Our new $100 Bill

My articles this week have been pretty heavy so here’s a light one!

Enjoy the new bill. May we all get lots of them!

Saving Water, the Water Pebble

Dry Planet

It’s April, “Earth Day Month”. For me, that creates even more awareness everyday that we need to be taking steps to preserve and protect our planet, our real estate.

My big passion is water. I’ve written a number of posts about it. Here, again, is a wonderful site devoted to the preservation and protection of water.

This article focuses on something new and so easy to use, the Water Pebble.  This device simply sits near any water drain and times the water usage.  It “teaches” you to reduce the time you have the water flowing.  Waterpebble could help reduce the average shower to less than 6 minutes saving over 20 litres of hot water every time.

At this time, I’m not planning to buy a water pebble but, because of reading this, I am going to be more aware of the time I spend in the shower, rinsing dishes, washing my hands, any time I run water.

Isn’t it great to be aware?  We hold so much power in our own decisions, our own actions.  What will you do to make a difference to the Planet?

“When the Well’s dry, we know the Worth of Water.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), Poor Richard´s Almanac

For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

Appliances

Oh, my gosh, Arminda, thanks for forwarding this great article.

Now, as you know, I don’t usually copy someone else’s article to post on my site, but this is so practical and so helpful that I wanted to share it.

No, it’s not specifically about real estate.  It is, however, about some of the things inside your real estate, the dishwashers and the washer and dryers!  But saving money is saving money no matter where or how and any money we save can be used for real estate, right?

So please read and learn from this very basic, simple article from the NY Times on household items you use everyday.  Let me know what you think!

Read more…

How Large is a Trillion?

Dollar Rain

I was listening to NPR  (National Public Radio) and I heard an amazing and memorable explanation of “how large is a trillion.”

I thought it important to post the information here because we hear “a trillion” this and “a trillion” that thrown around today like it’s nothing. We get so used to hearing it that the meaning becomes insignificant. I’m sure our parents rarely heard it. I bet our grandparents never heard it – certainly not in relation to the economy.

And you may notice that, too often, “trillion” is used when discussing US expenditures or debt. Bummer.

So, ok, how large is a trillion?

If you stack up enough $100 bills to make $100,000 – the stack would be 4 inches tall.

If you stack up enough $100 bills to make One Million Dollars – $1,000,000 – the stack would be 40″ tall (just over 3 feet).

If you stack up enough $100 bills to make One Trillion Dollars – $1,000,000,000,000 – the stack would be 679 miles high.

In case you thought one trillion was just a bit more than one million, you were wrong.  Today, our national debt is quickly approaching $13 trillion.

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 31 Mar 2010 at 08:57:12 PM GMT was: $12,688,419,783,356.51.

Now, next time you hear the word “trillion”, think about what that means.

Sleep Box

Our life is limited only by our own imagination and ideas. Never stop thinking outside the box!

Blog Redesign Complete! well.. almost

swiss-miss & aldenta

Look at my new site! Isn’t it fabulous? So easy to read! So easy to use!

This site was designed just for me by the amazing swissmiss, Tina Roth Eisenberg, the Swiss designer now of New York. It was built by fabulous John Ford, owner of Aldenta of Greensboro. What a team they are!

Thank you to both of them from me. I couldn’t be happier with my new site.

Please tell me here what you think of the new look and functions. A few more fabulous additions to come soon. Watch for them!

I’m so happy!

Earth Days may have Shortened due to Chilean Quake

Earth

Can you imagine? According to Nasa, the Feb. 27 magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile may have shortened the length of each Earth day.

Not only that, but perhaps even more impressive is that the quake actually shifted the Earth’s axis and, relatively speaking, by quite a bit!

Why did this quake have such a global effect when most quakes don’t? A number of things worked together. First of all, it was a very large quake that lasted for a very long time. Next, this quake was located very near the center of the earth making it “easier” to shift the axis. And, finally, the quake was very deep.

Read more about this phenomenon at the Nasa news topics site.

Everything’s Amazing & Nobody’s Happy

Many of us tend to take all the wonderful things we have available to us everyday for granted. This video makes that point in a unique way. Please enjoy the clip and learn from its message, take time to realize how wonderful our world is and really appreciate all the things that make our daily life great.

Happy New Year

Old Farmer

Old Farmer’s Advice:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don ‘t judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life.. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Have a Wonderful, Prosperous 2010.