November 2009

Salvation Army Kettle Upgrade!

Posted on November 30, 2009 at 6:28 am in
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"They know what a red kettle means to peo...
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I guess it really is a sign of the times. The Salvation Army is now installing credit card swiping machines in their kettles.

According to an article: Salvation Army Debuts Credit Card Kettles They are a booming success. The article reports that they have found that the average Donner will give $14.00 when using the credit card as opposed to the average Donner will usually give $2.00 in change.

But I know that we give continually through the season every time we pass a kettle so there is no telling how much it ends up to by the end of the shopping season.

This article is based on a trial they conducted in Madison WI. They report that shoppers are welcoming the credit card kettles.

Salvation Army Credit Card Kettles from WKOW

Salvation Army Credit Card Kettles from WKOW


My husband’s Stepfather was a WWII Veteran decorated with a Purple Heart medal of honor. He always told us to give heartily to the Salvation Army because they were always there for the service men during the war giving freely unlike some of the other charities that would charge even for a cup of coffee.

The Salvation Army states that the credit card machines are secure and that they use a reputable company that guarantees any transactions stay confidential.

No report of how soon they will be coming to our area here in Upstate New York. They probably will be in the larger more metropolitan areas for awhile.

The important thing is the Spirit of Giving. I think it will be awhile before we get used to using a credit card to donate to them because we a just so used to dropping any change and loose bills into the kettle.

Well, here is wishing you safe productive shopping. What do you think about the soon to be added tech upgrade for the Salvation Army Kettles? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Deer Hunting Season Goes On

Posted on November 28, 2009 at 11:52 pm in
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Red Dot
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This year my husband need a new “Red Dot” scope

Every year before the hunting season there is always some type of gear or supplies that have to be purchased. I tell you getting venison is sure costly.

He also needs to add to his supply of long underwear. He has a collection of outer wear that he is very satisfied with. Here in Upstate New York it can get pretty cold during the hunting season, or like this year it can be kind of warm. Today it was in the high 40s again.

Finding a good place to hunt is getting harder and harder to do. We have a small group of family and close friends that go in together to lease property to hunt on. We have been leasing the property that they will be hunting on this year for 2 years now. So far they pulled one deer out of there. Needless to say, they will not be returning to this same land next year.

If you do some research you can find some farmers or land owners that will lease property out just for hunting on. Some are more lax with what you can do on the property than others. Before we leased this land we signed a three year lease on property that was very heavily regulated. We could bring in small hunting campers and leave them there through the hunting season but they had to be off the property the first of the year. This was a problem because it meant moving the campers when the weather here is usually at its worst.

Sometimes you can get permission to hunt on property for a day or two. Some farmers like to have the hunters come in and knock down the deer population some because they are a big problem for their crops and have to go out and do the hunting themselves along with taking care of the farmland. This is a win, win situation.

Around here the deer population has to be managed. If we didn’t we would not be able to drive on the roads safely. Farmers would go broke with the destroyed crops and worst of all the deer would be starving to death through the hard winters with the lack of food due to the over population.

This year the hunters were complaining about the cut back in the doe permits. But we know that if we didn’t have this kind of management the deer population would suffer.

Well, we still do not have any venison in our freezer yet so, the hunting goes on.

Do you have a hunting story to tell? Some tips? Leave a comment and share it with us.

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Black Friday Shopping

Posted on November 27, 2009 at 1:34 pm in
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Black Friday Crowds 2
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Do you shop Black Friday like so many of our population does? I do not. I am not good with crowds. Also, I do a lot of our shopping online. Here at home in Upstate New York this time of year the weather is very unpredictable.

Yesterday for Thanksgiving we had upper 50s and sunshine. Today, the temperature is barely making it to the 40s and is rainy and cold. So the best advice is to dress in layers. It could be icy cold or rainy. It could also warm up and be nice out. So layering is the best bet here.

You will also want to wear comfortable shoes. You know you will be doing a lot of walking around to the more comfy the better.

Black Friday Shoppers in the Rain

Black Friday Shoppers in the Rain

The term Black Friday originated sometime back in about 1966, out of Pennsylvania and spread across the East coast. Since about 2000 the term has become popular throughout the United States. According to news releases, in 2007, 135 million people participated in the Black Friday shopping rush.

Last year, there were several injuries related to the Black Friday shopping rush. It does seem to bring out the worst in people. Some reports of shoppers snatching sale items right out of people’s hands or carts.

Bring your lists and coupons and ads to be able to catch all the sales you planned on. You can bet that there will be long lines at the check out counters too.

There are a lot of things you can do to increase your safety as you shop on Black Friday or any time you do your Holiday Shopping.

One blog site that has really good tips is Plus Size Mommy
She has a great list of tips and hints to help you. Her blog tips focus on staying safe while you shop. Very good advice.

Busy Shopper in a hurry

Busy Shopper in a hurry


I am not a fan of camping out all night or most of the night to get a good deal at a store. Some people are and actually do this.

Some of the stores are extending the sales now to Saturday too. That helps to tone down the Black Friday crowds. The latest news report today is that the shoppers are out about as much as they were last year and sales are going good. So, happy shopping. If you have a Black Friday experience you want to share leave a comment and share it with us.

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