Publish Date: 9/24/2015 1:00 PM
We walked for Thirty Three days straight
We have arrived in Santiago. We walked for 33 straight days. Some days were 12 milers and as many as 18 miles or more in one day. We reached our destination. We decided not to rush to reach the city. Mary had accidentally banged her knee on the table at the restaurant the night before and it was a little tender.
We left the hostel at 8 AM just as the sun was coming over the eastern horizon. The hostel was pretty nice, fairly modern. I thought we had a nice location along a back wall. After arriving in Pedrouzo, we showered and then went looking for something to eat. We found a place almost across the street. Which was good, because our desire was not to walk far. After a good meal we looked for the church. That was a little further than we wanted to go, but we found it. Mass was at 6PM.
Mass was really good. The priest spoke only in Spanish, but he gave a wonderful homily. How do we know it was wonderful? We asked some bi-lingual friends what he had said after mass. We could tell that the congregation was enjoying the sermon and we knew the priest was talking about 5 things he thought represented a good pilgrimage. We just didn't have all the facts and we wanted to get it right.
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We Arrive in Santiago de Compestela Spain
Publish Date: 9/22/2015 3:01 PM
We have walked 31 days to Santiago de Compostela
Today we started early because we had reserved a room at an albergue and we had to get there by 2pm or we lost the reservation. Mary set a blistering pace in the dark morning mist. Sunrise is at 8 am but this morning we had clouds and fog so it was darker than yesterday. The path through the city was okay but then leaving the city it became more difficult.
That is pattern we experienced a number of times. The yellow arrows are easy to find in the city, but we get to our first questionable decision point and we stand around looking for the proper path. Sometimes we back track a little or guess a direction with hopes of finding a marker later on. In the dark all this becomes more difficult. We have learned to look for well worn paths or to look down the street for a familiar official sign.
This morning we picked up a guy from France we have seen for a number of days. He was sitting saying the rosary waiting for help in finding the markers. Then a couple of women from Ireland joined our merry band of adventurers. We all had our lights on in the morning darkness looking for indicators. Once found we would all take off in that direction.
There haven't been many churches opened in Galicia much to our sorrow. But today that all changed. We visited four churches this morning. The highlights include a church made in the 11th century in the Romanesque style. The ceiling was painted in the 12th century and it still looked wonderful. The altar was from the 8th century and a baptismal font came from the 13 th century.
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Day 31 Palas de Rei to Ribadiso
Publish Date: 9/21/2015 12:00 AM
We only have 66 kilometers to Santiago
We have walked for 30 days with only 3 days till we reach our destination of Santiago de Compostela. It has been an amazing journey. We are in the Galicia region of Spain known for the rain it receives. Well we are extremely lucky because the weather has been beautiful for walking. It starts out cool in the high 40s but then warms up to the low to mid 70s. With plenty of sunshine.
The weather report actually is showing only a little chance of rain tomorrow. Excellent. The rest of our walking days limited chance of rain.
Yesterday we started late because we went to church with two priests visiting from the states. They stayed in the same albergue as we did. They helped to celebrate the Mass the previous day, but since it was Sunday morning now they still wanted to do a Mass. They didn't want to wait for the 11 am Mass at the church, that would make it difficult to do the Camino. Like us they didn't want to chance finding a church having Mass at exactly the right time in their journey pass a small village along the way. So they were able to get the monastery to allow them to offer Mass at 8am.
They invited Mary and I to Mass with them. This truly was one of the best spiritual treats of my Camino. They invited us to the altar. The Mass was in English in an old monastery that had been around for centuries with just the four of us. Wow.
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Three days of walking left in our Camino
Publish Date: 9/19/2015 5:42 PM
Five walking days to Santiago
Today we started late at 8 am. We were almost the last people out of Triacastela walking the Camino.
We got lost or at least missed a turn this morning. We were climbing a hill on a small mountain road. We saw a yellow arrow but must have chosen the wrong direction. That isn't hard to do. Luckily the road intersected with the path further up the road.
When we reached the top we were presented with a wonderful sunrise over the surrounding countryside. The fog was heavy in the valley but it was clear on the mountain.
We walked among small farming communities. We were on cow paths. We saw 3 types of cows today. A brown or tan cow with large horns. A white kind of shaggy cow. And a jersey cow or black and white cow.
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We arrived in Sarria
Publish Date: 9/19/2015 5:22 PM
Only 6 days remaining on the Camino de Santiago
We are sitting in a restaurant in the little village of Triacastela on day 27 having tapas. It was a short 12 miles that were mostly down. Tomorrow we hope to go to Sarria.
Yesterday, Mary's birthday, was a brutal up hill climb going up 700 meters in less than
10 kilometers. The views at the top of Ocebreiro were fantastic. Mary did an excellent job on the hills. Her cardiovascular system has improved this trip.
We were able to go to the laundromat and get 3 days of wash done. The village only has a
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Ocebreiro to Triacastela
Publish Date: 9/13/2015 3:49 PM
From Leon to Astorga on the Camino de Santiago
We visited Leon, Spain yesterday and then we walked 35Km today. Leon was wonderful. Today we walked in rain for the first time. We went 35 KM yesterday for no other reason than we could.
