wacky wednesday - how much is too much?

The first time I flew on a plane I was in college. As a young adult I flew across the country a few times but it wasn't until recently that I began flying around the country more than just occasionally.

Throughout my lifetime, I have noticed several trends and changes in air travel. Some are great while others are less than desirable. For example, we can now purchase our own airline tickets online rather than call the airline and wait on hold for the next available representative (all the while listening to obnoxious music and the airlines' assurance that my call is important to them) or, for those who prefer to let someone else wait on hold for them, use a travel agent. On the other hand, I used to get a meal on a cross-country flights that spanned a mealtime.

I have seen airlines implement a policy and then change their mind about it. In August, 2008 US Airways became the only US airline to charge coach passengers $2 for a can of soda, coffee or bottle of water (seems like price gouging, doesn't it?). The airline, of course, experienced several benefits to this policy - increased revenue, aisles were kept clearer and there were not long lines for the lavatories near the galleys. Passengers, however, were irate. Between the nasty posts on social media and other airlines capitalizing on the fact that they provided free soda, coffee or water to passengers, US Airways finally changed back to the old policy in March, 2009. 

But other "charges" have crept in and stayed. Seat size and leg room have diminished over the past 8 to10 years. Exit row and aisle seats near the front of the plane often have a "premium price" and sometimes are saved for "elite" customers. First airlines began charging for the second checked bag, now most charge for ALL checked bags (and charge more for the second). When meals for coach passengers disappeared, we were given bags of peanuts. But people with nut allergies complained so pretzels were substituted. Now you must pay (and by "pay" I mean "overpay!") for your snack or meal - or bring your own. 

So what's next? Airline travelers have jokingly suggested that lavatories will have slots for credit cards. After all, some public "water closets" in Europe cost money to use. Sadly, I don't think that is too far off. 

But perhaps what cartoonist Fred Wagner suggested in his Grin and Bear It comic on Sunday would be the one thing that would have credit cards flying out of wallets!

wacky wednesday - what do you think?

I love spending time with my sweethearts (aka grandkids). They live in North Carolina so I don't get to see them all the time but when I'm there, one of my most favorite things is talking with them. Like most kids, they have opinions and dreams and likes and dislikes. On my latest visit, I asked the four oldest these questions:

1. What do you think is the biggest problem facing our country?
2. What do you want to do/be when you grow up?
3. What is your favorite book?
4. What chore do you dislike the most?

I thought their answers were interesting. Even though they don't understand the complexities of world problems, they did understand that there are problems greater than those that effect themselves. Their answers to a few questions have remained the same for some time (like Christopher's least favorite chore and Nick's career ambition) while others have changed over time (Lexie used to want to be a kangaroo when she grew up and Ben wanted to be a fireman). 

Christopher (almost 11 years old) 

1. I think the biggest problem in our country is President Barak Obama because he promotes laws that don't really make sense. For example, registering all guns and minimizing the guns allowed. People should be allowed to have guns for protection and hunting.
2. I want to work at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store while I'm in college studying to be a 4th grade math teacher at Mooresville Intermediate School.
3. My favorite book is The Bible because I like reading about God's Word because it helps me know God better.
4. My least favorite chore is picking up the dog poop in the backyard because it's gross, especially when it rains which is a lot.

Nick (9 years old) 

1. I think the biggest problem in our country is that the president wants to take away guns from people. People need guns for protection - like if we had another Civil War - and for hunting.
2. I want to be a storm chaser because I want to see tornadoes up close.
3. My favorite book is The Mystery Of Biltmore House by Carole Marsh because the Biltmore House is in North Carolina and the book is a mystery book.
4. My least favorite chore is picking up dog poop because it's stinky.

Ben (7 years old) 

1. I think the biggest problem in our country is that some parents don't have enough money to buy food for their children and they go to bed hungry.
2. I want to be a police officer when I get older because they get a gun and handcuffs and they have a siren on their car.
3. I have two favorite books - Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney because it has funny drawings and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin because it has four songs.
4. My least favorite chore is taking out dirty diapers to the trash because they smell nasty.

