A New Discovery - the Minute Clinic

When my husband went to get a free hearing exam and possibly a hearing aid, they found a lot of wax build up in his right ear and advised him to go to the minute-clinic at CVS to have the wax removed before getting a hearing aid.

This was the first I heard of a minute-clinic in CVS.  The name is somewhat deceiving though because it definitely takes more than a minute.  Perhaps the name refers to the time it takes to register and sign in, but there can be a wait as long as a couple hours which was the case when we went to the one down the road from where he was tested.  Fortunately, the CVS only .8 miles from our home also has one.  We just never noticed it before.  They do a variety of things, not just wax removal, and it's less than an urgent care or a hospital.  Our insurance covered $99 of the cost so we only had to pay $5! 

The technician was able to get most of it out and advised using drops a couple days to soften the rest.  She was very nice and considerate of what my husband was feeling during the removal process and did not continue once she saw the ear was getting irritated.  She also made a follow-up appointment for us so we wouldn't have a long wait.  She said the waiting list usually gets crowded.

I would recommend it.

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Working On My New Year's Resolution: Eat Out With Co-Workers

I normally spend my lunch hour eating a quick lunch that I bring from home in the lunch room and then the rest of my lunch hour reading away from the office by myself. This year one of my New Year's Resolutions was to be more social at work by going out for lunch with a co-worker at least once a month. I got right on this and have lined up people to go to lunch with through August!  I know this sounds weird but I also know myself; if I don't intentionally plan ahead, it likely won't happen.

January I went with Marcy to Sammy's Grille, a little family run restaurant nearby that is inside our building. I've walked by this place so many times for the past 25 years but never once went in until this month. It reminded me of the soda shop on the Andy Griffith Show! The waitress was very friendly and the food was very good. I had a burger since I hadn't had one in a very long time. I resisted the malt (mostly because it was over $2 and I didn't want to spend anymore than $5 for lunch). I also resisted getting fries. We had a nice chat and it was fun just breaking out of my routine for a change of pace.

Sammy's Grille opens early for breakfast too, I believe at 6 a.m.  It's nice they have their menu posted right on the front window so people like me can plan ahead on what to order!  Where and when was the last time you went out to lunch with someone?  I highly recommend it!

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Downtown Cleveland At Christmas is Amazing!

Public Square in Cleveland 2012

I actually did something spontaneous on my way to work yesterday--I got off the bus early and took some pictures of the lights on Public Square while it was still dark enough to see them.  I generally have my nose in a book, but when the bus stopped to let people off, I took a peek and wow!  The lights are very pretty!  So I decided to get off and take some pictures to share with my readers.

I stood in the middle of the Northwest quadrant and looked around.  It was just beautiful! Then I looked at the lights on the other side of Superior Ave. and lo and behold, I actually saw a Nativity scene among the lights!

Lights on Public Square in Cleveland-2012

A Nativity Scene on Public Square-2012

The children's heads all moved!

Then at lunch I went to Tower City to see the Toy Soldier that I heard about at our Women of Wonder meeting at church. I never new he came to visit at Christmas time. It took me awhile to find him because he was on the lower level and the big staircase that I usually use to get down there was blocked off for his display area. Along the way to find a down escalator to that level, I saw this cute display:

The Toy Soldier

Then I spotted him pushing a little girl in a cart and hurried over to the escalator so I could get down there and get a video. He was lifting her up and swinging her around so cute. He was a mime so did not talk, but had an assistant who talked to help him if needed. Unfortunately, I was too late to get much of him with her but I did take him with a couple other kids. That key in his back actually turned too! I was impressed with him and his costume!


Watch the video below to see him in action!

This was a fun lunch hour that I enjoyed very much.  There was also a train that went around and passed by the talking Spruce tree and a children's holiday store just for kids to shop in.

Twigbee Shop for Kids Only

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Our First Visit To The Cleveland Aquarium

Us at Aquarium 8-27-12

Monday we started off our vacation with our first trip to the Cleveland Aquarium. We were very impressed! I thought it would be like the one at the zoo: real dark with a bunch of fish tanks that would take about 20 minutes to go through. Boy, was I wrong! These exhibits were huge! I liked that it was just one path to go through so you didn't have to plan your route so you didn't miss anything.

Karen in the Sea Tube

These were the different area groupings: Ohio Lakes & Rivers, Exotic Freshwater (included alligators and turtles), Discovery Zone, Florida Keys, Weird & Wonderful (like a tunnel with exhibits built into the wall), Coastal, Touch Tank (Gerard touched a crab, a sea urchin and a starfish, Tropical Reef, Long Sea Tube through the shark tank which looked about four times bigger than the zoo's. Finally, of course, there was a gift shop where we purchased the picture they took of us shown above. It also had a Nautica Cafe upstairs but we skipped that.

Litter Builds Up

It has 15 sharks, more than 5,000 fish, and approximately 1 million gallons of water!  In the Discovery Zone there was this display of litter showing that the cans and plastic tossed into our waterways does not just dissolve.  This litter was thrown into this container back in February and it is now August.