The days are passing rapidly. We only have 11 days of walking left if we stay healthy. We entered Leon expecting to rent a taxi at the gates. Then go to the hotel we had reserved. Freshen up and go see the Cathedral. It didn't end up working that way at all.
We walked to the Cathedral. We decided we needed something to eat. My coworker, Bill, asked us to see his friends who owned a restaurant. So we used Google maps and the nice lady on the phone directed us to the restaurant, LA Palomo. We had an excellent meal of trout and beans. Wonderful!
Then we went to see San Isidoro church. Then we walked the 2 KM to the 5 star hotel we decided to stay at in Leon. After freshening up we went back to do a tour of the Cathedral.I think I liked this Cathedral most of all. It had a cohesiveness the others don't have. Burgos Cathedral was amazing, but they had added on too many chapels.
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Views from Astorga Spain
Publish Date: 9/8/2015 12:00 AM
Today we walked 17 miles on the Camino
Today we are sitting at the albergue in Terradillos de las Templarios. We are at the halfway point in our journey. We have walked over 250 miles or 400 kilometers. I truly didn't think we would be able to do this. Mary has been a real trouper walking through bad knees and the pain of shin splints.
We are sitting and having a beer and chips. We left Burgos 4 days ago. The weather has improved. Well it has gotten warmer. Today was perfect with temps in the low 70 and all sunshine and no wind. A perfect day.
The WiFi has been not so good. Even when the signal is excellent there are 50 to 100 people trying to use the bandwidth. We have visited churches along the way. One had been converted into a museum. They had a wonderful painting of the Annunciation. The artist was unknown but just an amazing painting. The art and engravings inthe churches are fantastic. They have a system where you have to place a Euro into a box to turn on the lights of the altar. I think that is fair.
Yesterday we entered a church that instead of the gaudy gold there were paintings of the life of Christ. I tried to take a photo but the lighting and angle weren't good so it didn't turn out. It was funny because we woke at 6am to make sure we reached the church while it had opened hours. We hoped to arrive before 1pm and we reached the village at 10 am. We ate breakfast and saw the caretaker open the door. The walking was generally flat and Mary was feeling little pain so we were moving faster than 3 mph.
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Walked 17 Miles Today
Publish Date: 9/2/2015 12:00 AM
We have walked a Third of the way to Santiago
Today finds us in Ages, Spain only 14 miles from Burgos. We are quite excited that we have managed this distance. We hoped we could but we had doubts especially those first few days where we hurt so much.
We went further than the book recommended today because it was cool and we were feeling good. We still have aches and pains everyday.
The weather has changed significantly the last couple of days. It has rained with hail one day and was cool and cloudy all day today. The hail didn't effect us since we had already found a room for the night.
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Finished a Third of our Camino Experience
Publish Date: 8/30/2015 12:00 AM
Eight Days of Walking
We have been walking for 8 days now. It has been interesting, tiring, painful, fun and a real learning experience.
We never know what the next day will bring. We started with the cool mountain air of the Pyrenees that turned into blistering hot near 100 degrees of the La Rijo wine country. The mountains and the hills have continued to plague us. The up hills slow us down and the downhills are steep and strewn with a lot of different size rocks that are difficult to traverse.
The people have tried to be patient with us. I try to use my un poco Espanol which irritates most of them. I ask a simple question expecting a yes or no, but end up getting more information than I can process. I get a real thrill when I ask the question and get an answer I understand.
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The Path to Najera Spain
Publish Date: 8/24/2015 12:00 AM
Walking Through the Pyrenees
Mary and I started our journey to Santiago Spain. The first day we started in Saint Jean Pied de Port in France. The goal was to arrive in Roncevalle, Spain before nightfall.
The weather started out cool and overcast. We had thunderstorms during the night, but just clouds as we walked. We needed to cover about 28 kilometers for the day.
The first 5 hours of the walk was up hill. Even Though the mountain was steep, it wasn't enough to prevent farmers from pasturing their animals. We saw cows, pigs, horses, donkeys and sheep. They all had cow bells which sounded like wind chimes in the early morning fog.
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Walking Through the Pyrenees
Publish Date: 8/16/2015 5:45 PM
The daily hiking clothes.
What will I wear each day on the Camino, here is a picture.
Daily wear for the Camino.
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Day Clothes for the Camino de Santiago
Publish Date: 8/6/2015 12:00 AM
What I plan to wear when I hike the Camino
We leave for Spain soon. Here are clothes I am bringing.
Well this isn't all the clothes I am bringing. This is only the cold and wet weather gear. I am told it rains in Spain. Especially as we get closer to the west coast and the city of Santiago de Compestala, we are expecting many days of heavy down pours.
We have purchased a rain jacket and rain pants to keep the rain off of us. Our back packs have a rain shield that you can put on the back pack to prevent it from getting wet and helping to keep your clothing dry.
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Clothes for the Camino de Santiago
Publish Date: 2/16/2015 12:00 PM
Eight Skills Leaders use to Innovate Make Decisions and Solve Problems
Bill Welter's Book, "The Prepared Mind of a Leader, Eight Skills Leaders Use to Innovate, Make Decisions and Solve Problems"
What are the important aspects of a leader? What's the difference between an innovative leader and the everyday run of the mill leader that is going nowhere? How can you use your leadership skills to solve business problems and move your company to the next business peak?
