Tails of the River City

Pheresis

2010-04-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

My blood took a spin today. Donated platelets to the red cross today. It was a good experience. This valuable substance is used in many medical setting. As we approach Summer donations start to go down. The platelets that are donated have a short shelf life. So the need is greater.

Think about doanting to the Red Cross blood center. You never know when a family member, a neighbor or a total stranger may need this valuable substance.

Think about it, you are not donating money, you are donating your time and energy, to assist someone who is in need.

Infrastructure- What a mess

2010-04-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Have you driven around town lately. The Potholes are pavement are in need of work.

The State and Cities are in need of funds, not sure how we can get a fix on the infrastructure.

It would be great if the economy would turn around and get us out of this mess.

Christmas 2009 and the Economy

2009-12-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

Went shopping today. Not nearly the crowds at Grand Prairie. Went out Northwoods Mall and ran into a good friend, was not as crowded as I would have expected. Went to Deals and Big Lots. That was a different story. These places were packed.

Did also go to UFS. Never know what you will find there. It was a very worthwhile trip.

Good Luck in your shopping endeavors.

The Smell of Bleach in the Morning

2009-06-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

From the It's always Something Department...

The sewer pipe broke in the basement. What a mess to start a Friday Morning. The Plumber did a quick good job of replacing the pipes. The Cleanup goes on.

Elbow grease and the lingering smell of Chlorine Bleach is making the project come to a good conclusion.

On the positive side the garden is coming along great. Tomatoes on the vine, Marigolds and Zinnias are popping up. Rabbits munching on the Hostas.

An unusual site in Downtown Peoria

2009-06-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight while heading Downtown to the Peoria Post Office I neared Oak Street and Washington. You know the spot, Every weekend and most weeknights Photographers are down there taking pictures against the older buildings. Many a wedding shot has been taken on Oak Street, Senior Pictures etc.

Today was not one of those days, there was a train coming up the tracks near What would be the start of Water street. I looked and saw a movement. No it was not Willie York. As I came up to the corner there it was standing at the Corner of Oak and Washington. It was a Deer. Maybe the Deer wanted its picture taken and was looking for a photographer.

This was my second sighting of deer along Washington. The other siting was two deer in the lot of Deluxe Limousine on morning at 4:45.

Watch out when you drive Downtown, you never know what will pop out of a side street.

The economy- an observation for a Saturday Night

2009-06-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

After a day of Yardwork decided to go out for supper. Traveled to a dinin spot in Peoria and got in immediately. Normally on Saturday Night at 6:30 I would have expected a wait. Not last night. The place was half empty. Talking to the staff they inferred that it was dead all day. Had a good meal and left.

On the way home I stopped at a retailer. It was 7:45 and there was hardly anyone there. In checking out I was talking to the clerk. She said she came on in the afternoon and it was not busy all day.

With the county unemployment rate over 9% and the City above 10% the town was showing it last night. Groceries are on the agenda today. People shopping for staples will probably be a different look.

The River is finally falling- Some visitors to the area

2009-06-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

The river is finally going down. We may get below flood stage for the first time in Three months.

If you have been watching the skies you may have seen a large population of large birds. The flooding seems to have brought in a lot of Vultures. While traveling along 474 and crossing the Shade Lohman bridge there was a large group of Vultures resting on top of the oil tanks along Wesley Road.

It also time to get out and visit some of the festivals and sights of the weekend. Strawberries in Elmwood, Titanic Exhibit at Grand Prairie and opening weekend for the new Peoria Zoo.

Enjoy the weekend, check the skies for those unusual visitors.

pedestrians wake up its 5:00 and your Jay walking on Knoxville

2009-06-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today while driving up Knoxville at 5 tonight. I could not beleive the number of people standing in the turn lanes trying to cross the street. All within a block of a light.

Had one of the people been hit by a car we would not have heard the end of the driver not obeying the law....etc. When will the pedestrian learn the laws of the land. On of the pedestrians was 20 feet from a crosswalk at McClure.

Come on folks wake up.. use some common sense. Be Safe.

Food Network Triple D

2009-06-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

I may have to attend a 12 step group, being addicted to the Food Network. When I travel out of town I search the food network site for places to visit.

It seems the mention on the Food Network has the same effect as being on the cover of Sport Illustrated. It sometime carries a jinx.

