Letter from Mr. Turkey

How to do a quick housecleaning

Company coming? And you don't have time for cleaning? here are some ideas for quick housecleaning.

•take a basket through the house picking up clutter

•put the basket out of site, but schedule time to put away later

•clean up any trash and throw it out

•wipe down obvious smears in bathroom

•close the doors to rooms your guests won't see

•wipe the floor down with a damp towel

•pour some cleaner in the toilet and do a quick run with the brush

•vacuum only the high-traffic areas guests will see

•don't worry about moving furniture

•use a dust mop to dust any wooden floors quickly

•wipe up any obvious smudges on furniture, counters, and mirrors

•straighten stacks of magazines and knick knacks on shelves

•straighten couch pillows and slipcovers

•burn some scented candles for an air of cleanliness

There--all done. Now, go enjoy your guests!

For more easy & economical household tips go to www.granny-green.com

Veteran's Day 2008

Grandfather Roberts

This is my grandfather Wesley Samuel Roberts, Sr. He was my mother’s father.

When I first looked at the picture in the frame, I found his funeral program tucked behind it. When I discovered it, your Uncle Lee was glad to finally know where he was buried. I guess the rest of the family had no records of it. It tells that he was born in Missouri, Sept 4 1899 and died in Portland, Oregon May 2, 1948. They told my mother she couldn’t attend since she was pregnant (with me) and it would not be good for her. She always regretted that she didn’t go.

This picture shows Grandfather in his World War I uniform in 1918 or 1919. Being an infantryman, he fought against the Germans in the trenches in France during the war. This was trench warfare, where one side would slowly overtake the other side, trench by trench. These trenches were approximately 200 yards apart (sometimes less) and the troops would shoot at each other from them. Other times they would “rush” the other side and it became hand-to-hand combat.

Grandfather brought home a souvenir of the war: a German Bayonet. I still have it. Family tradition says it was thrown at Grandfather when he was fighting in the trenches.

Grandfather suffered all his life from being gassed there, also. Both sides used gas warfare: they would release a cloud of poisonous gas that would be carried by the wind toward the enemy lines. The gas warfare led to the development of a “new” technology: gas masks. The gas masks worked only part of the time, mostly depending on the type of gas the other side was using.

Other veterans in the family: My Dad is not a veteran, but he inspected airplanes in WWII at the Boeing Plant in Seattle. And, your Dad served in Vietnam in 1968.

It's a good day to be proud of those who served our country!

love, Mom

Other Uses for WD-40

WD-40’s original name was Water Displacement #40. This product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.

WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. The name comes from the project to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their Atlas missile parts.

Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you. (The basic ingredient is fish oil.)

Here are some other uses you might find useful:

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.

2. Removes lipstick stains.

3. Removes road tar and grime from cars.

4. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.

5. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).

6. Removes all traces of duct tape.

7. The favorite use in the state of New York: WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.

HOT MULLED APPLE CIDER

Now that it's November and the wind is whipping around the corners, here's a great recipe for warming you up!

Hot Mulled Apple Cider

2 qt. (8 c.) apple juice
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
6 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks, broken into 1" pieces

In large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer covered, for 20 minutes. Strain to remove spices. Serve warm with a cinnamon stick. 16 (1/2 cup) servings.

I VOTED!

Local Girl Scouts made "I Voted" stickers for when the polls ran out of their regular stickers yesterday. Samantha (who voted for the first time this year) was jealous of my sticker. She voted earlier and got a "regular" one.

VOTE FOR NEBRASKA'S MEMORIAL STADIUM

This is a link to a USA Today article on the 10 Best Places to Stand and Cheer College Football. ESPN/ABC's Ed Cunningham contributed to the article and the home of the Big Red made the list.

Of the stadium, Cunningham said, The all-red-clad patrons of Memorial Stadium make this a memorable place regardless of the outcome. Lincoln is one of those college towns that give the term 'college town' such special meaning."

Right now our Memorial Stadium is leading with about 30% of the vote.

But Penn State isn't too far behind us! So go cast your vote here.

The poll is on the left side of the page and down a little bit.

Go Big Red! Love, Mom