I was reading
this short article from Harvey Mackay and thought you’d enjoy it.

New year, new you?  Every year, we fool ourselves into
thinking that at the stroke of midnight January 1, we will be able to make
changes both large and small.  And every year, it seems, we realize that
isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Making a New Year’s resolution is like setting any other type of
goal.  You have to choose wisely if you want to achieve something
significant.  Remember that a good resolution, like a solid goal, usually
has a few definable characteristics:

• Focus.  Set a definite
  target:  “Lose 10 pounds by June” is better than “Lose
  some weight.”
• Challenge.  Your resolution
  should be neither too difficult, nor too easy.
• Commitment.  Share your
  resolutions with others.  That will help you work on them.
• Presence.  Write down your
  resolutions in detail, and post your list where you’ll see it often.
• Vision.  Visualize the results
  you want to achieve every day.

So have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet?  Forget the
boring, routine promises you won’t keep, like working out every day and giving
up every food that tastes good.

Resolve to be more creative in 2012.  My friend Jenny staggers her
resolutions throughout the year, because she knows it takes about 30 days of
trying to actually develop a new habit.  Then, when she achieves one
self-improvement goal, she tackles another positive move.  She started
this practice about three years ago, and swears by the results.

Want to get a head start?  Here are some thoughts to try for 2012.

• Keep a journal.  Spend a few minutes every
  day or so writing down your thoughts, feelings, dreams and ambitions-not
  your daily schedule or your upcoming appointments.  Let your mind
  wander.  This is for your eyes only, so be bold.  You may be
  surprised at the ideas you generate.
• Read more.  Vary your reading habits
  and explore different topics.  If you usually read novels, try a
  biography.  If you read only history, try a book on modern-day
  science.  Exercise your mind, spark your creative side, take your
  brain in a completely different direction.
• Learn something new.  Take a class in something
  unrelated to your job or your usual hobbies-art, auto mechanics,
  philosophy, etc.  Mastering new skills can refresh your outlook on
  life.  Do a crossword puzzle or Sudoku.  Visit the museum you
  drive by every day.  Watch the History Channel.  Just break out
  of your daily routine.
• Meet new people.  Make a positive
  effort to make new friends this year (or professional contacts).
  Look for gatherings of people whose interests match yours, and
  network.  The more people you know, the better equipped you are to
  learn and grow.  Then find a creative way to stay in touch.
• Create something for the
  heck of it.
  Paint a picture, write a poem, or start a garden-not because you’ll get
  paid for it, but because you want to.  You’ll find satisfaction in
  achieving personal goals and motivation to keep trying new things.
• Volunteer.  Find a cause you support,
  and offer your time and service.  You’ll meet new people and enjoy
  the feeling of helping out with an important cause.  There is always
  a need for committed volunteers whose contributed talents help fill in
  budget and staffing holes.  As important as financial support is, the
  human factor is critical to the success of many worthy organizations.
• Take care of yourself.  Get moving after a day at a
  desk.  If you can’t devote 30 minutes in one block, take three
  10-minute walks throughout the day.  Try a different food.  We
  all know what’s good for us, and most of us can’t sacrifice our favorite
  things.  So resolve to make little changes and see what a difference
  it makes.
• Resolve to see the bright
  side.
  Every cloud has a silver lining.  Setbacks are part of life.
  This is the year that you can adjust your attitude to look for the
  possibilities rather than the problems.  This is a resolution you
  should start before January 1 if you tend toward pessimism.

Use
the calendar as an incentive, but don’t abandon your goals because of an
arbitrary date.  Every day starts a new year.  It’s up to you to make
it your best year.

I’ve also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I’m not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I’ve been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I’m in Capable, and I go there more often as I’m getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not!

I have been in Deepshit many times; the older I get, the easier it is to get there.

Every time I read something like this it makes my blood boil. Why is our medical care and our drugs so out of line??? It’s not a wonder that so many people declare bankruptcy each year because of astronomical medical bills that are not covered by inusrance.  It’s for sure Obama care is not the answer but isn’t there someone out there who can make sense of this mess.

In the meantime, while we all wait, maybe we should invest in black lights and have them preceed our steps at night.  Better yet, invest in a black light company and get rich from the system that does not work

When we scheduled, everyone told me that they would push really hard to get me to purchase very expensive clubs from them. I found that not to be the case as did Dave.  As a matter of fact, they wrote down all of the information on the driver Dave wanted so that he could go and purchase it anywhere he wanted.  They were really just great and I would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to check out their equipment and strengthen their game. They do the fittings at Legend Trail Golf Club where the views are beautiful and all in all, I think it is a wonderful experience

Halloween goes back to an ancient Celtic tradition.  The Celts celebrated the new year on what we consider Nov. 1st. They believed that on the eve of that new year, the curtain between this world and world of spirits and ghosts was lifted and spirits of the dead walked the earth. So they made big bonfires for sacrifices of grain or animals to frighten away the spooks and they also wore costumes so the sprits wouldn’t recognize them.