I guess I should get to my point, when are we going to get Guy to come check out the Diners and Dives of the Tri County. Sorry all you people waiting in line at Red Lobster, the Tri County has some great eating places that are locally owned. It not like we live in Bloomington or Litchfield the home of all the franchises.

Guy needs to come check out some of our great establishments. One of my Fave's is the Burger Barge in East Peoria. The place is great, come casual or they will think your selling insurance. The Burgers are fantastic, the atmosphere is very Illinois Riveresque. The Onion Rings, Chips, and fries are great, the fish and chips are worth the trip.

We have some great diners and dives. Over the summer we will give a shout out to other locations. Suggest one if you want!

Guy needs to come and check out our great Triple D locations.

June is Busting out all over!!!

2009-06-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

That song from Oklahoma is true tonight with the arrival of Thunder, Lightning, Hail and water. Plenty of water.

Living not far from the Illinois River and the Kickapoo Creek this latest downpour will have a big effect on these waterways. Look out down stream this water will be headed your way.

Hope this latest outpouring from the sky will not affect the planned festivities with the Chiefs and the Riverfront events in the coming days.

This will help the garden, and make the mowing more frequesnt the next few weeks. With this rain do I really need rain barrels for the Garden?

This is Central Illinois, like they say wait a minute and the weather will change.

New Month- New Economy

2009-02-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

It is a new Month, February, the shortest month of the year.

I noticed this week that there are ads on TV promoting a 3D show. Instead of putting on those 3D glasses lets put on the Rose Colored glasses.

What can we do at an individual level to help our economy?

Do we run for office in the local elections. Campaign for a candidate in those elections. What can we do to make a difference.

Let me know, if you are reading any of the blogs I know you have an opinion. Make that on the local level. Let us see what we can come up with to make a difference.

INFRASTRUCTURE

2009-01-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

Infrastructure- How do we pay for the changes needed.

Look around the city and you will see the need for more infrastructure improvement. The roads are filled with potholes.

We are short on salt for the basic street use this winter.

Driving from the Southside of Peoria downtown you will find 3 watermain breaks.

Now the feds want the city to come up with a huge amount of money for storm water diversion.

We have all seen the requests for new and improved items. Fancy new Hotel Downtown- Great Idea!
Build the Block- Another Great Idea!
New Childrens Hospital Addition- Great Idea!
Addition on Methodist Medical Center- Great Idea!
This is just a partial list of the Great New Ideas and Opportunities.

These are great things, would like to see all come to fruition. But, (You knew it was coming) how can we fix the basic services and infrasrtucture in order to get to and enjoy these Great new ideas.

Lets come up with some plans to solve the mundane daily problems that abound. Then we can enjoy these New Opportunities.

The Digital TV conversion

2009-01-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

The Digital TV Conversion, is it a boondoggle of major proportion?

This is from PC Magazine website.
"Demand for digital TV converter box coupons is up, and while that signals an increased awareness of the impending DTV conversion, the surge might require an additional $330 million in government funds, according to the Commerce Department.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is housed within Commerce, projects that it will receive 6.5 million requests for DTV converter box coupons in December – a significant jump from previous months.

With this increase cost of 330 Million over the already allocated $1.34 billion to cover the cost of the coupons, plus $160 million for administrative costs that Congress has already spent. "

This is the public money. Now we have old tv's headed to the landfill or recyclers to be recycled? or at least disposed of properly.

The original idea of the change was to free up the telecommunication band that the current TV signals are on. There is a planned auction of these airwaves for increasing bandwidth for WIFI Access. With the current economy it is now predicted those auctions will be will be a bust.

The roll out of new HDTV's were not a real help to the US Economy. As we have seen many retailers deep discounting HDTV's and some Electronic chains on the throats of bankruptcy.

Do we need additional airwave space for our Blackberries and other portable computing and telecommunication devices, sure we do as we become more mobile. But what is the true cost. An additional $330 Million is chickenfeed when we do not even notice a headline unless it is is Billions and Billions of Dollars.

How could the government have been 30% wrong in their estimates of converter needs?

How has American industry benefited from this large outlay of funds. Labor for the infrastructure, some retail, and the rest is with the major telecommunication companies. The majority of the equipment is produced in foreign countries and imported. Making our Balance of trade at a bigger deficit. Why can not Congress pass legislation that will help the U.S,

Lets see what the new Administration will do as it creates stimulus projects.

New Year

2009-01-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

The New Year has arrived.

It should be an interesting year.
In the Early hours of the New Year we have seen action by Isreal into the Gaza Strip.

