Jimmy's Favorite Sites

By Jimmy R. Hammond, CPA

Here are a few sites I have discovered which are helpful, informative or interesting. These sites relate to Annapolis, to business or are just worth dropping in for a casual visit. Let's go surfing and take a look.

Over the years Over the years we have had birds repeatedly fly into our closed windows. The most common result, I am happy to report, is that we get to observe these delicate little creatures until they regain consciousness and continue on their flights. Recently, we had a similar experience but could not recognize the species. Thanks to the U.S. Geodesic Service and the link to the Patuxent Wildlife Service page at www.mbr-pwrc.usg.gov/Infocenter/infocenter.html, we were able to identify our wayward traveler as a black-throated blue warbler---new to us! We are happy to report that he recovered and resumed his journey more quickly than we could identify him.

We use the service of a veterinarian who makes house calls. With four cats, the routine tasks of pet maintenance, shots, checkups etc. can be overwhelming. The unusual part about this is that almost immediately our pets started to associate the door bell with the vet and the trauma that followed soon after his arrival. I was on a mission to solve that problem, so I purchased a new electronic doorbell that comes preloaded with 48 songs and a digital keyboard which allows us to make our own music if we are inclined. My hope is that we can change the tune as often as is required to keep the pet trauma to a minimum and make the visit more enjoyable for all. Take a look at this unit at www.timelygifts.net. Order now and you can have holiday music at the touch of the door- bell even if you don't have pets. It's $50 plus shipping---cheap. Recently, I wanted to upgrade my color inkjet printer and stumbled on www.amatter offax.com. Don't let the name fool you. Anything computer-related is available at this site, and shipping is always free, according to the welcoming banner. Type any printer model into a search window, and this site will list anything related to the model selected. I didn't switch printers in the end, but this is the first site you should check. The printer manufacturers must have realized that they could make a fortune on supplies even if they gave the printers away free. At www.iasbiz express.com you can reduce the supply cost drastically. I saved as much as 30 percent on my HP #14 cartridges, and shipping is free on any order over $100. I have not purchased any other items from them, but the banner states that they have 225,000 other products as well. This past spring we were forced to replace our 30-plus- year-old furnace and the associated air filter system. We finally decided to step up to a Honeywell air filtrations unit with a remote sensor that monitors air pressure and alerts you when the filter requires cleaning or changing. The bad news is that the 4-inch filter needed cleaning much more quickly than we expected. They were not an on-the-shelf item, and they could cost as much as $60 each. That problem was quickly resolved by the folks at www.oxyclean.com/spacegard.html. Not only were the filters better than the originals, but with free freight and an order of 6 or more, my cost was less than $30 per filter. Their filter product line is very extensive and worth checking out. As always we encourage your thoughts and suggestions, Thanks!