The Next @Kroger #FreeFridayDownload? Yogurt!

Up Next Friday!

Kroger Free Friday Download: One FREE Chobani Flip or A Hint of Flavor Greek Yogurt (5.3 oz.). Download your digital coupon between 12am-11:59pm PT on November 2. Redeem by Sunday, November 18. Available in most stores.

Put A Teal Pumpkin on Your Doorstep #Halloween

Halloween can be a scary time for children with food allergies. While everyone loves scoring a free treat, not everyone can eat everything safely. To this end, the Food Allergy organization spearheaded an initiative called the Teal Pumpkin Project to encourage those giving out treats on Halloween to consider children with food allergies and also make some non-food items available. 

Need alternative treat suggestions? To find out more visit the Teal Pumpkin Project and add your home to the map indicating you'll also provide alternative treats for children with food allergies.

Can You Say Pork Chorizo? It's the Next @Kroger #FreeFridayDownload! #WhatsForDinner

Up Next Friday!

Kroger Free Friday Download: One FREE package of Cacique Pork Chorizo (9 oz.). Download your digital coupon between 12am-11:59pm PT on October 26. Redeem by Sunday, November 11. Available in most stores.

Quick! Post Pet Pics to Twitter & Earn $5 @ASPCA Donation

Here's a doable good deed: Now thru Sun 21/Oct, Haggar Clothing Co. will give the ASPCA $5.00 for each pet image shared on Twitter with the hashtag #HaggarHelps up to a total $10,000 donation! Help support the ASPCA's mission to save animal lives. Post a pet pic now!

NOTE: Posts cannot violate copyright or trademark laws & must comply with Twitter guidelines & applicable law.

A Candy Bar is the Next @Kroger #FreeFridayDownload

Up Next Friday!

Kroger Free Friday Download: One FREE Reese's Outrageous Standard Bar (1.48 oz). Download your digital coupon between 12am-11:59pm PT on October 19. Redeem by Sunday, November 4. Available in most stores.

Fall is Finally Here! #WeatherGeek #BeCivil

I can't believe it! The temperature actually dipped down into the 50s overnight and it's only supposed to rise into the 70s today. Yummy! This is my kind of weather. Break out the hoodies, sweatshirts, cable knit sweaters and light coats. Pull out your duck boots. And get ready for a good time. The leaves started turning colors and falling roughly three weeks ago even though we were still in the 90s. The trees decided it was Fall, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Now she's come around!

Pup was so funny on the morning walk. She loves the Fall, also. The cooler weather means less panting outside. Plus, there are so many different things to sniff! She was bounding everywhere.

This weather is a welcome change after the crazy storms and damage that Hurricane Michael brought the other night. At least three big trees toppled around my neighborhood ---thus, the 12-hours power outage. Luckily, only property damage though. No major injuries reported.

I think I'll go mull some cider and put on a pot of rice. I want a nice hot lunch. Well, wherever you are enjoy the day. Hope it's bright and shining! Make it a point to learn something new today. And be kind to your neighbors...

My Weekend Watch -- Ocean's 8 UHD Digital Copy #GotItFree #Michael

I just scored a Free UHD MA Digital Copy of Ocean's 8 (4k). I'm a member of a media feedback panel and was asked to watch the movie & the included extras, then fill out a survey within 10 days. To facilitate this, I was given a redemption code for a free digital copy of the movie. The digital copy code was redeemed via Movies Anywhere (and is also UV compatible), so the movie is now stored in the cloud of all my connected services, but I use Vudu as a smartphone app default. I plan to download a copy to my phone for offline viewing just in case something else goes amiss. (We just had a hurricane roar by to our South. My hearts goes out to everyone affected.)

I didn't catch this movie when it was in theaters --- I'm usually gun shy on remakes --- so this should be a fun project. I've since heard it was actually a decent film and I want to see it. Well, my weekend is starting to look good, providing we can dig out from all the damage and debris left by Hurricane Michael by then. I'm hoping for the best. After a 12-hours outage, the power is back on now (which is allowing me to post this). I'll take it as a good sign.

