Oh Where, Oh Where to Retire One Day?

For some this is a long way off, for others it may just be around the corner, or perhaps you're already there. But if this is something you've contemplated and need help with I have just the thing that may be of assistance to you. Us News and World Report has come up with these listings that may help you narrow down your search if you're looking for a place in the U.S.

You can search by State or by Region, Weather, Cost of Housing, Recreational & Cultural Activities, Social Environment, Healthcare, or Low Crime.
Heck, even if you're not at that age yet you can see if you're already living in one of the places they list!
Check it out at: http://www.usnews.com/directories/retirement


(Later this week pictures from our group visit to see Mary McCormack on Broadway in Boeing-Boeing as mentioned in Barbara's eMo from today.)

GlobalGiving

GlobalGiving connects donors directly with pre-screened grassroots charity projects from around the world that need support. To see how it works go to:
http://www.globalgiving.com/howitworks.html

You can find out how your giving is having an impact as project leaders are encouraged to post progress reports on GlobalGiving regularly; typically, reports are posted every 3-4 months.

For their fact sheet go to:
http://www.globalgiving.com/aboutus/media/backgrounder.html

Local Harvest

Hodgepodge reader Marilyn sends along this website:
http://www.localharvest.org/ for us to check out.
LocalHarvest is nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Their search engine will help you find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and enable you to establish direct contact with small farms in your local area. The online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area.
More and more people are realizing the importance of preserving a food industry based on family-owned, small scale businesses.
"The Buy Local movement is quickly taking us beyond the promise of environmental responsibility that the organic movement delivered, and awakening the US to the importance of community, variety, humane treatment of farm animals, and social and environmental responsibility in regards to our food economy."

(Thanks Marilyn for sending it along!)

My Dad - New Home - New Quilt

Several months ago my dad moved into a new place at a Veteran's Home. I thought he needed a little something to make his room more homey. Father's Day we took him out to eat and I presented him with the new golf quilt I made for him.

Crop Circles

Hodgepodge reader Ann S. sent along an interesting article, England: Yin, yang and flattened corn, from the telegraph.co.uk, a British Newspaper website which you can read here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/730489/England--Yin%2C-yang-and-flattened-corn.html

The article ends with: "While I remain genuinely mystified as to the cause of this strange annual phenomenon, with its attendant chorus of rational scepticism versus New Age gullibility, I am beginning to realise that to struggle endlessly for an explanation is to miss the point. Just seeing them and being in them is meaning enough."

Want to check some out in person? -

http://www.cropcircles.org/TourSite/Welcome.html

What's for Dinner Tonight?

Sometimes that question is best answered by what you happen to have on hand. To help you with planning a meal simply by what you can make with the ingredients you have at home check out: http://supercook.com/

"Supercook returns recipes you can actually make right now with the ingredients you have. It even tells you exactly how many recipes you can make, broken down into 'Starters', 'Entrees' and 'Dessert' categories. With Supercook, finding a great recipe is no longer a hassle, simply put in all the ingredients you have at home and Supercook will instantly provide you with hundreds of recipes that are all within your reach. If a recipe requires ingredients you do not have, Supercook takes the guesswork out by clearly listing the additional ingredients you will need. This eliminates wasted time spent browsing through recipes to determine whether or not a recipe is right for you."

Go there and take the "tour".

Also see: http://supercook.com/faq.asp to see answers to frequently asked questions about the website.

State-by-State Guide to Fun Summer Travel

Happy First Day of Summer, and on that note here from Travel & Leisure Magazine, 50 Reasons to Love the U.S.A.,with their tips and ideas to inspire your next trip. Pick the region and then the state to see what their "highly opinionated state-by-state guide" has to say.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/25250975/?pg=1#TDY_LoveUSA

See the Bird?

Here They Are! - AFI's 10 - Top 10

ANIMATION
1 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
2 PINOCCHIO (1940)
3 BAMBI (1942)
4 LION KING, THE (1994)
5 FANTASIA (1942)
6 TOY STORY (1995)
7 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)
8 SHREK (2001)
9 CINDERELLA (1950)
10 FINDING NEMO (2003)

FANTASY
1 WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)
2 LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
3 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1947)
4 KING KONG (1933)
5 MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947)
6 FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)
7 HARVEY (1950)
8 GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
9 THIEF OF BAGDAD, THE (1924)
10 BIG (1988)

GANGSTER
1 GODFATHER, THE (1972)
2 GOODFELLAS (1990)
3 GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974)
4 WHITE HEAT (1949)
5 BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
6 SCARFACE: THE SHAME OF A NATION (1932)
7 PULP FICTION (1994)
8 PUBLIC ENEMY, THE (1931)
9 LITTLE CAESAR (1931)
10 SCARFACE (1983)

