Friday, September 30, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 30, 2011

September 30 is 'Mud Pack Day'. Mud packs were once the masque of choice for facials. It is supposed to keep your skin young, soft, and supple. I don't know if they work. I've never had one. I'm a girly girl. Well, I always was. I don't like getting dirty. Putting mud on my face just doesn't appeal to me. I also have sensitive skin, so I avoid facials altogether. We all have our beauty secrets though. Women sometimes share the secrets with each other. My college roommate/former best friend shared a tip with me when we were sophomores, and I still think it's the best beauty secret. She used (Oil of)Olay daily on her face as a moisturizer. I thought (Oil of)Olay was for older women, certainly not for 19 year olds! She said her mother had been using it for years, it was supposed to help keep you younger looking and reduce wrinkles. I tried it, and really liked that it was light on my skin but kept my skin from drying out. I have been using it every day since I was about 19. I believe it works. I've noticed that other women my age have lines around their eyes. I obsess about this, I have to admit. After having dinner with high school or college friends, I peer into the mirror examining my eyes from all angles. I am not afraid of getting old, I'm just not ready to look my age! I'd like to think it's the Olay keeping the skin around my eyes so youthful. Perhaps it is just the fact that most of these women have kids, and therefore spend more time worrying or yelling. My sister and I both kind of do the same thing if we run into someone our age who looks so much older. When we are alone we ask the other 'do I look that old?' Ok, so I'm a little vain. Mud packs can be useful for more than just a beauty tip. You can also apply mud packs to bee stings. It will relieve the swelling, stinging and redness. Once it has dried and the sting feels better, you only need to wash off the mud. Of course, I wouldn't recommend getting stung by a bee today just so you could use a mud pack!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 29, 2011

September 29 is 'National Coffee Day'. It is also 'Poisoned Blackberry Day'. That one made you go 'huh?', didn't it? I have to admit, I was curious. Why *poisoned* blackberries? Why not just blackberries? During the 1700's, blackberries were thought to cause more deaths than any other fruit that came from a vine or bush. Apparently, people roam around on September 29 looking for blackberries that will kill people instantly. So I'd beware of anyone offering you something made of blackberries today. Poisoned Blackberry Day was so odd I just had to mention it! Now on to coffee. I do not drink coffee. Not any more. I used to drink coffee. I started drinking coffee when I was around 12 or 13 years old. Mom and Dad always drank coffee. They each had a cup in the morning, and Dad took a thermos of coffee to work with him. On weekends, they had a couple of cups each. I don't quite know how I started drinking coffee. Grandma Wager was concerned about me drinking coffee. Mom asked 'what? Is it going to stunt her growth?' (I was well on my way to being 5'9" by this time, so Mom was being sarcastic.) I drank coffee every morning. I have never been a morning person, and in high school, I was a bear. Or a tiger, actually. I had the somewhat misfortune to be born into a family of morning people. Perky morning people. I have always been a night owl (something my father always blamed on the fact that I was born in the evening). I'm more pleasant at 10pm than I am at 8am. This has improved with age. Having to be to work at 8am forces me to be a little more pleasant a little earlier. My parents get up and start conversing with people. My sister is hard to get up, but once she's up she's peppy and ready to go (so are her children too....). I was the person who wore nightshirts that said 'I Don't Do Mornings' or 'Morning People Suck'. I woke up, and trudged downstairs, eyes barely open, into the bathroom. My father took delight in my grumpiness. He stood in the kitchen, planting himself in front of the bathroom door. When I stepped into the kitchen, he boomed 'Good Morning Sunshine!' and tried to hug me. Most times I answered him with a grunt and pushed him out of the way. As I stumbled into the bathroom for my shower, he stood in the kitchen dancing around, waving his hands in the air, and singing 'Oooh! I've got a tiger by the tail this morning.' It thrilled him to repeat this every single morning. As I said, my family is disgustingly perky in the morning. The shower woke me a little bit, and when I got out of the shower Dad asked if I wanted my coffee. Now that's a silly question. He poured the coffee for me, and when I was dressed I went into the kitchen. He'd try for another hug and usually, that time, I'd give him one. I still didn't want to talk though. I fixed my coffee, grabbed whatever I felt like having for breakfast, and went upstairs to do my hair and makeup. After I had my coffee, I could converse with others. I liked my coffee light and sweet. That means with extra milk (or cream) and lots of sugar. I think I put in 3 or 4 teaspoons of sugar. Grandpa just looked at me and shook his head as I shoveled sugar into the coffee. I drank coffee until I went to college. Yes, until college. Most people start drinking coffee when they go to college. I stopped drinking it. There was a perfectly good reason why. The milk came from a machine! One of the more idyllic parts of my childhood was that we had a milkman. Charlie the Milkman came right to our door. My parents were using him before I was born, and he remained a fixture at our house until his sudden death seven years ago. He came twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. If we weren't home, we left a note on the door and he left the milk in the back room. He kept track of what we ordered, and once a month left a bill with the milk. The next time he came, Mom had a check for him. Charlie owned the Sunshine Dairy. He had a big green truck with a big sun with large, finger like rays extending over the side of the truck. When I was really little, the milk was actually packaged in Sunshine Dairy cartons. As I got older, it was Crowley's I think. We always called it 'Charlie's milk'. If Charlie arrived during dinner time, Mom fixed him a plate and we added another chair to the table. He was a fixture in our family, and well-known in the area. Everyone knew Charlie the Milkman. I grew up drinking milk with almost every dinner. Dad grew up near family farms, and grew up drinking milk. He insisted that we drink it as well. The only night we were given a pass was if we were having pizza for dinner, then we were allowed to have a soda with our meal. Dad still often had milk, even with pizza. I had never encountered powdered milk until I went to college. The first few weeks I didn't really notice. I was so busy settling into my routine and adjusting to living in the Midwest, that I didn't pay a lot of attention to the milk in the dining hall. Sure, it came out of a machine, but I figured there were cartons of milk inside the machine. One day I saw them replenishing the milk, and they were using a powder. I was shocked! I called my parents immediately and told them the milk came from a machine. This revelation ended my coffee drinking. I couldn't drink my coffee without milk, and I wouldn't drink the powdered milk. I tried going to a nearby store and buying cartons of milk (I had a larger than average refrigerator in my room, so I could hold a half gallon of milk), but the milk tasted funny. It didn't matter what brand I tried. It just wasn't the same as Charlie's milk. Charlie commented that Mom and Dad's order increased significantly when I came home for break from college. Dad told him he might as well park the truck in the yard. I explained to him that the milk in Indiana just wasn't as good as what he delivered. I asked him to consider moving to Indiana, but he said no. He was flattered that there was nothing like Charlie's milk. Yes, I guess I was spoiled. It has only been in the last ten years or so that I drink milk again. But I don't drink it as often as I used to, and when I do drink it, I have to add Hershey's syrup to it. Even after all these years, it's still not the same to me. I tried drinking coffee again after college, but the caffeine upsets my stomach. I haven't had coffee now in about 10 years. The smell of coffee brewing makes me hungry. Which is awkward, because Erich is a big coffee drinker- there's always a pot of coffee on in our house!

