2007 Christmas Meme

Since Kris tagged me for a Christmas meme that is identical to one I posted last year, I thought I’d entertain myself and write a new meme.

Here ’tis.

Q: How come no one calls Mrs. Claus fat? Or says that about The Man himself?

A: I’m guessing the answer is coal – lots o’ coal – for insulting the Jolly One’s wife.

Q: Do you decorate the outside of your home for Christmas?

A: A tad – just a wreath this year, so far. It’s probably good that I can’t get out there and do any decorating, or I’d be hiring a cherry picker to help me string a few thousands watts around the property. I love seeing outdoor Christmas decorations, and the more lights, the better. Dolly Parton, the queen of tasteful excess, is my hero in this philosophy; remember – more is better!

Q: Have you ever gone Christmas caroling?

A: Oh, definitely! Started the habit in high school, when my German teacher, Frau Tangert, organized a caroling eve every year, complete with caroling through some neighborhoods and a party at her home afterwards, with all the home-baked cookies and German pastries you could eat. Yum!

Q: What do you think about the impropriety of the city of Green Bay allowing a nativity scene at a government office?

A: And what impropriety would that be? They’re encouraging residents to provide representations of all holidays celebrated this time of year. When did it become essential to exclude in order to be inclusive? Sheesh. The US Postal Service has a Kwanzaa stamp, and one with a menorah, as well as a Madonna and Child stamp. I haven’t heard that the stamp drawers in local post offices are spontaneously combusting because of some sort of violent energy generated by the three stamps co-existing in the same physical space within a U.S. government office. Works for me.

Q: What do you think of reindeer?

A: I think they’re delicious (just kidding… )

Q: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

A: Aha! A trick question! I was waiting for one of these… of course it’s a Christmas movie! Who could watch that movie, and not think Christmas?

Q: What’s your favorite Christmas song?

A. Hard to say, as I love most of ‘em, from Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer to the Christmas-y parts of Handel’s Messiah. The old Harry Simone Choir versions of The Little Drummer Boy and Do You Hear What I Hear are my sentimental favorites, as they come from the first record album I ever owned.

Q: What do you think of Christmas memes?

A: Why, I love ‘em! Really. I do… wait, what’s that? Santa? Oh NO! What are you doing? … You’re stuffing my stocking full of coal??? STOP! Noooooooooooo!!!

*sigh*

Oh, well. I have to look at the bright side. At least we’ll be warm this Christmas!

Giving Thanks

So, how was your Turkey Day, Oh Best Beloved? We broke with tradition, and had salmon for our main dish, instead of turkey. I made parfaits for dessert, each created with fat dollops of thick heavy cream that we whip ourselves, sandwiched between layers of freshly-made warm apple compote and crumbled Pamela’s pecan shortbread cookies, then drizzled with real maple syrup. We only make them three times a year (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter), as they have an alarming number of calories and fat in each serving. They’re lovely to indulge in on special occasions, but more than that and I’d be waddling off to a cardiologist to schedule a triple coronary bypass delux.

The afternoon was spent visiting a county park we’d never seen before, and it turned out to be delightful. We saw several does, a gorgeous sunset, and this sign:

It made us chuckle as we talked about how much we enjoy living in a place where one can pay for items on the honor system. Park entry fees for county and state parks are handled this way, when it’s ‘after hours.’ You put your money for any park fees in an envelope, drop the envelope into a locked pipe or mailbox, and drive into the park. Even local farmers have produce stands by the front entryway of their farms that are unattended. You pick out your fruit and vegetables, total up what you owe from the prices listed on the hand-printed chalkboard wedged in between the goodies, and leave your payment in the cash box that’s sitting there. The unwritten rule: you make your own change, and you don’t take anything that isn’t yours.

By the by, most of the time around here the honor system works. On Thanksgiving Day, when we saw this sign, we realized that we’ve grown accustomed to living in a place where that’s the norm, instead of the exception.

For that, I am truly thankful.

P.S. Yes, that’s our Goose pictured at the top. As always, when it comes to Goose: don’t ask. Just enjoy.

Veterans Day

“In order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this Nation… let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower, October 8, 1954

My mother wore army boots.

I’ve never been prouder.

Mom, from your caboose child and a grateful nation:

Thank you for your service.

