80+ Questions to Ask Your Grandparents & Parents before it's too late

My grandparents were not forthcoming about their life stories. I'm not sure why. I imagine it may have had something to do with their personalities (they were private, soft-spoken people), my age (they may have assumed I was too young to be interested), avoidance (there may have been things they didn't want to remember - they lived through some hard times), or perhaps it merely had to do with the social "rules" of their generation, a generation that tended to be more reticent about sharing their memories with others. 

Since they passed, I've deeply regretted that I wasn't more proactive about asking them about their world, their lives, their memories. The conversations might have been a bit awkward - it's even possible that they might have declined to participate entirely - but I sure wish I'd tried.

Now that my parents are aging, I'm realizing I have another chance. To this end, I've crafted a list of questions that I plan to introduce over the course of the next year - not all at once, but in the course of ordinary conversation, as I can work the questions in. There are a lot of lists like this out on the internet, which I've consulted in the course of compiling this, but you'll probably notice mine is a deal longer, and a bit more detailed. Why? Because my list is designed to dig a level deeper than superficial "What are your happiest memories"-type questions to extract deeper levels of reflection and understanding. 

To anyone else out there in the same boat - use these questions, don't use these questions: just take the time, while you still have it, to think about the conversations you'd like to have, those questions about family you always meant to ask, those memories you'd always hoped to share.

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR RELATIVES

1. Tell me about your maternal grandparents. Where did they live over the course of their lives? Who were their siblings? What were their personalities  like (strengths & weaknesses)? What did they do for a living? What were their hobbies/interests/gifts? 

2. How did the maternal side of your family end up in the US? Where did they come from? Why did they leave? Where did they settle? 

3. What role did your maternal grandparents play in your life? 

4. Tell me about your paternal grandparents. Where did they live over the course of their lives? Who were their siblings? What were their personalities  like (strengths & weaknesses)? What did they do for a living? What were their hobbies/interests/gifts? 

5. How did the paternal side of your family end up in the US? Where did they come from? Why did they leave? Where did they settle? 

6. What role did your paternal grandparents play in your life? 

7. Tell me about your maternal aunts & uncles. Where did they live over the course of their lives? What were their jobs? What were their personalities  like (strengths & weaknesses)? What did they do for a living? What were their hobbies/interests/gifts? 

8. What role did your maternal aunts & uncles play in your life? 

9. Tell me about your paternal aunts & uncles. Where did they live over the course of their lives? What were their jobs? What were their personalities  like (strengths & weaknesses)? What did they do for a living? What were their hobbies/interests/gifts?

10. What role did your paternal aunts & uncles play in your life? 

11. Tell me about your mom/dad. Where did they live over the course of their lives? What were their jobs? What were their personalities like (strengths & weaknesses)? What did they do for a living? What were their hobbies/interests/gifts? 

12. Tell me about brothers/sisters. What were their personalities  like (strengths & weaknesses)? What were their interests? What were their jobs? Tell about your relationship with them. Who did they marry, and what do you remember most about their married lives? 

13. Tell me about your cousins. What do you remember about them, and what role did they play in your life? 

14. Did anyone in the family serve in the military? Tell what you know about their service. 

15. Did your family have any customs or traditions related to the country of their origin? 

16. Tell me about any people who were important in your family's life but weren't necessarily relatives

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR LIFE (BEFORE MARRIAGE)

1. Where were you born? What do you remember about your first house/town?

2. What other places did you live before you got married? What are your memories of each? (Do you have specific addresses?)

2. What is your earliest memory?

3. What were some of your hobbies/favorite things when you were a child? (toys, games, hobbies, foods, smells ....)

4. What was your parents' parenting philosophy? Were they easy on you? strict? Did they treat you differently from your bothers/sisters? 

5. What are your personal religious beliefs and traditions? The religious beliefs and traditions of your family? 

6. What values did your parents deliberately instill in you? What values did they inadvertently instill in you?

7. What did you want to be when you grew up?

8. Which "best friends" do you remember?  What did you get up to? What did you love about them? 

9. Tell about any especially beloved pets you had

10. How did your family celebrate Christmas? Easter? Halloween?

11. Who took care of you as a child? Did you go to kindergarten/preschool? What was your personality like back then? What memories do you have? 

12. Where did you go to elementary school? What was your personality like back then? What memories do you have? 

13. Where did you go to middle school? What was your personality like back then? What memories do you have?

14. Where did you go to high school? What was your personality like back then? What memories do you have? 

15. Where did you go to college? What was your personality like back then? What memories do you have? 

16. Where did you go to grad school? What was your personality like back then? What memories do you have? 

17. What vacations did your family take? What do you remember about them? 

18. What jobs did before you got married?

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

1. Who was your first love?

2. Before getting married, did you have any other serious romantic relationships? What did you learn about love from these relationships?

3. How did you meet your spouse? 

4. What made you fall in love? What did you most admire about each other? 

5. Tell the story of how you got engaged

6. Tell me about your wedding - where? when? who was there? What are your favorite memories?

7. What marital challenges did you need to navigate early in your married life? (money? family? traditions? foods? housekeeping responsibilities?)

8. Any advice about love & relationships that you want to pass on? 

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR LIFE (BEFORE CHILDREN)

1. Where did you live? 

2. Would you characterize yourselves as poor, getting by, or wealthy?

3. What jobs did you have during your married life? What do you remember about each? 

4. What did you guys enjoy doing before you had children?

5. What vacations did you take before you had children? 

QUESTIONS ABOUT BEING PARENTS!

1. When did you find out you were pregnant with me? How did you handle the news?

2. What do you remember about your pregnancy?

3. Tell me about the day I was born (where, when, how ...)

4. What was your parenting philosophy?

5. What values did you feel like it was important for you to instill in your children? 

6. What were the hardest things about parenthood? The most unexpected things about parenthood? The coolest things about parenthood?

7. As parents, what did you do best? What did you get right? 

8. As parents, what do you wish you could go back in time and do differently? 

QUESTIONS ABOUT MY LIFE (BIRTH TO 18)

1. Where are all the places we lived before I turned 18? 

2. What was my personality as a baby? As a child? 

3. Who was my first best friends? 

4. What vacations did we take as a family?

5. What are some things about my childhood that I may not know? 

MEMORIES OF A LIFE WELL-LIVED

1. What world events do you remember witnessing? Where were you, and how did they impact you? 

2. How has technology changed since you were a child? Which technologies have changed your life most meaningfully? 

3. In what ways is the world a better place than when you were a child? What should current generations be celebrating? 

4. In what ways is the world a worse place than when you were a child? What could current generations be aspiring to? 

5. Did you have any "heroes" growing up? Who do you most admire, and why? 

6. What's the kindest thing anyone ever did for you? 

7. What's the best advice anyone ever gave you? 

8. What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? 

9. What personal accomplishments are you most proud of? 

10. What are some interesting things about you that people may not know?

11. What physical possessions are most important to you, and why? 

12. What's your happy place? 

REFLECTIONS/LIFE WISDOM

1. Compare what you wanted to be when you grew up with what you actually became when you grew up? How did things work out? 

2. How has your personality changed since you were a child? What would you characterize as your greatest strengths/weaknesses then vs. now?

3. Which relationships/experiences have had the most impact on shaping who you've become as a person? 

6: What are you most thankful for? What are the best decisions you ever made? 

8. What are the most important lessons you've learned about life? What wisdom/insights would you share with future generations? 

9. Let's talk about hard things: What has been the biggest source of stress in your life? 

10. What were some of the most difficult challenges you had to face, and how did you deal with them? What did you learn from them?  

11. What are some things that never happened for you? Things you wish you'd had the courage, or time, or opportunity to do? 

12. What are the hardest life lessons you ever learned?

13. Any secrets you've never told anyone? What are people going to learn about you after you've passed? 

14. What would you like to be remembered for? What do you want the mentioned in your obituary? 

15. What physical possessions would you like to be preserved by your heirs, and why?

Reality Check: 10 Things Your Parents Should Have Taught You About the Real World

File this under "flash rant," but getting tired of interacting with folks who seem not to have been taught these few foundational principles of life by the people - parents, guardians - who should have done so. 

