Now THAT was a gala!

December 8, 2013

I attended my first Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce Holiday Gala last night and it was a huge success. It is so nice to go to an event where everyone dresses nicely in fine gowns for the ladies and suits or tuxes for the gentlemen. We have become such an informal society that my wife and I have often been the only ones at a party at someone’s house who are not wearing jeans. We have nothing against jeans, but when someone goes to the trouble of entertaining in their home, it just seems that the attendees could show them the respect of dressing up a little (at least beyond jeans). A gala like last night’s is a welcome return to a more dressy occasion.

The Chamber Gala was held at 59 West and this was our first time in their banquet facility – very impressed with it. The room was decorated nicely and there were servers wandering around with goodies to eat, as well as a table full of hors d’oeuvres. The coconut shrimp and chick were delicious. The live band added a nice touch.

Two groups were doing fund raising at the event – the Huron Valley Council for the Arts (HVCA) and the Carl’s Family YMCA. The HVCA sold tickets for what was characterized as a “Chinese auction” in which tickets are placed in a bag and one will be drawn from each bag next week at the HVCA Winter Pops concert. The YMCA had a silent auction set up on tables at one end of the room, with lots of interesting things to bid upon. Unfortunately my bids did not hold up.

The main event of the gala was the presentation of the awards to the people chosen for various honors from the Chamber for 2013. I was fortunate enough o be chosen the 2014 Ambassador of the Year. I belong to a group of about 24 Chamber members who are called Ambassadors. We go to all of the events that the Chamber runs – Coffee Club meetings, ribbon cutting ceremonies, Off-the-clock evening events and the rest of the big events like the Easter Egg Hunt, the Milford Memories Summer Festival and the Crazy Putt-Putt event at the end of summer.   Our role as Ambassadors is part host and part matchmaker.  We serve as greeters for other Chamber members as they arrive and to try to make sure that no one goes un-introduced to the group, especially if they are a new member. I go to as many events as I can as an Ambassador.

The other awards were for the Chamber Volunteer of the Year, won by Gordon Muir, who runs the annual Chamber Golf Outing and volunteers for many other events; the Milford Memories Volunteer of the Year – this year shared by Todd Hibberd and Dave Janette (the Beer Tent guys) , the Business of the Year, which 2 Moms & a Mop, Owned and run by Kim Galbraith, and the Citizen of the Year, won by Dale Feigley, long time Milford resident and community activist who serves as President of the Milford DDA and on many boards and volunteer committees in both Milford and Highland Townships.

A central theme that resonated through the acceptance speeches given by the award recipients was what a great community the Milford area is to live in and what a great job the Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce is doing, especially the local Chamber staff. There are no other Chambers in this area that are more active and as well supported in the community than the Huron Valley Chamber. I’m proud to be qa member and proud to be able to represent it as a Chamber Ambassador.  I’m looking forward to a year full of events and opportunities to serve in 2014.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Thanks to you, my readers….

November 28, 2013

I was looking at quotes earlier this morning about giving thanks and having gratitude. A couple stood out

Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.  – G.B. Stern

There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed.  If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.  – Robert Brault

I suspect that too many, like me, forget to express the thanks that we might feel towards the people who deserve to be thanked for something that they have done to make our lives better.  It could be a little thing like holding a door open for someone or stepping aside to let them pass, because they are in a hurry. It could be much bigger things, like visiting a sick friend in the hospital or taking a meal to a shut in. There are so many opportunities in life to say “Thanks” to someone.

I wanted to take the opportunity today, on our national holiday of thanks giving to say thanks to my readers, the people who follow this blog and who occasionally send me comments or tell me that they like it when I see them.  People who write blog posts usually enjoy the act of writing, but they also hope that someone else enjoys reading it, too. So, thank you for taking the time to read what I’ve had to say over the past year. I hope that you’ll continue to follow my blog and let me know what you think when I see you or via messages.

I also wanted to encourage you to give voice to your gratitude on this day and every day. It doesn’t  take a lot of time or effort to say “thank you” to someone for whatever kindness they have extended to you. You’ll feel better about it and they will, too.

