Welcome First Day of Winter

The Sound of Winter arrived before the actual start this Morning. The sound of ice rattling in the trees last night. The sound of footprints crunching in the snow. The fresh crisp air. The cold radiating from the inside of the windows. In preparation for the official beginning of Winter.

Today is the shortest day of the year. For you affected with Season Affective Disorder this is a day to celebrate. Tonight at Sunset starts Hanukkah. Guess in this below freezing weather it really is a day of celebration.

There is a saying for a spring month "in like a Lion out like a Lamb". We can only hope that this applies to Winter as well.

ISU Graduation

The Winter graduations were held today in Redbird arena. The building was packed with family and friends of the graduates. It was a great event.

The Basketball floor was gone and the chairs were filled with robe clad graduates and their professors. It reminded me of a ceremony that I participated in Horton Field House, many years ago. It was nice that every student could walk across the stage and get their diploma covers. The ceremony was straight forward with the graduates coming into the ceremony to the familiar sounds of Pomp and Circumstance. The ISU Symphonic Winds made a wonderful performance of this music.

The crowd braved the blustery wind into the arena. The Administrators and the Faculty with their various colored robes were quite unique. The Board of regents were in Bright Red Robes. Dr. Al Bowman was in A Bright Red and White robe.

The professors accompanied each Doctoral Candidate and placed the Hoods on the candidates as they accepted their degree. It was a moving experience.

Seeing my nephew get his PHD was priceless.

The Big Hunt for Fabric

I visited one of the 4 Tazewell County Wally's looking for some fabric for a Christmas Project. I entered and saw that it had been remodeled with all kinds of fancy shelving, bright displays and all the products moved. So I got a chance for some Aerobic exercise, As I searched for the fabric department.

I roamed down Aisle after Aisle, Found the hardware, spotted some Artificial Flowers! Thought I was in the home stretch. As I went around the corner I spotted more Craft items, saw the popular Cricut. Am I near the fabric. The next aisle had 5 sewing machines. Voila, the fabric must be near.

Then the truth came, the new remodeled Wally does not have fabric. I spotted a person wearing a spiffy smock and name tag. I asked her wear the fabric was located. She informed me that it was no longer in the store. I asked why. She said that they had reduced the store by 25% of the items. Moving the slow moving items out the door.

And who said that capitalism was dead. It is alive and well in Tazewll County.

TAX on Cows- New revenue source

The Feds have a new idea for taxes. Taxing livestock for emissions of methane.

"Some consider cow gas a major contributor to global warming. So the feds have floated the idea of charging farmers for their bovines' gastric eruptions.
You might cows them as a source of milk, but the Environmental Protection Agency sees them as a source of methane gas -- the kind that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
"You can hear them burp as they ruminate, when they bring back up to chew it again. That's what emits the methane," explained Charlie Hanehan of Hanehan Dairy Farm.
The EPA has floated the idea of taxing farmers for each of their cows.
Hanehan estimates it would cost about $175 per cow, per year. He milks 1,300 cows."- WNYT

Other ruminants would be taxed as well.

Great Idea- many benefits
We can hire the unemployed to be cow counters to collect the tax.
Will provide instant meals for the homeless shelters etc. as farmers reduce the size of the herds.
Will increase price of Hamburger at least $1.00 per pound.
And you thought the price of milk was high now!
Lower the prices of Rawhide Chews and leather coats as supply of raw material increases.


Will fast food go veggie? how can you make a 2,000 calorie vegie burger?

Stay tuned, I am sure we have not seen the last of the new taxing ideas.

Underage drinking in Washington

The PJStar reported that there was an underaged drinking party in Washington. In reading the comment section on PJStar website. Made me wonder where the real responsible people are in this world.

Many of the commments were in favor of the underaged drinkers.

What if someone was hurt from the activity? Would we have this same group saying where were the police?

Lets be responsible and have a safe and sane Holiday season.

What happened to the classified ads

In looking at Saturday and Today's PJ Star the classifieds have been shrinking in volume. If it were not for the unfortunate foreclosures, etc. There would be even less.

These pages are the real revenue producers.


Being a big fan of the printed word, It is hoped that it can be turned around.

Attitudes

Shopping today was quite an experience. Having my list set, I was pretty detached from the actual shopping experience.

This gave me time to look at the surroundings and the attitudes of the shoppers and clerks. It was quite interesting.

First stop was at the Farm Store. Got to get your Carhartt's for your Christmas folks. The place was bustling with shoppers, the clerk at checkout was happy and most helpful. It was a good shopping experience.

Next stop was at one of Tazewell Counties 4 Wally's. Surprisingly it was not packed. The crowd was quite friendly and the clerk festive and friendly.


Then to Radio place for some electronic goods. No one in the place, In and out quickly with my little purchase. The clerk was helpful here as I have no idea about electronics.

Then to the big new K store in East Peoria. The place had more merchandise than aisles to walk down. Good thing they do not have conventional carts. You would never make it through. What happened to recycling, I bought three items and have 3 new hangers. The checkout was a mess, 4 lanes open and a minimum of 6 in each line. The clerk was a robot. No banter other than telling everyone to have a safe holiday.

Then to the less than 5 dollar store. They are always fun to go to. Got some stockings to hang by the Chimney I do not have. And a Santa Hat to wear with my new Dr. Suess Christmas Tie.

It was a fun day. Now to Wrap the goodies and get them on thier maeery rounds.

No Bah Humbug today. Clue"Stick to the list!"

Is the Weather Bear MIA? Who in local media do you go to get the best Winter Weather info?

Weather Bear Where have you gone? Do we need to send out a Missing Bear Report.
None of the three local stations are having the on screen graphics of the weather.

Well, I guess it is not officially winter, yet.


In looking at the various media outlets who do you believe?

WHOI Website says there are no collision or parking bans checking it at 3:30 this Sunday afternoon.

CI Proud website says that Bartonville WMBD WYZZ states that Bartonville has a parking ban and Washington has a collision alert.

CIPRROUD also reports a Winter Storm Warning.

WHOI has nothing about a Winter Storm Warning.

WEEK TV reports a Winter Weather Warning in effect. Nothing about Parking Ban or Collision alert.

WMBD Radio reports that there is a Winter Storm Warning with the Parking Ban and Collision alert.

PJStar was up to the minute on all the details of the collision and parking bans.