Perhaps if we posted these 10 "reality checks" in every classroom, instead of the 10 Commandments, we might actually start churning out students prepared to function as responsible, respectful adults.

1. Life isn't fair; sometimes good guys get hurt, and sometimes bad guys prevail.
2. People aren't thinking about you nearly as much as you think you are.
3. You don't know half of what you think you know.
4. You are free to make your own choices, but you are not free of the consequences.
5. You don't get to dictate what other people think or do.
6. Only you can fix you.
7. Basic respect is a right; enduring respect is earned.
8. If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you always get.
9. Other people's lived experience is just as valid as yours.
10. People will judge you based on your actions, not your intentions.

150+ Things From My Childhood That Have Become Obsolete (Generation Jones version)

Like many other folks my age, I spend a lot of time remarking on how much the world has changed since I was a child back in the 60s/70s. Last night (just as I was trying to turn my mind off, naturally) I started making a mental list, which I've decided to capture here. 

Note that I've limited my list to things that have actually become obsolescent - replaced by faster/better/more efficient alternatives. If I let myself include things that change over time due merely to changing tastes -  fashion, furniture/home decor, retail stores, food, toys/games, entertainment - this list could go on forever! 

(Items in italics are things that aren't quite gone, but are well on their way to obsolescence.) 

TECHNOLOGY

1. Landline rotary telephones
2. Pay telephones
3. Answering machines, answering services
4. Pagers, beepers, Blackberries
5. Personal digital assists (ex: Palm Pilot)
6. Telephone-based services for time and weather
7. Telephone-based movie listings
8. Telephone books, telephone operators
9. Film cameras, film cartridges, flashbulbs, negatives, disposable cameras
10. Film developing kiosks in parking lots
11. Slides, slide projectors, slide carousels, portable screens
12. Videocams, camcorders
13. CRT TVs
14. TV antennas, TV guides, TV signoff patterns
15. VHS tapes, Betamax tapes, Laserdiscs
16. Record players, vinyl records, record inserts
17. Portable music players (transistor radios, walkmen, iPods)
18. Cassette tapes, 8-track tapes
19. Tape recorders (reel to reel, cassette), cassette tapes
20. CB radios
21. Telex machines, fax machines
22. Computer punch cards, floppy disks, 3.5" hard disks, zip drives
23. CDs, CD storage boxes & totes
24. Dot matrix printers
25. Catalog-based internet search engines
26. Desktop computers
27. Wired internet, charging cords, wired earphones
28. DVDs, DVD players
29. Calculators

CIGARETTES

1. Cigarette vending machines
2. Restaurant ashtrays
3. Cigarette lighters in cars
4. Matchbooks
5. Metal cigarette lighters, lighter fluid, flints

SHOPPING & BANKING

1. Manual cash registers
2. Credit card imprint machines
3. Pneumatic tubes at banks
4. Bank passport books
5. Bank Christmas savings accounts
6. Green stamps
7. Paper airplane tickets & boarding passes
8. Paper theater/event tickets
9. Print newspapers & magazines, newspaper vending boxes
10. Shopping malls
11. Walk-in banks, bank tellers, checkbooks
12. Traveller's checks
13. Price stickers
14. Print catalogs
15. Paper receipts
16. Mailed billing statements
17. Cash

JOBS/PROFESSIONS

1. Paper delivery boys/girls
2. Shoe repair shops
3. Projectionists
4. Human tollbooth operators
5. Travel agents
6. Telemarketers
7. Non-AI customer service
8. Cashiers

CARS

1. Vent windows
2. Hand-cranked windows
3. Backward-facing seating in station wagons
4. Gas station attendants
5. Free gas station giveaways
6. Paper maps
7. AAA Triptiks & paper guide books
8. Cassette/CD players
9. Manual transmissions
10. Metal car keys
11. Coin operated parking meters

SCHOOL & OFFICE

1. Typewriters
2. Carbon paper, typewriter erasers, white-out
3. Rolodexes
4. Portable dictation devices
5. Shorthand
6. Working 9-5 in an offsite location
7. Paper stamps
8. Pencil boxes, paste, slide rules, report covers
9. Lunchboxes with matching thermoses
10. Mimeograph machines
11. Overhead projectors, transparency film
12. Filmstrip projectors
13. Encyclopedias
14. Card catalogs
15. Date stamps in library books
16. Jungle gyms
17. Hard copy textbooks
18. Paper reference books (dictionaries, thesauruses, atlases, etc.)
19. Cursive handwriting
20. Annual school photos
21. Dewey decimal system
22. Wall calendars

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

1. Tiki-themed restaurants
2. Cafeteria-style restaurants 
3. Glass straw holders
4. TV meals served on TV trays
5. Home milk delivery, milk boxes, milkmen
6. Ice trays
7. Amphetamine-based diet pills
8. Hot air popcorn poppers
9. Electric can openers
10. Wax sandwich bags
11. Manual egg beaters
12. Coffee percolators
13. Hardcopy restaurant menus
14. Tea kettles
15. Ice buckets
16. Restaurant buzzers

AROUND THE HOUSE

1. Fine china & silverware, china cabinets
2. Incandescent light bulbs
3. Photo albums
4. Family address books
5. Shag toilet covers
6. Colored/patterned toilet paper
7. Shower caps
8. Metal toothbrush holders affixed to the wall
9. Macrame everything
10. Crocheted granny square afghans
11. Curtains on hooks
12. Chenille bedspreads
13. Manual lawnmowers
14. Snow chains on tires
15. Pet turtles
16. Goldfish in bowls
17. Fabric wall calendars
18. Metal trash cans
19. Webbed lawn chairs
20. Bug zappers
21. Terrariums
22. Cap-style hair dryers
23. Mercury thermometers
24. Bomb shelters
25. Wristwatches, alarm clocks, analog clocks
26. Metal house keys
27. Home sewing machines
28. Analog thermostats
29. Lawn jockies
30. Bar soap

SOCIALIZING

1. Letters written in long-hand
2. Postcards
3. Air mail envelopes
4. Paper party invitations
5. Honeycomb crepe paper party decorations
6. Tupperware parties
7. Avon cosmetics
8. Date books
9. Autograph books
10. Printed programs for theater and sporting events
11. Fee-free social media

HOLIDAYS

1. Mass-produced Halloween costumes with plastic masks
2. Elaborate Christmas decorations in town squares and malls
3. Satin Christmas balls with sequins
4. Aluminum trees with color wheels
5. Christmas tree tinsel
6. Flocked windows
7. May Day celebrations
8. Columbus Day celebrations
9. Dark tanning oil for sunbathing
10. Home birthday parties for kids
11. Cone-shaped party hats & noisemakers
12. Easter Seals

OTHER

1. Hotel room keys (not keycards)
2. Polio vaccination scars
3. Cough medicine with codeine
4. Calisthenics
5. Elliptical towel machines in public bathrooms
6. Bubblegum machines
7. Public water fountains

50+ THEME Road Trip Inspirations

Struggling to plan a vacation for you or your family?  Maybe the problem is that you're so focused on where you should go, you're neglecting to consider what you really want to do. Try thinking about it this way: if you could spend your precious free time doing anything you want, what would you be doing? Now try designing a vacation around that. Here are some ideas to kickstart your brainstorming. 

