3 Local Strathroy Business Heroes

There must be something in the air of this nation's turkey capital because everywhere I turn examples of local heroes abound.

Although the list is very long, here are just 3 recent local heros for me:

• Last summer my car got a flat tire while parked in front of my home.  For several months, it had been a slow leak, but I had always managed to get to an air pump every few days before the tire got too low.  Well not this particular day.  And of course it had to be a day I had to be somewhere else important.  Fortunately the good folks at Strathroy Tire were sympathetic to my plight.  They could have let me monkey around with removing the tire, and finding a way to get it to their tire shop for repair.  Instead they dispatched a truck out with compressed air that filled the tire enough that I could drive the car to their tire shop.  Now that was going the extra mile, both literally and figuratively!  The tire was serviced immediately and I was off to my important meeting.  Now these folks didn't know who I was when I called, so to dispatch a truck and provide such exceptional service to an unknown customer certainly deserves a lot of kudos.  Thank you Strathroy Tire!
• Some time before that my pick-up truck was misbehaving.  I would step on the gas, hear the engine rev up, but not get any acceleration.  I took the pick-up to McDonnell Motors for service.  Based on my limited knowledge, and wanting to sound like a man with good car knowledge, I told the garage the symptoms, and then gave them my diagnosis... I thought the transmission was slipping.  When I left the garage I felt very foolish for suggesting that the problem was related to the transmission, a repair that surely would have cost an arm and a leg.  However on my return to pick up the vehicle, I was blessed with great news... that the problem was a few bad spark plugs and about $50 or so in charges.  You can't believe my relief that this garage, that I was new to at the time, didn't take advantage of my ignorance or suggestion that the problem was the transmission.  Thank you McDonnell Motors for having the integrity to repair only what was truly needed.
• My last example (but certainly not last nor least) of a local business here was the local Mac's convenience store.  This past summer after making a purchase, I turned to head out the door.  The clerk saw that I had dropped some bills on the floor, and called my attention to it.  What a temptation it must be to see cash on the floor behind a customer walking out an empty store.  Whoever you are Macs convenience person.... Thank you for your honesty and integrity.

There are many more examples of kindness and help received from local Strathroy businesses and residents.  I am certainly luck to be part of this community.  To receive such exceptional service from Strathroy businesses makes me very proud every time I have the privilege of spending my hard-earned dollars in town where they can support local businesses like this.

7 Rules for Perfect Picture Hanging

Here are some helpful hints to prevent the most common picture hanging mistakes.

• Rule 1 - Picture Perfect
• Accessorize at the end. Hang pictures only once you have determined a room layout and all your furniture is in place.
• Rule 2 - Define Boundaries
• To reinforce a sense of order in your groupings you need to define your positive and negative space. The negative space on the wall is the area you can hang your picture. Take a look at the shape and hang a picture or grouping that reflects that shape.
• Rule 3 - Space Issues
• Keep the spaces between pictures 2" to 4" apart. Spacing should be consistent vertically and horizontally, throughout the grouping. The larger the art, the wider the space can be. If you have too much space between pictures, your composition will look disjointed. The artwork will feel like it it floating away from one another.
• Rule 4 Picture Overload
• You don't have to hang a picture or grouping on every wall. This often appears too busy, fussy, and prevents you from creating a focal point in the room.
• Rule 5 - High Art/Low Art
• As a general rule, hang art at eye level, which is 58" to 60" off the ground to centre of image. Don't hang pictures at different heights in the room. Keep them at the same level so your eye is not bouncing from picture to picture.
• Rule 6 - Picture Integrity
• When hanging a picture over a piece of furniture, leave 6" to 8" above the sofa, table, chest, sideboard or mantel. Remember you want to place art low enough that it relates to the furniture, but not so low that it gets hidden by the accessories. If you have artwork over a chest, you may need to adjust this height, depending on the accessories that are placed on the surface.
• Rule 7 - Size Counts
• A small picture over a big sofa will look awkward. A common mistake people make is hanging a grouping that is too small for the furniture under it. Plan your arrangement so that it covers at least two-thirds of the wall space. For instance, if your sofa is 7' wide, your grouping or picture should be 5' wide or more. Although it can be wider than two-thirds of the sofa, it should not be wider than the sofa or furniture itself.