We will see a new President and Administration.

What will happen to the price of Oil and the Economy have all the prognosticators giving there best guess.

Everyone has there New Years Resolutions, many are the same year after year. Many are new. Hope all can be sucessful.

It will be an interesting year at home and abroad.

Wish you all well in the New Year.

Welcome First Day of Winter

2008-12-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-09T04:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-30T13:43:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-28T09:40:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-10-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-20T18:30:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-10-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-09-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-09-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

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.........

2008-09-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-08-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

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??

2008-07-08T03:07:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-04T10:25:00.001-07:00

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

Go Redbirds!

Community Gardens where did they go?

2008-07-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

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"

2008-06-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-24T21:06:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-23T17:40:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-01T04:46:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-03-30T05:19:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

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??

2008-03-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-02-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

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???????

2008-02-04T17:34:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-27T06:10:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

$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

2008-01-01T05:02:00.000-08:00

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.

Tamale Gate or Ethanol Heating Up Controversy

2007-12-23T06:19:00.000-08:00

Tamale prices in El Paso, TX increased a Dollar from $11.00 to $12.00 per dozen. This price hike is due to Ethanol Production causing the increase in corn prices and higher transportation costs.

Meanwhile the Ethanol plants are struggling. The Canton IL Ethanol plant filling for Bankruptcy and some of the others scheduled to start to build have been put on hold. Is Ethanol the fuel of choice for the future.

We have seen the the first plants that got online before the run up of corn prices make a large return on their initial investments. Many have sold out from their original Farmer owner base as investors saw this as an opportunity to cash in on this market. As the price of Corn has risen we are seeing a change in the scenery. We are seeing the plants looking at sales of the other product of production as a source of revenue. That component is Dried Distillers Grain if the plant has a drier complex. If not we are seeing the wet mash sold as cattle feed domestically. The Dried Distillers grain with a 24% protein level is an attractive feed source in many foreign countries. This product is one of the major new exports lowering our balance of trade deficit. We are bringing in Electronics and sending out Dried Distillers grain and other ag commodities.

We have seen the oil independence of Brazil with the use of Ethanol for fuel for their autos. What is the difference here in the U.S.? Brazil has an Ethanol Advantage. The fuel source for Ethanol is Sugar Cane. To make ethanol Sugar Cane is a fantastic crop. The Sugars are easily broken down into making Ethanol. It is a very efficient crop for this process.

In the Corn based Ethanol process the margins are thin due to the high cost of inputs. The energy to process the grain is large and the cost of grain is increasing at an ever expanding rate. The Canton Plant was going to use a coal mixture for energy to process the Ethanol. Most all the others use Natural gas and Oil for processing.

One Ethanol plant coming on line in the near future is a BioMass plant in Soperton GA. This will not use Corn but will use alternative sources for the simple sugars required to make the Alcohol. This will be an interesting plant to see how economically it can produce Ethanol. And the associated new crop structure to support this plant.

It will be an interesting year to see what breaks out in this market. The Bush Energy bill calls for an increase use in BioFuels. It will be interesting to see if the cost factors will allow this industry to prosper.

Tracks- the fresh snow

2007-12-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

The best thing about snow is the tracks>>>>> Look around the snow and see what visitors you had in your yard.

A first set of tracks noticed was from a one legged pidgeon. I spotted the tracks early in the morning near the garage. And saw the little guy by the feeder later in the day. He was eating bird seed off the ground. (Bird Seed funny use of terms. If you plant it will birds grow?)

I also saw tracks from the mouse that lives under the stairs. He is so cute. I am sure he will be burrowing through the snow since I saw two sets of Cat tracks.

There were several bunnies. The dogs get excited when they smell the bunnies. (No not the "Girls next door" kind of bunnies) There was also the rabbit poo all over the yard that was shoveled where you can see the grass.

The Birds are all by the double feeders and Bird Bath. They really enjoy the feed and the Suet. The different bird tracks are of all sizes. From the CatBirds down to the little chickadees. It is great seeing the Cardinals and the occasional woodpecker stop by the feeder.

The freshness is slowly diminishing in the snow. The scholl kids and neighbor dogs are gradually making the front yard resemble Grand Central Station as the tracks accumulate.

We will have to wait for a fresh canvas of newly fallen snow to start the tracks again. It is truly amazing the things you can find in the tracks.

Sleep tight, stay warm, and have a happy holiday.