1. HISTORY & POLITICS ROAD TRIPS. Is history one of your passions? Design a vacation around learning more about our nation's rich past.
1. National Register of Historic Places road trip. Check out the NRHP database (available online) and learn more about the US's historic treasures, including (but not limited to): 
1. Historic landmarks
2. Historic neighborhoods/districts
3. Notable homesites
4. Monuments & memorials
2. Celebrating US History road trip. Pick an era of US history and learn more about it! Some ideas to get you started:  
1. Founding Fathers/American Revolution road trip. 
1. Revolutionary battlefields, forts, and fortifications
2. Famous buildings & residences: Courthouses, homes of Founding Fathers
3. Notable Revolutionary cities: Williamsburg, Boston, Philadelphia  
2. Civil war road trip
1. Civil War battlefield sites, forts, and fortifications
2. Civil War museums
3. Plantations
4. Lincoln-related destinations
3. Westward expansion road trip
1. Restored Wild West towns, mines, and ghost towns
2. Dude ranches, rodeos, and cowboy experiences
3. Native American destinations and experiences
4. Forts & fortifications 
4. WW1/WW2 road trip
1. Museums
2. Monuments & cemeteries
3. New Deal sites: CCC infrastructure projects, murals & artwork
5. Black history road trip
1. Museums
2. Monuments & memorials
3. Civil Rights/abolitionist sites
4. Homesteads of notable black Americans
5. HBCUs
6. Cold War road trip
1. Missile silos
2. Bunkers/bomb shelters
7. Federally-designed historical sites
1. National historic sites: Military parks, battlefield parks, battlefield sites
2. National monuments & memorials
3. National historical parks/sites
3. Military History road trip
1. Battlefield sites & cemeteries
2. Military museums
3. Air shows
4. Military academies
2. NATURAL WONDERS ROAD TRIPS. Are you a lover of all things natural? I always say that getting out in nature is the best way to reboot one's soul to its initial factory settings. Here are some ideas for indulging your love of beauty, recreation, and restoration.
1. National Parks road trip. One of the greatest privileges of living in the US are our fabulous national parks, but don't overlook other federally-designated natural areas, including:
1. National monuments
2. National preserves
3. National lakeshores/seashores
4. National rivers/wild and scenic riverways
5. National scenic trails/parkways
2. State Parks road trip. State parks can be unappreciated treasures! 
3. Natural Wonders road trip. The US is blessed with a plethora of natural wonders. Craft a road trip designed to explore natural wonders in general, or focus on a specific feature: waterfalls, arches, slot canyons, impact craters, volcanic features, big trees
4. Camping Experience road trip. Spend a weekend tent camping, cabin camping, or glamping. National and state parks often offer cabin/bungalow experiences. 
5. Beautiful Biomes road trip. Experience one of Earth's unique ecosystems!
1. Biomes: Tundra/arctic, taiga/evergreen forests (commonly found on mountaintops), temperate deciduous forests (trees with leaves that drop), grasslands, rainforests (tropical, temperate), deserts, freshwater, marine
2. Ecosystems: Wetlands, cypress swamps, salt marshes, beaches, temperate rainforests, caves, coral reefs, hot springs, bioluminescent bays, etc.
3. CULTURAL ROAD TRIPS. One of the benefits of travel is the opportunity to expand one's appreciation for our nation's rich social, cultural, and intellectual diversity. Which of these appeals to you? Here are some ideas to get you started. 
1. America's Cultural Diversity road trip.  Pick one of the many, many immigrant populations that contribute out our country's diversity and craft a road trip designed to learn more about them. Possible destinations include:  
1. Ethnic neighborhoods/towns
2. Cultural street/arts festivals
3. Ethnic restaurants
4. Embassies/museums
2. Museum Experience road trip. Create a road trip that combines stops at federal, state, university, and local museums. Add whimsy by focusing on museums dedicated to unusual topics: medical sciences, agricultural products, cryptography, entertainment, etc.
3. Institutes of Higher Learning road trip. Many US campuses are strikingly lovely, populated by ornate, historically important buildings or located in gorgeous locations. Check them out!
4. Spiritual Journeys road trip. Explore the US's religious roots. 
1. Historic churches/missions
2. Spiritual sites
5. Fabulous Fairs & Festivals road trip. In a country this big, there are multiple festivals/fairs occurring every week of the year. Some ideas: 
1. State fairs/agricultural fairs
2. Street fairs: Food festivals, cultural festivals
3. Holiday/seasonal festivals
4. Arts festivals/fairs: Music festivals, crafts festivals, theater festivals
5. Novelty festivals: Mummer's parades, Renaissance festivals
6. Underground City Experiences road trips. All big cities have an "underground" life -  music venues, pop-up restaurants, speakeasies, and other experiences - known only to the hippest of locals ... or anyone dedicated enough to search social media for clues. 
4. ARTS ROAD TRIPS. If you're the type that appreciate arts & entertainment, there are plenty of ways that travel can expand your horizons. 
1. Art Experience road trip
1. Art museums/galleries
2. Artist homesteads
3. Public art installations
2. Architecture Exploration road trip
1. Specific architectural styles/genres: Victorian, Spanish Colonial, Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern
2. Civil engineering projects: Bridges, skyscrapers, dams
3. Famous neighborhoods/architects
4. Novelty destinations: Castles, vernaculars
3. Entertainment (TV/Movie/Theater) road trip
1. Live performances: TV studios, theaters
2. Festivals: Film festivals, theater festivals
3. Movie/TV filming locations
4. Famous theaters: Historic theaters, nostalgic theaters
4. Music Lovers road trip
1. Specific musical genre road trip: Rock, pop, country, jazz, R&B, blues, classical, opera, Broadway, indie 
1. Museums
2. Music festivals
3. Notable music cities/venues
4. Recording studios
5. Live performances
5. Bookworm road trip
1. Novel destinations: Author homesites, locations featured in famous novels
2. Notable libraries & atheneums
3. Book conferences, fairs & festivals: Book festivals, author/genre-specific events
4. Book themed bars/hotels
5. Notable bookstores
6. Crafting road trip: craft conventions & events
5. SCIENCE ROAD TRIPS. If STEM is your groove, why not craft a vacation that incorporates a little lifelong learning along the way? 
1. Natural History road trips
1. Natural History museums
2. All About Animals road trips
1. Zoos/wild animal parks
2. Wild animal safaris/boat tours
3. Aquariums
4. Farms
5. Live animal encounters: Swim with dolphins/manatees, feed giraffes
6. Animal research facilities and sanctuaries
3. Botanical road trips
1. Botanical gardens
2. Flower shows
2. Space Exploration road trip
1. Launch facilities
2. NASA facilities
3. Planetariums & observatories
4. Dark Sky parks 
3. Understanding our Earth Geology/Paleontology road trip
1. Rockhounding/panning for gold
2. Digging for fossils
3. Notable geologic features: Fault lines, cave systems, volcanic features, impact craters
6. EXPERIENCE ROAD TRIPS. As Gen X is fond of reminding the rest of us, YOLO - you only live once! Travel presents a great opportunity to seek out novel sensations and experiences. 
1. Explore Your Passions road trip. Think about your hobbies - what you do for fun, or would like to do if you had the time! Now, identify opportunities to explore those hobbies on the road. Potential opportunities are as various as personal hobbies, but might include museums, historic venues, conferences/conventions, classes, or experiences. Following are some examples: 
1. Model trains: Model train museums/displays
2. Creative writing/blogging: Writing festivals/workshops, writers retreats
3. Video games: Gaming conventions, gaming competitions, gaming museums/arcades
4. Cooking: Cooking schools/classes, farmers markets
5. Experience/fantasy camps: Rock n' roll camps, cowboy camps
6. Crafting: Craft shows/conferences, workshops, art colonies
7. Genealogy: Genealogy libraries, halls of records, cemeteries
2. Sports Fan road trips
1. Major/minor league teams & facilities: Stadiums/arenas, racetracks
2. University teams & facilities
3. Historic/notable facilities
4. Notable competitions/tournaments
5. Sports museums/Halls of fame
3. Watersports road trips
1. Boating/sailing
2. White water rafting/tubing
3. Ocean/river/lake cruises
4. Swimming/snorkling
4. Sports & Recreation road trips
1. Hiking/climbing/running/biking: Notable events, notable tracks/trails
2. Hunting/fishing
5. Exotic Travels road trip
1. Train journeys: Scenic railroads, cog railroads
2. Steamboat/ferry journeys
3. Novelty automobile/motorcycle journeys
4. Hot air balloon journeys
6. Make Them Laugh road trip
1. Comedy clubs
2. Comic theater performances 
7. Bucket list road trip. Because it's never too soon to start crossing items off your bucket list!
8. National Parties & Parades road trip
1. Famous/notable holiday celebrations
2. Famous parades
3. Mardi Gras
9. Lifelong Learning road trips
1. Tours led by organizations/universities
2. Discovery camps/experiences
3. University sessions/courses
4. Active archeology sites
10. Acts of Service road trips
1. Build houses
2. Participate in ecological restoration projects
3. Volunteer in areas recovering from natural disasters
11. Novelty B&B road trip. Because a vacation doesn't have to be about what you do, but where you stay. Memorable overnight options include: treehouses, lighthouses, houseboats, train cars, RVs, historic lodges, watchtowers, museums, battleships and more
12. Mystery trip. Open a map, close your eyes, tap a spot on the map, and go explore!
7. SHOPPING ROAD TRIPS. For those who's favorite recreation is hunting -hunting for bargains, that is! - why not build a vacation around shopping? 
1. Antiquing road trips
1. Antique malls
2. Antique districts
3. Auction houses
2. Factory Tour road trips
3. Bargain shopping road trips
1. Flea markets & yard sales
2. Outlet malls & potteries
3. Auction houses
4. Abandoned luggage sales
8. SEASONAL ROAD TRIPS. Every season has it's special pleasures; maybe you just need a chance to get away from home in order to celebrate those pleasures without distraction? 
1. Spring road trips
1. Spring sports & recreation: Golf, baseball
2. Summer road trips
1. Summer sports & recreation: Water sports, soccer
2. Fruit picking
3. Outdoor concerts/events
3. Autumn road trips
1. Autumn sports & recreation: Football
2. Leaf peeping road trip
3. Pumpkin patches, corn mazes & hay rides
4. Apple picking
4. Winter road trips
1. Winter sports & recreation: Hockey, basketball, skiing
2. Christmas-themed destinations
9. HEALTH/WELLNESS ROAD TRIPS. For those whose idea of relaxation is pampering, why better choice for vacation than a destination that prioritizes creature comforts? 
1. Resort road trips
1. Family resorts
2. Adult resorts: Casinos 
2. Wellness road trips
1. Spas
2. Retreats
10. FOOD ROAD TRIPS. Is food one of your favorite things? Then maybe it's time to make food a priority when planning your next getaway. 
1. Diners, Dives & Drive-In road trips
1. Food street festivals
2. Diners, dives, and drive-ins
1. Destination Restaurant road trips
1. Historic restaurants
2. Famous chefs
3. Regional flavors
2. Favorite Flavors road trips 
1. Farms/farmers markets
2. Favorite cuisines. What's your favorite flavor - BBQ? chili? chicken fried steak? pizza? Turn your passion into a road trip to discover new variations
3. Boozy road trips
1. Winery/brewery/distillery tours
2. Wine/beer/booze street festivals
3. Wine/beer/bourbon trails
11. NOSTALGIA/KITSCH ROAD TRIPS. Sometimes, wanting to get away from it all really means wanting to get away from it all. Retreat from reality by choosing a road trip that will transport you to a happier time or more glamourous places. 
1. Childhood Memories road trips. Give yourself permission to relive your happy childhood vacation memories!
1. Revisit favorite childhood destinations
2. Relive favorite childhood memories
3. Give yourself permission to play
2. Dark Side road trips. Indulge your inner goth with these macabre vacation inspirations: 
1. Haunted houses/hotels or ghost tours
2. Macabre museums/historical sites: Cemeteries, medical museums
3. Murder mystery events
3. Kitschy road trip. Get your kicks on Route 66 ... or seek out the spirit of Route 66 that permeates every corner of this marvelous, kitschy country of ours!
1. Novelty museums: Museums dedicated to specific products/events; cryptozoological museums
2. Roadside attractions
3. Novelty festivals/fairs

