Weekend Forecast/Megan's Big Award/Extremely Important Safety Tips

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Severe weather is possible across the lower Mississippi Valley and some southeastern states. As I write this there have been a couple dozen reports of hail and high wind ahead of an advancing cold front. Biggest threat on Friday should be hail. It will be very cold over the northern plains--highs in the single digits. There will be some snow showers around the Great Lakes and northern New England as well as in the Denver area. There will be rain along the eastern seaboard (especially the northern half).

Houston hit 81 on Thursday and will likely make 83 on Friday. It will be warm and muggy. Cold front arrives early Saturday but rain will be limited. Highs on Saturday will be in the 60s with sunshine returning in the afternoon. Sunday will be sunny and cool with a light freeze possible early for outlying areas. Highs will be in the 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do poem or poema, pronounced poh-ay-MAH. Congratulations to my step-daughter Megan on her award winning poema (see AND MORE for more details).

Correction on yesterday's word--accent belongs on the last syllable.

Speaking of award-winning, have our mentioned that our educational DVD for children won 2 major awards? Yes, you can get your copies of Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, got to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
In reference to yesterday's blog about 809 area code scam, special thanks to "Scott" for his comment on yesterday's blog. He gave a link for a site you can use to check out specific phone numbers and he reminded us that you can always google the phone number itself to see what comes up. Thanks Scott!

CONGRATULATIONS to my step-daughter Megan, who was a winner in the Hilary Duff With Love Valentine's poetry contest. Extra points were give for poems which included the words "with love". Megan won some free Hilary Duff perfume stuff. Way to go Megan and you smell so good!!! Here's the poem!

Our friendship may have started only 1 year ago,
But as of today you are my sister this I know,
We have been together through good times and bad,
You are the one true friend I will always have
With Love

Okay, I know you just loved hearing the Daniel Boone theme song. Well here is the one for Davy Crockett (also with Fess Parker). Now, dusting off the cobwebs, I think there was a movie and a TV show. This link is for the movie version--it is longer (and slightly repetitious) but still good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwy8-Y8XTto&feature=related

My friend whose car was burglarized Monday (with purse snatched) summarized her entire experience and also gave out some valuable tips. Just so you know, they are pretty sure they saw the man who did it as he walked by where they were picnicking and said hi--scoping out the situation. The police officer assigned to the case says that they did not hear him break the window because it is tempered glass and all you need to do is tap it just right with a key or something hard. So here are her 3 main points:

Please pass this on to everyone you know.
If you don't want to send the whole thing (it's long, I know) send this:
1) A popular new way for someone to steal your stuff is for them to camp out in parking lots (of parks, gyms, stores, Home Depot, etc.) & for the thief to watch what you do with your personal belongings. You might think you are safe to "lock" your purse/wallet in your trunk, but the thief is watching you put it in your trunk after you pull up! He knows it's there, so after you walk away, he can shatter your window, access the trunk button & off he goes. Also, be careful about bringing shopping bags back to your car from one store, & heading into another store. Same concept...they're watching you put the bags in the car, so they know what to take & where it will be.
2) If you have your stuff stolen, be sure to set up a fraud alert thru Experian/Equifax or Transunion. Plug their ph#'s into your cell ph along with 800#'s for your credit card accts & bank branch you bank thru...this will help, so you don't waste valuable time calling 1411 while the thief is spending all your money!! Their ph#'s are listed on this website: http://www.dmv.org/news-alerts/identity-theft.php
3) If you can, try not to carry your ATM card on you, b/c it can act as a debit card, & often the theif does not need your pin# to make a purchase, just your zip code (which he can access from your drivers license.) This is the quickest way that they drain people's accounts! Also, NEVER CARRY YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, or anything with your social security # on it.
Good advice!!! Thanks so much!

Have a safe Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Storm Threat on Thursday/Scam Clarified/Daniel Boone's Great Theme Song

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
More widespread wintry weather on Thursday across the northern 1 to 2 tiers of states. Very cold in North Dakota with highs in the negative single digits. There could be some severe storms in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee. Very mild across the south with highs in the 70s and 80s.

Tomball made it to 80 on Wednesday. Houston will be even warmer Thursday. Lows will be in the 60s and highs will be in the 80s with high humidity. Next cold front arrives early Saturday. Weekend will turn cooler.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do scheming or maquinador, pronounced mah-key-NAH-door. Watch out for people who are maquinador. See the AND MORE section to learn more about it.

