Tight Economy Helps Little Caesars Pizza

With their $5 Hot-N-Ready pizzas Little Caesars is experiencing a boost in sales thanks to tighter financial times. Instead of being seen as "cheap" pizza, their pizza is seen as having good value for what you get. With this upswing in sales the Little Caesars franchise is looking to expand their number of stores and markets across the nation. Our son prefers Little Caesars over homemade and more expensive brands of pizza. We have friends from out-of-state who used to live in Michigan and they always have to get their Little Caesars fix since there aren't any Little Caesars where they currently live. I personally enjoy the Hot-N-Ready pizzas. For $5 it's cheaper and tastier than the frozen pizza at the supermarket.

Another neat innovation we've been seeing is that when new Little Caesars franchises are built they are building drive-up windows into the stores. With the Hot-N-Ready pizzas you can place your order from the comfort of your car and give those burger joints a run for their "fast-food" money. It is nice to see a Michigan-based company turning the corner and thriving in these tough economic times for our state.

Read all about it in the Detroit Free Press

Say Hello to . . .Spring?

Today, March 20, marks the official first day of spring. All winter long we have had above normal or mild temps. Now that spring is here what do we get? Below normal temps, of course. The normal high for southwest lower Michigan is 49 degrees for this time of the year. The ten day forecast calls for maybe two days that meet or exceed that temperature. I have had Spring Fever since January and can hardly stand it.

This was the absolute strangest winter that I can remember. We saw no significant snowfall after Christmas and had bare brown grass showing from New Year's on. So, bring on the warmer weather. I am sick of all of this cold with no snow. Grrr, I had better have another cup of coffee.

St. Patrick's Day Weekend Events

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! Tis the day o' the wearin' o' the green and the eatin' of corned beef and cabbage. Tomorrow should be known as the takin' o' the tums. Anyway, check out these weekend events and have a great weekend! Everyone is Irish at the Historic White Horse Inn - Metamora Special pre and St Patrick's Day celebrations. Starting Saturday the 11th with a Irish Tea from noon to 3pm. Guest will feast on a delicious St Patricks Day theme menu and receive a St Patrick's Day gift. Cost is $16.95 for adults and $7.95 for children 10 and under. And on the day itself, we feature authentic Irish beer and dishes with entertainment by the McCarvilles (Father and Son Irish duo). Phone (810) 678-2150.

Clare's Irish Festival It’s time once again to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Clare Michigan! The Irish Festival Committee and the area businesses are planning to provide a great time during our 30th Annual Irish Festival on March 14-18, 2006. Kick-off will take place Monday with Irish Sale Days City wide. Other highlights include Storytellers and an Irish poet on Tuesday. Things really gear up Friday with many Irish-themed events held throughout the Clare Area are a Children's Carnival, and an Irish Hat Contest which runs thru Saturday. For more details please call (800) 715-3550.

St Patrick's Day Parade and Celebration - Pinckney St. Patrick's Day parade and celebration downtown Pinckney at 12 noon. For more information, please call (810) 227-5086.

A Taste of the Irish Hills - Brooklyn Evening events include Irish Stew cook-off, Stewey dinner and dessert, live music, the Saline Fiddlers, drawings, silent auction. 5:30pm - 9:30pm, cost $8 age 13 and up, $5 seniors, $3 children 6-12. Phone for details at (800)815-5253. Visit A Taste of the Irish Hills website for more details.

Turkey Breaks Into Home, Could Face Death Penalty

A turkey crashed through Gerald and Maureen Henze's front window while they were watching television. The couple's dog helped to chase the intruder into a bedroom where the suspect was trapped until law enforcement officials arrived on the scene. A county sheriff's deputy released the perpetrator, who was not injured during the home invasion, and was assaulted by the turkey resulting in minor scratches. It is not clear yet whether the charge of assaulting an officer will be added. The turkey could face the death penalty next hunting season or if it is caught breaking into another peace-loving homeowner's domicile.

The story is true, I just added some humor to it to make you laugh today. Read the full article in the Saginaw News.

Spotlight on Michigan Inventors

Neat article in today's Free Press that gives notice to some inventors from Michigan that are some of the subjects in a book about inventors. The book Makers : All Kinds of People Making Amazing Things In Their Backyard, Basement or Garage has a handful of Michigan inventors featured within it's pages. A solar-powered scooter and bagpipes made from PVC and some upholstery are just a couple of the inventions from Michigan. There is a blog published by the same folks as the above book and if you like to tinker and create this is one you should not pass by. I subscribe to the feed and have bookmarked tons of fun projects. Check it out here www.makezine.com/blog

MAKE Magazine: The First Year : 4 Volume Collector's Set is the magazine also published by the same folks. The link points to the first four volume set. It is a quarterly publication that is loaded with do-it-yourself projects ranging from how to use a kite for aerial photography to decoding the magnetic strip on your credit card to see what information the credit card companies are keeping track of.

I could have used DIY information like that when I was a kid. I can't even tell you the number of electronic toys and games I ruined. I was forever taking stuff apart to see how it worked and what I could make out of it. After my little sister stole some money out of my bank I contstructed a homemade burglar alarm from a toy police bullhorn that emitted a siren when the door opened. Oh the many more things I could have done if only my folks would have let me have a soldering iron. ;)