Flower Garden Maintenance

Flower gardens are gorgeous when they are flowering, but not so good when leaves curl and turn brown. A recent couple of hot Chicagoland days were spent picking off dead leaves, replanting new healthy flowers, and watering profusely. You need to do the same to keep your plants healthy and flowering. The culprit has been a lack of rain in northwest Illinois -- yes, other areas are drowning in water, but not this area. Careful watering and pruning is the difference between happy healthy plants and those about to beat the dust.

Two days later -- today -- the flowers are again blooming profusely, standing upright, and saluting the sun. Scissors, clippers, sharp fingernails, and a container to catch the dead leaves were needed for this somewhat long and tedious garden party. Stay on top of your blooming plants -- water daily from the rainwater barrel, if you have one. Enjoy.
Photo attribution: somewhatfrank

What to Wear: Black-tie Optional

Never wanting to look like some body's mother, it is often difficult to decide what to wear to a black-tie optional event in Chicagoland. Black hose or natural? Long or short skirt? Hair up or down? So many questions to be answered before the April 3 event. So little time. According to Charla Krupp, author of How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better, "for all but the most ultra-formal affairs, any length (skirt) from knee to shoe is acceptable these days for black tie events. Choose the length depending on whether you want to show off shapely legs. But too long can look dowdy." Don't want to look dowdy.

Charla continues, "Long skirt: Whether you're looking at a casual version or a long gown for a black tie event, long can look OL (old lady). It's much more chic to show a little leg." Long skirt is out, short skirt is in. Covering one's legs in Chicagoland is also a dilemma, especially in early April when the weather could be quite chilly and un-tanned legs are unattractive. The authority on all things stylish, Charla believes the only thing to wear on one's legs so as not to look OL, are either black tights, sheer black nylons, small black fishnets, or bare legs.

What to wear? It has become simple -- an above the knee black pencil skirt, sheer black hose, black Italian pumps, and either a fitted black lace short jacket, or a fitted pink silk jacket. Both are couture, both are black-tie caliber, and both will work; the decision will be made on the day of the event based on weather and the moon. One more thing --- hair will be down and there will be only three pieces of bling: studs, necklace and beautiful Mary Francis purse. Added bling: good-looking son in his tuxedo.

Photo attribution: somewhatfrank

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

"The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go....." explains weather conditions in northern Illinois and Chicagoland today. The schools are closed. The courts are closed. The offices are closed. The roads are open, but continue to blow closed. There is no place to go, and no one to go with, especially when dressed in pajamas. Under a winter storm warning since yesterday, the local college closed last night prior to the beginning of night classes. Jubilance ensued. Joy was only increased at 5:30 a.m. today when the call came in. There will be one more snow day today.

A snow day is a gift that requires one to stay in and chill out. There is no rushing from place to place, unless it is in one's domicile. Television becomes entertaining for a short stint, and watching CNN and Fox News recant the election results from the previous day, Super Tuesday, is informative. What does one do on the extra day they have been granted?

Make chicken soup or chili -- either will taste great on such a cold day and provide needed nutrients. Clean out one's desk -- three bags of previously important documents were shredded. Create a web site for one's social organization – tedious but rewarding. Blog. Take snow photos. Change the sheets. Watch the horses make snow angels. Marinate boneless pork chops. Make a Greek salad. Sleep in.

Tomorrow will come soon enough and the return to work will include boots, stabilizers, four-wheel drive and lots of patience. In eight to ten weeks the snow will be gone, the sun will be shining, and today’s extra vacation day will have been forgotten. Enjoy your day.
Photo attribution: somewhatfortyplus

Icy Ground Stabilizers

Californians and those residing in other warm climates are lucky -- while an occasional mudslide, earthquake or fire may occur, rarely will they worry about slipping on glazed icy surfaces. A fear since falling on black ice in 2004 and breaking a kneecap, a search for ice stabilizers has ensued. Previously discussed here, ice stabilizers keep one on their feet while walking on icy glazed surfaces. Some stabilizers look heavy and clunky and now some don't.