We're not scheming but we sure are planning. We have met with a publisher who wants to sell our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, directly to various school districts. But don't wait for it to come to your school. Order your own copy for your youngsters from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, got to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Lydia Baehr put together a wonderful video of The Groudhog Day Gala. You can watch it on Youtube via the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nd3qiwQHj4.
There is a very nice sound bite from Mayor Bill White (about 1/3 of the way in).

I got an alarming email about an 809 area code scam. The real truth is not quite as bad as the email that is circulating, but you can get the nitty gritty details at this SNOPES link:
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp
Basically, the 809 area code is in the Dominican Republic and because of that, there is no required disclosure of fees etc. You will usually get some enticing message which motivates you to dial a certain number. And when you do, you are given tricky information that encourages you to stay on the line for a long time--meanwhile you are being charged. AT&T also has info. on their web site. Bottom line is don't return a call unless you know the number you are calling. There are also a couple other area codes being used to this end. Be careful.

My sister Liz recently purchased the Daniel Boone show on DVD. I loved the theme song from that and was singing it. Sarah wanted to know more. So, we pulled it up on youtube. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhYRDPG8Mu0
Enjoy your trip down memory lane.

Have a terrific Thursday everyone!!!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Turning Warm and Muggy/How to Butcher a Chicken

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
There's a slight dip in the jet stream over the eastern U.S. So there is some rain in the southeast. As a warm front pushes northward Wednesday, there will be few thunderstorms in the mid-Mississippi valley. Highs over the northern plains will be in the single digits and teens. There will be a few snow showers over the Great Lakes and some rain/snow from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Plains. The south will be warm/balmy over the southern Plains and southeast.

Houston will be warm and muggy on Wednesday with a low near 60 and high in the upper 70s. Look for more warm weather through Saturday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do chicken or gallina, pronounced gah-yee-NAH. Want to know how to butcher a gallina? Read my AND MORE section. By the way, chicken you eat is pollo, pronounced poy-YOH.

We have a lot of words for eating in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. So kids can really relate to that. You can get your copy at www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, got to www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
When the going gets tough, can we get tough enough and down to earth enough? There are so many lost abilities. I look back on my childhood. My mother made our clothes (or we wore hand me downs from cousins). Of course nowadays with consignment and thrift shops, you can buy clothes cheaper than making them. We had homemade cakes and haircuts. We had birthday parties at home. We washed our own cars--mowed our own lawns. Many of my friends did not even have a home telephone. Cable wasn't even available until I was in high school. For many years, we had one portable black and white television--that's it! We never did get cable.

Now on food, we had a lot of advantages. My grandfather would butcher a young bull every year or so. We would get the meat for $1/pound. Now that was everything including the yucky liver. None of us liked it, except my Dad. I think it annoyed him that we carried on about how bad it tasted. Once when we had taken in some dogs, my mom let us feed it to them. I don't think she liked it either. We had plenty of fruit, because my grandfather grew citrus and that lasted for months. My mother made homemade cinnamon rolls or pumpkin bread for us to snack on every day when we got home from school. There was no junk food in our house--no cookies or chips or soda. We ate peanut butter sandwiches for snacks. She did buy lots of bread. She bought extra loaves and froze them. We drank powdered milk, when regular milk was too expensive. Adding a teaspoon of vanilla to each gallon made it taste more creamy.

We always had some sort of vegetables growing like Mexican squash and cucumber. My mother made exactly the right amount of food for our family of 8. We didn't eat seconds. We didn't have dessert except on birthdays and holidays.

We bought used cars and prayed they didn't break down. One car I drove in college was so rusted that my dad cut out a coffee can bottom and nailed it to the hood so the engine wouldn't get wet. When I took it for inspection, the man told me, I would like to fail this car, but technically it passes. I was just glad to have a car that could get me to and from school and work. After I graduated and bought a car, my sister took it cross country for 2 years. Then she sold it.

My mom and dad would not say "if you get a scholarship", they would say "when you get your scholarship(s)".

And how about raising your own chickens and butchering them? Well I know how to do that because I spent some summer weeks on my uncle's farm. One time, we butchered a couple dozen chickens. You have a big vat of bowling water ready. You grab the chicken by the head and then snap it really hard. It should pop right off. Now, be decisive because you want to make it quick. The bottom will bounce around for a while because the nerves are still working. Then you put the body in boiling water. That gets the feathers loose so you can pluck them. The nerves are still working so the body will react when it hits that hot water. Then you pluck it. Then, you gut it. That I have not done. But I have cut up whole chickens. So, I think I could figure it out. My grandmother loved doing the gutting part. She was such a character.