20+ Things You Should Be Doing Now to Prepare for Climate Change

Good news for preppers: there's finally something real to prep for. It's called climate change (CC) and it's coming for all of us. Most recent estimates (as of Feb 22) suggest the CC tipping point - the point beyond which out-of-control CC becomes inevitable because human actions will be unable to reverse natural positive feedback loops - will arrive in the next 10-15yrs.  While organizations like the U.N. work as hard as they can to wrest remediation pledges from members countries; while outfits like Project Drawdown work to prioritize solutions by impact & cost; and while states ramp up their "Green New Deal" planning, it's safe to say infer that we're not going to make nearly the amount of progress we need to make in order to avert some of CC's scarier consequences, to include food/water shortages, unhealthy levels of air pollution, wildfires, storms, flood, wars, mass human migration, and mass animal extinction.  

10-15yrs isn't too soon to start making the life changes you may wish to make in order to prep for the world to come. In fact, it's probably just the right horizon for decisions regarding houses, home/landscaping renovations, vehicles, investments, and family planning. Some of the recommendations herein can wait longer, but I wanted to make the list as complete as I could.

I realize this list is very (very) biased towards people who possess houses, HVAC, discretionary income. I wish this were otherwise, but there's growing awareness of the fact that CC - like many other environmental issues - tends to be accompanied by gross social injustice.  As CC impacts ramp up, people who can afford to take remediation measures will take them; those who can't afford to prepare will simply be forced to make due. However, there are measures here that require little/no investment, and so should be accessible to folks at every social and economic level. If I could recommend just one of the following measures, it would be #21, Educate Yourself. Know what's coming so that you can make wise decisions about how to prepare within the bounds of your own circumstances.

