www.shopittome.com: Notifies you when items in your designated brands and sizes go on sale at major merchants, like Nordstrom and Zappos
www.Grocerygame.com will provide you with coupons, sales, free stuff to significantly reduce your grocery shopping.
Smartertravel.com is a goldmine of information on travel of all kind and will tell you when the "shoulder season" just past the peak season is, when you can find the best rates etc.
Travel Tips: The most efficient speed is 55-60 per hr. on highway.
www. autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx gets prices from 90,000 gas stations in U.S.
http://www.roadfood.com/: Best small town eats on the road.
Hotelchatter.com is a great website to check if you are looking for a hotel. The information is vast, and each hotel is rated and reviewed with maps and pictures. Very helpful when traveling.
For a spiritual start to your day, go to "Sacred Space: Daily Prayer Online. I usually get here through Google.
For FUN, go to "Jackson Pollack.org and click on the first entry. When the blank page comes up, click on mouse to begin creating your art piece. Every time you click, it will change colors. Fun for kids and adults alike.
Fun for kids (and adults). Go to: sheppardsoftware.com where you will find free games that are education based, everything from math, vocabulary, geography, science and art. Difficulty levels vary.
Friday, February 15, 2008
New Stuff
,"Second Harvest" where I am donating the proceeds from my first novel, "To See a Sundog" is the largest charibable hunger-relief organization in the United States serving more than 25 million Americans each year. In it's first year, the America's Second Harvest Network distributed 2.5 million pounds of food to a Network of 13 food banks. Today, it is comprised of more than 200 food banks and food rescue organizations serving all 50 states.
America's Second Harvest today feeds more than 25 million Americans...including 9 million children.
Something great I just read about!!! Program 800-Free-411 into your cell phone. This is a no-cost directory service that works like 411... After you dial in, you'll hear a brief 10 second ad before a recorded voice ask the usual "What city and state." Savings up to $3.50 a call.
Do I have to reregister for the Do Not Call List?
NO, You number will stay on the Do Not Call list unless you direct the Federal Trade Commission to remove it. The FTC no longer requires people to sign up every five years, and it is NOT necessary to register cell phone numbers since telemarketing to them is illegal. Sign up at the FTC website: http://www.donotcall.gov/ or call 1-800-382-1222. (Information from AARP Bulletin, April, 2008)
I have recently discovered a Web Site called: Freerice.com where you can donate grains of rice to feed people in third world countries. It is easy, free, educational and fun to do. Go to the website, and choose the right definition of the presenting word from four choices. For every definiton you get right, ten grains of rice are donated to hungry people around the world. When you miss a word, the words get easier, so don't be discouraged. There are some darn hard words. My goal is 1,000 grains of rice every time I play.
America's Second Harvest today feeds more than 25 million Americans...including 9 million children.
Something great I just read about!!! Program 800-Free-411 into your cell phone. This is a no-cost directory service that works like 411... After you dial in, you'll hear a brief 10 second ad before a recorded voice ask the usual "What city and state." Savings up to $3.50 a call.
Do I have to reregister for the Do Not Call List?
NO, You number will stay on the Do Not Call list unless you direct the Federal Trade Commission to remove it. The FTC no longer requires people to sign up every five years, and it is NOT necessary to register cell phone numbers since telemarketing to them is illegal. Sign up at the FTC website: http://www.donotcall.gov/ or call 1-800-382-1222. (Information from AARP Bulletin, April, 2008)
I have recently discovered a Web Site called: Freerice.com where you can donate grains of rice to feed people in third world countries. It is easy, free, educational and fun to do. Go to the website, and choose the right definition of the presenting word from four choices. For every definiton you get right, ten grains of rice are donated to hungry people around the world. When you miss a word, the words get easier, so don't be discouraged. There are some darn hard words. My goal is 1,000 grains of rice every time I play.
Funny Stuff
SIGNS AND BUMBER STICKERS FUN
Electricians Truck: "Let us remove your shorts."
Optometrist's Office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
Scientist's Door: "Gone Fission."
Podiatrist's Office: "Time wounds all heels."
Vet's Office: "Back in five minutes; Sit! Stay!
Computer Store: "Out for a quick byte."
Farmer's Fence: "Farmer allows walkers across field; bull charges."
Car Dealership: "Best way to get back on your feet; miss a payment."
The Minister and the Cab Driver
A minister dies and waits in line at the Pearly Gates behind a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket & jeans. When asked by St. Peter who he is, he replies
"I am Joe, a taxi-driver in Noo Yawk City."
St. Peter consults his list and then says to the taxi-driver,
"Take this silken robe & golden staff and enter the Kingdom."
The minister then says to St. Peter,
"I am Pastor Snow of St. Mary's parish for over 45 years."
After consulting his list, St. Peter says to Pastor Snow,
"Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom."
"Just a minute," says the minister. "That man was a taxi-driver and he gets a silken robe and a golden staff; how can that be?"
"Up here, we work by results," says St. Peter. "While you preached, pleople slept; while he drove, people prayed."
The Psychiatric Hotline
* If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly
* If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2
* If you have multi personalities, please press 3,4,5,6
* If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.
