Spring Break Forecast/Lotus Car/Time Change

WEATHER
Not bad...that's what a lot of folks will be saying around the country this week. As I write this post, there are winter weather woes in the western US. For the week, looks like the wettest spots will be along the eastern seaboard. Saturday will be wet and stormy for the Ohio Valley, midwest and northeast. And there will be some snow in the Intermountain Region. Highs will be in the 40s and 50s from the northwest to the northeast. From the southeast to the southwest highs will be in the 60s and 70s.

Houston, this is going to be a Chamber of Commerce Spring Break with lows in the 40s and highs in the 70s for the most part...all the way into the coming weekend. Humidity levels should be very comfortable and rain chances are very low. Enjoy!

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do beach or playa, pronounced PLY-yah. Are you heading to the playa this Spring Break?

If you are looking for something for your kids to do indoors, try our award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com

AND MORE
TIME CHANGE
First, let's get some very important business out of the way--Daylight Saving Time is returning (the dreaded time change). It happens this Sunday morning at 2 am. Move your clocks ahead, i.e. spring forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday night. So, we will lose an hour of sleep that night. But you can comfort yourself knowing that in the Houston area, the sun won't be rising at 5:20 am in June. For my readers in northern latitudes...I know, I know...the sun does rise that early or earlier in summer. Shout out to my buddy Barbara in Sitka...any thoughts?

ORNAMENTAL PEAR
And speaking of spring, it sure looks that way in the Houston area. I snapped the photos at right--a very popular ornamental tree. I wasn't sure what it was. So, I called on my number one source--Mom! She said I think that is an ornamental pear. So, I checked it out, and Wikipedia had a Callery Pear with pictures of a tree just like the one I photographed at right. The most popular "cultivar" is the Bradford Pear. But, there are others. According to Wikipedia, it does produce a fruit that is very tiny and eventually eaten by the birds. The white flowers are shortlived, being quickly replaced once emerging leaves replace the blooms. The leaves turn beautiful colors in the fall. It is widely used around the country and even around the world (fyi, it is a native plant in China). But, in many areas where it is not a native plant, it is pushing out and taking over some of the native plants.
Here is the link if you would like to read more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callery_Pear

LOTUS CARS
Today, I saw not one but two Lotus cars driving down the Southwest Freeway. It was pretty obvious they were together. One was a silver blue color and the other was black. Ignorant me, I thought they weren't made any more. So I started looking around to try to remember when I had heard a big deal made about the Lotus. In an article from Car dated 10/20/08, there is a discussion about how the Lotus was featured prominently in 2 James Bond movies. In For Your Eyes Only, there are 2 Lotus cars used but neither is in a chase scene. In The Spy Who Loved Me, the Lotus has the ability to travel underwater. According to Wikipedia, the Lotus cars in both of those movies are Esprit models. But, there is another James Bond movies where a Lotus appears...Casino Royale--however it is driven by one of the shows characters--not James Bond. And, it is the model called a Formula 3. By the way, there is a Lotus dealer in the Houston area--it is located on the Katy Freeway.

COUPONS AT BED, BATH AND BEYOND
Now I know many of you shopping experts know this, but just in case--save all of those Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons. The coupons say they are only good for one purchase. But the truth is, if you take a pile of them to the store and buy a corresponding pile of items, they will let you use as many of the coupons as possible. And, they will let you use expired coupons. Thanks to my friend Kim for reminding me about this. I found out about this by accident one time when I shopped there. I did call today and asked someone at the store about this. I told her I was writing a blog. And, she said they will let "you can use all that can be applied". So, take that as you like. Try it out and be sure to let me know your experience.

Don't forget to answer my poll about what you are doing for spring break (poll closes in 2 days)!

Have a wonderful, safe and fun spring break everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman