Ready For The Holidays With 1800Flowers.com

I am very excited. We bought a new tractor a few days ago and it will be delivered in a few days. What is exciting is that along with the new tractor that has a backhoe, and front loader, it also has a three foot wide reverse action rototiller attachment! I can drive my rototiller. For the first time I can really plow up a huge plot for next spring.

That excites me no end and flowers and vegetables are going to be in the house next year! However, for the winter I will have to get my flowers from 1800Flowers.com like always. Flower delivery isn't just for my own personal use, although that is important to me in the dreary winter months, it is for gifts too.

Using the great online ordering and delivery service lets me give gift baskets of all types for holidays, and special days. With the big holiday season coming I have my dialing finger ready.

So You Think You Can...

I'm watching "So You Think You Can Dance" tonight. It is a show I really enjoy. That isn't why I watch it, however. I watch it because my bird loves to scream along with Mary. I like watching the dancers, but he gets all excited about her "hot tamale" yell. He talks a lot no matter what but when this show comes on he really gets talkative.

Blue Waters

I've always dreamed of jamaica vacations. Now it looks like we're one step closer to realizing a dream. If (or really when) we get the boat we're lookiing for one of the things I want to do is trailer down to Florida, cruise around the coast there, and then cross the Florida straights to Bimini Island (out island of the Bahamas). Then if we do really well over the next few years when it's time to really retire we can buy a bigger, more sea worthy ship and cross the Bahama gulf stream to Jamaica!!

Blue waters here we come.

Robin and John

No, not Robinhood and Big John... Robin Williams and John Travolta. They are a kick and two actors I love to see in comedies. Both do well in dramas, suspense, and other types of films but both have a forte in comedy. They are on tonight promoting "Old Dogs" and I know I'm going to like it. Just like John's previous movie "Wild Hogs" it looks like a very funny ensemble movie that uses the best of its actor's forte's.

Sparkle and Bling

I love jewelry and the less outdoor work I do, especially in the winter, the more I like to wear it. It doesn't have to be Couture Jewelry, but it is great if it is. I like earrings the best. I have drawers full of earrings. My next favorite type of jewelry is rings. I like necklaces but I have a little bit harder time getting away with necklaces if I do end up going out and working. I usually only wear necklaces or pins if I'm going out. At home I just like watching rings sparkles as I type.

Accidentally On Purpose

One of the best new shows on this season is "Accidentally On Purpose". Jenna Elfman is, as always, effervescent and delightfully funny. The premise is hilarious and fresh which is hard to do any more. I am really enjoying the show and hope it can manage to continue for several years.

Camera to Camera

I need a new SD card for my digital camera, but that has brought a question to mind. I need a new camera in general. It's time. The one I have is almost six years old and the program doesn't interact well with Vista anyway. It still takes decent pictures but I've noticed even there it has begun to suffer a bit in quality. So if I get a new SD card will it be transferable to a new camera. I think most of them all use standard types of SD cards so it should. Would pictures saved on the card from the old camera be recognizable to the new camera? That is a different story. If I knew that would be the case I could continue using my old camera until I get around to getting a new one. I wouldn't even give it a thought but I've had experiences where programs, disks, drives, etc, haven't worked between various computers so it would seem the same struggles could exist camera to camera.

Turmoil Recovery

I've been having an up and down time working. It's not that the work isn't there it is that I am still struggling with concentration. So much has happened to capsize my life in the last five months that I am amazed I've done anything at all. I am once again able to get on with my life and do things I want to do, but at a slower rate than once before. I am so hoping that by the time the new year starts I will find myself back in the swing of my old patterns and abilities. It would seem six months should be long enough to overcome even the turmoil these last few months have provided.

The Importance of Coffee

I don't have a lot of furniture that I couldn't live without. There are a few pieces that are absolute musts: my office chair and my "home-away-from-office" office chair -- the easy chair in the living room. To go along with that chair there is the laptop stand so that I can work in the living room and feel a part of the family. There is only ONE other piece of furniture that really isn't furniture but as important as any chair: my coffee maker. We go through coffee makers fairly quickly because they get such heavy use. Every day we make at least one pot and on some days two. There have even been a few three pot days. Our hard water makes them break down faster too. We just purchased a new coffee maker two months ago, so I suppose it will be awhile before we need another. Every time I have to buy a new coffee maker I am amazed at how fancy a simple thing like a coffee maker has become. Things I often take for granted like timers make them even more indispensable. What was it like back when I had to get up and make coffee, rather than wake up to coffee automatically brewing? It really hasn't been that long but I can't hardly remember anymore. I do know one thing... I can't live without it.

