Winter weather can pose a lot of challenges for your skin. And not just your ‘face’ ~ remember your skin encompasses the surface of our whole bodies. Winter can be especially harsh because the possibility of dryness is greater.

Don’t let Winter weather pose a new ‘wrinkle’ for you during this Winter season. Protect your skin with these tips:

* Shorten Your Showers. Frequent, long baths and showers can remove the lipids (fats/lubricants) which help retain skin moisture.

* Moisturize. In the shower, use soaps with moisturizers or add oils t bath water. After your shower, pat dry and replenish moisture with an overall moisturizer.

* Use Sunscreen. Casual sun exposure adds up over time, even in winter. Choose skin products with SPF 15 protection or add sunscreen to your routine.

* Make Your House Skin-Friendly. Use a humidifier, especially in your bedroom while you sleep. Also, avoid exposure to cigarette and cigar smoke as they can accelerate the skin’s aging process.

* Stimulate, Exfoliate and Rejuvenate. Winter is a great time to pamper your skin. Scrub your face to remove old skin cells and use face creams with retinoids that can help reduce facial lines and wrinkles. Just don’t overdo the scrubbing, too much can remove valuable natural lipids.

Remember too that skin types are different and may require specific measures for various conditions. Please check with your Dermatologist to discuss your particular skin type and what may be the best recommendations for you to avoid the Winter ‘doldrums’ for Your Skin.

Following the above tips ‘and’ recommendations from your Dermatologist, will make for glowing skin and a great complexion come this Spring !!

Generations lived with the grassy landscape outdoors! Maybe the grass and the flower beds held out for decades at your home too and brought great family happiness, but change is the law of life. They need not vanish completely though, but remain restricted to the periphery of the planned hardscape. Imagine the advantages with the hardscaping with water being saved and a happy goodbye to overgrown weeds every weekend! The lawn service guys won’t be required and it is a smart new look that has plenty of choices and budgets. Get used to the new idea and look around to see plenty of this new approach, being so much easier to maintain and weather resistant absolutely.

What do you fancy to put in there? Pebbles would remind of the rustic waterside, slate or quartzite, travertine or granite in a range of pleasing and hardy shades? Would it be shades of gray, white and black or something a little more colorful? Going for a variety of choices would enable patterns like borders if it is a large enough space out there. Let it be intimately small too. The outdoors is the new lifestyle as if we are returning to the Stone Age. Enjoy the parties and relaxed sessions out there with family and friends.

Multicolored polished pebbles, black available too

What would you put in the vacant spaces between the pavers? Instead of sand that would lead to grass or plants, pebbles have advantages. You need not mow the grass or battle with weeds. Shining pebbles do create a fairy tale element like the beach scenario. That courtyard, patio or path would shine with substance.

Convenient porcelain pavers

Easy to install and very durable to withstand changing weather patterns, porcelain in several shapes and sizes would do the trick. Designs imitate natural stone like the gray and beige amidst whites. Get them glazed and matte in 13×24 and 24×24.

Quartzite pavers in gray

Arrange them in random patterns with several shapes and sizes. They look graceful indeed with whites and golds amidst the grays. Natural cut quartzite flagstone pavers would earn a lot of praise. Set up a smart patio instead of the lawn and spend gala evenings there.

Travertine mocha paver wonders

These have delicate designs on pale beige, a truly elevating tiled surface. Get them in 6×12 and 6×6.

French Design Pavers

You get all four sizes pre-packed according to the same color pattern. It remains cool at the height of summer.

Lawns now recede. The hardscape is going to be fun and functional and late nights beckon under the moon and the stars. Begin the journey and keep it smooth sailing.

Recently I re-discovered this book while browsing through a local op-shop, with enthusiasm I took it to the counter to take home & re-read the beautiful life lessons offered by John Gray. My favourite two chapters without a doubt ‘Women are Like Waves’ & ‘Men Go to Their Caves & Women Talk!’