Toys for Tot's shortfall needing your help

2007-12-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

In the news tonight one of the lead stories was the shortfall of toys for the Toys for Tot's program. In the story they said there was a shortfall last year as well. If you have some toys you would like to donate the drop off locations can be found at http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/tft

This is a great charity to light up a small child's Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Critter Meals on Wheels- Neighborhood House, Peoria

2007-12-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

In Monday's Journal Star column PET WORLD- "Gifts for pet-lover's keep on giving" it talks about charitable donations to pet organizations.

A local connection (Not mentioned in the paper) is with the Neighborhood House in Peoria. Many of the regular Meals on Wheels recipients have pets to keep them company. These furry companions are very important to the well being of the elderly individuals that are getting Meals on Wheels. It was discovered that many can not afford a lot of pet food and share the meals on wheels items with their pets. So a Critter Meals on Wheels program was started. We have been supporting this for many years. This type of program does not get the exposure that many other service programs receive.

If you have a heart for pets consider this program in your gift giving this year.

Customer Service or lack of training or do people lack tact and diplomacy

2007-12-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

I travel quite often and had two instances of poor Customer Service in the last two days. In Hindsight it seems to be a trend.

First example came Thursday in Virginia. I had an hour wait for a meeting and decided to stop at a Cracker Barrel for a bowl of soup. I was propmptly seated and had a good bowl of Beef Noodle soup and a drink. I got the check and headed out to the cash register.

I gave the check to the cashier and she asked me what I had for lunch. She told me that this could not be my check and again asked me what I had. I told her the soup and she looked at me like I was trying to cheat the Cracker Barrel. She went around the counter and tracked down my server and got the correct check. I had not looked at the check since it was so small I did not know how it could have been messed up. When she came back to the register there was no attempt to apologize for the oversight in giving me the wrong check. I wish I had not left a good tip at this point.

How should this have been handled?? The cashier could have said that she needed to check with the server that there may be an error on my check or could have just taken what I ordered and enter it in the register and then talk with the server about the error. In a normal year I will eat at an out of town restaurant approximately 150 times.

Will this experience affect my choice of restaurants in the future. A similar poor service (waiting 15 minutes for a waitperson to come to acknowledge my presence in their section) has already had a negative impact on the IHOP chain. IHOP is at the bottom of my list of restaurants at the moment.

Then last night, I flew into Peoria and on my way home stopped at the Kroger's near the Airport in B'ville. I had quite a cart load. You know never go to the grocery when you are hungry! So I had a large amount of groceries. As I was checking out I realized I had missed one item. I asked the person bagging if I could put my cart near the lane and go back and get the item. So I placed the cart at the front of the store and found my one item. It was after 8:00 P.M. and there was only the one lane open. It now had quite a line so I went throught the U-Scan lane for my $1.49 item. I am leaving the store with my cumulative purchases when I get half way across the parking lot I her a female voice yelling "Sir, Sir." to which I ignore not thinking they are looking for me. Then I hear the Salvation Army guy yelling as well. So I turn around and the Kroger employee is looking for me. She then yells across the parking lot " Did you pay for your (item)?" I told her how I had paid for it.

This could have been a positive had the Kroger employee came to the car since I had a whole cart full and simple asked me if I had found the item in question and if I had any trouble in the Uscan lane since that was the only option other than the lane that she was working at.

I have seen many instances of great customer service and tend to give larger gratuities if applicable or write letters to the company. In the last 3 month's I have sent out 5 letters to companies where the employee had gone above the call of duty.

One instance was a flight out of Bloomington on Airtran. The airline was getting ready to close the door on the plane and a familly of four came in. One was a baby in arms. They were sitting a few rows in front of me. The stewardess helped the family get settled and she got a little snack., etc for the kids. This calmed the frantic parents and kids, who were surely worried that they would miss the plane. This little extra action by the Airtran employee made the whole plane trip more enjoyable for the whole cabin. Feeling that if she had not made this extra effort the kids would have been noisy and not content with the surroundings on the crowded plane. Airtran was in receipt of a letter for this employees efforts.

I do not think we reward good experiences as much as we should. We are always vocal to our friends about bad experiences.

Green for Christmas???

2007-12-12T12:13:00.001-08:00

You get the envelope anticipating the gift card to the Electronic store for the latest gizmo of your choice. You eagerly open it to find. "In the True Christmas spirit we have made a donation to KIVA, Samaritan's Purse, etc."

