此内容暂无简体中文译文，以下为英文原文。
Historical Summer 2014 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
It all started with a badly worn wood floor in our kitchen. Although it is only fourteen years old, due to a variety of mistakes, it was looking older and we were starting to get splinters.
The way our house is laid out, the kitchen is open to the dining room, front hall and basement (where the dog door is as well as where their dishes are).
As a family of adults, we could have the discipline to avoid the kitchen for the three days (extra frig and microwave in the basement), but the dogs, not so much.
We considered boarding them, which not only would add to the cost of the project, but Jordan is pretty much deaf and we weren’t certain how he would do. Somewhere in my memory I remembered getting an email about a new social network which was pretty much limited to the neighborhood.
I thought if I could get several baby gates, we could keep them off the floors. So I joined Nextdoor Skinker DeBaliviere and within a day I had offers to borrow several.
We were able to keep the dogs out of the kitchen and off the basement stairs leading up to it.
The floor looks better than when it was first laid. Posted subjects have ranged from free brick pavers, requests (and subsequent recommendations and negative reports) for HVAC companies, painters, handymen, plumbers, etc., as well as comments about dogs off leashes, alley dumping, and neighborhood swimming pool memberships. It’s a national network, which is organized by local neighborhoods. It’s pretty private, the user can determine the amount of personal information available, although one does need to provide an email address and street address in order for the data base to locate the exact neighborhood. Responses to queries can be public to the entire group or individual.
To start, go to nextdoor.com.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Summer 2014.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2014_06.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
