Buying American: Supporting the U. S. in Tourism

The HH and I have been wrapping up our plans for our Great American Road Trip, which is our big trip of the year, and we are so excited. As I have thought about our travel this year, all of which is in the United States, not only am I excited about the trips themselves, but I am also thrilled that we are supporting Americans. As much as possible and reasonable, our expenditures are local to where we are at the time.  Let me explain.

We love traveling! We love experiencing other countries and other cultures, but this year our travel is dedicated to exploring, experiencing, and supporting our home: the United States of America. I have read that spending an unbelievably small amount of money each week on products and services made and performed by Americans create additional American jobs, and this is almost always in the back of my mind when making decisions on how to spend our money. Travel (tourism) is just another way to support Americans.

Photo Credit

The week of New Year’s Day 2014, we supported Pensacola Florida. While we did stay in a chain hotel, the rest of our money was spent in local restaurants and grocery stores. The end of January and first of February found us supporting the local economy of Savannah, Georgia.  We stayed with family, and when we ate out, we ate almost exclusively in local eateries. Our entertainment was taking local tours. The middle of February, the HH was sent to work on the island of Maui in Hawaii, and I went along for about week myself. Again, we supported local as much as possible.  His company rented a local house for him, and we both ate in local restaurants and shopped in local stores.  We explored the island taking tours with local people or lessons, like the HH’s surfing lessons, from local instructors.

My husband finished his work in Hawaii, and then he joined the rest of my side of the family on family vacation in the North Georgia mountains.  While we stayed in a resort, the resort employs people who otherwise might have difficulty finding local employment. It was the local grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants that benefitted from our travels to this location from all over the Eastern U. S.

Back on the road again, the HH worked for about three months in New York, and I shared a tourist long weekend with him while there.  Yes, he stayed in a chain hotel and had to rent a car from the chain business with which his company contracts, but it was the local food and sites where we spent money that otherwise might not have been spent as we explored parts of New York and New Jersey.  We even supported one of the local baseball teams with our attendance and dinner at the stadium.

All through the year, my husband and I support local in the city and county where we live as well as in the surrounding areas; we have had a blast doing things like attending plays performed at local colleges and visiting the various local restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues in our area. Check out some of these stories by clicking here, and here, and here.

Now, my husband and I gear up for the Mother of all road trips down the Mother Road: Route 66. With our itinerary set, we’ve booked our lodging and have sights set on potential restaurants.  While fiscal responsibility requires that we use hotel points as we are able, the vast majority of our nightly lodging will be in local motels or B & Bs. Here are the names of some of the local places where we have made reservations for our trip out to L. A. and back home again.

• Big Texan Motel, Amarillo, TX
• Crow’s Nest B & B, Las Vegas, NM
• Globetrotter Lodge, Holbrook, AZ
• El Trovatore Motel, Kingman, AZ
• Route 66 Motel, Barstow, CA
• Prospect Place B & B, Hot Springs, AR

Restaurants will be almost exclusively the local spots along the way. Here are few that we have in mind.

• Shoeless Joe’s Ale House, Chicago, IL
• Houlihan’s Restaurant & Bar, Springfield, MO
• Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo, TX
• Kix on 66, Tucumcari, NM
• Joe & Aggie’s Diner, Holbrook, AZ

Of course, we’ll visit many, many places along way that will include, but in no way are limited to, sites such as the ones below.

• Lincoln’s Tomb, Springfield, IL
• Meramec Caverns, Stanton, MO
• Museum of Pioneer History, Chandler, OK
• Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Amarillo, TX
• Pecos National Historic Park, Pecos, NM
• Meteor Crater, Meteor City, AZ
• Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree, CA

Enjoy yourself, and help America!

Photo Credit

 

 

 

Explore and Experience on Weekends

This morning, my husband had the television on some program; I’m not really sure what it was.  It was the history of some pilot’s military life – perhaps more – but that is all I heard of the program.  I keyed in on the portion where the wife/widow (?) relayed how their family, while stationed in Germany, toured different places in Europe almost each weekend over the two years they were stationed there.

