J.D.R. Hawkins

One bullet can make a man a hero… or a casualty.

Archive for the month “August, 2019”

29 Aug 2019
2 Comments

The Facts Are Alarming

I just read an article written by a former Southern governor, stating that all Confederate monuments were erected to celebrate white supremacy. This is so offensive and off base that I wanted to post the following list in order to show how wrong this attitude is. The fact is, most Southern soldiers fought to protect their homes and ward off the advancing enemy. Let me know what your thoughts are on the subject. Thanks again so much for reading my blog!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

TOWNS BURNED BY THE CONFEDERATE ARMY

1. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1864

Chambersburg

TOWNS BURNED BY THE UNION ARMY

(from the Official Records):

1. Osceola, Missouri, burned to the ground, September 24, 1861

(The town of 3,000 people was plundered and burned to the ground, 200 slaves were freed and nine local citizens were executed.) *

2. * Platte City, Mo – December 16, 1861 – (“ColonelW. James Morgan marches from St. Joseph to Platte City. Once there, Morgan burns the city and takes three prisoners — all furloughed or discharged Confederate soldiers. Morgan leads the prisoners to Bee Creek, where one is shot and a second is bayonetted, while thethird is released. ”)

3. Dayton, Missouri, burned, January 1 to 3, 1862

4. Frenchburg, Virginia (later West Virginia), burned, January 5, 1862

5. Columbus, Missouri, burned, reported on January 13, 1862

6. Bentonville, Arkansas, partly burned, February 23, 1862

(a Federal search party set fire to the town after finding a dead Union soldier, burning most of it to the ground)*

7. Winton, North Carolina, burned, February 20, 1862

8. Bluffton, South Carolina, burned, reported June 6, 1863

(Union troops, about 1,000 strong, crossed Calibogue Sound and eased up the May River in the pre-dawn fog,

surprising ineffective pickets and having their way in an unoccupied village. Rebel troops put up a bit of a fight, but gunboats blasted away as two-thirds of the town was burned in less than four hours. After the Yankees looted furniture and left, about two-thirds of the town’s 60 homes were destroyed.”)*

9. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, burned, August 5 & 21, 1862

10. Donaldsonville, Louisiana, partly burned, August 10, 1862

11. Athens, Alabama, partly burned, August 30, 1862

12. Prentiss, Mississippi, burned, September 14, 1862

13. Randolph, Tennessee, burned, September 26, 1862

14. Elm Grove and Hopefield, Arkansas, burned, October 18, 1862

15. Bledsoe’s Landing, Arkansas, burned, October 21, 1862

16. Hamblin’s, Arkansas, burned, October 21, 1862

17. Napoleon, Arkansas, partly burned, January 17, 1863

18. Mound City, Arkansas, partly burned, January 13, 1863

19. Clifton, Tennessee, burned, February 20, 1863 20. Hopefield, Arkansas, burned, February 21, 1863

(“Captain Lemon allowed residents one hour to removepersonal items, and the men then burned every house inthe village.”)*

21. Celina, Tennessee, burned, April 19, 1863

22. Hernando, Mississippi, partly burned, April 21, 1863

23. Greenville, Mississippi, burned, May 6, 1863

24. Jackson, Mississippi, mostly burned, May 15, 1863

25. Austin, Mississippi, burned, May 23, 1863

(“On May 24, a detachment of Union marines landednear Austin. They quickly marched to the town, ordered all of the town people out and burned down the

26. Darien, Georgia, burned, June 11, 1863

27. Eunice, Arkansas, burned, June 14, 1863

28. Gaines Landing, Arkansas, burned, June 15, 1863

29. Richmond, Louisiana, burned, June 15, 1863

30. Sibley, Missouri, burned June 28, 1863

31. Donaldsonville, Louisiana, destroyed and burned, June 28, 1863

 