These are the questions that are answered by my friend, Bill Welter, in his book, The Prepared Mind of a Leader. Bill and his co-author, Jean Egmon, identify the eight skills leaders use to innovate, make decisions, and solve problems.
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Prepared Mind of a Leader
Publish Date: 12/25/2014 8:00 PM
A wonderful time on Christmas day with the Johnsons
The reason for the season. The Birth of the Christ Child.
We had a wonderful day this Christmas. The weather was clear and the driveway didn't have any snow on it, so we didn't have to worry about accidents with the elderly relatives. We had a small group this year of only 11 people. Which is okay because that fits rather nicely around our dining room table.
We went to Midnight Mass over at St John the Evangelist Church. The choir sang some hymns from 11:30 PM until the mass began at 12. The dancers did a great job with their ballet type moves. They are young teenage girls with different ballet capabilities. But, the number inspired us telling the message of the newborn child.
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Christmas Day 2014
Publish Date: 12/20/2014 7:00 AM
What do you mean I only read 2 books this year?
See above for some of the titles I read in 2014.
I had a good laugh this morning when I opened my email and saw an email from Goodreads. What was so funny? The email showed that I had read only two books for the year. Say What?
Goodreads is a web site where you can go and update the books you are currently reading or have read this year or even previously. You can write reviews for the books you read. You can hook up with your Facebook account and everytime you finish a book then Goodreads updates Facebook and notifies your friends that you have just finished reading a book.
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Books I Read in 2014
Publish Date: 12/19/2014 7:00 AM
Here are ten things you can do to beat the Christmas Blues
Ten Ways to get Out of the Christmas Blues
This list was inspired by a comment on Facebook where a friend expressed dissatisfaction with a feeling of the Christmas Blues. I am usually upbeat this time of year as I listen to Christmas music in the car and at home. I am involved in the church choir so there is a lot of fellowship with other members. I get to see my family and the act of buying gifts for loved ones is just a wonderful experience.
I know not everyone has my disposition to optimism and joy so this list will hopefully give you a chance to feel some of the joy that I feel this time of year. I just know doing these things will make you feel better because it will take your mind off yourself and allow you to look outward to helping others. In the act of giving you receive.
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Beating the Christmas Blues
Publish Date: 12/18/2014 9:00 PM
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of adidas. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of adidas. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
Yes, you read the headline right. You can get the adidas Adistar Racer for just $39.99 and free 2-Day shipping with code ADISTAR! As you can see from the image above it comes in a wide range of colors to please anyone on your Christmas list. Here are those fine details.
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Get the Adistar Racer for Christmas
Publish Date: 12/18/2014 8:00 PM
Time is running out to get your Christmas present from Blurb (Sponsored Post)
Time is running out to get your Christmas present from Blurb
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of Blurb. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of Blurb. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
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Big news Time is running short
Publish Date: 12/8/2014 5:00 PM
We are saddened at the death of our Parish Priest Father Ted Schmidt
Sunday morning I was setting up for our annual event at the parish hall to give our congregation an opportunity to find out all the different vocations we offer at the parish. We do this for two reasons, one to make our members aware of the different services we offer at the church and two to give members the chance to join a group. There may be talented individuals that weren't aware of a service that they might like to help with at the church. This allows them to evaluate it to see if it fits with their talents and desires to participate in the parish community.
Anyway, while getting ready for the parishioners to come into the room I began talking with friends who were also setting up and I got the news that our beloved Priest, Father Ted Schmidt, had died. He will be sorely missed as he was instrumental in helping to get the parish grade school back on a strong financial footing. The school had just been awarded the Federal Blue Ribbon award for high quality school systems. The school was paying for itself with higher enrollment numbers. There was pride among the teachers, the parents and the students.
The parish finances were looking better and the community was paying down the amount owed to the Chicago archdiocese for a building project implemented in 2001. Father Ted was active with the youth at a couple of Catholic high schools in the area mostly with the football programs. He was honest and straightforward and wasn't afraid to express his opinion on the church's teachings. The congregation loved him.
At this time we don't really know what happened to him. He was complaining of flu like symptoms on Saturday and had the associate pastor say the 4:30PM mass that day. We suspect a heart attack occurred. The associate pastor found him after 11PM and was not able to revive him. Father Ted was 70 years old. His funeral is scheduled for Friday, December 12th, 2014. Truly a sad day for our parish and all those who loved him.
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A Sad Day at St John the Evangelist Church
Publish Date: 12/6/2014 10:00 AM
Christmas Concert at Springbrook Community Church
Title page from the Christmas at Pops Concert at Springbrook Community Church in Plainfield
We had a great time last night at a Christmas Concert at Springbrook Commmunity Church in Plainfield, Illinois. It was titled Chistmas at Pops and was their fifth season. It was a wonderful concert with a lot of audio visual props.
We were invited to the concert by our daughter, Theresa. She plays and teaches the bassoon. She has been playing since junior high school and received a scholarship to the University for her abilities with the bassoon and studied under the principal bassoonist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But now as an adult she teaches and plays occasionally.