Finally, I stumbled across a little saying that sums up best why expressing gratitude can make one feel so good. It comes from the best place –

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. – Anonymous

Have a great Thanksgiving and make the giving of thanks to others a part of your day every day.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Community Sharing Pet Calendar

November 23, 2013

My dogs Sadie and Skippy are in the Community Sharing Pet Calendar again this year – they are the October pets, with the picture you see below. Obviously I enjoy “voicing” them, too.

Skippy and Sadie for calendar

The idea of a pet calendar is cute and I’m happy to help out by putting my dogs into it. The really great thing about this is that all of the funds raised by selling the calendar go to support the Community Sharing Pet Pantry.  This Pet Pantry is the only one of its kind in Michigan and provides pet food for over 400 pets in the area that would otherwise have little to eat. There are lots of very good programs for providing food for needy families, but only this program (at least locally) for also providing food for the pets of those families.

The recent economic downturn was particularly hard on family pets. There were quite a few reported incidents of family moving out of foreclosed homes and leaving pets behind. As is should have been, most of the focus of news stories was about the hardships on the families and children when parents lost jobs and were forced to seek help. Very little was reported about the pets that those families had when hardship struck.

Many family pets ended up in shelters, abandoned by their owners. Both of my dogs were rescues during the Great Recession. You never get the background stories on them, so it’s hard to tell why they were given up, but both are such good dogs that it had to be painful for the families to part with them.  At least it worked out well for the dogs and we got two great furry companions out of it all.

Community Sharing logoCommunity Sharing is a local non-profit charitable organization with the mission – To provide food, clothing, educational and emergency financial assistance to those in need while respecting their dignity and fostering their independence. Community sharing has a number of programs to make sure that energy is not shut off during the winter months, that people and their pets have food, that people have clothes to wear and that they get the traiign and advice that they need to become self-sufficient. To learn more about Community Sharing and how you can help with the program overall or the Pet Pantry in particular go to http://www.community-sharing.org/1/203/index.asp

Community Sharing is a 100% volunteer organization, so all of your donations go right into the deliverables for the program and not into administration or to pay fund-raisers. The calendars can be purchased at these Milford businesses: Veterinary Care Specialists, the Digital Document Store, Main Street Art, Huron Valley State Bank, Huron Valley Furniture, and Fitz Squared. Calendars are $10 apiece and make great Christmas stocking stuffers.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Things to do, things to do…

November 20, 2013

There are lots of things to do in the Milford-Highland areas over the next few weeks as we move into the Christmas Holiday season. Here’s a sample of the upcoming events –

Nov 21 –    Milford Historical Society General Membership Meeting – At the Milford United Methodist Church starting at 6:30 pm. Speaker. This is our favorite Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner. The MHS Board will be supplying the turkeys. Members are asked to bring a side dish , a salad or a dessert to share. Guests are welcome and should bring your own place settings, utensils and drinks. Our guest speaker will be retired Post Master Michael Schragg speaking on antique postal memorabilia. Mike brings a trailer full of antique postal items for us to learn about and I think you will truly enjoy this talk.

Nov 21 – The Big Reveal in Downtown Milford – 6 pm – Kids are welcome to help tear down the wrapping paper on the store windows of Milford’s downtown stores to reveal the festive holiday window decorations put up by the local merchants.

Nov 30 – Gobbler Gallop – 1 mile fun run at 8:00 am and 4 mile run at 8:30 am. The courses will wind around the streets and trails of the Milford area, starting and ending on Main St. All proceeds go directly to the athletic programs for Huron Valley Schools. Register online at www.gobblergallop.com.

Nov 30 – The Christmas Parade in downtown Milford – 10 AM – Bands, floats and dignitaries ride in this annual parade to kick off the Christmas season. Santa will be in the parade, too.

Dec 5 –  Milford Business Association Christmas Open House – Get in the spirit of the eventsseason. Enjoy the hospitality of the downtown merchants, the strolling entertainment and the special promotions and refreshments. Santa arrives at 6:00 PM.