I’ve said over and over that it would be wonderful to live in Europe for a while so that the HH and I could do the same thing because it is so easy to travel to different countries from almost any point in Europe. Listening to this program, all of a sudden, it hit me.

Photo Credit

Although a good number of places within a day trip, or even a weekend trip, of where we live have already been explored, that does not mean that the HH and I cannot start taking weekend getaways from our home in Metropolitan Davidson County (Nashville), Tennessee. The chances of us living in Europe are extremely small, unless we should decide to retire there. Instead of dreaming of potential future European weekend explorations, why not act now and take weekend getaways that let us explore and experience all of the wonderful and quirky things that are a part of the culture of the United States?  It is kind of akin to the idea of “blooming where you are planted.”

Photo Credit

I challenge you to plan day trips or weekend getaways to explore the world around where you live now. Get a real map and compass and draw a circle around where you live that indicates the potential area for day trips and another for potential weekend getaways. Pick a spot and plan (or not) and go!

Have a fun year exploring and experiencing your part of the world in 2014.

Angela

Shopping “Made in the U.S.A.”

Folks, supporting manufacturers in the United States is increasingly important to me. My mother warned me in the late 1970s that many of our manufacturing jobs were being moved out of the country, and I could not imagine what she predicted happening. Mom was right, and it is so wrong and so sad. Today, whenever possible, I buy American made products.

Sometimes finding items clearly made in the U.S.A. can be a challenge.  Often what the label states is that the product is distributed by an American company, which is really not good enough.  While I am not as successful as I would like to be in meeting this goal, I continue on, hoping that by “voting” for products made in the U.S.A. through my purchase choices, buying American made will once again be back in style.  Along with more made in the U.S.A. products being purchased should come more jobs for Americans in this country.

Two years ago, I went to Wal-mart looking for dishcloths made in the U.S.A.  In my local Wal-mart at that time, I could not find any in the store that were made in the U.S.A.  I wrote the company and got a less than satisfactory response, so I looked elsewhere.  What I wanted was found online at Lehman’s, located in Ohio. The dishcloths I purchased from them were of such a high quality that I re-ordered, purchasing enough packages to give all of the women in our family (mine and hubby’s side) a set of four.  I’m still using the cloths I originally purchased, but I have a spare set put aside; however, these items are so awesome, it may take many more years for me to need the other package. Other dishcloths I’ve owned made in other countries have been useless in weeks. By the way, these dishcloths are made by a company located in mid-America that has been in operation for about 125 years, so let’s support them.

As a part of ABC’s Made in America series back in 2011, Ben Forer wrote the following in his article “Made in America: Creating Jobs for Christmas,” In the 1960s, nine out of every 10 products Americans bought for the holidays were made in America. Today easily more than half of what we buy is foreign-made. So after nearly a year of crisscrossing the country as part of our Made in America journey, we remembered what economists across the board told us at the very start: If every American spent $64 on something made in America, we could create 200,000 jobs right now.” (Bolding added by me.)

May I encourage you to buy American made whenever you can.

Here are pictures of some of the personal hygiene items the HH and I use that are made in the USA.  FYI, these are very affordable products.

Shaving Cream Barbasol and Pure Silk made in the USA & Sensodyne is made in the USA

Back of the Pure Silk can

Back of the Sensodyne tube

Back of Suave bottle

Gold Bond Powder – Made in the USA

Related articles

• Made in USA Brand Member Directory to Launch on Veterans Day 2013 (prweb.com)
• Made in the USA (aaldaba90.wordpress.com)
• Made in the USA Christmas Gifts (georgiaanddaughter.com)
• Made in USA Claims – How Your Company Can Avoid a “Yankee Doodle Don’t”! (usa-c.com)

Is It Too Late to Save Our Society – Our Country?

Hello World!

American society is not what it used to be, and the change has not been for the better in my opinion. Now and then we see snippets of integrity, hard work, and compassion, but the society as a whole is lacking greatly.  How is it that the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of America’s Greatest Generation can be so much the opposite of their ancestors? Where have we gone wrong?