Women Are Emotional Waves, don’t we know it!

John Gray aptly describes women as waves, he says, “When she feels loved her self esteem rises and falls in a wave motion. When she is feeling good, she will reach a peak, but then suddenly her mood may change and her wave crashes down, this crash is temporary. After she reaches the bottom suddenly her mood will shift and she will feel good about herself.”

My ‘ah ha!’ moment arrived while reading this chapter when John states that a women at the bottom of her wave likes to discuss & share her problems, then will begin to rise up to the top of the wave & feel good again. He writes that men misunderstand this positive shift to mean that whatever was bothering her is now completely healed or resolved. As men generally discuss problems to find a resolutions.

Then when I went on to read ‘Men Go To Their Caves & Women Talk’ a clearer picture began to emerge for me in the huge difference in communicating & problem solving between men & women.

Men Go To Their Caves & Women Talk

“You seem to have gone into a cave, want to about it?”

Doesn’t everyone want to talk all the time? Especially when they have a problem? Reality is a funny thing. I didn’t realise how much I actually talk until I read this chapter, I thought everyone was the same as me…wow shock!? I realise that I have a large word count requirement. When I had a wisdom tooth removed a sympathetic friend came to visit our normal chit chatter was reduced to a few words here and there, I had so much to say but could not talk!

So it was to my horror when I first read this book to find out that some people especially men like to withdraw to cope with stress & focus on the problem until it is resolved often at the expense or ahead of other responsibilities.

I totally love this book it profoundly challenges my thinking. The tips & lessons to be learned are so helpful when in the workplace, at home, with friends or in situations of conflict.

John Gray

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus

Can be purchased from http://www.amazon.com

AUS r.r.p. $19.95

If your looking to reconnect with a loved one or offer them something special, try a couples relaxation massage. Total Relaxation Therapy is a mobile massage and pampering service in Melbourne Australia see http://www.totalrelaxationtherapy.com.au

If you are like me, you have always heard that the Brother Knitting Machine was the best there is and now it’s not made any more, or is it? In this article, we will reveal a couple of machines that are very similar to the Brother.

In my quest to find the next best thing, I found a machine that is actually the exact duplicate of Brother. So much so, that the Brother attachments will work perfectly on this machine. Meaning if you have a Brother machine and are looking for attachments to fit it, you will be able to get them. And, if you need to replace a Brother, the Brother attachments you have will not go to waste. You will be able to purchase this machine and your attachments will work flawlessly. This knitting machine is manufactured in China and distributed under the name of Artisan. The Artisan model numbers are the same as the Brother model numbers. This makes it easy for comparison of the two machines. It also makes it nice if you are looking for replacement parts or accessories.

Another machine I have found that is much like a Brother is a Taitexma. Taitexma is a Taiwanese company that manufactures in Taiwan as well as Mainland China. The Taitexma is very much like the Brother. They too use the same model numbers but have replaced the Brother letters KH and KR with TH and TR. I can’t say positively that this one is an exact duplicate but it is very close. At least some, if not all, of the Brother attachments will work with the Taitexma. Taitexma has been in business since 1989 and has been making flatbed machines since 2000. With their attitude of excellence in customer service, I believe this company will be around for a long time.

So, what do you do when you want a Brother Knitting Machine? You look to Artisan or Taitexma.

One of the great things about men’s fashion is that while trends come and go, such as the polyester suit of the 70s and the punk look of the 80s, it always seems to gravitate back towards a clean and masculine look. 2011 has definitely brought a major resurgence of this classic appearance. In both high fashion and catalog spreads, you’ll see men dressed in flattering styles and natural fabrics. The grunge look of the 90s is out, and the well-groomed clean cut appearance of an earlier era has made a comeback. Along these lines, here are 3 of my favorite trends in men’s fashion coming up for fall of 2011.

