Save on your heating bills

Buffalo winters could destroy your budget, because as the temperature goes down, it becomes more costly to heat your home. The good news is that you can reduce the monetary effect of cold weather by making a number of comparatively trouble-free changes. Some small suggestions follow that could result insubstantial savings.

Turn your thermostat down if you can tolerate a lower temperature. Quite possibly this is the most important thing you can do. By reducing the difference between the inside and the outside temperature you decrease the load you place on your furnace. If you add a layer of clothing, this could help you be comfortable when you turn down your thermostat.

I don’t mean you have to wear your winter coat in the house, but wearing a sweater indoors in the winter is reasonable and a lot less expensive. I wear a fleece lined sweat shirt in the house during the winter. You should also close off unused rooms. There is absolutely no reason to waste money heating an empty room.

Install a smart thermostat. Thermostat technology has improved significantly lately.Many of the newest models are programmable and very easy to install. You can program it to turn the temperature down when you’re at work and turn it up before you return. There’s no point in heating your house when no one’s home,as long as you don’t turn it down so low that your pipes freeze. You could also lower the temperature while you are sleeping. Heating contractors I’ve spoken to recommend that you don’t turn up the temperature in your home more than three degrees at a time to avoid stressing your furnace heat exchanger. I burned out a heat exchanger by turning it up too much all at once each day.There are even thermostat models you can control with a smartphone. They can even “learn” your habits and adjust to them automatically.

Use the sun. Open up your curtains or blinds during the day to allow the sunlight to give you free heat. Cats know all about this and it is why they will chase sunbeams all day when they sleep. Don’t forget to close them when the sun goes down. This will provide a little extra insulation.

Maintain your furnace. If you have forced air heat, making sure your filters are regularly changed reduces the work your furnace blower has to do. Not only is this better for the furnace and your wallet but it will help keep the air cleaner so you won’t have to dust as much. A dirty filter allows the dirt and dust to recirculate throughout your house. Your furnace should be checked every year to ensure it is functioning at peak efficiency and not spewing out unburned fuel and carbon monoxide which is a colorless and odorless killer.

Seal up cracks. The collective heat loss caused by small cracks and misalignments along your windows and doors can add up to a massive heat loss. If you have a number of small leaks, it is like leaving your front door open with just your screen door closed to keep out the weather. If you can feel any type of draft,you should plug the gap. Use weather stripping, or caulk, to plug the leaks,depending on what is appropriate for the location.

If you have a crawl space under your house, make sure the outside vents are closed. They seldom seal completely, so adding a layer of plastic sheeting or more solid material is advised. This will keep your floors warmer.

Vent fans are necessary for bathrooms and kitchen areas, but be sure they are notleft on. Timers can be utilized to shut off bathroom vents so they don’t run too long.

Keep furniture and other obstacles away from vents so you don’t block the flow of warm air. If you have a ceiling fan, you can use it in reverse to keep warm air from rising and collecting on the ceiling.If you have a fireplace, close the damper after the fire is completely out. Most fireplace flues measure 8X8 and leaving it open is like having an 8X8 hole in the wall.

Consider turning your water heater temperature down, and make sure the hot water pipes are insulated.

Check your duct work. If a single vent is not creating enough air flow in comparison to other vents that could be a sign of a leaky pipe. Also check your duct work that runs through your crawl space or attic and make sure there are no slightly disconnected pipes. Seal any cracks with foil-backed duct tape. Consider insulating the ducts in these areas as well. Be careful though, in extremely cold temperatures, when you have insulated duct work, ensure the pipes are insulated also. Frequently heat that you lose into those unheated spaces from the duct work may be giving just enough heat to keep your pipes from freezing.

Winterize your windows, particularly if they are older windows. Storm windows help but they fail to keep out all the drafts, particularly during a windy day.Installing a layer of clear plastic film can assist in decreasing the heat lost through your windows while allowing sunlight to come through giving you free heat.