1. Prepare for high gas prices and gas/natural gas shortages. The sooner you stop relying on fossil fuels for your basic needs - heating, transportation - the better. Gas powered car? Propane stove or clothes dryer? Natural gas-powered HVAC? Time to start looking for replacements - energy efficient replacements, if you can get them. 
2. Secure a Steady, Reliable Source of Energy.  It may take a while for new alternative energy grids to be able to replace the fossil fuel-dependent electrical capacity we have now. If you want to avoid brownouts on hot days, may be worth looking into whether solar power is a possibility for your home
3. Pick a Resilient Hometown. Some states are going to take a hammering from climate change-spawned droughts, flooding, extreme storms, etc.  Make things easier on yourself by relocating to a state that's expected to handle climate change with relative resilience. A recent article I read was recommending northern and midwestern states - from Minnesota to the West, Virginia to the South, and Maine to the North. 
4. Prepare for Rising Sea Levels. If you own property on or near tidal waters (ocean, tidal rivers), you may not have as much time as you think. The problem isn't that CC-inflated sea levels are going to inundate properties all at once - even the most dire predictions hover around 1-3M over the next 100 years. But once the federal government figures out that sea level rises are a fait accompli and stop issuing guaranteed flood insurance, you'll be lucky to find anyone to buy your property at any price. 
5. Prepare for Flooding. CC is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of rain events, leaving to devastating flooding. If you own property in a flood plain, or that has been known to flood in extreme rain events, start your flood planning now. If your risk is relatively low, it may be enough to "harden" your property to survive a major flooding event. Some ideas: re-grade your property to facilitate runoff, lay in rain gardens to store extra water, create stone walls or berms. If your risk of flooding is high, however, you may want to get out now, before the federal government stops issuing guaranteed flood insurance.  
6. Prepare for Wildfires. CC is expected to cause droughts that will - already are - increasing both the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Again, think about whether it makes sense to "harden" your property against wildfires by clearing brush, installing fire-resistant landscaping, or replacing your roof/building materials with fire resistant alternatives. If you live in an area that's already prone to fires, however, you may want to relocate now, while buyers optimistic enough (or clueless enough) to purchase your property still exist.
7. Prepare for Storms. CC is expecting to both (1) increase the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, tornadic storms, and other malevolent weather events and (2) introduce catastrophic weather events into areas where such incidents have, heretofore, been relatively rare. Safety precautions that have worked so far (emergency warning systems, shutters, wind-resistant architecture and bug-out kits) may not be a match for a future in which Category 6 hurricanes become the norm, storms park themselves over cities for days at a time, tornadic storm systems create destruction zones 20miles wide, and record-low pressures generate winds faster than those ever seen before. 
8. Prepare for the Heat. The human body's heat tolerance at 100% humidity is about 95oF (50% humidity, about 109oF, 0% humidity, about 130oF). Above that, your body won’t be able to lose heat efficiently enough to maintain its core temperature and brain and organ damage ensue. As parts of the world get hotter and/or wetter, that's a lot of people one broken air conditioner away from death by heat stroke. So go fix those windows, insulate that house, install that attic fan - maybe ceiling fans too. And have a plan for what to do if the power goes out on a dangerously hot day.
9. Prepare for Higher Food Prices & Food Shortages. For a variety of reasons, CC is expected to reduce food production, so take what measures you can now to prepare against higher food prices and increased food scarcity. Hoarding may be a little extreme (at least this far out), but raising chickens or establishing garden/greenhouse may be worthwhile. 
10. Secure Your Coffee Supply.  Making coffee it's own category because (1) it's an essential resource for some, and (2) coffee supplies are uniquely imperiled by climate change due to extreme weather changes expected in the world's most productive coffee-growing regions. Stored appropriately, coffee beans don't take up a lot of space and can remain fresh for years. 
11. Top Off Your Wine Collection. CC is expected to devastate many legendary grape-growing regions. The good news is that warming regions of the world should be able to replace any lost quantity, but how do you replace the quality of regions like the Rhone Valley and Champaign?
12. Buy a Fake Christmas Tree. Warming temps are expected to increase populations of tree-destroying diseases and pests. If Christmas is something your family does, consider swallowing your revulsion and buying now, before prices for the fake ones go through the roof. Santa Claus will understand
13. Prepare for Water Scarcity.  While CC is expected to bring too much rain to some places, it's expected to drastically reduce rain in others. Areas that are already suffering drought and/or overdrawing their aquafers are going to be especially at risk.  Jobs that rely on water - agriculture, dairies, mills, oil/gas, beverage industry - may also be threatened.  Some actions you may want to take: diversify your job options as necessary, purchase low-water appliances, invest in drought-resistant landscaping, and lay in rain barrels to capture what rain you get (especially if you need a secure supply for watering a garden).
14. Prepare for the Impact of CC on Sports & Recreation. It's not just about the death of winter sports we're talking about here.  It's also about temps too hot to permit outdoor sports like golf, youth/adult sports leagues, and running/marathons, and air pollution so dangerous, outdoor sports pose a potential danger to respiratory health that dwarf any potential health gains. If your sports/recreation regimen includes outdoors activities, make sure not to squander the time you have left! And start thinking about alternatives that could replace these staples down the road. 
15. Prepare for the Impact of CC on Health.  The last UN report on CC listed over a dozen ways in which CC is likely to impact health. So before you make any decisions about relocating the family or self-insuring yourself for health, consider the impact that declining air quality may have on respiratory issues such as asthma and allergies; the increased risk of heat-related illness (especially in areas where air conditioning is unavailable); the resurgence of insect-borne diseases in warm, moist climates; and the growing evidence linking CC with complications related to pregnancy, cardiac health, and mental health.
16. Consider the Impact of CC on Vacation Planning. By the time you get around to going where you want to go, where you want to go may not be there any more! Some destinations you may wish to prioritize over the next decade, before they disappear: 
1. Cities imperiled by sea level rise (ex: New Orleans, Key West, North Carolina's Outer Banks,Venice)
2. Cultural landmarks imperiled by extreme weather or sea level rise (Easter Island, Greek Islands, Tyre, Ephesus)
3. Cold-weather destinations imperiled by glacial and sea ice melting (ex: Glacier National Park, Greenland, Alaskan cruises, Antarctica)
4. Forest/rainforest destinations imperiled by by heat/wildfires (ex: Amazon rainforest, Redwoods National Park)
5. Diving/snorkling excursions imperiled by ocean acidification and coral reef death (ex: Great Barrier Reef)
17. Prepare for Higher Prices for Everything. Observing the impact of Covid on our economy has reminded folks of the consequences of too much money chasing too few resources: supply chain hiccups, shortages, and inflation. Now imagine that the countries producing most of our goods - India, China - are coping with extreme food/water shortages, mass migration, extreme political corruption, and regional/world wars. (Why? At least a dozen reasons, but let's lead with the fact that when the Himalayan glaciers melt, the Ganges, Indus, Mekong, Yangtze and Yellow Rivers - which collectively provide water for billions of people - will run dry. That alone will create chaos.) Some measures you may want to consider: buying houses, cars, and durable goods (furniture, appliances) sooner rather than later; shopping smarter (really look for those deals); and developing the habit of living more sustainably (ex: shop at thrift stores, recycle fashion, join local groups committed to reuse)
18. Secure Your Savings.  If you're lucky enough to have money salted away in savings or retirement accounts, worth thinking about how that money is invested.  Are your prepared to survive long-term global downturns in corporate profitability and government spending? Are the companies you've invested in set to remain sustainable? This may be the time to start "greening" your portfolio by investing in the techs that are going to be required in a post CC world
19. Prepare for the Impact of Climate Migration. As food/water resources shift, as heat/wildfires make areas uninhabitable, and as wars over scarce resources erupt worldwide, pundits predict historically unprecedented numbers of immigrants seeking a new life. The impacts of climate migration will vary hugely based on where you live, but may be worth considering. If you are in an area likely to be flooded with migrants, what can you do now to secure the needs of your family while growing your community's social safety net so that you can provide for those who are on their way?
20. Contemplate Your Family Planning.  If you're starting to think about how many children you're going to plan on bringing into the world, it may be worth considering the world into which you may be bringing them. A world in which wars over scarce resources may be the norm rather than an aberration. A world in which climate migrants may be fleeing from border to border, begging for entry. A world in which gaps between rich and poor may be exacerbated by the scarcity of critical resources (food, water, shelter). It may be worth factoring into your planning the extent to which you will be able to protect and support children in a world where everything - from food to clothes to daycare - will be much more expensive, where housing and jobs may be harder to find, where political instability may be more pervasive, and where your country's military forces may find themselves engaged in more conflicts than ever before.
21. Educate Yourself.  People have been lying about CC for a long time now, and it's logical to expect the lies to ramp up as CC increasingly impact our lives.  Energy companies anxious to convince us that their coal is "clean," that natural gas "isn't really a fossil fuel," that fracking/pipelines "are a great way to secure our energy needs against foreign manipulation." Companies eager to convince us that carbon neutral is the same thing as carbon positive or to assure us that they're "planting enough trees" to offset the harm. Politicians anxious to convince us that candidates who support green initiatives are "secretly trying to impose a socialist agenda," "intent on driving up tax/gas/oil prices" or "destroying the U.S economy." Find unbiased sources and educate yourself about CC realities and myths so that you know when you're being lied to, and so that you can make educated, rational choices (vs. emotional, ineffective choices) about how to utilize the resources we have (tax dollars, tech) to most efficiently and effectively address the coming crisis.
22. Prepare to be Part of the Solution. Fixing climate change is going to be like trying to build a beach in the middle of a hurricane - while countries may have the resources to bring in the cranes & heavy equipment that will be needed to get the job started, it's going to take trillions of grains of sand - trillions of individual acts of conservation and sustainability - to make the beach happen. So start thinking now about what you can do help get that beach firmly established, before the storm hits.

The author is a scientist and teacher who has worked as a researcher/analyst for Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a DC-based think thank, and is a member of the Leadership Corps of Climate Reality, the climate awareness organization founded by former Vice President Al Gore.

15+ Novel Types of Gardens - Because why can't a gardens be fun as well as practical?

 

Now that I'm close to retirement, I'm thinking I may finally have time to start a garden. The question is: what kind? I'm the kind of person who likes to rethink the way things have always been done, which is how I ended up compiling the following list of ideas for gardens that might be a little more "exotic" than your traditional backyard kitchen or spice plot. Gardening is too laborious and dedicated a task not to spend the time creating something that will bring you genuine and lasting delight ...!

