Happy New Year!

This New Year’s Eve and day, I am going to try something new.  Superstitious I am not however I am going to try a few lucky foods and practices to see if I have good “luck.”  Since I believe you make your own “luck”, ringing in 2014 with “lucky” items will be an interesting experiment.

 First, eat something green.  I am going to make a salad with edamame, which is a bean.  Therefore, I have number two eating beans under control.  Eating black-eyed peas, technically a bean, is a southern custom.  I do not think I have ever eaten black eye peas.  I I will make them into a “burger” with green (something green) peppers and leeks.  I thought if I add other ingredients, I would be able to eat it.  Green and beans represent money. 

 

 Since I am a vegetarian, eating pork will not happen for me.   A pig digs forward with its nose thus moving forward into the future. Since I like moving forward, I will make pig cookies; I can eat a piggy cookie or two.  From Japan comes the custom of eating soba noodles; the Japanese believe you must slurp the whole noodle and not chew it so you will have long lasting luck.  Who would not want long lasting luck?  The Japanese also eat black beans for good luck though I am not sure of the symbolism though I have the new Triscuit Bean crackers.

 

The Spanish eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight, one for every strike.  I did find organic grapes from the San Joaquin Valley.  Each grape represents a month; if the grape is sweet then you will have a sweet month and if the grape is tart…  Also at midnight, I must smashed a pomegranate at the door observing the further the distance the seeds fall the more luck I will have, that custom comes from the Greeks.   

New Year’s Day begins with a round food item.  A bagel, donut, or killing two birds with one stone, cornbread in a circle.  Cornbread is golden in the color for the riches of gold and the circle brings the year full circle.   For good measure, I am making a round apple cake and hiding a coin in the cake.  That comes from my mom an Armenian; she said it was a way of transporting money during the war to avoid theft.  I read that the person getting the coin will be the luckiest of them all.  I wonder who that will be.  

 

I will be testing these lucky symbolisms in 2014.  Enjoy your celebration whatever it maybe. 

I had a Car Accident

This spring I had a car accident.  It was at an intersection in town; I pulled out from a stop sign into a van.  I still have no idea where the car came from.  I did not see it; was the sun in my eyes? Was the house on the corner blocking my view?  I am still confused.  I try to be a careful driver.  I volunteer with organizations to assist people in need not to make life more difficult.  I was upset!

The ambulance came, the police came, my co-workers came and my husband came to the scene.  The other driver’s family came as well.  Since I was so upset, I had an asthma attack and had to use my rescue inhaler.   We exchanged information and I signed off on refusing transportation to the hospital. I spoke with the other family, asked to make sure she was okay and to seek medical treatment just in case.  I tell that to all my clients involved in an accident.   Then we went our separate ways.

My car was fixed toot sweet.  However, I needed a rental car.  Sure, my husband and I can drive to work together; we would have to make our schedules coincide with each other but our after work activities mean we need two separate cars.  Since I am in the insurance industry, I have rental reimbursement on my automobile insurance policy with Westfield Insurance.  It is roughly $15.00 every six months for coverage per car.  It is well worth the money. 

 

How it works:  Your car is towed or in the shop from a car accident, you arrange for a rental car through the adjuster, you call the rental car company and they bring you a car within the limits of your coverage: example $20.00 a day up to a specified limit on your policy.  I asked for a non-smoking car.  Even though there is no smoking equipment in cars, people still smoke in cars.  They brought me a car that someone had smoked in; I had them take the car back and bring me another one.  Once my car was fixed, I called the car rental company; they came and took the car back.  However, if my car were totaled, I would have 5 days from the settlement of my claim to return the car rental.  If not returned, the payment beyond the five days is my bill. 

 

If you have only one car, rental reimbursement needs to be on your policy.  Catching rides from friends gets old when you want to go somewhere by yourself.  If you and your partner/spouse have separate cars think of how sharing would work.  He has a night out with the boys and you want to go to the gym or have to work late.  Yes, many people share cars however, if you are not accustomed to sharing it can create some unpleasant situations.   Rental reimbursement is the best bang for the buck. 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Winter is here and the snow is on the ground.  It is time for winter gear.  What is your favorite winter gear?

These are few of my favorite:

The hat has a name; it is called Mad Bomber.  It keeps my ears and head very warm.  It was a little pricey however; it is 12 years old and looks the same as the day I bought it.  It was a great buy and is my go to hat when walking the dog in the cold evenings.

The next survival gear is my ice cleats.  This is my second pair.  I lost one of my cleats in a bad snowstorm and never found it.  These are so inexpensive but are worth every penny.  I do not fall in ice, my dog cannot get the best of me in slippery snow and since they are plastic, I do not dig up my kitchen floor.  They slip over my next purchase, the best boots ever.

Just like my Mad Bomber hat, these boots were not a bargain.  I bought these at the same time I bought the hat.  Cost per wear, I am now wearing a free pair of boots!  They have two strips of elastic across the front of the boot.  I slip them on and slip them off.  Considering I walk my dog every hour, these boots make my life a beach.  Yes, in February I’d rather be at a beach.

While this is not my favorite piece of gear, it is mandatory for me.   A neck gaitor or turtle fur to keep the frigid air from entering my lungs.  I have asthma so having something covering my mouth is necessary and these are lifesavers.  If you know someone that has difficulty breathing the cold air these fleece pieces will be become their must haves too. Either I make my own since they are so easy or I buy them.  They can get slobbery from breathing on the material so it is nice to have more than one.  The only negative is your breath fogs up your glasses.  Foggy glasses vs. asthma attack, I choose the fog. 

My favorite drink in the winter is anything warm.  My drink comes in the best mug; it is called the hand warmer mug.  I love it.  While big enough to hold a large cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate it is thick enough to provide just the correct temperature for warning your hands.

My slippers live at my door in my kitchen or at the side of my bed.  It is the first thing I put on to start the day and last to take off at the end of the day.  The minute I walk through the door I take off my boots and put on my slippers.  These are much loved moccasin slippers.  I even added insoles to them as they have seen better days.  This year I will replace my slippers.

There are other favorite items but the above six are my favorite and I would miss them if they were lost, worn or broken.  I would love to know what your favorite items for winter are.