Well, that's about enough. Bottom line is that it's amazing how little you really need and what you can do it you have to.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Jet stream flattens/Poll Results/New Poll/Robbery

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
There is a fairly zonal pattern over the U.S. and that will be the case for several days. The polar jet stream cuts the country in half and the the small dips (troughs) are where the weather will be on Tuesday...mainly northern Great Lakes and northern New England and the Pacific Northwest. Highs will be in the teens and 20s over the northern plains and Great Lakes and northern New England. The southern tier of states will have highs in the 60s, 70s and even 80s (Arizona).

On Tuesday, Houston will be partly to mostly cloudy and more humid with lows near 50 and highs in the low 70s. It will be even warmer on Wednesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do robber or atracador, pronounced ah-trah-CAH-door. An atracador broke into my friend's car today.

That is a serious word, no doubt. The words in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, are serious for kids because they are about things that kids care about deeply--things like food and drink, family members and home and playing. You can get your copy at www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

Some good news today about our bilingual product. I finally located some companies that deal in ESL (English as a Second Language) products. I sent copies to several of these companies at the end of last week. I already got a call today from one such company in California. They are going to feature our DVD, Aprendamos Inglés con Frank y Paco, Volumen 1, in their Fall catalog. This is also a useful DVD if you are more interested in a full immersion type product. To see more, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Big correction to yesterday's post...that puppy dog is a Golden Retriver (not Irish Setter). My sister tells me that Irish Setters are actually hard to come by and they aren't an optimal choice for kids.

A good friend of mine who lives in Missouri City, had an unfortunate incident today. She, her children and some friends were at a park in Quail Valley. She left her purse in the car (but it was covered). Still, someone broke her window, found her purse and took it. She did all the right things...calling the credit card companies etc. Even though she reported right away, the robber had already used one of the credit cards--a fast acting robber that one. She filed a police report. The police officer came down and did a very thorough report. He was with them for a couple hours. He told me that the streets were quiet so he was able to get a lot of information this time.

A friend of mine in South America said the weather has been blazing hot. Remember, it's the Southern Hemisphere and they are in summer. He said they have been doing a lot of swimming and beach going. The sad thing is, our turn is next. Yikes! But hey, sweating is good for the skin.

My favorite dress at the Oscars last night was the one worn by Amy Adams...a striking dark red number. But I thought the necklace was too fat and chunky and too many colors. My least favorite dress was the one Miley Cyrus wore--just didn't that super layered look. I like sleek, elegant gowns at the Oscars.

Our poll about the NASA stimulus of $1 billion has closed. 50% thought they should get more. 12% said $1 billion is just the right amount. 12% think they should get less. And 25% think they should get nothing. Here's a little known fact--(I will admit I heard this at a talk and am not sure how this was calculated)...for every $1 spent on space missions, there have been $7 in medical advances. It has to do what they learn from the experiments which are carried into space. Thanks to all who participated in the poll.

Our new poll is about pets...what is your favorite? Now since I am saying favorite, I will allow only one answer. Have fun!

Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Back to Work Weather/Adorable Irish Setter Puppy

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A few snow showers over New England on Monday and scattered snow out west on Monday as well. Highs will be in the 20s across the northern plains and Great Lakes States. It will be pleasant across the south.

Houston will be sunny on Monday, lows in the 30s, high in the low 60s. Tuesday will be more humid with lows near 50 and highs near 70. Some clouds will return.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do puppy or cachorro, pronounced cah-chore-ROW (roll that double r). We had fun playing with memaw's Irish Setter cachorro on Saturday.

There is a dog in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. What you don't know is his name is Max and he is a bichon-frise. He also has a buddy named Molly--but she had other commitments that prevented her from being in the video. Order our DVD today from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Saturday started muggy. Then we headed west to Austin, running through some heavy downpours. In Austin, it was sunny, breezy and dry. Sarah's memaw had purchased a peach tree in her honor. And I supervised while Sarah, Gordy and my nephew Jacob did an excellent job of planting it. Memaw has a 3 month old Irish setter puppy named Boone (after Daniel Boone). He was super excited when Sarah arrived. Weighing 20 pounds already and quite large, he was a little too rambunctious for Sarah's liking. Fortunately, we had watched dozens of episodes of It's Me or the Dog (from Animal Planet). Megan wasn't able to come along with us, but we were happy to report back to her that we were well equipped thanks to watching all those episodes with her. When Boone jumped up on Sarah, she would turn her back and say no and not turn and pet him until he sat down. Soon, he was understanding that if he sat down (and didn't jump) he would get petted and be rewarded with a positive "good boy". He was just adorable. We spent the entire afternoon with him, walking around the property. Then, my brother and his three boys arrived and completely wore him out. That was one pooped puppy as you can see. What a cutie!

