Homeless Man's Honesty Pays With Cash and Immeasurable Rewards

These days it seems that a lot of people say (or at least think) that being nice does not pay or that it just does not pay to be honest. Well, I believe that Charles Moore would beg to differ with you. You see, Charles found $21,000 worth of savings bonds in a trash bag that he was looking through for bottles that could be turned in for the deposit money. Moore had recently lost his job as a roofer down in Ohio and had found himself homeless for the first time. He did not think twice about it. With the help of the Neighborhood Service Organization, he tracked down the rightful owner and gave them back the bonds expecting nothing in return. He received $100 from the bond's owner for his honesty and was thankful for that.

After hearing his story in the paper on Saturday, the public did not think that $100 was a large enough sum and more money has been coming in from across the area. He has currently received around $4,000, some new clothes, and an interview has been lined up for Moore as well. Charles intends to use some of the money to get an apartment.

What Charles Moore did ended up not just having an impact on the owner of the bonds. His story has touched people in Michigan and other surrounding states. The immeasurable rewards he has gained from his honesty are respect and teaching a lesson that some people spend their whole lives missing out on. It will always pay (I am not talking about money) to be honest.

Thank you Mr. Moore for a well taught lesson. The school of life is always in session and you have used your time at the head of the class well. Will your pupils listen? I hope so.

Via The Detroit News.

Michigan Blueberry Picking Time

After taking care of the orders early this morning we headed out to Locke's Fruitful Acres just north of Volinia to pick blueberries. The air was fresh and cool and the clouds helped to keep it quite pleasant for picking blueberries. We grabbed our buckets (which hold about 6 lbs.) and attached them to a shoulder harness which keeps your hands free for picking. I love how laid back they are at Locke's. The blueberry bushes are just behind the store (which is full of country-themed crafts that my wife loves to look over) and the owner's just tell you to head "out back" and find a good spot. They don't expect you to pick the bush clean before you move on. Machines will run through later and get the ones you missed.

We picked at Leduc Blueberries one time. My momma always told me that if I could not say anything nice then I should not say anything at all. So I will only say that we prefer Locke's Fruitful Acres to satisfy our blueberry picking needs.

It only costs $1.15 per pound for U-pick blueberries at Locke's. If you do not enjoy the picking experience you can purchase a 5 lb. box for $8.50 or a 10 lb. box for $16.00. I am not sure if we were there much more than an hour and between the two of us we had about 23 lbs. of the best blueberries around.

Michigan Gas Prices Week of 7/24/06

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Michigan as of today is $3.027. Last month at this time we were paying $2.814 and one year ago only $2.28. Here are the current low and high price gas stations in Michigan according to www.michigangasprices.com:

Lowest Price: $2.82 at the Speedway (at Center Rd & Court St with card) in Burton

Highest Price: $3.42 at the Marathon (on Gratiot St) in Copper Harbor

Gas price data courtesy of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.

Blueberry Salad

I grew up in Manchester, Michigan. My neighbor, Mary Margaret, was (and still is) one of the sweetest ladies I have known. My sister, brother, and I loved walking to her house in the summer and picking bouquets of wildflowers along the way. Mary Margaret gave my mom the recipe for this delicious jello salad. Whenever I make this, I think of her.

What you need:

• 3 small pkgs. raspberry jello
• 3 c. hot water
• 2 cans blueberries with juice
• 1/2 pkg. soft cream cheese
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 container whipped topping

Directions:

• In a 9X13 pan, combine jello, hot water, and blueberries. Let cool.
• In a med. bowl, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and cool whip. Spread over top of jello mixture. Refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy a Game of Vintage Base Ball at Mackinac Island

The Fort Mackinac Never Sweats will battle the Rochester Grangers in a match (vintage term for a game) of vintage base ball (yes, base ball is not one word when you are talking about vintage base ball) tomorrow, July 22, at 7 p.m. The two club nines (that is vintage speak for teams) will play at the old Scout Ballfield behind Fort Mackinac. Tickets are $15 for families, $5 for adults, and $3 for youth (ages 6-17), children under 6 are free. Vintage base ball is played under rules from when the game was in its infancy. Rules from the mid 1800s are used as well as uniforms from that earlier period. Forget using gloves and don't worry if a sky ball (flyball) hits the ground because according to the vintage base ball rules it is okay to catch the onion (ball) on a bound (bounce) and still record a dead (out).

Here are some more vintage base ball terms matched up with current baseball terms -

• Cranks = Fans (how appropriate considering some fans behavior)
• Baller = Player
• Bowler = Pitcher
• Daisy Cutter = Sharp Grounder
• Striker = Hitter

If you can't make it to Mackinac island for the game, the Ludington Mariners will pit their nine against the Fallasburg Cubs from Lowell this Saturday at 1 p.m. The match will be played at Historic White Pine Village in Ludington. Admission to Historic White Pine village is $7 for adults, $5 for youth ages 6-17, and children under 6 are free.

P.S. The World Tournament of Historic Base Ball will be held August 4-6 at Greenfield Village. Check out the details here.