PURPLE HEART

Each Purple Heart shall always be
A part of freedom’s history

Hold deep inside a fervent pride
For all who gave, the brave who died

They showed their best for liberty
They stood for us with certainty

Their wound of war, their Purple Heart
Each dared to care and do their part

Some bore a wound which took their life
While others lived past war’s honed knife

True patriots, they faced their call
To keep our nation strong for all

Deep scars of war are carried by
Those who return, and those who cry

Pray for the brave, their loved ones too
Thank God for heroes – all of you

©2003Roger J. Robicheau

The Moore Square Park area in Downtown Raleigh will be hosting an art festival this weekend. There will be more than 250 art displays and plenty of food, activities and more. Artplosure happens annually the third week of May. It’s fun for the whole family as there will be a children’s area and a stage with live performances.

I love art festivals! I went to one last week and saw these adorable dolls from an artist in Raleigh. It’s amazing what you can find!

Do any of our residents at Cosgrove Hill  plan to attend? Let us know what unique items you find!

Photo by Kelsey Shay

Traveling doesn’t have to cost big bucks, if you explore the right locations.

These countries/continents are known for relatively good travel deals, especially if you don’t want somewhere with a lot of creature comforts.

India — You’ll spend less every day here than you will nearly anywhere else in the world, with a beer costing about $1.25, tea just pennies, and a budget hotel room less than $10.

Laos — You can find the best deals in Laos. Daily travel costs are about $35, including 85 cent beers and $8 hotel rooms

Photo by grjenkin

In honor of Earth Day here’s 17 great ideas for how to recycle, reuse and reduce the waste of phone books. I don’t even know why the phone companies still even bother to send those big, hefty books…sometimes even twice a year! What a waste! You can even opt not to get one. You can also go to The Daily Green to find more helpful tips about ways to reuse household items.

* Opt Out: Go to yellowpagesgoesgreen.org and register to be taken off the distribution list for white and yellow page phone books.
* Recycle: Less than 10% of all phone books printed are recycled, even though they can be recycled into everything from ceiling tiles cereal boxes. Go to earth911.com to find your nearest phone book recycling center.
* Repurpose: As they say, “One man’s trash is a Green Cheapskate’s treasure.” Here are some creative reuses for old phone books and Yellow Pages.
* Child Booster Seats: Cover them in fabric remnants.
* Press Autumn Leaves/Plants: Better yet, have the kids sit on them at the same time.
* Flip Books: Here’s a fun art project!
* Window Wipes: Perfect for cleaning windows with a simple mixture of vinegar and water.
* Phone Book Step Aerobics: Duct tape them together to use in stair-stepping exercises.
* Fire Starters: Perfect for the fireplace, grill or woodstove.
* Garden Mulch: Shred ‘em (a few pages at a time, Uncle George): they’re great biodegradable weed blockers.

Photo by Merfam

The good news is that many business are offering discounts and freebies to consumers this year in an attempt to ease tax stess. Starbucks is giving away free brewed coffee, IHOP a free kids meal and Boston Market is offering BOGO. All these discounts are great but none top what Whole Foods is offering to its customers.

For today only, you can shop at your nearest Whole Foods completely tax-free! They’re picking-up all the sales tax. It may be a good idea to stock-up.

The closest location to Cosgrove Hill is at 81 South Elliot Rd, Chapel Hill.

Hopefully, this discount will ease your tax pain. I plan to do my weekly grocery shopping as soon as I get out of work! Do you plan to go?

Photo by AMagill

Do you have any photos of our community or having fun on our property?

Post pictures to our Facebook Fan Page! We’d love for you to share! Hope everyone has a great week. We love our residents!