1. Poison garden. A garden in which all the plants and flowers are toxic. Some of these species are actually quite lovely, and the experience might inform usefully inform my career as a murder mystery writer. On the negative side, however, this might perhaps make the neighbors nervous and have a chilling effect on the local wildlife. 
2. Dinosaur garden. A garden including only species that were around at the same time as the dinosaurs: ferns, cycads, horsetails, sequoias, cypresses, pines and ginkgos.  Back when everyone was paleo, and paleo wasn't even hip yet. Just for fun, I'd love to add plastic dinosaurs peaking out from the foliage and wait to see how long it takes for the neighborhood kids to notice!
3. Midnight garden.  A garden meant to be enjoyed at night - from flowers that bloom only at night to varieties with smells that become even more exotic in the dark.
4. Hanging garden. Create a long tunnel-like trellis structure and plant it with either fruits or veggies that can be trained to climb. I love the idea of being able to walk though a shady, fragrant tunnel of foliage and pick my dinner or desert as I go along! 
5. Medicinal garden. A garden in which all the plants and flowers have medicinal value - aloe, St. Johns Wart, etc.  I've always wanted to be an apothecary and formulate my own prescriptions.
6. Hobo garden. I'm a big fan of plain, chunky stews, so a garden that grows ingredients for all my favorite soups is appealing. 
7. Train garden.  Even as an adult, I still find myself transfixed by miniature train sets. So why not plan a garden garden around raised wooden planks that could be transformed into platforms for train tracks at any time?  I might throw in "houses" and "stations" crafted out of natural materials. It would be like a fairy garden for adults!
8. Art garden. I wonder if it would be possible to replicate a famous impressionist painting in flower colors?  Maybe something swirly, like one of Van Gogh's starry night constellations? 
9. Shakespeare garden. A garden constituted solely from plants and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's poetry or plays.  
10. Sculpture garden. Plant only species that can be easily groomed (or that would easily grow over statuary), then trim/train the garden into a whole whimsical tableau - perhaps Alice and her tea party? Or trolls feasting on bones? 
11. Tea garden. A garden constituted solely from plants that can be brewed onto teas. 
12. Seedpod garden.  All the plants would be required to sport gorgeous or unique seedpods.
13. Pilgrim garden. Featuring only fruits and vegetables that would have been available to America's first European settlers. I imagine the varieties available these days barely resemble the plants in their original form, but one could at least recreate a garden that replicates the species that were available then. Bring on the Scuppernogg wine!
14. Turtle & Frog garden.  The trick would be to landscape the pond and surrounds using native species, so that the frogs and turtles who stop by for a visit would feel right at home and stay a while.  There's nothing I enjoy more in spring than watching tadpoles develop into frogs! 
15. Cocktail garden.  All the plants are ingredients in exotic cocktails.  Time to whip out my copy of The Drunken Botonist and start listing species! 
16. Booze garden.  All the plants can actually be transformed into alcohol - which I realize, technically speaking, would include all plants, but I'd focus on the more traditional and or interesting varieties. My moonshining Kentucky forebears would be so proud! 

30+ Essential Things to Pack in Case of Evacuation

Did you know there are 23 active volcanoes in the U.S.? Do global warming-spawned hurricanes, floods, mudslides, blizzards, or tornadoes have you worried?  Is the foliage around you as crisp as tinder, just waiting for a stray spark to ignite it? Whatever the disaster, here's a quick list of things you should remember to throw into the car if you have to get out of town in a hurry. Note that this is not a "pack everything you could possibly need," but prioritizes items based on size, usefulness, and value.

1. Personal ID.  Be sure to pack every piece of ID you have: birth certificates, drivers licenses, passports, social security cards (or #s), work IDs, etc.  You won't be able to get anything done without ID.
2. Bank, financial, and legal records. Be sure to include all checking accounts, savings accounts, investment accounts, college savings accounts, wills, inheritance info, etc.
3. Deeds/registrations/licenses. Take the deed to your house, mortgage info, titles/registrations for all your cars, and any wedding or professional licenses.
4. Insurance Information. Grab the policies for your home, life, cars, and HEALTH.
5. Tax Records. Tax records incorporate tons of important family/financial info. Throw in at least last year's ... 2-3 trailing years if you have them.
6. Family address book. If you have one, take it. You may needs #s and addresses for physicians, family members, or others.  (Even folks who have transitioned to digital phone lists often don't transfer address/phone info for distant relatives, old acquaintances, etc. - so you may want to pack that "legacy" paper address book after all.)
7. Credit cards + courtesy checks.  All of them!  Even store cards.  You may not use them, but you need to be able to keep track of the accounts and account numbers
8. Wallets, purses and keys.  Don't take the time to go through contents - just make sure you take them & you can figure out what you'll need from them later.
9. Computer drives. This includes CPUs/hard drives, external storage drives, and stick drives. You can always buy a new monitor, keyboard, and printer, but unless you've invested in offsite backup, you don't want to lose what's on the contents of those drives.
10. All your cars/vehicles. It's natural to want the family all together in times of crisis,  but consider splitting up and taking as many cars as you can.  They provide potentially important mobility, allow you to pack more, and they are expensive to replace.  You can even live in them if worst comes to worst.  By the way, be sure to TOP OFF THE FUEL TANKS as soon as possible (ideally, as soon as you suspect evacuation may be necessary)!  Nothing more useless than a car without gas.
11. Medication. Be sure to bring prescription meds, but for good measure empty out your whole medicine cabinet + first aid kit and bring everything. You never know what you might need.
12. Optical needs.  Be sure to remember everything you need to keep your glasses/contacts in working order!  Shelters may not be able to easily meet demand for optical needs. 
13. Baby/toddler needs. Focus on packing food (shelters may not be able to provide baby-appropriate food), water, food delivery devices (bottles, special cups), diapers & wipes (TONS!), necessary medications, a portable chair/stroller/carrier (you'll need your hands as free as possible), and something that works as a car seat.  Take a blanket or two & some clothes, but don't load up - if you are evacuating to a shelter, they will be able to provide most of these.  Remember that babies/toddlers like to wander, and most shelters aren't exactly wander-friendly zones, so plan in advance how you're going to keep your child(ren) from wandering off - playpen? car seat? high chair? baby leash?  These may also have to double as portable beds for napping.
14. Elderly/disabled dependent needs. Pack medications, medical records, and medical devices/monitors (wheelchairs, walkers, canes, IV delivery devices, reading/corrective glasses, corrective footwear, hearing devices, diabetic monitoring supplies, etc.).  Make sure you have contact info for all the doctors they see, especially specialists.  Also, if your dependent has special dietary needs, you may want to pack a healthy supply of appropriate foods, as shelters may not be able to meet these needs.
15. Water and food.  Shelters will provide the basics, but if they're overcrowded there may not be enough, so take some extra food just in case (remember a non-electric can opener).  Also take as much water as you can store.  Depending on the emergency, access to water may not be secure.  (If you don't have a handy supply of gallon jugs, remember that thermoses/coolers, jumbo toy buckets, and baby swimming pools can store water in a pinch.)  
16. Stuff for pets.  If you will be taking along a pet, be sure to include food, water, essential equipment (leashes, boxes) and vaccination records.  (Vaccination records may be required for admission into a shelter).
17. Blankets/sleeping bags/towels.  If you are fleeing to a reputable shelter, they will probably have these for you.  Even so, consider taking extra sheets (double as privacy screens, knapsacks, etc.), blankets, towels, and sleeping bags.
18. Flashlights/camp lanterns.  Bring as many portable lighting devices as you can, and don't forget the batteries.  If you get stuck somewhere without electricity, you're going to be grateful for a source of light. 
19. Clothes.  Don't overpack!  Clothes are easily replaced.  2-3 sets should be enough, so you can wash one while wearing the other.  Do, however, consider throwing in a bottle of dishsoap (can be used for dishes or clothes) so that you can recycle.  Don't forget to consider the weather: you may be spending more time than you think out of doors, so include coats/hats/gloves/raingear, sleepwear, and adequate footwear.
20. Toilettries.  Don't overpack!  But do take essentials (soap, shampoo, deoderant, toothbrush/toothpaste, hairbrush), so you can freshen up when you need to.  Don't forget sanitary items, contact lens-related items, prescription glasses, and a couple of towels.
21. Family photos/videos/scrapbooks/heirloom albums/family bibles.  Don't worry about reprints of digital photos that you have backed up to a computer, but DO grab framed family photos from walls, wedding and baby albums, scrapbooks, home movies, boxes of old family photos, etc.
22. Your keepsakes.  Think treasured family records (geneologies, etc.), childhood momentoes, high school/college yearbooks, wedding stuff ... you probably have most of this in a box somewhere, so pack the whole box!
23. Your child's keepsakes.  If you are evacuating with children, don't leave them with nothing! Grab treasured toys, blankets ... anything that has emotional significance ... and bring it along.
24. Jewelry/fur coats/art work/heirlooms/other valuables.  Don't worry about the small stuff (unless it's all in one place and easy to grab) ... insurance will cover it.  But do grab anything with special signicance or with a value over $1000
25. Portable electronics - all of them!  Laptops, ipods, cellphones, PDAs, handheld game systems, book readers, portable DVD/VHS players, and portable radios. Be sure to also pack ALL car & home rechargers, power cords, extension cords, all the batteries you can find, and 1-2 power strips to keep them all plugged in in the event of limited outlet access. They may take up some room but are *well* worth their keep.  Access to the internet is a necessity, and entertainment is going to quickly become a priority if you have to stay away from home for any length of time.
26. Ziploc and trash bags - lots!  These can be used for hundreds of different things - from mixing powdered milk to acting as disposable toilets or waterproofing. 
27. Books/printed materials.  For passing the time, especially if there's no electricity!  (Skip magazines - too little entertainment value for the space they take up.)
28. Notebook + pens.  To help you keep track of important information.  Don't count on your phone/electronics for the purpose, as electricity may not be available to recharge them.  (Also indispensable for keeping children amused.)
29. Duct tape.  Because you always need duct tape.  (I'm not kidding - you may need to hang sheets for privacy, secure possessions, or jury-rig electronics, all of which require adhesives.)
30. Camping supplies.  If you have time and room in your car, go ahead and pack 'em - especially tools that will help you with cooking (camp stoves, fuel, cookwear, mess kits, utensils) and attending to basic needs (FIRESTARTERS AND MATCHES, multi-purpose tools, camp lanterns, tents, tarps, bungie cords/rope).  These items are made to be compact so they probably won't take up too much room.
31. Camera/Videocam. Worst-case scenario, you'll need this to document damage; best-case, you can use them to document your triumphant return home!

