LEAP YEAR /LEAP DAY

I don't know about you but I always liked the month of February. When in school we got winter breaks or snow days and as an adult it was the anticipation of Spring. The down side for this month was of course the rent/mortgage was due sooner than normal.  Consider me corky but I like odd things.

According to the morning news it wasn't unusual to have the same birthday with another family member in leap years.  They were mentioning the same date birthday mother and daughter who were going celebrate their birthday in a prestigious hotel in New York City. In the local newspapers they had advertisements for "free this" and "free that" for those who were born on February 29th.  See what I mean?? I guess I'm not the only corky minded person.

Apparently some cultures consider the "Leap Day" an unlucky day. Well, they should be thankful that the  "Leap Year" only comes around  every 4 years.

Some cultures have different calender years  therefore  have different "Leap Years" so there is no escape from a "Leap Year"or "Leap Day". For instance Chinese "Leap Year" has 13 months  and it comes around every three years.  Jewish Leap year  is called "Adar" and the month that is observed  is considered  to be a lucky one. You see there are places in the world where "Leap Year" is reverently celebrated.

According to an Irish legend St. Patrick allowed  women to  propose to men on the "Leap Day" instead of the other way around. Well, hellooo! women power...And I'm guessing that most bachelors in Ireland are in hiding today....

GROUNDHOG DAY

Yesterday was "Groundhog" day and just like many people I tuned into my radio while having my breakfast. A critter similar to this one was going to predict the weather. I'm not kidding there are thousands of people who will take time to go to witness this event. One of our close friend and his wife travel to  Gobbler's Knob,  near Pittsburgh  Pennsylvania  every year to experience this event. They spend the night there and  wake up wee hours in the morning to witness this little critters prediction. It's such a big event that organizer's  wear tuxedos and top hats. To think that this whole celebration started with a superstition is amazing. According to the legend if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on "Candlemas"  Holiday (it falls on February 2 in Christian calendar) there will be six weeks of  winter. With the mild weather we're having here I 'm afraid that "Phil's" predictions are not very accurate for us  but from what I read and see is that it has been a harsh winter in Europe so far. 
  Apparently this tradition started here in the United States in 1887 and it has never stopped but received more recognition after Bill Murray's "The Ground Hog Day" ( reporter who relived the day) just like our friends who went to Pennsylvania multiple times and watched that movie multiple times....   From what I understand other States hold similar ceremonies and every State has a big name for these critters. He is called Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania, in New York he is Staten Island Chuck,  in West Virginia  he is French Creek Freddie, in Georgia he is General Beauregard Lee, in Michigan he is Woody the Woodchuck, in  Ohio he is  Buckeye Chuck.  In Ontario Canada  he is known as Wiarton Willie or in Nova Scotia  he is Shubenacadie Sam.  

Honestly, I will not travel anywhere to observe these critters' events.  I have a whole family of woodchucks  living under my tool shed and I call him "Chucky the Pestfamily".  They eat all my vegetables and flowers and procreate so that we're never out of a family of woodchucks in the neighborhood.  I'm considering whether or not to  hold a "shadow watching" meeting behind my shed next year and if so, you're all invited to show up at 5:00 AM behind my shed at the "Holey Hill"

THE SUN IS RISING ABOVE THE CLOUDS

One of the best things in life are the nature's unassuming promptness. When the time is right  the flowers will blossom the leaves will foliate and the sun will rise. My husband says that this is very reassuring and I guess on this issue we agree. Despite the bad weather my Shasta Daisies blossomed and apparently attracted the honey bee.

DARK CLOUDS WILL BE OVER SOON

Due to the recent hurricane Irene, my parents house was flooded now they are living with me. Thank God that my parents are safe. It was very unfortunate that my mom was just  out of the hospital and recuperating from blood clots in her lungs. My faith in God has been never so strong and I know in my heart that these days are going to pass soon and I shall start my blogging again.

NO COOKING BREAK

Hello everyone!! I've given myself a break from cooking and posting for a very short time. Right now my cooking consists of salads and BBQ's, so there is no excitement there.  I shall start posting again soon. In the mean time enjoy the rest of the summer, don't work so hard, life is too short.