Under Roman rule, the holiday morphed into a day to remember the dead and celebrate the festival of Pomona, their goddess of fruit and trees.  Her symbol was an apple and that might be where we got our tradition of bobbing for apples.

In the eighth centruy, Pope Gregory III decided that a day honoring the martyrs should be expanded to include all the saints and set Nov Ist.

In the 19th century Halloween became more widespread as Irish and English immigrants brought their traditions with them to the United States.  Those included parades and dressing in costumes and going to neighbor’s houses to beg for food and money.

Also, there was a superstition that on Oct 31st young women could learn who their husbands would be by doing tricks with apple parings and bits of yarn. Hence what became our tradition of trick-or-treating

All of this according to Clay Thompsonof the Arizona Republic.

Just saying!!!

We decided to seek out some boutique wineries that we had never visited before along with some of our all time favorites.  A few of the new ones were Dancing Hares and Redmon.  They both make incredible big reds that rival most wines I have tasted anywhere.  They are very, very small and off the beaten path so not easy to find.  Appointments are a must as they are just not open to the public like some of the larger tasting rooms.

Of course a trip to Napa just wouldn’t be complete without visits to our favorite restaurants.  Bistro Jeanty in Yountville is a completely charming little French restaurant with a charming patio, a small friendly bar area and a community table in addition to regular seating.  We always opt for the bar or community table where you are likely to meet lots of the locals who work or own the wineries.  It’s always a delightful time with lots of laughter, good wine, great food and shared knowledge. Michael’s favorite is Steak Tartare and their version is a homerun for him. Mustard’s and Bistro Don Giovanni are a couple more stand by’s and they never disappoint. Good to know that wherever you eat in Napa you are welcome to bring your own wine so we always purchase a bottle of one of our favorite tastings and take it along to lunch or dinner.

I guess I am going to just have to dream about Napa and Sonoma and Dry Creek and Alexander Valley and Santa Rosa – - oh sorry – I started to get carried away there.  At any rate, I’ll be looking forward to my next trip in the early spring.

He thought little about it until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock.  Inside was a beautiful precious stone! Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls.  Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars’ worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.

Then it struck him.  He had been on the beach a long time.  He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves.  Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands but he had just thrown it away.

It’s like that with people.  We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn’t look like much from the outside. It isn’t always beautiful or sparkling so we discount it.

We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy but we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know a person then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. I am so blessed by the friendships I have. Thank you all for looking beyond my clay vessel.

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that
visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu.
Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very
healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different,
the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the
rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn’t
believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under
the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu
virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping
the family healthy.
Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several
years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were
many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions
around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must
work. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never
got the flu.

Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who
regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this
most interesting experience about onions:

Thanks for the reminder. I don’t know about the farmers story, but, I do
know that I contracted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill. I came
across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an
empty jar…placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the
onion would be black in the morning from the germs.. sure enough it happened
just like that.. the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around
the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful
antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

This is the other note.

Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don’t know what to blame.
Maybe it’s the onions that are to blame. Onions absorb bacteria which is why they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flu’s.  It is also
the very reason we shouldn’t eat an onion that has been sitting for a time
after it has been cut open.

LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS!!!!

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of
mayonnaise.. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the
Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO.

Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned
from a chemist.

One of the brothers, Ed, guided our tour. Ed is a
chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formulas -
he even developed sauce formula for McDonald’s.

Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz. During the tour, someone
asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always
worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed’s answer will surprise you. Ed said
that all commercially- made Mayo is completely safe.

“Mayonnaise doesn’t even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but
it’s not really necessary.” He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at
a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked
about the quintessential picnic with the bowl of potato salad sitting on
the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials
look for is when the ‘victim’ last ate ONIONS and where those onions came
from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it’s not the mayonnaise (as long as
it’s not homemade Mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It’s probably the
onions, and if not the onions, it’s the POTATOES.

He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked
onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion. He says
it’s not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your
refrigerator.

It’s already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit,
that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you
put in your hotdogs at the baseball park!) Ed says if you take the
leftover onion and cook it like crazy you’ll probably be okay, but
if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you’re
asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato
salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial
mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.

Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook
the next day, it becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and
creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections
because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

I’ll get right to the point here though and that is – should you ever have reason to suspect that you are hosting these offensive buggers, do not, under any circumstances, try to eradicate them yourself. I am here to tell you that you will be taking your life in your hands and that would be much more painful than a few red welts covering your assets. Just this morning, I read that dozens of Americans have fallen ill from using insecticides on their own.  As a matter of fact a North Carolina woman actually died after using 18 cans of chemical fogger to attack the tiny little blood suckers. I wonder who croaked first – her or the bugs.  Try to imagine breathing in that bedroom and run for the gas mask. Sad that the federal health officials have to issue a warning for consumers to be careful when attempting to kill the reddish brown little insects.

I’ll close by saying that though their bites cause itching and welts, they are not known to spread disease. They are a major hassle. In recent national surveys of exterminators, bed bugs were named the toughest pests to get rid of. I wonder if I could find a way for those sniffing dogs to train me. Makes you think twice about which hotels you stay in doesn’t it???