Every Monday Matters: Week 15 - Rideshare

They say the universe is expanding.  That should help with traffic. 

Steven Wright 

Welcome to week 15 of Every Monday Matters by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza.  I'm glad you are here!  The topic today is on Ridesharing and in a round-about way what you can do to ease the chaos of the traffic jam.  

Steven Wright is counting on the expanding universe to ease traffic congestion but we need a much more earthly solution, don't you think?  :)

According to Every Monday Matters, only 10.2% of workers rideshare to work.  That is a very low number, most certainly, but are Americans really interested in carpooling?  It seems not so much.  The statistics are all available...money saved on car maintenance, gallons of gasoline saved, decrease in amount of pollution produced, a decrease in the wear and tear on the roads and your car,  all very good reasons to consider.  

But we love the convenience of it...getting to work when we want and leaving when we want too...plus the convenience of the after-work errand...all these are reasons that I never chose to rideshare.  

Fortunately, I don't fight traffic twice a day anymore because I found work where I telecommute so I am doing my part. If you would like to consider joining a rideshare, how do you start?  Many folks post on craigslist when looking to carpool or check the bulletin board at work.  Be cautious and use a trial period before committing long term.  It might be a great way to make a new friend...spending around two hours a day in conversation can be quality friend time. 

There are some websites too that match up workers wanting to carpool (or students even).  Sites like http://www.vride.com/carpool or 

https://www.sharetheride.com/public/Home.aspx may be good places to start.  Public transportation is another good way to get to work without contributing to the traffic congestion issue if it is available in your area.

So this week, Make Monday Matter by observing your driving habits and see if you can improve them...maybe by sharing a ride or planning and combining trips.  Couldn't we all enjoy a little smooth traveling at the beginning and end of our work day? 

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Every Monday Matters - Week 14: Create, Support and Appreciate Art

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. 

~Pablo Picasso 

The task to Make Monday Matter this week is all about art...creating it, supporting it and appreciating it.  When was the last time you allowed yourself the freedom of losing yourself in CREATING? 

We rush from work to tasks to obligations and hardly take time to decompress.  There is such a release of stress in pulling out your favorite supplies and expressing yourself.  Whether that expression comes with paints, pencils, crayons, fabric, fiber or clay, I want you to spend some time letting yourself enjoy it AND displaying it in your home - someplace that will lift your spirits and make you smile. 

Art as expression is the goal - not perfection!  Simple use of colors YOU like and shapes YOU like put together in a way YOU like is the goal.  

Many people believe that the arts are important to a well-rounded life.   Many of us have not allowed ourselves the freedom of artistic expression since the mandatory art classes from school.  I hope that is not you but if it is - please make today matter and change that.  Even sitting down to color a page in a coloring book with your child counts! 

Be sure to spend some of your free time appreciating art in all forms - attend a free concert in your area or visit an art museum if there is one in your area.  If there isn't one, visit one virtually online. Be Intentional amd make this happen. :) 

Some school corporations are cutting budgets to the arts.  If this is happening in your area, consider attending a school board meeting to speak up on the value of artistic expression and appreciation to a life well-lived. Present the board with facts such as students who study art and music in all four years of high school average 100 points higher on standardized SAT tests compared to students who take a half year or less. That will surely get some attention! 

The watercolor posted with today's post is one I painted myself but here is my secret....the outline was traced from a template and I painted it with step-by-step instructions.  That doesn't make me any less proud of it - in fact, it was fun and relaxing to create.  There are many online tutorials available to create art like this and it gives you so much confidence to do even more.  

I hope you will Make Monday Matter and, in the words of Picasso, dust daily life off your soul by creating, supporting and appreciating art. 

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Every Monday Matters: Week 13's Task is To Donate Books

When you give someone a book, you don't give him just paper, ink and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life.

~Christopher Morley

Welcome to week 13 of our journey to Make Every Monday Matter.  I'm so glad you stopped by!  The task for this week is to donate books.  I love, love, love to read and have shelves full of books - ones that I want to read over and over, others that have useful information and others still waiting to be read - but honestly, more books than I need. 

I was shocked to read in Every Monday Matters that 61% of low-income households have no books in the home.  Another statistic quoted is that, in low-income neighborhoods, there is only one age-appropriate book per every 300 children.  As someone who has always been surrounded by books, I can scarcely comprehend this.  Often these same neighborhoods have no access to libraries. 

Time to make a difference and take action TODAY!

