Life Insurance , Car Insurance , Insurance Insurance, what to do.

Here I am wanting to take a trip and I still haven't taken care of my insurance since taking my new job. I guess I've put it off for a little while now, say a few months worth of time. The family is busting my chops to do something before I get out the door to take my vacation that I prearranged when I got hired. I'm glad I looked at the calendar to see when all the political and retail stuff had peaked first. What I need to do is find a reputable web site where I can get honest, free term life insurance rates. I have my car all set but I can't get life insurance with them because they are in the middle of switching underwriters, whatever that means. I don't know, that's what I pay them to know. If I'm ever going to get out of the country, or at least the state, I better contact someone tomorrow. That's what I like about the internet, it never sleeps!

I Need a Travel Vacation Package to a Resort Somewhere

The election is over, hooray! Black Friday is in the past, yipee! I'm sorry but I need to take some time off. These past few months have been trying, to say the least. All the hub-bub with the candidates and the nonsense that was going back and forth, not to mention having to hear about it at work EVERY DAY! To top it off was Black Friday - almost version. The only black stain was the man losing his life over shopping. I've had it. I've had enough! I need a vacation and the only reason I'll go to a store right now is to hunt down some clothing for whatever destination I choose and some new luggage since the stuff I have has been abused by baggage handlers from here to Europe and back again! This time I'll pick out something with Kevlar! LOL, whenever they make that kind of luggage I'll be first in line. No, wait, it will cost less if I wait a bit won't it? Did I mention that I need a vacation?

NEW FORMAT IS HERE! Let me know what you think.

Theft, murder, attorneys and Happy Holidays Everybody

It's that time of year again where everybody gets into the spirit of buying for the upcoming holidays. The problem is that they aren't the only ones gearing up for a spending spree. You ask a group of defense attorneys what this time of year means and it's usually 'more business' for them in court. What you, as a consumer, must make yourself aware of is how to avoid being a victim, or at least cut down the chances of becoming one, by a lot of defensive shopping tactics. I'll touch upon the major ones which involve parking and wallets.

Parking lots invite criminals because of the vast space and visibility. Yes, visibility for both parties. You can see what appears to be a fellow shopper and they see a potential victim with packages and can see any security vehicles or employees in the area. First and foremost you always want to park as close to the building as possible and nearer to the entrance as well because there will always be people around these areas. A thief does not want to be seen! If you can't park near, which is usually the case the closer you get to the holiday, try to bring another person with you. During these times I always advise, especially women, that you carry some sort of self defense products that will at least allow you to get away from the situation and call for help. There are many types of products available but make sure you check with your local law enforcement agency for restrictions. When all else fails, drop your packages if physically confronted and throw your keys towards the store and run. The confusion will usually upset the thief and foil their attempt to potentially hurt you or possibly abduct you with your own car.

Wallets are a no-brainer. You should all know by now not to carry monetary instruments(cards and cash) in your wallet. Keep them in your front pocket while shopping and moving around people. Do not carry anything that cannot be replaced easily and quickly. Overweight men with tight fitting trousers are a primary target for pickpockets because the pockets will pucker open making access into them easier and less noticeable. Always leave another card at home with some cash, in case you do get robbed of your wallet, to use until replacements are sent out. Handbags! Why oh why do women carry these knapsacks around. Most of what's in them is junk and when they are grabbed you will most likely get hurt. Recently a woman 1 town over from me in Florida was killed when a purse snatcher grabbed her purse strap and yanked it, she yanked back, then fell and hit her head. She died later the same day from a head injury while trying to hold her purse from a thief. This person was later caught and is now charged with homicide, not petty theft. If you do need to carry one just use it for 'crap' that you could care less losing and don't use the Gucci bag this time of year. Yes, I know, it looks classy and chic but it also says "I have money, please target me!". Leave the bulky checkbook at home and use a debit card in it's place if it has to be a checking account purchase. If you have to carry a purse with valuables in it use a bag with a long strap and put it on with the strap diagonally across your chest like a newspaper boys bag, keeping the bag visible in front of you. It may not look chic but it removes opportunity from the thief and they'll move on to someone that has their guard down. Thieves want the easy snatch and run.

When all else fails and you are approached just give them what they want and run away. Live to shop another day!