Weather.com and the weather channel on Comcast channel #2 are reprting the Winter Storm Warning. Although early this morning we were without the weather channel on cable.

Be safe when bad weather strikes. Do you really need that trip to the Dollar Store?

Have a safe day.

It is Bird Feeding Time

It is that time of the year to get the feeders full. The Suet cakes in the holders and plug in the Bird bath heater.

Feeding the birds is quite the enjoyable hobby. Seeing the birds and other creatures interact is most interesting. We now have two kinds of squirrels visiting the feeders. The newest is the black squirell. The are much smaller than the grey squirrels that have been in the area for a few months.

This year one of the early arrivals have been some Cardinals. The bright red is quite flashy against the vegetation.

Last night as I went outside there was one of the neighborhood feral cats trying to get a drink out of the birdfeeder.

Feeding these little critters are a pleasure.

Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving is slowly drawing to a close. The day was a great day. Seeing my new 2 day old grand nephew.

Making pies and cakes for friends, and families.

Finished up decorating the Tree in honor of our dogs in the park.

It has been a glorious day.

While being thankful for the many wonderful things that have happened in this last year.

Have a great rest of the Holiday.

And preparing for that great day of shopping, basketball and having fun.

Thanksgiving

Today, I attended the Chamber Thanksgiving dinner at the Civic Center. On the program was a moment of meditation. The speaker talked about dreams. Made me think about all the dreams I have had over the years.

Being thankful for those dreams, ambitions and hopes. The fire that drives our lives. How we live those dreams and the positive things that can occur from realizing our dreams.

Have you relized your dream?

Be thankful for those dreams, and act on those dreams.

Have a great Holiday season.

Jaxson's Dania Springs, FL

Traveling in Florida, we had some time before the silver bird headed back to the cold of Illinois. Near the airport we wandered upon an Ice Cream Shop on US 1 South. It was wonderful.

Jaxson's Ice Cream reminds you of Farrell's that used to be in the mall. (Remember- Peorians always equate things to that have closed) Except it did not have a big drum. When you walk in you see all kins of old cany Necco Wafer, Charleston Chew, etc.

The tables were old with the wire backed chairs at each table. The walls were lined with an assortment of old items. Railroad, kitchen, kids toys and other memoabilia.

The Ice Cream was superb. The menu must of had 100 different kind of combinations. With real Ice Cream. I had a parfait. How do you say a shake glass full of all kinds of strawberries and bananas. And healthy scoops of Vanilla Ice cream. It was wonderful.

If you are in the Fort lauderdale area visit Jaxson's. It is worth the Ice Cream Headache.

Economy and the Holiday's

It seems that Halloween is the new launch for Christmas. It used to be Thanksgiving. What changed, why not bring back Christmas Past?

Christmas used to be a time of family, friends and enjoyment. Now it is hurry here for this sale, what will so and so think of their gift. Should I buy Gift cards or try to think of what to get them. The joy of the Holiday is fleeting.

You turn on the radio stations and already hear christmas music. Even the drug stors are full of Christmas items. Do we not have long enough to find that special made in the orient item to give for Christmas.

I am not a bah- HumBug. We just need to get it in perspective. Spend less, expect less and be happy you do not have to woek extra shifts to pay for it.

Give to helping groups, that help the community through out the year. You have been seeing that the food pantries are dried up, help those folks out as well.

Slow down and enjoy the season.

Do I have the wrong calendar..is it Easter and not Halloween?

The leaves are filling the neighborhood lawns, the days are getting shorter, and the chill has started to fill the air. It must be time for Halloween.

Opening today's newspaper's plethora of ads I was drawn to the local supermarket chain that is proudly announcing a Sale on Large Eggs. Can these folks have thought about the placement of this ad.

Maybe it is a sting that the local police are having to try to stop neighborhood vandalism. I do not think this is the case but you never know.

Remembering the many pranks of Halloween the sale of Eggs in 1/4 of your front page ad just did not seem to be responsible.

Guess I am old fashioned, but watch out for those sale Eggs flyong off the shelves and onto siding and cars near you.

Early Voting

Saturday I took advantage of the early voting opportunity. The place was packed.

As I looked at the line I tried to picture who they were voting for. It was a fun little quiz. In talking to people in other states this seemed to be the norm. My line was 45 minutes to get to the voting machine. In talking with someone in GA they had people waiting as high as 2 hours.

It will be an interesting year to see how the voting continues as we get nearer the election.

It would be great if somehow your cable or satelite provider knew that you voted and you did not have to see any of the commercials.

Well we have a extra window to vote. How many will not exercise their right.

Birthday's a time of reflection

I went to a friends Birthday Party yesterday. It brought back memories of the many things that have happened over the years. Made me pause and think about the early years of our friendship.



The pickup baseball games in the schoolyard and at the ball field down by the river. The basketball games after we had removed the snow off the baskeball court. The time we had spent together playing, laughing and doing things together.



I guess it is the values that we shared as youngsters and how those values are pretty much the same today. Maybe a few tweaks..he still likes the Cubs .. I have changed from the Pirates to the Cardinals. (Thanks to Dick Groat) That age was a lot different than the activities and mindset of today.



At that time the most important thing in lfe was items like What was the batting average of Kenny Hubbs or the ERA of Ray Sadecki. And trying to figure out if the reliever had a save. This was during the time that baseball statistics would change forever. The dreaded asterisk associated with Roger Maris's Home run Acheivement.



Looking around the room at the party interacting with the yougsters I saw a different picture. One was at the far end of the table removed from conversation as he was engrossed in a handheld video game. The other youngsters were talking about their school challenges and the dreams of their future. Most were still in Grade School. If we had turned on Mr. Peabody's way back machine the conversation would have been about how soon all of could be outside playing a game of football, or whatever activity we would have as a group. The kids today seemed to have become more Goal oriented at an earlier age. Is this a natural evolution?

It was great to see all the kids and the grownups and how our lives has progressed. The basic values have not wandered far for my friend and I.

Last night after the party I ran into a friend that was sort of in a Funk about their upcoming Birthday. She was upset over her lack of meeting certain goals she had imposed upon herself. She was not able to focus on the present. The many great things that have happened to her those few short years that she was looking back across. The kids, the many accomplishments she has had. The fun and joy that seems to surround her.

Yesterday was a great day seeing many friends and many interesting thoughts and shared journeys. Birthdays are just a day on the calendar. Another bit of wax that has turned into energy and spent. We need to make the best use of that wax.