* If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you what number to press.
* If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.
Poems
THE FARM
When I first met my husband
I was charmed
By the romantic notion
He'd grown up on a farm
And had worked the land
With his dad by hand
He'd had cereal for breakfast
With fresh cream from cows
Before doing the chores
And feeding the sows
Big dinners at noon were common
With pot roasts and pies
Early to bed and early to rise
Monday through Sunday
Outside, in all kinds of weather
Planting and harvesting
May through September
Never bored, I supposed
Always a task or something to do
A life that I knew
I'd have loved for myself
Or, at least, I thought I knew
But I didn't know
I didn't really understand
What it meant to "walk beans"
Without machines
In the heat of the day
And the physical work they did
Whether hauling in crops
Or stacking up hay
And the worry over weather
That each farmer can say
Is in his mind, day after day
The long hours of brawn
Sometimes until dawn
Of harvesting the nation's grains
Before it snows or rains
Just one day set aside for fun
Saturday night in town
To eat, bowl or see a film
And when the town shut down
It was back to the work of the farm
My husband couldn't wait
To separate from the farm
And enter the world of business
Which was fine with me
A city girl, you see
But now that we are back
In the country
Close to the old home-place
The charm and romance of the farm
Is seeping back into our souls
Slowly by drops
As we see the rows of crops
With new life beginning....
And searing sunsets over beanfields
That make our steps stop
And take a longer look
And we are at peace....
And now my husband, in spring and fall
Joins his brothers in the yearly call
To come back and work on the farm
To sew the seeds and reep the harvest
Once again
And now, the boy who left the farm
Has renewed moments of joy
For the farm really never left the boy.
Books
I highly recommend the book I am now reading called "The Importance of Living"....the noble art of leaving things undone by Lin Yutang. This is the book I have been looking for all of my life, a profound read about how to enjoy your life....of which we only have ONE! This is a "thoughty" book that I am reading a little at a time so that I can underline, think about and absorb the enlightening thoughts therein.
Web Sites for Book Ideas
www.whatshouldIread next.com
*Type in name of book you enjoyed and you'll receive a list of similar suggestions.
http://www.literature-map.com/
*Enter name of favorite author and see what shows up!
http://www.goodreads.com/
*A book lovers community and a place to share favorites.
http://www.novelaction.com/
* On line swap ( The cost for this is $25.00 per year, and I just sent off my first five books in exchange for five that I picked from their fiction list. Great idea, I think, to get rid of all those books you have read or don't want, and get ones you do want to read!) They send the books to you book-rate which is usually about $4-5.
These websites gotten from May Issue of "Real Simple"
Books I am Reading Now:
"Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a woman who is a present day political voice for women in Muslim countries. It is her story of being raised in a strict Muslim family in Somalia. She escapes a forced marriage and seeks asylum in the Neatherlands where she earns a college degree in Political Science. She continues to fight for the rights of Muslim women around the world, and is in constant danger from radical Muslim groups. This book is an "Eye Opener," and presents a real life picture of the plight of Muslim women today.
I have come late in life to the joy of reading John Updike. He has such style, humor and insight that he is now one of my favorite authors. I am presently reading, "Due Considerations: Essays & Criticisms" 2007, and I especially like his essay, "A Case for Books" where he makes the argument to keep "reading" in published book form. I agree with him in so many ways; how could I ever carry a computer with me instead of a "flood book" to read if there is a flood, or a long waiting period at the Dr. office? Updike gives four excellent reasons not to turn over books to pocket PC's and computers. Here they are:
1. THE BOOK AS FURNITURE: to decorate with, making you look smart with a bookshelf of important looking books.
Web Sites for Book Ideas
www.whatshouldIread next.com
*Type in name of book you enjoyed and you'll receive a list of similar suggestions.
http://www.literature-map.com/
*Enter name of favorite author and see what shows up!
http://www.goodreads.com/
*A book lovers community and a place to share favorites.
http://www.novelaction.com/
* On line swap ( The cost for this is $25.00 per year, and I just sent off my first five books in exchange for five that I picked from their fiction list. Great idea, I think, to get rid of all those books you have read or don't want, and get ones you do want to read!) They send the books to you book-rate which is usually about $4-5.
These websites gotten from May Issue of "Real Simple"
Books I am Reading Now:
"Farewell, My Subaru" by Doug Fine, (new book, 2008) This book is, by far, the funniest book I have read in decades! It is the true story of a guy who buys a small ranch in New Mexico to "go green" without any experience of living off the land. Not only does it have some good insights about this subject, it is a "laugh out loud book!" My husband will attest to this as he was trying to go to sleep last night while I was on the other side of the bed laughing hysterically. Don't miss this book!
"Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a woman who is a present day political voice for women in Muslim countries. It is her story of being raised in a strict Muslim family in Somalia. She escapes a forced marriage and seeks asylum in the Neatherlands where she earns a college degree in Political Science. She continues to fight for the rights of Muslim women around the world, and is in constant danger from radical Muslim groups. This book is an "Eye Opener," and presents a real life picture of the plight of Muslim women today.