Call your utility company or government agencies. They frequently provide energy audits for free and give you conservation advice.

These small changes may seem like they are not worth the effort, but you’ll be amazed at the positive effect they will have on your heating costs. After you see the changes in your fuel bill, feel free to throw another log in the fireplace and bask in the glow of your savings.

Note: this has appeared in Buffalo Rising

Just had to post this

Hiring Veterans is good for everyone

Don’t Forget, Hire a Vet.

That person behind the counter or clerk you meet in the aisle of a store that you encounter today just might be a veteran. Veterans and reservists help staff and run operations for lots of businesses both locally and across the nation, including restaurants, manufacturers and retailers. Mighty Taco in Lockport has an Air Force veteran working there and we always spar with each other because I was a Navy veteran.

Hiring veterans benefits everybody. I can think of no better way to say “Thank you for your service” than to offer a veteran a job. Many veterans, both enlisted or officers, have higher education degrees, and many of them are very hard workers. Sometimes the job proficiency that you are asking for is something that can be taught and many ex-military are quick learners. Employers may want plug and play, but they are going to have to train someone no matter who they hire.

Many employers who seek out veterans to hire have stated there are many benefits in attracting veterans such as the experience that they bring like more focused attention and the ability to work independently. Military people are resilient and reliable. They don’t get upset or disturbed by change and you can count on them. They are used to going in and tackling challenges and accomplishing a mission.

Hiring veterans can provide tax advantages to employers as well. Because I was a Vietnam veteran, my employer got a tax advantage and I helped them fulfill their “diversity” quota. It was not only a win, win for them but it was a win for me.

I frequently see people with a ball cap on that lists a branch of the service or the unit they served with. I make it a point to walk up to them and welcome them home, thanking them for their service. It takes a special type of person to devote a part of their life to our country. Sometimes we may bust on each other for being in the “wrong” branch of the service but we are all brothers and sisters in arms.

One company, Walmart, is more than halfway to its goal of hiring 250,000 veterans by 2020. Walmart calls its program the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment. Through the program, it guarantees it will offer a position to every veteran who’s honorably discharged after Memorial Day 2013, or later. So far, the company said it’s hired about 188,000 veterans and promoted 28,000 more. Company officials also view military veterans honorably discharged before 2013 as potentially desirable employees, based upon their subsequent training and experiences.

Hundreds of companies that make hiring veterans a priority are about to get some attention from the U.S. Labor Department through a recognition program Congress created earlier this year. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing (HIRE) American Military Veterans Act, signed by President Donald Trump in May, creates the HIRE Vets Medallion Program to provide that recognition.

The medallion program will recognize about 300 participating employers in 2018 before being expanded the following year, federal officials said. “Through their military service, America’s veterans have leadership skills, technical expertise, and proven problem-solving capabilities. These are attributes that any employer would want.”

Companies acknowledged through the program will be able to show off HIRE Vets Medallions on their websites and within their social media posts and in printed materials.

Many times, employers don’t quite understand how to convert a veteran’s experience into comparable private sector jobs and frequently there aren’t jobs that correspond to their experience. I can’t think of many jobs that would utilize a Navy Seal’s or a Gunner’s mate’s training for instance. The problem is understanding that every veteran has had so many more duties than it initially appears. While veterans have educational opportunities by the use of the GI Bill, sometimes going back to school isn’t a realistic option. They still have to make a living especially if they have a family.

Many mistaken beliefs about veterans are driven by the high-profile stories that are covered in the media. There’s also the influence of an extensively quoted statistic from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In its 2012 suicide data report, they found that every day, an average of 22 veterans take their own lives, although this number doesn’t mean their death is just related to their being in the service. The population cannot be distilled down to just a simple number.

A few industry players are attempting to counteract this problem with specialized programs that cater to veterans and their families. The Cosmopolitan, a resort in Las Vegas actively recruits veterans and they reported this past year that 200 of their 5,000 employees are veterans or spouses of veterans.

