Believe it or not, there are some people who identify their entire world according to automobiles. I actually know such a person and he is not a car salesman.

This person can’t remember your name but he’ll know the make, model, color and horse power of the car (cars) you drive. When this guy goes shopping, he can scope out your car in the parking lot from 1000 feet away. This is fine if you want everyone to know where you are. If your car shows up for sale up in a roadside, used-lot, he will know before your husband or wife does.

If you are coming toward him on a highway at seventy miles an hour and he’s coming the other way, he will know it’s you. And, If you have a blond in the car instead of your brunette wife, he might wonder who you’re with but more likely will notice if you’ve been to the car wash recently or if you’re using high performance tires (like his) that will only last 14,000 miles.

If Ford, Honda, Chevy or any other manufacturer changes so much as a rear-view mirror on the newest model, it’s the first topic on his list of conversation. Which models are being discontinued? Added? Hybrided?

He’s not a very good reader but he can quickly scan every line of the latest Car and Driver Magazine. He may not be able to remember what day of the week it is but just ask him about hemis, engine compression ratios, turbos, super chargers, intakes, exhausts, gear ratios and he’s yours for another two or three hours.

Show him a picture just of the dashboard of any antique car and he will know the make, year and model. Got a little rattle, buzz or clink in your engine? He’ll probably know what’s causing it.

And, of course, he will know exactly how many seconds it will take your car to go from a dead stop to 60 miles an hour on a highway entrance ramp, and in fact, will not buy any car that does it in more than 6 seconds.

Do you know such a person?
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Like I’ve said before, I love farmers. They are the hardest working folks in the world. Almost everything they do benefits someone else--feeding everyone, except maybe those who have their own gardens and dairy cows.

Eastern New York Farm Field

In these photos, you see plowed fields that will produce food for thousands of people and a bunch of animals, too. Despite heavy winds, flooding rains, baking heat and freezing cold, these people battle the elements with strong hope every season that this will be the best one yet. Recently, farmers have had to cope with skyrocketing fuel and feed prices that deeply cut into their profits, making it more of a wonder that anyone would continue to do this at all.

Many farmers have given up and moved on, leaving empty fields and orchards all across this nation. I know because I drive by them everyday.

Deserted New England Apple Orchard

I think this is very sad. Farming is a noble profession that some of the nicest people in the world engage in. I was lucky enough to meet a group of young people who are growing up on our local farms and they are extremely kind and gentle with their animals, as well as with their friends and families.

There will be corn growing here in a few days

Well anyway, here’s to all of those of you who keep our factories, restaurants, stores and farmers’ markets loaded with all that good, healthy food that we literally could not live without. Someone out here really appreciates your hard work and I will say a prayer that all things come together to bring you great success in your endeavors.

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p.s.  Remember that nut case bird I told you about who comes back every year?  Well, here are her babies born a few weeks ago. 

The Greatest thing since…

We all know it’s certainly not sliced bread. Maybe something new is the greatest thing since heated car seats, permanent press fabrics, automatic dishwashers, or electric knives.

Of course, there’s always bra extenders, Netflix downloads, disinfectant wipes, remote controls and polio vaccines. I think hands-free, car phones are pretty neat.

But, the best thing since anything is definitely the Florentine Bakery’s cannolis and my homemade sausage bread. Don’t believe me? Just ask my grandson, Jon. He will confirm this statement.

What do YOU think is the greatest thing?

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TIPS

HERE ARE A FEW MORE SPRING TIPS:

If you use coffee filters, you only need buy the big ones. They will fit in the smaller pots and work well if you measure in the grounds, then fold the paper over the grounds and use a small piece of tape to hold it together. This keeps grounds from seeping into the coffee as well as ensuring fresh flavor.

Vermont Mountains

Do you have that nasty, rough skin around the heels of your feet? No need to scrape it off with one of those files “as seen on T.V.” Simply apply your favorite body lotion, cover them with a comfy pair of socks for about an hour every day and voila—rough skin gone.

I’ve also discovered that ants HATE Listerine. I put a bottle in a closed, kitchen cupboard last week and my ant invasion ended that night. My daughter-in-law tells me that baby powder works just as well. Take your pick to end your ant problem.

