My Time With Baby Chix!

When I came up with the idea of using live baby chicks for our latest insurance agency video, I had no idea what was ahead.  At first, it was just an “idea” while chatting with a friend on Facebook.  Didn’t know if we could really put what was in my head onto a video.  But, Erin said we’d try!

Finding baby chicks at the beginning of February is not easy.  Had we waited a few more weeks, we would have had many options for “Easter chicks” at the local farm stores.  We ended up getting lucky when a friend, Betsey, found some for us PRONTO!    Thank you, my dear!

Originally, we were scheduled to receive the little stinkers at 6pm on a Thursday (the day they were born),  keeping them until 6:30pm when I would deliver them to a lovely woman who would care for them until their “screen debut” on Saturday.  However, there was a change in plans and I ended up caring for them til the next morning instead.  At first, that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of responsibility, right?  Wrong!  As I started to google about what to do, I became more anxious.  We needed a special warming light so they would be a happy temperature.  Too warm and they could dehydrate (and die??) and too cool, they would get a draft and get sick (and die??)  The articles said to make sure they knew how to drink (never coached anything other than kittens on that!) and eat.  That part went pretty well.

For every second that they were not eating, they were peeping.  It is a constant, melodic, almost calming kind of sound.  Seriously, for the first few hours, it never stopped.   I made a note to google whether baby chicks ever sleep.

I have two cats.  One didn’t care.  One was extremely curious, so I made sure to not leave the babies (four of them) alone for any period of time.  After peering into their box (with the warm bright light) for 2.5 hours, I realized I hadn’t yet had dinner.  How could I?  The babies needed a human to stare at them to insure their well being.  Smelling a hot, spicy aroma coming from the kitchen, I realized my hubby was making “wings” in the broiler oven.   Oh, how wrong!  I opted for a tuna hoagie.

While I ate, I placed them in our powder room, with the door closed.  No need to tempt fate with the cat situation.  When I went in to check on them, I nearly fainted!  All four of them were laying on the bottom of the box, flat on their faces, spread out and looking very dead.  I killed baby chicks??  In 3 hours, I managed to do this?  As soon as I started squealing and shaking the box, they all bounced up with even more energy than they had before and began their peeping song again.  Note to any of you taking this journey, baby chicks do not lay down and cuddle into a circle like cats and dogs.  They just fall down wherever they are and sleep.  And look dead.

As I dropped them off at their “foster” mom’s home the next morning, I was so relieved to know that they were now with someone who “did this” before.  God bless you, Esmeralda!

We picked them up again for their big “on screen” debut Saturday.  It was amazing to see how big they got in such a short time!  We worked with Erin Monie and Raul Gomez of Steelwire Productions.  Erin’s a client of ours and one day we just started to chat about what kind of fun things we could do with baby chicks.  And, the idea was hatched.  (Sorry)  She managed to convince a cute young couple to be part of the video.  Ron was amused by the baby chicks.  Crystal fell in complete love, lol.

After the shoot, it was time to say goodbye for good.  I purposely did not name the chicks as I figured that would be the smartest way to avoid attachment.  So, for me, they’re still known as #1, #2, #3 and #4.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience!  Thank you to all the wonderful PEEPS who helped make it happen.  Without each and every one, it would never have been possible!   (Betsey, Esmeralda, Erin, Raul, Crystal and Ron)

And without further delay, here is the finished product!

Can They Find You?

When is the last time you drove past your own house and took a critical look at how easy it is to find it?

Who cares, right?  You know where you live.  Your friends know.  You like mystery.  You like anonymity.  What’s the point?

The point is that you want to do ALL you can to make sure firefighters and emergency personnel can find your home quickly should there be an emergency.   As an insurance agent, I always take note of this when I go to inspect homes.  If I have trouble finding the home, so will others who may come to fight your fire or help save your life.

Seconds count when walls are burning or you can’t breathe.  Make it easy for these folks and update your house number sign.  Yes, you might have that “pretty” one in cursive font across your front porch wall, under the roof, burgundy on dark brown siding…guess what?  It’s hard to see!  Find a big, clear version and make sure there is some contrast.  Consider one of these festive green or blue ones sold by your local fire company.  They are a wonderful fundraiser, but they are also awesome in terms of visibility and reflectiveness at night!

Also, when the snow comes, make sure to be the great neighbor who cleans off the fire hydrant.  Whether it’s your fire or someone else’s, wouldn’t it be nice if the firefighters could locate it quickly at 3AM when they respond?  Every moment counts, so if they don’t know where it is, or have to dig it out first, it is wasted time.  That could mean injury or loss of life for someone you know.