Norb is a Lockport resident, a proud American and Navy veteran.

Do children deserve/need an allowance?

money pink coins pig — Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

As a young child, I got an allowance and spent it unwisely buying my “friends” penny candy and comic books. I found out my “friends” were gone as soon as my money was. Lesson learned.

Allowances are powerful things. Children should be allowed to make unwise purchases, because we all learn from our mistakes. Allowances are most children’s first exposure to the power of personal choice that financial means can bring. It is for this very reason that parents may approach it with fear. Children need to understand the value of money, and will only learn this when they have their own money. Receiving an allowance can teach children the basics of how to be responsible and self-reliant.

Children need the opportunity to spend and save their own money. As I got older and stopped receiving an allowance I went to work. I worked at a stable and then on a chicken farm. I learned that I needed to work for my money and not to be dependent on my parents for everything. I remember buying my first car at 16. I didn’t need any help paying for it. I also had to pay for all my car expenses myself like gas and insurance. I learned true money management this way. Children will learn how to make a budget and spend accordingly. As parents we may be responsible for the basics, but kids who earn money should become responsible for the frills.

Let me tell you how we used to do it. My kids grew up in the era where your popularity depended partially on whose name was embroidered on the seat of your jeans. I believed we, as parents, were responsible to buy them jeans but I balked at paying for a designer name. My girls were working at the time so I proposed the following. I would give them the price of a reasonably priced pair of generic jeans. If they wanted designer jeans, they paid the difference. They quickly decided the designer jeans just weren’t worth the extra money and got the jeans I gave them the money for. I did something else with my children to measure how they were learning fiscal responsibility. I gave them all ten dollars with the stipulation they had to spend it on something totally impractical. At the end of a week they had to give it back if they didn’t spend it. My oldest daughter had to return the money because she just couldn’t spent it foolishly. I was so proud.

You are not going to kill your kids by teaching them how to be responsible with money. Our job as parents is to prepare our kids for adulthood. You won’t rob them of their childhood and you’ll teach them lifetime lessons that our school system does not. By giving them an allowance you will teach the concept of budgeting, how to avoid unnecessary purchases, how to save towards a bigger goal, teach them responsibility and give them independence. An allowance can be a great way to teach kids money management skills and help them learn how to make decisions, deal with limited funds, and understand the benefit of saving. There’s no single correct way to handle giving an allowance. Deciding when to start, how much to give, and whether you want to link the allowance to chores are choices that should fit your family.

No set age is best for every kid, but consider starting an allowance by the time a child is by 10 years old at the latest. By then, most kids have had experience making thoughtful spending decisions but still look to parents for guidance. Regardless of how much you choose, give the allowance regularly and increase the amount as your child gets older. Should an allowance be tied to chores? Again, it’s a personal choice. Some experts think that it’s important to make this connection so that kids learn the relationship between work and pay. Others say that kids should have a responsibility to help with housework, above and beyond any financial incentive. In the end, you must decide what works best for you.

Whatever you decide, be sure that all parties understand the arrangement. If some of the allowance is to go to savings, consider setting up an account at a local bank. This way, your child can keep track of the money. Many banks offer special bank accounts for kids, and yours may enjoy the experience of getting mail and seeing their money grow.

In Praise of Electric Blankets

I have been an electric blanket owner for several years now. After my wife, my electric blanket is the number one thing in my life I can’t live without during the winter. I could make do without forks, without a TV, without matching socks, but I don’t think I could get through the winter without the potential for a warm bed to crawl into at the end of the day. With snow already falling and showing up in the five day forecast, I enjoy nothing more than the thought of retiring to the soft, toasty magic delivered by some thin wires and fabric as the world freezes beyond my window.

Now days we turn down the thermostat (which is already set low) when we go to bed. I spend all day wearing a fleece lined hoodie and wrapped up in a wool blanket. Unfortunately, I have to leave my nice warm and toasty cocoon occasionally during the day. I then rush back and wrap myself up again like a swaddled baby.