32. Columbus, Tennessee, burned, reported February 10, 1864

33. Meridian, Mississippi, destroyed, February 3 to March 6, 1864

34. Campti, Louisiuana, burned, April 16, 1864

35. Washington, North Carolina, sacked and burned, April 20, 1864

36. Grand Ecore, Louisiana, burned, April 21, 1864

37. Cloutierville, Louisiana, burned, April 25, 1864

38. Bolivar, Mississippi, burned, May 5, 1864

39. Alexandria, Louisiana, burned, May 13, 1864

40. Hallowell’s Landing, Alabama, burned, reported May 14, 1864

41. Newtown, Virginia, ordered to be burned, ordered May 30, 1864

42. Ripley, Mississippi, burned, July 8, 1864

43. Harrisburg, Mississippi, burned, July 14, 1864

Oxford

44. Oxford, Mississippi, burned, August 22, 1864

45. Rome, Georgia, partly burned, November 11, 1864

(“Union soldiers were told to burn buildings theConfederacy could use in its war effort: railroad depots, storehouses, mills, foundries, factories and bridges. Despite orders to respect private property, some soldiers had their own idea. They ran through the city bearing firebrands, setting fire to what George M.Battey Jr. called harmless places.”)*

atlanta

46. Atlanta, Georgia, burned, November 15, 1864

47. Camden Point, Missouri, burned, July 14, 1864

48. Kendal’s Grist-Mill, Arkansas, burned, September 3, 1864

49. Shenandoah Valley, devastated, reported October 1, 1864 by Sheridan

(Washington College was sacked and burned during this campaign)*

50. Griswoldville, Georgia, burned, November 21, 1864

51. Guntersville, Alabama, burned January 15, 1865

52. Somerville, Alabama, burned, January 17, 1865

53. McPhersonville, South Carolina, burned, January 30, 1865

54. Lawtonville, South Carolina, burned, February 7, 1865

55. Barnwell, South Carolina, burned, reported February 9, 1865

56. Orangeburg, South Carolina, burned, February 12, 1865

57. Columbia, South Carolina, burned, reported February 17, 1865

58. Winnsborough, South Carolina, pillaged and partly burned, February 21, 1865

59. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, burned, April 4, 1865

Thanks to Jim Huffman with The Gainesville Volunteers, Picayune for the above places, dates and actions.

(*) information taken from: https://seekingliberty.org/2018/10/01/ the-benchmark-set-by- union-army-1861-1865/

(Article courtesy of The Southern Comfort, Private Samuel A. Hughey Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1452, President Jefferson Davis Chapter Military Order of the Stars and Bars newsletter, vol. 43, issue 9, September 2019)

 

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27 Aug 2019

There’s No Way to Make ‘Em Happy

The latest thing to sweep the South is to place disclaimers on Confederate monuments. I’m sorry, but this is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of. Nevertheless, politically correct kiss asses have bowed down to the NAACP and other various city officials and organizations, and have complied to their bizarre requests. But placing these disclaimer plaques still hasn’t been enough to appease them. The following article conveys the change in opinions.  It’s all weird, in my opinion. Ten years ago, this wouldn’t have even been an issue. Why is that? (Just a side note, we should leave history alone, even if it is offensive to some. It is OUR history, after all. We should cherish and embrace it, not try to erase and destroy it.)

lion

ITS NEVER GONNA BE GOOD ENOUGH
Atlanta became the first city in the country to install contextual markers around its Confederate monuments a month ago, but the local branch of the NAACP says the explanations on the signs aren’t good enough.
In a Tuesday letter to the Atlanta City Council, Atlanta branch president Richard Rose said the markers don’t “counter the notion of white supremacy.” On Wednesday, Rose went further, accusing members of a council committee of being “complicit on compromising on racism.”
“It’s such a profound disappointment,” Rose said of the language on the markers. “It doesn’t give the story of why these monuments were built and the effect they have to this day.”
(Article courtesy of Dixie Heritage Newsletter, August 23, 2019 ed.)
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21 Aug 2019
1 Comment

What You Didn’t Know About the WBTS

I recently came upon this article and wanted to share. So many myths and legends have surfaced in regard to the causes of the American Civil War, especially since the last veterans died around the 1930’s. Within the past few years, emphasis has been placed on the issue of slavery. Just to set the record straight, slavery was not the cause of the war, like so many believe today. Georgia has decided to put markers on all their Civil War monuments and memorials in an attempt to make a connection to slavery. I think this is completely inappropriate and inaccurate. Let me know what you think after you read this article. Thank you so much for reading my blog!