Colored denim- We have a tendency to always think of denim as meaning “blue jeans.” But colored denim is a great trend for fall, and a nice way to dress up your normal denim look. Now it’s accepted that you can wear white jeans, even after Labor Day. Just anchor them with darker pieces, such as gray or brown shoes and belt, and a navy sport jacket. Gray jeans are a terrific look for fall. You can pair them with other cool tones, such as a blue and white striped shirt, camel suede shoes, and a blue denim jacket for a nice, calming look. Or for something a little bolder, try yellow-gold denim pants. Just remember that this is a bright color, and the rest of your outfit should remain in neutral shades, such as tans or navy blues.

“Mad Men” inspired fashion- Since the television show “Mad Men” became raucously popular, several different clothing companies have introduced tailored and form-fitting lines inspired by the pre-hippie era of the early 1960s. I am personally looking forward to Banana Republic’s “Mad Men” inspired men’s line that will be introduced this fall. The reason this particular line works so well is that it offers a bit of an updated twist on classic, retro looks. This is the very key to looking appropriate, not like you are wearing a costume, when emulating vintage fashion. Key pieces to pulling off the “Mad Men” inspired look are slim cut suits, shawl-collared sweaters, slim cut pin stripe trousers, vests, and waist coats. If you are attending a formal event, a classic black silk bow tie is key, and for everyday wear, a nice silk tie with necktie accessoriesis appropriate.

Casual dressy looks- What do I mean by “causal dressy”? Well, it differs from what you think of as straight-up dressy. For a casual dressy look, start with a casual foundation. This could be a pair of relaxed fit chinos and a polo shirt or silk screened cotton tee shirt. Then, add an element that you would normally only think of as dressy, such as a well fitted sport jacket. For another casual dressy look, try a pair of dark wash jeans and a button down shirt with the vest from your three piece suit. Or, black denim pants with a plain white tee shirt and a tuxedo jacket. You can also make any casual outfit more dressy with an interesting accessory such as an antique pocket watch or a nice pair of leather oxford shoes. Celebrities who regularly and successfully pull off the casual dressy look are Kanye West, Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, and Pharell Williams. Just don’t ever mix a blazer or sport jacket with shorts when going for the casual dressy look.

Dragon Breath Chicken Wings are a great way to get the Labor Day or Super Bowl party started (or ANY kind of party for that matter!) The nice thing about this chicken wings easy appetizer recipe, is that they are as delicious cold as they are straight from your grill.

Those who love the spice will certainly love these. Have some milk and mints standing by to cool off the mouth!

What you’ll need for Dragon Breath Chicken Wings:

For the Marinade

– 2 Tablespoons rice wine

– 2 Tablespoons soy sauce

– 1 Tablespoon ginger root (grated)

For the Sauce

– 1 garlic clove (minced)

– 1 Tablespoon ginger root (grated)

– 4 Tablespoon soy sauce

– 2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

– 1 Tablespoon sugar

– 1 Tablespoon sesame oil

– 1/4 teaspoon hot chili oil

– 2 pounds of chicken wings

– Chopped green onions

First, combine the marinade ingredients in a large plastic bag. Before you add the chicken wings to the bag, cut the wing tip off and then cut the wings in half after discarding the wing tip. Marinate the wings for at least an hour before cooking.

Next, drain the wings and discard the marinade. Fire up the grill and grill the chicken wings until they are cooked. An alternative is to bake them on the middle shelf of a 400 degrees F oven for 40 minutes.

Then, mix the sauce ingredients together until thoroughly blended.

Arrange the chicken wings on your favorite chicken wing platter and pour sauce over them to completely cover them. Voila! That’s it! Garnish with the finely chopped green onions and you are ready to serve. Enjoy the game!

For more great easy appetizer recipes, check out the Chicken Wings Recipes page found on my website, Easy Appetizer Recipes. Just follow the link in my bio.