I admit I really didn’t like the idea of an electric blanket. My phobia might have come from watching too much TV where a victim was killed by their murderous electric blanket. After a while though, it became clear to me that I would not be killed by my electric blanket if I used it properly.

Don’t tangle or fold the blanket up when it is on. Make sure it is flat on your bed or couch. Don’t wrap up in the blanket like a mummy and then try to see if you can get to the bathroom without unplugging the cord. At the very least, turn your blanket off when you go to sleep or put it on a timer just to be safe. There are several timers that plug in the wall outlet for turning lights on and off that are suitable.

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (www.esfi.org), a nonprofit based in Rosslyn, Virginia that researches electrical safety in North America, reported over 370,000 house fires occur annually and that electric blankets and heating pads combined only caused around 500 of these. According to them “almost all of these fires involve electric blankets that are more than 10 years old.”

I suggest you use a sharpie to write the date that you purchased it on your blanket and throw it away after about 8 years just to be safe. People new to using electric blankets really shouldn’t fear them, just as long as they’re using them properly and didn’t get them from a yard sale with the wires poking out. You are more likely to have a house fire from cooking or a candle according to FEMA. The only thing most users are in danger of is turning it up too high and waking up in a sweat.

Nevertheless, electric blankets’ unjust reputation remains. The electric blanket is an irrationally silly device, something I had associated with bad ideas from the 1970s, like avocado kitchen appliances and shag carpeting.

There is nothing worse in the winter than crawling into bed and then just lying there, trying to warm up your sheets. Prior to using an electric blanket, going to sleep used to be a nightmare (pun intended). It required me to find the thickest flannel pajamas I could find and crawling under 15 layers of blankets and comforters. I would then curl into a fetal position and shiver to warm my pocket of air under the blankets that I would lose instantly if my wife got out of bed.

The best part about an electric blanket is that they only warm your bed, not the whole room or the whole house. Central heating warms the actual air of a room, it also dries it out and makes your nose stuffy. You might even save some money by using an electric blanket rather than keeping the heat on high overnight. And in drafty homes or apartments they’re all the more essential for comfort, and far safer than a space heater.

If you and your partner happen to disagree on what is a satisfactory level of heat, and I know my wife and I do, there are quite a few blankets with dual controls that allow you to control your side of the bed. And if you sleep alone, that’s an even better reason to buy an electric blanket. They are particularly nice when you sleep alone.

Sure, there’s still an undeniable ridiculousness to having an electric blanket, the ultimate luxury, but our winters are cold and long and with winter just getting started, we have already had snow. There are many, many cold Western New York nights ahead before we see the leaves on the trees again. When you get in bed tonight, think about how nice it would be to slide between nice warm sheets and then go out and buy an electric blanket.

Just turn it on about an hour before you go to bed, then turn it off when you get in and you’ll be nice and warm.

Kindness

man holding baby s breath flower in front of woman standing near marble wall — Photo by vjapratama on Pexels.com

I recently ended up on the ground as I was on my way to a medical appointment. My legs just gave out. Several kind people came to my aid and they even called an ambulance for me. It got me thinking about kindness. There are many ways to show kindness.

Be loving. My wife likes flowers so I try to keep fresh cut flowers in the house every day of the year. Give flowers to someone for no particular reason at all.

Be courteous. When you find yourself waiting in a line in a supermarket and there is someone behind you with just a few items you let them go ahead of you. It won’t take much of your time and could make someone’s day.

Be friendly. When I used to take bike rides thru the city, I would greet people I would see sitting on their porch. They would always say hello back. Say hello to strangers when you walk past them on the street.

Be charitable. I have walked into a local food bank with some cash and gave it to them. Donate anonymously. Just the act of giving is all the reward you should needed. Most of us have clothing we have out grown or don’t wear anymore. Donate used your clothing to charity. It feels good to know you are helping someone out even if you don’t know them. Also you can donate your used vehicle to a worthy cause.