Gather together those books that you will never read again or likely never get around to reading and get them in the hands of others.  Books can be donated to local libraries, schools, community centers, food banks and local pre-schools.  When I was a director of several counties of Head Start programs, I welcomed every single book donation with joy!  Children's books are wonderful but also books for the parents are welcome too.  

My very favorite part of the day is when the kitchen is closed and I've done all the chores I'm going to do, there are no more work emails to answer and the children are settled in for the night. I get to open whichever book I'm currently reading and enter a whole new world - whether fictional or filling my mind with new knowledge.  I love that part of my day.  

Here is what I hope you will do:

1. Sort through your books and pull out books to donate. 
2. Pack those books in a box. 
3. Choose a destination for the books. 
4. DELIVER the books!  
5. Understand that you may never know the difference you make in the day for the one that will receive a book but know that you Made Monday Matter!  

Having access to books is the first step to literacy.  Literacy promotes choices.  Choices gives us power to change our lives.  So let's all donate a book and change a life this Monday. 

Thank you for joining me today.  :) 

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Make Monday Matter and Celebrate with a Purpose!

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. 

~Oprah Winfrey

Happy Monday!  I'm so glad you are here.  This is week 12 of Make Every Monday Matter and the topic is to Celebrate With A Purpose! 

There are large things to celebrate like birthdays and anniversaries but there are little things too.  How about celebrating a small thing like finishing a book you wanted to read or that all the laundry is done and the dirty clothes hamper is empty!  

Celebration is a state of mind and it doesn't always have to include gifts.  A celebratory shout of joy and a little dance around your kitchen is so much fun and will lift your spirits without all the stress of planning a party.  What everyday things can you find to celebrate and how can you spontaneously express that happy state of being?  I would love to hear in the comments!  

How about rethinking those big celebrations?  Worldwide there are millions of birthdays every day.  Some are elaborately celebrated and others quietly so.  

One thing that is always difficult for me at this age is when my family asks me what I want for my birthday.  I pretty much have what I need and only occasionally really find something I want to own.  I do love new experiences or classes to learn new things but those things are hard to wrap up and give as a gift.  It seems everyone still wants to give a "real" gift that can be purchased and wrapped and given.  

Every Monday Matters suggests taking a different approach to celebration...in other words to "party with a purpose" (Week 12).

The suggested action is to ask for a donation to a favorite charity in lieu of gifts.  Theme the party around the charity and provide everyone with the information needed to make a donation.  

Some possible themes could be:

For donations to a food bank, ask guests to bring canned goods and a little something to add to a soup meal for your own version of the Stone Soup story.

For donations to an organization that helps families start small agricultural businesses (for example:  Heifer International), arrange a tour of a local farm to get up close with some animals like chickens, cows and goats.

For donations of school supplies to schools where children need them, ask guests to bring scrap-booking supplies to use and share with each other AND brings a pack of pencils, crayons, notebooks, etc. to donate to a local school.  

What celebrate with a purpose party idea can you think of?  Please share with us in the comments!  

Thanks for making Monday Matter today.  I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit.  

Tomorrow's post will be the one dedicated to emergency lighting.  The post got postponed but we will pick right up and keep on going.  I hope to see you then.  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Every Monday Matters Week 11: Help Someone Register to Vote

Thank you The Graphics Fairy for the Vintage Image

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Happy Monday - time to make it matter!  I'm so glad you stopped by to visit.  The topic for week 11 is to register to vote.  I hope you are already registered and if you are, it is time to help someone else get registered.  

According to the US Census Bureau, around 30% of eligible-to-vote Americans are not registered to vote.  Three out of every ten adults have not taken the step to exercise this important part of our democracy.  

We have a system that systematically transfers power peacefully and that has been a hard-won gift from our the individuals who came before us with a vision for democratic government.  Regardless of your politics, the PROCESS of voting is an important responsibility to our future and the future of our children.  

The eligibility requirements to vote in the U.S. are: 

• Be a U.S. Citizen
• Most states require an age of at least 18 but some states (check you state regulations) allow 17 year olds to vote in certain circumstances (for example:  a primary election to choose candidates when the individual will be 18 for the general election)
• Some states have residency requirements 
• Some states have identification requirements 
• For information on your state, check here

How you can register or help someone register: 

In many states, you can register by mail using the National Mail Voter Registration Form (can't use this in North Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands - in New Hampshire you can only use it as a request for an absentee mail-in voting form).  You can use that form to update your address too if you have moved.  