10+ Ways to Maximize Your Scrapbook Storage - My Favoriate Cheap and Efficient Crafting Storage Solutions

I love collecting crafting supplies but have only a tiny space to store them: thus my enduring interest in storage solutions that are efficient. (The fact that I'm a teacher explains the need to keep things inexpensive.) 

... Anytime I can move something off my desk and onto a wall or rod? Win! 

... Anytime I can replace one of those heavy wood craft storage units with something light and equally efficient? Win! 

... Anytime I can storage supplies in a way that keeps them visible, so I don’t forget what I have? Win!  

Here are 10 solutions I haven’t just looked up at random on the internet; they’re solutions I actually use in my own crafting space. Hope they work for you as well as they work for me!

1.      RIBBON/WASHI TAPE STORAGE for rolls.  I laugh at those heavy wood storage boxes that beautifully display maybe 6-8 spools of ribbon – who has only 6-8 spools of ribbon? I store my ribbon, washi tape, tulle (basically anything wrapped around a tube) on cheap metal curtain rods that hang from the ceiling (or between hooks on the wall) using wire. I've learned not to extend the bar all the way or else it bows under the weight of the ribbon; instead, I buy the longest ones they have. I love that this puts my ribbon & washi tape up out of the way but also leaves my collection exposed so that I can quickly see what I have.

2.      RIBBON/WASHI TAPE STORAGE for rolls (see photo).  Smaller rolls, or rolls I use most heavily, I store on those specialty hangers they make to hang multiple pairs of slacks.  Each bar lifts out of its own cradle so the rolls slide easily on/off the bars, and no roll is ever buried too deeply behind others.  Storing craft supplies on hangers frees up surface/drawer space by maximizing the use of vertical space; also, of course, it makes your ribbon & washi tape supplies easy to peruse and access.

3.     RIBBON STORAGE for remnants.  Pick up one of those specialty hangers that are made  in the shape of a bar, so that you can hang a single pair of slacks without having to "thread them" through a standard hanger.  Unscrew the "cap" that keeps the slacks from sliding off and thread your paperclips onto the bar.  Simple untie the remnant you want & leave the paperclip there to to reuse later. I store my remnants in rainbow order to make it even easier to find what I need. 

4.      YARN STORAGE.  Yarn has this way of taking up as much or as little space as you allow it! I tame mine my stuffing the skeins into faux plastic ball jars with lids – they’re light, they stack easily, and you can see the color of the wool through the transparent plastic – especially if you stack them lid-down.

5.      FABRIC REMNANT STORAGE. Buy a cooling rack with horizontal bars spaced about 1/4” apart.  Fold and drape your fabric scraps over the horizontal bars so that they hang down. You can hang the cooling rack from a hanger or hooks on the wall. 

6.      STORAGE FOR SMALL EMBELLISHMENTS. Use transparent jewelry/hardware storage boxes to store embellishments. I’ve got about 10 of them: one for wood embellishments, 3 for eyelets/brads, 2 for buttons/charms, etc.

7.     STORAGE FOR MEDIUM-SIZED EMBELLISHMENTS & STAMP-PADS (see photo).  Store larger embellishments (tags, paper flowers, etc.) in hanging jewelry organizers. Perfect for seeing everything you have in one place! 

8.     STORAGE FOR LARGE EMBELLISHMENTS (see photo). Every scrapbooker is familiar with the clear plastic 12" x 12" hole-punched page protectors that serve as the final destination for our completed scrapbook layouts.  It doesn't take too much looking to find 12" x 12" page protectors that have been divided by the manufacturer into pockets - sometimes four pockets per page, sometimes five, sometimes nine or even 25.  These make amazing storage for flat cards, embellishments, and papers.  Just slide your flat embellishments into the pockets and insert the pages into 3-hold binder for easy browsing. I have mine divided up into several binders by theme. (The photo at the top of this entry is from my Christmas binder, obviously!)   

9.     STICKER/STENCIL STORAGE. Buy inexpensive transparent top-loading 8” x 11” sheet protectors. Insert sticker sheets (or stencils, or basically anything flat) into the pockets and organize them in an inexpensive 3-ring binder, perhaps even using dividers to separate your stickers into categories.

10. MOBILE STORAGE. Forego those expensive craft supply storage carts, boxes and bags!  An ordinary tool box or tackle box from Walmart will provide much more flexible storage at a *much* more affordable price.  If you need mobility, places like Office Depot sell inexpensive rolling carts (mostly to teachers) that are wide enough to store multiple tackle boxes. I've customized my rolling cart with a combination of storage devices designed to match my actual needs - so much more convenient than 

10+ Defunct Retail Establishments That I Miss

Figure one of the few advantages of aging is that at least now I'm old enough now to start writing posts about the "good old days." Am starting with a list of retail establishments that were staples when I was a kid but that have since vanished - except that I'll have to use the term "vanished" loosely, as I understand some of these establishments do still exist, though in hugely decreased numbers and typically under new management.  What each store has in common is that they trigger specific memories and emotions - of time spent with my mom, dad, and sister, with families from the old neighborhood, with my grandmoms and granddads, with my best friends from high school, with college roommates, with my husband back when we were newly married, with my children back when they were babies.

Do any of these establishments pluck at memories of your own? What stores/restaurants remind you of your own "good old days"?

