Totes for winter weather

I love my new Totes. These are stylish but totally functional snow boots that have kept my feet warm and dry during this harsh midwestern winter. I have received many comoliments on my Totes. Totes make a wide variety of other footwear also. They also make purses and other accessories.

What brand of footwear do you like?

Becoming a vegetarian

In the early 1970s I became a vegetarian to save money while finishing college. Amazingly, I found myself feeling stronger and healthier and liked the idea of not hurting animals. And I always enjoyed dairy and soy products and peanuts, so there were plenty of reasonable protein sources available.

I have since experimented with my diet and now call myself a chicken vegetarian; I occasionally eat salmon, fish, chicken, and simply must indulge in that 4th of July hot dog or Thanksgiving turkey, just to be social, of course.

Diet for a Small Planet was the book that sold me on being a vegetarian, c. 1974.

I seldom buy cookbooks, but a few of my favorites are Laurel's Kitchen and Vegetarian Epicure and Moosewood Cookbook.

What are your favorite vegetarian cookbooks?

Easy remedy for a sore back

If your back becomes sore from over exertion, from some activity such as testing the weights of new vacuum cleaners, try Ben Guy or a product called BioFreeze. Both of these are great remedies. Just remember not to use them simultaneously with a heating pad.

How do you fix your sore back?

Wolf moon or blue moon?

Last night was a Wolf Moon, a larger and brighter full moon than normal. These don't occur often.

That is different from a Blue Moon, the second full moon in a month.

How does your behavior vary when the moon is full?

The emotional side of retirement

Retirement is tricky. Many have provided well financially for retirement. But what about the emotional side of retirement.

There has been much in the news about this lately. How do you fill your time when you leave the work force, especially if you really enjoyed your job, were at the top of your game, or were downsized or pushed out of a job.

How do you envision your own retirement?

Happy Tu B'shvat!

I am looking at all the firewood in my yard, and, duh, how could it have escaped me. It's Tu B'shvat. This is a holiday on the Jewish calendar that occurs each January and is a celebration to honor our trees, much like the American Arbor Day.

When you eat fruit, think of Tu B'shvat.

What is your favorite holiday?

Berkshire Hathaway splits

Warren's mega company Berkshire Hathaway recently split 1 to 50. That's quite unusual. Most stocks, when and if they split, go 1 for 2.

What stocks have you owned that have split?

New vacuum cleaner

The verdict is in. After much shopping online and in local stores, I am very happy with my purchase of the Eureka Optima. It is bagless and works on floors and carpets and comes with a crevice tool and dusting tool.

Search engine

Google is my favorite search engine. I use it many times a day for research whn writing magazine articles, shopping, and how-to info.

How do you use YOUR favorite way to do online research?

Expiration dates on food

I am good at "rotating the stock" in my kitchen; older food gets used before the newer foods.

But lurking in my cupboard was a large jar of powered coffee creamerwith an expiration date of 1994. Byt bye creamer

But what about expiration dates that are recently passed? How safe are these foods?

Choosing the right career

Choosing the right career can make the difference between enjoying your life or not.

Hopefully, your own personal attributes spill into your work performance.

Pity the clergyman with the poor people skills, the financial planner whose own finances are a mess, the teacher with impossible kds at home, or the psychiatrist with inadequate coping skills.

I found the book What Color is your Parachute to be very useful.

How did you choose your current career? Has it been a good choice?

Substitute teacher scheduling

The school districts around here use a 24/7 telephone answering service to schedule their substitute teachers. It is outsourced to a local company that specializes in this service. Until a few years ago, they used an in-house secretary, and the process seemed to run very smoothly.

How are substitute teachers scheduled in your area?

Vacuum cleaner recommendations

I love my vacuum cleaner. Since 1991, it has served me well and I have often worked it very hard.

But it may be time to replace it.

I have carpeted steps and also some wooden floors.

I also frequently vacuum the car interior and trunk.

What canister vacuum cleaner can you recommend?

Squeaky wheels get grease

Our tool shed padlock would not budge. Initially, we thought it was frozen. But as the weather warmed, it occurred to me that it was rusted. I thought that grease, penetrating oil, and WD40 were all the same. They are NOT. Regardless, the entire hasp and lock needed to be replaced.

High school class reunion

New Trier West class of 1970 will be having their high school reunion soon. I enjoyed the 10, 20, and 30 year reunions.

