Turn back your clocks tonight

Before you head off to bed tonight remember to turn back your clocks one hour. We "gain" an extra hour of sleep tonight. Ah, the joys of Daylight Savings Time.

Losing friends to Michigan's crummy economy

A good friend of mine recently moved out to Boulder, Colorado for a better job in a better economy. He was making decent money working in Accounting/Finance here in Michigan, but without any health insurance benefits. He would wait weeks or months here after sending out dozens of resumes for a measly one or two interviews. In just one week out in Boulder he has had multiple interviews in just ONE day. It's no wonder states like Wyoming are recruiting for jobs here in Michigan. When your state's economy ranks 49th out of the 50 states every other state's job market looks promising.

Neither Granholm nor DeVos has come out with a definitive fact-based plan for job creation here in Michigan. Neither candidate has come up with a feasible health care plan. Neither candidate has much of an idea on what it will take to improve the results of our education system.

Does either candidate deserve our vote?

I was ticked off about our state's economic woes long before my good friend finally gave up on trying to make things work in Michigan. The biggest deciding factor in where he moved to was not the job market, it was the weather climate. It came down to Texas heat or the moderate climate of Boulder.

In case you were in denial about the state's economy – just how bad is our economy when people don't care where they move to as long as they move out of Michigan.

It didn't matter where he ended up as far as he was concerned. He knew getting a job somewhere else would be relatively easy compared to Michigan.

Our State is Broke - Will Somebody Please Fix it?!?

The election is two weeks from today. It might as well be two years from today. We have a long road to economic recovery before us. The question is, how many more wrong turns can we afford to take?

Michigan books offer up a good scare

We are coming up on Halloween which usually gets people in the mood to watch scary movies or read spooky books. You might be surprised at how many Michigan-based books or Michigan authors have written books with such a theme. Some of these I have read such as the Michigan Ghost Towns series. I find it interesting about the history of some of these towns and the circumstances that led to their founding and subsequent vanishing. Not exactly "spooky" material, but interesting history nonetheless.

The Michigan Chillers series is written for kids and I have not read them. However they seem to get rave reviews on Amazon.com and from local independent bookstores.

Enjoy!

Mayhem on Mackinac Island (Michigan Chillers)

MICHIGAN CHIILERS (MICHIGAN CHILLERS 12 BOOK SET) (Michigan Chillers)

Michigan Ghost Towns, Lower Peninsula

Haunted Michigan: Recent Encounters with Active Spirits (Ohio)

The Detroit Tigers are in the World Series!

Did Christmas come early this year for Detroit Tigers' fans? I feel like I am in some "Field of Dreams" timewarp or something where things you wish for come true. I am still in a state of disbelief ever since Magglio Ordonez hit the game winning, series clinching, three-run homer on Saturday. Since June I have been reading books of all kinds about the past successes of the Detroit Tigers. The winning season that is 2006 got me interested in looking back at the previous Tiger teams and players.

Here are some of the books that I have read or intend to read:

Ernie Harwell : Stories From My Life in Baseball (Honoring a Detroit Legend)

Wire to Wire: Inside the 1984 Detroit Tigers Championship Season

The Detroit Tigers Reader

The Final Season: Fathers, Sons, and One Last Season in a Classic American Ballpark

The Tigers of '68: Baseball's Last Real Champions (Honoring a Detroit Legend)

Record cold temps coming to Michigan this week

Yikes! I just saw on the internet that Chicago was expecting record cold temperatures later this week so I looked at the long-range forecast for southwest Michigan. The fun begins Wednesday night with a low temperature of 32 degrees expected. That is followed on Thursday and Friday with lows of 28 and 29 degrees respectively. Of course with temperatures at or below freezing we can expect some of the 'S' word - SNOW. Boy, it's a good thing that I never took the snow brush out of my truck. Looks like it might be getting some use a little early.

It is hard to imagine this drastic temperature swing as just yesterday I wore shorts while mowing the lawn and painting some windows. Of course, drastic weather changes are to be expected in Michigan. There is a saying that only in Michigan can you run the air conditioning and heat in the same day.

You might want to refer to my post from last month about "Quick fall maintenance tips" that will keep you warmer, safer, and hopefully save you some money as well.

WWMT Channel 3 out of Kalamazoo has a short video report (around 2 minutes) on "Tips to Winterize Your Home."

Quick fall maintenance tips your home

If you haven't inspected your home for the fall and winter heating season yet, now is the time. You don't want to be out of luck when you go to fire up your furnace on that first cold day. Also, if there are problems and you need to have a furnace technician come out you will have a much longer wait if you hold off until the thick of the heating season. So, here are a few tips to help you stay warm and save a few bucks this heating season.

• Check caulking/glaze on windows & doors.
• Clean dust/dirt off of carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
• Replace batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Change furnace filter.
• Turn your heating system on now to ensure that it is in proper working order.
• Keep the area around your furnace clear of boxes and other junk that you might have piled up during the non-heating months.
• Always keep the burner area of your furnace clear of obstructions.
• Inspect your vent pipe (you know, the one that goes to the chimney) for any possible leaks or corrosion. If major corrosion is present, you need to replace the entire vent pipe.
• Fire up your furnace and inspect the flame. It should be a nice blue hue. Anything else such as a yellowish flame means you should call a technician and have them clean and test the entire furnace.
• The first time you fire up your furnace this year you will most likely notice a funny dust-like smell. That is just the dust burning off from the combustion chamber. You also should make sure that your furnace filter is clean since that could cause the same dusty smell.
• Any odor that does not go away after a short time or the smell of gas means you have a serious problem and should shut the furnace and fuel line down. Then, call a technician and have the furnace professionally inspected.
• Also, when first running your furnace it might be a good idea to have some windows open and have anyone with allergies leave the house for a few hours.
• Check your venting system for blockages from insect or small animal nests.
• Install an electronic thermostat that allows you to program it. This WILL save you money.
• Check your furnace filters once a month minimum. During heating/cooling season it is best to check it twice per month.
• Insulate. Insulate. Insulate.