Socks, he "invented" the Cherokee alphabet. There is one town here in Oklahoma where the street signs are in both Cherokee and American. Tahlequah Oklahoma The seat of the Cherokee, with their court house. Moni

$10 for the hike ... a steal! When we were on the cruise in Alaska last month one of the couples at our table partied a little too hard the night before we docked in Sitka and called at 7am to ask if we'd like to go on a hike while in town. We said sure. A 15 min bus ride to a national forest and a four mile hike cost them just under $90 each for the hike and a light snack (bottle of water and a chocolate bar)! Holy schmoly, I about fell out of my seat when I read the tickets. Jodi-

Sake barrels at a Shinto shrine in Kobe, Japan. Good friends of mine got married there. I absolutely fell in love with the barrels and just recently, while looking for Japanese home decor on Craig's List, found an authentic barrel for $10. TEN DOLLARS! Others I've seen for sale ran between $300 and $800. I'll be posting a photo of mine some time in the future asking for help determining what I can spray or brush on it to preserve the rope and decorative cover. Below is a link regarding the meaning of sake barrels at Shinto shrines. Jodi- Here is a link that might be useful: Sake barrels at Shinto shrines

With the stink bugs, we seemed to have had more last year but there is quite a few trying to get in this year....One thing I did find out, last year when I brought my indoor plants in off the porch, the dreaded bugs had dug down in the dirt and when they got inside and the heat came on, out they came... We were also told, they would be gone after a frost, well, no luck, they just moved under ground or inside.... I also heard, these bugs were brought here to take care of the brown lady bugs...Not sure about that.... AND they do stink...They have a smell about them even when alive and if you kill them, oh my.....When we catch them in the house, we flush them or put them in a plastic bag and then put it in the garbage....Also, it's said, not to kill them because that smell with bring on more......... AND nothing gets rid of them.....