Living Well Etc.

As a small business owner, I often entertain for business and for fun during the holidays.  Since watching my budget can be a challenge, I'm always searching for ways to cut costs, especially for non-essentials like decorating .  Over the years, I've found great ways to do just that and I'm sharing all with you today.  Dollar stores offer great deals. Shopping for deals at the Dollar Store is easy if it is done wisely.  Everything is a dollar but beware not all items are worth a dollar.  I look for packages of red bows, floral, garland, and ornaments to string on a ribbon.  Floral-filled baskets are perfect for table decoration.  Many times, I find coupons on the Family Dollar Store's website, like one last year: $5 off $25 or more. Get crafty at craft stores. Luckily the craft store – Michael's – nearest us not only has sales each week but discount coupons.  Here I can find everything I need to create my own work of art or one that i...

  Holiday dinners with the Italian side of my family are some of my best memories.  With Thanksgiving coming up very soon, those memories are playing with my sense of reality, as fond memories tend to do.  I just want to jump into those visions and be that little girl watching my grandpa, as head of the family, command everyone to "mangiare" (eat).  These events were full of playful banter and the occasional heated discussion that always ended in laughter and wine.  Nevertheless, for the most part, they were centered around dining—cooking, drinking good wine, sharing, and eating.  One really can't just sit at the table and chow down though.  This is especially true at the Italian table.  I noticed this on our latest trip to Italy as well.  Our interactions with one another are very important.  And we weave our interactions around the meal.  It's like an intricate dance of interaction and precise utensil usage, all the wh...

After many years of visiting our great state of California’s countless wineries, I've found the key to creating the perfect wine tasting experience.   Furthermore, I'm sharing it with you.   Shhhh...we don't want everyone learning about this.   It's our little secret. Create a Moment with the Pourer Just about everyone loves attention and the pourer at the winery is no different.   This person usually knows quite a bit about the wines and most often wants to share it.   So, inquire about the wines, how the grapes are grown, and where.   Ask questions, even if you consider the questions to be too simple.   The plus side is that you just may learn more as well.   My favorite question is, "What am I smelling in this wine?   I can't seem to identify it." Now if the tasting room is empty besides you and the pourer, usually, the more you engage this person, the more he/she will share.   For example, during a visit to Silverado Vineya...

  While enjoying one of my favorite past times, I had an epiphany.  I realized that there is etiquette involved when gardening, which I should have realized sooner.   After all, there is etiquette involved and expected in every aspect of our lives.  Except, I hadn't really thought much about "Gardening Etiquette" and what that might entail.  And, how about you? I wonder what all of you think of this concept.  Do you think there is etiquette when gardening (for our plants, for our land, for our neighborhood, etc.)?  The thought and question have my mind working as a mouse on a little wheel.  So, let's get that mouse running full speed here. Respect for Our Plants First, consider how we treat our plants.  Since we care about our plants and want to treat them with respect , we would also want to consider their comfort.  Yes, this means planting them where they would thrive and not in some dismal spot where they would suff...

  Stay Healthy During Season Changes Every autumn my immune system goes into hyperdrive as if it is trying to fight off some fierce monster virus.  After two decades of multiple sclerosis – or what I like to call it: what will it do to me today? – I've come to expect the flu symptoms, severe fatigue, and achy muscles my immune response to the change of weather brings.  It is an all-out assault against my body and mind.  Why is Season Change an Immune-System Trigger? With temperatures dropping from warm to cold, the change of season affects everyone at some level.  After all, this change adds stress to the body, thus triggering an immune system response.  Fold in the increased chances of contracting a cold or virus and this is a challenging time for all of us—autoimmune disease or no.  Through the years, though, I have found ways to combat this assault.  Plus, the pandemic taught us many general health lessons.  I’ve found wearing ...

  Dear Polite One, My husband and I can't agree on this one point.  If making a bed with a patterned top sheet, should the top sheet lay with the pattern facing up or down?  I think that it should be down so that when it is turned back the pattern is visible.   Making the bed Dear Making the Bed, Lay the top sheet pattern side down so that the decorative edge is showing (face up) when it is folded back over the blanket.   The moral of this story is: The wife is always right.   (smile) Sincerely, The Polite One More by Rebecca Top Tips: Easy, Timesaving Methods for Spring-Cleaning Your Home California’s Drought is Also an Energy Issue Trader Joe’s Frozen Chocolate Croissant

