Earth Day 2014

This past week my daughter told me that at our granddaughter's preschool they planted tree saplings for Earth Day. I was happy to hear that even at the young age of four the school was taking advantage of this activity. My granddaughter has participated for all of her four years at my house when it comes to recycling. She happily takes plastics, cereal boxes, glass, paper and puts them in the two bins I have in my laundry room. Not only does it teach her about recycling but also it gives her a knowledge already into doing household chores. Killing two birds with one stone is always a plus.

My daughter-in-law this past weekend shared a story of how she received a tree sapling when she was in school and without her parents knowledge decided to plant it herself in front of her bedroom window so she could watch it grow. This didn't have such a great ending as over the years the tree grew so large it cracked the house foundation.

Several years ago, I participated in the city wide hazardous waste roundup they have at our state fairgrounds. I remember sitting in my car in line to drop off items for longer than anticipated but was just glad that our city had finally took the plunge into being more environmentally aware. It has definitely taken a while to catch on here but now when I go to drop off at our local sites sometimes I have to wait for a parking space. That I like to see. After dropping off my old printer, hard drive, scanner and large bag of various batteries and a few paint items I was handed a booklet by a volunteer Emergency Management person entitled, "Recycle in Missouri" published by the Missouri Recycling Association.

 I was shocked to read that way back in 1990 SB 530 established a statewide goal of reducing waste by 40 percent.  Not until a few years ago was it even actually visible here in my city but I guess better late than never and it does seem like more and more people are actually participating. 

Also in this publication it stated that Missouri's waste and scrap is one of Missouri's top ten exports totally $451 million dollars in 2012. 

Since 2008, the Missouri State Fair has participated in recycling by having separate recycling drop barrels during the time of the fair. In 2012 alone, 6.6 tons of recycling was collected from 330 receptacles.

I am glad to hear and see that our city has stepped forward to help recycle, reuse and help our environment.

Butterfly Visitor

Goalder Photography

A little shameless plug for my daughter Jennifer the photographer. She capture this photographic moment in her yard this weekend and the caption read, "Spring is Here 2014". After I saw the photo I had a quiet "aha" moment in church yesterday like I sometimes do just before the service. I call these quiet moments grandma times. 

When I was little I frequently accompanied my grandma Ruby to church on Sundays. I always enjoyed this time with her and I believe my early beginnings at church helped me to make the decision ten years ago to return to my Lutheran faith.

Recently I have been bringing my oldest granddaughter, Hadleigh to our blended service once a month. She has already shown a desire to sing and learn about Jesus through her pre-school time.

I also thought that the butterfly symbolized my other grandma Edith. April 18th will mark the 12 year anniversary since her passing. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe the visit was her way of wishing Hadleigh a Happy 4th Birthday a little early (April 14th).  Hadleigh and my grandma Edith also share the same middle name (Amazetta).

Unfortunately, neither grandma was able to meet Hadleigh but I think by carrying a little bit of both of them inside she will grow to be a terrific young lady.

Cashews--A Handful of Pleasure

A friend recently posted something on Facebook that I laterally had never heard of before.  Thanks Kristina. The article stated that cashews are a natural anti-depressant.

I know many people don't care for any type of nuts either due to allergies or just the taste. But as long as I can remember cashews have been one of my top nuts of choice. One reason also could be because every time I eat one I think of my grandpa Conner. Some people have dessert, other's maybe an after dinner beverage but his was to sit in his recliner, and reach for the little recycled pork and bean jar with the foil wrapped top and get a handful of his guilty pleasures.

 Now I bet he didn't know back then that a little handful of these nuts was actually a remedy for what ailed him. Gramps was a World War II veteran who kept all the stories inside. The quiet man through the years kept many things tucked deep inside I would later discover. But, those monthly routine visits to the San Pedro Commissary probably did him more good than any of us would realize. He would buy large quantity cans of the nuts to squirrel away in his closet for future indulgence. The price back then was high, not as high today(this 10 oz. bag above was $4.29 at Aldi's) but they were cheaper than apparently a doctor visit for a prescription today.

A friend that worked on the Port of Los Angeles docks one time asked him if he wanted a bag of raw cashews. The process of preparing and roasting was long and he only did it once because they just didn't taste the same to any of us.

It is hard to believe that two handfuls of cashews equals a dose of prescription Prozac.  Hey it works for me!

A few of the amazing benefits are: high in vitamins,  can prevent gallstones (wish I had known that a few years ago), can prevent cancers, helps your hair and the list goes on.

It is probably the only nuts that you don't shell yourself. Due to the toxicity of the outside shell they must be done before roasting and consuming.

As they say you learn from your elders (thanks Gramps) and quoting a Mounds/Almond Joy commercial, "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't) hey its cheaper than a doctor visit and oh so much better for you. Yummy

Just Another "B" Word

While looking at the various statistics about corporate America you wonder sometimes if women are or will ever be more than just 5 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot or ignoring the obvious? Every time I think we are reaching the top of the hill, comments, suggestions or opinions get in the way and back down the hill women go.

Several weeks ago Sheryl Sandberg along with Girl Scouts USA CEO, Anna Maria Chavez and former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice launched the "Ban Bossy" Campaign to Empower Girls to Lead Initiative.

On the ABC News piece by Cynthia McFadden, Sandberg the author of "Lean In" wants to ban the word "bossy". She brings up that the negative put-down stops girls from going for leadership roles.

What came to mind first was "Sticks and stones, may break my bones, but words can never hurt me". Words to live by? Not according to Sandberg. Negative shutdowns stop girls from pursuing leadership roles because girls don't want to be called "bossy and don't want to be disliked.

When we look at more statistics the numbers are not positive: Women do 66 percent of the work in the world, they make 10 percent of the income, and 1 percent hold property. Women are 50 percent of the population, 17 percent hold board seats of companies and 19 percent of Congress are women. 2014 and these figures for me are sad.

When I started kindergarten I was one of the youngest in my class. My time before attending school I was rarely around children, mostly adults.  I remember report cards we were got non-traditional letter grades. O for outstanding, G for good, S for satisfactory and N for needs improvement.  I dug my old cards out and every semester through that year I received only Satisfactory and a few Needs Improvements. My two needs improvements were in works independently with others and plays well with others.

Throughout my life I have had my share of disappointments, disagreements, and being disliked. There are many words that can be expressed when describing many women in today's working world. Why not organized, initiators, assertive, ambitious.

In the same interview, Barbara Walters who will be retiring from her long running show this year described how throughout her career as a journalist she has been called "bitchy" and "pushy". She was one of the first to work in a male dominated field and she has conquered the ultimate.

In the interview with ABC  it was mentioned that Warren Buffet, (one of the wealthiest Americans) had made an eye opening and interesting observation. He said,  "he had made it where he is today because he only competed with half the population". Pretty profound on his part but also sad. Would he be where he is today if attitudes had been different?

Bossy is just another word. Sometimes it can hurt, other times people think it is a compliment. Put our big girl panties on and get out their and change things. Maybe to coin a phrase from my 4 year old granddaughter's favorite movie and song right now maybe women should forge on and just "Let it Go".