Obviously, there is no simple answer to my last question, and opinions are going to vary greatly. This post is my opinion.

The HH and I have discussed often how something that was well-intentioned during a time of great economic turmoil set a precedent for what has become a wide-spread sense of entitlement in this country and fiscal irresponsibility.  “During Roosevelt’s presidency; the gold standard was abandoned and the Social Security Act introduced. The Social Security Act provided unemployment compensation, retirement funds, and disability insurance on a national scale. The dollar was devalued to stimulate foreign trade and to support more competitive business practices Many critics called the programs socialistic and said they were creating a welfare state funded by the government. Roosevelt’s social welfare platform created federal deficits never seen before in this country” (“Franklin D. Roosevelt“). These statutes, no matter how well intended, once put in place, have continued to rot the core of our society as the “welfare state” of our United States has continued to grow.

Over the years, entitlements have expanded; under the Obama presidency, the number of people living on public subsidies has reached record highs. According to Fox Nation:, “The federal government will spend more than $668 billion on anti-poverty programs this year [2012], an increase of 41 percent or more than $193 billion since President Barack Obama took office. State and local government expenditures will amount to another $284 billion, bringing the total to nearly $1 trillion.” This “let the government take care of me” mentality is in many families a multigenerational mentality – a tradition; this mindset and the ability to sponge off of taxpayers must be eradicated. Government spending that has put us into the greatest debt our country has ever seen must not only be stopped but reversed.

Our morality has been damaged by individuals and groups who have taken advantage of separation of church and state and so called religious freedom to remove prayer from schools and other public places; Christianity is under attack.  Teaching morals has been replaced with teaching hatred.  An overabundance of frivolous law suits and unethical behavior in government officials and other public figures has made integrity a thing to be abhorred.

In an attempt to be politically correct, truth is not spoken.  In an attempt to protect children’s self-esteem, true competition to be the best and to do something special has been watered down.  Family values have been eroded with not only the acceptance of alternate lifestyles but by pushing these lifestyles on the public. Violent video games and movies entertain and educate our children rather than nature and personal interaction.  Our young people do not know what it is to actually work for something; they think that anything desired should be given to them just because they exist and want.

I could go on and on, but the fact of the matter is that if we as a society,  including our government, do not make some major changes soon, I fear we are doomed. Instead of continuing down this path, let’s look back to the behaviors and actions that made our country and our people once great, and let’s go back those habits and attitudes. Let’s remember who we were so that we can be that nation again.

Have a blessed and happy day!

Angela

Obama’s Legacy

How will history remember President Obama?  He and his presidency will be remembered for what it is:  utter failure. Everything that goes wrong is blamed on someone else or ignored; there is a lack of integrity and ownership of responsibility in his administration.

Barack Obama wanted the Affordable Health Care for America Act, also known as ObamaCare, to be his signature achievement of his presidency;  unfortunately for America, it is just that.  Like most of the issues  that have arisen during President Obama’s time in office, ObamaCare is poorly thought out, poorly planned, poorly implemented, bad for our country, and an embarrassment.

Voter fraud allegations, poor economic decisions, debt that is about 33% more than when he was elected and growing, embarrassing foreign affairs policies, internal scandals like the IRS targeting of groups in opposition to his party and/or views, failure to provide leadership for the legislature, failure to keep his promise of a transparent government by hiding the truth of events such as in Benghazi – the list goes on and on of the weakness, failures, and lack of ability to lead that have been the attributes of the Obama presidency.  It has been and continues to be an embarrassment.

Yes, Obama’s presidential legacy is going to be his trademark Health Care law because it epitomizes the failure of his entire presidency.  I agree with statements made by Michael Goodwin in his October 7, 2013 New York Post article titled “Move over Jimmy Carter, Obama has my vote for worst president — ever.”  The title of the article says it all.

The United States Has Much to Learn from European Countries

Hello World!