May 15, 1971, John Van Swearinger IV introduced us to New Fern Cave. John Wallace, Bill Meier and I were excited to see what all the cavers in the nation were talking about at the time. A huge cave system had been discovered in north Alabama. Vertical cavers from all over north America were coming to drop the deepest pit at that time in the eastern United States, Fern Cave.

The Fern Cave System is located in the west side of Nat Mountain in North Alabama. Fern Cave was discovered June 4, 1961 by Jim Johnston, Bill Torode, Louis Fox, Chris Kroger, and Butch Dill. It consists mostly of Surprise Pit, 437-foot deep and more than 200 feet long.

Morgue Cave was discovered June 9, 1968 by Bob Clark, John Cole, Jim Johnston, Don Myrick, Arch Swank and Lynne Swank. It consists of several pits 100 to 200-foot deep. The Morgue is a hibernating and nursery cave for roughly 50% of the entire Gray Bat species and perhaps 75% of the Gray Bat population in the south United States.

On January 11, 1969, New Fern Cave was discovered by Jim Johnston and is commonly referred to as the Johnston Entrance to the Fern Cave System. New Fern Cave consists of more than 15 miles of horizontal cave with three main levels connected by pits and canyons.

New Fern Cave was connected to the Morgue in January of 1969 and in April of that same year the lower level of New Fern Cave was reached. There was found evidence of pasts visit to the cave by torch barriers and large animals, some that are now extinct. Searches were made for a lower entrance, but none has been found. Caving in the Fern Cave System involves a long hike up Nat Mountain or if you know the roads, a drive to the top and a hike down to the entrances. It seemed strange to climb the outside of the mountain then go inside and climb back down the inside of the mountain.

Finely on October 10, 1971, the lower stream passages of Fern Cave and New Fern Cave was connected by digging out a stream in the cold water. This completed the Fern Cave System by connecting the three main caves and a few minor ones on the mountain. The map and most of the exploration of the Fern Cave System were completed Bill Torode and members of the Huntsville Grotto.

Our group consisted of horizontal cavers, only getting involved in vertical work when there was no other possibility. We made several trips in 1971, 1972 and 1973, at a time when the last discoveries were being made and the mapping was completed. I experimented with some movie taking in the cave but was not pleased with the results, which can be viewed on my web site. One scene does show the Elephant ears shortly after being broken and on the first trip and I have a picture of the Elephant ears before being broken with John Van Swearingern IV and John Wallace.

On November 20, 1971, we made our second trip into New Fern Cave, we would park by the river at the foot of the mountain and hike up to the Johnston Entrance. Just inside the entrance there is a drop of about eight feet where a wooden ladder was installed.

We continued to the southeast to the Upper Formation Rooms filled with helectites growing in all directions. We also visited the Red Lilly Pad Room. The room had round formations that looked like Lilly Pads in a pool of water and some of them had stalagmites growing up from the center.

The helectites are formed when the wind blows through the cave forcing the water droplets to blow off the sides of the formations, leaving mineral deposits. At different times the wind blows in different directions causing the odd shapes.

After exploring many of the formations areas, we continued south to the Elephant Ears and the Green Passage. The Green Passage is a smaller crawl and walking passage that leads to the Blowing Hole. The Blowing Hole is a short cut to the middle level of the cave. Bill Torode cleared the dirt from around the hole, placed a bolt in the wall and installed a cable ladder. The hole is about four feet around and an easy place to belay climbers as they go down the ladder. The last person down has to be belayed from below with the rope going up and through the carabineer at the bolt.

At the bottom of the middle level we continued down the canyon of the Gold Passage to the Crystal Room with large five inch gypsum crystals that jut out from the wall. The wall is more than ten feet high and almost as wide with these crystals side by side all over the wall. The crystals are pointed with smooth sides making the most striking formation room that I have ever seen. From the Crystal Room we continued to the Balcony Room. You literally can set on the edge of a balcony and look into a huge round room about eighty feet high and contains a massive flow stone called Myrick’s Monument that reaches from the bottom to the top of the room.