Be thankful. I once saw three soldiers in desert camo going into a local sandwich shop. I circled the block and went in and paid for their meal. When I see a veteran with a ball cap indicating they had been in the service, I go out of my way to thank them. This also happens to me as well when I wear my Vietnam veterans’ hat. Make every day Veteran’s Day.

Be considerate. I worked at a super market in my youth and one of my jobs was to go on “cart patrol”. It was especially aggravating to have to get dressed in my winter coat, hat and boots to retrieve that one cart someone had left in the furthest corner of the parking lot. Return the cart to the store or the cart corral if they have one.

Be thoughtful. Speaking of shopping carts, I give my cart to someone at Aldi and when they offer me the quarter, I refuse and tell them to pass it on. Sometimes I just push it into the cart collection area and walk away, leaving the quarter in it. It’s just a quarter, It’s not going to bankrupt me.

Be kind. We all get frustrated in traffic at one time or another. However, simply because traffic is moving slowly doesn’t mean that we can’t let another driver into your lane. One additional car in front of you isn’t going to make you arrive any earlier or later. Mow the lawn, rake the leaves or shovel the snow for a senior citizen and surprise them. When I was younger, I used to snow blow all the way around the block. I figured I was dressed and out in the cold anyway, why not help people out.

Be polite. The next time you hear someone sneeze, say “Bless you” whether you know them or not. People rarely do this anymore.

Be appreciative. At some point in time, we’ve all had to call a handyman to help us out. The next time someone is at your house fixing something, offer them a cold drink. Let them know you value the work they are doing for you. You might get a higher level of service in gratitude and maybe the bill will be a bit lower. I know, I used to run a handyman business myself.

Be nice. Hold the elevator for someone. The few minutes you wait for someone will not affect your day but it may improve theirs.

Be generous. I have taken extra coupons to a fast food restaurant and give them to families with children or older couples. If you have extra coupons give them to other customers. Stop at a kid’s lemonade stand and buy a drink. It’s usually only a quarter. You will make them smile. Servers make their living on tips. Leave a big tip and the next time you go you might be treated well.

Be Complementary. Telling someone you like their work, their outfit or their haircut is the cheapest form of kindness there is. Acts of thoughtfulness generally cost you little and can make a person’s day better.

I recently was at a Dance recital. At intermission, I went out to get something to drink. They were selling iced, bottled water for a dollar a bottle. Unfortunately, the cooler was on the floor. Being as I have a balance issue, I asked the person in front of me to get me a bottle of water. She handed me the one they had gotten for themselves and bent over to get one for herself. I slid my way around her and cut in front of her. When it came to pay I paid for both of our drinks. One good turn deserves another. Kindness starts with just one person holding open a door for another and that person passing it on.

LOVIN SPOONFUL: Dee’s Sugar Shack

stainless steel spoon — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Donna and I had a day off so we took a ride to Sugar Shack, 460 West Ave, Lockport, for breakfast.

This is another one of the diners located in Lockport. Dee’s is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch only with the exception of Thursday and Friday when they also serve dinner. We hadn’t been there in years and for the life of me I don’t know why.

First thing I noticed was the cleanliness of the place, very, very clean. It looked like they had just done a deep clean minutes before we walked in the door. I was impressed. It looked like we could eat off the floor. The specials were written on a chalkboard that you could see as soon as you came in. Also listed were the “Pies made to order” that they sell and they all sounded delicious. We grabbed a booth and our server was right there with menus and to take our drink order. I felt sorry for her as she seemed to be the only server but fortunately for her there weren’t many patrons in the place.

I had a Pepsi (2.19) and Donna ordered water with lemon. When the server came back with our drinks, Donna ordered a bowl of soup of the day, beef vegetable (3.75) and I asked for 2 eggs over easy, home fries, no salt and white toast (4.50). I also ordered grape jelly, my favorite. The server came back and said the home fries are preseasoned and that I could substitute the hash browns if I wanted to limit my salt. This was refreshing, never has a server offered me a reduced salt option to me. I said sure, even though I don’t usually like hash browns, but I did have to watch my diet.

