I like to buy a new computer every few years, but then I have the problem with what to do with my old one.  People tell me to donate them to schools, (or churches) and I’ve tried to do that, but when I call the schools (or churches)  and offer them my old computer they tell me that if it is more than one year old they don’t want it!  There’s really nothing wrong with them, it’s just that usually the new computers have larger drives andfaster processors and I decide that I want the extra storage and faster speed.  I’ve even tried giving my old computers away over freecycle, and no one seems to want them over freecycle either!  So they end up filling up space in my basement, just gathering dust.  Very sad.  I suppose that I COULD donate them to Goodwill for them to try to sell in their Goodwill store.  I think I’ll give them a call and find out if they take used computers!

I was reading on the Forbes.com news website that the “hottest” job trends are in the “green” market.  The article indicates that Washington DC, Boston MA, Houston TX, San Fransisco, San Diego and Las Angelas are all going to be huge markets for “green” industries.

I sure hope that’s true.  We could use some job growth around here!  Lately it seems to have been all “doom and gloom” news about the economy and people losing jobs.  We sure need more jobs, and better jobs right here in the area!

We decided to go for a fall foliage drive this weekend; we heard that the fall foliage was near peak, and we wanted to have a little bit of relaxation and enjoy the scenery.  So we packed up a picnic lunch and headed out for a short but scenic drive out Route 211 into the mountains.  With the price of gas so high we couldn’t drive too far, but we found a nice scenic overlook spot with a picnic table and enjoyed a nice lunch of cheese, bread, apples, and sparkling cider.  The weather cooperated, it was a warm, beautiful clear day and we could see for miles!  All in all it was a very pleasant day today.  I’d like to make an annual event of doing this!  I hope the price of gas doesn’t make it impossible to do next year!

Where does the time fly? The turning of the calendar page from June to July was a shock to me this morning; I barely even noticed June was happening! And now the dog days of July are upon us. I don’t like the excessive heat and humidity that July brings upon us; it is the summer month that I try to hide inside as much as possible, trying to stay in air conditioned comfort as much as possible. The weatherman says that the next couple of days will be unusually cool for July, and I’m glad to hear that.
One of the things that I dislike so much about July is that it is impossible to dress appropriately. It is so hot out that you want to wear short sleeves and short pants, but if you go into an office building or store or movie theater the air conditioning is cranked up so high that you need to wear long pants, long sleeves AND a sweater! So I end up wearing long pants, long sleeves and carrying a sweater and I feel like a real dufus doing it. With the big focus on the cost of fuel and the economy it seems to me that the offices, stores, and movie theaters would set their thermostats just a little bit warmer! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want them set at 78 or 80, but 76 would be nice!

I was reading an article on the Internet about how a two-thousand year old seed has been sprouted and is growing steadily.  It has been growing for 26 months and is now four feet tall.  It is the seed of a Judean date tree that is now extinct.  Apparently several seeds of this type were discovered 40 years ago and have simply been stored until recently, when some scientists decided to try to germinate it.  I don’t know why they only tried one!  Anyway, what is cool and important about this is that they think (and hope) that the tree will have some medicinal uses. 

That gives me hope for the seeds that I should have planted last year!  Maybe I can still plant them and they’ll sprout!