Car Troubles?

I drive what some refer to as the dreaded, gas guzzling, black sheep of American vehicles. The much harangued *SUV*!

Which I'm not sure why...it's so...hated?!? It is smaller then most cars, really good on gas, yet sturdy enough to handle our extremely rough, pitted gravel roads, not to mention the frost-heaves on the few paved highways we have.

The only thing I don’t like about this little SUV of mine is that it doesn’t have the much cherished and needed *4 wheel drive*. Most do, but I bought this one “used”. I figure it was driven to this State by someone who lived in a warm weather State with dry roads. And they got smart right away and traded it in for a *4 wheel drive* truck.

But alas! it was all I could afford at the time and have *made do* for the past 4 years now. I have huge tires on my vehicle, with thick deep treads which really help in the ice and snow, but make so much road noise during the couple of summer months of snow-less paved roads that Alaska has, that I have to blast the CD player and can’t hear a passenger talking.

I have to say, this car has been real good to me; I don’t have a garage so it is exposed to the extreme temps, from -60F degrees in the winter to near or at 100F degrees in the summer. We are also located in a high wind area. Yet! it seems to be able to handle it pretty well.

Tho I did notice this year is the first time that it was bulking at starting up and rolling at -20, it usually just starts right up, and after a few minutes to warm up it does just fine, the tires feel square, when it first starts moving, but they smooth out quick enough.

And I do have an oil pan heater, and frost plug in the engine, to help combat the cold starts. So I have an electric cord hanging out of the front of my vehicle, to make it easier to plug an extension cord into it and warm up the car innards for about an hour before driving off. Seeing this cord hanging out of the car really keeps the summertime tourists talking!

I sometimes keep it *plugged in* all night if I know it is going to be extremely cold in the morning and *must* to go somewhere. Otherwise the car will not start until it gets warmer outside. Yes! I have thought of hibernating during those times, but reality hits, and I realize I have to eat, and go to work, so that I can afford to eat…etc. And the cold weather lasts for months, so I really can’t wait it out.

I also slip a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator in the winter when it reaches -20 and lower, it helps the inside heater/defroster work better in the extreme cold, but if I forget to remove it when it warms above -20 then the car will overheat.

I haven’t figured out yet, on how to deal with the most aggravating thing with my vehicle. And that’s stray male dogs! During the winter months a lot of people allow their dogs to run free, doesn’t matter how cold it is, so, these male dogs are constantly *marking territory*. This is fine I guess. Until they lift their leg and urinate on one (or all) of my tires, which in -30 or lower, instantly causes the tire to flatten...arggugughhhhhhh!

CU

Where's My Coffee ???

It seems to me, that some of the already ground “store” brand coffees, have gotten pretty dull. Even the color of the grounds are a light brown, it sure doesn’t look “rich” to me. Sooooooooooo, I decided to look for some better tasting coffees. With absolutely no idea on what I was looking for, I went to the very small, small, selection in our local grocery store. I decided to try out some coffee beans that I would have to run through a coffee bean grinder. Well, after a careful examination of the coffee bean grinder provided at our local grocery store…Oh! Okay! Let’s be honest! It only took a quick glance, for me to notice the jelly beans stuck inside the grinder glass, which helped me to decide that I needed to buy my own coffee grinder.

I really don’t know anything about coffee beans and even after comparing them, they still all looked the same to me. I decided to buy some of the cheapest priced beans, my figuring was, if I didn’t like the coffee then at least I didn’t waste a bunch of money…Then, I drove to the nearest big city, (about 100 miles away) and went to a department store and bought a coffee grinder, first, I looked at the several different brands available, and they all looked pretty much the same, so I finally decided on…Yup! You guessed it! The cheapest one, because my figuring was if it didn’t work right, or I didn’t like ground coffee, I could console myself that at least I didn’t waste too much money! (Good grief, I have such a frugal mentality, that I should be rich, I wonder where I went wrong!)

When I finally got home, I excitedly ground up my cheap coffee beans, in my cheap grinder, deciding if they were ground enough, by comparing them to the already ground store brand I had. As they ground up, I could barely detect the smell of coffee, then I brewed it in my coffee pot, again barely any aroma, and then I excitedly poured my self a cup, and tasted it. Well!!!! I guess it is sufficed to say that it did taste a tad better then the ground store brand I had bought before. Sitting there pondering over that cup of coffee, I had what some might call an epiphany which was…if the cheaper coffee beans are a tad better, then the more expensive beans must be really great!