I was surprised at how fast the meals arrived. Our food was at our table in record time. When she delivered our meals asked for hot sauce which she promptly got for me. Donna’s soup was delicious. It had a beef bouillon taste to the broth and plenty of noodles and vegetables. The beef was a ground beef and that indicated to me the soup was probably homemade. A bit salty for my liking but tasty nevertheless. I’ve been on a reduced salt diet for a few weeks now and I can taste it in foods where I couldn’t previously.

My breakfast eggs were cooked perfectly. The eggs had a smooth flowing yolk with a nice firm white. The hash browns were very flavorful for a salt reduced product. They were hash brown patties rather than a pile of loose grated potatoes. Obviously these weren’t home made. The toast was nicely toasted and came with one serving of the requested grape jelly and one serving of mixed fruit jelly. I figured this was going to happen because when she was taking our order, she skipped writing this down.

Other than that, the service was flawless and I appreciated the fact the server took the time to help me with my special request. We left the place quite satisfied and decided we would put Dee’s back into the breakfast rotation. Neither one of us needed lunch that day as we were still full from our breakfast.

460 West Ave
Lockport , New York
(716) 433-9538

Hours:
Monday – Wednesday 6 AM to 2 PM
Thursday 6 AM to 7 PM
Friday 6 AM to 8 PM
Saturday and Sunday 7 AM to 2 PM

I give them nine of ten spoons but only because I didn’t get all grape jelly, like I had asked and the soup was a bit salty.

Norb is a restaurant reviewer for the Niagara Gazette and the Union Sun and Journal, Night and Day supplement.

Ford Fairlane.

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My second car was a black 1959 Ford Fairlane. I had unfortunately blown the engine in my first car, a 1961 Mercury Comet. Because I didn’t have the money for a new car and given the fact I was going into the Navy soon, I didn’t want to buy another one not knowing where I was going to be stationed or for how long.

As fate would have it, my buddy, Ed, had two identical 1959 four door, Ford Fairlane field cars. They were even both black. The only problem was neither one was street worthy. The good thing was they both had different problems. One had a bad engine and the other had a bad rear end.

The obvious solution to me was to take the rear end out of the one with a bad engine and put it in the car with the “good engine.” Because they were both in a field, we got his father’s tractor, wrapped a chain around the car with the blown engine and tipped it up on its side. We then started unbolting the rear end.

Did I mention it was winter? It was about ten degrees out, snowing, and the wind was blowing. The cold was so bad that I had to look at my hands to see if I was holding the wrenches. Steel is very cold in the winter. We would pop our heads up and work a bit until we couldn’t stand it any longer and then duck down behind the tipped up car to get out of the wind. We must have looked like a bunch of ground hogs peering out of their burrows to see what was going on.

I think this took a few hours with us freezing the entire time. When we finally dropped out the rear end we all headed to his house to warm up with a few drinks. Once we warmed up, we dragged the rear end thru the snow to his driveway. We then brushed the snow off the tractor and backed it up dropping the now stripped car on it’s frame.

Then we wrapped the tow chain around the frame of the “good” car and pulled it to the driveway. We loaded the rear end in the trunk and went back inside to warm up again. Once we warmed again, we went back outside and took the plates from my ’61 and slapped them on the ‘59. We tried to start the “good” car to drive it to where Ed worked so we could replace the rear end out of the weather. It took two batteries to get the engine to turn over. Once it got going, I had to keep the gas pedal jammed to the floor just to keep the engine running.

Thus began the long trip from Millersport Highway in Amherst to the Airport Plaza in Cheektowaga where he had access to a lift. The car never went over 15 miles per hour all the way and Ed ran interference for me because I couldn’t stop for anything. No stop signs, no signals, I’m just glad we didn’t have to cross any train tracks.