Lexie (6 years old) 

1. I think the biggest problem we have is that people die and I would help them by being a doctor or dentist.
2. I want to be a doctor or dentist so I can help people.
3. My favorite book is My Little Pony Phonics Fun because I like Little Ponies.
4. My least favorite chore is cleaning my room because it's so boring and not fun.

Ellie (9 months old)

And little Ellie certainly has likes and dislikes but doesn't articulate them in words. She uses her eyes and smile and expression and occasionally her "voice!" I can't wait to have a conversation with her!

There is no doubt that life at their house, with five kids and a dog, is sometimes pretty wacky but it is always a fun adventure with lots of conversation!

wacky wednesday - full moon

I think the moon, the second brightest (the sun is the first) object in the sky, has fascinated mankind since Adam and Eve. We gaze at it, write songs about it, study it, and build larger and larger telescopes to see its every detail. We built spacecraft to orbit it and finally, a few men walked on it.

Last weekend sported another "Super Moon" complete with lots of media attention. The month before we had a "Honey Moon" on Friday the 13th which some deemed especially scary. And there is a "Harvest Moon" and "Hunter's Moon." My curiosity was aroused - where did these full moons get their names?

What exactly is a "Super Moon?" The distance from Earth to the moon varies throughout the month and year because both their orbits are elliptical. When the moon is at its closest distance to Earth at the phase of full moon, it is said to be a "Super Moon" and appears larger than normal. Interestingly, if a full moon occurs when the moon is at its farthest distance from Earth, it is a "Micro Moon" - but I've never heard any media hype about that.

Although it occurs in June, the "Honey Moon" has nothing to do with newlyweds  but gets its name because of its rich amber color. During the month of the summer solstice (in other words, June), the sun's path across the sky is at its highest and the moon is at its lowest which keeps it close to the horizon. The longer wavelengths of light (due to its position close to the horizon) are scattered by dust and pollution in our atmosphere creating the amber color of the moon. While neither Honey Moons nor Friday the 13th are rare events,  a Honey Moon occurring on Friday the 13th is rare with the last one (before the one on June 13, 2014) on June 13, 1919 and the next one won't be until June 13, 2098!

As you would expect, a "Harvest Moon" occurs at harvest time (autumn). It is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox - the day in the fall when night and day are the same length of time. In 2014, that day is September 22nd with the Harvest Moon on September 8th. And it will also be a Super Moon! The full moon following the harvest moon is called the "Hunter's Moon" from Native American folklore. This year, the Hunter's Moon will be October 8th. Both the Harvest Moon and the Hunter's Moon are unusually bright.

This was an ordinary full moon but looks huge!

The full moon appears quite large when it first comes up, when it's close to the horizon. It isn't really any larger - it is an optical illusion as our brain tries to make sense of an object (the moon) that appears to be on the horizon not many thousands of miles away. The objects on the horizon like mountains and trees seem to be the same distance away as the moon. 

Whether it is a special moon or an everyday full moon, viewing the moon from the comfort of your yard is fun! Clouds or lack of them, pollution and dust all change the appearance of that bright disc in the night sky. 

wacky wednesday - are you rich?

While I have no desire to sell our home and move, I do enjoy walking through model homes to get an idea of current trends in decorating, floor plans and landscape. While we were on the east coast a while back, we discovered some very interesting homes to walk through.

The Preservation Society of Newport County maintains 12 mansions, all of them open to the public for tours. Some of the mansions have audio tours; others have personal tours. And one has a self-guided tour of its topiary garden.

We toured three of these mansions in Newport, Rhode Island to discover what life was like for the elite who "summered" there in the early twentieth century. Presidents and political figures, banking and railroad tycoons, and foreign dignitaries were guests at these homes. Although they were purchased as "summer homes" with owners typically spending only ten to twelve weeks per year at them, no expense was spared in decorating, maintaining and enjoying these homes.