So off to the store I went, to buy some more coffee beans. This time feeling like I knew exactly what I wanted to get this time, I went straight to the coffee isle and checked out the choices, I decided to buy the most expensive brand this time... I looked at the bean, it didn’t seem to look any different then the others I had already bought, but in good faith, I purchased them. Arriving home I immediately ground them up (they had a musty earthy, coffee smell) and brewed them (a very strong aroma filled the house) and then I braced myself for the awesome taste I was about to experience...I sipped the coffee… and all I can say is WOW… it almost felt like my eyes sprung open and my nose burned from the aroma in the steam, I was pretty certain that I used… way… too much grounds when brewing, I braced myself and took another big sip and the flavor seem to overwhelm me. I forced myself to finished the cup, thinking that I just had to get use to the flavor, and because I could hear my mom’s voice “Waste not! Want not! ”…It seems like it took hours afterwards to get rid of the bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

So now I was in a quandary, the cheapest coffee bean wasn’t that much better then the already ground store brand, the most expensive coffee bean was so strong I could barely drink and enjoy it, in fact my tongue felt numb, so I was wondering if this whole coffee bean grinding idea was even worth it, and with that thought I patted myself on the back for saving some money while discovering this.

But being of a persistent natured (some call it fool-hardy) person, I said to myself “Hey!! maybe before I give up…I should look up what the coffee experts say on the internet”. So I did. I typed into the Google bar “need some expert information on coffee”. Did you know there are many, many, many coffee experts out there in cyber space? I found some sites that talked about the regional areas coffee beans are grown, and how they are grown, and harvested, and the color of the coffee beans i.e. light, dark, medium, etc. and how to grind and measure to make a perfect cup of coffee.

After reading half a dozen coffee expert pages, I decided that I was an expert myself now. So I raced off. Literally! I was still buzzing from the strong coffee earlier. Ran into the store and excitedly bought some more carefully chosen coffee beans as the cashier gave me strange looks. (I live in very small town). When I got home, I ground them up, they smelled good while grinding, brewed them, a wonderful aroma filled the house, and finally I sipped the precious cup of coffee… and ooooooohhh, my, I found heaven, it was the best tasting coffee I have tasted so far. What did I decide on? A brand of coffee made in Hawaii... And, I am still open to trying out different kinds of coffee beans! It’s making morning time pretty interesting.

CU

Helpful Hint!

I know of something that each and everyone of us can use, and it doesn’t cost one red cent. It is easy to do and you are given umpteenth times to use it daily. It can make your life pleasant, it causes contentment, builds up self esteem, and it can bring you respect from the different people in your life: bosses, children, spouses, friends, neighbors and complete strangers. Not to mention that it can make you feel admired and needed.

It can be done in a variety of ways, and there are no age limits, it is cute on a toddler, and admirable in a teenager, and sought after in an adult. It can open doors for you, and get you into places faster, it can get you the good seats, and it can cause others to do things for you they ordinarily wouldn’t do. It can make you more likable, it can cause people to be ready to give you aid when needed. It can also make you look cultivated and refined, and sophisticated. Using it can bring you peace and exhilaration at the same time. Yet with all these qualities, it is being used less and less these days.

The answer to this riddle is “Manners”.

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use”. ~~Emily Post

“Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices”. ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy”. ~~E.V. Lucas

“Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength”. ~~Eric Hoffer

“Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners”. ~~Author Unknown

“Good manners can replace morals. It may be years before anyone knows if what you are doing is right. But if what you are doing is nice, it will be immediately evident”. ~~P.J. O'Rourke

“People count up the faults of those who keep them waiting”. ~~French Proverb

“Politeness is the art of choosing among one's real thoughts”. ~~Abel Stevens
“Manners are one of the greatest engines of influence ever given to man”. ~~ Richard Whately

“A man's manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait”. ~~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“If you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all”. ~~ “Thumper” on Bambi

“Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather then doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern”. ~~ R. Buckminster Fuller

“I have always been of the mind that in a democracy, manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife”. ~~James Russell Lowell

“Anyone can be polite to a king; it takes a gentleman to be polite to a beggar”. ~~Author Unknown

"If there is a place where good manners, courtesy, and politeness have all but disappeared, it is a sure sign of a place that is destined to discord, distrust, disunity and eventual destruction". ~~Kathleen Fields

CU???

Obesity Factors?

Amazing how everywhere you look now, you see ads and news articles on how obese America has become, even the children and infants (remember when a chubby baby was considered healthy and cute). I am not an expert, but I have been listening to the reasons and I don't agree with most of them. So I thought I would add my non-expert “opinions” of why some people are struggling with their weight (other then medical problems).

#1 reason is that the baby boomers which account for a big portion of our adults right now in the USA are reaching retirement years. Most people start piling on the pounds when they are less active, and that is exactly what happens when we retire, we become less active and our eating habits stay the same. (Remember when chubby grandmas and grandpas were considered comfortable)

#2 reason is our foods that we buy, already prepared, are loaded with “preservatives”, man-made and other “chemicals”, to keep the food’s “shelf life” longer,(in other words; preventing the food from rotting before we buy and eat it). I guess if you think about it, if "preservatives" are making food last forever or almost, then what could it be doing to our bodies trying to digest it in the way our maker created it to do? My guess is if you can’t digest it or get rid of it, you store it.