Once we got it into the garage, we replaced the rear axle and did a standard tune up, points, plugs, wires and timing. I turned the key and heard the throaty rumble of a car that has been brought back from the dead. I think the 59 was saying “Thank you”.

Although it was winter, the New York State Thruway was well plowed and salted. I drove the car out the overhead door of the shop and headed towards the onramp a short distance away. It rode like a dream. It was hard to believe this was the same car that we had to nurse all the way from Ed’s house. I hit the Thruway and slowly started to increase the speed, listening for any strange noises and seeing if there was any unusual shaking or steering problems. I kept increasing the speed until the Fairlane hit 120 MPH. There were no problems at all and I still had gas pedal to go. Houston we have a liftoff. I’m just glad there weren’t any cops out that day.

The DMV was a bit lax back then and Ed “sold” me the car for a dollar. I legally transferred the plates from my Comet and fixed the drafts coming into the passenger compartment with some lumber, added a hand formed, aluminum siding hood scoop, a fifth headlight and several other personal touches.

One day I was at a gas station at Millersport and Transit gassing up on 29 cent gasoline. I started the car and a four foot flame shot out of the hood scoop. The owner, who had pumped my gas, beat out the flames with his gloves and told me to push the car over to the side. He then forbade me from ever coming to his gas station again.

The ‘59 served me well and I “sold” it back to Ed when I left for boot camp, again for a dollar. He drove it for a while. Then one day, as he was driving it, the drive shaft fell out. The drive shaft dug into the street and elevated the rear of the car. He took the plates off, hitchhiked home and my Franken car was never to be seen again.

Norb is a freelance journalist from Lockport.

My Personal 10 commandments:

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1) Be nice. I put this one first because I feel it is the most important commandment. It costs you nothing to be nice to people. It can be as simple as a “Good morning” when you first see them each day. Be nice to everyone, especially those that aren’t nice to you. It will drive them crazy and make them wonder what you are up to.

2) Respect others. Respect is essential because it demonstrates that you value the rights and dignity of someone else as a human being. Everyone deserves your respect no matter their station in life. From a homeless person to a fast food worker to the CEO of a company. You don’t know their story and they may be doing the best they can.

3) Drive carefully. This is not just for you but for me, my family and everyone else on the road. Also don’t drive when you shouldn’t, like when you are angry, stoned on drugs or drunk.

4) Donate to the less fortunate. This will make you feel good. Donating to a charity anonymously is one of the best feelings in the world. I have honestly found in life that the most generous people I met were the ones with the least. When I lived in Massachusetts, I lived in a WPA housing development where everyone there was either on some kind of financial assistance or receiving a low income. Nobody ever went hungry there because everyone would share their food allotment with everyone else. They would also have a monthly food “swap” where they would trade what they wouldn’t use for something they would.

5) Help others. Offer to shovel their snow, cut their grass, rake their leaves and help with odd jobs. You might not know just who could use help unless you ask. Some people are too proud to ask for help. I used to snow blow my entire block in my youth. I was already out there and it didn’t take me much longer to snow blow 10 front sidewalks as it did to do just mine. Besides, it was just the neighborly thing to do.

6) Provide a good example. Your children will learn how to act as adults by watching how you act much more than how you tell them to act. For most children, the most important role models are their parents and caregivers like grandparents that have a regular presence in their lives. Your children will see your example either positive or negative, as a pattern for the way life is to be lived.

7) Listen more. Everyone loves to talk about themselves. The most rudimentary of all human requirements is the need to understand and be understood. The greatest way to appreciate people is to pay attention to them. Sometimes listening to someone will prove to be therapeutic to them if they are going through a hard or difficult time.

