How to Transform Your Backyard Into a Restaurant-Worthy Oasis with Outdoor Lighting

Posted on July 20, 2021January 22, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

We asked the pros how to install magical, twinkling outdoor lights — on a budget.

This year’s hottest venue? Your own backyard. Maybe you’ve got the plants and furniture down, but you want to take the space truly over the top, so it looks just as incredible as your favorite restaurant’s outdoor dining setup. Short of splurging on a fancy firepit area building outdoor awnings, there’s a functional, budget-friendly move you can make that’ll totally set the mood. And that’s installing outdoor lighting like a pro.

Many restaurants hire lighting companies to put up their twinkly string lights, but that can set you back thousands. With the right tips and tricks, you can totally DIY. That’s why we turned to event and experience production company Cloth and Flame. Their team is so adept at installing lighting, they can rig it up in the even the most remote places (think: the top of the Grand Canyon or the middle of a dessert). Here is their creative, resourceful advice.

Choose the Right Type of String Lights

Google “string lights” or “café lights” and hundreds of different varieties will pop up. Nathan Lesueur, the lead designer at Cloth and Flame gives us guidance.

Avoid interior lights. Stay away from Christmas lights or anything that’s labeled as an interior light, because these won’t be weather-proof.

Read buyer reviews. Amazon and Costco are great sources for inexpensive string lights, but terms on sellers’ pages like “industrial” or “commercial” don’t mean much. “My only reliable source, no matter what I’m buying is doing the research and reading verified reviews of what other people have experienced that item,” Lesueur says.

Make sure the bulbs are generic and replaceable. Bulbs might break when you install the lights, and they’ll burn out over time. You want to make sure that you can buy generic replacements that screw in. Proprietary bulbs will be more expensive and harder to source down the line.

Click here for the rest of the story… and some great photos too!

Money-Saving Pool Maintenance Tips

Posted on July 5, 2021January 23, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

10 Money-Saving Pool Maintenance Tips & Tricks

A pool is a huge investment, and it’s worth every penny when you jump into the crystal-clear water on a scorching summer day. Maintaining your investment takes daily effort during pool season, but it doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. Make pool maintenance as easy and cost efficient as possible with these easy tips.

1. Add Chlorine After Dark

The sun’s heat can weaken the efficiency of chemicals you add to the pool, which means you go through chemicals more quickly. When you need to shock the pool with chlorine, wait until evening to do it. The chlorine will have all night to kill unwanted organisms, and the water is clear by morning.

2. Set Alarms to Test Pool Water

Regularly testing your water is a critical part of pool maintenance. It’s better to make small adjustments now than to let a problem grow to the point that you need to bring in professional help to restore the right chemical balance. Set an alarm on your phone for twice a week so you never forget this task. Test after heavy rainstorms too.

3. Clean Tiles With Vinegar

Vinegar may help remove calcium deposits that cling to your pool tile above the water line. Pour a little white vinegar onto a soft cloth and try buffing a section of tile with it. Follow with a second cloth dampened with water.

4. Treat Metal Stains With Vitamin Tablets

Sometimes, brownish or greenish metal stains appear on the walls or floor of a pool. They often happen because something metal, like a hair pin, has been dropped into the pool. Some pool owners say that rubbing a vitamin C tablet or powder over the affected area lightens or removes metal stains thanks to the ascorbic acid in vitamin C

5. Throw in Tennis Balls

It’s best not to think too long about all the oils that accumulate on the surface of your pool water from the people who swim in it. Instead, toss a few tennis balls in the water when it’s not in use. As they bob around, they should soak up any oils they encounter. (Just make sure there are no little kids or pets around who will want to dive in to collect those balls!)

6. Discourage Bugs With Dryer Sheets

Nothing ruins a perfect pool day like a buzzing bee that refuses to leave. Scented dryer sheets discourage insect activity, so try tucking them into the landscaping around your pool. If you don’t have bushes and potted plants around to hold dryer sheets, try attaching them to garden stakes and plunging the stakes into the grass or dirt around the pool.

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Why do dogs eat grass?

Posted on June 28, 2021January 23, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

Why do dogs eat grass? 6 reasons your pooch is munching on your lawn, from anxiety to worms

Your dog might be eating grass because it provides a source of fiber in their diet.
Dogs may also eat grass when their stomach is upset since it can make them throw up.
Grass-eating is a habit that dogs may have inherited from wolves, so some pups just like the taste.

Nearly 80% of dogs who have access to grass will occasionally eat it.

Researchers still don’t know exactly why dogs eat grass, but there are many theories, like getting rid of worms or calming their anxiety.

Note: Most of the time, grass-eating isn’t a problem, but if your dog starts overeating grass and vomiting, you should see your vet.

Here are six reasons your dogs eat grass and when you should be concerned about it.

1. They need more fiber in their diet

There’s no single answer to why dogs eat grass, but some experts believe that dogs may be craving a nutritional component like fiber.