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Christmas at Pops
Publish Date: 12/5/2014 1:00 PM
Mary Poppins playing at the Paramount Theater in Aurora
Mary and I See Mary Poppins the Musical at the wonderful Paramount Theater in Aurora, IL
We had a great time last night at the Paramount Theater in the heart of downtown Aurora, Illinois. We went to see the Mary Poppins musical. It was delightful and "almost perfect." The play opens with Bert the "master of all trades" singing "Chim Chim Churee" in a strong Cockney accent. The purpose of starting with Bert is to set the place where the show begins in old London.
The actors and actresses did a brilliant job from the youngest children, Jane and Michael, to the old, the bank CEO. I love the sound system at the Paramount Theater. No matter where you sit you can hear very well. Mary's Mom was with us and she is 90 years old and despite sitting toward the back of the theater and the Cockney accent, she didn't have any problems hearing the performance. The kids sang and danced and enunciated their songs well.
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Mary and I See Mary Poppins the Musical
Publish Date: 12/4/2014 10:00 PM
Create the Perfect Christmas Gift for Your Family and Friends (Sponsored Post)
Create the Perfect Christmas Gift for Your Family and Friends
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of Blurb. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of Blurb. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
Mary and I have always enjoyed Christmas gifts that were created just for us. You know how hard it is to make something rather than going to the store and just buying a gift. To see the hard work that a child put into that special treasure. Or when your sister or brother gives you a memorable keepsake that came from inspiration that only a loved one would be able to create.
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Big Savings Just in Time for the Holidays
Publish Date: 12/4/2014 1:00 PM
The Power of Education after High School
Are you happy with your current position in Life? After 30 years old, you should be old enough and smart enough that it isn't anyone's fault but your own if you aren't where you want to be in life.
There is so much information on the web that you should be able to learn just about anything. And there is an abundance of books written by experts in their fields that you can easily get to add to your library. There are videos, audio tapes, community colleges, technical colleges and books. You can't complain about bad teachers in grade school, your Catholic education or your poor public school.
Your high school education sucked? Then get a GED and feel proud about your education. An education that you participated in and strove for. There are no excuses in America today. Are your reading skills poor? Then get involved with a tutor program, either a paid program or have a friend tutor you. Are you dyslexic? Then do research on how others have resolved these issues.
I was listening to the radio this morning and the talk show hosts were interviewing a young woman who was standing outside a McDonald's restaurant. You could tell that this woman was highly intelligent. Her language skills were excellent. She had tremendous poise. She and 50 other people were staging a protest of the minimum wage. As the conversation progressed she mentioned that she had worked for McDonald's for 4 years. She started at $8.40 per hour and her income had only increased to $9.50 per hour.
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Education and the Ability to Change Your Life
Publish Date: 11/28/2014 2:00 PM
A Solar Power idea to clean ice off your driveway after it snows
Pop Cans painted black and placed in an enclosed glass and insulated container help heat homes in winter.
We had a light snow the other day and then the temperature turned cold. I went to shovel, but there wasn't much to shovel. The snow that landed on the driveway halfway melted then when it cooled it froze to the driveway. We always have slippery areas on our driveway and sidewalk into the house every winter.
When we were driving to Thanksgiving dinner at my sister in law's house yesterday, I began talking to Mary about ways to melt the ice without salt, sand or other chemicals that are bad for the environment or can be tracked into the house. I was thinking we could invent a blanket that is solar powered that can be placed on top of the driveway to melt the snow.
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Clean Your Driveway of Snow with Solar Power
Publish Date: 11/27/2014 12:00 PM
We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many things in 2014. I am thankful for my wife and family. I am thankful for a job that is interesting and profitable. I am thankful for the people I work with, my church community, my friends in the church choir and a wonderful home.
We are having turkey, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing and I am sure more food than we need. It will be great to see some of my children, Mary's sister and her family, and Mary's Mom. I hope the Chicago Bears win today. Go Bears.
Mary and I had a fun day yesterday with a quiet morning reading and then we went out to lunch at a new Chinese restaurant near us called Bao. We had never been there. We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. It is just a tiny place with 5 or 6 tables. You go up to the front counter, place your order and then you can sit at a table or a bench if your order is "to go." I had the orange chicken which was spicier than the foods I normally eat, it was marked as 1 pepper as opposed to 2 peppers or no peppers. It was great, I really enjoyed it.
Then we went to Hobby Lobby to get supplies to make a gift for Mary's Mom. I only go into Hobby Lobby about once a year, and it is always interesting to me to see all the different things they offer. (Yeah, I know I should get out more.)
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Happy Thanksgiving
Publish Date: 11/26/2014 8:00 AM
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of Blurb. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of Blurb. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
It's the day before Thanksgiving and my email folder is being inundated with Black Friday Sales. My regular street side mailbox is filling up fast, too. You might ask me, 'Ken have you seen any interesting Black Friday Sales that I should pay attention to?' The answer is Yes! Yes! Yes!