Road Projects...a conundrum.

Have you noticed recently how some road projetcts just drag on and on....Example Pekin Bridge ramp work, Airport Road project between Alpha Park and the Limestone High School. While other projects are just minor inconveniences. Example Bartonville resurfacing on RT 24.

It just seems that there must be a common denominator that will predict the length of the project. Maybe it is how much money is thrown at it. Or possibly the engineering behind it. With the current economy we probably should be happy that these projects even get started.

Richwoods Peoria Central Game

The Peoria Richwoods game was a great experience. The Richwoods Band was Fantastic. So many of the games you go to you hear the same music since this is there competition. Give the Band Director credit and they are playing new music at the games. The played Music made popular by Foreigner and some other great songs during half time. Unlike most other High School Bands they stayed the entire game.

The did a great job and had an Big Impressive Sound. Probably the best Trombone section I have heard in a High School band in some time. The last game I heard them at the drum section seemed to over power the band. Last night they band was ON. It is great to hear a Great Pep Band. Richwoods should be proud. A Great Football team and an even better Band to accompany the game.

The other thing that I was impressed with was the diversity of the school. The Football team has a young man who is hearing impaired. During time outs they have a person sign for him in the huddle and on the side line. This is great that this young man can have this experience in his High School days. He was injured in one of the final plays. Hope he will be back on the field next week.

TURNIP TRUCK MUST HAVE PICKED UP TWO WOMEN FROM PEKIN

Journal Star
Posted Sep 11, 2008 @ 08:22 PM
PEORIA —
Two Pekin women dropped off in South Peoria early Thursday said they were jumped by a group of women near Harrison Home after they followed a man they didn't know there.
A police officer parked in the 4000 block of Southwest Adams Street about 1:15 a.m. saw the two women run wildly across Adams toward traffic. He pulled his squad car next to the pair, who yelled they had just been beaten up.
Sometime Wednesday night, the women were given a ride to an unknown house on Stanley Street where a woman named "Mama" lives, the report stated. While there, a man asked them to walk him home to Harrison Homes, and they agreed.

Need we say more....

You ever Feel like Bob Newhart?

In the Bob Newhart show he ran an Inn in the Northeast. He could see through the smoke and mirrors of the towns problem with deadly accuracy. In reading the news about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae I wondered how BOB would see this piece of news.

The stock Market saw it in a positive manner and today it took all that back and more. The talking heads said it was a great deal, the economy is turning around.

Why do I feel the slogan to go with this is from Ross Perot "A Giant Sucking Sound" as more taxes will be sucked out of our wallets.

Even the candidates are talking tax cuts and economic stimulus plans. That last one worked really well. How about another!

The costs keep getting bigger, and who is going to pay for this, you know I do not have to say it!

The Inn in Vermont may never change, unfortunately the Economy has.

Service, it was once a cornerstone of business, where has it gone?

In the current economy, one would think that Service in the Service industry should be at an all time high.

If you look around and see businesses closing, friends and neighbors losing work or hours of employment. One would think that this would raise the willingness of people to perform their job.

Today, It was beautiful and I decided to take one of the dogs to the park. Since I had not had breakfast I stopped and picked up my usual fast food breakfast. And to quote one of Joe Pesci's favorite slogan's "they @#%&@# in the drive thru". Well they truly did. I got my order and the drink was wrong. It was a sugary drink and I did not have the proper exchanges to have that kind of drink. I did not discover this until we had made it to the park. after our refreshing walk in the park and finishing my breakfast sandwich. I returned to the establishment and asked for a refund. I was lucky enough to have the manager on duty waiting on me at the counter. Immediately, she thrust her hand in her pocket and brought out a coupon for a free "Value Meal", which I declined since my exchanges would rarely allow a value meal. I just asked for my refund for the beverage. The smile was now gone. (The refund, must cause some sort of issue response to the home office) She rang it up, I filled out the paperwork and I got my refund.

She was apologetic when I departed. Normally, I would have not bothered. But there is more an issue at hand. The service to customers has eroded. I hear people chatting about it all the time at work and at other businesses.

What has caused that customer service to erode. What happened to taking pride in your work. In tough economic times, the people that perform should be rewarded.

When you do get great customer service let the establishment know the value of that employee.

Data Integrity will be a big issue in the upcoming election

What does Junior Football League game have in common with Data integrity and the upcoming election?

Today, I attended JFL games at Peoria Manual. As the games went on it was hard to believe the number of cell phones that were either ringing or involved in conversation. That did not include all the texting. These were both in use by adults and kids. That being said.

What portion of the adult group do not have a conventional land line and are linked to the world by Cellphone. These adults are voters as they vote for themselves and their family. What about Data integrity?

If you look at the poll data it is collected by phone. Cellphones are not used in polling data since the phones are usually not listed in any reference and the phones would be registered to an adult and most families have numerous numbers for all the family members.

With this string one would have to think that the cellphone group may be attracted to one candidate grouping. This would make that group come up short in conventional polling detail.

Would you consider polling data to data integrity issues.

Is it Fall, it feels like it, it is definitely Festival Season

There was a chill in the air today after a 90 degree yesterday. Looking at the calendar it is time for the favorite festivals of the fall. The Marigold Festival is going on in Pekin. Next week will be the Morton Pumpkin Festival.

These festivals are quite a neat happening for the fall season. Gives you a chance to say good buy to summer . End the summer with a walk around the park seeing crafts and getting some of that gulty concious food from the local venors and organizations.

Missed the Popcorn Festival in Manito as well as Hog days in Kewanee. They have been great events in the past and they probably did not disapoint this year as well.

The Pekin Marigold festival is probably the largest event for seeing crafts in the area this fall. Vendors flock to Pekin from miles around. It is interesting to see what new items are out for sale. The do have some interesting events like the skate park and a bags tournament. It is a nice walk and a pleasant way to spend part of the day.

Next week is the Pumpkin Festival, a large parade and all things pumpkin. It is quite the nice place to attend. To get Pumpkin Chilli or Pumkin Ice Cream and not to forget Pumpin Pie. It does have a great crowd.

Both these will not disappoint you if you want to get out of the house for a nice day.

Got the Delta Airline Blues.........

I was booking flights today for a couple of upcoming trips. I had a multistop I was working on and searched for my flight back to Peoria from Atlanta on Delta. One flight came up. ONE FLIGHT??? I kept searching, and ONE FLIGHT CAME UP!!!!