  Even though tipping is thought to be optional, in today’s society it is expected.   Because of the contrast of ideal and reality, we are often, rightfully, confused.   And, if we short-tip, we are viewed harshly.  To help with that confusion, what follows are a few scenarios with solutions. Going Out to Dinner with Short-Tippers So, what should we do when you’re out to dinner with your future in-laws and they leave an embarrassingly small tip on the table?   It would be ill-mannered to correct them; but if there is an inconspicuous way to leave some money on the table as all are leaving, do it.  Still, waitstaff expects some to be socially clueless.  Consequently, and unfortunately, they are prepared for the short-tipper.  How About That Generous Bartender? How much we should be tipping a bartender who has discounted our drinks all night?  Usually, we tip a bartender similarly to waitstaff: approx. 20%.  If in a ...

  The What, Where, and Why of Burgundian Wines For years I wanted to see the lush interior of France, more specifically the vineyards of Burgundy.   Still, it was the wines I was most interested in exploring.   Wines from Burgundy don't carry the clout of their nearby cousins in Bordeaux, but they are some of my favorites.   Since the wine was a huge draw for me to visit, I took every opportunity to learn more while in that special place.   What follows is what I learned.   Grapes, Grapes Everywhere & Quite a Bit to Drink Burgundian wines are primarily made from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.   Yum!   Like most French wines, the name of the wine is based on the area or region and not the varietal as is common here in the U.S .   The white wines of Burgundy—made with Chardonnay grapes—come from these regions: Chablis, Mâconnais, Côte Chalonnaise and Côte de Beaune—some of the best.   Wines from Chablis are a dry Chardonna...

How the Drought of the '70s Compare to Today's Mega-Drought As a life-long Californian, I’ve lived through the great drought of the ‘70s and many record-breaking hot-summer days, which resulted in energy usage restrictions. During our last drought—only a few years ago—we had numerous brownouts and blackouts.  It appears that this ongoing drought may cause more of those same issues, as a headline in the Guardian recently read: “Less water means more gas: how drought will test California’s stressed power grid.” For the most part, Californians are typically requested to conserve energy during our hot summers when usage peaks due to ever-running air conditioners anyway.  However, if this continues, we may not have enough of our natural gas supply and our wind and solar doesn’t produce enough yet either.   Additionally, according to the website, California Department of Water Resources, 11 out of the 12 largest reservoirs are well below historical levels, which l...

  Pilot, Commander, and Our First Black US Air Force General Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr., and Harriet Tubman may be the most often mentioned Black History heroes.  However, there are many more whose names most people might not recognize.  One of these heroes is Benjamin O. Davis Jr. As the first African-American US Air Force General Benjamin O. Davis Jr is probably most well known as the commander of the World War II  Tuskegee Airmen .  General Davis grew up fully aware of racial inequality through his father's struggles as one of the only two African-American combat officers in the army.  Due to his race, he was unable to advance.  Thus, young Davis vowed to change segregation and racial inequality and was in a big part responsible for many of the changes we see today.       Even though graduating near the top of his class at West Point, he was rejected, minimalized, and not allowed to...

  Defender of the Race Most grade school children can state what Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall accomplished during their lifetimes.  Yet, we tend to forget about other heroes.  Throughout this month, let us consider all who sacrificed to end segregation and tried to put an end to racial inequalities.  One of these heroes was Robert S. Abbott. Enjoy trivia?  Here's one for you: In what American newspaper would you find the first comic strip?  The answer might surprise you, as it is the first African American newspaper, the  Chicago Defender  owned and run by an attorney unable to practice due to his race, Robert S. Abbot.  His paper was the first for publishing many things including a health column and circulation of over 100,000.  Much more important than that was his focus.   He began his venture in 1905 and quickly built up quite a following, mostly in the Chicago area.  By 1910, with the assistance ...

  The Effects of the MLK Speech on Me It began as a typical sweltering summer day filled with regulars buying their Nehi sodas and Camel cigarettes while a steady hum of soft music played from the store's radio.  My entire world spun around when the music stopped.  It was August 28, 1963, and as Martin Luther King's booming voice shouted from the radio, " I have a dream ", his passion and choice of words confused me.  Since I worked eight+ hours each day when not in school, I knew little of the daily struggles our browner brothers and sisters faced. Raised in a culturally rich neighborhood, I never noticed color.  In fact, at age five I befriended a local black man.  I had no father, wanted one, so I asked him if he wanted the job .  Good-naturedly, he replied that we should ask my mother first.  I didn't understand the quirky smiles emanating from the two of them that day.  After MLK's eye-opening speech, I realized that I lived...