A Year of Blogging: September 28, 2011

September 28 was 'Ask a Stupid Question Day'. I am an inquisitive person. If I don't know the answer to something, or the 'how' or 'why', I do not rest until I have the answer. For example, it is not enough for me to know where friends or family work. I want to know what they DO. My sister used to work in clinical research. I asked her 'so what do you do every day?' When she explained it to me, then I understood it. I could very easily tell people that I am in charge of the Domestic Membership for a professional organization for financial planners. But I expand that to tell them I do some marketing, some sales, and a lot of communicating. I believe there are no stupid questions. If you don't ask the questions, you don't have the answers. Sometimes I will say 'I don't mean to be dense' (or I may say dumb), 'but why.... ' and I ask the question. It doesn't make you stupid because you don't know the answer. We can't all know everything! I don't think you are 'stupid' to hold back from asking the question, but I do think you are doing yourself a disservice. Go ahead! Ask the question! If someone laughs at you, have the confidence to laugh along with them. But get your answer. Don't just accept things you don't understand. Investigate, inquire, explore. You never know- there may be someone else who was wanting to know the same answer!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 27, 2011

September 27 is 'Crush a Can Day'. For all the days that there's been something interesting to write about, or the days that I've had to choose from one of a multitude of things to write about, then there are the days like today. 'Crush a Can Day'. That's it. I don't know what the purpose is of crushing cans. I know people do it. We were quickly trained by my Dad not to do it. New York State has had a five cent deposit on all cans and bottles (like beer and soda) since I was a child. If you return the empty can to a participating store you get your five cents back. My father is a big supporter of the deposit program. As he walks along the road, he picks up bottles and cans. When he worked for Caterpillar, he'd take all the soda cans that the guys threw out after their lunch. Some people might think it's odd. Ok, we do a little too. But as Dad says, if you don't take the cans back, you are throwing money away. Dad always has a milk crate next to the garage filled with cans he has picked up. When he gets a good collection, he washes the cans and takes them back to the store and gets his money. You don't have to wash the cans, but Dad always felt it was nice to do. Washing cans is disgusting! Especially if the cans are ones he picked up on the road. However, when I went to work at a grocery store in high school, I had a new found appreciation for my Dad washing the cans. One of my jobs was to take the returned cans down to the basement and sort them by distributor. The cans were not always empty, so you ended up smelling like a brewery. It was the job I reserved for the end of the day on a Saturday. That way, I could go straight home and get a shower! If the cans are too damaged, or crushed flat, you can't tell who the distributor is. Many times the stores will not accept crushed cans. So Dad always told us not to crush the cans. If you did, you were throwing away the nickel. It might seem like Dad was obsessed with this. The 'can money' went into the piggy bank, and many times was our mad money on vacation. And not only were we putting money in our pockets, we were also helping the environment by recycling. I wish we knew how much money Dad has gotten from picking up cans. I'm sure it's in the thousands of dollars! If you live in a state without a deposit (such as Ohio), it's ok to crush the can. But if your state has a deposit on the can, think twice before you crush that can. Sure, one nickel isn't going to make you rich. Twenty cans is a dollar. Yeah, you really can't buy much with a dollar either. Once you start returning the cans though, you could find yourself saving money for something special. It makes the hassle all worth it!

Monday, September 26, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 26, 2011

I don't know what September 26 is. One calendar tells me it is Johnny Appleseed day, which can also be celebrated on March 11. Although, in March, one of the calendars told me it was March 18, so that's when I wrote about it. In March, I read that he died on March 18. Today, I read that he was born on September 26 and died on March 11. So anyway, I've already covered Johnny Appleseed. The other calendar, the one that was in the paper on January 1 and started this madness, tells me today is Good Neighbor Day. But www.holidayinsights.com tells me that Good Neighbor Day is always September 28. I'm feeling very confused, and I think it is more than just the fact that my allergies are out of whack from working in the 'lower level' (my boss doesn't like it if we say basement) of our office building today. I always work in the 'lower level' but today was extra special as heavy rains overnight flooded the building. Again. So lets take a look at history and see what happened on this date. On this date in 1960, the first of the Kennedy-Nixon debates took place. It was the first time that a debate between the major party presidential candidates was televised. I'm not really feeling up to giving a communication lecture tonight, so if you don't know about the debates and want to, I'm sure you can find everything you need to know (probably even videos) online. On September 26, 1888 T.S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri. I don't know that I've ever read any of his works. Perhaps I should add him to my TBR list. That list keeps getting longer and longer! If you prefer visual entertainment, West Side Story premiered on Broadway on September 26, 1957. Did you know that it was originally written as East Side Story? In East Side Story, the star crossed lovers were Catholic and Jewish. I didn't realize this is based on Shakespeare. It's been a very long time since I saw the movie, I've never seen it as a play. I'm not a big fan of musicals, so maybe that's why I remember seeing it, but don't have very strong feelings about it. And if you are more into tv than theater, you might want to sing about that mother with three daughters with hair of gold who married that man named Brady. Yes, on this date in 1969 the Brady Bunch aired. The last episode aired in 1974. Two years before my birth, yet I grew up watching the Brady Bunch. In 1987, we had a huge snowstorm in October, which took out a lot of trees. As luck would have it, it gave us a nice clear path up the mountain, thus giving a satellite dish a clear shot. So Mom and Dad bought a big satellite dish, and we went from getting one channel to an endless supply of channels. We watched a lot of reruns of the Brady Bunch. While we laughed at the hippie fashions, it really wasn't that absurd for us. We had already been watching 50's sitcoms like Leave it to Beaver and Ozzy & Harriet. The Brady Bunch just seemed to be the natural progression. I guess my sister and I were odd because we watched the sitcoms our parents grew up watching. Now, I spend a lot of time watching sitcoms that were on when I was a child or teenager. So when I'm 50, I'll watch the sitcoms that aired in 2011!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 25, 2011

September 25 is 'Comic Book Day'. I have mixed feelings about this. As a child, I enjoyed reading the Archie & Jughead comic books. It was a special treat for my sister and I when we knew Lionel had gotten in new editions at the Corner Store. We bought the books and shared them with each other. I always kind of thought comic books were for children. As a teenager, it seemed to be a guilty pleasure to read a comic book. Then I went to college and met my ex-husband. He was obsessed with comic books. I guess, the best way to explain it is the comic books were to him like the bears are to me. He even wrote his senior thesis on comic books! I didn't understand it. I still really don't. But I know plenty of adults who like to read comic books. To each his or her own. I think I would still feel funny picking up an Archie comic book now. I never did get into the superhero things like Batman or Superman. I don't care for those movies either. For me, it's just not believable. If you're into comic books, today is a good day to enjoy them. If you aren't, that's ok too. Just don't spoil the party for others.