You can fly in from Atlanta to Peoria and arrive about 10:00 P.M. or you can fly out on Delta at 06:00 A.M. What was once 4 daily flights, then 3 daily flights, and now there is one. What a shame but I guess it is a business decision. Delta, I think that business decision is a terrible choice.

Did I miss the news that Delta was cutting out two flight to Peoria. Being a semi savvy internet user, I checked the Bloomington Airport and they had a full schedule of flights.

I fly out of Peoria several times a month and the Delta planes were always full. I feel for Ken Spirito the Airport Director as well as my fellow travelers. Do not like the idea of one flight. If you miss it with a bad connection you are staying over night in Atlanta. Then you have to hope there is an available seat on the next flight.

The staff at the Delta Peoria location has always been a great group. Hope they end up with a new position in another location or on with another carrier.

Maybe we can get bus service from the Peoria Airport to the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, so we can have more than once a day service to Atlanta.

Being a skeptic I went out to the airport to see if there was anything wrong with my search only to be told that indeed there is only one flight out and one flight back from Atlanta.

Will we have additional flight cuts by other carriers? Only time will tell.

So Long PIA Hello to my new destination Bloomington Normal Airport for my trips to the East Coast.

Slacker, Airports, etc.

Being a slacker, I have not blogged for awhile. No excuses.

I will blog about airports today to restart the blog-machine.

I have been traveling alot and have seen to many airport interiors. I guess it is my age but the traveling public has made a big change in fashion for traveling. In the old days you actually treated traveling as an experience. People dressed up like they were going to church.

Now, you see all kinds of clothes in various stages of dress or undress. Makes the gate areas more of a beach setting than a travel location. In the Atlanta Airport Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. The scenery was quite unusual.

Guess, I still can not see how the high heel shoes work walking down the Jetway?

Then you have the parents with thir children dressed like they were Paris, Fergie or any Rock Star.

Well, slacker is not slacking today.

Have a Great week.

The Fake Poll- Come on what's with the State's Attorney race

I just got off the phone with a pollster- he says he was a pollster. What a bunch of bull!

The guy started out like it was an actual poll, then when he got down to the States Attorney race the full purpose came out. What a cheap way to put a commercial in for a candidate.

It was kind of humorous when he asked if I knew who the candidates are and in the list was Gary Sandburg. When I said I was watching the City council meeting he really started throwing out positive statements about Mr. LaHood and Derogatory statements about Mr. Lyons. Come on Mr. LaHood lets get real.

If you are going to have a fake poll or somebody representing you with a fake poll then say so during the call. It was really neat the way the gentleman could pronounce your name so well and had a hard time announciating Mr. Lyons.

Election time, you got to like it. Can wait to vote early so when these character's call again, I will tell them I already voted.

Well at least it was more interesting than the consent agenda!

First Red Tomato

I fondly remember our neighborhood many years ago used to have a contest to see who would get the first red tomato. I remember one year sneaking out and painting my Grandfathers tomato red.

The neighbor saw it and got grampa out of the hammock and they both went back to the garden. It did not take Grandpa long to figure that one out.

Well yesterday I got my first red tomato. The old fashion way, the natural way. Yes it was tasty.

Scooters- trying to beat the $4.00 a Gallon-get a helmet for the kids!

Today, I was in Morton and saw in disbelief a young lady driving her scooter with her son (approximately 7 or 8 years old) riding behind. My jaw dropped as I saw the Mother and child heading to Wally for the latest bargain. Hopefully they were headed there for a Helmet for her son.

She may have been trying to save money by using the scooter for transportation but not having a helmet on the little guy. How can a Mother have this kind of activity endangering her son.

I guess I may be the minority here in Illinois where the helmet is not mandatory. But in this case someone needs to wake up. The child needs protection when riding on the scooter. If the Mom chooses not to wear one that is one thing.

People should use some common sense when they are transporting their kids. We have to have car seats in cars, why not helmets for the little ones on scooters. On Bicycle safety the rule is wear a helmet.

Boathouse Restaurant- Charleston SC

If you have been to Charleston SC you know there are many fancy restaurant by the market and downtown. Well last night we tried a restaurant between the New Ravenel Bridge and Downtown on Bay Street.

The Boathouse Restaurant has a great selection of local seafood. I had the Crab Cakes with Okra and Macaroni and Cheese. Our table had several shrimp dishes and Local Grouper. We started with fresh raw oysters and steamed mussels, and Shrimp. Also Fried Green Tomatoes. All the appetizers were excellent.

We were to full for dessert.

It was a great place to stop. There were many locals in the building celebrating anniversaries and Birthdays. Always a good sign.

If you are in Charleston stop by the Boathouse. Its worth the trip. It is on Baystreet just outside of downtown Charleston.

Do not be afraid to try the collards and grits.

Peoria's new Library- Additional Taxes??

Listening to the radio yesterday morning, there was a lot of talk about how much the new Library would cost the individual taxpayers. Like this was a surprise.

The electorate voted for the Library and they did not understand there would be a tax increase? Come on, give your citizens more credit than that.

Last year we heard a lot of rhetoric on what is going on at District 150, and how they want it to improve the education level. Then they are against the Library. Does not this seem a little odd. We want to increase educational opportunities but we want to stifle any new educational opportunity by not supporting a Library.

We get back at the economy. If you look at the long term outlook if there is not action on the Library soon it will not happen due to economic forces. If this is the true concern, why not come out and say that the Library and other Capital intensive projects need to be put on hold until the tax base straightens out.

Are we going to see massive amount of people protesting taxes this coming year as we see the drop in housing prices, thus lowering the base for the taxing bodies. Is this the reason that we are seeing the foot dragging on this issue?

JAZZ ON THE RIVERFRONT

Jazz on the Riverfront is Thursday nights, This coming week Todd Kelly Quintet will perform. Its on the CEFCU Stage at 7:30 P.M. It is a great venue and it is free.

Sponsored by the Peoria Park District, Cefcu, And the Central Illinois Jazz Society.

Head to the Riverfront and listen to some great music.

See you there.

Madison Golf Course

In the last few weeks the PJS has been talking about the golf courses in Peoria. From a safety standpoint and from the lack of play. I had the fortunate opportunity to play Madison today. It was a quick round and we were done before 10:00.