Dec 7- Holiday Concert with Kettle & Friends – doors open at 6:30 pm – part of the Kettle Concert series presented by the Huron Valley Council for the Arts. Performance at the HVCA building at  205 West Livingston Road,  Highland, MI. 48357 – Tickets $15 at the door. Advanced tickets available at Milford Music, Milford Feed, Hartland Flowers and at the HVCA Gallery.

Dec 13 – Holiday Pops Concert at 7:30 pm – The Huron Valley Council for the Arts presents the Michigan Philharmonic with Music Director and Conductor Nan Washburn at Walled Lake Northern High School’s Center for the Performing Arts 6700 Bogie Lake Rd, Commerce, MI. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $30 for Conductors Circle seating and $10 for youth. Tickets available at the HVCA.

For all of the events and activities that I could find to do locally, go to my Web site – www.movetomilford.com. I may not find everything that’s going on locally, but I try to.

 

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Posted by Norm Werner

Go Vampire Hunting in Your Home…

November 18, 2013

Vampires and vampire shows on TV and in the movies are still very popular; however, you should be aware that there are vampires in your home that you need to locate and kill. In the movies and on TV the vampires suck the blood of their victims by biting into the veins in their necks. In your home the vampires suck the power out of the circuits in your home. The power vampires in your home are the result of devices that never fully turn off. They are in stand-by mode, ready to come back completely on at the click of the remote. In fact it was the advent of the remote control that necessitated that the device always be partially on and ready to respond to the remote.

vampireBoth kinds of vampires are most often seen at night. The easiest way to go vampire hunting in your home, wait until dark and then turn out the lights and walk around. I think you’ll be surprised at the eerie little glows that you see in the night – those are your vampires. Those are the little standby lights on your TV or your printers or your computers or any number of other items in your house. As you walk from room to room in the dark, count the number of little glowing lights that you see. I’ll bet you’ll be surprised at all of the vampire activity that is going on. You can also just go around picking up all of those little power bricks that come with almost every new device and which you leave plugged in. If they are warm that is heat from the power that they are drawing, even if the device isn’t turned on.

Now some of you may be saying that the use of the term vampire is too dramatic for such a small amount of power waste by each device. So, maybe you’d prefer the term “ticks”. Each little tick draws just a little blood. But imagine instead of one little tick there are tens of them, all sucking at once. According to one study – The average US household has a total of 50 watts of standby power going all the time. That’s 440kWh per annum per house hold or about 5% of the total consumption for that household. Across the 100+ Million homes in the US that represents 5 GW of wasted power.

If you’ve never thought about all of the things in your home that might be sucking down power when you thought they were turned off, read this government report –  http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-table.html.  I’ll bet there are some surprises on this rather extensive list of home items that draw standby power.

It turns out that it is probably impossible to get rid of all of the standby vampires, since some of that energy is going to maintain internal clocks that need to be kept current or they would have to be reset every time that you wanted to use the appliance or gadget. Many of the little energy suckers can be completely turned off only by unplugging them or putting them on a power strip that can be turned off. Ironically, many of those same power strips have a glowing (energy consuming) little light in the on-off switch, so that you can see them in the dark. There are many things that you can do to rid your home of most of your vampires. Here is a good video by Kansas City Power and Light on some suggestions to reduce your power losses – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJCSjsrE8ZM

So, unless you are comfortable sharing your home with vampires (or ticks) wander through tonight and see how many of the little power-suckers you have in your house. Happy vampire hunting!

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Posted by Norm Werner

Don’t try to understand it; just go with the flow…

November 10, 2013

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”  (Robert Heinlein)

The idea behind today’s saying is similar in concept to the title of the popular book Men are from Mars and Women from Venus. The underlying truth is a difference so profound in how men and women view the world and the things that are happening around them that it cannot be understood by either party. Many men never relax and get used to it, so they go through life being continually astounded and confused by the actions and reactions of women. Women, on the other hand, seem to be able to at least accept the idea that their mates live in a completely different world and they try to show sympathy or empathy for the actions and reactions of these befuddled beings.