On July 21, 1973, I returned with Jack Pace and we spent eight hours exploring up stream from the Johnston Entrance. We passed the second dome and climbed over a ledge and into virgin cave. The room had many soda straws and helectites and no tracks or signs that anyone had been there. We left the formation room and reentered the stream passage at survey mark #18, just to the left of a dry stream bed.

On October 20, 1973, John Wallace, Jack Pace and I returned and went directly down to the Green Passage and the Blowing Hole. We continued to the Lunch Room, then climbed down the water fall drop rigging a rope for the return climb. We noted the white glacier flow stone and the small cave pearls. We climbed down into the first Big Room and after exploring it exited the cave after another eight-hour trip.

There are two colors for retirement: gray and silver.

What we assume about this stage of life is often the gray stuff. That comes from what happened to Mom and Dad or Grandpa. They retired and traveled. They retired and took up woodworking…or quilting…or golf. They retired and took a backseat to what was going on in the rest of the world. They retired and pretty much disappeared. Gray isn’t very noticeable. Or very interesting. Eventually, they were gone but usually long after they’d been forgotten by the culture.

Is this approach unavoidable? Is it what’s going on with people who retire now?

Only if they choose it. There are a lot more options than moving to Palm Springs or playing golf five days a week.

The traditional version of retirement is built on the concept of “the Golden Years” which was given to us as a culture by Del Webb in 1960 as part of the inaugural marketing effort for the first Sun City, a retirement community outside of Phoenix. It was a way to put a positive spin on a very negative situation. At that time, American workers were required to retire at a certain age and once they did, society pretty much forgot them. Webb and others turned this invisibility into the idea that retirement was time to play–that retirees have earned the chance to have fun all day every day. A life of 100% leisure.

To those still working, this sounds like Nirvana, but as a lifestyle, it can be grim. Not even children play all day every day. Not having a purpose or a way to contribute creates a vast array of health problems–both mental and physical–for the person and robs society of their talents and skill.

But this mindset continues because many believe:

* People old enough to retire are frail–in poor health, with no stamina, and physically unable to do much of what younger people can.

* They are short-term members of society; they will either die or enter a nursing home (and then die) in a few years or even months.

* They’re inept–“Out of it” the vast majority of the time, with no idea what’s going on in the world and no ability to do much about it anyway.

* They’re irrelevant or worse, a burden–nothing they do has impact beyond their own lives. Many of them can’t even take care of themselves.

This is the GRAY version of retired life. Lifeless, fading, dull. Also WRONG.

NONE of this is mandatory, necessary, or wise. Most of it is just plain baloney. The truth about people old enough to retire is much less limiting. But to get to where we plan using a better model, we have to embrace a new set of assumptions:

* AT THIS AGE, WE ARE STILL ROBUST. The vast majority who elect to retire are at the top of their game. Physically, they are in better shape than their parents were even at ten years younger.

* WE ARE STEPPING INTO A LONG-TERM STAGE OF LIFE. Those now retiring are likely to be around at least another fifteen years and more likely twenty-five to thirty. Those who retire at 55 could easily spend more time retired than they did in the workforce.

* WE ARE A SIGNIFICANT SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION. In numbers. In buying power. And if we take the time to plan for it, in the roles we take on and the challenges we step up to for our families, communities, and society as a whole.

* WE ARE ENERGIZED. The chance to do things we believe in with the flexibility to accommodate all the other things we value is revitalizing. This age group has the potential to recharge both ourselves and our communities–and whatever else we decide to take on. We can have “the good life” and “do good” at the same time. We are in a position to give but also to take the time to enjoy what life has to offer.

This version of retirement is SILVER–sparkling and full of energy. Retirement, using this set of assumptions, is the time of life when we really can have it all, do it all, be it all–on our terms.

What color attitude are you going to choose? WHY SETTLE FOR GRAY WHEN SILVER IS JUST A MATTER OF MINDSET? Which attitude are you going to embrace as you do your planning?