8) Offer advice only when asked. Sometimes people just need to vent and are not asking for advice. If you offer advice at this point chances are it will be ignored, however if they ask for advice, be as diplomatic as you can be and instead of saying “Do this” or “Do that”, say “If I were you I would think about doing this or that.” You could also guide the person asking for advice by saying “Maybe you could look into getting help with (whatever their problem is)” or suggest who they might call that could help.

9) Love more. There is just too much hate in the world. Hate will eat you up inside and make you a bitter person. By loving one another we can get much more done to improve the world.

10) Appreciate life. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow isn’t here yet. As the saying goes “carpe diem” or seize the day. Live in the moment. Be thankful for one more day on Earth. It is a blessing not everyone gets. Play more, laugh more, forgive more and try to see the good in everything. Remember every cloud has a silver lining. I could tell you how food poisoning saved my life but that is a story for another time.

When a boy becomes a man

army authority drill instructor group — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It was a cold day in the 60’s that I started a 4 year journey that would change my life forever. I started out a boy and when I was done, I had become a man.

I boarded a bus for Great Lakes, Michigan. There I would spend months learning to march, and how to handle a rifle. Yes, I was at Boot Camp.

This was the longest period of time I had ever spent away from my friends and family and it prepared me for even longer stretches I would have to spend away from them. I was selected as the leader of my group which meant I was responsible for the actions of all the people in our company. This was the first thing I learned in the service. Don’t volunteer for anything. I got this job because they asked if anyone had a driver’s license. I raised my hand anticipating a plum job driving around dignitaries and officers. Psyche, they were just looking for someone foolish enough to raise their hand.

We started out with a physical examination (turn your head and cough). They checked our eyesight where I failed the color perception test (it didn’t matter). After they checked our hearing, we went to the clothing issue area where we were measured and given a sea bag full of clothing including underwear, socks and shoes. We also received personal care items like a toothbrush, toothpaste and a bar of soap.

Then we took a general classification test to determine the area of our aptitude. After physical training and a visit to the obstacle course, we participated in a swim test, water survival class where we learned how to remove our jeans and make a floatation device. We took damage control training where we had to repair simulated damage to our “ship” before it sank. We then visited a burn building to learn how to put out a burning ship, a smoke house, and a trip thru the tear gas building, After many hours of classroom instruction to complete our training, we graduated and got our stripes.

We then received our “Marching orders”. I was lucky to be selected to go to Machinery Repairman “A” school. This was probably due to the machine shop and mechanical engineering I took I took in high school and college. After a brief leave to visit back home I boarded a flight to San Diego California where they offered this school. California was interesting. I had never been somewhere where all the trees were palm trees, no maples or pine trees. On the weekends, some of my “mates” and I would get sleeping bags from “special services” on the base and go to the sandstone cliffs of La Jollia for the weekend. Armed with my “boom box”, we would swim and enjoy our time away from the base.

We would build a small fire to cook our meals and there was a public drinking fountain nearby that we would fill gallon bottles of water for our use. Water wasn’t all we drank. We used to get a gallon jug of Red Mountain wine at the local package store. This was accomplished by asking someone going into the package store and giving them a few bucks to get this for us. None of us were old enough to buy it ourselves.

We would take food from the mess to take with us but we would also buy food from the Alpha Beta supermarket that was near our campsite.

When I graduated from “A” school I took another short leave to go home and then went to my ship in Newport Rhode Island. My wife and I got married after a long 6 month cruise and we started living in Fall River Massachusetts. That was one of the roughest times of my life up until then. We were living without the benefit of family living nearby and I now had someone else relying on me for food and shelter.

We had no safety net so we had to do it on our own. All through the first few years of our marriage and the birth of two of my children, I was at sea as much as I was in port. It was during this time I learned a lot about myself. I learned more about personal responsibility, family values and self-reliance than I ever had before. Now some fifty years later, I am amazed that my younger self was able to pull it off.

I developed skills during my time in the military service that enabled me to survive, raise children and live a good life. I learned self-confidence and self-reliance. Like I said in the beginning, I started out a boy and when I was done, I had become a man.