Volunteer to walk dogs at the local pet shelter, offer to help with toy donations at your local elementary school, or even offer your time to your local boy scouts troupe. In volunteering your time, you are giving back to your community, while meeting new people and making acquaintances. When volunteering in a new place, start one volunteering position at a time. Even if you are a volunteer veteran, different cities and organizations place different expectations upon their workers. Volunteer according to your interests. This will help you find people who enjoy similar things, which will increase the likelihood of making lasting connections. If you volunteered with other organizations back home, the organization might have a chapter in your new town. Your previous chapter can send an email or make a call to make introductions. Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics are two nonprofits that have branches or offices in numerous towns. To truly integrate yourself into your new community, you need to know what is going on in your city. Visit your city offices to find out what new laws or ordinances are being proposed, what types of services your city has to offer, and to discover whether or not your city has pressing needs you can assist with. Although many boards will require an election process, city offices often have volunteer opportunities, and are happy to help people get involved. When visiting your city office, offer your help. You can lead a park clean-up every Saturday morning, or offer a free yoga class during office lunch. The office may not have any available volunteer positions, but either way, you are making yourself known in your new home. Although you may be tempted to indulge in your tried-and-true franchised places for food and necessities, step outside of the box and try new eateries and use local brick-and-mortar shops for your daily necessities. You will likely pay a higher price, but you will meet more locals this way, and can talk to the owners and workers about your new town. Coffee shops are often great places to visit as you work to build community. Striking up a conversation with a stranger over coffee can provide a lot of insight into your home. Libraries are also a great place to meet new people, as well as find community event postings and get recommendations from locals regarding things they love around town. If you find a place you love, show it! Visit regularly, and let your face become familiar to the workers. You can build connections with the workers, or you might find yourself getting along with other regulars. Many cities organize nature hikes, community concerts, and even block parties. Take advantage of these offerings, as time permits, and immerse yourself in your new home. If your city does not have any events like this organized, offer to help! If you have experience organizing parties or planning community events, offer your services. You might not get paid, but you can certainly get your name out in your new community, and you will come into contact with a lot of new faces. Your city likely has basic services such as a library, a park, a community center, etc. Take advantage of these offerings! Check books out from the library, go for a stroll in the park, and enroll in a community class. These are all excellent ways to meet new people and make friends, and they all cost little to nothing--a great option for someone who has just incurred the expense of moving. Most libraries have classes and groups that meet throughout the week. Join a book club, or meet with a "Mommy and Me" group to give yourself some more structure to your week, and meet people in your area. Community centers typically have classes that might be offered at gyms and community colleges, but at a fraction of the price. Take advantage of these savings, and learn something new.

Summary: Volunteer your time. Get involved in local boards and elections. Visit local businesses. Take advantage of local excursions. Use local amenities, like the library or YMCA.

If you can, alternate holding the ice cube on either side of the gum to harden it on both sides. Gum is usually easier to remove if it's hard. Ice can freeze and harden the gum so that you can pull it out of the dog's fur. If the gum becomes soft again while you're trying to remove it, stop and hold the ice against it again. Gently pull the gum out of your dog's fur. It's easiest to bend and break the hardened gum, picking it out in small pieces. Go slowly so that you don't hurt the dog. If you can't get the gum out, you'll need to try a new method of removing the gum, such as applying an oil. If you have a plastic knife, you can rub it against the hardened gum to pull it free. Make short, gentle motions with the plastic knife to slowly pull out the gum. Don't rush, as you could poke the dog or pull its fur. Don't use a regular knife to scrape the fur, which could accidentally cut the dog. to remove any remaining gum. Wet the dog, then work a dog shampoo into its fur. Then, rinse the dog thoroughly to remove all of the shampoo. Finally, use a warm, dry towel to dry off the dog. Don't use people shampoo on your dog because it can disrupt the dog's pH. This can make your dog vulnerable to skin issues caused by bacteria, viruses, or mites.

Summary: Hold an ice cube against the gum for 3-5 mins to harden it. Use your fingers to break off pieces of the hardened gum. Scrape the gum off the fur with a plastic knife for an easier option. Bathe your dog

If you don't have a skill or circular saw, a jig, or a workspace that will make cutting your wood and sheet metal easy, an easy way of getting your materials cut is to have them processed wherever you buy them. Most hardware supply stores will cut your materials for free if you supply them with the dimensions. Double-check your measurements, clamp your wood down to a workbench, and measure two points at the top and bottom of the panel to ensure a straight line. Place a template or jig across the line to ensure a straight cut. Clamp the jig down to the workbench and move your circular saw across the wood slowly. If you're cutting from two smaller pieces of plywood or MDF and those pieces are identical, stack them on top of each other so that you only have to make one cut to produce both side panels. Again, add 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) of extra room for clearance. Clamp your template or jig down and measure a top and a bottom point to ensure a straight line. Start the saw and move it over the panel slowly to produce an even cut of wood. Using the same technique, plan on cutting the top inch (1cm) wider than the sides and 1 (2.5cm) inch longer than the width of the front. This will give the top an elegant differentiation. Depending on how large your radiator is, draw straight lines that are between 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 12.5 cm) away from the sides and top, and slightly more (4 to 6 inches) from the bottom. This will make the screen grating the centerpiece of the front panel. If you wish to have grated openings on the side panels as well as the front panel, follow the exact same procedure. Because the rectangle you want to cut out of the front panel is in the middle of the panel, you'll need to use this trick to preserve the outer framing. Place down your template to guide your circular saw along the straight line. Position the saw onto the template, with the saw's blade elevated in the air. Pull the guide up from the circular saw, turn the saw on, and slowly plunge the saw into the panel, making sure to leave a little bit of space on the corners. Slowly pull the circular saw along the line until you're about 1 (2.5cm) inch from the perpendicular line. Do the exact same for the side panels if you choose to fit them with grating. Use a handsaw to extend each cut until it hits the corner. This will remove the center piece from the front panel. Cut two 45 inside miters in each piece of molding, so that the four pieces will form a mitered rectangle (reminiscent of a picture frame) when fitted into the front panel.
Summary: Consider cutting the panels of your cover at the hardware supply store. Start cutting the two side panels. Cut the front panel. Cut the top. Decide how large you want your grate opening to be on the front panel. Cut the rectangle from the middle of the front panel using a plunge cut. Finish off the corners using a simple handsaw. Measure the rectangle in the front panel and cut your cove molding to fit in all four sides.