What stories can YOU share about your class reunions?

A trip to Amish country

It was a perfect morning to drive down Illinois Amish country to shop at Beachy's in Arthur. Beachy's has quality groceries in bulk at very good prices.

I wish I had taken some photos. There was a horse and buggy parked next to our car in the parking lot.

Where do you find the best food prices?

The weather of 2010

The year is still new, but it certainly has been a crazy weather year already. Our Los Angeles relatives sent photos of some very heavy rains.

With all the spring tornadoes we get here in Central Illinois, a couple years ago, I decided to buy a weather alert radio. It has been super handy and helpful in giving me a "heads up" when inclement weather is headed our way.

It also has Amber Alerts. This is a good feature, though, I'd prefer not to be wakened during the night with word of a missing child.

How do you stay informed when bad weather is headed your way?

Nikon Coolpix

A few months ago, I bought a Nikon Coolpix digital camera through Amazon.com.

This camera was highly recommended.

I am very pleased with it. Being "technologically challenged" I have been able to perform all the desired tasks with this camera and even included many of this pix on this blog, email attachments to friends and family, and even included photos onsome Power Point presentations I have done.

A great buy!!!

Cup of coffee

There's coffee, and then there's coffee! I am not a big coffee drinker, but, I cannot drink out of a Styrofoam cup. It just doesn't taste right.

Is it me? Or is there some taste in the Styrofoam that spoils the taste of coffee?

Police at school

It is very controversial around here, but I think having cops in the middle and high school is a winning idea. These law enforcement professionals are specially trained and work well with youth. Called school resource officers (SRO), they are very helpful.

Do you have police in your schools? How do you feel about having cops in schools?

Entrepreneur Class - Urbana - Wed Jan 20

Local blog followers.

It's NOT too late to sign up for the class I teach at Urbana Adult Education, Starting Your own Small Business.Call today to register.

Learn to become an entrepreneur in this class!

Pants on the Ground

Boys wearing their jeans really low looks so incredibly uncomfortable. I wonder how that fashion was started. I do hope it passes soon.

There's a new rap song out called "Pants on the Ground". Listen to the lyrics. It is funny. Listen to it on You Tube, or click on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9AUZoG0I0

Customer ratings for online shopping

Shopzilla.com and Amazon.com are just a few of the shopping sites that I find helpful. I especially appreciate the 5-star rating system and customer reviews to determine if I want to purchase a product. I try to write a customer review when I buy something from one of these sites.

The customer reviews help me decide if I want to buy something.

Do you find these reviews useful?

New blog design

I decided it was time to re-design this blog. I've moved things around, and also added some new items, such as a listing of the local classes I teach this semester.

Additionally, there are some ads, on the top left and also on the bottom right, thanks to the good folks at Google.

I hope you will click on some of the ads. They are generally related to my blog topic.

Check it out!

Clif Rocks

I wish I had known Clif (Clifton) Aldridge. Sadly, cancer took him away at age 23. I attended his memorial, and was inspired by his many friends and family who spoke at the service.

Clif Rocks is a foundation that was established to help kids with cancer.

Attend tonight's benefit concert.

Give generously.

Idyllic scene

It's nearly 40 degrees here, after some very snowy days,

The school children are out at recess in their colorful snow jackets and hats and gloves with the beauty of the white snow in the background.

A Norman Rockwell moment.

The Smart Board

I've heard teachers raving about the Smart Board in their classrooms. But being technologically challenged, I felt intimidated when asked to use the Smart Board with a classroom of kindergarten children.

Then I figured out how to use the Smart Board.

WOW, it is a fabulous interactive teaching tool.

I am totally sold on the Smart Board. I wish every classroom in the country could have one!

Leno and friends

Maybe it's just that I don't stay up late enough to watch late night TV, or for that matter, that I don't watch much TV at all, but I just don't get it.

Why all the fuss about Jay Leno or Conan or the other guy on NBC after the news?

Rick Steves

If you want to learn more about travelling to Europe in a very entertaining way, then check out Rick Steves.

The Dollar Stretcher

Check out www.stretcher.com

Dollar Stretcher has published three of my articles with two upcoming and several pending.

Subscribing to their newsletter may be smart.

Dollar Stretcher has many useful money-saving ideas.

Applebee's Restaurant

Great customer service.


