4 THE BIRDS!

I recently had a problem with my new neighbor. He parks very close to his propane tanks (in background of picture) and refuses to move them or add a baricade to protect them from being blown up in the event he or his wife (who is a terrible driver) pulls in. He had made the mistake of telling me that he HATES birds, since they, supposedly, bring rats... LOL (I don't know what terrible neighborhood he came from). Hence, my new bird feeder ... right on the property line ... their flying path being RIGHT OVER his car ...LOL!!! He hates it and I am rather liking it, since it is right outside my kitchen window as I sit here writing my blog!!!

High Tech Gadgets

I "Bit The Bullet" and ordered one of those Magic Jacks to turn my computer into a phone, even though I read lots of bad reviews on it! It was only $39.95 and included ONE year of service! You can see it at magicjack.com. It only costs $19.95 per year for service (no tax or surcharges) and you pick whatever area code you want your phone number to be. Now I already have my phone number for South Carolina ... and it is working too! I will have that number forever, without having to disconnect and reconnect phone service EVER again!!! Check it out, it has my complete recommendation!

2nd High Tech Gadget: Not very high tech ... just cheap solution to cable tv ... I bought FOUR of those DTV Converter Boxes! I got four $40 coupons from the dtv.gov website (by using two different addresses) and spent $60 each for the converters (I paid the $20 difference each at Circuit City). I researched them and found my brand, Zenith, is the number 2 rated box. It changes the analog signal on your TV to digital (must have it by February 2009) if you do not have cable service. Well ... it greatly improves the picture and also gives you extra channels too! I recommend this purchase to anyone who does not plan on having cable or replacing all their old TV's with digital ones once February come along!

Back to the Beach!

FINALLY! The beach re-opened today and this is the "After" picture of the first sunbathers to enjoy it again! It got much more crowded later, most likely by a lot of camera-shy bathers that I did not want to upset by photographing them. It was a hot (92 degrees) day, and was such a welcome change from the overcrowded pools.

Happy Birthday Michele

My daughter, Michele, became another year older ... and another year better ... today! After a FULL day of work, at a job she loves and has worked towards for years, we spent the evening having dinner and shopping and opening gifts afterwards. What more of a perfect day could there be? LOL ... I am glad she had a good birthday and I hope all of them to come are, at least ... if not more, happy!!!

Happy Birthday Jacob

Yesterday was my son, Jacob's, birthday. He turned 28 years old! He is Down Syndrome, but actually the smartest man I know! I have a fairly high IQ, but he comes up with simple ideas and solutions that I am amazed at! He also volunteers to help and is a step ahead, which I find it hard to meet another man who is like that!

We celebrated with a home-made ice-cream birthday cake which is simple to make:

Line a 9x12 pan with ice-cream sandwiches, layer a half gallon of your favorite ice-cream, then layer with a container of Cool Whip ... freezing in between each addition. Then write your message on it and freeze until serving!