What is the reaction. According to the USA Today, it will not be a warm welcome. If this is truly the case. The thought is nice, why would the receiver not welcome this with open arms. The opportunity to help someone across the world or in the USA should be a heart warming experience.

I can remember times in my past if I received that type of item. I would have had quite a rejection. As we grow and see the benefits to the world as a whole I would welcome this gift today. We need to experience the simple pleasures. Do that extra thing to make someone's day unique.

Tonight I am taking customers to an event that is a fund raiser. Part of the fundraiser is a raffle where they give away big screen tv's, etc. That is the draw to the Christmas Party. It is not the opportunity to help out the kids from the Charity but what they are giving away.

Maybe, what is won will be regifted, maybe not. The Charity will raise a large sum of money. They do every year from the items that are donated. But the act of the raffle is a draw to the event. But it seems to supercede the event.

Green items for Christmas are not new. They are just in vogue. The thought of purchasing a goat for someone in a Village in Western Africa may not sound like a great gift. But it will make a difference to that person and community. The problem that most inject is the amount of overhead many of these charities have to provide the services. Do your homework before you try to Green the World. You want to see that you get the maximum benefit from your donation.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Christmas TV Commercials

2007-12-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

Due to the weather most evryone will be hunkered down again today. Watching some of the Holiday Commercials one specifically caught my eye. It is the new ones from Kohl's. I must be upfront and say that I do a lot of shopping at Kohl's.

The ads are based on the most festive times around the family in what would appear to be a several million dollar home with long stairways, large cavernous highly decorated rooms. The commercials are quite artistic and in your mind want you to think of the Holidays as a Glamorous Time of the year. This is really playing on my mind. The question is who is the target market for Kohl's advertising?

In reviewing their supplement in today's paper it would lead you to believe there are two different Kohl's.

The Print Kohl's is for the Price oriented shopper and the TV is for the shopper that takes months and monthsof preparation for the Holiday. Thinking that 99.5% of the shoppers at Kohl's fall in the print group, it seemed odd that the money was spent on the Big TV production ad.

Maybe It is just age or the hustle and bustle of our daily lives that make this view of the Holiday a little off kilter. Maybe I should switch off the TV and turn on the radio for all the Christmas music, Especially Leon Redbone's rendition of Frosty the Snowman with Dr. John. A true Christmas Classic.

Have a great day, It is hoped you will not develop a case of Cabin Fever. If you must go out be safe.

John Morris- Will he come in and save the day for WTVP??

2007-12-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

John Morris claim to the seat of Ray LaHood is based on his Peoria City Council experience and his Non Profit fund raising efforts.

In his election website he also promotes this experience. Looking at the John Morris for Congress website the following information about John's past accomplishments.

"John serves as vice president for development for WTVP. In this position, he has spent the last ten years promoting civic engagement, education for children and culture for our community through his work with the station. Nearly a million viewers in 20 counties have been enriched by numerous quality programs, made possible in part by John’s leadership in raising millions in private funds to support public television.
His leadership helped our local station to be the first to achieve federally required digital conversion in Illinois and to gain recognition as one of the finest broadcast stations of its kind in the nation. He presently serves as the Chairman of the national PBS Foundation Station Advisory Board. He previously served as the chief development officer for the non-profit Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences from 1992-1997. Today, he frequently speaks out on the importance of private philanthropy."
-Source: John Morris for Congress website

We have seen John for many years on the fundraisers for WTVP. Searching his website about the problems that WTVP currently faces and you can not find any reference to the plight of WTVP.

In the news articles and today's editorial in the Journal Star there are many dimensions to the problem facing WTVP in the next few months. Being a long term fan of WTVP and now their CREATE offering, it would be a shame for the community if the screen went black. Hope for the communities and its individuals to keep this most basic educational television delivering service to the local communities.

Will John come out and aid his former employer in their hours of need?? Will we see any mention from John about the WTVP situation??

Only time will tell.

The Race for Congress has one less Candidate

2007-12-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

I will miss Former BU Coach Dick Versace in the race for Congress. Th three candidates on the Republican side lack that certain flair that Dick Versace brings to the run.

Will there be a breakout with Mayor Ardis's endorsement of Jim McConaughy for Congress. Jim definitely stands out against the field at the moment.

With all sorts of projects needing money will the candidates be looking at trying to convince voters they can bring home the Pork?