A Year of Blogging: September 24, 2011

September 24 was 'International Rabbit Day'. It is a day to protect rabbits, both as pets and in the wild. As a mom to two beagles, I have to say, rabbits are not something protected in our house. Before all the animal rights people jump down my throat, let me clarify. I do not encourage my dogs to hunt rabbits. I haven't trained them for hunting. However, I can't undo hundreds (thousands?) of years of breeding in which beagles were bred to hunt rabbits. We regularly have rabbits in the yard. They are cute sitting in the yard munching on the clover patches. They are not so cute when they hop into the garden and strip the young plants of all the leaves, thus killing the plants and our money. One year, in frustration, I did an Internet search looking for ways to keep rabbits out of gardens. The number one way? Get a beagle. So yes, when the rabbits were devastating our garden, I turned the hounds loose. And I will say, the rabbits won. The beagles chased them, but never caught one. In fact, in their almost ten years, the beagles have only come close once- when they caught a bunny's tail as it was going through the fence. There was another time they discovered a nest of bunnies, but thankfully Erich discovered it about the same time they did and we were able to get them away from the nest. Beagles are my favorite dog. That is why I am Mommy to two of them. I'd have a whole pack if "Someone" would allow me to. I love their sounds. I love the 'beautiful baying of the beagles' as they call it on the dog shows. Except when I have a migraine. But most of the time, their barks and yips and howls are delightful. I especially love it when they are on the trail. A non-beagle person might think their yip was a yip of pain, but beagle owners know it is excitement. They are on the trail of something great: maybe a rabbit, maybe a squirrel, or the stray cat in the neighborhood or a bird. Their foreheads wrinkle as they put their noses to the ground and the little white flag on their tail goes straight up in the air. Noses down, tails up- it's beagles doing what they do best. If you have more than one, they talk to each other through a series of grunts, snorts, and yips. For me, it is funny and cute and wonderful all at once. Not all beagles are rabbit hounds. My aunt owned a beagle, Rusty, who made friends with the rabbits. He never tried to chase them. In fact, Rusty would crawl up under one of the trees and the bunnies in the yard would curl up next to him. Together, hound and bunnies napped in the Florida sun. Rusty was a weird beagle! My beagles believe the best way to celebrate International Rabbit Day is to eat some rabbit. Since this is the complete opposite of what is supposed to be done this day, you will forgive us for not celebrating it in our house.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 23, 2011

September 23 was 'Checkers Day'. But before you reach for that old checkerboard and argue with your sibling over who will be red this time, perhaps you should also know that it is also 'Dogs in Politics' Day. Dogs in Politics? What? Although, I have to say, they'd make better candidates than the offerings we've been presented in the past few years. Dogs are loyal. They can sniff out trouble. The only lobbyists they would bend to are those offering belly rubs and treats. How could the country not feel that things are better with a cute fluffy puppy making the decisions? Well, the connection is actually that on this day in 1952, Richard Nixon gave the 'Checkers' speech. Nixon was running on the Eisenhower ticket for Vice President, and there were questions about an $18,000 campaign donation which people suspected he had used for his personal use. In the speech, Nixon defended himself, but said he would be keeping one gift. That gift was a black and white dog that was given to his children. The children named the dog Checkers. I had to study the 'Checkers' speech as a Communication major. We also had to study the Nixon- Kennedy debates from 1960. When I was in college, I knew them forward and backward. Even now, 13 years after I graduated from college, I know more than many other people my age about speeches that happened twenty some years before I was even born. In fact, I'd have to say the Checkers speech is more memorable than any speech I've heard our current President give. So maybe instead of playing checkers today, we should be playing with our dogs. Wait, the dogs want that every day. I sense the influence of the Dog Lobbyists!

A Year of Blogging: September 22, 2011

September 22 was 'Business Women's Day'. It is a day to celebrate the contributions women make in the business world. I think we should celebrate all women in the workplace. For women, it is so much more than just going to work each day. At least, for most women I know. We do the laundry so everyone in the house has clothes to wear to work. We go to work, giving 100% or more for 8 hours. When we come home, we are met with that horrendous question. "What's for dinner?" Then we make dinner, eat dinner, and pick up after dinner. Even if you have a dishwasher, it still has to be loaded. When we sit down we realize the carpet needs to be vacuumed, or the dogs need to be fed. Too tired to do much cleaning in the evening, we put it onto the ever-growing 'to-do' list for the weekend. Whereas, for instance, in our house, Erich eats dinner and goes upstairs for the evening. Sometimes he loads the dishwasher. But when he unloads the clean dishes, he piles them on the dish drainer. I'm not sure why. He claims to know where the dishes go. Yet they never find their way into the cabinets. He also loads the dishwasher backwards. I don't want to say incorrectly, because the dishes get clean the way he does it, just as they do the way I do it. He just puts the plates and bowls in the reverse of what I do. I honestly don't know how women do it. Especially those like my sister, who has children to juggle as well. I don't know how Mom worked full time, had a healthy, fulfilling meal on the table, and juggled the house and my sister and I. I have the house and work and the dogs and I can barely keep up. I have one day on a weekend to truly enjoy. Friday nights I'm too busy unwinding from the week and Sunday I'm decompressing for the upcoming week. That leaves Saturday as the day to go shopping or run errands or do anything else I didn't have time for during the week. Women in the workforce deserve a big hand. And yet, for all that we do, we are still rewarded with smaller salaries than our male counterparts. If we're really lucky, we also get to deal with bosses who treat us like inferiors. It's no wonder some nights we come home and flip out when someone cheerfully asks 'what's for dinner?'