If you want great food, good prices and some fine customer service, eat at Applebee's Restaurant. The restaurant in Bradley Illinois is outstanding.

Here's a photo of some very happy customers eating at Applebee's.

What restaurant with excellent customer service do you enjoy?

New friends

I enjoy my friends. We go on walks and day trips, help each other with projects, attend concerts and movies, and share meals. A computer is not part of the friendship.

I haven't really gotten used to the new, virtual, cyber online version of the word "friend".

I guess for me there has to be face-to-face interaction.

Am I out of step with the times?

Snow plows

The City of Champaign has an excellent public works department. The workers are kept busy 24/7 plowing snowy roads, filling pot holes and much more. I especially like the arbor division as they have been very helpful keeping my firewood pile well stocked.

BUT, after having spent much of Thursday working with our neighbors shovelling the approximately six inches of snow off our gravel driveway, I was delighted to get out for most of the day Friday to accomplish some tasks and do errands.

Tired, we returned home, only to find that thankfully, the city had done a terrific job plowing our street, BUT, that they had left a big pile of snow in front of the driveway, making it impassable.

Life can be frustrating sometimes.

Sudoku puzzles

I absolutely love doing those 9 x 9 Sudoku number puzzles!

What kinds of puzzles do you enjoy?

Snow day in Champaign - Urbana

Due to lots of snow, cold, and heavy winds blowing snow and interfering with visibility on the roads, schools in Champaign, Urbana and surrounding areas are closed.

When you were little, how did you spend unexpected no-school days?

Guide to Getting into Politics - Young Money article

I hope you will read my newest published article on the Young Money website.

http://www.youngmoney.com

Click on the slide show in the upper left corner of the Young Money site. I welcome your comments.

Sweet pototoes and yams

Surprisingly, sweet potatoes and yams are two different foods. But I love to eat both. I like them best in a stir fry.

How do YOU prepare sweet potatoes or yams?

A new spin on shopping carts

This morning at the supermarket, it struck me how elaborate shopping carts have become. They have the regular ones that we recognize from the past, and also the shorter version of those, for folks like who don't buy much. But I have seen some with baby seats attached that could hold an infant. I have seen some for bigger kids, even some two-seaters. There are shipping carts that resemble autos, that kids feel they are "driving" as mom or dad shops. And of course there are shopping carts for those adult shoppers with disabilities.

And of course, we cannot forget the "virtual" shopping cart, thanks to the good people at Amazon, not the river (Amazon River), but the online book (and much more) seller.

What unusual shopping carts have you seen?

Investing ideas daily news feeds from Smart Money, Business Week &Yahoo

As you have noticed, I made some changes to this blog spot. Scroll down,and you will find some money saving ideas and investing news, such as those from Smart Money, which changes each day, that I hope you will find as helpful as I do. Click on and find out!

Ferrel cats

I understood that Ferrel cats were not domestic animals, but my neighbors have tamed them and turned them into house pets.

How can that be?

World's worst job

Driving along in this extremely cold (near zero) weather, I spotted a house that was being re-roofed. It must have been some kind of emergency repair. This is definitely not the best weather to be on top of a house!

What awful jobs can you think of?

House noises

It's really cold outside today here, zero degrees or perhaps colder.

The wood stove fan is humming. The furnace is kicking on and off to keep the house up to temp. The washing machine sounds like it is hopping around the basement. The kitchen timer is clicking as a wait for a pastry-made-from-scratch to come out of the over. And I look out my window as I watch icicles crashing to the ground from the eaves of the house next door. Not to mention the usual creaky sounds of a 103 year old house.

I am on sensory overload.

What noises does your house make?

Adopting pets

At the New Years party, some friends were sharing their joy in the adoption of a new cat. They expressed surprise at the intricate process of adding a new pet into the family and joked that it was easier to adopt their daughter from China a few years back. How ironic!

What adoption stories would you like to share?

Nit picking

We live in a culture where there's lots of nit picking, that is, people looking to find fault in things. I looked up that expression to see where it came from. I was not surprised; the tedious task of picking lice and their eggs, the picking of nits.

I know a family who has head lice in the household, and the expression is apropos.

And, by the way, when kids accuse others of having the "cooties", cooties are body lice.

A new decade

People are saying that today starts a new decade. I am not sure if I agree. It is my understanding that 2001 - 2010 is a decade, and 2011 - 2020 is another decade.

What's the truth here?