American-Civil-War-Battle-300x213

Why have many schools stopped teaching American history or cut back drastically on the curriculum? Does anyone care? Is this making kids dumber?

We have been taught, thru the previous rewrites of history, that the North was righteous and good, the South was evil, and all owned slaves and beat and raped them all the time…Lincoln was a saint, who lead troops into war to end slavery. I understand the hatred generated…but it was based on LIES. This propaganda was generated to justify what was done and the lives lost on American soil.

Falsehood: The reason for the war was slavery. Truth : It was MONEY! Excessive taxation (Morrell Tariff was the breaking point) had the South paying 96% of the nation’s taxes. Only 6% of the population of the South owned slaves. Some slaves were even owned by black people. According to the 1860 U.S. CENSUS There were MORE FREE BLACKS living in the SOUTH than in the north. There WERE also slaves in the north. (Grant said of the slaves which attended him throughout the war, that they were his wives. Sherman also had slaves.) The offered Crittendon Amendment, stated that slavery could be made PERMANENT INSTITUTION IF THE SOUTH DIDN’T SECEDE…This was preaching to the choir, in that these congressmen and legislators were of that elite group…BUT they still declined!!!! There had been an agreement with the previous administration to not fortify or send munitions and additional troops to Ft Sumpter, which was violated at night, under the guise of darkness but the moonlight and the close proximity of the Charleston Battery, revealed this to those watching in Charleston and shots which could easily target MEN, where instead issued as warning shots harmlessly across the bow. Our military STILL does this, upon occasion as a warning of a violation.

ALso, during the War, BOTH white and black women were robbed and raped by invading Union troops. The food that they had if not taken, was spoilt and they were left to starve. The city of Atlanta, WAS KNOWN not to be occupied by any TROOPS , but ONLY by women, children, and elderly people when it was decided to be burned. Lincoln was NO SAINT. He wanted Blacks deported to Africa, Or nearby Haiti, Cuba, or other tropical islands…and NOT mixing the races TOGETHER. He met with several black ministers during the war to discuss this plan. Slavery was NOT targeted UNTIL the North lost several battles, and in hopes that in asurrection might take place…but it didn’t. (The Emancipation Proclamation DIDN’T FREE ANYONE…as Lincoln didn’t control those territories. It took a Constitutional Amendment to make that happen. Etc.) And the Confederate Battle flag NEVER FLEW OVER EVEN ONE SLAVE SHIP, But Old Glory DID. IF these vandals had not been LIED to, I don’t think they would have done this. 

The emancipation proclamation only freed the slaves in the South. It was a tactic used to make Lincoln appear to have a moral reason for the destruction he caused.

Thanks to Sharolyn Hamilton for this article.

 

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20 Aug 2019

Spotlight: Lost & Found

I would like to share the third of three beautiful children’s books written by Arundhati Nithiyanandhan, an amazing and very talented 7-year-old.

Lost

About the Book:
Osito is Arundhati’s favorite soft toy. He is also one of her constant companions when she goes on vacation to her family. He has travelled with her to Melbourne, Singapore, Shimla, Bekal, Udaipur among other places. During these trips, he has also been on small adventures where Arundhati has inadvertently misplaced him and later found him, much to her relief!
This story is about one such incident that happened in Udaipur Lake Palace and how Arundhati got her favorite travel buddy back.
About the Author:

Arundhati (Aru) is seven years old and lives in Bangalore, India. She got inspired to tell stories after drawing her first storybook in a storytelling workshop conducted by #blrlitfest 2017. She loves telling new stories to her father while they both go for a walk in the evening.