1. Cargo Furniture.  Who didn't love Cargo furniture? It was boxy, uncomfortable, incredibly heavy, and practically indestructible.  Plus it was all magically sized so that you could stack it to create awesome Cargo wall units, cubbies, and nooks. Definitely not intended for the formal living room, but terrific for kids' rooms, family rooms, beach houses, and dorm rooms.  I also credit Cargo for, if not technically creating, then popularizing the loft-above-desk model for kids' rooms, which revolutionized the business of stuffing multiple children in tiny rooms. I can't be sure, but I suspect the furniture's indestructible nature may be the reason the store folded.  Once you bought the stuff, it didn't need replacing for, like, 200 years.
2. Discovery Zone.  There has never been nor ever will be again an indoor playground as awesome as Discovery Zone.  You could take your kids there in the middle of winter and read a book while they wore themselves out climbing, sliding, swinging, and immersing themselves in ballpits the size of Olympic swimming pools. Okay, so I'm pretty sure they were breeding grounds for every bacteria known to mankind, but you know what? Try being trapped in a house with a few preschoolers for a week of below-zero temperate days in a row and tell me it wasn't worth the risk.
3. Drug Fair.  Remember when going to the drug store was an event? You went for the shopping and then stayed for a burger and milkshake at the ubiquitous little diner tucked in the back of the store - the one with spinning stools set at intervals along a formica lunch counter with catsup in squirt bottles, napkins in glinting stainless steel dispensers, and straws in a glass apothecary jars.  Never mind that the menu only had about 10 meals - deciding between the burger, the grilled cheese, the hot dog platter or the BLT was serious business!
4. Farrells.  This ice cream parlor chain had a Gay '90s theme - think women with tiny waists, big bustles, and straw hats perched on bicycles with improbably big wheels while chaps in striped suit coats stand by, gaping appreciatively.  Cleverly, you entered through a candy shop stuffed with every confection imaginable - from cotton candy to gumdrops to yards of taffy in every imaginable color; a fantasy come true if you were a kid, though I realize now this must have been a parental nightmare.  I believe they served a basic dinner menu, but the only reason you went there for the ice cream, preferably with 20 of your closest friends so you could justify purchasing one of their grotesquely enormous ice cream creations - troughs filled with 20, 30 or 40 scoops of ice cream, then topped with plastic zoo animals or pinwheels or lit sparklers, served up by teams of waiters who hoisted your ice cream trough high in the air as they raced down the aisles singing and shouting.  Inevitably, no matter how fast they raced, most of the ice cream melted before you could eat it, forming a kaleidoscopic goo at the bottom of the trough that left everyone in your party feeling vaguely sick as you exited the restaurant, a nausea that was inevitably enhanced by the overwhelming smell of all that candy as you departed.  But, ah, what a nostalgic nausea!
5. Hechingers.  For a long time growing up, I thought of Hechingers primarily as that store where my dad spent his weekends.  The homey stenciled logo appeared all over my dad's workshop, on everything from work aprons to wooden paint paddles.  Later, living on my own, I came to appreciate Hechingers as that place you went to when you didn't know how to do something around the house.  Sure, they'd sell you the tools you needed to do the job. But the reason you went was to talk to Joe (or Bill, or Phil), who'd spend as much time as it took to walk you through each step of the process, possibly even scribbling the steps on the back of a packing slip so you wouldn't leave anything out.  Don't even try that at Home Depot or Lowes.
6. Hot Shoppes.  How I miss cafeteria-style dining!  The excitement of picking out your tray and then piloting it along gleaming stainless steel rails through food nirvana.  First, those delicious, steaming trays of comfort food - pot roast and meatloaf, Salisbury steak, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, liver and onions, corn on the cob, green beans swimming in bacon!  Followed by row after row of gleaming glass shelves laden with gelatin-based deserts, pudding parfaits, and every imaginable variety of pie.  All consumed in the comfortable confines of a bright orange booth with water rings on the formica left behind by genuine glass glasses of ice water, continually refreshed. I'm telling you now, no menu can ever hope to replace the sheer sensory slendidness that was the Hot Shoppes cafeteria line.
7. Luau Gardens.  Yours may not have been called Luau Gardens, but you know what I'm talking about.  Remember that small neighborhood dive with tiki-themed interior decorations and a faux Polynesian menu that was actually Chinese?  Alcoholic drinks in fake coconuts, a big mural of tropic islands on the walls, and an oversized menu with page after page of dishes you'd never heard of but that all seemed exotic at a time when home-cooking meant combining meat, vegetables, and condensed soup into a casserole dish?  I miss when a family dinner out felt like a foray into the exotic South Seas, Disney style.
8. Lums.   Lums was one of those dim, faux Tiffany-lamplit family eateries that served everything in baskets, from BLTs to fried clams.   Why did food used to taste better just because it was served in baskets?  I don't know why - it just did.  Plus they used to serve something called a beer-steamed hot dog, which haunts me to this day.  A great regret of my life is that the Lums franchise disappeared before I was old enough to enjoy one of these intriguing delicacies. 
9. Shakees.  Another gay '90s-themed restaurant - what was our fixation with the gay '90s back in the 1960s?   (Perhaps because there were still people alive with nostalgic memories of the time period?)  You entered the pizza eatery through gorgeously colorful bottle-glass doors, which swung open to reveal long tables, suitable for parties the size of whole neighborhoods, which was good because back in those days whole neighborhood actually did things together, like go out for pizza.  Inside, the restaurant featured old-timey "gag" signs in gay '90s fonts (ex: "Musicians will work for beer"), checkers boards, a player piano with scrolls you could insert yourself (but that always seemed to be playing The Yellow Rose of Texas when you arrived), and sometimes a live ragtime band in striped vests and boater hats performing such classics as Shine on Harvest Mood and Sweet Adeline.  But the coolest feature by far, if you were a kid, was the a big picture window through which you could watch the staff throw the pizza dough up into the air and see the cooked pies popping out of the "finished" end of the pizza oven.  Endless hours of fun!
10. Thom McAn.  Nothing used to torture a foot like a new pair of Thom McAn shoes!  I will forever associate the store with hard-sided plastic or leather shoes that never yielded so much as a millimeter to comfort, no matter how often you wore them.  To ensure that you purchased just the right size - that is, exactly one half size smaller than you actually needed - the highly trained staff would center your stockinged foot in the middle of this metallic measuring contraption with sliding bars that would have been intriguing if it weren't so formidable and uncomfortable.  After removing your foot, the employees would stare so knowingly and confidently at the numbers that it never occurred to my mom that their measurements could be in any way wrong.  Which is how I spent the early years of my life perpetually limping back and forth to school and church.
11. Tower Records.  So many long afternoons spent thumbing through album covers, trying to figure out the best investment for my $7! Should I go "tried and true" - perhaps something safe by Chicago? Or opt for pop - perhaps the latest Abba release? Or risk something a little harder - The Rolling Stones, Boston, or Styx? Or really get daring and buy something based solely on its album cover art or a sample or two available via earphones at one of the store's "listening stations"? Kids growing up today with ready access to iTunes will never appreciate the pressure we felt back in the days when music came in albums, of which you knew maybe 2-3 cuts if you were lucky and so had to buy the rest on spec.
12. Waccamaw Pottery.  It was disorganized, cheesy, and often dirty, but that's what I loved about this "catch-all" store of factory remainders.  The primary draw was row after row of dishware and glassware, all unboxed and only very cursorily sorted, heavy on those brown-glazed soup bowls that were de rigeur back in the 70s.  But beyond these aisles was where the fun began, for you never knew what you'd find: plastic flower arrangements for cemeteries, lawn flamingoes, ceramic pots large enough to house grown trees, candles in hideous colors, remaindered towels and bed linens in equally hideous colors, baskets, random clay animals, grotesquely tacky holiday decorations .... 
13. Woolworths.  Ah, Woolworths!  Is there anyone that doesn't nurse nostalgic memories of this classic neighborhood five & dime?  This was the only store that we didn't complain about getting dragged to when we were kids; in fact, mom used to have to bribe my sister and I with milkshakes at the soda counter just to get us to leave.  And no wonder - what kid wouldn't be enthralled by row after crowded row of eye-catching merchandise, from toys in bright boxes to colorful fabrics on spools, from penny candy to bins heaped with buttons, from shelves straining with ill-sorted books to that marvelous pet section where you could buy fish for a nickel, painted turtles for 50 cents, or a pair of parakeets in a cage for less than $10?  Best of all was coaxing your mom into taking you in December, when the entrance to the store was transformed into a Christmas wonderland, complete with glowing plastic Santas and snowmen, towering piles of boxed holiday ornaments and tinsel, and tins of holiday cookies/candy.  To paraphrase a certain Kansas native: Wooworths, I think I miss you most of all.
14. Zany Brainy.  A toy story devoted to stocking only toys with educational value?  Talk about a concept designed to inspire righteous awe in parents and dread in children!  Not that the store didn't carry some toys that were actually fun to play with - those wood train sets that reliably enthrall toddler-aged boys, for instance.  But most of the toys - stacking rings, musical instruments, pull toys - were too old-fashioned to appeal to today's youngest generation.  Plus everything cost at least $25, at a time when you could buy the game Monopoly at that "Other Toy Store" for, like, $5.  Which probably explains why this store went belly up: in the end, fickle children will inevitably choose cheap Star Wars action figures over wooden peg toys, Eyewitness books, and even dolls with historically accurate backstories.  And though it's tempting to blame them for their lack of maturity, we all know we were the same way when we were kids too.