A Year of Blogging: September 21, 2011

September 21 was 'Miniature Golf Day'. I like playing miniature golf. I'm certainly much better at it than I am at regular golf. Although, that's not saying very much. But in miniature golf, it doesn't matter if you're bad. The brightly colored balls and strange obstacles give the whole thing kind of a funny feel anyway. So if you end up hitting your ball so hard you clear two or three nearby holes, it just adds to the amusement. I used to play miniature golf a lot. It was one of our family's favorite activities. Even on vacation, we were always quite content to find a miniature golf course nearby. I haven't played in a while. In our family, we always chose our ball color by our favorite colors. Since Mom, Dad, and I all like blue- a couple of us had to use other colors. I had hoped to play it last month when I was in New York with Sydney, but it was raining on the day we were at the ice cream shop that had the mini golf. So we'll have to play it another time. When I went to Hanover, there was a miniature golf course in Madison (the nearby town). It was a popular attraction for Hanover students and an especially good way to blow off steam or stress. In Indiana, miniature golf is called 'putt-putt'. According to Wikipedia, the first miniature golf course was built at St. Andrew's in Scotland in 1867. Women were interested in golf, but the social norms of the day felt that women should not publicly perform the violent acts required for a golf swing. That's the first I've ever heard of a golf swing being considered 'violent'. A special course was constructed for women and had short putting greens. The best way to celebrate this day is to grab a few friends and go for a nice relaxing round of golf. Miniature golf. It's also a great way to enjoy a nice fall afternoon!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 20, 2011

September 20 is 'National Punch Day'. Although it's not clear what that is supposed to mean. Is it a day to drink punch, that fruity drink often found at parties and get togethers? Is it a day to punch someone (which by the way, I would hope it isn't. We have enough problems in the world without people running around punching others.)? Or is it a day to celebrate the tool known as a punch? Since I don't want to promote violence, and know very little about the tool, lets talk about the drink. I might be out of touch, because I don't own a punch bowl. My mother had a nice punch bowl- complete with ladle and matching glasses. I think my sister has it now. Mom made punch for various parties or occasions. In our family, the punch was always non-alcoholic, but you can certainly add alcohol. The punch might contain a mixture of fruit juices or sodas, and it seems ice cream was always required to make a punch. Sometimes you could find pieces of fruit in the punch, kind of as a garnish. I've never really cared for punch. Maybe I'm picky. I like my ice cream separate from soda. I don't like mixing my sodas together. I don't really understand punch. I would think it would be so much easier to set out the two liters of soda and let people drink what they want. Of course, I often avoided punch because orange soda was often used, and I can't drink orange soda because it makes me sick. Unfortunately, if someone made punch, that was often the only drink they were offering. I think, if you're going to make punch, you should still have other offerings for people. I'm sure my friends have punch recipes they'd love to share. Or you can always do a web search. Before the Internet, we had to use Mom's recipe. Mom got her recipe from Grandma. Sometimes, someone Mom worked with would share their family recipe for punch, and then you had two recipes. Now, you could spend hours sorting through all the punch recipes on the Internet.

A Year of Blogging: September 19, 2011

September 19 was 'International Talk Like a Pirate Day'. Supposedly it's a day to let the pirate in each of us out to have fun. I must be defective. I have no inner pirate. I didn't grow up wanting to be a pirate. Then again, I didn't live near an ocean. Perhaps, if you grow up near the ocean, you feel the urge to be on the open seas. I remember learning about pirates, and they weren't good people. They attacked ships, robbed people, and engaged in acts of violence. These were not the role models my parents hoped for me. It seems lately pirates have become popular again, and I really don't understand it. I suspect Hollywood is behind it, glamorizing something it shouldn't. If you have an inner pirate, go ahead and let it out. It is suggested that you go full-force into the holiday. Do not limit your pirate-ness to just speaking. Go ahead and dress like a pirate too! If nothing else, putting a bandana on your head will take care of a bad hair day.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 18, 2011

September 18 is 'National Women's Friendship Day'. There was a time in my life that my closest friends were all guys. I had best friends who were female, and there were always problems. At the bat of an eye, something would happen and the friendship was over. I've got to tell you, girls can be vicious. With guys, it was much easier. You didn't have the petty jealousies that you had with females. I am at a point now that I have an abundance of female friends. Although I'm still not a woman who goes out with girlfriends. That is primarily a result of geography though- as my closest friends do not live close to me. I'm sure if I lived closer to them, we'd get together regularly. Even if they don't live nearby, you need your girlfriends. A guy isn't going to understand why you are so frustrated with him, but your girlfriends get it. They get why you feel so lousy sometimes. They pick you up and encourage you when you need it. And even when you don't feel so special, a good friend knows just the thing to say to you to make you smile. I am incredibly blessed with the wonderful women who are my friends. Today is the day to celebrate our friendship. Thank you all for filling my life with light, wisdom, and beauty.

A Year of Blogging: September 17, 2011

September 17 was 'National Apple Dumpling Day'. I've never had an apple dumpling. Mom has made blueberry and blackberry dumplings before, but her dumplings are much different than the pictures of apple dumplings that I am finding online. The apple dumpling recipes are basically a whole apple covered in pastry. Mom's dumplings were made with biscuit mix, and were fluffy and cloudlike- similar to the dumplings she makes for chicken and dumplings, only she cooked them with berries. Getting apples are a fall tradition for me. Erich started asking a couple of weeks ago when we were going to get apples. Although, don't be fooled. He wasn't interested in the apples. He was interested in the apple cider donuts we buy at the orchard. Yesterday was the day. I thought it might be too early to get apples, but it's a nice drive out to the orchard so I figured it's fine even if we end up having to go twice this year. I'm glad we went yesterday, even so early in the season they had very few apples. Our weather this summer wasn't very apple friendly, and they had no you-pick apples available. Which is fine. I don't go into the orchard and pick my own any more. I know, I'm missing part of the experience. I haven't gone into the orchard since I was a young girl, when many of the apple orchards at home stopped offering pick your own due to the liability. So for me, 'getting apples' means going to the orchard and choosing some they have already picked. I said I wasn't going to get many this year. And I didn't think I did. I bought a peck and a half of Macintosh for pies (the apples weren't very large, that's why I bought so many). I bought a half peck of Jonathans for sauce, and half a peck of Galas for eating. It didn't seem like a lot of apples, until I got home and am now faced with cutting and peeling all those apples. I will space it out. Today I'm going to make applesauce, and at some point, I will make several pies to put in the freezer. I'm already thinking of ways to incorporate apples into meals for the next couple of weeks. And I have some new recipes I'm eager to try! Even if you don't like apple dumplings, take time today to enjoy some sort of wonderful apple treat. I love apples, but they always taste best in the fall!