Aru and her father have taken this journey further and have successfully published 3 children storybooks which have captured the imagination of 7 years old and the professionalism of an adult. Aru creates her stories from her day to day incidents and most of them are treasured part of her childhood. She loves to play in the sand and color sketches.

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14 Aug 2019

Spotlight: The Missing Fairy Princess

The Missing Fairy Princess copy

About the Book:

“The Missing Fairy Princess” is the story of a 16-year-old fairy princess pitted against a powerful witch. The witch has stolen a potent new mantra developed by a colleague, ruthlessly snuffing out a brilliantly innovative mind.  She then hatches an elaborate plot to frame an adversary for her misdeed. Her intention is to exact sweet revenge from her foe and at the same time, get away with the theft. The victim, caught in her vicious web, is doomed to disgrace and a life sentence on a harsh penal colony. Meanwhile, the witch learns from her crystal ball, about an imminent threat from a fairy princess wearing a pink tiara.  To ward off that threat she kidnaps the fairy princess, wipes her memory clean and then turns her into a two-year-old girl.  

Unfortunately for the culprit, she has goofed up by kidnapping the wrong fairy princess, Merlyn, instead of Ashlyn, her twin.  The mistake turns out to be the undoing of the witch because Ashlyn proves to be her nemesis. The brilliant fairy princess exposes the cobweb of misleading evidence fabricated by the witch, ultimately unmasking her.

If you love mystery, whodunit, with a dash of magical realism and sci-fi, this book is for you.

Buy Links:

Amazon India:  https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07T81C748

Amazon USA:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T81C748

Walter SP Author copy

About the Author:
After spending over 25 years in the Middle East, the author, aged 75, now leads a retired life.  He lives with his wife and son in Thane, near Mumbai. He has been passionate about writing from his early days.  His first book was a fast-paced sci-fi novel titled “This Nightmare is for Real”, was self-published. That was followed by a historical fiction titled “Bheem – The Sage of Madhavpur”, again a self-publication.  A third book, a fairy tale titled “The Missing Fairy Princess” which was published on Kindle Select during the first week of June 2019, while a fourth on the oft-discussed topic of cross-border terrorism titled “The Carnivore has a Heart” is slated for publication shortly thereafter again on Kindle Select.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/waltersalvadore.pereira

Twitter: www.twitter.com/author_walter

Website: https://www.waltersalvadorepereira.com

 

Guest Post:

Imagine this scenario:  You are one of the best in your profession, own a palatial mansion on Beverley Hills, a Bugatti or Lamborghini roaring to go in your garage and tons of dough in your Swiss bank account. Would you be content with your status and crave for nothing more?  Certainly not, because you are human and have a chink in your armor called G-r-e-e-d!

On a parallel note, Zharga is a senior witch, with knowledge of witchcraft second to none, a huge cave on the upper reaches of the Alps with a breathtaking view, a magnificent flying carpet to take her to any place she commands and a magic wand capable of fulfilling any wish of hers.  Does it leave anything more to be desired? Alas, she too is human and greed is one of our built-in flaws!

What triggers it:  The witch overhears a conversation between two colleagues about a potent new mantra developed by one of them.  She cannot resist the temptation to lay her hands on that mantra and in the process ruthlessly snuffs out a brilliant and innovative mind.  Her desire fulfilled, she sets about framing an adversary for the crime. Her agenda is two-fold – to exact revenge from her foe and at the same time, get away with the theft.  The victim caught up in her cobweb, faces disgrace and lifetime imprisonment on a harsh penal colony.

The plot:  Amidst her nefarious activities, the witch is warned by her crystal globe about an impending serious threat from a fairy princess wearing a pink tiara. She at once takes preemptive measures. She captures the fairy princess and destroys her mind.  As an added precautionary measure, she turns the fairy into a two-year-old girl intending to offer her as a sacrifice to her Demon God.