True Classics

I still love "I Love Lucy." I'm watching a rerun of it on Hallmark Channel. The word 'classic' gets thrown around a lot but in the case of shows like Lucy, MASH, All In The Family, and those like that classic is the only word to describe them. They never go out of style. They always feel fresh even though they are obviously dated. Most of all, it doesn't matter how often you've seen an episode, even if you can recite it word for word as I can most of them, it is still fun to watch.

Easy Riding with Amos Tamam and Verifone

Amos Tamam is a true American imigrant inspiration. Although he had a degree in electrical engineering in his home country when he came to America he started out as a mechanic servicing taxis. From there Amos Tamam worked his way up, always on the lookout for way to improve the new industry he was involved in and soon realized that the best way to improve the taxi industry was to make payment easier for people on the go. People who now rarely carried paper money.

Plastic money is the way people pay for everything now, and Verifone makes it a safe payment method for businesses as well. As CEO of Verifone Transportation Systems Amos Tamam is working hard to bring credit card payments to taxis everywhere. Starting out in New York City and other metropolises to show the benefits of the easy to use and secure system there is a hope that soon taxis everywhere will accept credit cards as payment for fares.

Stoned Enough to Appreciate Woodstock

I'm watching the History Channel and the show Woodstock: Now and Then. I have often lamented not being born earlier so that I could have been old enough to go to Woodstock. I was seven when it was going on. What an exciting place in history and a one time thing that will never again be repeated. It was the origin of some of the massive stadium concerts but nothing tame like that. Watching the program now, however, with much of the footage supplied by the actual film of the event it is clear that while it was all that and more, it might have been a little bit less 'romantic' than it sounds. I guess you had to have the frame of mind of the time as well. Be a "flower child" to truly appreciate some of the hardships they endured and still speak lovingly of. I'm not sure I'd be speaking with such fondness of the event if I went to it in the present day. I'm not sure any of us are stoned enough to appreciate that time.

Sak Narwal and the Harmonica

Sak Narwal is proof that you are never too old to develop a new passion. Life shouldn't be about limits. Sak Narwal started playing the harmonica as an adult on a business trip. He was in Germany and while looking for some entertainment found a harmonica competition. He has been devoted to learning the amazingly versitile little musical instrument.

What better instrument is there for a busy person on the go? One that can be carried in a shirt pocket or briefcase and practiced anywhere with little fuss, no electricity needed. Sak Narwal quickly fell in love, gathered as much information as he could muster and many recordings of great jazz and R&B harmonica players. He took lessons and within a week was playing tunes. That's how life should be. Learning new things is a never-ending endeavor and there is always room to expand an artful outlook on the beauty of music.

Trauma and Mercy: New Season Series

Two of the new series we're watching this season are "Mercy" and "Trauma". "Mercy" has been on a couple weeks now. It is good. A little soapy but still a slightly different twist on the trauma that a military veteran can face upon returning home in that the vet in this case is a woman. "Trauma" is pretty good so far even though it's only been on for two episodes. It too has a soap opera sort of feel but it's all based around emergency care workers in the field which is especially interesting for us since hubby is an EMT. So far they are keepers.

Closer and Closer

The time to make a final decision about what to do regarding a final home purchase is drawing nearer. As it gets closer I get more nervous about the decision on what to do. My husband is showing signs of wanting to leave the state altogether. That is not a really bad idea, but I dread a big move like that. In order to do that we'd have to find a reliable long distance moving company. It is one thing to move a few miles, even a few hundred miles with all of your belongings. In fact, we'd been thinking of buying a new home first and moving things slowly. That is a great idea if you are only moving a few miles. One city to the other. Even just across state lines depending on which state you're talking about. A move to Wisconsin (Lake Geneva was in the running for a choice and still is) wouldn't be too bad. We could move slowly ourselves. Even use the horse trailer for some of the big items. A big, really long-distance move makes that appealing idea of moving slowly over time more difficult. To move that far away we'd have to hire a mover with a semi-sized truck and just move it all at once, and not look back. That's the hard part. We were rushed, years ago, when we moved out here do to closing dates of our former home and closing dates of our current home being all messed up. That sting has never left the backs of our minds. We ended up leaving a lot of things, maybe not important things, but things we wanted behind because of the rush. Moving far away increases the chances of that happening again. I've come to the conclusion that at least if we can buy a new place first before selling this one we can take our time getting it all together for a mover. Maybe having someone else actually load it and unload it all would be nice after all.

