All my kids love wristwatches. A few of them have cell phones, but they still wear their watches. Problem is, the watches they have had are the “discount” watches from the local Wally World. Needless to say, I usually wind up (pun intended!) purchasing a new watch for each kid because the watches are so poorly made. 300 years from now, will museum visitors be treated to the junk from our landfills? Ugh.

It would have been better if I’d paid a little more and just purchased Citizen Eco drive watches for the children. Seriously, I could imagine George Washington wearing one of these watches, especially if it has a barometer or calendar. He and Thomas Jefferson were avid weather watches, I hear. You think this watch with its “perpetual calendar” would go over well?

P.S. My son saw me going through the BlueDial.com website and he came right over. “Wow, watches!” he said. I told you, my kids like watches!

Check out the store for some of the most beautiful watches you’ve ever seen. Truly, these are elegant timepieces. And who knows, maybe someday YOUR elegant timepiece will sit behind a display case in a museum.

Timeless

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I need to do more clothes shopping for the kids. All they have right now is t-shirts. Which is OK, but not suitable for winter! The kids absolutely love wearing their “travel garb” when we travel, so we do have a large quantity of them. To the kids, travel garb is: t-shirts! Ah, but not any t-shirts, mind you. Not the dull, monochrome Fruit of the Loom t-shirts. They must be t-shirts with witty sayings or meaningful messages, or custom t-shirts that we have purchased online and from the multitudes of gift shops we have perused all over the state. We have Haudenosaunee (Oneida Indian Nation) t-shirts, Fort Herkimer t-shirts, New York t-shirts, Voice of the Martyr t-shirts, Fender t-shirts, witty sayings t-shirts, and we even got a very cool Chuck Norris t-shirt from The Ember Family! They saw our love for t-shirts and sent us one.

The Embers are in the process of starting up an Adirondack cabin retreat and eatery. It’s not completed and therefore not ready for guests yet, but I CANNOT WAIT until it is. We will definitely be making a visit there, when it’s ready. Right now the family is searching for a grant to start the construction; the quest has been thus far unsuccessful, unfortunately. Starting up a business is so difficult in New York State, I know. I hope they can find something, and get going on their project. I follow The Embers on Twitter, to keep up with the latest developments. Cheer them on with me, will you? And if you happen to know of a grant or an investor who has an interest in assisting a family passionate about the Adirondacks and hospitality, give the Embers a buzz.

I’ve been on a search for historical movies lately. Not been very successful. What I am looking for specifically is stuff like the PBS “Liberty” series, or even Henry Fonda’s old “Drums Along the Mohawk.” We’ve seen the same old movies so frequently that the kids practically have them fully memorized. I care not if the movies are major motion pictures replete with glamorous movie stars and glossy movie posters, or historical documentaries like the “Liberty” series or the “John Adams” movie; all are fine. But they must be well done and at LEAST a little accurate. Nobody really seems to be making much historical stuff these days. What little is produced is sometimes embarrassingly inaccurate and outright false, not worthy to be called historical except in name only. I’m not looking for raves by Rotten Tomatoes for splendid cinematography and costumes… which brings up a pet peeve of mine. Why do movie makers spend countless dollars and hours researching and creating costumes and settings to be SO SO SO accurate to the time period, then destroy every shred of historical accuracy by having their actors say “Yeah” and “Nope” and act with such licentious, modern mannerisms?

Well, that’s all we’re doing right now. HOPING we can travel again, and assuaging our disappointments with the quest for historical entertainment.

I have faith that next spring, we will be doing much more traveling. My home renovation projects will slow to a dull lull, and we can hit the road once again. Onward.

Travel Garb, ADK Plans, and Miscellany

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I write like
L. Frank Baum

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Funny! I discovered this website “I Write Like” thanks to blogging friend Karen. You paste a section of your writing into the applet, which then analyzes your writing style and compares it with other authors.

I got L. Frank Baum. That’s funny, because I have never read one of his books. But at least he was a New Yorker! He was from Chittenango, NY, a town along Route 5 that was actually founded by my ancestors.

The section of writing I had analyzed was from an older essay I wrote, “Eating Crow.” I wrote it early one morning, before the clamor and clutter of the day had struck. I like the piece. I’ll include it here for you.