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Save with Blurbs Black Friday Sale
Publish Date: 11/25/2014 10:00 AM
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of adidas. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of adidas. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
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Publish Date: 11/23/2014 7:00 AM
We went to see a live performance of Dawn and Hawkes best known from their The Voice Performance
Dawn and Hawkes performed live at Elgin Community College last night. This picture is from their Facebook Page.
Mary and I had a blast last night watching the duet of Dawn and Hawkes. They are a couple and a traveling musical group. They are young. They are cute and they perform some of the best harmonies in America. Their show is a very laid back easy going show with great music.
When this couple plays you won't see flashing lights, explosions or busting guitars. You will see a young couple in love that truly enjoy each other's company. Sometimes Dawn, Miranda Dawn, took the lead and other times Hawkes, Chris Hawkes, would lead. When they sang together then the true magic occurred as they blended with angelic harmonies.
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Dawn And Hawkes Live
Publish Date: 11/20/2014 4:00 PM
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of Blurb. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of Blurb. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
I am working on a novel right now. It has a working title of, "The Priest, the Politician, the Angel and the Miracle." I am sure it will be a best seller. But, first I have to finish writing it. I am at 15,000 words right now and I want to write at least 45,000.
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Self Publishing Your Great American Novel
Publish Date: 11/19/2014 9:00 AM
Cold weather returns to Illinois and bad driving returns with it
We are in the grips of a winter blast from the Arctic even though it is only mid November. Monday night coming home from work we had flurries of snow. That was enough to scare all the drivers to drive 20 mph below the speed limit. The roads were dry, but people see snow and all of a sudden they forget everything they learned about driving.
Tuesday morning the weather was clear, but the bad driving continued. I wanted to go north on Route 59 toward Golf Road, but there must have been an accident, because before I got within a mile of Golf Road all traffic came to a halt. Luckily, I was able to turn onto Schaumburg Road to go east.
But, when I got close to the high school in Schaumburg, there was another 4 car pile up. Traffic again came to a halt. Even though I had left with plenty of time to get to work, I still ended up being 10 minutes late. This really isn't a problem where I work, as they understand traffic and they don't get excited about employees arriving late. We have co-workers come from Chicago, as far away as the Wisconsin border and from the Aurora - Naperville area. On any given day there could be unexpected accidents and construction to prevent people from driving the normal speed.
All of these occurrences are normal within northern Illinois. We deal with them each day. This last week, I have been listening to a CD on my way to work titled, The Best of Me. Yes, it is a recording of the book that was made into a movie that is currently playing in the theaters. The book was excellent, the writer wrote in a fashion where the tension was cranked up and I could hardly breathe wondering what was going to happen. I could see how it was a popular book and how it could be made into a movie. I won't tell you much about it at this time until you have a chance to see the movie. But, I do recommend it.
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Winter Weather Bad Driving
Publish Date: 11/16/2014 10:00 PM
Sunday Mass Football game and thoughts about my brother
I was thinking about my brother, Brian, today remembering him on his birthday.
What did I do today?
Well it seems like a lot, yet it seems I didn't do anything. Woke up early for a Sunday morning. I was up by 5AM. Whenever I set my alarm clock, I always wake up a half hour before it is set to go off. I don't know if I do that to prevent waking Mary, or if it is some internal clock function within my body.
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Thinking of Brian Today
Publish Date: 11/12/2014 6:00 PM
A Trip to a Comet and A Hearing Aid that brings back Hearing
I am afraid that my days are numbered. I've read articles recently that state that drinking 1 can of pop a day is similar to smoking a pack of cigarettes. And then the recent study that found people that drink 3 glasses of milk a day will die younger than people that drink no milk. Well, today I had a can of Pepsi and also more than 3 glasses of milk. I hope I live till bed time. /sarc off
I was thrilled to hear two technological stories today that I feel are amazing. The first is the accomplishment of ESA or the European Space Agency. Today they landed a craft on a comet. They had to travel 4 billion miles over 10 years to reach a point where they could orbit the comet. Then they had to launch a smaller vehicle toward the surface of the comet. Now, remember for the last 10 years this smaller craft has just been riding along on a larger parent spacecraft. Nobody has done any maintenance on it. The spacecraft didn't go into the shop for testing. They didn't practice deploying the landing craft. For ten years none of that occurred. Then all of a sudden after receiving a message from earth, the landing craft deployed and headed toward the comet surface.
Think of all the things that could go wrong with an attempted comet landing. Maybe the solar cells wouldn't respond properly and the spacecraft wouldn't get the power it needs. Or maybe the radio transmitter fails and it couldn't communicate with earth. The connections holding the landing craft to the parent spaceship might have failed and the landing craft could have been lost forever. Or probably what was going through the minds of all the scientists and engineers that worked on the project their biggest concern probably was would all the connections let go so the landing craft could descend to the comet.
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Technological Advances into Space
Publish Date: 11/12/2014 10:00 AM
How Cool is this you can design your own adidas shoes
Photo shows how you can design your own adidas ZX FLUX Shoes
**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.
adidas has launched an innovative new app for Android and iPhone smartphone devices, called the #miZXFLUX app. The app allows you to easily apply your personal photographic image to one of adidas Originals most covetable silhouettes, the ZX FLUX. With the app, you can take a photograph, edit and rotate the photo, and apply it to your very own custom ZX FLUX shoes. You can make a statement that’s all your own.