Twit Spam

I don't know if anyone else has realized it but Twitter is becoming the new "spam" market ploy. Oh yeah there are still millions of legitimate users but I found out yesterday just how many spammers use Twitter. For months my account had been pretty inactive. I was ill, I was busy with other things, I was just not concerned with Twitting. Yesterday, just for a giggle I went back and posted that I was sorry I'd been gone. I deleted people I was following who were no longer following me, I added a few others... in general I just re-activated my account that had been stagnant. Well, not even a minute after I started I began to get 'follows'. They were obvious blind follows. Accounts with no real personality behind them. That continued all day long. Spam attack. What makes them worse is that along with flooding your twit account with 'followers' they flood your email box too with Twitter notifications of being followed, and if you follow them back you have given them an open door to spam your direct mail Twitter box. Twitter is big. It is growing bigger. It needs to address this annoying problem.

Getting the SEO You Need for Online Sales

Whether you are a writer or have a different product or service to sell one of the trickiest things in today's Internet world is understanding SEO. Getting the best out of a seo service requires a basic understanding so you know you are getting your money's worth. Finding free services for SEO are a great blessing because you can learn as you go and see what works and what doesn't without spending a fortune. Those just entering the market usually can't afford the high prices of companies offering these services. Even those that can afford it are skeptical until they see what SEO does for their sales. Free seo services let users grow into their online enterprises and overcome their reluctance.

Quote of the Day

I'm really laughing at today's quote of the day on my sidebar. It is:

Quote of the Day
Wisdom is knowing when you can't be wise.
Paul Engle

The reason it is funny is because of a conversation on a writer's board I read yesterday. People were talking about "bad writers" and how they should improve or move on. Someone else made the observation "Yes, but do bad writers KNOW they are bad writers?" Great point. Today's quote drove home the fact that true wisdom is KNOWING your limitations.

The Big Screen

Since my husband declared the desire to purchase a new big screen for the living room I have been a bit preoccupied with what type is best. To be honest I have a little trouble understanding the differences between LCD TV and plasma TV. The LCD we saw last week at the store was impressive and very large. The picture was great. The clarity and color were magnificent. Either all of the former arguments against big screens were baseless, or the manufacturers have made made massive improvements over the years but I loved it. Prices have come down a lot since big screens first made their debut, too. I can't wait to see it in my living room. I think I'll stick with a TV stand, however. I'm not hanging something that expensive on the wall. I'm not handy and with my luck it would end up on the floor--in pieces.

Hum, Hum, Hummus!

I've heard of hummus. It never appealed to me. It didn't look appealing. It didn't sound appealing. I never had a desire to try it... until yesterday. Yesterday I happened to glance at a post on the Spark People message board that mentioned hummus and how good it was and how they made it out of chick peas... BEANS. Now if someone had told me a long time ago that hummus was basically bean paste I'd have tried it years ago!

So I quickly looked up various recipes and found one that looked the most appealing (no cumin which I don't like, and no unrecognizable ingredients). Found one and off to the store I went.

WIN

I love hummus. It will now be a regular addition to my menus. It is healthy for you and tastes great.

Infiltration

When I sold my old truck to get my new car I had to laugh cleaning it out. Even though my husband never drove it somehow plenty of his things ended up in it. I found medical equipment under the passenger seat, rolled up elastic wrap in the backseat armrest container, and several bottles of motor oil that weren't mine. He manages to infiltrate every area of my life--not a bad thing--just humorous at times. I stood in the middle of the car dealership driveway with an armful of items looking at him and laughing at the perplexed look he returned to me as if to say he had no idea how it all got there.

I Love The Internet

I just became a 'fan' of Bob Harper and Jillian Michael's on FaceBook. The Internet is pretty amazing that way. There are so many ways to find support for efforts such as dieting, quitting smoking, and other things along with ways to follow favorite performers, make things, learn about things, and even... well, work. :)

Few and Far Between

After circumstances caused my son's previous job to evaporate along with his insurance he has been looking for low cost health insurance. Being young and generally healthy helps him in the mean time but good health insurance is so important even at his age. You just never know when an accident will happen and blow your finances out of the water. That's if you even have the money to start with which he doesn't. Hopefully he will either find insurance soon or get another job that has insurance for its employees. Those jobs are few and far between.

New Wheels

My son is here living with me but he doesn't have a car. Out here in the middle of nowhere that is a problem. Yesterday he came in and told me to come look at his new car. I was a bit surprised, but said okay and followed him out to the driveway where his new wheels sat: two of them. He bought a bike. It's pretty cool. He's out on it now giving it a 'test drive.'