There has been a lot of talk about large capital expenditures in the region. We have the Museum Square, the Zoo, WTVP, Children's Hospital, the Catholic Dioceses have large amount of projects on the drawing board (New High School, Some improvements at the schools) Peoria Public schools looking at adding two new schools. Where is the money coming from??? Also look at this list, these are not projects that are going to increase the workforce. These are projects, although good for the community they are "feel good projects."

The emphasis needs to be on job creation and providing for the local charities like Southside Mission, Neighborhood House, Peria Rescue Mission, etc. These can make a difference in the community.

Lunch meeting gone bad or was it- Midway Duck Inn

2007-12-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

I guess I need a calendar. Drove out to Lacon for a meeting and low and behold the meeting is Thursday. I got over the embarassment and on my way back to town stopped in at the Midway Duck Inn on Route 26 between Lacon and Spring Bay.

The long drive was quite memorable due to this stop. The place is quite cosy and filled with all kinds of Hunting memorabila. I walked in the restaurant bar in a tie and dress shirt and felt out of place. Next time I will need a camo outfit. The place was full of Duck Hunters all decked out in Camo.

Worrying that they thought I was a life insurance salesman, we got a table by the window. We had the nicest wait person come and take our order. Looking around the dining room it seemed that the Chicken was the hot item on the menu. I settled on a Tenderloin. No Frisbee style one here it was nice and thick and juicy. We were treated to plenty of refills on our drinks and it was quite the pleasurable experience.

Well back to Lacon tomorrow for the meeting. I just may get diverted again and stop in the Midway Duck Inn for some of that chicken.

If not tomorrow, it will happen again soon.

Just make sure you leave your dog and gun outside.

Bradley Braves Basketball- Electric

2007-12-05T05:02:00.000-08:00

The crowd was huge, the atmosphere was electric. It had the feel of Big Time Basketball. The game was a true Barn Burner. The outcome was not what the crowd wanted, but the game was a true treat.

The stadium was a "White Out" filled with White T-Shirts over those designer outfits in the lower bowl. The normal crowd that sits on their hands did not show up for this game. Maybe they were at a Christmas Party and gave up there seat to a true fan. I do think they were there. It was the Hottest ticket in town in the past few years.

Another highlight was seeing the BU Soccer team come on the court at halftime to a rousing ovation as they head into Ohio State for a NCAA Soccer Elite 8 match. Going for a "W".

The Cheerleaders, The Band and Bravettes (Dance Team) put on a great show as well. It was a great evening.

Lets make this electricity continue into the next game.

Glad to Live in Central Illinois- driving in Chicago

2007-12-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

Glad I am out of Chicago. Do not know how the legions of people do that drive in the city on a daily basis.

The traffic on I55 from 355 to Downtown was like a parking lot. Everyone jockeying for position hoping there is an opening.

Give me a break. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Give me the traffic report on our local radio that reports a few cars backed up.

Glad to be back home.

Christmas Spirit- the joys of shopping

2007-12-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Fa LaLa La La- Christmas shopping has started. I have several to send out and needed to get it underway. I keenly peered through the 40 pounds of ads in todays paper and selected my list.

Headed out to the Bermuda Triangle of Shopping. Northwoods, Glen Hollow and Willow Knolls. The traffic was not so bad but the potential to lose cash, and lines of credit in the triangle is mind boggling.

When you start looking around the prices of items have seemed to gone through the roof. Even on sale. One item in point a month ago is was $24.95 today when I saw it it was $30.45. How does an item go up $5.50 in a month. It was c0logne. Is there a shortage of good smelling chemicals that is raising the prices.

Where are all the old standby items that you could get for $10.00 or under. I can not give everyone Chutes and Ladders.

Coming out of the stores with a large amount of items and as I wrap them I did notice that only one was made in the US. Like that is a big surprise.

Well, I have to get it all boxed up and off in the post before the recipients leave for the Holidays.

Merry Christams to all and happy shopping ahead.

The power of the predictors- Meteorology at its finest

2007-12-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

This morning was predicted a winter storm watch. They predicted the precipitation would start at 0900 at 0848 the sleet pellets started to fall. It is amazing how accurate they were. For you reading this outside of Central Illinois, Christmas Shopping will take a back seat today as we have been greated with sleet/freezing rain.

This happening on a weekend is probably the best alternative since many will be able to stay home and not go out in this weather.

If you are like me, Cabin fever may have already set in or maybe it is just to much Caffeine. Its that same feeling of waiting for your car to get fixed. When will it be over so we can get back to Normal.