The Holiday Gut and Roll is Not a Song!

I am openly guilty of having the holiday gut and roll. It's so hard to not partake of the delicious sweets and goodies that are ever present on everyones table from now till they're finally all eaten in January, sometime. I can't wait that long because my doctor told me I can't. When you have blood pressure, blood sugar, or just obesity at any level, the sooner you lose it the better off you are. I've looked through many pieces of literature and video material and narrowed my search down to a few products, slim 10 being at the top of my list. To get on my list is tough! The first and foremost thing must be that the product isn't a generic mix of 'stuff'. Everything must be first course, not second string, because you never know if the potency of the generic is that of the name brand. I don't get hung up on what products cost so long as their effective, I don't plan on making weight loss a constant effort. I want to do it right then maintain what I have achieved.

I always tell my friends and readers that whenever you start a physical course of action that will change your body style always consult your physician to see if you may have limitations you were not aware of. The combination of diet and exercise make for a formidable combination in the assault on body fat!

Internet Shopping Expected To Surge This Year

We hear all the hub-bub about an expected tight shopping season for the malls and specialty stores but the internet is bubbling with renewed vigor because shoppers are getting savvy to competitive shopping. The internet will certainly provide the appropriate retail experience for many shoppers due to the fast paced deals with available inventories. How many people have stood in line at a big box store on Black Friday only to be told that what they were there for was no longer in stock. Online sale items, for the greater part, are stocked better than the stores because they often are able to acquire merchandise directly from the manufacturer and have it sent right to the comfort of your home. No standing in hopelessly long dark, cold lines outdoors! I like to think of myself as a savvy shopper and yes, I have been an internet shopper for several years without complaint. Even when I had an issue with a product the company was quick to apologize and reship the correction. Try doing that the day after Christmas at the customer service line at the mart store.

Have a fruit tree, plants, landscaping and young trees? Frost!

I just watched the latest weather update for central Florida and I hope my plants will be alright tonight. The weather forecast is calling for temperatures in the 20's with cold wind chill values from midnight tonight to 9 tomorrow morning. What does this mean to my plants and fruit trees? Tonight, not really that much because it won't be a killing frost coming through. It's hard for a lot of people to believe that Florida can have a killing frost but we do, at least from central Florida up through the panhandle. Tomorrow evening is another story however. Tomorrow night there will be a killing frost coming through. What this means is I'm probably going to have to break the rules and put my irrigation system on about 3 a.m. to place a layer of ice on my plants and fruit trees to protect them. Breaking the rules is in reference to the watering restrictions we have in place in many parts of Florida mainly due to the fact we didn't get any real hurricanes this year and the ones that passed us by also took the regular summertime rain with them to drop somewhere else, just not here. Getting back to the trees and plants, especially the trees. When you wet the fruit on the trees and some fruit bearing plants, what you are in essence doing is putting an overcoat on them to PROTECT them from the cold. Interesting concept huh? Put water on fruit to freeze over to keep them from getting frozen. It works, just ask the Florida strawberry farmers how they protect their investments every year. Home stores sell burlap and other special fabrics that are supposed to keep the bitter cold away but when nature wants to get through it always will. The one thing I recommend that you DO NOT do is use any form of plastic as this can actually transmit the cold to your plants or trees faster than if they had direct exposure to the cold and probably kill the plant faster. I say what doesn't kill the plants will make them stronger AND healthier next year. It's worked so far!

Another reason to let the cold in is that the fruit on the trees will become sweeter after the cold hits them. I have Marsh and Ruby Red grapefruit, navel, Valencia, and Clementine oranges, Persian lime, Meyer lemon, Guava tree, fig trees, banana trees and a few others I'll remember later I'm sure. It's an amazing transformation when the sweet hits the fruit and enjoyable when doing yard work, get thirsty and grab a fresh orange. Mmmm, good!

I will be posting this story on all of my sites as a reminder for the winter and your plants!

Clean Air and Stem Cell Research!

