Covington, WA

As with any holiday we have the traditional things that we do with our family and loved ones. Thanksgiving day to me is the smells of food cooking, the dining room table being set with the fine china, football games and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

When I was a little girl I would wait anxiously for the parade to begin. I would sit glued to the TV watching the bands march by, waiting for my favorite balloon characters to appear and of course the grand finale - Santa Clause!

The parade started in 1924 and was originally known as the Macy's Christmas Parade. The first parade was started by the employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. It was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event.

In 1927 the parade included helium-filled balloons for the first time. They were released above the city during the grand finale, but unexpectedly burst above Manhattan. The following year the helium balloons were redesigned with safety valves which allowed them to float for several days. The new and improved balloons also featured return address labels offering prizes in case any balloons floated away. Most years things go pretty well for the parade, but in 1957 a downpour filled the cap of the Popeye balloon with gallons of water, causing him to veer off course and dump water on surprised spectators.

It takes quite a bit of preparation to put together a parade as big as this one. The floats are designed in the Parade Studio, a former Tootsie Roll factory in Hoboken, NJ. The floats stand up to 40 feet tall, but can be folded to make their parade eve trip to NYC via the Holland Tunnel. Upon their arrival crews work all through the night to re-assemble them for the 9 AM step-off. The helium balloons have to be filled and this too is done the day before the parade. They fill them on 77th and 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Ave. The public can view them from 3 - 10 PM but according to my daughter, who attended last year, it is extremely crowded and easy to get separated from the folks you are with.

More than 44 million people watch the parade on television each year and this year will be no different. You can tune in on NBC. For more information visit the official parade website.

Holiday Energy Saving Tips for the Oven/Range

• Many of us will be spending hours in our kitchens over the next few days preparing some scrumptious meals for our families and loved ones. Here are a few tips to help you ave a bit of energy as you work:

- Cook with the right size pot on the right size burner. Energy is lost up the sides of small pots when placed on a large burners.

- Open the oven door as little as possible. Your oven loses 24 to 50 degrees F each time you open the door, which makes it work harder to maintain its temperature.

- Cover pans to reduce the cooking time and amount of heat needed.

- If you cook with electricity, turn the stovetop burners off several minutes before the allotted cooking time ends. Electric burners remain hot for a bit after they have been turned off, so your food will contineu to cook as the burner begins to cool down.

- Use smaller appliances such as a crok pot, toaster oven or electric skillet whenever possible.

- Try to do most of your cooking in the microwave or on top of the range instead of the oven.

- Cook with aluminum or copper bottom pans for heat conduction. Pans with straight sides and flat bottoms reduce cooking time and heat less

- Preheat ovens only when necessary. Unless you are baking breads or pastries you often do not need to preheat the oven at all.

- Keep the range-top burners and reflectors clean - they will reflect the heat better and use less energy.

- When you are finished with your oven and you have turned it off, prop the door to let the heat escape into your room and help warm the house.

Here is to a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope everything you bake and cook turns out wonderful, and your holiday is spectacular.

Over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house we go....

Are you among the 40 million motorists who will be hitting the roads this holiday weekend to visit family and friends? All the additional traffic plus winter road conditions can lead to dangerous situations. Below are some safety tips to help you and your loved ones arrive safely.

Prepare your vehicle for long distance travel: If you will be driving a very far distance, and especially if you will be traveling in remote areas, you will want to make sure your vehicle is running in tip top shape. Check your wipers and fluids, make sure your tires are inflated property and still have the proper tread on them, make sure you have a spare tire and that it is in good working condition, and have your radiator and cooling system serviced. Some simple maintenance before you leave your home can prevent many of the problems that strand motorists along the road.

Plan ahead: Before you take off on the highway make sure you know where you are going - have the exit number and name handy. Drivers making unexpected lane changes to make their exit can often cause an accident.