Lets see if the prediction for tomorrow of 51 is correct as well.

Stay safe!

PJS- Roosevelt School hoping for RSVP's to big party

2007-11-30T04:40:00.000-08:00

I like a party as much as any one. This one sounds like one I would give. A Party being thrown and no one showing up.

To quote the Journal Star article, "Roosevelt Magnet School has a dilemma.

It's planning a party to celebrate its 75th anniversary next week and has mailed out invitations and pamphlets, but so far no one has responded."

I feel for the organizers, the event they have planned sounds like a great night. Bradley Jazz ensemble the Heritage ensemble, dinner, etc. Why is there no takers?

Several years ago the Roosevelt Magnet School was a gem in District 150's crown. The apparent apathy of alumni is great if they can not get any buy in to the program from Alumni.

What is the cause of this apathy.

To close to the Holiday's and everyone is busy????

People have lost the connection to their roots???

Location of the event, many of the 40 plus years Alumni may not want to venture into that neighborhood at night????

Or is it a lack of careing about one's important part of their past???

Hope the event goes off without a hitch and is highly attended. It should Roosevelt Magnet School is important to the history of Peoria. It is unfortunate that they have to grovel for people to attend the event. It can be assured that many individuals have put long hours in on this project and to see it not be a success would be tragic for the school as well.

Shout out to all you Roosevelt Alumni, support your Alma Mater.

DMV

2007-11-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have a peculiar trait, I only open my mail twice a month. Well I found three letters from Jessie White's office. Two were for renewing my Driver's License and I.D. (I Travel alot and need two government issued I.D.'s.) In case I lose one on the way to the airport I would not have to walk home. lol.

So I got up early and went to the the Secretary of State's office in Pekin. It was a breeze. In and out in 20 minutes. I thought it was great. They get a big tailwag for their service.

You may ask, yes, I did sign up to be an organ donor. Having given blood for many years. (11 gallon level) I thought they would need some other parts as well. I do not know how much they can use but they are welcome to working parts.

It seems to be the mantra at the DMV in concerns to organ donation. With the advancements in medicine they probably can use as many parts as possible.

In that note I also got a letter from the State Medical College of Georgia. They have been doing Alzheimer's research there looking for DNA evidence of Alzheimer's links in families. I am in a group study as my sister has that disease. She is a big advocate for the Alzheimer's Association. This is the second trial I have been in and hope the outcome from these trials are helpful against this disease.

Red and White Collection Boxes

2007-11-26T04:32:00.000-08:00

The Red and White Boxes started popping up in the Spring of this year. I am on Vacation this week and sorting out the clothes that fit and those that do not. lol. Well I have the car full and am trying to find a place to take them.

In my research on available drop offs I googled the red and white boxes and found out they are a for profit company based in Chicago. USAgain is the name of the recyclers. The colors remind you of the old boxes the "bell ringers" had out. I bet a lot of folks think these are going to charity in the local community. When they are not going to either.

I will donate to the items to the local charities later today, and Wednesday, and probably Friday. If I can keep at it that long. I hope to have one day ofo fun during this vacation.

Watch out on Friday when the garbage truck rolls into town. If the vultures have not gotten there first they should have a good haul.

IT IS BASKETBALL SEASON

2007-11-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

It is my favorite time of the year. It is Basketball Season. Saturday I traveled to Saint Louis to see the Furman Paladins play the Saint Louis Billikens. Now there is a big question. What is a Paladin and a Billiken.

Richwoods Grad Justin Dehm plays for Furman. He had a good game despite the loss. A large group of Central Illinoisians were on hand.

Then on Sunday was the Bradley Game, which was not much of a contest. The weather outside did seem like we were in South Padre Island. Braves play again tomorrow night. I am sure it will be a W for the Braves.

This weekend will be the high school games at Chillicothe and the start of the High School season.

Last week saw the grade school action of Christ Lutheran taking on St. Vincent DePaul at Notre Dame. The 8th graders put on quite a show.

Basketball is in full swing. Who has time for Thanksgiving preparation.

By the way, I do have to think about a casserole to make for Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe some kind of Pasta? or some Butternut squash casserole.

I guess Thanksgiving is a good time to be Thanksful for many things. What are you thankful for????

Mr. G's

2007-11-07T18:30:00.001-08:00

Last week I had the opportunity to visit West Peoria for a meeting. As we came up Western and turned into Main we were thinking Mr. G's for Lunch.