Good prevails over evil:  The witch hasn’t contended with fate.  As it turns out, because of a prank played by the twin of the intended victim, the witch ends up capturing the former – Merlyn instead Ashlyn, her twin.  It is a costly error, one that ultimately results in her undoing as Ashlyn proves to be her nemesis as predicted by the crystal globe. The brilliant fairy princess untangles strand-by-strand the intricate cobweb woven by the crafty witch and finally, unmasks her.

banner-7 copy

 

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13 Aug 2019

Book Spotlight: Likes & Dislikes

I would like to share the second of three beautiful children’s books written by Arundhati Nithiyanandhan, an amazing and very talented 7-year-old. According to Aru:

“Like most kids of my age, I have an imagination that takes me to places and make up stories from my everyday life experiences. Only, I have a father who encourages it very much. In fact, he published three of my stories and these are now available on Amazon & Amazon KU as picture books for toddlers.”

So far, Aru and her father have published three books. Please check out the links below and feel free to write a review.

Likes

About the Book

Arundhati and Tanisha are sisters who are also each other’s best friends and spend most of their time together. They play, sing, dance and a considerable amount of time together after school. Knowing their likes and dislikes with respect to objects and correlating them with the five senses help them understand each other better.

This story is inspired by random conversations between the two sisters playing at the terrace.

About the Author

Arundhati (Aru) is seven years old and lives in Bangalore, India. She got inspired to tell stories after drawing her first storybook in a storytelling workshop conducted by #blrlitfest 2017. She loves telling new stories to her father while they both go for a walk in the evening.

Aru and her father have taken this journey further and have successfully published 3 children storybooks which have captured the imagination of 7 years old and the professionalism of an adult. Aru creates her stories from her day to day incidents and most of them are treasured part of her childhood. She loves to play in the sand and color sketches.

Reading level: 1 – 12 years

Paperback: 26 pages

Publisher: White Falcon Publishing

Published On: 24 October 2018

Language: English

ISBN: 978-9388459136

Price: Kindle $1.42 – Paperback $6.99

https://amzn.to/2yA3Zei

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https://www.facebook.com/doodlesandtales/videos/1847907522001638/

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08 Aug 2019
2 Comments

Another Example of Stupidity

It seems some are still hell bent on twisting historical accuracy, and making everything Southern, especially in regard to the Civil War, racist. This is beyond ridiculous. Now the inaccurate perception of the Confederacy has spread to California. It is unbelievably sad to me that people can’t respect our ancestors and honor their graves. We have no concept of what life was like when they were alive, so it’s wrong to classify their beliefs by today’s standards.

monument 1

CONFEDERATE MONUMENT DEFACED LAST MONTH HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM SANTA ANA CEMETERY

Alicia Robinson, August 1, 2019

A monument to Confederate soldiers who settled in and helped establish Orange County after the Civil War no longer stands at the Santa Ana Cemetery.

Erected in 2004 by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the 9-foot-tall granite structure – which had been vandalized with red paint and the word “racists” last month – was removed early Thursday, Aug. 1, Orange County Cemetery.

District General Manager Tim Deutsch said in a news release. The district operates three public cemeteries, including Santa Ana.

Hundreds of Civil War veterans are buried in Orange County, most of whom fought for the Union. A monument dedicated to “the unknown dead of the Civil War ”was previously installed at the Santa Ana Cemetery by the Daughters of Union Veterans.

monument

The Confederate monument removed Thursday may be the last one in Orange County and among only a few that were left in California. A February survey by the Southern Poverty Law Center listed a monument in Bakersfield and a highway marker in Siskiyou County, both honoring Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis, as the state’s two remaining memorials.