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Design your own adidas ZX FLUX Shoes
Publish Date: 11/10/2014 8:00 PM
Heading home from the deep south
Carol Ann standing next to an Old Ford in Caryville TN
Monday afternoon and we pack up the car to drive the 13 hours back to Illinois. We decided to do the trip back in two segments. We drove 5 hours on Monday and then 8 hours on Tuesday. That way we could get back in a timely fashion and be ready to go back to work on Wednesday without being totally exhausted.
Traffic was fine on Monday and we stopped at the Hampton Inn in Caryville, Tennessee. I have never written about a hotel before, but this was truly an interesting place, some might describe it as eccentric. Mostly because it highlighted the historical occurrences in the area. Inside the hotel were numerous pictures from bygone eras. Many of the ones I looked closely at contained pictures of moon shiners and their stills. There were also images of important men of the area.
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The Trip Home and The Caryville Hampton Inn
Publish Date: 11/9/2014 6:00 PM
You're never too young to create (sponsored post).
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Inspiration via France
Publish Date: 11/9/2014 4:00 PM
Finding the Problem and then Figuring out How to Fix It
Last night Mary and I were in the basement and we noticed water on the floor. The problem was the water was nowhere near anything we thought might be leaking.
Some of the suspects, the water heater. Definitely a contender, the only problem was the water was a good three feet or more away and there was no indication that the water came from that source.
Second suspect the furnace. We didn't know why, but the furnace was close to the water, but again there was no clear trail that would lead us to suspect the furnace was at fault. We even looked at the furnace humidifier to see if it was leaking. Again, there were no indicators that would lay blame on the humidifier.
I went back to watching a couple of football games and Mary stayed down in the basement to see if any clues surfaced to where the water origination was. Fifteen minutes later I hear Mary yelling for me to come down. Finally, water had begun dripping from an exhaust pipe leading from the water heater.
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Fixing a Water Heater Problem
Publish Date: 11/8/2014 6:00 PM
Fun Times in South Carolina
Here is a snapshot of some of the cousins and their children.
Yesterday, I told you about the drive on a recent trip to South Carolina to visit relatives. Well, Mary, Carol Ann, Betty and I had a great time. We saw just about everybody. All the cousins made an effort to get together with us. The best part, I had opportunities for one on one time with many.
You know how you go to a family get together and there are so many people that you get to talking with one person you hadn't seen in a long time and it seems like the party is over. You've only chatted with one person and you were hoping to spend time with the uncle in failing health and the Aunt who recently was in the hospital and all the cousins you grew up with. Well this trip was perfect. I had the opportunity to see and talk to everybody.
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Visiting My South Carolina Relatives
Publish Date: 11/8/2014 5:00 PM
A Seventeen Hour Road Trip to South Carolina
A Cute Photo of my Cousin and her granddaughter.
Mary and I recently had the opportunity to go to South Carolina to visit relatives. It was a wonderful trip for me as I was "going home" as the saying goes. I grew up in South Carolina before my father found a job in Aurora, Illinois working for Caterpillar. Mary and I had been talking about going back to the Piedmont Region for a couple of years. The death of my brother, Brian, was the spur that made the decision for us. My Uncles and Aunts aren't getting any younger (neither am I), but I was worried I might not see them ever again.
Once we made the decision to go, we calculated the best way to get there concerning time and money. Flying is faster but expensive. Driving takes a long time. We finally decided driving was the way to go. Then I was telling my sister about our decision and she asked, "you are telling me this because you are going to ask me to go with you?" And the truth was, yes, I was going to ask her. I expected her to say no, but was surprised when she immediately said, "yes" and almost immediately got approval to take off from work.
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Driving to South Carolina
Publish Date: 10/31/2014 6:00 PM
An Article About Paul Lowe of Sweet Paul Magazine
This fall, Blurb is highlighting makers all over the world. One of those people is Paul Lowe, creator of Sweet Paul magazine.
Sweet Paul magazine features spectacular food photography, scrumptious recipes, and inspired crafts. In Blurb's interview with Paul, he discusses his childhood in Norway and provides a delicious recipe. You'll love Paul's stories of gnomes, trees (and tree-related disasters), food, family, and memories. At the end of the interview, Blurb features great gift books reminiscent of Sweet Paul. Read the interview here.
If you have never used Blurb before, let me tell you it is easy. Mary and I created a Blurb book from our last vacation to the Seattle area. We took some great photos at Mt Rainier, Seattle and the Olympia National Park Area. Then we chose some of our favorites and created a coffee table book to show our relatives and friends. Everybody wants to pick up a picture book, but no one wants to slough through 600 photos on the computer.
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Sweet Gift Making Inspiration from Paul Lowe
Publish Date: 10/31/2014 11:00 AM
I want to wish you all a Happy Halloween
The image above is a photo of our ceramic pumpkin that we placed on the front porch. We are lighting it with white Christmas lights. In today's wind a candle wouldn't work out too well. We found the pumpkin at Platt Hill Nursery and we received 20% off the retail price. Hopefully, we can keep it safe and secure over the next few years.