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Weather/Restaurants Busy

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
There will be snow from northern New England and back through the Great Lakes states to St. Louis and Kansas City. There will be showers further south from Memphis to Texas. Highs over the northern plains were in the teens. There will be some showers in San Francisco. On Sunday most of the rain/snow will be in New England and in the western states. There will be rain in DC and New York.

Houston will be mostly cloudy on Saturday with some rain during the 2nd half of the day. Sunday will be sunny and cool with highs in the low 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do puppets or actuación, pronounced ahk-too-ahc-see-OWN. Frank and Paco had an actuación today at St. Laurence Elementary.

Yes...Frank and Paco are getting very popular. All of the 1st and 3rd graders enjoyed trying them out and taking pictures with them. I'm just waiting for them to get agents. You can see both of them in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order it today from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Driving around this evening, I noticed that every popular restaurant parking lot was full. Either people are enjoying themselves no matter what or tonight is their one night a week to splurge. I was happy for the restaurant owners and employees.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Weather/Trash Trouble/FOCA

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Wednesday's severe weather total was 172 (10 of those tornadoes in Georgia--only 1 injury reported). It was high wind that caused 1 death in Georgia -- trees falling on a house. There were NO severe reports today (Thursday).

Friday's weather will be tranquil. There will be scattered snow from the northern Rockies to the Great Lakes to the northeast. There will be rain in St. Louis. Highs will be in the teens across the northern plains while the southern states will be bathed in sunshine and will enjoy highs in the 60s and 70s.

Houston will be pleasant and sunny with a low near 40 and a high in the upper 60s. Clouds return Saturday and there will be showers in the afternoon. Sunday will be cool and sunny with lows near 40 and highs in the low 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do memorial or conmemorativo, pronounced cown-meh-more-ah-tee-VOH. Steve Austin's fathers conmemorativo was very moving.

Here's a little known fact...learning languages improves the ability to hypothesize in science. So, don't just do science fair projects, study language! Order our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order it today from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Well here is a pet peeve for you...what is up with all the trash? Gordy and I see so much trash on our long walks. We walk along Oyster Creek path and there is trash up and down the banks of the creek. I teased Gordy that I am going to bring along a trash bag as he picks so much stuff up. But seriously folks, how hard is it to put the trash in a trash can? They are everywhere!!! And even if you in a car, you can wait until you get home and throw the items away.

When I went to St. Mary's in Brownsville, Texas, our principal, Sister Antoinette, had a big problem with trash on the school grounds. Frequently, she would have the entire school student body go outside and scour the grounds for trash. Our grounds were immaculate...it was like winning the lottery to find a piece of trash to throw away. We need more Sister Antoinette's in this world.

I am not one to force my religious opinions on others. But even before I knew the official teaching of the Catholic chuch, I was adamantly opposed to abortion. To me, it seemed unbelievable that a life, however dependent, and no matter at what stage of development, could be considered anything but life. At mass this last weekend, our church body signed 3 post cards opposing the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). These cards are going to our various congress people. This is something being undertaken by every Catholic church in America. Even if you are not opposed to abortion, you should know that FOCA will allow girls who are minors to obtain abortions--without parental knowledge and definitely without consent. And, Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions. The church is prepared to close every Catholic hospital if this comes to pass.

My mother forwarded the following Associated Press article about Nancy Pelosi's recent visit with the pope.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday told U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, that Catholic politicians have a duty to protect life "at all stages of its development," the Vatican said.
Pelosi is the first top Democrat to meet with Benedict since the election of Barack Obama, who won a majority of the=2 0Catholic vote despite differences with the Vatican on abortion.
The Vatican released remarks by the pope to Pelosi, saying Benedict spoke of the church's teaching "on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death." That is an expression often used by the pope when expressing opposition to abortion.
Benedict said all Catholics—especially legislators, jurists and political leaders—should work to create "a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development."
Pelosi could not immediately be reached after the 15-minute meeting, which was closed to reporters and photographers. The two met in a small room of a Vatican auditorium after the pope's weekly public audience.
A number of the bishops in the United States have questioned Pelosi's stance on abortion, particularly her theological defense of her support for abortion rights.
Benedict has cautiously welcomed the new Democratic administration, although several American cardinals have sharply criticized its support of abortion rights in a break from former President George W. Bush.

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman