Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. As Spring spreads into Summer, it also brings along the allergy season. All three of my kids suffer from some kind of allergy, but as for me, I do not have allergies. Despite being tested and found negative, I still have some symptoms. This is due primarily to the fact that I live in the country, and I am surrounded by farmland. When the farmers start plowing and spraying, all of the stuff in the air causes me to have some slight nasal drip and an occasional irritating nagging…

Hello and welcome back to the patriotic world of the Dogpound.  In a few days we will be celebrating our Independence Day, or as we know it, the Fourth of July.  On this date the Second Continental Congress approved our Declaration of Iindependence.  The colonies had been pretty much left alone to grow and develop as they saw fit, but England finally decided that they should start paying for the common defense and contribute revenue back to the homeland.  Since the colonies were not represented in Parliament, they did not think this was fair, and the phrase,”No taxation without representation”…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Hard to believe that we have only reached the mid-point of 2020, it feels like we have combined five years into one considering all of the things that have happened so far this year and we haven’t even gotten to the presidential election. There is one you know?! Right now it has been way overshadowed by the virus and protests. Anyway, the good news is that despite all that has occurred in recent months we are ready to celebrate the fourth of July. A date when the 13 colonies…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Before I get started, I want to make a big shout out to all of you dads and “will be a dad soon dads,”  Happy Father’s Day!  Plus, a pat on the back for me since I got this article out on time for the holiday, for once! LOL.  Just remember that you do not have to be a dad to be a father-figure. Today is a time, like no other time for a very long time, where we need good men to step up, show up, be counted,…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. A few weeks ago, I talked about the little mouse that was making his home in a box under my bathroom sink. I have the same problem in my three-car pole barn, but I expect that, and I plan accordingly. Being out in the country on two acres, you can expect critters to venture into your buildings, and I figured that the pole barn would be their first area of visitation. A preemptive strike there would reduce the odds of them strolling on over to the house. So, I…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. OK…I admit I missed another holiday. Again! I did remember the event, Memorial Day, but I just did not get around to writing an article about it. However, for this particular miss, I have a good excuse. I am just coming off another week of furlough, that fancy word my company used when they told us that we were going to be laid off one week a month through July.  Yes, without pay! So, when every day basically looks like the previous day, it is easy to lose track…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound, where we have started to live free again. Well, not completely, but we have taken the first baby steps to get small business back on track; I even was able to get my hair cut today. I have to admit I have gotten pretty good using the mustache trimmer to trim the back of my head,. using a mirror to boot! Just for your information, the barber was in a really good mood when she was cutting my hair. I am sure she was just as happy to be…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Hope you are surviving this crazy world and speaking of crazy, in my world of the Dogpound it does not take the virus to make my life a little bit crazier. For example, I noticed that I was not getting any advance notices from my medical program about the medications that needed to be refilled or ordered. I went to the Web site, and it was not showing most of my medications and did not even have my correct contact information. Oh great, more fun! I called the medical…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Unless things change very quickly in the next few days, Mother’s Day is going to be one for the history books. A day when we celebrate all that Mom has done for us, and we are forced to do it apart; looking through a glass door or waving at each other as the car drives slowly past the house. I understand the need for precaution, but at the same time if everyone is in good health, mask with gloves in place, and for good measure everyone is hosed down…

Hello and welcome back to the not-so-happy Dogpound. Good news is that I do not have the virus and no one in my family has been diagnosed with the virus, and I pray to the good Lord that it stays that way. However, this hands-off does not apply to the company that I am working for. We have been considered an “essential” manufacturing operation since we make transmission parts for aftermarket, OEM automotive (like: Ford,) and tractors (like: John Deere.) Despite that designation we got hit from several directions. One, some of the vendors who supply us raw materials and…