Probably to early to see the non golfers on the course. It was very noticeable that the amount of golfers was definitely down for a Sunday. Remembering back years ago you could not get on a Peoria course before noon without a reservation. Not the case today.



It was a great day, a good round, maybe to many putts with my new putter.

While I was in the area I stopped at Haddad's Market and picked up some items that looked great. The Stuffed Pork Chops smell great as they are finishing cooking.

I was glad I could get out today and enjoy another beautiful day of this great weekend.

Riverfront Market

It was great morning to visit the Riverfront Market in Downtown Peoria. The rivers edge is always a great place to visit. The weather was great, ane veryone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
There was a nice selection of early season crops. The arugala, beets, radishes, and onions looked great. I did purchase some Herbs and a few Mint plants for the Garden.

There was abundant parking in the nearby lots. Also quite a large amount of Baked good, bread, cookies, muffins, etc. The cut flowers were all very vibrant and quite plentiful.

There was also quite a few Jewelry and other craft booths. It was really an enjoyable part of the morning.

A definite must attend on a Saturday Morning.

Independence Day

Have a safe 4th of July. Will resume regular blogging tomorrow.

Go Redbirds!

Community Gardens where did they go?

With the current economic situation, the thought of a garden makes a lot of sense. I for one enjoy the fresh Tomatoes, Zuchini, Peppers and Onions. In the late 80's community gardens were quite common. If you lived in an apartment or house with no yard, you could rent a small space and make your own garden.

As I drive around town there are many vacant lots. Can the Neighborhood associations approach the city or county to sell them the lots that are behind in Taxes and make community gardens. Or approach Landowners to use this space for flower and vegetable production.

Looking at a garden of Pumpkin, squash and other vegetables is better than look at long grass and weeds. Put some production in the land so people have vegetables. Beside being a green alternative, this will also slow the import of crops from far away and save fuel.

In the mass merchandisers you will see food imported from all over the world. What a waste when we can grow those commodities here in Central Illinois in the summer. Home grown veggies and flowers are better than the import variety. Why not make this option available for those that have limited funds.

Productive time in the vegetable garden is a great experience. We should not forget about the lost arts of canning fresh crops. Stewed tomatoes, fresh vegetable soup, and the wonderful colors of home grown flowers.

Even though tomorrow is July 4 it is not to late to plant items in the yard. Planting marigolds today. Tomorrow will see more planting. It gets you out of the house and in the fresh air. Lets bring back the community gardens, make local grown produce a great option.

Get outside and smell the flowers.

"Another one bites the dust" continued

Watching the news tonight learned of the closing of the River Station Restaurant. Due to its loss of liquor license. Was just reported on WHOI. They are saying they will be open for the Fireworks on Friday. That will probably be its last hurrah under the current owners.


Similar instance a few blocks away the same happened at In Play before Christmas. They were selling Gift Certificates on one day and the next they are closed. Many had made plans for receptions and other events.

Yesterday there was an article that Starbucks is going to close 600 locations. There are 6600 Starbuck locations. This closure will affect 12,000 Baristas.

The economy is not a friendly environment for the big and small.

Congressional Medal of Honor

This week I was sitting in Harry Carey's restaurant in Lombard, and we were having a chat with a gentleman from Norfolk. During the discussion he was talking about taking his son to Little League. His son's team mates father was honored with The Congressional Medal of Honor. He went on to tell his son that that gentleman was a Hero.

I have never had the pleasure of meeting a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. On the way home it made me think, what do the next generation look up to as heroes. Kids today idolize sports figures, Rock and Hip Hop stars. But who are the true Heroes that these kids should look up to?

Is it the Titan of Industry, is it the hometown store owner. Is it the volunteer firefighter, is it the local Policeman.

It seems that there are many Heroes that the new generation should try to emulate. It is the hard working next door neighbor, the volunteer that gives up hours of their own time to make a difference. In this economy, these are the people making a difference. Not some brainless actor or actress. Not a Hip Hop or Rock star. They need to look around them and see the people that really are making a difference in their community and their life.

We are heading into the Fourth of July, Independence Day, a day of celebration and a day of remembering those that have gone before. Think of the Founding Fathers, Think of the people around you that make a difference in any positive way.

Have a great Holiday.

PJ Star- Monday's interesting look at the economy

Inside the local and State section you will find the bankruptcies and the DUI's. What an interesting combination. And today they threw in the Peoria County Court records. What a Bonanza of information.

We were discussing this info today. It seems like the bankruptcy numbers have been rising. With the change in the bankruptcy laws you would have thought that these numbers would not be rising.

What an interesting read today.

Safety on the Golf Course

Today's PJ Star had a commentary about the hazards of playing golf at Madison and Newman Golf Course in Peoria.

Earlier in the week there was also an article about the number of rounds being played on Peoria courses is behind last year.

Is this a coincidence?

I did play at Kellogg today and the Madison/ Newman situation was quite the discussion. I personally like both courses. Especially Madison it is easily walkable and close to downtown. This course seems to have a lot of senior and women players. The news about the course will affect these two groups the most.

To preface this I also belong to the Riverplex, I have never had a problem there or at Madison and Newman. It is unfortunate that these types of things have come up.

With the episodes at Steamboat Days, and now the golf courses it could be a long Summer.

Is this a result of a poor economy, or are there other things involved. I am addicted to Golf, I hope we do not have the results of another golfing trip I had several years ago. There is a Country Club next to the Office of Emerson Electric in Saint Louis. The Country Club is fenced with Concertina wire around some of the fenced area. They also had security on the course. This was several years ago. Hope it does not come to that. Golf is an enjoyable game, we are spoiled here in Peoria since it is very reasonable to play a round.

Let us hope that these were isolated cases. This is one sport that young and old can play. Taking the opportunity away from so many would be a travesty.

Pizza Inn- a place that is worth the stop

Tonight we dined at the Pizza Inn, As always it was excellent. This little spot with its buffet of salad, pizza, stromboli, spaghetti and tonights feature was chicken wings.

With the coupon out of the paper the mea for 2 was 11.00 and some change. Sweet!

Check it out, its worth the visit-- look for the coupon to make it an extra value.

Remeber the song that had the lyrics "Another one bites the dust"

The local economy has taken its toll as another restaurant bites the dust. Schlotsky's on Scenic Drive recently closed. Adding to the growing list that includes The Cutter in Dunlap, The Steak /Italian restaurant on Court in Pekin, The Chocolate shop across from the Pekin Mineral Springs Park.