Public attention settled on the Santa Ana monument in 2017, after a confrontation between groups of white supremacists and protesters ended in a woman’s death in Charlottesville, Va. Cemetery district officials realized they couldn’t find records to prove who owned the burial plots where the monument stands or that it was approved by the district’s board, according to letters from Deutsch and an attorney for the district.

The district contacted the Orange County chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans to discuss altering the monument per an agreement the two parties had apparently reached. But Deutsch said last month the Confederate group had not followed through

and had stopped responding to his inquiries, so the district’s board ordered the monument removed.

Robert Williams, who leads the Orange County chapter and statewide division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, disputes the district’s account of the monument saga.

Reached Thursday, Williams said district officials are motivated by “the most absurd kind of political correctness” and that there are plenty of records and people who were involved in putting up the monument. Cemetery district leaders at the time chose the monument’s location, he said.

“Nobody put it there in the middle of the night – there was a huge public ceremony,” Williams said.

The purpose of the monument was not political or for “extolling war, Confederate victories or Confederate generals,” he added. He said the monument recognizes founding fathers prominent in establishing Orange County who had come to the area after fighting for the South.

The monument names 10 men and also commemorates “C.S.A,” the Confederate States of America. Two panels are etched with the names of Davis and Gen. Robert E. Lee.

In the news release, Deutsch said the district wanted the monument out quickly because there’s a shortage of burial plots, and it became “an unsightly public nuisance” after the vandalism. It’s costing an estimated $15,000 to remove and store the granite pillar (a 100-foot crane was required because it weights several tons), so Williams’ group would have to reimburse the district to get the monument back, the release said.

Williams said he believes the district’s actions, seizing and removing private property, were illegal.

“We went out of our way to placate what sensitivities some may have about the Civil War,” he said. “The county’s going to have to answer, because they don’t own that.”

monuments 2

https://www.ocregister.com/2019/08/01/confederate- monument-defaced-last-month-has-been-removed- from-santa-ana-cemetery/

How disgusting. Santa Ana spits on it’s own History. Last Friday was the 130th Anniversary of the founding of Orange County, and the Santa Ana Cemetery removed the Founders Monument in the middle of the night. Why you ask? Because the men were ex-Confederate Soldiers who traded swords for plows, and came out west looking for a better life than Reconstruction Era in Dixie offered. These men were all duly elected officials for the County of Los Angeles who formed OC by seceding the southern sections they represented from LA. These men worked with their Union Veteran counterparts to create what is now Orange County.

If you’d like to contact the Orange County Cemetery District and express your displeasure, they can be reached at 949-951-9102. Be respectful and no foul language!!!

Honor your Ancestors’ good memory.

Deo Vindice.

#SCV #DixieWest #SantaAnaCemetery #OrangeCounty

(Article courtesy of The Southern Comfort, Private Samuel A. Hughey Camp 1452, Sons of Confederate Veterans Newsletter, Volume 43, Issue No. 8, August 2019 ed.)

 

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06 Aug 2019

Book Spotlight: Aru’s Balcony Garden

For the next few Tuesdays, I would like to share some beautiful children’s books written by a child herself. Arundhati Nithiyanandhan is only 7 years old! She reached out to me, and describes herself as follows:

“Like most kids of my age, I have an imagination that takes me to places and make up stories from my everyday life experiences. Only, I have a father who encourages it very much. In fact, he published three of my stories and these are now available on Amazon & Amazon KU as picture books for toddlers.”

So far, Aru and her father have published three books. That is so awesome! Please check out the links below and write a review.

Aru

About the Book

Arundhati who lives in an apartment community of a metro city is used to a small garden at her home balcony that is full of blooming plants that she loves. Every morning she likes to spend a moment before leaving to catch her school bus, in the garden looking at the flowers.

This story is inspired by this habit of hers and how she likes to water the plants with her parents.

About the Author

Arundhati (Aru) is seven years old and lives in Bangalore, India. She got inspired to tell stories after drawing her first storybook in a storytelling workshop conducted by #blrlitfest 2017. She loves telling new stories to her father while they both go for a walk in the evening.