IN MEMORIAM

I haven't been posting for a while, because my husband's mother and his aunt passed away one day apart. They were both octogenarians and close to each other. One realizes one's own vulnerabilities at times like this. Life is precious and we must make the best of it.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

We Americans have recently learned that we need to save; apperantly we have forgotten how to save.
Remember the times that our parents used to give us  piggy banks to save some of  our allowances or monies that we made doing chores? The idea was to teach us to save for whatever we needed to buy without asking them. My dad always quoted "A penny saved is a penny earned" .  I remember having an orange (I don't know why it was orange) colored piggy bank. I used to put the loose change that I had in my pockets there. I though I was saving but later learned that my brother found a way to take money out-of it without being too obvious.

 In today's economy we should all learn to live more efficiently not only to benefit ourselves but  for the benefit of our country and our planet. Here are money some saving ideas:

Conserving energy: I set the thermostat to 65 degrees before I leave my house in the winter and in the summer I set the air conditioner to 70 degrees until I come back home.

"Cloth Bag It" use reusable cloth (or re-usable plastic) bags that comes with your cosmetic purchases for toting your home made lunch to work whenever possible. You'll be eating healthier.

Enjoy home cooked supper at home with your family. Everyone can get into action and have a blast cooking and talking about their day.  Read my recipes in this blog. They are a breeze to make and  very healthy.  Another plus side to this is you probably already have the necessary ingredients in your pantry.

Don't go shopping when hungry, you'll buy everything you don't need. Just like sending your husband to shopping he'll buy everything he likes but will forget the list you gave him. I usually go shopping with my  husband and we go after our lunch or dinner. Double bonus...!!!! He pays and he buys what we need.

 Make full use of  your supplies. A cap full of laundry detergent is more than enough to wash a large load. Also, putting a table spoon of baking soda (more uses on baking soda coming up soon) in the wash with the detergent makes a good whitener and fabric softener. It saves you both money and space. When you think you are at the end of a bottle of laundry detergent, tightly screw the lid on and turn it upside down you'll get another cap full for the  next load.

To make full use of expensive face/hand creams etc. see my nifty-thrifty helpful hint blog page.

Credit Card Use: If you must use your credit card, make sure you have enough money in your checking account to cover  that amount. Then when you come home write a check for that amount sans date and clip it to your receipt and mail it when you receive your statement. You'll be saving money and paying the exact purchase price (people tend to forget that minimum payments increase the purchase price due to the interest they pay. )

IDES OF MARCH....

I couldn't believe my eyes this morning when the early gentle rain turned into a steady falling big lumps of snow flakes which stuck to the ground. What??? Isn't today the first full day of Spring?? Anyway aside from horrors of the slippery slopes my hubby and I came to work safely. While he drove I enjoyed the ride and took some pictures...

HOPALONG (Tale of "The Uneasy Rider")

One morning we were travelling from our home to our office and noticed that we had an unexpected passenger which was hitching a ride with us. It was a green grasshopper. I took these pictures as we were driving. We named it Hopalong, "the uneasy rider". It clung on the outside windshield through out the 23 mile 45 minute drive. It must have been a harrowing experience for it because we went through highways and byways at high speeds, sharp turns , bumps and gusting winds. Lo and behold when we parked in front of the office it was still on the windshield. Much to our amazement it was still on the windshield when we made same return trip home 8 hours later. When we parked in our driveway Hopalong jumped off the windshield on to the grass, home at last.......

HMMM! I WONDER

Recently I celebrated a memorable birthday and as usual I contemplated about my life. Thoughts about my life prompted me to recall an article I read in a magazine. The article was about Ernest Hemingway who once was challenged to write a story in only six words and did. What would I write in six words that will summarise my life? FATE HAD GREAT FUN WITH ME.

MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial day is a holiday which gives us all an opportunity to reflect upon our nation's history and remember, give thanks and pay tribute to the countless men and women of the past and present , both living and dead who have served in the US military since our Revolutionary War through the present.. Without their service , dedication and sacrifice we would not exist today as a nation nor would we be the great nation which we've become. I would like to take this opportunity to salute all those who are currently serving our interests in every part of the world specially I salute my husband, my niece and her husband who served and are still serving our nation. Thank You , Thank You and Thank You all from the bottom of my heart.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

My grandmother gave me this lady's toiletries set, which was from her trousseau, before she passed away. While I was dusting them this morning my heart was filled with memories of her using these items as she sat in front of the mirror. I realized again how much I miss her. She was a lady in the true sense of the word. She taught me a lot from her life's experiences. She was always prim and proper. She gave me these handkerchiefs while I was growing up to use on special occasions. I will always treasure them. They evoke wonderful memories of her.