A Year of Blogging: September 16, 2011

September 16 was 'Collect Rocks Day'. This is a day Erich would love. I never really gave rocks much of a thought until I met him. Sure, I remember some things from Dr. Totten's geology classes, but science and I have never really gotten along. Erich is the science guy. His bachelors and doctorate are in geology (of some form or another-he always corrects me, but basically, he studied rocks). I used to bring him back rocks from my vacations. It's a little harder to bring rocks through security these days, so now I just take pictures of neat rock formations for him. September 16 was also 'Mayflower Day'. On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England to the New World, or as we know it, America. They were headed for a settlement in the Virginia Colony, at the mouth of the Hudson River (present day New York City), but veered off course and landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts after a 66 day journey. Today, you can fly from Boston to London in about 7 hours. September 16 was also 'National Play Doh Day'. Play Doh! It seems like I spent hours playing with the stuff as a child. My sister and I made all kinds of things. Now, Sydney has a lot of play doh and loves to play with it. I can't stand the smell, and wonder how children get past that. When my sister and I were children, we used old kitchen supplies from Grandma or Mom's kitchen with our playdoh. Now you can buy kits. Sydney has numerous 'kits' including an ice cream shop and a dog play set. She loves all of them. Play Doh's origins are debated, but it seems it started in the mid 1950s in the Cincinnati area. How cool is that? Well, I suppose to non-Cincinnati area people, it isn't that great. But I like it when I find a local connection to big things. Do you remember homemade playdoh? That was very popular when I was growing up as a less expensive alternative to the play doh in bright yellow cans. I remember the big draw it had with the children, too. "It's ok to eat this playdoh, Mommy made it!" Seems even homemade playdoh is not simple anymore. I did a google search looking for the recipe, and found all kinds of variations. In case you want to give it a try, this recipe was billed as 'Plain Old Playdough Recipe #1'.
1 cup flour 1 cup water 1/2 cup salt 1 TBS cream of tartar 1 TBS oil food coloring Heat all ingredients in a saucepan, slow to medium heat. Stir continuously. Once dough is at the consistency you want remove from heat. Cool before using. Due to the high salt content, this playdough should be kept away from pets.
Actually, given the amount of salt in this, it's probably not a good idea for children to eat it either!

A Year of Blogging: September 15, 2011

September 15 was 'Make a Hat Day'. You don't have to wear the hat you made, you just have to make one. I think the last time I made hats was in kindergarten or first grade. I seem to remember pilgrim hats and Indian 'headbands' made out of construction paper. I keep meaning to make hats out of leftover yarn, but so far, I'm still content making afghans. Giant blankets that take a lot of time to make! September 15 was also 'Felt Hat Day'. It's a day to wear felt hats. When I think of felt hats, I always think of Peter Pan. But really, felt hats could be very stylish, I'm sure. As the temperatures started to drop, people pulled out their felt hats. Felt hats are too hot for summer, but great to keep you warm in the fall and winter. You can celebrate both days by making your own felt hat and then wearing it!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 14, 2011

September 14 is 'National Cream-filled Donut' Day. That sounds like a yummy day. In New York, we call a cream-filled donut a Boston Creme. I forget what they are called here in Ohio, but the first time I went into a bakery and asked for one, I got funny looks from the staff. Although, actually, a Boston Creme has the creme (or custard) inside, and chocolate icing on top. I know Dunkin Donuts makes other kinds of cream-filled donuts. They take a jelly donut shell and fill it with either a vanilla or chocolate cream that is really sweet. It's almost too sweet. I like Boston Creme donuts, even though I know they are so bad for me. Well, not like any donut is really good for you! But it just seems like the donut, the chocolate icing, and the custard all really conspire against you. Since I missed Jelly Donut day in June, I'll share a funny story about Jelly Donuts here. When my Mom was pregnant with me, she and Dad were visiting his Grandma Primeau, who lived outside Montreal in a rural area. That evening, Mom started craving Jelly Donuts. Dad pointed out the closest place to get donuts was back in Plattsburgh, NY- about an hour and a half away. Great-Grandma Primeau immediately got on Dad's case. As a young girl/teenager in Montana, she remembered a baby being born that was inconsolable. She said the baby cried and cried all the time, so the doctor was sent for. When the doctor arrived, he asked the mother what she had craved during pregnancy. The mother said bananas. Which were hard to find in Montana in the early 1900's. The doctor gave my Great-Grandma money and told her to ride (her horse) until she found bananas. When she returned with the bananas, the doctor mashed them up and gave them to the baby and the baby stopped crying. Great-Grandma remembered that and felt women should always eat what they craved. Dad says she hit him with her pocketbook and told her to go get donuts. Dad is 6'3" and his Grandmother stood barely 5' tall I think. It's a funny image to picture her hitting him. Dad went to Plattsburgh and bought Mom jelly donuts. And do you know what? I've never liked jelly donuts!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 13, 2011

There were so many options to choose from today. It is 'Defy Superstition Day', 'Fortune Cookie Day', 'National Peanut Day', and 'Positive Thinking Day'. As I pondered which one to tackle, my eyes scrolled down a little further and found one more thing to celebrate today. And I knew, this one, I just had to do. So settle in, it's time for a history lesson. About what else? New York! September 13 is 'Uncle Sam' day. Uncle Sam is the fictional personification of the US Government. Perhaps you've seen his picture around. Uncle Sam's roots trace back to the War of 1812. The story is that a meat packer in Troy, NY named Samuel Wilson supplied barrels of beef to the US Army. Wilson stamped the barrels with "U.S." for 'United States' but the soldiers started referring to it as 'Uncle Sam's'. Once the media (a newspaper) picked up the story, it went viral. Or the 1812 equivilent of viral. Uncle Sam came to symbolize the government of the United States. Several artists created images of Uncle Sam. His image was used on recruitment posters during WWI. In 1961 Congress issued a resolution recognizing "Uncle Sam" Wilson and authorizing a monument to be built in Troy, NY near his longtime home. Troy took that and ran with it. Troy is very proud of Uncle Sam. Signs welcoming you to the city welcome you to the 'Home of Uncle Sam'. Uncle Sam is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, one of the largest rural cemeteries in the country. Signs in the cemetery point you to Uncle Sam's grave. Each year, Troy holds an 'Uncle Sam Parade'. The 36th annual event steps off at 12:45pm on Sunday, September 18 (it is being held AFTER Uncle Sam day this year so as not to interfere with the 9/11 memorials). A month or so before the parade, the city holds a 'Miss Uncle Sam' pageant. Girls ages 2-18 can enter, as long as they are a resident of the county. There is a 'Tiny Miss Uncle Sam' (ages 2-3), a 'Little Miss Uncle Sam' (ages 4-6), a 'Young Miss Uncle Sam' (ages 7-9), a 'Pre-Teen Miss Uncle Sam' (ages 10-12), a 'Teen Miss Uncle Sam' (ages 13-15), and finally, a 'Miss Uncle Sam' (ages 16-18). The parade is a very big deal in Troy. I read somewhere that Uncle Sam is possibly the most recognizable figure in the entire world. I'm not sure about that. But I know he's the favorite son in Troy.