Stabilicers snow and ice cleats bite into ice and snow keeping the wearer on their feet. Available in two strengths, original Stabilicers ($49.95) provide heavy-duty traction for walking and hiking and Stabilicers Lite ($21.95) pull on fast for quick errands. Both come with strong adjustable elastomer straps. Additional replacement cleats are also available. The stabilizers can strap onto any pair of shoes or boots, providing safe footing in poor weather.

Plow & Hearth offers the product in several sizes to keep even Chicagoland commuters up and walking from the train station to their office without looking dorky or cumbersome. Still think these are dorky? Have you ever slipped and landed under a vehicle? That, my dear readers, is dorky.
Photo attribution: somewhatfrank

Personal Best: Top Five Blog Posts of 2007 + Two

While it is true somewhatfortyplus+ is one of the new kids in the big blogosphere, it has been a good run with several viewers, a few comments, and a general feeling of accomplishment. A look back brings the most read posts to the top for one more round. These are the most popular, as determined by Google's stat counter. If you had another personal favorite, so did I, but you can't argue with statistics.

Not my daughter's jeans was the most popular article, but knowing the struggles faced to look good in jeans, once you wear a pair of these slimming jeans you won't go back to yours, and you will never wear mom jeans again. This post had the most readers ever!

Creating a good looking holiday floral arrangement got easier with step by step directions anyone could follow. Easy, sophisticated and fool proof, this post came in second as most popular.

The third most read post was Combating the visible signs of aging , which has to be a priority for men and women alike. This product is actually remarkable, getting the job done, and while skeptical at first, I am grateful today. More to follow.

The saga of cleaning lady antics with broken glass was discussed in Tiffany cup no more - the fourth most read post of 2007. Of course this problem was resolved in Tiffany Delivers.

And Cashmere: How Soft Though Art came in fifth, thanks to cold temps, the anti-itch factor of cashmere, and probably several readers in snow filled Chicagoland. While these posts had the most readers, two not mentioned were the most fun to write, creating that fabulous sought after feeling of accomplishment we all desire. Blogger Boy, the antics of a blog writer, was inspirational in that BB encouraged this blog. But the best, most fun, and my all time favorite gives heed to the blogosphere and all of its benefits in Blogging High. Give it a read.

So while end of year statements are over done, almost to the point of becoming trivial, not here, and not now. If the past year wasn't your best, the new year is yours for the claiming. I'm filled with do-able resolutions, optimism, and a blogging high. Happy New Year!

Photo attribution: somewhatfrank

Mama Would Be Proud

Watching TECH cocktail hosts Frank Gruber and Eric Olson meet their guests Thursday night at John Barleycorn-Wrigleyville was awesome. Both are young, Frank is 29 and Eric is 24, both are good-looking in a GQ kind of way, and both are out-going well mannered and charming guys who know how to make their guests feel welcome at their party. Over 500 people made their way to the top floor of Barleycorn to visit with sponsors, watch demo's, exchange business cards and business plans, and have one heck of a good time.

But that's not all. These are life changing events, where unsuspecting well qualified individuals meet their future employer and make the jump to a new job, often in a new location half way across the country. Thursday night was no different. One HR executive with the American Medical Association was there to "hire another good person." Already having hired five employees from previous TECH cocktails, this well dressed man was on a mission to meet, greet, and collect business cards and resumes. No doubt he was successful. Those in attendance know the tech field well, are hard workers, yet managed to tear themselves away from their jobs to socialize with their mirror images in an upbeat and fun atmosphere.

Single-hop charmed the crowd with their massive give-aways, including an iPod, games, tee-shirts, and hamburgers with fries, then hot dogs and other finger foods to provide nourishment and added excitement. Green jaw-breakers are called that for a reason, but served up in large green bowls they are hard to refuse. With so many professionals of various ages and in various attire in one locale, from jeans and "going out" shirts to finely tailored suits, TECH cocktail continues to be the place to be. Congratulations Frank and Eric.