I’ve not blogged the last couple of weeks because the husband and I have been traveling the world.  In particular, we spent enjoyable time in Germany and the Czech Republic.  Over the last three years, the HH and I have have been to the following European countries: the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.  After this past trip, I am more convinced than ever that the European community is much more advanced than the United States in terms of making necessary changes to conserve energy, to use more environmentally-friendly energy options, to recycle and re-use, and to preserve and/or reinstate the natural environment (create/preserve green spaces and wildlife).

What things do I think are especially exceptional? Here is a list of things that come to mind in no particular order.

*Hotel cards that are necessary to turn on power in the hotel rooms (Holiday Inn would save a ton if my husband had to stay in hotels where the power would go off each time he left his room) and motion sensitive lights in public areas

*Amazing amount of homes and businesses using solar panels to meet their power needs and cities using fields of huge wind turbines to create power

*Making concerted efforts to increase green spaces in cities and planting trees to replace those cleared

*Green markets that encourage local food to tables (the one in Munich is the best I have ever seen)

*Fantastic use of public transportation options and encouraging the use of bicycles by individuals (dedicated bike lanes)

*Using re-usable glass for bottled drinks rather than plastic –  sodas taste better in glass and deposits on the bottles are incentives to return the bottles for re-use.

* Using re-usable glass/ceramic/metal food service items instead of styrofoam and other disposable items – an extra fee charged for take away/take out –  (It always feels more homey and /or elegant to actually eat from real plates with real dinnerware while drinking from real glassware.)

I could go on and on with examples, but I think you get my point.  We as a country need to do more of the things listed above; we need to get smart and first study and then implement the European model for being environmentally responsible.

Have a blessed and happy day!

Angela

What Is the Source of Your Food?

Hello World!

The quality of the food we eat is important, and a part of that quality is knowing as much about the source of our food as possible.  I’ll be the first to say that just because food is produced in the United States does not guarantee that it is the best food to eat.  For example, foods grown here from GMOs are not the best choices.  I’m not going to say that food from other countries is not good. Obviously, foods that are good for us and that we enjoy come from other parts of the world and can not be produced here in the U. S.  The HH and I love to travel, and enjoying the food in other countries is part of the fun and pleasure of travel.  Yet, food produced as locally as possible and with reasonable and regulated safety guidelines is better than many foods grown overseas and processed under unknown or questionable safety guidelines.

Ultimately, what really matters is that products are labeled well and honestly, so consumers can make their own decisions.  It is our responsibility to read the labels. Here are some pictures of labels out of my pantry.

Flour – Photo: livingandlovinglifeafter50

The flour indicates that it is distributed by a company located in America. This is not definitive enough for me; I want more.

King Arthur Flour front – Photo: livingandlovinglifeafter50

Thankfully, on the front of the package it indicates that the flour is made from U.S.A. wheat; that helps.

Heinz Ketchup – Photo: livingandlovinglifeafter50

This label is better because it specifically states that the product was manufactured (MFD.) in the U. S. A. I can read each ingredient, but I am still a bit concerned because of the high fructose corn syrup and the lack of knowing if the corn used is a GMO. I may have to write and ask Heinz.

Labels on store brand products like those sold by Kroger and Wal-mart drive me insane because usually the labels state that the product is distributed by whatever store name with an address in the United States.  That is not enough for me; I want to know where the food is from and where it was processed. I’m trying to figure out how to get more information about these store brands.

It is the pasta label below that I like most because it not only gives information about the American company that distributes the product but it also clearly states that it is a product of (made in) the U. S. A.

Pasta Label – Photo: livingandlovinglifeafter50

Despite trying to be careful about choosing food that is sourced in the United States, there are no guarantees.  As I said earlier, I’m okay with food brought in from other countries as long as it is labeled correctly.  I have and will buy food from other countries if I believe the nutritional value of the food and the safety of the food is reasonable.