Fall

We have enjoyed and dreaded

when the land was green

The temperature hot and humid

We have longed for better days

Fall is here our prayers answered

Fall with its gray days and plants ripe and red

Ready to go to hibernation

To sleep though the blue gray winter season

Fall is here as a reminder

To our reach in to adulthood

Before we had to sleep to start again

To rise up only after we fall down.

With hope and vitality of a new era

In a new day in a new time scale

Like never before like never after

Fall again and fall many times over

Every time with a new twist and a new fervor

Once every year with out lapse

On the third quad of annual time

So it comes and goes as usual as always

Fall it was, Fall it will be, So now fall it is.

And spring

It is that time of the year

When the cold and gray disappear

When warmth and beauty takes over

When flowers bloom

When hibernation ends

When what has slept awakens

When those that died the small death resurrect

Once again for another cycle,

For another one year term.

O beautiful spring you come and go again

Ornamented with flowers of blue red and green

Scented with exotic fragrance of your bloom

To make us feel and to turn us on

To remind us yet still there is time

To live life and play the game.

O spring the site of the beginning

The herald of resurrection

The reminder of death and life again.

The emblem of new beginning

Upon every older ending

The assurance of ever continuity

Of the species as we know them and not

From past eternity to the future eternity.

When people retire and move away to some warm climate and wonderful scenery, they’ve forgotten that doing old age well needs lots of supporting characters.

It’s okay to go off and have fun for a few years. Just don’t think you’ve planned adequately for retirement that way. Here’s the thing — if you haven’t admitted you’re going to be old, you’re already in mired deep in potential trouble.

Yes, meeting pals just like you and living life like an elderly frat gang — that’s just super. But when some health thing happens to you, people in the playtime of retirement often don’t want to reminded of the essential fragility of life.

No, you really need a whole gathering of different kinds of people. All ages, all backgrounds. Let me see, oh yes, now I remember — it’s called a village, a town, a city.

When people are afraid to be old, they act in a kind of superstitious way that says, don’t do anything “old”. So, don’t put grab bars around your bathroom, just for just in case. Don’t worry about living up a 50-step stone stairway to your house. Walk everywhere, eat carefully, think positive thoughts.

Yeah, sure, that’s all good. But, friends, then there’s life. And, as John Lennon said, life is what happens when you’re making other plans. Let me give you some examples.

Cedric-the-artist was a grumpy old gentleman who walked everywhere and lived in a hilly town, up one hundred stone steps. The walking and the steps kept his legs very trim. However, he developed diabete, didn’t watch his diet and he fell down his steps in a dizzy moment, rolling from his front gate to the bottom. He was never able to live at home after that and his general disagreeableness prevented friendships growing around him.

Bob and Beth were a lovely tennis-playing couple, in their late 60s. They bounded healthily into my caregiver support group, month after month, often in their tennis whites, glowing with exercise. I asked them once whether they were caregivers and they said cheerfully, “Oh no, we’re just doing our homework.”

Very smart, I thought. When I asked where their families lived, they said in Maryland and Florida. And then they added something a little chilling.

“We like to live here in Arizona because then our children won’t see us getting old.”

Some months after this, I had a phone call late at night. A very distressed woman was telling me about her husband having a stroke. After some confusion, I realized this was Beth. Bob had been felled by a severe stroke. We talked more and a few other things emerged. They had never married and Beth was sending Bob back to his children in Maryland. She was moving to Florida.

“Oh no,” she said, “I can’t possibly look after him.” Neither did she want to move near him. She was horror-stricken by what had befallen him.

If getting old and having some stuff happening wasn’t so filled with horror for her, it might have been a story with a better outcome for them both. But counting on never getting old, with life never happening while you’re making other plans — that seems to rip the heart out of every possibility.

I like it when old people can grow up as well as grow old. I like it when they say, “You know, sometimes stuff happens and you just have to get on with it.”

That to me is real old age wisdom.