Monday, September 12, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 12, 2011

September 12 is 'Chocolate Milkshake Day'. I'm beginning to think the people who create these special days are a bunch of chocoholics. Seems like every time I turn around we've got some kind of chocolate to celebrate. Not that there's anything wrong with it (except it makes me want chocolate!) I like milkshakes, but my preferred flavor is coffee. Although I still can't drink a coffee milkshake without thinking back to the days when I had braces. My teeth were in a terrible state before braces. My eye teeth overlapped the teeth next to them. My mouth, according to the dentist, was too small to hold all the teeth it needed to hold. My mother has always disputed the claim that my mouth was too small! I went on my 13th birthday for the consultation with the orthodontist. I spent my summer running between the dentist and the orthodontist getting spacers, teeth removed, and finally- the braces. I had braces for three years. My jaw had to be completely realigned. I was allergic to the metal in the braces, so I had to wear rubber 'bumpers' on the exposed metal parts. I went to the orthodontist every 4-6 weeks. Each time they made an adjustment, I left with my mouth hurting. Some nights I could eat soft food, and sometimes I wouldn't be able to eat for days. Obviously, I needed nourishment. At first, we stopped at Ted's Fish Fry so I could get a coffee milkshake. But Ted's was half an hour from home. We always had ice cream at home, so Mom started making milkshakes for me. I wasn't allowed to have a milkshake for breakfast (for breakfast I had Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks- which Dad remembered having when he broke his jaw). They didn't serve ice cream at school, so I had to make do with jello and pudding and anything soft. But for dinner, I could have a milkshake. Or two. Whatever it took. Mom made milkshakes for everyone for their drink, and I had the biggest glass because my milkshake was also dinner. And my dessert. It is a wonder I didn't have a weight problem in high school. My jaw was realigned so severely that it left me with TMJ. I still have days that my jaw gives me problems. I can hear my jaw clicking when I eat, and I know that before long it is going to snap, like a slingshot and I won't be able to manage opening my mouth to eat (talking also becomes difficult). That's when we start stocking up on milk and ice cream, and I tell Erich he's on his own for dinner. Well, I'm sorry for writing about unpleasant things (dentists) on what should be a pleasant day. One of my favorite things about being an adult is that if I'm out running around on a Saturday, I get to say yes to having a milkshake for lunch instead of grabbing a sandwich or something. I don't do it often, but I really enjoy it when I do!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 11, 2011

We all know what September 11 is. If you want to know my 9/11 experience, you can read last year's blog. I'm not going to write about it again. This will also be one of my shortest posts ever. For this year, I'm just fed up. I'm fed up with the media onslaught 'Remember 9/11'. This does not make me any less of an American, or any less patriotic. I just don't see the point of rehashing it over and over and over. Uncovering new 'angles'. I've watched very little tv in the last few weeks because I just cannot stand the non-stop coverage. We don't need this assault by the media to remind us. We will never forget. In the same vein, I don't read newspapers or watch the news much at the end of the year. They stop covering actual news and do nothing but 'year in review' shows or articles. I'm not a fan. The world does not stop turning so you can rehash past events. A Cincinnati area family was among those who lost a loved one on 9/11. They have been interviewed by I think every tv station in the area this week. The father, who lost his wife, had a good point. He said something to the effect that our loss is no more significant than the loss any other family feels when they lose a loved one. The only difference is we have video documentation. I refuse to live my life in fear. I have enough issues to worry about, I do not need to fear where they might strike next. Be vigilant, yes. But if you live in fear then they have already won.

A Year of Blogging: September 10, 2011

September 10 was 'Swap Ideas Day'. It seems like I am always swapping ideas with someone. Whether it's sharing recipes with friends, or asking a coworker how they would handle a situation. Even having a conversation with someone is an exchange of ideas. And sometimes, if there's no one available to bounce an idea off of, I discuss it with myself! September 10 was also 'Sewing Machine Day'. Yeah, another day I really can't talk much about. When I went to the Bennington Museum with Sydney a couple of weeks ago, there was a small antique sewing machine. She had no clue what it was, and as I tried to explain it to her, I realized her female role models are failing her in this area. I explained that people used it to make dresses. Her response was 'why didn't they just go to the store?' So I tried to tell her that long before there were stores everywhere, you had to make your clothes. Women bought fabric and made clothes for the family. I had no way to make it relevant to her. There are no women left on our side of the family who have sewing machines, or who sew for that matter. I at least remember my grandmother's sewing machine. My mother has never owned one. Sewing is a lost art in our family. As proof of this, Sydney asked me to buy her a little craft kit at the museum. You can make your own fabric doll. It said it was EASY! So I bought it, and when we opened it, you have to cut out the pattern and then make the dolls. That was too much for me. Thankfully, I had left my reading glasses at my mom's house, so I was able to back out of it. I felt a little bad, because I don't know that those dolls will ever get made. But when I babysat her a couple days later, I told her we could make those dolls, and she said 'no, it's ok'. I suppose she needs to know how to sew, I just don't know who's going to teach her!

A Year of Blogging: September 9, 2011

September 9 was Teddy Bear Day. Long before little girls start playing with dolls, and little boys start playing with action figures; we have teddy bears. For many children, teddy bears are their first stuffed animal. They are soft and comforting. Most children move beyond playing with teddy bears to other interests. But for some, the lucky ones, they never outgrow their teddy bears. I am one of those people. I have always loved Teddy Bears. As a pre-teen, I was always buying them. I loved to get them for presents. I thought I hit the jackpot when the Baptist Church in town got a new minister. The parsonage is next to our house, and not only did we get fantastic neighbors, but the minister's wife made teddy bears! I bought one of her bears at a local craft fair, and I still have it more than 20 years later. For my sweet 16, my Mom and Dad gave me a little bear wearing a fancy teal dress. She had pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. Some people at the party thought it was a way of Mom and Dad wishing I was still a little girl. No, my parents knew me. I still have that bear too, she's proudly displayed in my bear room. That's right. My bear room. My love of teddy bears turned into a collection of over 400. I haven't bought a bear in at least five years, but I'm still drawn to them. I rotate the bears seasonally (because the bear room now also doubles as a guest room). As I take out the bears for the next season, I remember why I loved certain bears. I know it will sound crazy to say they are my friends, but they are. There's still something comforting about teddy bears. It is a peaceful room for me. I can sit in there and just be. I don't have to do anything. My love of teddy bears introduced me to wonderful friends- mostly women, but a few men- from all over the world. It was the bears that drew us together, but our other interests and shared experiences bonded us. I am closer to most of my bear friends than I am to friends from high school or college. They are some of the most caring people I've ever met. It takes a special person to play with teddy bears past childhood. I'm so proud to call those special people my friends.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 8, 2011