We had a fun time and enjoyed seeing the many different fish displays.  I hope you enjoy the video below.  We happened to go on Navy Week when there were some special things going on.  There was a diving demonstration, a robot demonstration and a concert!  

I thought the grandma fish were very pretty--purple and gold.  Watch for them in the video.  And the horseshoe crab was in the still in the same corner when we came by the second time through! 

If you are in Cleveland, this is definitely a place worth visiting!  You can purchase tickets online at www.greaterclevelandaquarium.com (parking is $3).

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Does This Sound Sick To You?

Does this sound appealing to you? We get a 20% discount from work, but it seems too gross to me. I think it's sick, what do you think? A lot of people went because originally they had planned to only have it open through the end of October but they are extending it to January 2, 2011.  Here is a close up of the basketball player pictured on the building:

BODIES...The Exhibition is a must-see during its limited engagement in Cleveland. This striking Exhibition showcases real human bodies, dissected and preserved through a revolutionary process allowing visitors to see themselves in a fascinating way like never before.

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A Bit Of Country Right In Parma!

For all you fans of the country, this post is for you! Right in the middle of Parma, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio is a 48-acre farm! It is just a little ways past Parmatown Mall right on a busy road, just 15 minutes from our home. It is operated by the Parma Area Historical Society. The Stearns house is circa 1855 and the Gibbs house was built in 1920. Both houses are operated as museums with furnishings appropriate to the era. I didn't go inside the barn so didn't get to see the rabbits.

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What I Like About Cleveland, Ohio

Welcome to Cleveland, Ohio, Blogtrotters!

We actually live in Parma, a suburb of Cleveland which is another good thing about Cleveland--it has lots of suburbs.  Cleveland/Parma has a lot of things that I like and is a good place to live in my opinion. I like having things so conveniently accessible. Churches (all kinds from which to choose), libraries, schools, tennis courts, ball fields, stores, fast food chains, donut shops, a bowling alley, Laundromat, restaurants and ice cream places are all within walking distance of my house. You don’t have that in the country! Everyone isn’t as well located as we are, but I’m pretty sure most Clevelanders could get to all these places by car in a half hour or less driving.

With the Regional Transit Authority, I can take the bus to work downtown or to special events and places of interest. There are at least four major highways that make traveling by car convenient too. From what I hear, our rush hour traffic is not near as bad as Chicago, New York or Los Angeles.

Cleveland has much to offer in entertainment such as theaters, rec centers, and professional sports teams, including the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns, and Cleveland Cavaliers.  We also have a minor league hockey team--the Lake Erie Monsters. Youth sports is big here in Cleveland too and includes baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, football, swimming, tennis, golf and hockey. If you are into drinking, there is no shortage of taverns and sports bars around. There are plenty of neighborhood movie theaters too.  If you have younger children, you must take them to our amusement for for little kids--Memphis Kiddiepark.  It was opened in 1952 and is still going strong.  It is small with just fun rides for the little ones, except for the carousel and Little Dipper.  Bet you didn't know there was an amusement park in Cleveland!  

The Cleveland Zoo is very big with lots of animals--a fun and relaxing place to bring a family. The Cleveland Metroparks are throughout the city and provide plenty of woods for hiking, bike trails, creeks, hills, and even horseback riding, swimming, sledding, and tobogganing at certain locations.

There are also many special events that come to Cleveland, such as the circus, concerts, big ships, air show and fairs. Even dog sledding which Gerard paid $5 to do.  One day one of the dogs that played the part of Marley in the movie "Marley and Me" even came to Cleveland and let people get their picture taken with him at Tower City downtown.  I took off work early that day so I could go.

There are several colleges and museums including the Art Museum, Museum of Natural History, Money Museum, the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. For those who love the country, Parma even has Stearn's Farm, an historical landmark right on a main road down from Parmatown Mall, just about 15 min. from our home.

If you like the beach or just like watching the boats, Cleveland is right by Lake Erie. I can actually walk to the pier during my lunch hour if I want to since I work downtown. I have a view of the lake from my office windows. Edgewater park provides a beach, swimming and fireworks over the lake on July 4th.

It is also nice to have a hospital close by with a Cancer Unit affiliated with The Cleveland Clinic, one of the best hospitals worldwide! Cleveland has quite a few hospitals and plenty of police and fire stations around. I like the fact that if we would ever have an emergency, help is very close by. There are both public and private schools that give parents lots of choices as well as preschools throughout the city, as well as an extensive network of home schoolers.

We have a variety of weather during the four seasons. Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes are seldom seen in Cleveland. We do get a fair amount of snow during December-March and usually one snowstorm in April but on the whole, Cleveland weather is pretty nice most of the year. The only downside to Cleveland is the snow and even that provides some fun if you want to look on the bright side.

What city do you live in and what do you like about it?  I wrote this post because I was asked to write about Cleveland for Blog Trotting.  Links contained in this post will lead you to posts directly related.  So, click some links and enjoy your visit with us in our city!

I added this to Saturday Samplings at Half-Past Kissin' Time. Check it out for more "posts of the week."


