Letterman. Check out Tom's pretty funny interview with Dave on YouTube. He also performed with his band.

November Garden Update

The garden is plugging away. We had a freshly harvested salad with Thanksgiving dinner. Broccoli heads are starting to form. Everything is holding up well to the around freezing temps that we have been having at night with the exception of the eggplant which wasn't really expected to survive. We took avantage of the 3o% off sale at Park Seed and stocked up for next season. We will probably be starting some of our transplants indoors around the first of the year to get a jump on next year.

R-Class W251 Trailer Hitch Install Problems

A few weeks ago I bought a DrawTite hitch for my R-class. The first one didn’t fit correctly so I contacted DrawTite tech support who provided me with the measurement specs that the hitch is supposed to meet. After verifying that my hitch was manufactured incorrectly it was replace twice by the store that I bought it from. If you do decided to purchase one of these hitches I would not buy it online since it will probably have to be returned a few times. I have currently given up on this for now but if Santa brings me a welder I’ll buy one again and correct the problems.

The main problem I had with all of the hitches I received was that the distance between the mounting holes were about .5 in too far apart measuring from front to back. This may be clearer if you look at the photos of the front bolt holes not lining up when the back is bolted up. To verify if the hitch you receive is made incorrectly measure it as I did in these photos. If you can’t read the tape or square I measured about 18.75 down on the tape and 9.5 between the base of the square and the tape. Verify that the tape and the square meet at a 90 degree angle.

I also found that you would have to trim about 1.5 inches off of the bumper cover even though they say you don’t have to. You can probably get around this by just not reattaching the bumper cover to the black panel and just letting the hitch hold it. The directions don’t mention it but you also need to remove the exhaust tips during the install which requires a T-25 torx bit. If you buy one of these hitches that is made correctly let me know.

Ways to Make Your House More Appealing

1. Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage.

2. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.

3. Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.

4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.

5. Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially basements and other dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.

6. Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems, such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet, may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained.

7. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.

8. Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.

9. Clean your gutters.

10. Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.
Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. www.REALTOR.org/realtormag