Will the sluggish economy support local businesses or will we turn into Restaurant Chain, Retail Chain or another Bloomington Normal?

tracer bullets all around

Tonight, riding back from Chicago, The lightning bugs resembled tracer bullets being fired at you from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The fields were filled with the little glow of millions of these wondrous creatures.

Nature has wondrous ability to amaze.

The Proud Uncle

I received a phone call tonight that my Nephew had finished school and had received his PHD from Illinois State. It is in Psychology. He will be working in Byron IL as a School Psychologist. He also got married this year over Memorial Day Weekend.

My other Nephew finished his school this year as well. Getting his law degree from Stanford University. He to will get married this year.

These guys accomplishments are great. But I can still beat them in Golf.

New Season

Today, I was listening to the radio and a commercial came on about the five seasons of the year. The fifth season was a special season. Deere Season.

I think we now have a Sixth Season. It starts this time of year when these tents start to pop up all over Peoria and Tazewell county. Some have big Black Cat symbols others just the famous big banner announcing FIREWORKS.

Every kid in the area wants Mom and Dad to stop to get FIREWORKS!

Could we call that Sixth Season Firecracker Season.

here must be quite the markup in these items, they pop up quicker than the PayDay Loan businesses.

Hope you all have a safe Firecracker Season.

Coyote Creek

Finally played Coyote Creek!

You have heard the stories about the Golfball eating Landscape. Do not take in the stories, go out and play the golf course. It is fun and a Beautiful course.
Saturday was a great day, the course was in great shape and it was fun.

The greens were fast, the fairways, though narrow were great.

Oh by the way, the golfball eating landscape should be full from all of my golfballs. So go soon before they get hungry again.

ALLERGIES

Have you noticed at work, school and out and about that the people with Allergies are seeming to be everywhere. I was picking up a Prescription this morning and on the drive back it made me wonder.

Is the increase in Allergies we are seeing directly or indirectly related to the economy. The observation is that as the price of fuel has increased we see less maintenance on the right of way of the infrastructure. Along I74 and I474 much of the grasses and weeds have not been cut or sprayed. This gives and increase of Pollen production of Golden Rod, and other noxious weeds. Then add the grasses that are now big enough to flower and produce seeds. The range of the that little pollen speck is huge.

Then add the wet conditions, and early cool spell allowed these grasses and weeds to get off on a great start of production.

When we get used to the headlines of the cost of this rising, and that rising due to fuel prices. We now have to wonder if it affecting our health as well.

From this runny nose to the next you encounter, it may be the grass and weeds that we have not had at this level for many years.

Ethanol and $8.00 corn

This week looking at the price of gas in Houston TX, I noticed the station did not have 10% ethanol in their fuel. We in the Midwest are used to seeing the little sticker on the pump. With the escalating price of corn will we see less Ethanol being used in the future.

If you read the newsmags, Ethanol has a large target on its back. It will be very interesting to see the first Etahnol plant come on line in Soperton GA that uses BioMass to make the ethanol and not the "Yellow Gold" Corn.

The downside to this is the hit the farm community will take if the Ethanol market does show some weekness.

Hope the farmers that will have a crop to bring in this year can make a great living on the high priced corn. The inputs for producing this crop have escalated as well. If you look at some of the inputs like Anhydrous the prices have doubled and tripled. Herbicide, Pesticide and Seed have risen greatly as well.

Some say farming is legalized gambling. I wish them well in the new economy.

Dr. Economides from the University of Houston recently spoke in Charleston about Ethanol and BioDiesel. This is an excerpt from Charleston.net report.

"Economides described ethanol, a much-touted alternative "green" fuel, as "the biggest scam in the energy business of the last 100 years."
It takes so much raw product — in this case, corn — to produce a gallon of ethanol that it takes more energy to produce the fuel than the product provides, he said.
If the U.S. converted all its corn supply to ethanol, it would provide for only 20 percent of the country's oil consumption, he said.
Further, if all soybeans in the U.S. were converted to biodiesel, 96 percent of diesel fuel in the U.S. still would come from traditional sources, he said.
By 2030, 87 percent of energy still will come from oil, gas and coal, Economides said. There are no alternatives to traditional fuels in the foreseeable future, he said. "

To many flights...to many ceremonies...

Sorry for the absence from the blogosphere.....It is time to start back in the world of blogging.

Since the last blog the price of gas has blasted off the scale. The price of any known vegetable or fruit has risen beyond its true value....

A friend had talked about eating healthier with organics- hope they have a money tree at home.

Sorry folks with Kids, The station wagon and every travel team possible. Do not know how you do it.

Looking around town at lunch time during the week the restaurants are empty. The golf courses on weekends have tee times available before noon.

The Market down today over 200 points, where will it stop? Wait till the new headlines tomorrow.

Lets find some free things to do!!!!!

PJS DO THE CUBS PROUD

I was reading my morning Journal Star and went to the Major league standings for the scores. I see that the Cubs are listed in First Place. The News last night said they lost in extra innings to to the Brewers.

How could this be?

Is it a new conspiracy by Gatehouse to make the Chicago Teams look better. We get the news snippets from Chicago in the First section.

Where is Muldar and Scully? Is this something the Lone Gunmen have been working on and can provide the correct answer.

"The Truth is out There"

It's Spring- Where did all the litter come from?

Driving to work the other day, I saw a black object headed into the road, I thought it was a dog, after slowing down not to hit it, the object was a plastic bag.

Made me think about the fields I pass daily. They are cluttered with these plastic bags.

The litter in the fields will be shielded by the corn and beans that are grown in the fields.

The plastic bags that are in the trees and the hedges and other litter will be in place for quite some time as homeowners turn these into the trash heap.

Are you getting tired of hearing about the Interest only home loans, I know I am

I know its an election year, but to hear Representative LaHood talking on local radio, saying the government has to find ways for these home buyers to not lose their homes.

How can a person buy a house on an interest only loan. When did they think they would be able to pay the principal. This was a gamble and they lost.

Can I go on the Riverboat lose my house and have the government figure out a way for me to keep it. Come on, we need to be responsible for our own actions.

These folks had greed in their eyes. The banker/ mortgage companies had their eyes on a big payout. Who loses, Joe and JoAnn Average Citizen who were not part of this debacle.

When are we going to accept the fact that we need to live within our limits.