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My Visit To The Money Museum

I just discovered that the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Cleveland has a free Learning Center and Money Museum inside! Out of curiosity as to what would be in a money museum, I took a peek on my lunch hour.

Upon entering, my belongings were x-rayed and inspected, I had to show a photo ID and pass through a metal detector which I found a bit creepy. Once past that, I was directed to a reception area where I received a visitors guide and warmly welcomed.

I was expecting to just see a big coin collection but it was much more interesting than that! It had some hands-on exhibits that showed the need for money, the history of money, spotting counterfeit money, the art of money, how checks work, how savings add up and the job of the Federal Reserve Bank. I went back to take my time to really check out the exhibits more thoroughly yesterday.

I particularly liked the bartering game but gave up on it because it was taking too long, thus proving the need for money.  There was even a money tree!  There was a movie running that explained the four characteristics of money:  durability, divisibility, recognizable and something else but I forget now what it is.  At the top of the stairs were more exhibits and a big dollar bill that you could stand behind to see how you would look on a dollar bill.  I was by myself so had to just take a picture of my reflection.

It is only open from 10-2 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays but would be a worthwhile trip. (Groups of 10 or more must make reservations in advance.) Video equipment is not permitted, but cameras are.

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6 Things I Learned This Week--Part 52

San Francisco

At the Creative Junkie I came across a post about her trip to San Francisco which shows all the hills. I never knew that city was so hilly. Lombard Street was crooked and hilly! Great pictures and commentary!

Youth In Foster Care

In the PARMA SUN POST I read an article, "Remember foster teens, too with your holiday donations." It said that almost half of children waiting to a permanent adopted home are 12 or older and that the majority of gifts donated are toys and games for younger children. It suggested that gift cards from Wal-Mart, Target or Best buy are good gifts to donate for teens. The Adoption Network Cleveland distributes gift cards to teens in foster care all year round. To donate, email the outreach coordinator, Robin.Ott@AdoptionNetwork.org.

Making Videos

This week I learned that when I load videos to YouTube I can add music to it by clicking on edit and the "audio swap" tab. A list of songs comes up with the time so you can choose a song close to the length of the video. The first time I used this was with the cat video I just posted this week playing with the laser beam toy.

Thrift Stores

At Beaded Tail's Tax Tip post yesterday, I learned that some communities have thrift stores that sell items to help support charities. I never knew this. I also found out there that "CPA" stands for Cats' Personal Assistant.

Reading

Gerard read 58 books and I read 67 books in 2009. We'll each post our favorite 12 next week.

2009 Resolution Evaluation

In reviewing our resolutions we made last year I learned that we did pretty good on keeping them. Guess it is worthwhile to do.
Gerard's resolutions for 2009:
Win at least one set of tennis from Karen. (This didn't happen, he did win some games though.)
Don't break anything when cleaning. (accomplished)
Don't take losses by my teams so hard. (accomplished)
Maintain good health. (accomplished)
Spend less money. (Nope, think this stayed about the same and maybe even spent more!)

Karen's resolutions for 2009:
Be a blessing to someone each day. (Didn't do every day but definitely was a blessing to many.)
Grow closer to God. (Well, I sure exercised my faith more than ever before.)
Get in shape. (accomplished)

Here were the "smart goals" I made for 2009 (measurable, simple, obtainable, time-bound)
1) Take the stairs between floors at work rather than the elevator. (Did this all the time)

2) Read at least 50 books again this year. (accomplished!)

3) Do not spend any more on any marketing endeavor for my book. (accomplished!)

4) Keep on learning new things and continue to post them weekly every Friday on this blog. (accomplished!)

5) Continue to write down the sweet things Gerard does. (accomplished!)

6) Install CommentLuv on my blogs. (I tried but it didn't work, gave me a headache and too much aggravation so I gave up.)

7) Join that gym and actually go 2-3 times a week. (50/50 I joined but only went about once a week--that's why now I have all the exercise stuff I need at home so I don't need to go to the gym and pay $12 per month and more for a trainer)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!

For more Friday Fragments or to hook up your fragment post, go to Half-Past Kissin' time.

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Fun Time at The Yankee Peddler Festival

We went to the Yankee Peddler Festival today. Pretty neat! It's in the woods and is like a big craft fair with lots of food. Unusual things that you normally do not see at a mall made by artisans/crafters. People dress up in old-time clothes and they have puppet shows and music going on all day!! The puppet show we watched was very funny.

Gerard found a nice Benedictine Bengals (his high school alma mater) sign we bought and Karen bought some chocolate peanut brittle she enjoyed. For lunch we had apple fritters and strawberry shortcake! YUMMY! They have it every year so we'll probably go next year too. Didn't get lost either and it took only about 45 minutes with our trusty GPS!

UPDATED 1/11/09:
We tried going in 2006 following Mapquest directions which took us so far out of the way that we never made it. We drove for an hour and weren't even close so just came back home. A two-hour drive for nothing! That was the last time I used Mapquest. I love my GPS.