LET IT SNOW - ENOUGH ALREADY!

I love snow! I really do. However, after today I think I just had enough. We are only in the beginning of winter and we already had 6 snowfalls. Today my husband and I dug out from more than six inches of snow. Just as we finished, an icy rain began to fall and a little girl appeared on our side walk. She was all drenched and had no hat. I asked her where her hat was. She said she did not have one. I told her to wait while I fetched a towel and a wool cap for her. As I dried her hair and gave her my cap to keep I told her to go home and dry off. I would hope that another person would have done the same. She happily wondered off.

NEW BEGINNINGS

We have a new President!. New hopes and new beginnings!. We hope that our country will move forward toward prosperity and peace with a renewed unity in brotherhood. This election was historical in many ways. We all watched and experienced the peaceful transition of power in our democracy. God Bless the USA and each and everyone.

LET IT SNOW #4, 5......

Another snow day.

LET IT SNOW #3

After yesterdays slow but steady snow this is what we ended up having. Isn't it so beautiful?. Today we have a beautiful sunny and crispy winter day. I sometimes wonder what ever happened to "global warming"? Are we experiencing exception to the rule?Whatever it is, people who want to live the four seasons here it is.....

LET IT SNOW!!!

Second snow fall of 2008. It is a sight to behold after everything had melted down from the first snow fall. We are again under a white blanket. If you look closely at the picture you can see the snow falling. But "Tis the season". Snow doesn't bother me like rain in winter. I like rain but not in winter. I actually like summer rain. When everything is dry and hot and we get this pouring cool rain. Then the grass smells good, the streets seem to be cleaner. The flowers pick their heads up, trees look bright and happy and everything looks like a newly bathed baby, fresh and sweet.

BRRRR! WELCOME WINTER

First heavy snow of the 1st day of winter. I love to watch the silent fall of snow. It does not have the slushy sound of rain. It falls gently and covers over everything in a beautiful clean blanket. Yes it is cold and yes it becomes a pain to clear out the driveway but yet it is still a sight to behold. While it was snowing outside I made my husband one of his favorite soups. After he came in from shoveling the driveway, he warmed himself with this healthy and delicious soup. I thought I would share it with you.

French Onion Soup

6-8 medium onions peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tsp salt

4 Cups of beef broth

1/4 cup dry sherry

8 thick slices of Italian bread

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

8 Thinly sliced Mozzarella Cheese
Melt butter in a large pot add onions and saute' until golden. Add flour, salt and stir until blended then add sherry. Stir. Pour in broth. Bring to a boil. lower heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Toast bread slices. Place toasted bread in oven proof tureen or individual bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Pour soup over bread, top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Brown under broiler until cheese begins to melt, serve immediately.

BLACK FRIDAY

I've observed that a lot of people aren't very sure of the meaning of the term "Black Friday". It is a relatively new phrase, generally used to describe the day after the Thanksgiving Holiday which always falls on the last Thursday of the month of November. The next day (Friday) is coined "Black" because it is a day retailers make their sales profits which they inscribe in their accounting books. The entries are almost always in black ink as opposed to red ink (deficit/loss). Some States in the Union may have a different take on the word but it is usually related to the same idea of throngs of shoppers looking for sales and bargains, thus creating a happy ending for retailers and the economy. Although "Black Friday" may have great connotations for retailers, the recent fatalities on this day have really put a damper on humanity. I can not get over the fact that people became so greedy that for a few dollar savings a human life was lost. What a disgrace, what a shame.! Has humanity lost all its values? Shame on those people in their "Greed Stampede" that took the life of an innocent person. As a result, I am adding "mourning" as an another explanation for "Black Friday" in the name of humanity.

Oh, by the way there is also "Cyber Monday" which is a new term for a busy retailing day on the internet. I only hope that the internet shoppers will not start an online stampede.

WELCOME AUTUMN

I like autumn. Its colors, it's scents always have a special place in my heart. To see the sun light thru these colorful leaves brings me joy. I only wish that the season would last longer.