Beginning May 1st, American Airlines will charge passengers $8 for a blanket.  Yes, $8. The article that discussed this topic didn’t mention whether or not you get to keep the blanket.

In November 1995, I flew from St. Louis to Norfolk, Virginia and paid $99 for the ticket. On board the TWA MD-80 (a nice spacious plane), we were served ham and cheese sandwiches on fresh croissants. A package of potato chips and a 12-ounce soda were part of the meal.

That was a scant 15 years ago. More recently, I flew from Norfolk to St. Louis onboard the Brazilian-made Embraer. For those who don’t know, this is a 48-seat “commuter” jet with one seat on the left and two seats on the right. I’m 5′9″ tall and can not stand upright in the center aisle of this very small plane. The seats are so tightly packed that I must do some fancy machinations to get my long legs comfortably situated.

The “meal” I was served on this flight was a boxed snack ($4) which contained about 18 cents worth of food.

It’s time to withdraw the $14 billion annual subsidies from United States airlines and throw that money at high-speed rail and see what they can do with it. The airlines have had their day. Let’s give rail service a try.

Part of the dating process is learning a lot about someone in a short span of time. And one of the best ways to do that is to ask for directions to your first date site.

The landmarks people use will usually tell you something about where their true interests lie.

I first noticed this years ago when I asked a chubby elder gent for directions to a church.

“As you’re headed down Main Street,” he told me, “you’ll pass a large donut shop with a big pink sign. Keep going. When you get to Brown Street, there’s a little pastry shop on the corner. Turn right. Go a little further and you’ll see Benny’s Bakery and the church is right beyond that.”

I’ve tried this many times and it’s always a winner. Some men use taverns as landmarks, a few use churches and my favorite was the fellow who mentioned a topless bar and a triple-x bookstore as his two points of reference.

It’s a fun way to learn quickly what landmarks people are paying attention to!

This weather reminds me of the 12 years I lived in Illinois, but with one huge difference. When the bitter winds blew this Saturday, and the snow started falling and we hunkered down for the cold weather, I  had someone cute and cuddly to share the experience with. That was mighty nice.

When we bought this 1925 Colonial Revival in February 2007, my brandy-new husband said, “It’ll be our little love nest.”  As my friend Pat said, “Living alone is black and white. When you find someone to love, the whole world goes to Technicolor.”

Hubby and our Teddy (four-legged lovey) in front of the "Love Nest."

That house sure does look good in snow!