It was America's "Gilded Age" - a time when the Second Industrial Revolution created an even greater disparity between the upper class (nouveau riche) and the lower class with virtually no middle class. "Conspicuous consumption" - defined by economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in 1899 as spending money on and acquiring luxury goods (jewelry or art, for example) and services (like paid staff) for the purpose of publicly displaying economic power and social status - ran rampant. It seems as though the nouveau riche thought conspicuous consumption was a compliment or a good thing.

The first mansion we visited was The Breakers, the grandest of the Newport Mansions. It was purchased in 1885 by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the railroad tycoon, and rebuilt in 1893 after the original was destroyed by fire. The new mansion was even grander than the old one. A team of international craftsmen and artisans created a 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palazzo.

This is the back view of The Breakers. The people look very small compared to the house itself!

Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside any of the mansions. The interior of The Breakers has several grand staircases, water fountains, gilded (covered in gold leaf) everything (wallpaper, frames and banisters to name a few) and rare artwork. To me, it just looked gaudy but the nouveau riche of the Gilded Age thought it was beautiful. 

The grounds are quite spacious and well-manicured with a view of the Atlantic Ocean creating the perfect ambiance for summer galas. The Italian Renaissance architecture is beautiful... a treat for the eyes! 

The next mansion we visited was much smaller in comparison but still huge by today's standards. Rosecliff was originally owned by historian and diplomat George Bancroft who sold it to Herman Oelrichs and his wife, Theresa Fair Oelrichs, a Nevada silver heiress, in 1891. The Oelrichs purchased additional adjacent property and replaced the original house with a mansion modeled after the Grand Trianon, a garden retreat of French kings at Versailles. 

This is the back view of Rosecliff. It was being set up for a wedding the day we visited.

Although Newport's most lavish parties were held at Rosecliff, its interior was more sedate than The Breakers. There is only one grand staircase (the one Arnold Schwarzenegger came down in the movie True Lies), a beautifully decorated grand ballroom (also used in True Lies (when Schwarzenegger danced the tango with co-star Jamie Lee Curtis) as well as several other movies), and bedrooms that are nicely but not lavishly decorated.

The exterior of the mansion reflects its French influence with several garden areas. The back also has a view of the Atlantic Ocean along with a well-manicured lawn.

Building and furnishing these mansions was not the only expense. The summer season lasted about ten weeks and to be considered "high society," one was expected to host six or seven parties. Budgets for food alone were in the tens of thousands of dollars per season. $10,000 in 1910 would be just over $243,900 in 2014. And that doesn't include the clothing budget. Not only could you not wear the same gown to all of your parties, but you had twenty other parties to attend as well! 

The last mansion we visited is called Green Animals. This estate is unique in several ways. First would be the name - it is very unusual and it was named years after it was built. The home is also much, much smaller than the others, really more of an estate than a mansion. And it has an extensive collection of antique toys. In fact, the upstairs could be a museum! Finally, it is not located in the same cluster area as the others but is several miles away.

Green Animals overlooks Narragansett Bay in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

The estate was purchased in 1877 by Thomas Brayton, a manufacturing tycoon. It consisted of seven acres of land, a classic white clapboard summer house, farm outbuildings, a pasture and a vegetable garden. Brayton hired a superintendent, Portuguese gardner Joseph Carreiro, to look after the place and create a formal garden. Carreiro created several topiary gardens as well as flower gardens, a larger vegetable garden, and even a memorial garden where the family dogs are buried. Brayton's daughter, Alice, never married and inherited the estate when her father died. She made it her permanent residence, living there until her death in 1972. She left the property to the The Preservation Society of Newport County. Carreiro remained the estate gardner until his death in 1945 when his son-in-law, George Mendonca, took over and stayed until his retirement in 1985. The Preservation Society's staff now oversees the meticulous maintenance of the estate.

Alice Brayton gave the estate its name because of the profusion of "green animals." Green Animals is the oldest and most northern topiary garden in the United States. The topiaries are sculpted from California privet, yew and English boxwood. They are quite impressive!