Aru and her father have taken this journey further and have successfully published 3 children storybooks which have captured the imagination of 7 years old and the professionalism of an adult. Aru creates her stories from her day to day incidents and most of them are treasured part of her childhood. She loves to play in the sand and color sketches.

Reading level: 1 – 12 years

Paperback: 26 pages

Publisher: White Falcon Publishing

Published On: 24 October 2018

Language: English

ISBN: 978-9388459136

Price: Kindle books $1.42, Paperbacks $6.99

https://amzn.to/2ZpF8WA
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01 Aug 2019

Guest Post: Home Improvement

Every once in a while, I like to feature guests on my blog. Although this article, sent to me by Julian Lane, isn’t associated with historical fiction or my brand, I want to feature it because I am very interested in real estate. In fact, my husband is working toward acquiring his realtor’s license, and I recently took an online course on interior design. I hope you find this article interesting and helpful. Thanks, Julian, for sending me your article!

kitchen-reno-500x333

Look before you renovate: Consider the pros and cons of DIY

It’s amazing how easy a home improvement project can look at first glance. For homeowners who think they know what they’re doing, knocking out a wall or putting in a couple of ceiling fans can turn a weekend do-it-yourselfer into multiple trips to the hardware store and a situation stressful enough to land you and your spouse in marital counseling by Monday. It’s important to assess your big remodeling plans based on your skill and commitment level, and on whether it’s safe enough to handle by yourself. Sometimes, lining up a professional contractor is just a better way to go. A determination to save money and months of binge-watching HGTV are no guarantee that you’ll pick up on the fine points of home remodeling well enough to get it right without a whole lot of help. 

Water isn’t always your friend

If you’re contemplating taking on a plumbing job, think well before you turn that monkey wrench. You can easily cause enough water damage that you’ll end up defeating the purpose of DIY by shelling out big bucks to fix what you did wrong. Putting in a new dishwasher may seem like a simple plug-and-play proposition, but there are more than enough parts and pieces to keep you scratching your head and guessing as you go. There are enough “fine points” involved to discourage the most enthusiastic homeowner from flying solo. Bear in mind that installing water and drainage lines is a lot more involved than drilling a few holes and putting in some screws. 

Having problems with your water pressure? Before you start tearing out walls and replacing pipes, consider that low water pressure can be caused by a lot of things, ranging from fractured pipes to an eroded water line. Do a little investigating before you start wrestling with your plumbing. Remember that even the most troublesome problems can have an easy fix. Try removing your aerator and cleaning out food residue. If that doesn’t do the trick, you may be looking at a project that calls for more a more experienced pair of hands than yours. 

Be a bright bulb

Electricity is extremely dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Unless you’re familiar with electrical work, it’s probably in your best interest to call an electrician. Installing new lighting or rewiring an outlet isn’t like screwing in a light bulb. There’s a procedure that needs to be carefully followed to avoid serious injury. Unfortunately, thousands of Americans take too many shortcuts and end up getting hurt each year trying to do it themselves. Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you don’t know how to turn off your power (or if you didn’t know that you need to do so), then you should definitely let a professional handle it. Hiring an electrician will usually cost you $50 – $100 per hour.  

Weigh the cost and the time

Those sparkling model kitchens at your local home remodeling supply store look shiny and modern. Making your kitchen look like that (or something like that) makes you feel good and your home look great, but the temptation to do it yourself and save some money can easily backfire. Consider carefully whether it’s really going to be cost-effective. According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost to remodel a kitchen in Colorado Springs is just over $24,000.

About 400 years ago, Shakespeare wrote “Discretion is the better part of valor.” If you’re a prospective do-it-yourselfer, bear those wise words in mind and think carefully before spending thousands of dollars on a project if you’d be safer, and wiser, giving it to an experienced professional. 

Courtesy Pixabay.com

 

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