TECH cocktail 6

Over five-hundred party-goers have signed on to share the fun when TECH cocktail returns Thursday evening to Chicago for the sixth event in eighteen months. The place to be for technology enthusiasts, geeks or geek-wanna-be's, entrepreneurs, business professionals, and girls who just want to have fun, TECH cocktail is the brainchild of Frank Gruber and Eric Olson. Born over a cup of coffee one fine day when Frank and Eric decided to start a series of mixer events where guests could interact in a friendly learning environment, TECH cocktail has spread to Washington DC and Boston. And the party gets bigger and better each time.

According to The Chicago Sun Times, "Tech Cocktail events regularly attract hundreds of virtual movers and shakers who share and pitch business ideas to one another while enjoying one or a few free drinks." TECH cocktail amplifies the technology signal in Chicago and the signal is getting louder and louder with more and more sponsors. TC6 is being sponsored by Centro, Singlehop, Carepages, Optimus Solutions, Athena, ChicagoMicro, myAOL, Saper Law Offices, Fiodan Corporation, Sittercity, Origin Ventures, Seat Quest, MK Capital, and Interactive Mediums. Anyone interested in sponsoring a future event can contact cofounders@techcocktail.com. Sure to be a great time, TC6, I'm here for you.

Here Comes Milly

Milly arrives in Chicagoland on Friday afternoon for a three or four month visit, depending how it goes and how she feels. Milly is remarkable. The mother of three daughters, she was a stay-at-home mom for several years, then answered the call and returned to work in the medical field before throwing in the towel and finally retiring. The grandmother of eight, Milly volunteers at two hospitals near her home, and serves as an election judge as well.

Always a real go-getter, in an earlier life Milly made dill pickles and canned green beans, tomatoes and beets, in separate jars, not all thrown together. In those days. canning was something many did as a way of preserving the harvest through the winter, and keeping the costs down as well. Though canning involved a pressure cooker, glass jars, wax and loads of patience, Milly ended up with high quality food that always "sealed." To those eating the canned goods, a "good seal" meant they would live one more day without botulism.

Food preparation wasn't all she did. Milly also knew her way around a sewing machine and made draperies and slip covered furniture when it started to look a little worn or she decided a new color was in order. No project was too big for Milly, and just last year she decided to re-upholster her family room sofa. Through the years Milly has traveled a bit, owning a second home on the Florida east coast, a few summer homes in the northern states, and the main home in a large city in the Midwest. Soon Milly will be visiting with her family in Chicagoland.

Friday afternoon Milly will arrive at my home for an extended holiday visit. The guest room has been redecorated in shades of blue and green, the armoire cleared, and new wooden hangers are empty in the closet, awaiting her clothes. Though she repeatedly said "don't get anything different for me," new Pottery Barn towels hang in the bathroom, and fresh vegetables and fruits have been washed and placed in the refrigerator. Milly arrives in Chicagoland on Friday afternoon and her daughter can't wait for her to get here.

Ghosts, Goblins and Candy

I love chocolate, I just don't eat chocolate, it gives me a migraine. Chocolate appears everywhere, yet it seems to be most plentiful in individually wrapped servings late in October when tradition allows somewhat normal individuals to dress as something they are not, so they may traipse through darkness going from house to house begging for something they could have purchased themselves for $3.99.

Because of my allergy to chocolate, coupled with my fear of strangers, as well as the darkness itself, Halloween has never been one of my favorite holidays. Opening the door to strangers is something my mother specifically said not to do, yet on October 31 it becomes a free for all. Previously locked doors are flung open as short greedy and gnarly beasts yell indistinguishable statements at the home owner standing in the doorway.

Living in the outer burbs of Chicagoland has its advantages at Halloween. We never have "trick or treaters" at our door, yet I purchase bags of chocolate candy bars, just in case this year is different and a bus stops at our drive way and its entire population is released to gather goodies. This year is no different. A visit to Costco provided a bag of 200 mixed mini bars that lie in ready near the front door. The pumpkins will be carved tonight, and their candles will be lit on Wednesday afternoon, welcoming goblins to our door. Who am I kidding? We have an electric pumpkin now that the kids are grown, it is much easier to "clean" -- just plug it in and it's all ready to scare who ever shows up.Note: All left over candy is eaten by my husband, for those who wonder. Most of you already knew that.