Traffic

Well, this happened in the summer of 2007, but I wasn’t maintaining a blog then, and now I am!  Traffic was stopped on the “expressway” for about a half hour, so I thought it was pretty safe to get out of my car to take this picture.

More snow!

Just when you thought it was safe to put away the snow shovel…we get hit with more snow. When will it stop? Some people have said that this is the way that Chicago winters used to be. I can remember one really bad winter, but the rest have been pretty mild, especially compared to this one!

So, I’ve uploaded a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure. They aren’t of this most recent snowfall, but they will give you an idea of what we have had to contend with this winter. It could have been worse though. Wisconsin has got hit harder than us by far.

A pedometer down the pooper

I bought a cheap pedometer a while ago.  Less than $5. What a steal!  Then it sat on my shelf gathering dust for a few months until I finally set it.  You know, walk ten steps, measure the distance, divide by the square foot of the length of your arm from your elbow to your hand…all that mumbo jumbo.  So, I finally get it set.  All is good, and I use it for a week.  A week, I tell you! And then, just the other day…plop! I knocked it off my belt and into the toilet.  I told you it was cheap.  The little clip for the belt was quite wee.   On instinct, I plunged my hand into the toilet (don’t worry, I hadn’t used the toilet yet) and fished the pedometer out.  I dried it off as best I could, even with a hair dryer.  But, sadly, it was not water-proof.  Oh well.  So I bought another (non water-proof) pedometer this weekend, but went with a larger clip this time.  And I set it right away.  And my husband got one too! So, hopefully, I won’t dump this one in the pooper.

Imagine the year is 1907

I received this as a forward from a friend, so I can name the original source.  I thought it was funny though, especially the part about over the counter drug use at the time.  Enjoy! Apologies for the formatting in advance.

THE YEAR 1907
This is to boggle your mind!
The year is 1907.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907 :
************************************

The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years old.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. Had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City
Cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more
Heavily populated than California

With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st
Most populous state in the Union
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
The average wage in the U.S. Was 22 Cents per hour.
The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist made $2,500 per year,
A veterinarian $1,500 per year,
And a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. Took place at HOME .

Ninety percent of all U.S. Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as “substandard.”
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month , and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death in the U.S. Were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.
Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and
Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea
Hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. Adults couldn’t read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over
The counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists
said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind
regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”
There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

Now, I sent this to you and others all over the United States ,
Possibly the world, in a matter of just Seconds !!!!!!!!!

Just Try to imagine…..
What it may be like….
In another 100 years !!!!!!!
Happy New Year 2008

Confirmation about our Disney trip

We got some more confirmation information in the mail about our Disney trip yesterday. Whoo hoo! It’s coming together! Tony and I love Walt Disney World. We went there on our honeymoon, and will keep going for years to come. It is such a happy place, and educational too! Epcot is my favorite. And you haven’t lived until you have had a Mickey Mouse face shaped rice crispy treat, with chocolate dipped ears. I’m drooling just thinking about it! Good thing we walk a lot when we visit WDW!

Our daffodils are blooming!

Today I repotted a few little azalea plants that I bought a few weeks ago.  They were definitely in need of some attention, a bigger pot, and more dirt.  So, it being sunny out today, Tony and I went outside and repotted the plants.  While I did the potting, I asked Tony to take a look around the side of the house and see if the daffodils that we planted in the fall had started coming up.  And you know what, they did! Tony counted 21 blooms!  Yeah!  And the bulbs were free, because my co-worker gave them to me.  Although we might get a few more snows here and there, I hope that the daffodils will hold through to the spring.  Wouldn’t that be something?

Jon and Kate plus eight

I love this show!  Tony and I don’t have kids yet, but when I watch this show, I think how much less difficult one or two kids would be than having eight! Jon and Kate Gosselin first had a set of twins, Cara and Mady, and then sextuplets, Aaden, Colin, Joel, Leah, Alexis, and Hannah.  Wow! Kate and Jon do a wonderful job raising their kids.  They give them a normal life as possible, taking them places and creating memories and traditions with them.  If I had eight kids, I’m not sure I would be able to leave the house! But they do make that effort, and more power to them.  Check out the show if you haven’t seen it yet.  Here’s a stub article on Wikipedia about the show and the family.  You can also read the Gosselin family story on their website.