Perhaps the tendency of men to try to make logical sense of things is at the root of the differences. Embracing logic as the basis for life’s decisions and actions is very restrictive and confining in terms of creativity and even emotions. Men’s tendency to think about things too much and too logically can also lead to hesitancy, which kills the spontaneity that so many women exhibit. I won’t pretend to be able to discuss what drives the actions of women. Some say intuition more than anything else, which tends to reinforce the notion of women living through a “feel” for the situation, rather than the pure logic of it all.

So, I think it best to take the advice that Robert Heinlein gave and just get used to it; rather than trying to figure it out. Men might actually have more fun in life if they just go along with the women in their lives who are doing as they please.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Face into the storms in your life…

November 4, 2013

“Facing it, always facing it…that’s the way to get through.  Face it!”  (Joseph Conrad) – from the Jack’s Winning Words blog.

From what Jack went on to write, seamen know that once you are in a storm, you get through it by facing into it, not turning away or trying to run away from it. Life is like that, too. We don’t go looking for storms in life, but occasionally we all get caught up in them. Perhaps it’s a disagreement with a loved one or friend. Perhaps it has to do with dealing with a bad situation at work. Maybe it’s realizing too late that what you mistook for love for someone else in your youth turned out to be just lust and lifes stormsnow that the ardor has cooled there is little substance to your relationship left. These types of things are the “storms” in our lives and we must do as the seaman would and face into them, not try to run away.

Many people are what is labeled as non-confrontational; they just hate confronting anyone about things. That’s OK and actually not as bad as being the overbearing opposite – a bully. However non-confrontational you are, there is still the need to face the issues that are affecting your life. Acquiescing to situations that are wrong or make you feel uncomfortable, just to get along, is a sure prescription for misery. Facing those problems is not being confrontational, it’s just being practical.

One benefit of just facing the storms in your life is that it gets over with quicker that way. The more you try to run or hide from life’s storms the longer they linger and sometimes the stronger they grow. Face it, get through it and get on with life. No matter what the short term hardship or pain, you’ll be surprised how good it feels when you come out on the other side. You probably will also realize how many of the bad things that you feared might happen were really all in your imagination. Humans have an amazing ability to imagine scenarios and consequences that seldom come true.

Another thing that you can do to help you get through life’s storms is to face them with a smile. man relaxingNothing is as disarming to those who would spread hate or trouble into your life than to have their efforts be met with a smile. At first they’ll be annoyed that they can’t drag you down to their level; but, then, they’ll begin to wonder what you are smiling about and how you can smile in the face of whatever negative energy they are trying to spread. Eventually, they’ll go away, seeking someone else to infect with their problem or they may ask you how you can appear to be so happy in the face of the storm that they are trying to conjure up. You may end up making a new friend out of that conversation.

Now, I certainly don’t recommend that you become a storm chaser. Avoiding storms altogether is something that everyone should try to do, if you have enough warming about them; however, when you find yourself swept up in a storm, heed the advice of the seaman and face it. Here’s hoping that you have a sunny day with no storms on your horizon.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Hallowen fun in MIlford, Michgan

October 27, 2013

Jimmy in drag-2I had diner at Hector & Jimmy’s last night and what a frightening experience it was. We were greeted at the hostess stand by local restaurateur Jimmy Eggl, replete in a wedding gown from Gina’s Bridal in Milford.  I forgot to ask Jimmy who did his hair and makeup, but his shoes appeared to have been supplied by Nike.

All of the wait and bar staff were in costume with most dressed in a theme for the evening of Alice in Wonderland characters.  I’ve seen worse than Jimmy in drag, although I have to go way back to days when I’d frequent bars until the wee hours, when almost everyone still there at closing looked a lot like Jimmy in drag.Jimmy in drag - 1

I have to say that Jimmy’s gown looked lovely and if Gina can make him look that good just think what she can do for a real bride. Jim owns Hector & Jimmies, Gravity and The Bar in Milford and is an all-around good guy and a good sport when it comes to Halloween.

Tonight was the Milford Boo Bash. It rained for the first hour of the Bash, but the kids still turned kid in ghost costumeout in droves to walk Milford’s Main Street and get candy from the merchants. What a great local tradition!