It was awesome. Highly recommended for all the great tail wgging Chicago Dogs. Definitely worth the stop. The place has quite a mix of clientel, You never know who you will be sitting next to at the tables. It has a unique ambience (if that is the proper word). But the most memorable thing about Mr. G's is the Fries.

Mr. G's is simplicity at its best. a great change of pace. If you love Hot Dogs this is a must stop. It is right up there with the Varsity in Atlanta and Millie's in Smithfield, NC.

If you visit Mr. G's you will not be disappointed. I know these kind of reviews are for Chef Kevin and the Central IL Gourmand. Hope I can apologize for my amateur review. 5 of 5 tail waggggsssss for Mr. G's.

Downtown Peoria- Riverfront

2007-11-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

It is 0430- Time to get redy to go to the Riverplex. As I think about going down to the Riverplex, I would like to relate a chain of events that happened recently.

Since I am not a prime time visitor to the Riverfront. I had the pleasure of being in the area the other day. It is time to start getting Bird Feed. (Which should be called Bird Seed- Since when you use it the birds seem to grow on your property- but that is anothe rblog entry-later).

So after getting our feed we headed down to Old Chicago for a quick lunch. Old Chicago was closed for Lunch...What is with this!!! We did get a good view of the Sears Block as well. The art on the walls is really starting to look tacky.

As a frequent visitor to VA Beach, They have Mt. Trashmore. Which is a landfill that is now a park. It is very unusual and highly used. Could this space be used for making a Mountain of Silt from the River and turned into a Park for the City? Or a museum to Strip Mining? there needs to be something done with this area.

The Riverfront seems to have lost its vigor. There are some great projects along the Riverfront. There are a few that are are an eyesore. It would be great if the City could get it together again and make some more headway in this area.

Foster Parent

2007-11-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

Foster parenting is a tough job. My first experience as a foster parent ended tonight. Our Foster kid was adopted today. It was sad to see her go. She went to a nice new family in Missouri. I know she will be loved by her new Mother and the two cats. Little Roxie will be missed.

Little Roxie came to us because she had a broken back and her back leg had limited mobility. Need I say more Little Roxie is a Four legged foster. We had her for 8 month's, we endured a lot with Rox. She was in heat, she got spayed and she filled the house with excitement when you entered the house. She looked forward to going to the park and chasing the squirrels.

She is headed to her new home. She will be spending her weekends at her Grandparents farm. It has a lake and a lot of bunnies that Roxie can chase. It was really neat to see the new Mom instantly bond with Roxie. She will have a great Home.

We will miss you Roxie. Our next Foster will hear all about Roxie.

Sleep good tonight in your new Home..Little Roxie

Blogger Bash and Halloween

2007-10-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

Went to the blogger bash last night it was quite interesting mix of folks. With it being the night before Halloween, I had to make a dish for our Breakfast Brunch. I made a Strata, If you have not tried a Strata, it's easy and tastes great. Unfortunately, it has to be in the fridge for 8 hours before baking.

It turned out great. Now lets get back to the Blogger Bash, having arrived late I missed some of the early leavers. I did meet a very eclectic group of bloggers. They are a great bunch of folks, enjoy there posts. From all the discussions evolving the things you are not supposed to talk about were wildly discussed. Politics, religion and more politics. There was some interesting discussions on the Presidential race, the House race and the State's Attorney race. It will be an interesting election year. The neatest things about the discussions were the vigor that the bloggers had for their point of view.

That vigor also was present in the Sports discussions and some of the stories of interest that take place on a daily basis in all our lives. The wide array of views and thoughts about our great community were very interesting.

It is this vigor that makes their blogs so much of a great read. As we get closer to that early primary, make sure you check out the blogs. I am sure they will be most enlightening and a great read.

It was a great time. I am looking forward to the next installment.

The Great Tomato Crop is coming to a cold end

2007-10-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

This years tomato crop has been the awesome. There are plants still are budding. The fruit is bountiful. The indeterminent plants are well over ten feet in height or should we say length as now they are invading the yard.

This morning the first frost raised its head. It will probably be doom for these fine plants. If so we will be back at the Supermarket next month getting the red orbs that do not have the taste of the homegrown beauties.

If you have not had the pleasure of a tomato plant try one next season. You can grow them in any kind of pot or in the yard. They have unique character and a great taste. Maybe you should not plant them so you will be happy with the store bought varieties.

Farewell trusty Tomato plants. The humans and animals will miss you until next year.