These are easy things to remember.  Please share this post with others if you find it helpful!

 

 

The “OTHER” Folder? OH NO!

If you’re like me, you like surprises!  GOOD surprises.

BAD surprises?  Not as much.

Yesterday I learned something I did not know.  Many of my friends were also unaware.  Thus, I’m gonna share it with all of you because it’s important if you are a Facebook user.

There is an ADDITIONAL folder holding messages that were sent to you and you may not know it exists.  When you are on a full version (desktop) of the Facebook program, you find three icons at the top left of your screen.  The center one is for private message notifications.

When you click on that, it opens up a few incoming messages.  Look at the bottom of that list and click  ”SEE ALL”.  Now, see the choices on top?  One says “OTHER” and that’s the super secret place of which I speak.

Go enjoy yourself by reviewing what you may have missed.  Many of mine were junk/spam, stuff that didn’t matter.  I had a lot of robots named Luis or Dominic telling me I’m beautiful and we must meet (great ego boost for my afternoon!)   Many were invites for events coming from businesses in the area.   But, there were a few that made my heart sink when I realized the people who sent them probably thought I was ignoring them or choosing to not respond.    One was a request from a local TV station for an interview!  Another was an inquiry from a family who was involved in one of our recent fundraisers for the burn unit at our local hospital.   So, I did respond yesterday…MONTHS after the messages were sent to me.

You can review more about it right from the HELP section on Facebook by searching “other folder.”   Preferences for filtering can be set (mine was on the most open option, but I still missed the messages mentioned.)

I love Facebook.  It’s free, it’s fun and it’s a great way to communicate 99% of the time.  So, thank you, Facebook.  However, because it seems very few folks I’m met have known about this part, I wanted to share with you!

 

 

InsuranceChix Open House 12/8/12

Yep, it’s that time again!  Mark the date of  12/8/12 from 9-3 for our ChixNest Open House!

Bring a hat for our HAT DRIVE for kids with cancer!  We’re donating the new handmade or store bought hats to the pediatric oncology unit of Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg!  It’s a great way to feel good about finding a fun gift for someone else!  You can drop them off anytime through 12/8.  We’re here Monday-Friday from 9-5…but if you come on the Open Nest day, it’ll be more fun!

We’ll have the usual goodies to eat and drink…and the town comes alive with gingerbread house competitions, horse-drawn wagons, strolling bands and minstrellaires, trolley rides, crafters and tours of Victorian homes!

Here at the ChixNest, we’ll have 5 peeps displaying their very special wares!  Folks whose stuff I buy and recommend!  On board are:

• Louise Loehwing and her “Ideal Skin” products.  Whether sensitive, aging, or sun damaged, your skin deserves amazing care.  Let Louise show you the options that are perfect for you!
• Barbara Hare of EF Essential Products makes THE BEST balms and lotions I’ve seen in ages!  I have the Apricot Chamomile (dreamy) and the lavender (yum-oh!) balms and I will never use anything else!  Soaps, too!  Handmade!
• Natalie Salamone is bringing her line of Chloe & Isabel jewelry.  It’s funky, beautiful and priced right!  For you or others who’d love a gift, this stuff is really different and you will love it!
• Tonya Rupell of Stone Soup Designs is bringing her LATEST designs (handmade!) for you!  Unique and one of a kind stones adorn pins, pendants, keychains and more!  You can’t have too many…wait til you see the NEW designs!  Also, perfect price point for buying for everyone on your list!
• Rebecca Westling has already donated hats to our HAT DRIVE…and peeps love them when they see them!  So, we asked her to make some more and bring them to sell that day!  These are fabulously unique, too!  You won’t see anything like them in the stores!

At 1pm, Kirsten Rani Almeida from Star of the Day Event Productions is bringing a special gift!  Her voice!  She’ll be singing for us!  If you can make it for that time, you’ll be enchanted!

Where to park?    Best deal is to park at the CVS up the street and ride the trolley here.  There is street parking, too.

Hope to see you on the 8th.  We’d love to thank you for your business “in person” and celebrate the holidays with you!

Pretty Little Dear…uh, Deer. Watch out for her!

She’s out.  She’s about.  She’s on the party trail.

It’s prime time to meet up with one of these sassy little dolls.  Slow down, be alert, keep an eye out for them.   From November to January, we find alot of vehicle accidents as a result of these creatures.

Wear your safety belt.  Watch for their eye reflection from headlights.  Know that if there’s one, there’s likely some friends behind it.  Be cautious of veering away from the deer and into something worse like oncoming traffic.  Slow down and be tuned into everything.