September 8 is 'Pardon Day'. You can either use this day to show the world that your Mom really did teach you manners (by saying 'Pardon me' or 'Excuse Me'), or as a day to seek forgiveness from others. Holiday Insights (www.holidayinsights.com) did not explain why today is Pardon Day. It seemed a little odd, since there is also a Forgiveness day in June. Hoping to find something else to write, I went to history.com to see what happened on this date. And what do you know? On September 8, 1974 President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. Now it all makes sense! On this date in 1644, the city of New Amsterdam became New York. Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor of the colony of New Netherland, surrendered the capital of New Amsterdam to the English. It was renamed New York in honor of the Duke of York. Stuyvesant was an unpopular ruler. His subjects refused to rally around him. Yet today, the Stuyvesant name can be found in many places around Albany. Stuyvesant Plaza used to be one of the more upscale shopping centers (I'm not sure if it still is, since I haven't lived in the area for years). The dutch influence can still be seen throughout upstate New York. From the architecture to the names of places: our Dutch heritage is obvious. In fact, each year in the spring, Albany (the oldest Dutch settlement in America) hosts a tulip festival. The festival is Mother's Day weekend. It starts with young women dressed in period dutch colonial costumes scrubbing the street. Washington Park is transformed by thousands of tulips- each fall they plant the tulips. After the festival is over, the bulbs are dug up and given away free to the public. The displays change from year to year. I never went, but my sister and parents started going a few years ago. Their pictures are beautiful. I hope to get home for it sometime, even though I know I'll have to take a lot of kleenex with me for the allergies! Pardon me for getting off on a tangent about New York. You know I always love the opportunity to share stories about NY with others!

A Year of Blogging: September 7, 2011

September 7 was 'Neither Rain now Snow Day'. It's a day to commemorate the opening of the New York Post Office in 1914. Ninety-seven years later, the news is that the Post Office is in 'dire straights'. The news was that the Post Office will default this month if something major isn't done. Yet, don't be alarmed, we were assured the Post Office wasn't going under. You may have heard that 'Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.' This actually, is NOT the motto of the Post Office. The US Post Office HAS no official motto. Well, that would explain why you don't see a mail truck when we get a little snowstorm! This phrase is inscribed on the Post Office building in New York (located at 8th Ave and 33rd St). It can be found in the works of Herodotus. I don't use the Post Office as much as I used to. Sure, I pay most of my bills by check through the mail because I like writing checks. I could easily use online bill pay, although I've resisted this long. Certainly if there were no mail, it would make work a little easier- we wouldn't be mailing 500 pieces of marketing each week (marketing which I have to print, stuff, and put postage on). I think the time I would miss the Post Office would be at Christmas. How would I deliver my Christmas cards with the dogs' letter to all of my friends? I also love getting Christmas cards, and would miss them dearly. Maybe we all need to go back to writing letters, instead of using email. Remember when you had to wait weeks for your friends to write back? I miss that. If we were still writing letters, students would still need to learn cursive in school. The Post Office wouldn't be on the verge of default. But we are in an electronic age. Everything is about instant gratification. So we just have to hope the Post Office can flex without breaking. Or at least hold on until the Christmas season when I can provide a lifeline!

A Year of Blogging: September 6, 2011

September 6 was 'Read a Book Day'. What can I say about this that I haven't already said? You know I'm a bookworm, and that I've always been one. I've been reading since I was three. And while my Grandpa Wager was also a bookworm, I was the unusual one in the immediate family. My father reads the newspapers, but he's not a book reader. I think I traumatized him when I was about four or five and he was trying to read a Winnie the Pooh book to me. Not up to speed on children's characters yet, he pronounced Tigger as Tiger. I corrected him, took the book, and read it to him. Had to be a little demoralizing for the guy. But actually, I don't think I did it. Dad's family isn't really big on reading. Grandma read the Harlequin romances, and Grandpa read the papers. Imagine our surprise, when, after Grandma passed away there was a large book about the Civil War. No one had ever known her to read books like that, and it wasn't left by anyone who had been visiting her. The book found its way to my shelf, because everyone figured I was the one who would read it. It's one of those unexplained things that makes you wonder if it was a sign from beyond. My sister was not big on reading when we were children. She liked to be read to, but she didn't like to actually do the reading. She associated it with school, and that was enough to keep her away! As an adult, she has started reading for fun, and she does find it fun now. Mom never had time to sit down and read; she still doesn't. I've tried passing books to her that I think she would enjoy, and a year later they are still piled neatly in the basket between their recliners in the living room. Mom goes in so many different directions, caring for everyone, that when she finally sits down at night she usually falls asleep. So I was the oddball. The one who could spend hours out of a day reading. I took books with me everywhere. Even to family parties. We used to go to Grandma Primeau's for Thanksgiving, or to exchange gifts the week before Christmas, or for New Year's Day which is Grandpa's birthday. Any time we were going to get together at Grandma's with the whole family, I grabbed a book and took it with me. I was always very shy, and my family terrified me. We are a large, boisterous family. I am not a boisterous person. I'm quiet (ok, until you get to know me or I'm comfortable with you). The thought of having to interact with all of these people whom I barely knew was overwhelming. I felt comfortable with my books. I would choose a corner of the couch and try to fade into the fabric, with the book in front of my face. I did speak to people if they spoke to me (there's something about a person reading a book that makes other people want to sit down next to you and start up a conversation). I'm sure the family thought I was either a real snob or just antisocial. I know most of them didn't realize I was just socially awkward and shy. Obviously, the best way to celebrate 'Read a Book' day is to just grab your favorite book and start reading!

Monday, September 5, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 5, 2011

September 5 is 'Be Late for Something Day'. I guess this morning I was late for breakfast, since a migraine kept me in bed til almost noon. I was trying to sleep it off, but it didn't work. So I woke up, took my migraine medicine, and have been pretty much vegging all day. But it's ok. Today is Labor Day, and a holiday. If you're going to wake up with a migraine on a Monday, it's good that the Monday is a day off that week! September 5 is also 'Cheese Pizza Day'. I find this hilarious, because September 5 is my niece Sydney's birthday. And she loves Cheese Pizza! I liked cheese pizza as a young child, but once I ate my first piece of pizza with pepperoni and sausage- there was no going back. My sister however, still prefers cheese pizza. Today is the perfect day to order your favorite pizza for dinner! Finally, as I previously mentioned, today is Labor Day. Labor Day is always the first Monday in September. It is the day to celebrate the economic and social contributions of working Americans. We are honored by getting a day off (which is great, but a raise would be wonderful!). The first Labor Day was held on September 5, 1882 in New York City. It has become the unofficial end of summer. Fall is quickly approaching, and these hazy, lazy days are coming to an end. I love three day weekends- I'm able to get so much done. I spent one day cleaning the house, another day knitting and writing and catching up on my hobbies, and then I've spent today being a coach potato. We had planned to go to the International supermarket today, but between my migraine, and still watching Onyx to make sure she's not sick from eating aluminum foil, we decided to skip that. But I feel like I got everything done that I wanted to get done, and still had down time. I feel relaxed and ready to take on another week at the office. Now if only I could figure out how to make every weekend a three day weekend!

