TIDBITS
The weather
in New York has been so mild (except for our October 29 storm-what a doozie it
was) that I have been walking outdoors without my usual layers upon layers of
clothing. What a treat. Monday, December 5, the weather should hit almost 60
degrees. Amazing. While August was one of the wettest months on record, we’ve
had 5 consecutive weekends of sunny skies in November and December. When BUDDY is around he enjoys our morning
strolls and I think he smells every rock and leaf pile we pass. So the
invigorating walk becomes a stroll, but I get a real boost having him around.
ADAM’s choral group, The Westchester
Chordsmen had 2 excellent performances this fall and winter. In October was the
Halloween/Fall Extravaganza and again for the 10th consecutive year
they performed at the Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Bronx (New York) Botanical
Gardens. Many local dignitaries spoke
and that added to the excitement of the day. STEVE, ADAM and ME then went into the train show at the
Conservatory. This is a must-see for anyone’s Holiday visit to New York. There
are about 125 different reproductions of New York icons all made from natural
items. Trains run through the entire exhibit going over a handmade Brooklyn
Bridge, George Washington Bridge and more. You can see a bit of the Chordsmen
on this link, ADAM is the third from the right: http://chordsmen.org/home.html.
MICHAEL has been successful in finding a job
and he’s really happy about that. It’s part time, but they keep increasing his
days and hours as they see his capabilities. He’s been enjoying New York, and
by the time you read this, he will have been back here for almost a year. We
get to see BUDDY a lot, and he’s
really the sweetest dog. He’s very playful, loves to bite socks, pants bottoms
and most favorite I like to think are our morning walks together. When he was
over with AVA, STUART and ALLISON’S
wonderful little girl, he goes after her socks too. He and ZOYA are getting
along much better. They seem to have agreed to keep out of each other’s way.
MARK has been working much more at Madison Square Garden. The
network has new facilities which are state of the art and MARK has been enjoying learning all the new equipment. He also
covers sports on location in the tri-state area which is his favorite part of
the job. He is so much like STEVE,
they both love to travel. Madison Square Garden is less than a mile from where MARK lives, so the commute is great.
He’s also doing some free lance for a few other networks so that’s been a plus
too.
STUART and ALLISON and their little doll, AVA
MAY are getting along just fine. AVA
is so sweet, smiles and talks all the time and best of all, she never cries.
She’s almost 5 months now and she has a few favorite things. ALLISON and
STUART live in Manhattan, AVA
has become accustomed to the sights and sounds of the city. Looking out the
window watching the cars and trucks fascinate her to no end. She’s also a fan
of all the childhood music and loves Peek-a-Boo. I’ve been babysitting 2 days a
week since ALLISON has returned to
work, and I look forward to those days. Now I understand why being a
grandmother is so wonderful. Our Mah Jongg group is now complete. The fifth
baby was born, a little boy. Of the babies born, 4 are girls and the last a
boy. What odds for him.
I’ve been
walking outdoors for the last month, and it’s been delightful. The weather has
been perfect and I have my little companion BUDDY to tag along on most mornings. His favorite part is to sniff
and smell along the route. If he hears a noise, he head and ears snap up to
follow the sound. He gives me a good laugh. As soon as I put my sneakers on he
knows I’m ready to head out and he won’t leave my side until we’re out the
door. We both get our exercise. Shortly
the Scarsdale town pool will be opening and I’ll head on over for the early
morning swim. If you remember, they go from 6:15 to 7:30 and about 50-75 people
participate. It’s a very invigorating way to start the day; a personal favorite
of mine.
On May 7, STEVE and I traveled down to Destin,
Florida for the WAM (Woman and
Money) Conference. It was given by Shelter House-a Domestic Violence
Center. Allstate and Wachovia Bank among
others were the sponsors. The purpose was to combine various workshops on
important daily needs with some fun and food. I was the keynote speaker on the
topic-you guessed it-Saving Money. It was a wonderful day.
One of the
shows we taped in Philadelphia over a few week time period, Mary
Talks Money, aired on WPVI-TV, ABC on
April 12, 2010. The segment was done quite well. Here’s the link if you get a
chance to view it. http://livewellnetwork.com/Mary-Talks-Money/episodes/Saving-at-the-Supermarket/8059070
ADAM’s choral group, The Westchester
Chordsmen performed their Spring Extravaganza, the music of Richard Rodgers on
May 7. Unfortunately it was the same day at the WAM Conference in Florida so STEVE and I missed this years’ show.
