I was surprised to find that Homeland Security has the national threat alert scale set at yellow or elevated as of a July 28, 2008 press release. That means there is a serious possibility or probably of terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Do we pay attention to this any more?

After 9/11, I was very aware of this alert system. My family and I put together a spread sheet of phone numbers, cell numbers and email addresses for our large extended family. It was for emergency use. We kept it up for about a year. But we all have young adult kids, and they move around so much, we kind of dropped the database and we just wing it now - if I want to call my niece, I get the latest contact info from her mom and vice versa.

The only reason I hooked into this press release is that I was doing some research on a recent huge gangsta bust by ICE, a unit of Homeland Security. I felt kinda creepy reading about this elevated threat, particularly applicable to foreign and domestic air travel.

I’m not suggesting we all freak out and kide. But I am suggesting we remind ourselves that there is a risk of terrorist activity from lunatic factions. We are targets. We are not invincible and we can be hurt. If you travel this summer, keep your wits about you. Be aware of your surroundings and never hesitate to report suspicious activity. It’s better to be overly cautious than dead.

I don’t know many women who don’t enjoy showing off their stuff from time-to-time. We do it by having our “stuff” tattooed or pierced. We dress up. Try new make up. Have our hair styled every which way and try a new color now and then. In most species, the flamboyant colors and plumage belong to the male - as you know if you ever saw the play or movie, Hair.

Once upon a time, I was guilty of flagrant showing off - and it didn’t work out well. I was 16. A fine age to perfect the art of showing off. My brother’s best friend, Terry, was coming up the street. I was thoroughly in crush with Terry.

And I had a scathingly brilliant idea. I’d run upstairs, put on my new sundress and my new heels and make a grand entrance just as Terry came in the front door. My timing would have tobe impeccable.

I flew up the stairs to my room, slammed the door and, in record time threw the dress on, slicked my hair into a pony tailer, slip on those 2 inch heels I was just learning to balance on. As the doorbell rang,

I don’t have a clue whether women talk too much.

Everybody wants to figure out a way to work at home. We have 22 great and unusual ways to work from home and make money from home, too. Check them out and see if any of them are a good fit!

1. Crafts - Example: Gym shoe planters. Sell at craft fairs, flea market. Recycle old shoes, even baby shoes by covering with liquid fabric stiffener or liquid resin. Paint if you want. Add potting soil or gel medium, small plant. Advertise custom designs. You’ll do well if you don’t mind doing the same task every day.
2. Doggie treats and parties - I have a friend who opened a doggie bakery, looks just like a real bakery and has a party room in the back. She’s doing very well! any business providing a good service for pet owners has a huge shot at success. Day care, anyone? Dog walking? Vacation pet care?
3. Children parties - cater or just set them up at local fast food places or kiddie parks. Let the parents sit back and enjoy - you do everything, including clean up and cake.
4. Home inspections - some training required, sometimes licensing needed, and you have to know a lot about construction. Lots of physical work, on roofs, in crawl spaces. But if you like it, it’s a great business.
5. Herbs - grow ‘em, sell ‘em, photograph ‘em, dry ‘em…just keep thinking about it.
6. Temp worker - factory or office. A great gig, I did it during college and if I didn’t want to work, I’d turn the assignment down.
7. Sales - learn formal sales skills. Do it on the job or in school. Partner with a very professional seller of something you enjoy talking about. Good, skilled, dedicated sales people make boatloads of money. It’s one of the hardest jobs there is.
8. Design greeting cards, postcards, posters, or newsletters. For newsletter, market yourself to local real estate agents. They almost always have, or want, a newsletter. Going rate should be about $100 per page, camera (or printer) ready.
9. Mail order sales - online sales. Read up on this. You can find companies that dropship goods for the seller, so you don’t even have to package the stuff and ship it. Then there’s always that online auction place - you know the one. But many people are tired of the schtick on that site.
10. Massage therapist - training mandatory, but if you have the skill to soothe people and be empathetic, and you have strong hands, arms, and back, you can make a great living.
11. Music teacher - ok, assuming you have the talent.
12. Organizer - not so much, anymore, but I’m sure there are some people who might pay for this service.
13. Administrative virtual assistant - this can be a good one. If you’re well-organized, a go-getter and willing to do tons of marketing to get yourself going. Google this - I know a Realtor who uses a full time virtual assistant to do all the follow ups on his offices deals. He swears by her.
14. Personal shopper - pretty much nonsense. Very tough to find clients unless you live in Hollywood or New York City.
15. Personal chef - who the heck needs one of these?
16. PR and promotion for small business - add Web planning and maintenance and you might have something here.
17. Making soap and bath products, candles, too. The market has been saturated - I doubt you’d make enough to pay for your time.
18. Sewing - might be a good idea - work form home, advertise in the classifieds and contact local dry cleaners to see if they would refer you.
19. Art work - I know a woman who owns a therapeutic massag ebusiness. She hired a local artist to paint Zen-like details on her spa walls and doors. The artist gets a lot of referrals from that work.
20. Voice dubbing - call your local cable company. this can actually be a great side line. If you live in a major metropolitan area, you might find a lot of work.
21. File and track insurance claims paperwork for seniors. There are people who make a living doing this, but you have to have some background knowledge of this process!
22. Mother’s companion or respite care - check with your area agency on aging and they might be happy to talk with you about the possibilities in this field. I’ve seen small businesses open and do well offering day care for frail elderly. I’ve seen others fail. Here’s another one that’s all about marketing yourself. Not much training is needed to do this, but tons of patience and compassion required.