SCIENCE FICTION
1 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
2 STAR WARS: EPISODE IV- A NEW HOPE (1977)
3 E.T. - THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (1982)
4 CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971)
5 DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE (1951)
6 BLADE RUNNER (1982)
7 ALIEN (1979)
8 TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)
9 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
10 BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)

WESTERN
1 SEARCHERS, THE (1956)
2 HIGH NOON (1952)
3 SHANE (1953)
4 UNFORGIVEN (1992)
5 RED RIVER (1948)
6 WILD BUNCH, THE (1969)
7 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
8 MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (1971)
9 STAGECOACH (1939)
10 CAT BALLOU (1965)

SPORTS
1 RAGING BULL (1980)
2 ROCKY (1977)
3 PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, THE (1943)
4 HOOSIERS (1986)
5 BULL DURHAM (1988)
6 HUSTLER, THE (1961)
7 CADDYSHACK (1980)
8 BREAKING AWAY (1979)
9 NATIONAL VELVET (1945)
10 JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)

MYSTERY
1 VERTIGO (1958)
2 CHINATOWN (1974)
3 REAR WINDOW (1954)
4 LAURA (1944)
5 THIRD MAN, THE (1950)
6 MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941)
7 NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
8 BLUE VELVET (1986)
9 DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)
10 USUAL SUSPECTS, THE (1995)

ROMANTIC COMEDY
1 CITY LIGHTS (1931)
2 ANNIE HALL (1977)
3 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
4 ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)
5 PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE (1941)
6 WHEN HARRY MET SALLY… (1989)
7 ADAM'S RIB (1949)
8 MOONSTRUCK (1987)
9 HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)
10 SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993)

COURTROOM DRAMA
1 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1963)
2 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
3 KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)
4 VERDICT, THE (1982)
5 FEW GOOD MEN, A (1992)
6 WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958)
7 ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959)
8 IN COLD BLOOD (1967)
9 CRY IN THE DARK, A (1988)
10 JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)

EPIC
1 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
2 BEN-HUR (1959)
3 SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
4 GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5 SPARTACUS (1960)
6 TITANIC (1997)
7 ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
8 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
9 REDS (1981)
10 TEN COMMANDMENTS, THE (1956)

Were you able to guess the #1 in each catagory? I did! There's only about a half dozen in this list I haven't seen. (Mostly in the "Western" catagory.)
Yesterday my husband overheard someone say, "Oh, just like Steve Mc Queen in The Great Escape". Then he heard a twenty something say, "Who's he?" Wow, the great movies these younger generations have missed!
Go to AFI's website and check out their lists and start having some family classic movie nights!

Google's New Free 411 Service

Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone.
State the location (or type in the zip code) and tell the business type you're looking for.
Connect to the business for free.
Done!
If you have text messaging them you can text them and they'll text you back with information about the business.
If you have Internet service on your cell phone you can say "Map It" and it will give a map around the business.
Check it out at:
http://www.google.com/goog411/index.html

A Photo Collage That Makes Moving Fun

(This idea was in the May 2008 issue of FamilyFun Magazine.)

Prior to a move a family photographed their favorite spots in the town they were leaving having fun reminiscing about their experiences at different places. When they got home they used their photos to make a collage creating a "search and find" puzzle with questions that was sent to friends and family. They challenged them to contact them with answer's to the puzzle's questions. With the new contact information included, it also served as a change-of-address form too. The Paz Family - Chicago, Illinois

I like this idea even just to make a scrapbook memory album of a place you lived. Oh, how I wish I had taken photos of my hometown growing up. It would have been wonderful to have had those old photos to see how it was back then. This is something your kids can do now!

Baby Bird

My son Brian spotted this baby bird a week or so ago. He was still learning to fly as he was only able to take short flights from here to there about the yard.

HP reader Pam thought it looked like a titmouse and I think she's right. Take a look at this link from a great website - AllAboutBirds from the Cornell Lab of Ornitholgy.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tufted_Titmouse.html

Clear Out the Gunk!

I bought this over the weekend at Lowe's by the checkout counter for $2.49. We used it on two of our clogged bathroom sink drains and it worked! Be careful of the sharp little points and how you extract it so as not to have gunk flying everywhere. There's gross stuff in there!

"Chickin Feed" Your Kids

Chickin Feed is dedicated to improving the knowledge and health of children (affectionately known as chickins) by providing families with simple, fun and effective nutrition tracking products & ideas.
The Chickin Feed Tracking Board is a simple way to help parents and children keep track of what they NEED versus what they've HAD each day. It's Simple, Fun and Effective!
To find out more go to:
http://www.chickinfeed.com/index.html

10 Flowers That Thrive In Summer Heat

This is from an article from The Dallas Morning News (Wednesday, June 4, 2008). I figured we could all use a list of flowers that can survive this awful heat we've been having. My Stella De Oro Daylilies, have gotten bigger and bigger each year and make a beautiful border that continuously blooms.