Today started out cold in Northern Illinois with low temperatures and extreme wind conditions. When I finished my morning workout, I walked upstairs and was surprised to see that snow had fallen and covered the grass and snow was on some of our perennials that still had leaves. I was expecting snow, but honestly, I didn't really think we would see any. Most of it was gone by the time I had breakfast and my shower and headed for work.
I feel bad for the little tykes as this isn't the best conditions for trick or treating. Moms and Dads work so hard to create fun and meaningful costumes for the children to go out getting candy, it is a shame that they will have to wear coats over the costumes.
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Happy Halloween
Publish Date: 10/30/2014 8:00 PM
We had a fun celebration of Halloween at work
We had a fun day at work yesterday, October 29th. We had a company Halloween Party. As with most company events throughout the country, this consisted of a pot luck dinner. But, the fun part was the whole office space was decorated with different themes such as: Carnival, Scary, Competitor Scary, and Circus.
Many of the employees wore costumes to go with the theme. We had a gentleman that looked like he could have been a circus ring leader. There was the woman that normally has blonde hair, but she was sporting black hair and was dressed as a gypsy or fortune teller. Of course, you could find scary clowns, witches, pirates and princesses. A couple of females dressed up as a two headed person. There was a butterfly, the world's smallest person and then the employee who dressed up as an online multiplayer game character. I dressed up as an American Cowboy with the cowboy hat, a scarf and a string tie. I don't own any boots, so I just wore some dress shoes.
I decorated my cubical with a couple of huge nasty looking rats with red eyes. I brought some meatballs in a honey and garlic sauce to serve my co-workers and the meatballs were terrific. I had some hesitation because I never had eaten this brand of meatball and had never tried the sauce. All the meat balls were eaten and I enjoyed the meatballs so I think others enjoyed them.
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Halloween Party at Work
Publish Date: 10/29/2014 3:05 AM
The Family Enjoys the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival
Every year in October, Mary and I and many members of our family get together and go to the Sycamore, Illinois Pumpkin Festival. We go for two reasons. One to see my step mom and her family, which we don't see very often since my father died. Two to see the Pumpkin Festival Parade.
The Parade is fantastic. We have been going to the parade for over 25 years. It normally runs two hours with some of the greatest floats, bands and oddities you ever want to see. Sycamore is way west of Chicago and can be considered in the heart of farm country.
What can you see at the parade? Lots of people. I think the town doubles in size on parade day. Some of the people are wearing costumes, like my pregnant niece with the baby's arms extending from her belly like the movie Alien.
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PumpkinFest 2014
Publish Date: 10/21/2014 9:00 PM
My Mother in Law turns 90
A couple of weekends ago, we had the pleasure of celebrating the wonderful life of my mother in law as she reached another milestone birthday, 90 years old. The six siblings all got together to plan a dinner party for the celebration in Batavia, Illinois.
We only invited close relatives to keep the number reasonable. The banquet hall did a great job with the food serving chicken and steak. The food was perfect. It was an opportunity for us all to see family members we hadn't seen in years. We spent time with everyone for two days since many siblings and their families live in the south, east or the west, mountain region.
The only thing to make the party better would have been better weather. It was cold and blowing and I think I saw snowflakes. This family gatherings are special because everyone gets along and we truly enjoy each other's company. One of the highlights of the weekend was attending pass with Mom on Sunday morning.
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Celebrating Ninety Years of Life with Margaret
Publish Date: 10/7/2014 4:00 PM
Nobody is Reading Books at the Library
I went into the local community Library on Sunday. My wife and I were looking for some audio CDs, "books on Tape." We found some we liked. But, as I was wandering around the library I noticed something interesting. I didn't see anyone reading any hard bound, paper filled, books.
There were a lot of people on the community computers. Some were searching for information. Some people were playing games on the computers. I saw individuals at the tables using personal computers. Maybe they were typing up a research paper or just using the library as an opportunity to get out of a noisy house. But, nobody was reading books. Today's world is a world of communication. And all of the communication is electronic.
I read a couple of actual hard copy books. I have many books on writing that I digest at leisure. And I have a book about the saints that I read each day as part of my spiritual consumption. Everything else is on my beloved Kindle. I do read books on the Kindle.
Today, I am in the process of reading a Janet Evanovich fiction, Stephanie Plum novel. As part of my book collection within the Kindle are all the books in the Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time series, about Rand Al'Thor and The Dragon Reborn. I have a copy of the Bible that I read from each morning. You can also find in my book collection, "The Imitation of Christ", a couple of books by St Thomas Aquinas, a whole collection of spiritual readings that I can choose from each day. A range of mystery and science fiction from established authors and new or budding authors. You can find business books and one computer book.
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The Changing Library
Publish Date: 10/4/2014 9:00 PM
Are You a Rabid Instagrammer (sponsored post)
If you are a rabid Instagrammer, and wistfully browsing through your Instagram profile to take in all those beautiful shots isn't cutting it anymore, why not take your talent to the next level and make a real commitment to your photography? With Blurb, you can take all of your Instagram shots and turn them in to a high quality printed book in just minutes. There is no hassle of sorting and editing, no endless hours wasted formatting for specific page requirements… just pick what you like and make it real. Watch this Blurb video to see how you can turn your feed into a seriously brag-worthy book. It’s incredibly easy and even a little bit fun. (You can even publish your Facebook photos (with comments) into a book!)