Price of Gas- Are you slowing down

Being an owner of a Nine year old auto it has finally dawned on me that I get terrible gas mileage. I need all those items they sell on TV after dark to get better mileage.

Or I could drive slower. My car gets better gas mileage at 50 than it does at 65. But when I get on the interstate you all want me to go 70. At what point does economics win out over the the abuse and tailgating.

Well if you see Mr. Pokey traveling below lightspeed on 74 or 474 observing the the Deer the Hawks, etc. He is saving Fuel, or maybe he has turned into the little old gramps.

Just honk ands wave as you go by and see me getting smaller in the rear view mirror.

VA Gamecock fighting a misdemeanor??

With VA being the home of PETA I was surprised to see this in the Galax VA newspaper online GALAX GAZETTE. What is this guy thinking??


Delegate defends vote on animal-fighting
Del. Bill Carrico (R-Fries) says he’s been dogged by unfair criticism of his vote on a House of Delegates bill that would make animal fighting a felony in Virginia.
“First, let me say that I do not condone violence against, or the abuse of, animals,” Carrico said in a press release last week.
HB 656 passed the House by a vote of 93-2, with Carrico casting one of the votes against. But, he said, that does not mean he in any way condones animal fighting.
The bill’s major policy change was elevating all types of animal fighting, especially cockfighting, to a felony.
Carrico said dog fighting has been a felony in Virginia since 2002. In fact, he was one of four members of the General Assembly to co-patron HB 707, which made dog fighting a felony offense.
“HB 656 did enhance some dog fighting penalties, which I agree with, but it was largely a bill to make cockfighting a felony,” Carrico wrote in his statement. “My objection to HB 656 is simply this: I think the penalty for fighting dogs should remain higher than the penalty for fighting gamecocks. That’s it.”
So, he voted against the bill.
Currently, under Virginia law it is a class 6 felony to fight dogs. If HB 656 passes the General Assembly, it would still be a class 6 felony.
However, what used to be a Class 3 misdemeanor for fighting gamecocks would now be a Class 6 felony.
“I have absolutely no objection to increasing the penalty from a Class 3 misdemeanor to a Class 1 misdemeanor, which could result in fines and jail time, but I do not feel that a first offense for fighting chickens should be a felony offense,” Carrico wrote.
He said he would support a Class 6 felony for cockfighting if it were limited to second and subsequent offenses.
“I’m sure some people will disagree, but I think there is a fundamental difference between dogs, which are companion animals, and chickens,” Carrico said.


If you want to comment to the story the link is below.
http://www.galaxgazette.com/cgi-bin/storyviewnew.cgi?055+News.2008225-130-055-055007.Full+News

ABOVE FREEZING

Finally, above freezing, a trip,to the park to walk one of the dogs....priceless

Added Bonus... saw 20 deer in a field off rt.9 heading to the Pekin McNaughton Bridge...cool

If life were a Movie I would be scared to Death

Last night as I am roming the house at 1:00 a.m. I am aghast at all the little yellow, red, and blue objects looking at me as I stroll around the house. It seems that everything we bring in the house has a little light peering out of it into our lives. Look around your house, cable box, modem, fire and co2 detector. coffee pot, vcr, ipod charger, laptop power cord,etc. These beedy eyes are watching our every move. It is sort of Big Brotheresque.

Then I started to think about it. The real Big Brother in this is the Ameren Cilco who sends us a welcome letter of doom each month. What portion of our ever expanding electric bill is from these little eyes that glow in the night. Do we really need to make sure the TV is preheated so we can get an instant on picture? What happened to the excitement of seeing the TV warm up. (Yeah, really showing my age, used to get excited seeing the test pattern. For you under 30 - you would not understand)

In this one room alone I can see Seven of those eyes staring in the void. Then add all the appliances that still flash 12:00. One of these days I will figure out how to program them. Did my Eight track player have one of those lights? I'll have to go in the garage and check.

Beware of those eyes watching your every move:-)

Valentines Day a Sugar induced holiday?

Today I was talking to some Mom's about Valentines Day. They both have small daughters and I asked if the kids were excited about the big day.

I heard about the new tradition, cards that have candy attached. Has Valentine's day turned into another Sugar Induced Tradition? Apparently the new Valentines cards are attached to treats for the kids. I thought the holiday was about giving the card, that was excitement enough in my day.

One of the Mother's took a fruit tray to her daughter's class. The shock of that to all the kids looking for the latest candy treat was probably disappointing. The Mom and Daughter will probably be on Maurie or Jerry next week.

How this world has changed. I felt like Charlie Brown hoping to get a card from the Little Red Head girl.

My how times have changed, The thrill of making the shoe box to stuff the Valentines in. Hoping that when it was opened that One Special Valentine was in the box. Now the bags are ripped open to see what kind of treats are to be had.

As Charlie Brown would say "Good Grief"

Granite City Brewing East Peoria

As a special occasion (Which will remain shrouded in secrecy) we went across the river to Granite City for the Brunch.

The real reason for this was several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to this establishment. The waitress said we could have anything on the menu. It was Thursday night so we ordered the Sunday Brunch. It was on the menu. lol. Ended up with the meatloaf dinner. It was really good. Although more than you could possibly eat, it could have fed several. The cost was a little pricey but it was worth the extra dineros.

The brunch was well attended for the ridiculous cold weather we are having. The breakfast items were delicious. Fresh Fruit, French Toast, bacon, Sausage, Biscuits and Gravy, Fresh sliced beef and an Eggs Benedict station. They brought out a large plate of sticky buns. They were fantastic.

It was well worth the visit.

If it would have been warmer it would have been the perfect brunch.

Thunder Snow, Fog, and now Thunderstorms followed by???????

Thunder Snow, Fog wit a two car length visibility, Thunderstorm Warning, Hail in Bloomington, and a forecast of Sleet, Ice and possibly up to 4 inches of snow.

This is February and Central IL- what crazy weather!!!

I am waiting Chuck, Rick or Lee to say there is a sand storm with a herd of Locusts on the way!

THE VANISHING SNOW SHOVEL

6.5 inches of snow arrived Friday Morning, as usual being an early riser 0400. I went out to the garage and looked at my assorted snow removal equipment. Over the years you assemble quite a large collection of snow removal equipment. The new stuff is now some sort of Plastic, the old is still metal with wooden handles.