1. BLACK-EYED SUSAN (Rudbeckia)
2. PINCUSHION FLOWER (Scabiosa)
3. AUTUMN SAGE (Salvia greggii)
4. VICTORIA BLUE SAGE, MEALY-CUP SAGE (Salvia farinacea 'Victoria')
5. HOMESTEAD VERBENA (Verbena canadensis 'Homestead purple')
6. STELLA DE ORO DAYLILY (Hemerocallis x 'Stella de Oro')
7. PINK SKULLCAP (Scutellaria suffrutescens)
8. BLACKFOOT DAISY ( Melampodium leucanthum)
9. NEW GOLD LANTANA (Lantana x 'New Gold')
10. DWARF MEXICAN PETUNIA (Ruellia brittoniana)

To read more about these and see pictures of the flowers go to:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/home/gardening/stories/classDN-IN_sc_gardening_0527liv.West.Edition1.513d0fa.html

Saving on Groceries

Carol Stone of Ways of the World here on the Geranium Farm has written an article on Food (June 08, 2008).
Here are some articles and websites to help you start saving on your grocery bill.
(I haven't used any of these websites so I can't attest to them.)

First - to find lots of grocery coupons "Google" - Grocery coupons free

http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/moneyhappy/86082

Some stores are giving 10 percent bonus to people who use their stimulus checks to buy their store’s gift cards. See the following article:
http://www.moneyandhappiness.com/blog/?p=94

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/08/08jun09f.cfm
(Scroll down and on the left side column click on where it says Groceries and Food)

http://www.livingonadime.com/grocery-savings.htm

Schwan's Home Delivery Foods

Some of you out there may never heard of this company as they only do word-of-mouth advertising. I've know about them for a real long time but have never ordered anything from them. They came to mind again after my mother-in-law was saying it has been harder these days for her to to do shopping and cooking. I thought she might like to order some of their prepared foods. I called them up and got their catalog within a few days.
You can of course order from them online at: http://www.schwans.com/
Their toll free # is:1-888-SCHWANS (724-9267)
You can go online (enter your zip code) or call them up to see if they have delivery in your area.
Please share your comments below if you use this company.

Some comments that have come in that were emailed to me:

"We use them all the time. Their food is top quality and everything is guaranteed. They come every other week for us and you can get a small discount if you e-mail your order in advance. However, if you don’t have time to e-mail you can just wait until the salesman arrives, he usually has most everything on the truck. Their ice-cream is wonderful! They also have individual frozen meals that I like to take to work for my lunch. You pay a little more for their products, but I can attest that we have used them for 20 years and they are excellent and there is no waste."
Sandra W. Mauney

"I buy from Schwan's every two weeks. Their food is always good, their vegetables are the best tasting, and their return policy is excellent (if you buy something you find you don't like)." Also from this reader when I said I'm going to place an order when I have some freezer space: "I know what you mean about finding space in the freezer!! Many of the Schwan products come in boxes and I take those out of the boxes and put the wrapped food into the freezer, cut out the directions and put them on the side of the freezer."

Dear Debbie,
"I live in Hot Springs AR. I used Schwanns for years about 20 years ago when I worked a lot and at odd hours. It is super, my husband loved the ice cream. The drivers were always great and reliable. The food was better and better as they branched out to varieties of all kinds." Good idea, thanks Peace Martha

Pay Cash for Gas and Save

Now I remember years ago some gas stations used to offer a lower price if you paid in cash but I hadn't seen it around here since . . . well . . . you know I can't remember when. I pulled into a station today and it was $3.75 a gallon for cash and $3.85 a gallon if you used a credit card.
So . . . something you might want to be on the lookout for in your area.
Oh and the attendant [Yes, you read that right, we don't pump our on gas in NJ. You know us when we come to your state and we don't know what we're doing! LOL : ) ] said they've been doing it for the past 3 weeks.

AFI's 10 TOP 10

AFI presents America's 10 Greatest Films in 10 Classic Genres.

Tuesday, June 17th at 8pm - A CBS Television Event

To see the list of hosts and who the featured interviews are with go to:
http://connect.afi.com/site/PageServer?pagename=10TOP10

Coupon Codes for Discounts on Online Shopping

Hundreds of well-known online stores have a place within their shopping cart for a "coupon code" that gives a percent or dollar amount off your purchase. If you don't know the code, you can't take advantage of the discount. www.currentcodes.com chooses to focus on coupon codes only, because they want to have the best coupon code database on the Internet. They say, "If you're looking for a site with the latest deals, bargains and message boards, check out DealHunting.com."
If you shop online check this out, before you check out and save it to your favorites.

(Thanks to my brother John, for passing this one along.)

AIDS Walk 2008

Here is a collage of pictures from the AIDS Walk that Barbara, Joanna, and Emmy Lou participated in this year.