Eating Crow

Where did that expression come from? It has negative connotations mostly, I suppose, because of the crow. It is early morning and the world is still quiet. The rustle of cars on the road hasn’t begun outside my walls yet. I am sipping coffee, pondering whether I should start the laundry early. A group of crows is in the neighborhood. I can hear their cackles all the way down the street and in my yard. It is strange how sounds echo so clearly very late at night and in the early morning. Why is that? Is the air thinner at those times so that sounds echo more easily?

The American crow is a despised bird. Well, at least, I despise them. And a group of crows is not called a group, it’s called a murder. How appropriate.

Crows are pesky birds. They drive out all the other songbirds in the summer. Now that it is autumn, and most of the songbirds have migrated or are in hiding, the crow finds advantage and comes boldly out of the woodwork. The crow is such a brassy, crass bird. There is a superiority in their eye when they stare down at you from their perches in the highest trees. Any seeds (or dog food) that I leave out for other critters are promptly stolen by these murders of crows. They descend arrogantly– right in front of me– in a black cloud of greasy feathers to gobble up the treats. I chase them away and they flap half-heartedly– just enough to move out of stone-throwing distance. But even before I’ve turned my back, they are back again, eating another’s seeds. My cats are terrified of the birds and refuse to chase them. Some help they are. They probably pay off the crows with cat food, begging the birds to allow them to stay here. There’s probably a whole mafia ring of crows controlling my property underneath my nose.

For the past few years, Upstate cities have been plagued by murders of crows. You can’t shoot them out of the city trees and off apartment balconies, so people have resorted to banging pots, blowing sirens, and aiming laser lights at them. This is in the hopes of disturbing their nesting places. It works, temporarily. The murders of crows flee the cities like a CEO on vacation, and head for the hills– my hills. So now I must cope with them– until next summer when the crows descend to feast upon the city again.

Some folks say crows are smart. Aesop’s fable, The Crow and the Pitcher, is about a wise bird. In the story, a thirsty crow comes upon a pitcher with some water at the bottom. His beak cannot reach the water. The crow drops pebbles in the pitcher, one by one, to raise the water up to a level where he can drink. I think it’s an odd story, because wouldn’t the water trickle down around the pebbles back to the bottom? The stupid crow should have used a big rock, that will raise the water for ya.

Noah sent out a raven from the ark. I have wondered if this was a crow. Crows are sometimes called ravens. Noah’s dove had returned, but the raven never did. Noah took that to mean that the raven remained alive, and there was dry land where the bird could live and eat. I know this is true because crows never die and they always go to the best feeding places first and never share.

When I was a kid, my mother constructed a scarecrow for her garden. Who ever came up with that idea first? I wonder if it ever worked. The crows completely ignored our scarecrow. They used him like a Charmin toilet roll, that murder of crows.

I suppose crows do serve a purpose. Somewhere, in the great universal scheme of delicate ecological balance, I know they must serve a purpose. Don’t ask me what it is, though. I just might cast my vote to bring to extinction those murders of crows.

They are quieter now. I can barely hear them far up the hill in the back. The cars outside are starting to rustle and overpower the ubiquitous cackling. I guess I should get the laundry going now.

I Write Like L. Frank Baum

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If you are looking for Rental Homes, there’s a very good website called Houses For Rent Shop. The website is very comprehensive. You can search by location (zip code, city, and state) and specify your searches even more by number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and by rental price. The listings are very detailed: amenities, square footage, number of rooms, required security deposit, and other information. This is a great website to bookmark for future searching, and for passing along to acquaintances who may be looking, too. The website so far seems to cater to the larger urban centers. I didn’t find any listings yet for Utica and the rural areas of the Mohawk Valley but I did find a few pages for Syracuse, Rochester, and Albany. Definitely worth checking out- the website is free to search. Moreover, you can also check out the Housing and Urban Development for rental assistance, too. Low-income families may qualify for assistance, or at least an informed individual can locate what you’re looking for.

Remember, I’m a pro-blogger and I am sometimes compensated with stuff or money to review or mention products or services! This was one of them. You can read more about my blog policy on my Sitewide Policy page.