I remember many years ago the Sweetnam's Hardware store on South Adams in Peoria had a shovel on wheels called the SnowWhizzer. In college I even saw it advertised in the Wall Street Journal. I do not know if they are still available. But they would no match to the 6.5 inches of snow.

Lets get back to the vanishing snow snow shovel, I have been using the new Farm and Fleet Bright Blue Plastic Snow pusher. As I have notoce over these last few snows, as the snow melts the yard is covered by little blue plastic curly shards. The friction with the snow and concrete is slowly eating up the shovel. The shovel is now a third of its original height. Sounds like next year we will have to make a new trip to the farm store.

There is also that new shovel with the ERGONOMIC handle, Looks like it got bent when somebody got mad and threw it up against a fence post. It looks funny and handles funny from us "Old Shovel Users". This seems to be quite a popular design.

Looking around town after this last snow, I think snow shoveling is a lost art. If you are over 40 you probably shoveled the drive. If not you probably put you SUV in 4 wheel drive and just went for the street. If you did not have a 4 whheler you went for the street anyway.

The older I get the more I watch the Weather Channel. It says freezing rain tonight and all rain tomorrow. Why did I shovel? It all going away anyway!

Peoria Airport - FLYPIA

Being a frequent user of many airports, the Peoria Airport is doing a great job for the community. There are many direct flights to more locations now than there has been in the past.

There has been a recent flap over the non existent pay phones at the airport. Have you seen a working payphone anywhere in Peoria? Recently the Telephone company placed a legal notice in the Peoria Journal Star saying they were going to discontinue payphone service in IL. It said it would be gradually phased out.

In the articles and news reports on the payphone incident there was a traveller that needed to make a call for a ride from the airport. In the article the person talked to the County Officer on duty and the Officer did not attempt to help the passenger.

In many flights it seems that the passengers know they are basically handled like cattle from the point of view of the airlines. This gives the passengers a new kinship against the airline. Tyhis kinship stetches to the baggage claim area, most passengers at this point will bend over backwards to help their fellow passenger. I for one would not have a problem asking a fellow passenger to make a call for me on their cell phone. With all the plans it is unusual to use to many minutes. Most would offer to use the phone.

Peoria airport has many positives, close to drop off and pickup passengers, free parking, freindly staffing, clean and pleasant area to wait for your plane.

The only downside is the amount of time it takes to get your luggage once the plane has arrived.

I have flown out Bloomington as well and have gotten great service, and they to have a hard time getting the luggage to you in an efficient manner.

We should be glad to have a fine airport like the Peoria Airport.

Addressed Postage Paid Envelopes

In the process of opening this months mail, It dawned upon me that I had received an overwhelming amount of Credit Card, Magazine, Timeshare, and Insurance offering with the famous Prepaid Postage Envelope.

It seems a waste to not use these nice envelopes.

Sort of like all those address labels you get in the mail. You know the ones, from every organization that is trying to raise money. (The Secret Order of the Salt Shaker, The Sow's Ear Handbag, The Fraternal order of Space Aliens, and the Society for the Prevention of Abuse to Video Game Addicts to name a few) I have a envelope I put all these in and it is overflowing. If I did not receive more of these stickers and wrote three letters a day for the next 13.2 years the labels would finally be used. Let alone the Postage would be staggering.

That spurned an idea, why not use them on the Postage Paid envelopes. That way the purpose of both are in use. The person that sent the envelope wants it returned, or they would not have made it postage paid. The people with the stickers want them used, or they would not have sent them. (Although the sticker folks never include prepaid postage on their envelopes) (Special Note: These stickers are great for Raffle Tickets, you know at the School Carnival where you get 10 for $2.00, slap that label on and you saved yourself from Writers Cramp- And who said the internet did not have good ideas.)

From an earlier incident I have learned that you do not fill the envelopes with anything, like sand, flour, etc. But that is another post.

So my trusty mail carrier will have a box full of letters when he visits the Redbird house this week. Hello City Bank, Bank of America, Wachovia, Time, US News, Geico,Delta,Airtans, Sheraton, etc. Be by your mail box, the Redbird's letters are headed your way.

Price of Gas, Groceries and other necessities

$3.15 last night for gasoline. Grapes near $4.00 per pound. Milk at 2.89 a gallon. The everyday price of things aregoing up at a ridiculous rate. The government has a lulled into thinking there is a 2 or 3% inflation rate. They need to step out in the real world.

This last week I went to a popular restaurant. 14 tables it was 11:40when we entered 1 tables of three, we added another 3 and that was all in the whole place. By noon a table of two had come in. I do not know how they kept the doors open.

The only time you see anyone in the Morton area restaurants for lunch is on Friday. Guess it must an escape valve from work on Friday.

We are paying by my estimates on what I see about 20 to 25% more for food. If you notice this is really evident in packaging. If you buy bulk you will notice that there are not as many rolls of paper towels for the same price point. I was in the Spaghetti sauce aisle and the price of Pasta and sauce has risen quite sharply. You rewally need to review the ads to get the values. But how much shopping can you do with $3.15 per gallon gas.

We have limited our traveling to shop. We now go out 1 day a week for our shopping and try to get it all done by planning ahead.

We were faced with a huge electric rate increase in January of last year here in Central Illinois. The legislature rolled some of that back but sooner or later it will rise again.

Arriving in the mail the other day was the IRS forms. I would predict that this will be a record year for People getting basically a payday type loan on their anticipated income tax refund.

You see the headlines about Credit Card debt, low levels of personal savings, Christmas spending down. Do not have a Crystal ball on the economy but it looks like some lean months for the stock market, even though it is an election year.

Looking around Mid America these are not the same signs that the New Yorkers and Washingtonites are talking about in the national new media. It is the real world out in the Heartland, the real world is not the Big Apple or inside the beltway.

It seems to me that there should be a ground swelling from the voters about the economy. The soundbites from the candidates are anything but about the basic human needs of the voters.

Maybe it needs to be a paradigm shift by the consumers. Do we need to ask ourselves "Is this the highest and best use for my money", as we look at buying that new HDTV or (You fill in the blank).

Happy New Year- Welcome 2008

2007 ended on a cold note. It will start with one of the coldest windiest days of the year.

I look forward to the New Year, it will involve some Graduation Ceremonies, and some Weddings. Do not think I have had so many family things in one year. It will involve a trips to San Francisco, Homer, IL, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Atlanta, Charleston, SC, Norfolk, VA, Dublin, VA.

It should be a great year.