I was reading on MSN today that President Elect Obama has had a group of people reviewing actions that President (Cheney) Bush has put in place during his 8 years as president. I understand it to exceed 200 items and growing, with his tenure winding down, all being tracked for reversals. Two of the things that will be reversed are the clean air and stem cell research issues. We are so far behind the rest of the world in stem cell research that it's not even funny. BTW, stem cells no longer need be harvested from fetuses, the cord blood provides an abundant supply on it's own. I wrote an article a while back on saving cord blood for when you are older in case it's ever needed for you and it touched upon that very issue of harvesting stem cells. You folks that are really religious can stay home and suffer if you want to, I for one would love to live a better life with stem cell cures if I ever needed it. Whether you believe in Creationism or not, this is called Evolution now! Speaking of evolution, it's time we retire some of the ancient judges on the Supreme Court and get some younger constitutional judges on the high bench. While he's at it he can get rid of the Homeland Nazi Security bureau, it's not that effective anyhow. It was an agency created to take our attention away from issues they didn't want us noticing that they were pulling on us. Don't get me started or this article will end up being moved to my other blog!

Controlling Weeds Naturally

Try as you may, weeds are here to stay, and unfortunately you'll never completely eliminate them from your lawn. They find their way into your grass from wind, birds, neighbors, pets and other wildlife. Although eliminating weeds permanently is an exercise in futility, a few ongoing steps listed below will get you closer to your goal.

There are many herbicides available to effectively manage weeds in turf. These products are classified into two broad categories, pre-emergent weed control and post-emergent weed control.

Pre-emergent weed control

These products are designed to inhibit development of the germinating weed seeds from establishing in your lawn. Success depends on the timing of the application. Most weed seeds germinate when soil temperatures reach a certain level. Therefore, the pre-emergent product must be in place before these temperatures arrive.

An organic pre-emergent alternative: Corn gluten was patented in 1991 and has gained popularity as a natural alternative to synthetic pre-emergent herbicides. It also has 10 percent nitrogen content by weight, making it an excellent natural fertilizer for established plants with a mature root system.

However, when using corn gluten, proper timing and application rates are important for effective control. It should be disbursed four to six weeks before seed germination. First-year reduction of targeted weed populations has at 50 percent to 60 percent success rate. Two to three years of repeated applications are necessary to match the effectiveness of synthetic counterparts.

When applying, corn gluten should be distributed at 20 pounds per thousand square feet and no less. It's also important to water just after application so the product reaches the roots where it desiccates them. However, any rain within a couple of days after that may rehydrate the roots and reverse the effects of the corn gluten.

Lawn weeds can be either annual or perennial. Annual weeds are further classified as cool- or warm-season types. Pre-emergent should be applied in the late summer or early fall for cool-season annual weeds and again in mid- to late winter for warm-season weeds.

Post-emergent weed control

The second type of chemical control kills weeds after they have germinated. These herbicides are referred to as "post-emergent." They kill broad-leaf weeds.

Some post-emergent products are designed to work only with certain grass types. Read the label; using a product not made for your grass type could inadvertently kill the grass as well.

Organic post-emergent alternatives: Organic solutions to post-emergent weed control are all "non-selective" — that is, they kill everything. For the most part, all are effective at burning down top growth. However, long-term control varies depending on the weed and the extent of the root system. In my experience, deep "tap-rooted" weeds are difficult to control with one application. Multiple applications may be necessary.

Boiling hot water is effective in killing annual weeds and with repeated use will also kill a number of perennial weeds. Use caution and pour the water from just a few inches above the plant.

There are ready-to-use products on the market that incorporate one or more of the following ingredients, which are also non-selective, organic, post-emergent weed eliminators. Look for products containing: Vinegar — (20 percent concentration), clove oil, thyme oil and citric acid.

Some words of caution


* Apply herbicides early in the morning or late in the day. Conditions are usually calm at this time. Any wind at all can carry the fine mist onto non-targeted plants and damage them.

* Hot temperatures and direct sun can intensify the killing action of even "selective" herbicides, so much so that it can kill the grass, which otherwise would not be affected.

* It is important to give newly seeded lawns ample time to mature before applying any post-emergent. It is necessary to wait six weeks after grass-seed germination.

If all this sounds like too much to keep up with, I have news for you: weeds aren't necessarily all bad, especially when you keep them from going to seed with proper mowing. Weeds attract beneficial insects, add nutrients to the soil and create biodiversity. And when you're ready to tackle those weeds again without chemicals, cultivation by hand or tools is still the most effective "selective" method because you decide which plants are weeds.