Unfortunately, not everyone – not every company – wants to be honest about the source of food.  Case in point is the break up of a honey laundering ring.  Yes, I said honey laundering. According to Susan Berfield in her article The Honey Launderers: Uncovering the Largest Food Fraud in U. S. History, published at BusinessWeek.com, the German company AWL was found to be laundering honey from China, shipping the honey to other countries and having it re-labeled and shipped to the U. S. The purpose was to avoid tariffs on Chinese honey and to avoid having the honey turned away due to the use of antibiotics used in the production that are not allowed in the U. S.  (You can read the whole story HERE.)

Buying local and/or growing your own food is the only way to know for sure what is in your food and when, where, and how it was processed.  If this is not feasible, then read labels and pay attention to what you are buying to feed yourself and your family.  After all, as we have all been taught, we are what we eat.

Have a blessed and happy day,

Angela Johnson

For Health’s Sake, Get A Flu Shot NOW – Don’t Wait

Hello World!

With our modern day medical miracles, I don’t think we realize how potentially dangerous the flu can be.

For me, taking the shot is well worth it, so  I hope you will consider getting the vaccine for your family sooner rather than later.  Several years ago, I began getting my vaccine in September.  The school where I worked offered the vaccine at a discount, and later on for free, but the clinic was always held after our Fall Break, and my husband and I traveled during the breaks.  I wanted to be protected while traveling.  This past year, the school did not set the flu vaccine clinic for staff and students until early November.  The week before the clinic was scheduled, the flu virus ran rampant through the school, forcing it to close for a few days in an attempt to stop the spread while giving those infected time to recuperate.  Had the school scheduled the annual flu vaccine clinic earlier in the school year, this closure may have been avoided. The earlier one gets his or her vaccine, the less likely he or she is to become ill with influenza.

Photo Credit

What exactly is “the flu”? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more commonly known as the CDC, “influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated each year” (CDC). In addition to getting vaccinated, washing hands well and often is another good way to avoid becoming ill.

According to the CDC, symptoms of the flu include some or all of the following, and severity of these symptoms vary.

• fever/feeling feverish and/or chills
• body/muscle aches
• lethargy (tiredness)
• headache
• cough and/or sore throat
• stuffy or runny nose

Usually those who succumb to the flu will experience symptoms from a few days to a couple of weeks.  If those who do get sick with the flu see a healthcare professional early enough (within the first two days of symptoms), an anti-viral medication known as Tamiflu can be given to alleviate symptoms and reduce the “down” time from the flu.  However, influenza can lead to deadly complications; it is not to be taken lightly.

Just how dangerous is the flu? According to Time, “several times a century, flu viruses mutate so radically that they can trigger a pandemic.” Flu.gov states that the “Spanish Flu epidemic of 1818-1819 impacted somewhere between 20% to 40% of the world’s population. Approximately 50 million people died.  Not all died from the flu itself; some died from other diseases that were complications of the flu.  Many people who felt well in the morning were deceased by nightfall.  Almost three-quarters of a million of the deaths were in the United States.  In more recent years, death totals have not been so huge, yet people do die each year from flu and flu-related complications.  For example, in 2009, the CDC estimated that one-half million people died world wide as a result of the flu or its complications.

Influenza vaccine is unique in that it is one of the few, if not the only, vaccines that is updated annually.  According to the CDC , “flu vaccines are designed to protect against the influenza viruses that experts predict will be the most common during the upcoming season. Three kinds of influenza viruses commonly circulate among people today: Influenza A (H1N1) viruses, influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and influenza B viruses. Each year, these viruses are used to produce seasonal influenza vaccine.

The 2013-2014 trivalent influenza vaccine is made from the following three viruses:

• an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
• an A(H3N2) virus antigenically like the cell-propagated prototype virus A/Victoria/361/2011;
• a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like virus.

It is recommended that the quadrivalent vaccine containing two influenza B viruses include the above three viruses and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.” (Follow this link HERE to the source of this information to find out more.)

While the over all dangers of influenza may not seem to be (and may not be) as bad as in the past, it is still a disease that all of us should take seriously.  While no vaccine can guarantee one will not get a strain of the flu, the chances are reduced significantly and the potential of complications are limited.

Have a blessed and happy day!

Angela

Volunteerism

Hello World!