Finding a New York Rental House

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OK, the details: The contest is sponsored by Maple Leaf Foods. Visit their website for all the details, but here’s a quick rundown of the contest:

• The contest runs now until December 15, 2009. It is open to Canadian residents over the age of majority (18 or 19 years, check your province).
• The winner does not win an “actual” kitchen. You win a $32,000 cheque toward a kitchen makeover. You can redo the kitchen your way!
• Go the the Maple Leaf website. You can enter your email address every day for a chance to win.
• Maple Leaf is also giving away secondary prizes: Twelve Frigidaire fridges stuffed full with the renowned Maple Leaf Prime Premium frozen chicken for 12 winners; and every contestant is eligible to win a $500 rebate from Frigidaire. (Frigidaire fridges are superior refrigerators!).
• Limit one entry per household per day during the contest period. See the site for more details.

I would LOVE the opportunity to win a kitchen makeover! This is open to Canadian residents only, though. So go enter! Tell me if you win! I’ll visit and we’ll have tea at your new kitchen table, eh?

A Winter Contest For Canadians

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Promote Your Travel Blog

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Let’s play, “Find the Government Worker”! Can YOU tell??

Playing a Game!

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It’s baaaack! The Kmart Bluelight Specials! I suggest you ditch your laze-in-the-sun plans for the weekend and take a trip out to your local Kmart. It’s for August 1st –this Saturday– ONLY. So if you’ve been looking for stuff on deep discount, check out Kmart and the Kmart Bluelight Specials.

Remember those old Bluelight specials of the 70s and 80s? I do. As a kid, I loved them! They became part of our culture. Kmart started them up in the 1960s (a Kmart in Indiana started the whole thing, using an old police strobe light to bring attention to discounted merchandise). It caught on across the nation, until the “Attention, Kmart shoppers!” became a household phrase. But Kmart ended the Bluelight specials in the 90s. I’m very happy to see them back. I LOVE buying things on discount. We frequently purchase travel and camping gear out-of-season, so maybe Kmart will be having some discounts on tents or flashlights or hiking boots. Kmart expects to feature at least 40 of the Bluelight specials, so there’s sure to be something for everyone! And there will be other big sales and promotions tomorrow, too. This is a great day for saving money at Kmart!

You can get up-to-date news and information about Kmart and Kmart deals if you are on Twitter- check them out @kmartdealsnnews. I subscribe to their emails, so I am “in the loop” about their specials, and I get coupons, too. Don’t miss this one if you’re into saving money!

Take a Trip to Kmart This Weekend

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Well, the bright side is that Back-to-School time is imminent. Which also means Back-to-School shopping is imminent! I like the autumn– the weather, the more laid back style, and the schedule of school time. Usually the only big things we need to purchase for the kids are shoes and trousers. We use a lot of hand-me-downs, but I avoid hand-me-down shoes because every child has a unique foot shape. Shoe shopping can be puzzling. I used to just go to the store’s bargain bin and yank out the cheapest pairs, but after two of the kids began having foot problems, I am much, much more selective with their shoes. And since we do a lot of hiking, walking, touring, and such, the shoes must be durable and comfortable.

How about you? If you need some tips on shoes, especially shoes for children, there’s a new web forum open. It’s StartRiteShoes.com/community. There’s a special section of parenting advice there. It’s not only about shoes, although I found the advice on choosing supportive shoes for kids helpful. There are forum topics that cover everything that concern parents: bedtime hours, eating vegetables, and teaching your child how to tie laces. It’s a community just getting “on its feet,” so to speak (ha!), so the more people that join, the better. I encourage you to take a look– I know you will discover something helpful there. Or maybe you can lend your sage advice to all the questions that are being asked by concerned moms and dads. And there’s a raffle drawing contest currently underway– win a free shoes for a year! Check it out: StartRiteShoes.com/community.

Gearing up for Late Summer

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Basically, MyNewPlace.com helps you to quickly and conveniently find and connect the millions of apartments and rental homes across the nation. MyNewPlace.com is renowned for their huge database of rental units and their innovative style (they were the first to have Facebook Connect on their site, and bring apartment hunting into the social networking field). Through their new iPhone app, hunters can find rental units using GPS, by searching city, state, zip code, or just browsing the database; and you can add filters to your search, too– by rental amenities, pet policies, etc. There’s a great video they put together:

I’m impressed, how about you? This comes at a great time, because I have a few friends who are currently apartment hunting!

I love the photos and notes feature. When I used to apartment hunt, I had to carry around a clipboard, or struggle to remember all the details. This app looks so fabulous! Look for the app at MyNewPlace in the iPhone app store.

New App for iPhone Rental Seekers

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