A Year of Blogging: September 4, 2011

September 4 was 'Newspaper Carrier Day'. This day honors those who bring you the newspaper. Growing up in Berlin, we knew our carrier. If we saw them bringing the paper, they stopped to chat for a little bit. Mom always had a gift for them at Christmas, and made a plate of cookies for them as well. Here in Middletown, Erich and I subscribe to the Dayton paper. We get it on Thursdays and Sundays. Even that seems a little bit of a waste, as I check the paper online every day. But we went ahead and renewed it anyway this year. I've never seen our paper carrier. I don't even know the paper carrier's name. I know it is someone who comes through around 5am and throws the paper at the end of the driveway. They don't even try to get it by the house anymore. We don't get the ads any more, and at least once a month we don't get the funnies in the Sunday paper- a real source of irritation to both of us. Erich only reads the funnies, and I read them after reading all the hard news. It's my reward for being a responsible adult and reading about all the bad things in the world. And then, there are times we don't get the paper at all and I have to call and complain. It makes me miss the days when you could depend on the newspaper carrier, and knew who they were.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 3, 2011

September 3 is Skyscraper Day. I am a country girl. Nothing makes me feel more like a country mouse in the city than being surrounded by skyscrapers. The last time I was in New York City was December, 2009. Dad and I were on a bus trip to the new Yankee Stadium. As we rode on the bus through the heart of Manhattan, Dad looked up at the skyscrapers, craning his neck, and said 'look at how tall they are!' I suppose some people on the bus thought of us as country bumpkins. Well, we really are. I am much more comfortable surrounded by open farm fields than by tall buildings. If I'm in a city, I feel boxed in. The tall buildings towering over me makes me feel small and insignificant, but not in a good, reassuring way. They are intimidating to me. To me, it is stressful and I can't wait to get away from them. The other reason I don't care for skyscrapers is that I'm afraid of heights. Yes, I am 5'9" tall and I'm afraid of heights. My first memory of being aware that I'm afraid of heights is also my first memory of a skyscraper. I was in fourth or fifth grade, and we took a field trip to Albany. We visited the Empire State Plaza, which includes the Corning Tower. We went to the observation deck on the 42nd floor. I stood there with my two best friends, Drew and Angela, looking out over the city. Drew's mom was one of the trip chaperones. I looked out the window, and felt dizzy. I turned to Mrs. Bartron and told her 'I think I'm going to throw up' and she quickly took me back to the elevator and we were whisked back to the lobby. I felt much better then. I had that same experience in the Eiffel Tower, The Space Needle, and any other tall structure that I've ever gone in. I didn't get the attraction with skyscrapers, and I still don't. Sure, there are some, like the Empire State Building, that have some attractive features, but to me, they are primarily just huge towers of steel and glass.

Friday, September 2, 2011

A Year of Blogging: September 2, 2011

Have you found yourself looking over your shoulder today? Have you been kind of anxious, and just can't figure out why? Perhaps it is because September 2 is 'National Beheading Day'. Yes, you read that correctly. And I have to say, after 8 months of doing this experiment, I've come across all kinds of weird days. This one is without a doubt the weirdest and creepiest. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why today is National Beheading Day. My theory is that perhaps the long, hot days of summer got to someone and they just couldn't take it any more. However, I don't want to hear of any of my readers committing beheadings, or being beheaded! Today is also VJ Day. It was on this date in 1945 that a formal surrender was signed by Japan on the USS Missouri. World War II was finally over. In 1969, the first ATM opened in Rockville Center, NY. I remember in the mid 1980's, ATMs were still more of a novelty. My Mom and her sister both worked for large banks, and the employees were given ATM cards long before the general public received them. We were visiting my grandparents in Florida, and Mom wanted to get money from the ATM (previously, she wrote a check to Grandma, and Grandma cashed it at her bank). I remember, just as clearly as if it were yesterday, Grandma saying "I don't understand how you can get money from a brick wall." It was many years before Grandma got an ATM card, although now that I think about it, I'm not sure she ever did get one. I also remember the first time Dad used the ATM card. He withdrew $100, and was amazed that the machine gave it to him just as he wanted it: five twenty dollar bills. Mom just kind of rolled her eyes. Today there are over one million ATM's in the world, and a new one is added every five minutes. There is even one in Antarctica. It's good to know if you ever plan to travel there, you'll be able to get emergency cash if you need it. Although, I do wonder what you're spending your money on in Antarctica.

A Year of Blogging: September 1, 2011

With the flip of the calendar, we've entered September. My mind worked something like this: this weekend is a three day weekend. In five weeks, I'll be headed to NY for Beth's wedding then to MB to visit with Patricia. About five weeks after that, Mom and Dad will be here for Thanksgiving. And then it will be Christmas! Oh goodness, I've got so much to get done! Three blankets to knit, and I haven't been able to knit for about three weeks. That's it, I've got to kick it into high gear and start knitting every day. Then of course, there's the fall things I need to do. Erich asked when we were going to get apples. I think really what he wanted to know is 'when are we going to get cider donuts?' Of course, getting apples involves driving the half hour to the fruit farm, parking (hopefully not a mile away) and walking to the barn. We look at the apples and pick the ones we want, and of course, add a dozen donuts to our order. Then we drive home, and it's time to do something with the apples. Getting them isn't enough. The apples have to be peeled, cut, and covered with sugar and cinnamon for apple pies, or cooked down into applesauce. The pies are made and put in the freezer uncooked. The apple sauce is put into small containers and also put in the freezer. What is fall without a pumpkin? That's another weekend- driving around to farm stands looking for the biggest, most perfect one to satisfy my inner child. Yes, flipping the calendar to September made me realize the year is almost over, and there's still so much to do. I don't know how I'll have time to celebrate that September is Blueberry Popsicle month. Blueberry Popsicle? That is incredibly specific. Don't try to eat a cherry popsicle- apparently cherry popsicles don't have their own month. I would think they would be much more common than blueberry ones, but what do I know? September is also National Chicken Month. That's an easy one to celebrate, just cook up your favorite chicken dish (except for you, my vegetarian friend. Yes, you!) Maybe you can knock off a couple of celebrations if you cook your chicken with honey, as it is National Honey Month. If you're looking for ways to improve yourself during Self-Improvement Month, you might start with a better breakfast (I'm not sure if Better Breakfast Month means a healthier breakfast, or just a bigger breakfast, which could also be considered 'better'). After you've eaten a better breakfast, find out where the nearest square dancing hall is and give it a whirl. I guess I'm a bit of a dork, but I actually like square dancing. I once tried square dancing with my grandparents and their friends- and let me tell you, I learned a few things. If nothing else, square dancing will give you a chance to celebrate National Courtesy Month! "Bow to your partner!"