These mansions are an interesting contrast to the Paper House I wrote about a few weeks ago. Its owner, Elis Stenman, a Swedish immigrant, worked hard and made a good living but wasn't among the nouveau riche of the same time period. He built his summer home himself, out of newspapers. His neighbors got involved in the project and he made friends all over the United States because of it. His riches were family and relationships, not stuff.

Something to think about.

summer public service announcement #2 - cars get HOT

Summer is in full swing. Days are long. Temperatures are rising. And the interior of a closed car gets blisteringly hot.

In fact, when outside temperatures reach 100° F., even with windows partially open ("cracked") , the temperature in the interior of the car reaches 138° F. in just FIVE minutes - and up to 150° F. in 15 minutes! Of course, the hotter the outside temperature, the hotter the interior of the car becomes. Dark-colored vehicles and those with more windows (like hatchbacks) heat up more quickly.

So far this year (2014),  there have been THIRTEEN heatstroke deaths of children left in cars in the United States. Last year there were 44 deaths. Since 1998, 613 children have suffered heatstroke deaths and of those, 69% were either intentionally left in the car (a parent/caregiver runs a "quick" errand leaving the child in the car) or "forgotten" by the parent/caregiver. Seventy-three percent of the children were under the age of two - in other words, unable to save themselves. These are preventable deaths of children.

Every summer local and national news programs, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and various parenting groups launch public service announcements warning people of the dangers of leaving children in cars. No one (well, almost no one) wants to leave a child to die in a hot car. And everyone thinks it won't happen to them. But it can. And it does.

So what else can we do?

Last year a Tennessee fifth-grader, Andrew Pelham, decided to do something to help adults "remember" not to leave their kids in the car and raise awareness of the danger of leaving a child in a hot car. He designed the E-Z Baby Saver as his entry in the Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors and was a national runner-up in the Engineering and Science Division. Andrew won a trophy and $500 with which he purchased a laptop and two Nerf guns (which he modified with rubber bands and duct tape!). He used his laptop to create his website, The E-Z Baby Saver, where he GIVES AWAY THE DIRECTIONS to make your own E-Z Baby Saver.

You will have to visit Andrew's website to see what the E-Z Baby Saver looks like - and I encourage you to do so. It is genius in its simplicity, practicality and use of inexpensive materials. While the E-Z Baby Saver won't save children who are intentionally left in a car, it could save the life of a child who is "forgotten."

Andrew not only has a head for business, he also has a heart for helping others. Do you? What would you do if you saw a child locked in a car in a parking lot on a warm day? Surprisingly, in a recent survey, about half of the adults who said they witnessed that situation walked on by without doing anything.

If you see a child (OR A PET!) left alone in a closed car, even if the windows are partially open, call 911 immediately and don't leave. The 911 operator will instruct you on what to do. Lives have been saved when strangers have gotten involved.

Enjoy summer but stay safe!

wacky wednesday - stayin' cool in the summer

One of the best things about summer when I was a child was sitting outside eating a popsicle. You had to eat it fast before it melted and ended up a gooey, syrupy puddle in your hand. And if it was your lucky day, there would still be one of your favorite flavor in the box.

My kids, like generations before them, ate their fair share of store-bought popsicles full of sugar, artificial flavor and coloring and chemical preservatives. And they lived to tell about it. 

But now it is all the rage to make your own popsicles using real fruit, 100% fruit juice, little or no sugar and even yogurt or non-fat milk. Or coconut milk. Or soy milk. Or VEGETABLES - the horror!

They may be healthy but would they taste good? I decided to put it to the test. After purchasing  a popsicle mold, I found a recipe for Cucumber Lime popsicles (Top Pops by Emily Zaiden) that uses just four ingredients (cucumbers, limes, water & a bit of sugar) and gave it a whirl.

Oh. My. Goodness. They are delicious... and refreshing... and a flash back to childhood but with a grown-up twist. I am already planning my next batch - Pineapple Thai Basil.