The summer heat is here….

I think I can officially say that summer has started. Have you ever noticed that when it is really hot that the crickets start chirping? Last week we had four days of heavy rain. This week the heat has settled in. TF came home yesterday with salt lines all up and down his shirt. We are going thru more ice and water and the air conditioner is chugging away. I am not looking forward to next month’s electric bill. It’s already high.

Last week my friends, Sonja and Darlene and I went down to the George R. Brown convention center for the annual Hurricane Preparedness Conference. With our near miss of hurricane Rita last year, many people are getting better prepared for this year’s season. We learned about the cities new plan for evacuation, saw the map for the new and revised 500 year floor plane, learned about what is planned for our special needs citizens, 72 hour kits and much, much more. I was very impressed with what has been done since last year. On June the 17th there will be another Hurricane conference at the convention center that I will be attending. It will be geared more towards community preparedness. I am signing up for a class that will be taught in our area on the use of Ham radios. I am hoping to pass the course and obtain my Ham radio license. Fun!!! I have been checking out how much these radios cost and it looks like it could be reasonable.

Coming up in a couple of weeks will be my annual trip to the beach with my brother and two sisters. I have been put in charge of the food again, because I find such bargains. Last Tuesday, I found chicken breast marked down to 45 cents a pound. The store had overstocked and was trying to clear it out. I took full advantage of the sale and filled my freezer. I have also purchased ribs, ground meat, hot dog fixins and all other necessary items. This year I am taking my crock pot so that we can start something in the morning and have dinner ready when we come in from our activities. The best part of this trip will be the fun we have as a family. It reminds me of the fun we had as kids, living at home. I’ll tell you more about the trip when I get home.

In July I will be helping to teach an alternative fuel cooking class. We will be teaching how to cook with 1) foil 2) dutch ovens, 3) reflector ovens (solar cooking) and 4) how to use a buddy burner. I will be teaching the buddy burner class. The people in my class will actually make a buddy burner and a Vagabond stove and take it home with them. Our dinner that night will be from the foil pouches that each person gets to put together. While the other classes are going on, the foil dinners and dessert, from the dutch oven class, will cook and be ready by dinner time.

Also in July, TF and I will be going to Las Vegas for the locksmith convention. I’m looking forward to that. It should be a lot of fun.

Here are a few articles that I thought you might be interested in.
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/05/05jun06a.cfm Having a problem getting rid of roaches? Here are some reader recipes that may work for you.

http://www.bankrate.com/dls/news/pf/20050530a1.asp Does your teen need a summer job? Check this out for some ideas.

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/06/06jun05c.cfm Cable or DSL Which one is best for your needs?

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/05/05jun06d.cfm Are you a spendaholic? Learn how to control your addiction with these pearls of advice.

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/03/03jun09b.cfm Inexpensive pet medications. I really liked this one.