An article in this morning’s USA Today newspaper highlights the trend toward being and living “green.”

Chuck Failla has written a book called “The Scuppie Handbook,” which will be released later this year. It talks about being “socially conscious upwardly mobile persons.” They are the organic eaters, drinkers and thinkers. They was to make green the norm instead of the expensive alternative.

Love the idea. There was a mention in the article of a website that promotes artisans from all over the world, called Novica. The site is in association with the good folks at National Geographic. If you are looking for handcrafted furniture, wall hanging, pottery or other art from other countries, this is the place to shop. I was only on the site for 2 minutes and found something to buy. Check it out.

I’ve been trying to ski since I was 10. My parents took me to a little mountain in Pennsylvania, put skis on me and gave me a shove down a hill. “Have fun, honey!” They failed to mention how to stop or how to avoid running into trees.

Since then I’ve been to ski resorts in Utah, Maine, New Hampshire, West Virginia and Colorado. I’ve always had fun but I always fall down, get wet and feel cold. I think I like the hot tubs and the dancing on tables in the bars better than the skiing.

Maybe I should try the snowboarding.

If all else fails, there’s tubing.

I love Chicago. It’s my favorite “big city” to go for business or for pleasure.

There’s so much to do and see - and hundreds of good places to eat all kinds of food, especially steaks and chops. One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago is the Chicago Chop House. It is a classic Chicago bar and restaurant. Anything on the menu is guaranteed to be great, and the wine list is spectacular.

In the summer you can charter a sail on one of the tall ships out on the Lake. That is a must-do. Put it on your bucket list. And take a river boat tour - it’s great fun and you learn a few things about the city, too.

Read the Chicago Tribune for news you can’t get in the other daily papers. There are a lot of crime stories, but a lot of human interest things, too. A great weekly column by Garrison Keillor, best known as the radio host of “A Prairie Home Companion.”