Mary and I have used the Blurb application to create a photo travel log of our recent trip to Seattle. The Blurb application was easy to use and allowed us to add comments to our photos. It will be a coffee table book that will we will let our relatives and friends peruse when they visit. Isn't that better than forcing your family members to sit and watch hours of home photos on your walls?
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What can you do with a Blurb photo book? My family members created a photo book for my mother-in-law for Mother's day. She is ninety years old and it is a treasured memory chest for her.
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Turn Your Instagram Photos into Your New Favorite Book with Blurb
Publish Date: 9/30/2014 10:00 PM
Parkinson's walk to raise money and awareness of Parkinson's Disease
We went to our 11th Parkinson's walk in Naperville, Illinois on September 6th, 2014. Why are we so passionate to do this 11 years in a row?
We have lost three family members to Parkinson's Disease. My Mom died at age 56. Then 18 years later my brother, Al, passed away from this horrible disease. And just this summer we buried my brother, Brian, who had just turned 60 years old.
My mother and her brother, Bernard, actually died on the same day after years of each of them struggling against Parkinson's Disease. We see the lives of Michael J Fox and Muhammad Ali and they have lived for a number of years with early onset Parkinsons. They seem to be doing okay. Look at Michael J Fox, he is still acting and it seems doing fairly well.
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Parkinsons Walk
Publish Date: 9/28/2014 3:00 PM
We had a group of strong storms come through recently with devastating results
Tree Down from Storm.
A couple of weeks ago we had some strong storms come through the area. The results were devastating to my neighbor's trees. Both neighbors to either side of us had trees come down or large branches ripped from the tree.
The neighbor west of us had a tree come down in his back yard and the branches scraped his house. They were lucky that no windows were broken. I think the damage to the siding was minimal. They spent the following Saturday taking off the small branches and dragging them out to the street for pickup.
The larger branches will be handled by a professional landscape firm. This is the third tree this couple has lost to wind and storm damage in the last 14 years. All the trees are in a water runoff area and I wonder if the root systems may be weak.
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Strong Storms Wreak Havoc on Trees
Publish Date: 9/23/2014 10:00 PM
Wet and Cool Summer was Perfect for Flower Gardens
This summer was unusually cool and wet. It was the first summer in the last 14 years where we didn't have to water our grass in the yard. There were a couple of weekends when we watered the trees. Our River Birch tree was a little dry and started to lose some leaves. A good watering solved that problem and made the tree happy.
The flowers were ecstatic about being watered regularly by mother nature instead of waiting for me to come out with my little tin watering can. We have ferns in the back of the yard under some mature trees. Most summers they have dried out by the end of August. But, this summer they have flourished.
I am most amazed at the Variegated Fallopias. In the past, they have had a hard life. Originally, we had them in the way back under the trees. But, they didn't seem to do very well there. Then we moved them closer to the house. The heat bakes the plants in their present location. The cool summer allowed them to grow all summer long. They sent out the roots and started new plants nearby.
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2014 Summer is Officially Over
Publish Date: 9/22/2014 10:00 PM
What we did this weekend and the New Role at Work.
Mary and I had a wonderful weekend. We celebrated an Aunt's birthday and Mary's birthday with just a handful of people. Mary's mom and her two sisters, our daughter and a cousin.
Since we had a small crowd we were able to use the living room which is seldom used. The chairs and couch in the room we have had for over 20 plus years. We bought them when Mary was working part time at a large department store. They have lasted through the years because we really don't use them very much.
We served potato chips, pretzels, dip and humus and purchased a cake from Mariano Grocery. The cake was delicious and pretty and we only put one candle in it for the birthday girls to blow out.
The conversation was lively and we had a chance to catch up on news from the over 80 crowd. They are all moving slow these days and we heard the same conversation a few times from some of them. But, it was fun and great to see our daughter, also.
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A New Role at Work that Irritates Me
Publish Date: 9/21/2014 9:00 PM
A Blogging Milestone
I was doing some programming on my computer today and I looked at the date of some of my first blog entries on the You Can Learn Series Web Site. I was shocked to realize that I have been blogging on and off for 10 years.
I will be the first to tell you I haven't blogged everyday. I don't even blog the proper "diary log." I have always tried to make it educational. So, over the years I have created different sections within the You Can Learn Series web site / blog.
You will find articles on plants, landscaping, weight lifting, travel and web business practices. Whatever interested me at the moment I would begin to write articles about that subject. Finally, after a number of years I created an actual "blog" section. But, even those articles were more informational or educational instead of an opinion piece or log diary.
If you go back over my history of writing on this blog you will see that there might be a year or two stretch where I didn't add any new articles to the site. It has definitely been a learning experience. I remember when I started it was an attempt to learn about this web programming stuff. I had been programming for a number of years, but I had never done web programming. Let me tell you that was a new animal. Luckily, in the early years the animal was caged, otherwise I would have been bitten.
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Celebrating Ten Years of Blogging
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