Lt Rachel Skiles, 42nd General Hospital, Pacific Theater, WWII, U.S.Army Nurse Corps

Valour-IT

Imagine, just imagine, for one moment, Oh Best Beloved, what it would be like to lose the ordinary use of your hands.

Trust me on this one: it sucks. I, at least, still have some use of my hands, although this blog comes to you courtesy of what is known as ‘adaptive technology,’ which I use to get it written.

Many of our military personnel serving overseas have come home with injuries that make it impossible to use their hands for tasks the ordinary web surfer doesn’t give a second thought to doing. Web surfing? Try that when you can’t use a keyboard or a mouse. E-mail? Internet shopping? Blogging? How about watching a DVD – when you can’t hit the keyboard buttons that start it playing?

Enter Valour-IT. Valour-IT, a non-profit volunteer organization, has a solution. They provide laptops with adaptive software to American military personnel who were wounded while fighting overseas.

The cost to the injured soldier or Marine? Zero. Nadda. Nothing. The cost to the taxpayer? Zero. Nadda. Nothing.

Once a year, Valour-IT asks for donations to help cover the costs of providing these laptops. One hundred percent of donations – every single penny raised – goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops for severely wounded service members. No skimming. No fat salaries for administration. And it’s all made possible by the hard work of dedicated volunteers who saw a need, stepped up to the plate, and found a way to fill it.

Right now, Valour-IT provides 100 new laptops a month through this program, and the need continues.

Can you help?

Click here to donate on-line via PayPal (you can use a major credit card even if you don’t have a PayPal account). You’ll be taken to “Chaotic Synaptic Activity,” the site for the Valour-IT Navy fund-raising team that I’m supporting.

Every dollar counts. Skip a latte today, or delay downloading a handful of MP3s from iTunes, and you’ll have $5 right there that you can give.

And what will you have done?

You’ll have helped a wounded warrior regain the freedom to read a book, email friends, surf the web, or even take college courses.

It’s the least we can do.

It Isn’t Easy Being Green

What does ‘green’ mean, when you’re looking for products to build or remodel your house?

Sounds like a straightforward question.

The answer, unfortunately, is, “it depends.”

Does ‘green’ mean that a product is made from recycled materials? Or is it something that uses minimal non-renewable resources in its creation? Does it mean that the product is non-toxic? Are ‘green’ items only those that come entirely from post-consumer waste?

Is that low VOC paint you’re buying really healthy? Or has the manufacturer played a shell game and eliminated the chemicals that are defined by law as VOCs, and substituted in equally toxic chemicals that aren’t tracked – yet.

Are your recycled shingles really helping the environment by reusing a product that would otherwise go into a landfill? Or is the manufacturer adding a chemical that will run off the roof with the rainwater and cause endocrine disruption in fish and put ‘gender bending’ chemicals into our drinking water so that our children grow up infertile?

Straightforward? Nope.

Andy Pace, the owner of Safe Building Solutions, has spent a considerable amount of thought, time and effort creating a new system that homeowners, remodellers, businesses, building contractors and the construction industry can use to help determine how ‘green’ products are that you use in construction or remodeling.

It’s called the “Degree of Green” (TM) Rating System, and it gives products three separate scores, one each for healthfulness, sustainability, and environmental impact. The system also tells you of any disadvantages a product has, looking at such things as a product’s availability, its price and the degree of technical expertise necessary to use it.

I’ve known Andy for many years. He is himself a distributor for several high quality lines of low-toxicity and environmentally safe products used in all kinds of building and remodelling. Andy doesn’t have any blinders on, however, when it comes to the strengths and limitations of the product lines he carries. He’ll tell you about the good, the bad and the ugly for each one of his products – and can give you an honest low-down on his competitors’ products as well. You won’t find a more honest or helpful businessman in the industry.

Go take a look at how the rating system works, and who it’s relying on for expertise. You can even see sample rating sheets to show you how it works.

It’s a terrific resource that we’ve needed for a long time, and my hat is off to Andy for coming up with it!

Degree of Green (TM) Rating System logo and image copyright (c) 2007, Safe Building Solutions, Waukesha, WI. All rights reserved. Used here by permission. Please do not reproduce or copy without the express permission of Safe Building Solutions.