Have any more tips? Send them to me!

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MORE MONEY SAVING TIPS

Checked out the dollar Tree Stores, Inc. and was happy to find a few bargains.

A package of (6) 9x 12, heavyweight, reusable clasp envelopes, (made in America) Sally Hansen Lip Gloss and Ajax Lemon Dish soap are some of my favorites. Of course, everything is a buck. But, my most favorite is box of 30 band aids that would cost anywhere from $1.79 up to over $6.00 in a drug store. I was disappointed to not find the transparent, packaging sealing tape which I use a ton of. It makes a great lint remover and is twice as fast as the little roller thingys.

It appears as though Wal Mart is no long discounting greeting cards, so you can cross them off your list. Their bananas were $.49 a pound which seems reasonable and I love their Great Value Coffee which is $3.28 for 13 ounces. They also had huge strawberries for $2.50. I saw the same pack in the local grocery store yesterday for $3.99. Got a 5 pack of my fave gum (Lush 5) for $2.88 which is a real bargain considering that it cost $1.49 a pack last month at the mini mart. That’s a savings of $4.57!

Got a great buy on Puff tissues at B.J’s and they’re still discount greeting cards.

Did you know that bounty paper towels have sheets that basically tear in half, so if you don’t need a big sheet you can use far less of it? I like that.

Ninety Nine Restaurants are advertising that they have “Real Size” Entrees for only $9.99 and 9 lunches starting at $5.99. In a time when restaurants are serving food in smaller dishes (Panera’s) and the prices are going up, this seems like good news. I will try it out and let you know. You can also go online and sign up with many restaurants to receive their coupons.

Jolie bathing in the Jacuzzi

In these days of astronomical prices, I’ve decided to just get along with less. The more companies charge, the less I’ll buy. It’s my own little boycott.

Do you have any more money saving ideas? How about where to save money on gasoline?

Have you read my new NoBBull.blogspot.com blog yet? Check it out and let me know what you think.

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MORE NEIGHBORS

Here is another one of our delightful neighbors. I believe those two dark spots are the critter eyes staring me down while I snapped the photo. This adorable creature is a North American porcupine, a rodent with a coat of sharp quills. It appears to weigh about 10 to 12 pounds which is average and it resembles a hedgehog.  I think they are very cute, also.

According to Wikipedia, it eats leaves, twigs, green plants and as you can see, often climbs trees to find food. Reputed to be very slow, we can attest to that fact because I took the first picture on my way to lunch and the second one two hours later on the way home. The critter had moved a couple of feet.

What’s really interesting is that they search for salt all the time. They will eat plywood cured with sodium nitrate, paint, footwear, and are attracted to roads where rock salt is used to melt ice and snow. This could explain why we saw it at the side of our dirt road which is loaded with salt from the winter storms.

I don’t care if it is considered a large rodent. I think it’s adorable! What do you think?

Remember I told you about the nutty bird who would come back and build her nests under my cat's nose, no matter how many time we toss them out in the fall?  Well, here it is.  She's back and making a mess of our front porch.

 Spring is great because it is so full of hope.   HAPPY APRIL!

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MORE SIGNS OF SPRING

There's a bird that wakes me up every morning at 6:30 a.m. now that spring is here. This morning, he/she has awakened a group and they are now chattering as though they really have a lot to say. Although I find this a most pleasant way to wake up, it makes me wonder why birds do this. We have a commune of wild turkeys somewhere on the property that cackle incessantly, apparently while sitting on their springtime eggs. Mind you, these birds are quite a way from our house but we can hear them the whole time they are making this sound to the surprise of our visitors, who assume they are listening to hundreds of frogs.

Jack says his mother’s chickens used to make a similar sound while they were lying on their eggs, so it is apparently not that unusual. Maybe one of you has the answer to this mystery and if you would like to share it with us—please do!

Regardless, this is the most magical time of year in New England. The forsythia is in full bloom, along with cherry blossoms and dogwood, promising further lush beauty to come soon. The warm temperature alone is enough to spur people into spending long hours outside no matter what their agenda’s entail.

We’re all looking forward to many more of these beautiful days. Happy spring to you all, again.

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