Giving of ourselves to help others, animals, our environment, etc. makes our world a better place and is an admirable pursuit. As a native Tennessean, volunteering is in my blood; after all, Tennessee is known as the Volunteer state.

Back Porch of The Hermitage
Photo by Jimmy Johnson

This weekend, the HH is engaging in his most recent volunteer occupation as a greeter at The Hermitage, the historical home of our 7th president Andrew Jackson.  Old Hickory, as he was known, was the kind of guy you either liked or didn’t like, but he was one interesting historical figure in both our state and country.  Since the HH is a people person and a history buff, this type of volunteer work suits him well. Today, he is working the back porch area of Jackson’s home.

Our family has also volunteered as a foster family for animals rescued from kill shelters. We cared for dogs, acclimating them to family life, while waiting for a suitable family to adopt them.  Here are three of the dogs we grew to know and love during their time with us.  I’ve lost track of how many dogs we fostered, but these three were with us the longest; it was hard to let each go.

Ms. Peggy (Piggy)
Photo by livingandlovinglifeafter50

Teddy
Photo by livingandlovinglifeafter50

Bo (Bocephus)
Photo by livingandlovinglifeafter50

What other types of volunteer work have we done.  To give a few more examples, the HH has also volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank here in Nashville, and I spent two years doing volunteer work for a local chapter of Habitat for Humanity as their bookkeeper.  Our youngest daughter is extremely involved in volunteering.

Daughter with friend and car completely full of school supplies

Last month, she and a couple of her friends organized a back-to-school bazaar and collected school supplies for students whose families might otherwise have a difficult time providing all of the items needed for their children. We are proud of her work for others.

Newspaper article to encourage support of back-to-school bazaar

Do you volunteer?  If so, in what ways do you help others, animals/wildlife, or our environment?

Have a blessed and happy day!

Angela

What Have We Learned or Failed to Learn Since 9/11/01?

Hello World!

Like many people, I remember where I was and what I was doing when I learned of the horrible events that occurred on the day to which we now refer as 9/11. The idea of our civilian population being attacked by foreign terrorists was something we as a people thought could not truly happen to us, at least not with any success, but it did happen. While there are stark differences between that day and the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii December 7, 1941, this is the event to which my mind makes a connection.

Obviously, the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese pulled the United States fully into the Second World War, one we tried in vain to avoid.  Once we as a country were committed, everyone rolled up his or her sleeves and did what had to be done. I’m not here to debate that all of the things our country did during this time period of war were morally or ethically correct, but decisions were made and acted upon during a time of hard choices.   Four years later, the war was over and our country not only got back to business as usual, but Americans also got about the business of becoming the most powerful country in the world. The men and women in the generation who led us through this time period have become known as “The Greatest Generation,” and in my opinion, that name is a perfect fit for those Americans.

Now, 12 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, how have we changed as a country?  What lessons have we learned?  What lessons did we have the opportunity to learn and failed to do so?  For a brief moment, brief in terms of a twelve-year span, I saw Americans pulling together and showing love and concern for each other better than anytime that I can remember. I was proud to be an American.  All too quickly, we as a country returned to business as usual – not the business of becoming better and greater as did our post-WW II predecessors, but we returned to the politics of self-interest rather than the good of the people, to the quest for money without care for ethics, to the lifestyle of entitlement rather than fair work for a fair wage, and I could go on.

In the events of the last week, I think we and the world see that the direction our country has taken post 9/11; it has gone quite the opposite direction of what happened in America post WW II.  Instead of strong leaders who set good examples, we have weak, selfish, and self-centered leaders lacking commitment and integrity from all political parties. In years to come, we may come to be known as “The Weakest Generation” or “The Most Selfish Generation?”

Because of lessons not learned by this generation, what is the future of our country?  Is this the end of the America I have known and loved, or is it not too late to adjust our course?  It is my suggestion that we pull back and clean our own house, repair our own structure, and take care of our own people rather than trying to take care of the world.  We are of no use to the world if we cannot heal ourselves first.

Have a blessed and happy day!

Angela