For more info and tips:   http://auto.erieinsurance.com/ohdeer.html

 

Understanding “Hurricane” Deductibles!

In the last 24 hours, we’ve received a lot of inquiries from folks who have misunderstood the recent press release from PA Governor, Tom Corbett.    For every one person that asks, there are usually 9 more who haven’t yet gotten around to asking.   So, let’s just talk about it now.

First off, if you have an ERIE Insurance policy, you may not even know what a “hurricane” deductible is.  At present, our PA homeowner policies do not utilize one.  You’ll see a line on your policy declarations that says “Section I Deductible” with a dollar amount beside it. Many people choose $500 or $1,000 but many other options are available.  Depending on the type of policy you’ve chosen, various perils will be covered.  However, let’s talk about my policy.  For the one I’ve chosen (our best one, of course!) I would experience the same deductible of $2,500 whether I have a loss from fire, lightning, theft OR hurricane.  That’s the amount I chose, that’s the amount I would bear when I submit my claim.  (Tip:  the higher the deductible, the lower the premium)

However, some other companies have designated a separate deductible for hurricanes or “tropical cyclones” and you can actually see it on those declaration pages if you look closely.   Here’s an example.

When you look at it, you’ll see this policy has a $1,000 deductible for the other perils, but a $7,424 one for “tropical cyclone” claims.  See it?  It’s an odd number, but if you do the math, you’ll see that it works out to be 2% of the amount of the dwelling (home).  See the home value of $371,236?   Multiply that by 2% and you’ll get $7,424.

Let’s use this printout as our example.  What Governor Corbett has suggested is that the $7,424 deductible would be replaced by the regular policy deductible of $1,000 for a claim resulting from Hurricane Sandy.   (You need to look at your own policy closely to know what deductibles apply to your situation.  If you are unsure, contact your agent for clarification)

Many folks have read the news articles and questioned whether he was waiving, wiping, or eliminating the policy deductible entirely.  They’ve wondered if their deductible would now be zero.  No, that is not the case.   However, instead of bearing the higher $7,424 they would bear the lower one of $1,000.

You need to understand your policy so that you are comfortable with how it responds during a loss. Talk with your agent and be honest about your comfort zone in terms of finances.  If you don’t have an agent with whom you can talk, please consider us!   We’re here to explain, we’re here to help you plan.  We’re here to help explain what can sometimes seem confusing.

To read the press release:  http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/governor-corbett-announces-hurricane-deductibles-will-not-be-applied-to-sandy-related-insurance-claims-176820081.html

Find us at http://www.insurancechix.com or http://www.hosfeldinsurance.com   Or, live at 19 E Main St., Macungie!    610-530-0304

Why Hurricane Sandy Reminds Me of 9/11

First of all, don’t take my comparison to mean that the devastation of this storm in any way equals the evil and horror of that day.  It cannot.

All I mean is that the first thing I remember from that terrible day was how kind people were to one another.  I remember talking to complete strangers, seeing a warming of their hearts as we all realized we were “in this” together.

I am seeing much of the same in the days right after Hurricane Sandy.

With so many folks losing power and “roughing it”, there was a real feeling of togetherness when I stood in lines or grabbed a bite at the few local eateries that were open.  When I was able to get service on my iPhone, I saw some awesome offers from people to share their homes and shower facilities.  I noticed some businesses willing to give away water and other items for those in need.   At intersections without power, I saw drivers being incredibly patient and polite!

As I called clients back asking about their damage, I noticed that they actually asked ME how I was doing!  Several took time to ask about how crazy my life must be right now and was I okay??  These are folks who have pieces of their roof missing.  People with thousand pound trees on their homes.  They’ve been gracious and kind.  Yes, they’ve been frantic and upset, who wouldn’t be? Being able to help folks when things are upside down is a privilege.  Being able to walk them through what seems an impossible maze is the reason we insurance peeps do what we do.

Extra hours?  Yes!  Slight headache?  Yes!   Burny eyes from looking at an iPhone for way too long?  You bet!  But these are the times that we DELIVER on the promises we’ve made when we wrote those insurance policies.  These are the times that we can be a resource to the clients who’ve placed their trust in us.  The feeling you get when you’re able to help someone make sense of such a nightmare is priceless.  And when you are graced with their kindness and appreciation?  Total icing on the cake.

I hate bad situations.  I hate this wench named Sandy.  But I love when hearts soften and we become a family.  Just like after 9/11, we seem more able to forget our differences and find comfort in how very much the same we all really are.

 

Photo:  Taken a few months ago when I first “met” the claims response vehicle that has now come to town along with additional staff for settling claims from Hurricane Sandy.