On the bright side, now that the hellavu hurricane and a simultaneously arriving Cold Front have swept through my area, the heat is clearing out. We are finally supposed to get real Fall weather after having been subjected to ~90 degrees temps nearly up until the storm last night. Fall is my favorite season! And I've been antsy waiting for it to actually show up.

I want to say thank you to all the Police & Fire Dept First Responders, the Emergency Crews and Utility workers who braved the storm and kept us afloat! My BFF twin is out on patrol now in this mess. (He wouldn't have it any other way, though.) We owe them all a debt.

Be safe out there, peeps.

FYI @DrinkCheerwine is introducing #MINICans (NC/SC area) #Tastemakers

I just found out recently (like yesterday) that one of my favorite sodas, Cheerwine (a Southern favorite) is introducing mini cans in the North Carolina (its home state) and South Carolina markets. Apparently, mini cans sell well. Sodas were losing ground to bottled water, but the introduction of mini cans has brought some of those sippers back into the soda fold. Some folks have convinced themselves, that if they buy a smaller soda they will drink less, when most people probably end up drinking more. But to each his own.

Personally, I don't understand the fascination with pretend healthier options. If you want a soda, drink a soda. (I know some people have health issues which may preclude this, but having the option of a mini can vs a regular sized one, isn't truly helping them.) Only way I'm getting a mini can is if someone gives me one (many). I'll stick with my glass bottles or my 12oz cans (in a no-glass-available pinch). Thank you very much.

However, it's cool, if someone tries Cheerwine for the first time via a little can, I guess. If the person hasn't had the soda before and is curious and thinks a smaller serving is a low-key way to check it out. I'm all for it. But I'm a card-toting Cheerwine Fan Club member, a Tastemaker. I buy the real thing, the adult-sized beverages LOL! Good luck with the marketing angle, though. I don't knock a business for trying out new things, sometimes you gotta adapt and change to continue to thrive, as long as they don't touch my glass bottles.

Love y'all, Cheerwine.

Viking Mayhem! #LeifEriksonDay: Vikings vs New World Explorers #ColumbusDay

Interestingly enough, Columbus Day (yesterday) fell the day before Leif Erikson Day (today) this year, so there are back to back "explorer days" to celebrate …or not. Because Vikings are a little further removed from our historical record than Columbus, they tend to be viewed through a rosier lens, though historically they were also marauders. They raped and pillaged, killed and conquered with the best (or worse) of them. This is why I stated yesterday, that I wasn't saying that Columbus was EVIL. He might have been in his heart. I don't know. Did he perpetrate atrocities? Almost certainly. But he also lived in an age where such acts were the norm. It doesn't make it right, of course. But History is about understanding the big picture.

This is also why it's funny that Vikings are so romanticized. I'm guilty of doing this myself. I love Viking mythology. I relate to the berserker ethos (as we mythologize it in modern culture). But would I have wanted to encounter an actual Viking had I lived in A.D. 1000? No freaking way!

That said, Happy Leif Erikson Day! Or Fuck Leif Erikson and the ship he sailed over on, if that's your take. As a student of History, I can see both sides. I'm not particular about "holidays after a person" in general. As humans, none of us are perfect and when we elevate a person to a pedestal, there is bound to be a moment of disenfranchisement when the elevated personage is wrought human once more. If you want to celebrate a nation, a school or food, I'm down. But when you seek to raise a single person above others, there's bound to be discord. No matter how great the man, he still has human foibles somewhere. Humans err.

   

Happy #IndigenousPeoplesDay with a Side Note on That Explorer Fella....

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!

I know that at the federal government level, today is still recognized as Columbus Day, which I always thought was an odd holiday even as a child. I'm not saying that Columbus was evil. He might well have been an EVIL person, but contemporaneous reports are sketchy. Columbus was a, perhaps exemplary, product of his times. However, when your major "accomplishment" is to sail to an (inhabited) New World and introduce disease, pestilence and decimation to its inhabitants then you're not exactly a welcome guest (in fact, you were uninvited), and I'm not convinced you should be lauded for this. And yes, I'm purposefully over simplifying. History is often complicated, this is what makes it a fascinating read, but living through it is a different story.

