Alabama to Colorado: The Road Trip

Just returned from a ten day road trip.

My husband and I drove from Alabama to Colorado and back. Why drive and not fly? First of all, we like to listen to audio books and this long trip presented a perfect opportunity to expand our "have listened to" list.

Second, we needed to take lots of stuff. One does not just carry on two fly fishing rods and waders and boots on a plane for free!

Third, we would need a car in Colorado that could go over dirt roads that might not be in the best of conditions. Renting an SUV is expensive.

Now that we are home, I will evaluate the costs involved and report the results in the future. It was a LONG trip--we spent three nights in motels going and three nights coming back. Also, we were both a bit "testy" toward the end of the trip. Next time, I might fly and send my hubby in the car.

I did take photos (on the iPhone) along the way so I could personally illustrate a planned lens (article) on Squidoo.

Stay tuned!

My Views about Groups and Purple Stars

Have any of you Squidooers noticed all the new groups that are forming out there? Rocket Moms, Senior Squidooers, "giant" groups? And what do you think of these purple stars?

Personally I have joined several of these groups and I have been awarded a purple star on one of my lenses. (My Vegetable Garden--just in case you want to check it out!)

What do I think of my groups (RocketMoms, WiWon Team, and others)? I love them. I have been getting lots of really helpful critiques from the members. I also get new, fresh ideas for lenses and ways to manage the ones I have. Needless to say, I am also getting noticed. Why is this good? Visitors, ratings, etc....

The purple star helped in the lens rank of my article for about a week. But, it has stayed near the top of own lenses in rank for a longer time.

I think that the influx of groups and the purple star is Squidoo's way of helping all of us "non-spamming" lensmasters. Squidoo is promoting ways to make better lenses. It is encouraging me to be a better lensmaster! It is a good thing. Yes, it is OK to want to make money on the internet. Yes, it is good to have tons of new lenses on Squidoo. The more lenses visited, the more money Squidoo makes and divvies up to all of us lensmasters on payday. The groups, all the awards and giantness, does help me get more cash from Squidoo.

I do not make a living from my membership on Squidoo, but I am feeling pretty good about what I do make -- FYI: my last paycheck was for less than $20. I consider it my "found" money. I am having fun on Squidoo and learning, too.

I can also say that I have made acquaintances with people from around the world. I love it!

I believe in Squidoo so I want to participate. I am not trying to become "the most popular" lensmaster. Actually, I do not think I have the talent that JaguarJulie, fluffanutta or ChefKeem and loads of others have. I probably don't have the energy, either. These lensmasters work at what they do. They also do it very well!

But, what I do have is a desire to get better every day.

I also like to get an occasional pat on the back.

Adventures in Twitter

Twitter has been occupying my thoughts lately.

I am technically a nerd (terd) when it comes to Twitter. But, I am also extremely aware what Twits and IMs and such are doing to the world of the younger generation. Those innovations are making them more focused on the device in their hands and less aware of the world around them.

Surreal moment: At one point, the guy sitting closest to me was reading a blog post containing a photo of the guy sitting immediately behind him." -- Owen Thomas

I found the above quote in a post by Kevin Kelly.

Can growing your own vegetables save you money?

Here is an article by Jane Thomas. It makes some very good suggestions for choosing what plants you can grow economically in your vegetable garden.

Enjoy it!

What Vegetables Will Give You The Most Bang For Your Buck?

Author: Jane Thomas

There are several good reasons to grow a garden.

And with today’s economy, everyone is looking for ways to cut expenses. Lately, we can read all over the Internet and hear all the time that growing vegetables in your garden can be cheaper, more interesting, and better than buying them at supermarkets.

The biggest concern to most people is the fact that it will save so much money. Growing your own vegetables in the garden or in containers, if done properly, can reduce the amount of money you spent on groceries. But, will you succeed in doing so, depends on the costs involved in growing the crops, amounts and types of vegetables you choose to grow, vegetable yields you could expect from your garden, and many other factors. So, to answer the question from the title: “yes” – if done correctly.