Check your emergency kits: Make sure sure you have the necessary items with you should you get stranded due to car trouble, an accident or weather conditions. Some items to consider taking along are a battery powered radio, flashlight, blankets, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, bottle water, some non-perishable food, map, tire repair kit, and flares.

Be aware of changes in the weather - Weather conditions this time of year can change at a moments notice - especially in the early morning and evenings with the cold temperatures. If you will be traveling over the passes check the pass report before you head out.

Leave early - Give yourself enough time so that you won't be rushed and become anxious about arriving late.

Be aware of trucks blind spots: Large trucks don't have the same visibility as we do - be aware of their blind spots - if you can't see the truck driver in his or her mirrors, then they probably can't see you either.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year. With so many motorists on the road, it is important to use caution and patience while driving. A bit of forethought will go along way in getting you safely to your destination. Think ahead and have a wonderful holiday season.

Happy Friday to all!!

I hope this finds you having a wonderful day! It is a great day at my house. My husband is cooking our Thanksgiving turkey! Yep, turkey day is here (well almost). We are celebrating tomorrow with our daughter and her new husband. Our daughter, Angella, has not been with us for about 4 years on Thanksgiving and her husband, Dan, never has. So we are pretty excited!!

Since I won't say HI again until next Friday, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

See ya next Friday :) ...geri

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If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine. -Morris West

Fascination is one step beyond interest. Interested people want to know if it works. Fascinated people want to learn how it works. -Jim Rohn

A tongue three inches long can kill a man six feet tall. -Ancient Japanese Proverb

The reason so few people are successful is no one has yet found a way for someone to sit down and slide uphill. - W. Clement Stone

One cannot help being old, but one can resist being aged. -Lord Samuel

Preparing your home for the winter months ahead

As the winter season approaches it is time to make sure your home is ready for the cold months ahead. If you have already made a list of things to do and are working your way through it, way to go. If not, or if you just want to compare your list to mine, here are some things that my home inspector says you should take care before winter arrives.

Have your fireplace and chimney cleaned - Have a professional inspect and clean your fireplace and chimney prior to using it this winter.

Have your furnace cleaned and inspected - To make sure your furnace is running efficiently, have your furnace cleaned and serviced. This will help with your energy bills as well as keep you and your family more comfortable this winter. As as the winter months progress, don't forget to change your furnace filters as needed.

Check the batteries in your smoke detector - If you did not already do this when the time changed, you will want to change the batteries in your smoke detectors now and make sure they are working properly.

Clean your ceiling fans - Ceiling fans are not just for those hot summer days. If your ceiling fan has a switch for winter use, to turn the blades in the opposite direction and move the warm air from the ceiling back down to the room, you will want to flip that switch.

Check the weather stripping around your windows and doors- Heat escaping out windows and doors can be very costly on your utility bill. Check and make sure everything is sealed tightly, and if you have single pane windows you may want to consider saving up some money to replace those with new double pane high energy efficient windows.

Clean your gutters, downspouts and roof - You will want to check your roof for any leaks, and for any lose or missing singles. Make sure your gutters and downspouts are flowing freely. When they get clogged water can begin to seep into your home and cause great damage.

Prepare your yard - Make sure lawn furniture is cleaned and put away or covered for the winter months. If you have a pool or sprinkler system, make sure it is drained and winterized. Put hoses away and make sure all outside faucets are off so they don't freeze.

Emergency kits- Before the winter storms hit it is a good time to check your emergency kits or make one if you don't have one. For your home you will want to have a flashlight, battery powered radio, non-parishable food and water, and a first aid kit. For more ideas about home emergency preparedness check out Ready America. If you will be doing any winter traveling this year, you will want to have an emergency kit for your car as well. Some items to consider having with you are, extra blankets, roadside flares, a quart of oil, first aid kit, flashlight, jumper cables and food and water. And before you take off on a road trip over the passes check out the pass reports for threatening conditions or possible closures.

With a little bit of preparation you can have a safe and wonderful winter season.