Grass may be “providing trace elements or vitamins that are missing in your dog’s diet,” says Jeannine Berger, DVM, Senior Vice President of Rescue and Welfare at San Francisco SPCA.

There are no studies proving that dogs with low-fiber diets eat more grass. However, there is some anecdotal evidence that dogs stop eating grass when their owners feed them a high-fiber diet, says Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, DACVB, president of the Center for Canine Behavior Studies.RELATED5 ways to fix your dog’s constipation

If your dog isn’t getting enough fiber, they may show symptoms like:

Diarrhea
Constipation
Blocked anal glands, which can cause your dog to scratch their backside on carpets or leak a foul odor
Obesity

If you see these signs along with grass-eating, talk to your vet about whether you should adjust your dog’s diet.

2. Their stomach is upset

The fiber in grass may help food move more easily through your dog’s gut. Because of this, “grass might also help if your dog is dealing with underlying gastrointestinal disease, like inflammatory bowel disease,” Berger says.

Perhaps due to instinct, some dogs have learned that eating grass may also soothe their acid reflux, Dodman says. And this makes sense, since grass contains pectin, a type of fiber that can help treat acid reflux in humans.

“If dogs have a bad feeling in their stomach, they may eat grass to make themselves throw up and feel better,” Dodman says. However, vomiting might not be the main reason dogs eat grass — a small 2008 study found that only 22% of dogs who ate grass tended to vomit afterward.

If your dog is regularly eating grass to the point of vomiting, Berger says to call your vet, as this can be a sign of underlying disease like intestinal issues, cancer, or liver disease.

Besides eating grass, other signs that your dog has an upset stomach include:

Vomiting or diarrhea
Licking their lips or licking the air
Gulping
Loss of appetite

If your dog has an upset stomach, you can also try feeding them mild foods like boneless, skinless chicken and rice. If it doesn’t get better after a couple days, call your vet.

3. They’re anxious

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Thinking of Buying a Pool or a Trampoline?

Posted on June 22, 2019August 29, 2021 by Shield Insurance Agency

Fun in the sun with a pool or trampoline may cost you more than you thought!

Sun. Ahhh yes, the thought of having some warm sunshine on a glistening pool after a long winter would be lovely but unfortunately, here we are in Michigan, a few weeks past Easter and there are snowflakes falling outside my window.

What is a Michigander’s favorite saying?… If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and then it will change. True. That is what provoked my thoughts for this entry.

You see…I was at Walmart the other day and I noticed that there were some people buying trampolines and above-ground swimming pools. Was there a sale? Was it the desire to have warm weather and have entertainment for the kids and family? Could be, but did you ever stop and think about the risks involved? (Insurance agent mentality at its best).

“The kids want a trampoline and this one is on sale for 60% off, let’s buy it!” “It gets so hot in the summer that the kids would love a quick set up above ground pool.”

Well, my friend, have you thought about whether or not your current home insurance company would surcharge you for having that trampoline or pool in your backyard, or maybe they won’t even want to insure your home any longer if you end up getting one! I bet you didn’t. You just want to find a way for the kids to remain physically active, off the computer/cell phones, and out of the house for some decent “me time” or “clean time”.

Actually, you might be one of the people whose insurance company will NOT want to insure if you have one of these items. Some insurance companies will not allow a trampoline or a trampoline without a net guard all around it. Worse yet, a swimming pool with a diving board or a slide can be taboo for some insurance companies. Think of the risk involved? Someone can fall off the trampoline and break a bone or drown in a pool. Heaven forbid a toddler finds their way to the pool and falls in somehow.

If an insurance company allows the items, it can be with certain stipulations, and watch out for the surcharge or “penalty” for having one. Don’t you dare have a pool without a fence around it or enclosing your backyard! Worse scenario, a trampoline next to the above-ground pool. Sounds like it could be fun. You could treat it as part of the course in a Ninja Warrior extreme sporting course, right? WRONG! That’s a big fat negative.

Listen, I am just trying to save you some time, money, and feelings of disappointment from the kids by saying, “Call your insurance company and ask them if you are allowed to have a trampoline or an above ground pool in your backyard BEFORE YOU GO OUT AN SPEND THE MONEY ON IT.” Your insurance may say no. or yes, you can have it but the cost would be……fill in the blank.

If you already bought a pool, set it up, the kids are playing in it, and then you learn that you have to tear it down or pay more to have it…..this will just disappoint everyone. All insurance companies do not have the same rules and conditions. Call and find out what’s allowable before you spend the money for the purchase and the energy setting it up. Once you get the “OK” or you agree to pay if there are extra charges….let me know, invite me over so I can take a dip, soak up the sun, or jump ’till my heart’s content because my insurance won’t allow me to have one.

How ya like them apples? COME ON SPRING…….HURRY UP AND GET HERE!