Anyhow, regardless of what (or which) you choose to celebrate, as long as it's not harmful to others, I bid you a good day. I'm off to walk the pup. Then coffee. Then more work.

Kroger #FreeFridayDownload This Week: Rice

Up Later This Week!

Kroger Free Friday Download: One FREE Uncle Ben's® Ready Rice (8.5-8.8 oz., select varieties). Download your digital coupon between 12am-11:59pm PT on October 12. Redeem by Sunday, October 28. Available in most stores.

Cheers! October 19th is #ChampagneDay!

As you know there are great sparkling wines from around the world, but Champagne only comes from Champagne, France. The 9th annual Champagne Day celebration is on October 19, 2018. On this day, join the Comité Champagne and all lovers of this one-of-a-kind sparkling wine to celebrate.

Invite friends over to party with you or find a local public event. Visit Champagne Day 2018 to discover more information, plan your own event or locate an event near you. Don't forget to share your photos and videos on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and include the #ChampagneDay hashtag. Get ready to toast the Fall! Bubbles up.

Pledge to Conserve #H20 & Change the Course

I found out about a neat non-profit yesterday, called Change the Course.

For every personal pledge to conserve water (it's free) made via its platform, Change the Course returns 1,000 gallons of water to an ecosystem in need. (Corporate partners underwrite the restoration projects.) Making a pledge only takes a minute or two and you can have an impact on the environment around you. Be a good steward. Go ahead, help Change the Course.

October is National Popcorn Poppin' Month!

October is National Popcorn Poppin' Month! Do you like popcorn? It's a favorite food over here at Castle Modern, can practically be considered a household staple. I especially love "real theater style" popcorn that you pop in a bit of oil, though I will eat microwaveable popcorn if nothing else is on offer. Popcorn always makes me think of movies and fairgrounds --- and you know how I feel about fairs, carnivals, vaudeville and the circus! Perfect Fall weather activities.

I've decided I do like the idea of these various National Days and Months (themes) as they bring attention to all the great (food & farming) industries in our country. At first, I was like how do you keep up with it all, but now I'm like it's a fun way to get a theme for the day whether this inspires your lunch ideas or simply makes you pause and consider your food. 

I've got a case of popcorn kernels and some sunflower oil ready to do some popping at a moments notice all month long. How do you like your popcorn done up? Sometimes I like savory, sometimes I like sweet. Depends on how the wind is blowing. Get your popcorn on! Things are popping.

Fair Trade USA Celebrates 20th Anniversary!

I believe in meritocracy. I always hold out hope that credit is given where it is due. I love fair trade! In fact, I like any certification or standard that helps to insure equitably and/or sustainably-sourced good food reaches my table. I'm big on stuff like that. Thus, I'm a fan of Fair Trade USA.

Join me in wishing the organization a Happy Birthday!

Watch the Fair Trade USA history unfold in a new 4-minute video.

Download @Kroger #OptUp App & Trigger A #Donation To @AmericanCancer!

Got this notice in an email from Kroger yesterday. I don't know much about the app (though now that I've downloaded it for this cause, I'll give it a whirl). Here's the chance to support the American Cancer Society, a cause dear to my heart as both my parents died of cancer.

Check the deets below:

*Promotion is limited by donation amount. Get in on it, if you would.

Kroger #FreeFridayDownload This Week: Tuna? #Seafood

Up Later This Week!

Kroger Free Friday Download: One FREE Bumble Bee Tuna Pouch (2.5 oz., select varieties). Download your digital coupon between 12am-11:59pm PT on October 05. Redeem by Sunday, October 21. Available in most stores.

Heads Up! #FYI: @Walgreens Balance Rewards Program Change #Sad

A Big Change is Coming to Walgreens Balance Rewards program: Starting November 4th, you will only be able to redeem a maximum of $5.00 worth of points (5,000) per transaction. That's it! The other rewards tiers will apparently disappear. No point in saving up your rewards any longer for the previously points discounted higher tiers. If you have a lot of points saved up, you might wish to use them now when you can still get the benefit of the discounted points tiers.