#3 reason is the vast amount of places where we can get a meal already cooked or in most cases, deep fried and served in extremely large servings, and our guilt systems of not wanting to waste food, or money tells us that we need to eat everything on our plates, makes it hard to walk away from the food. Even using a take home container can be asking for trouble, as we end up eating a lot of food that is not good for us. I don’t know this for a fact, but I sometimes think that there is something else added to these foods, because it seems once I start eating them, I can’t seem to stop; it is easy to become addicted to. Plus, I want more and more at each sitting, and I don’t think my body has been created to handle that much food ever.

#4 reason is the exercise factor, in days of old; we could go for a walk down the street and not worry about getting mugged, attacked, bitten by a stray dog, or become caught in a local shoot out. Things seemed to be more peaceful then. Everything we have is fast paced and automatically done for us now. Most of us do not have to work hard to get something done, unless it is a “mental” workout. The gyms and places to workout are expensive and time consuming, by the time we go and workout everyday, we are spending approximately two hours to drive there, workout, or wait for the machines to open so we can workout and then shower afterwards. Seems not many people have that kind of time each day. I don’t know about you, but with my full time job and other adult responsibilities I sure don’t have all that extra time a week, let alone daily.

#5 reason is our children are entertained by all the newest electronic technology, and do not know what it’s like to go outside and play and use their imaginations, it is not safe for them outside nowadays anyways, with the child predators, attackers, and people’s trained animals (trained to attack anything living other then the owner) running loose because it seems that it is considered socially unconscionable to "pen up" an animal. So meanwhile our children are trapped in the house or in school buildings, (because Physical Education is not considered that important anymore) with no way to get out and exercise naturally by climbing, running, jumping and playing as much as they should, in order to have healthy bodies.

These are just some reasons that I came up with off the top of my head, I am sure there are many other factors too.

CU

The Weather!

Ahhh, Remember when talking about the "weather" was a good thing? It was a nice icebreaker between complete strangers. It was a great way to start a discussion, when there seemed to be nothing else to talk about. It was a safe subject that everyone had an opinion on, and it also could be the one thing that two people that never agree on anything, could agree on, or agree to disagree on.

Not so now!!! If you say “How about this weather? The response will almost always be what I will from now on call “the look” which is a head slowly shaking back and forth with downcast eyes and a sigh and groan in the voice saying, “I can’t believe all this rain, wind, snow, smoke (Smoke is also part of the summer weather here, and if you live here long enough you will understand why) too hot, too cold, cloudy, dry,” etc etc.

And if you happen to be a “see the glass half full” type person and always try and see the good of it by saying, “Gee, the sun will do the flowers and gardens good”, the response with “the look” will be, “Yeah, but it brings the bugs out big time, so who has time to enjoy it with all that swattin”, or “I am housebound when the sun is out; don’t want to take chances with the "big C”, or maybe in trying to find a bright spot, you might say “I’m glad that we are getting the rain, I don’t have to worry so much about how dry it’s getting, and about fires starting, endangering homes and lives”. The response will be “the look”, with the added brows pulled down, and the “how could you be so cruel” expression on the face, while saying “Don’t you know how many wildfire fighters are out of work, and will starve this winter from lack fire fighting paychecks?”, or “What about the farmers, they won’t be able to get their crops in if this weather keeps up!”

With the rain we have been having almost daily, I have overheard some saying “this summer will be short, so we better get ready for a long, long (the second long is said with “the Look”) hard winter” or, “summer? What summer? Doesn’t look like we are going to have one this year”, or “If I wanted to live in a damp climate I would be living in ___”. I have yet to hear a positive response, like: “Wow, have you noticed how green and plush the plants are? Or, “how amazingly clean and fresh the air feels when the rain lets up? Or, just how awesome those clouds look on our big, expansive, clear blue skies, as they build up, and darken up, just before a lightning and thunder show, with pelting rain?”

I do have to say my lungs are in a real quandary on how to behave, because of the last two summers with dense smoke from the wildfires, that covered a good portion of where I live, it feels strange this summer to breath deeply now without that “little cough” at the end. It is also nice to view the beautiful mountains nearby, and see their majestic definition with sharp clarity, that is usually missing from the wildfire smoky haze, summer after summer. I do realize that some people depend on the income from the wildfires where I live, and it is ecologically good for the land, but one summer of less fires and smoke is actually nice.

Toodles,

Certainly Uncertain about being Certain