Milford is  a great place to celebrate Halloween. Kids find the grid pattern streets to be easy to navigate  and houses are close enough together that they can hit quite a few homes in just a few blocks. We usually get between 80 – 100 kids at our house on a good Halloween night. I’m looking forward to it. I just hope it warms up a little, so I can sit out on the from stoop and pass out candy with out freezing.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Reading the histories of lots of Milfords

October 23, 2013

Did you ever wonder every now and then about other towns around the world that have the same name as the town that you live in? I do. So below is a collection of links, admittedly hastily compiled,  that will lead you to several other places named Milford. I live in Milford, Michigan; which is a relatively young iteration of Milford, given the oldest Milford on this list goes back to about 500AD in Wales. The newest one on this list is out in Utah. There are several in the New England area, as you might expect. Some of these are fairly dry accounts and some have very rich histories to relate.

The histories of other cities, towns, boroughs and villages called Milford. Arranged generally in chronological order of when the places were established. As one might expect there is a common thread through all of these histories, since all of the locations were on rivers or streams where water power could be used for transportation or harnessed for power.

Milford on the Sea , Wales, United Kingdom – http://www.milfordonsea.org/#/the-village-history/4533907218

Southwest Wales, Milford Haven – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Milford_Haven

Milford, Delaware –  http://www.cityofmilford.com/index.aspx?NID=166

Milford, Massachusetts –  http://milford.ma.us/pages/boards-committees/historical-commission/milford-history.php

Milford, New Hampshire –  http://www.milford.nh.gov/about-milford-nh/history/how-milford-came-about

Town of Milford, New York – http://www.townofmilfordny.org/town-history.html

Milford, Ohio –  http://www.milfordhistory.net/slide-view/slide-5/

Milford, Pennsylvania – http://www.milfordtownship.org/2009/mt_hist/history.html

Milford, New Jersey –  – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford,_New_Jersey

Milford on the Delaware, New Jersey – http://visitmilfordnj.com/Our_Town.html

Milford, Maine – http://history.rays-place.com/me/milford-me.htm

Milford, Michigan – http://www.milfordhistory.org/milford_history.html

Milford, Utah – http://www.onlineutah.com/milfordhistory.shtml

For much more on the history of Milford, Michigan, please visit our Historical Society web site – www.milfordhistory.org

 

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Posted by Norm Werner

Have no regrets…

October 20, 2013

“Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” (Victoria Holt)

Regret is one of those human nature things that are hard for many to let go of, just like self-doubt. Some may mask the term in other words, like “Monday morning quarterbacking”; however, that Monday morning look back only has positive value if it is used as a way to glean experience and not as an opportunity to wallow in regret.

Although the quotes of athletes is often derided as being full of cliques; there is much truth in many of those cliques about looking ahead and not back or putting things behind them. Professional athletes know that they cannot dwell in regret over every loss. They try to learn from those setbacks. They spend time in the film rooms reviewing a blown play or a missed opportunity to see what they can learn from them.

women looking at direction signLife is full points in time where decisions were made that might have been made differently. Some of those times turned out OK and we seldom think back on what might have been, had we taken the other choice that was in front of us at the time.  But, sometimes things didn’t turn out as we had planned or thought that they would and we tend to look back and see (or find) those decision points where we might have done it differently, especially if we knew the potential outcome. Well, we weren’t prescient and things turned out the way they did. Let it go. Move on. If you must replay the film in your mind, at least treat it as a learning opportunity and not an opportunity to beat yourself up.

In the Frank Sinatra song My Way, about aging he has a line – “Regrets, I’ve had a few; but then again, too few to MrHappymention.” The song goes on to extoll the virtue of moving on and doing things in life your own way. At the end of the day, the main regret you will have if you let things get you down and you spend time in self-abusing remorse, is that you’ve wasted another day. Life’s too short to throw days away.

So, rather than spend time regretting things; let’s all think about the words of another song, this one by Bobby McFarland – “Don’t worry, be happy.”

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Posted by Norm Werner

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