But my cousin JANET, my friend DEBBIE (2 of my Mah Jongg pals) and MICHAEL did get a chance to see the
performance. JANET has now asked ADAM to sign her playbill. They loved
the show. ADAM is a stage manager
for an off-off Broadway show, and we’ve been scavenging around the house for the
necessary props. It’s always fun to see a show take shape into a production.
MICHAEL returned to Arizona to finalize his
move to New York and bring back any other items he left behind. It’s great
having him around. He’s so knowledgeable with the computer and so helpful in
many other ways as well. We had a large group for a family dinner. HE and MARK completely cleaned up and
washed all the large platters and pots that didn’t fit into the dishwasher. By
the time they were done the place was spotless. I was thrilled and relieved as
well that I didn’t have to do it. Naturally BUDDY is loads of fun too. As you know he’s my walking partner,
lunch partner and all around fun guy. Soon they’ll be moving into Manhattan
too, but STEVE and I have agreed to
‘dogknap’ every now and then.
MARK had a busy sports season at work this year. His last
assignment took him to Vancouver, BC, a city he loves. He has to work of
course, but he does get some free time to explore the sites. For now, he’ll be
working locally which is great for him. He can roller-blade or walk to work. No
commute. All the guys are coming up for a Memorial Day BBQ, it’s always nice
when they’re here. The interaction is something special. The 2 dogs BUDDY and ZOYA get a chance to be
together too. MARK and STEVE will do
most of the cooking. The best part is I have nothing to put away, everyone gets
leftovers to take home.
STUART and ALLISON are getting close to their magical wonderful day. We are
all so excited and happy for them. This is our first grandchild and we can’t
wait. As I mentioned earlier, I play Mah Jongg with 4 other women. All 5 of us
will have a grandchild between October 2010 and October 2011. It’s amazing. ALLISON is feeling really good and
she’ll continue to work until the birth. After that she has a 4 month leave of
absence. I’ll keep you posted.
And now for
refund news…
LILLY
PETRONKA found more deals at GIANT
EAGLE. Viva Paper towels were $1.99. She bought two rolls using .85 coupons, doubled so they cost .29.
Free product coupon for One cat food. $2.69 FREE. Meow mix cups $2/4 and she
used two $1 off coupons. .25 each. Purex laundry 3 in 1 sheets. $5; used the $3
off coupon. A total savings of coupons $8.69 and weekly special savings of
$8.69. She also bought the local newspaper for .50 and another one that now
only costs .25. Her total out of pocket expense, $4.25. LILLY recently bought three 12double rolls(24rolls in each package) of
toilet paper at $6.49 each; Nice and Easy foam-in hair color $8.99; and Sucrets
$2.99. Using a $1.50 coupon for Sucrets, a free product coupon for hair
color and $20 GC for Rite Aid, she paid a total of .96-cents . Additionally,
she received $2 and three $1 +UP rewards to buy any non prescription purchases
totaling $5. ALICE
DODGE purchased TAT
Ant Bait and it didn't work. She called Walco-Linck Co. to tell them
about their guarantee. Customer service asked how much she had spent ($4.98 for
2 boxes). They offered to send a Wal-Mart gift card for $5.00, and no need to
mail proof-of-purchase. The gift card came in a week! Good service! VIRGINIA
ANN SENYK writes that
Energizer has a $10 gift card and
is tying it with the National Parks. By redeeming 3 codes from marked packages
of Energizer products, you receive a $10 prepaid MasterCard, $10 in your PayPal
account or a $10 donation to The National Park Foundation. Look for these codes
on Energizer® products. SHE sent this recipe which she found in Great
Days Insider e-newsletter for making your own all natural sidewalk chalk:
1. Clean and dry six eggshells and grind them into a fine powder. 2. Mix with a
teaspoon of hot water and a teaspoon of flour. 3. Roll it into a stick and wrap
in a paper towel. 4. When your all-natural homemade chalk has hardened, remove
the towel and head straight to the sidewalk. VIRGINIA tells RB readers
to look for SMP packages of Kleenex family
products this Summer with Cars characters on the package. There will be codes
inside that can be entered on a Website&turned into points for various
gifts: you earn credits that can be redeemed for prizes for your crew,
including movie tickets, coloring books, toys and more. https://www.kcc.cr.kimberly-clark.com/default.aspx?bhcp=1 . Also, Fight
Childhood Hunger in America when you purchase specially marked packages of
Healthy Choice. Visit www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com and enter the eight-digit purchase code to help
donate 2.5 million meals to kids in need.