I have come late in life to the joy of reading John Updike. He has such style, humor and insight that he is now one of my favorite authors. I am presently reading, "Due Considerations: Essays & Criticisms" 2007, and I especially like his essay, "A Case for Books" where he makes the argument to keep "reading" in published book form. I agree with him in so many ways; how could I ever carry a computer with me instead of a "flood book" to read if there is a flood, or a long waiting period at the Dr. office? Updike gives four excellent reasons not to turn over books to pocket PC's and computers. Here they are:
1. THE BOOK AS FURNITURE: to decorate with, making you look smart with a bookshelf of important looking books.
2. THE BOOK AS SENSUAL PLEASURE: "Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a T.V. remote,
the average book fits into the human hand with a seductive nesting, a kiss of texture, whether
of cover cloth, glazed jacket, or flexible paperback."
3. THE BOOK AS SOUVENIR: "One's collection comes to symbolize the contents of one's mind."
4. BOOK AS BALLAST: " As movers and the moved both know, books are heavy freight, the
weight of refrigerators and sofas broken up into cardboard boxes. They make us think twice
about changing addresses."
Soul Stuff
" Speaking as a Chinese, I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to unsophistication, and made a conscious return to simplicity of thinking and living, and I call no man wise until he has made the progress from the wisdom of knowledge to the wisdom of foolishness, and become a laughing philosopher, feeling first life's tragedy and then life's comedy. For we must weep before we can laugh. Out of sadness comes the awakening and out of the awakening comes the laughter of the philosopher, with kindness and tolerance to boot." Lin Yutang
Aging Prayer
Lord, I am growing older, and some day, I will be old. Please, may I keep from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody's affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but Lord, I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details, give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains; they may increase, and love of rehearsing them may become sweeter as the years go by. I may not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others' pains but help me to endure them with patience.
I dare not ask for improved memory but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Please keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a saint; some of them are so hard to live with, but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people. And give me Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen (Author unknown)
"In some small way, however small and secret, each of us is a little mad. Everyone is lonely at bottom and cries out to be understood, but we can never entirely understand someone else, and each of us remains part stranger even to those who love us.
It is the weak who are cruel; gentleness is to be expected only from the strong. Those who do not know fear are not really brave, for courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined.
You can understand people better if you look at them, no matter how old or impressive they may be, as if they are children. For most of us never mature; we simply grow taller.
Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable.
The purpose of life is to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have it make some difference that we lived at all."
Author Unknown (to me)
Aging Prayer
Lord, I am growing older, and some day, I will be old. Please, may I keep from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody's affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but Lord, I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details, give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains; they may increase, and love of rehearsing them may become sweeter as the years go by. I may not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others' pains but help me to endure them with patience.
I dare not ask for improved memory but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Please keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a saint; some of them are so hard to live with, but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people. And give me Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen (Author unknown)
"In some small way, however small and secret, each of us is a little mad. Everyone is lonely at bottom and cries out to be understood, but we can never entirely understand someone else, and each of us remains part stranger even to those who love us.
It is the weak who are cruel; gentleness is to be expected only from the strong. Those who do not know fear are not really brave, for courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined.
You can understand people better if you look at them, no matter how old or impressive they may be, as if they are children. For most of us never mature; we simply grow taller.
Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable.
The purpose of life is to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have it make some difference that we lived at all."
Author Unknown (to me)
Wisdom Pearls
"To me personally, the only function of philosophy is to teach us to take life more lightly and gayly than the average business man does." Lin Yutang
"A man may own a thousand acres of land, and yet he still sleeps upon a bed of five feet, or sixty inches." Lin Yutang (Basically, we all take up about the same amount of space on earth, and are just about as important as our size.)
"Some day we must all just chatter (like women). That will be the salvation of mankind." Lin Yutang
"To love is good, too: love being difficult. For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation." Rainer Maria Rilke 1875-1926 "Letter to a Young Poet"
"To be capable of steady friendship or lasting love are the two greatest proofs, not only of goodness of heart, but of strength of mind." William Hazlitt 1778-1830 "Characteristics"
"In comedy, the best actor plays the part of the droll, while some second rogue is made the hero or fine gentleman. So, in the farce of life, wise men pass their time in mirth, while fools are only serious." Johnathan Swift 1667-1745 "The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith"
"Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression." Dodie smith 1896 "I Capture the Castle"
"A man may own a thousand acres of land, and yet he still sleeps upon a bed of five feet, or sixty inches." Lin Yutang (Basically, we all take up about the same amount of space on earth, and are just about as important as our size.)
"Some day we must all just chatter (like women). That will be the salvation of mankind." Lin Yutang
"To love is good, too: love being difficult. For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation." Rainer Maria Rilke 1875-1926 "Letter to a Young Poet"
"To be capable of steady friendship or lasting love are the two greatest proofs, not only of goodness of heart, but of strength of mind." William Hazlitt 1778-1830 "Characteristics"
"In comedy, the best actor plays the part of the droll, while some second rogue is made the hero or fine gentleman. So, in the farce of life, wise men pass their time in mirth, while fools are only serious." Johnathan Swift 1667-1745 "The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith"
"Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression." Dodie smith 1896 "I Capture the Castle"
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