It’s possible to spend a small fortune on a garden. If you go out and buy everything that you need (or you THINK you need) to start a vegetable garden, and then calculate all of the input costs (tools and equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, water, etc.) associated with gardening, you could end up with an astonishing figure. These costs can add up quickly, even for a small vegetable garden. The trick to saving money with a vegetable garden is limiting the costs, while purchasing the things you really need for your vegetable garden.

And one of the most important things that will determinate if you will save money by growing your own vegetables is choosing the types of vegetables to grow in your garden! This is done by factoring in the cost of seeds, fertilizer and water (the cost of growing vegetables) against the cost of purchasing those same vegetables in a grocery store. Some vegetables simply won’t save you much money. For example, corn; because you don’t get a high yield of corn from a small garden and because in season corn is inexpensive to buy, it doesn’t pay off to grow corn in your garden in order to save money on groceries.

So, What Vegetables Will Give You the Most Bang for the Buck?

If you want to start a vegetable garden to save money, consider growing vegetables that give a big yield and have a significant return for an investment. Good way to do this is to select vegetables that are expensive to buy in the grocery store (like tomatoes and melons) or to grow large quantities of vegetables that you purchase regularly.

If you’ve never had a vegetable garden before, take a tip from experienced gardener, and take a look at these six classic vegetables you can grow from seed and harvest throughout the summer, and save some money doing so:

* Bush Snap Beans * Carrots
* Lettuce * Peas
* Bell Pepper s * Tomatoes

These vegetable seeds are top sellers year after year, and for a good reason! Of course, the varieties change yearly, but standby vegetables like tomatoes, beans and carrots all always at the top of the lists.

Except these six vegetables already mentioned, in order to save money growing vegetables consider vegetables like broccoli, beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, spinach, tomatoes and Swiss chard. All these vegetables will provide the biggest returns on your investment of space and time you spend in your vegetable garden.

Even a relatively small garden, say 20' x 20', will give you enough room for variety, without being overwhelmed. Of course how much you save by growing your own vegetables depends on the fluctuating cost of food.

Remember, growing vegetables will save you money in the long run - the first year might actually cost more if you need to buy tools, pots and all your seeds, but the second and following years will be much cheaper!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/can-you-really-save-money-on-growing-vegetables-909381.html

About the Author:

Jane Thomas is experienced and respected vegetable grower, hobbyist gardener from a family of gardeners with more than 15 years of experience in organic vegetables gardening. Among other projects, she is co-owner of Laminated Garden Guides, your one-stop resource to learn how to start a vegetable garden with subjects like: Home Vegetable Gardens, Container and Raised Beds Gardening, Growing Tomatoes, Herb Gardening and many more. Visit Laminated Garden Guides to learn how to grow vegetables

My Followers on Twitter!

Thanks to Walter for creating this mosaic!

Hey! I have two more Squidoo Lenses!

Have I ever been a busy gal! Have spent so much time on the computer that my husband is beginning to think I don't like him any more!

I am sure I am not the only Squidoo lensmaster who has this problem. Creating pages on this website is just too easy and too much fun. It is also addictive!

The first page was born from my passion for chocolate. It is a page that lists the days in each month that one can celebrate a kind of candy. Now, some candies are missing--like an M&M day, but that is NOT my fault. Days are created when a manufacturer asks for one. (There are instructions on the Squidoo lens on how to get a day).

You can find the candy lens here: Celebrate Your Favorite Candy

Below are two banners you can click to find some of the yummiest candies that can be found on the web!

My other lens is one that might be called my "Valentine's Day" page. It is called Show Your Love

Visitors can submit websites, flickr photos, YouTube videos, and so on...that shows their love for someone or something. I have put some of my favorite links there as well. Go check it out and submit something--maybe your favorite poem?

Material Whirled Handspun Yarn: Candy Corn Yarn and Free Hat Pattern!

While updating my Candy Corn Squidoo page, I found an adorable candy corn knit hat. Just had to put it here! Click the link below!

Material Whirled Handspun Yarn: Candy Corn Yarn and Free Hat Pattern!