Other places to register to vote are: 

• State or Local Voter Registration Offices
• The Department of Motor Vehicles
• Public Assistance Agencies
• Armed Services Recruitment Centers 

In twenty states you can register online.  Is your state one of them?  Check here.

I voted my first time when I was 17 in the primary before the presidential election between Carter and Reagan.  It was a great honor and I haven't missed an election since.  I hope you take advantage of this opportunity to participate in our government structure.  

Please register if you haven't and convince someone else to do so too.  It is a Make Monday Matter exercise that will have benefits long into the future of this country!  

Tomorrow, I'll tell you about my journey in learning to can foods - both water bath and pressure canning.  It was a long time coming but I am happy to call myself a Certified Master Food Preserver.  I hope to see you then. 

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Every Monday Matters Week 10: Change Your Lightbulbs

We forget just how painfully dim the world was before electricity.  A candle, a good candle, provides barely a hundredth of the illumination of a single 100 watt light bulb.  ~Bill Bryson

I have to admit when saw the topic for week 10 of Every Monday Matters I was a little underwhelmed.  Really, I can make today matter just by changing a light bulb?  Huh?  

There is no doubt that electric lights have changed the world.  Having control over light allows humans to work longer and safer.  Visibility is increased as well as safety from not using flame powered light sources such as candles and oils.  Work can happen before sun up and after sun down inside the home or barn or workplace and streets are safer with outdoor lighting.  Not to mention the number of toes that have gone non-stubbed or the monsters that have been chased away from a child's room from the simple addition of the night light.  All in all a pretty nifty invention! 

Have you visited the light bulb aisle at your favorite store lately?  There are a ridiculous number of choices but there is one choice you won't have - the traditional incandescent light bulb.  Governments all over the world have decided to phase out these bulbs which are not considered to be energy efficient.  Product developers are working on more efficient versions even today.  

The bulb that is generally called upon to replace them is the Compact Fluorescent Lamp, otherwise known as CFL.  These bulbs - the ones labeled ENERGY STAR - are reported to use 75% less energy and can last ten times longer.  So far, that sounds pretty good! 

The bulbs stay cooler that other bulbs too, so that's a plus.  It is reported that if each US household replaced five incandescent bulbs with CFLs, almost $8 billion of energy cost could be saved in one year.  That is pretty impressive too. 

There are some drawbacks:  the bulbs are expensive and the light that is provided is different - harsher and not as warm.  There is one HUGE drawback to them though.  There bulbs contain MERCURY which is hazardous material and must be disposed of safely.  

Do Not Throw CFL Bulbs in the Trash! 

Do you know how to dispose of the CFL bulbs in your home?  I found a link that will help you find a recycling center near you for proper disposal...

Search.Earth911.com 

There is a Lowe's less than ten miles from me that will accept CFLs for proper disposal.  I will certainly use this service.  It is of great concern to me, though, that I did not know about the hazards of disposing CFLs before writing this post. 

What if one is dropped and broken in your home?  Here are instructions for proper technique to minimize exposure to mercury: 

EPA Instructions for Cleaning Up a Broken CFL

Please spread the word on this issue. We cannot risk mercury contamination of our soil, water or homes.  Today, we can make Monday Matter by replacing light bulbs with more energy efficient models AND by teaching others the proper way to dispose of CFLs.  That is a great way to Be Intentional! 

Thanks for visiting with me today.  I'm always so glad when you stop by  :) 

Tomorrow, I will look into the new ( really, the old) trend of using bone broth.  The history, the benefits and the instructions on this nourishing product will all be part of the discussion, I hope to see you then!

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Every Monday Matters Week 9: Internet Safety

Treat your password like your toothbrush.  Don't let anybody else use it , and get a new one every six months. ~Clifford Stoll

Welcome to Week 9 of our journey through the book Every Monday Matters by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza.  I'm so glad you are here!  The topic this week is internet safety.  It seems that there is a news story every single day on another company or website being the target of a hacker attack.  At the very least, I get several emails a day that are SPAM or obviously not sent by the person whose email is attached to account....pretty sure my son has never sent me an email that says "Star, Check this out!"...that is a hack.  

The internet is a wonderful tool.  Research takes less time and writing is so much easier and bill paying is too but it comes with a heavy price.  Identity theft has hit an all time high of 16 million U.S. citizens a year. That is almost 44,000 incidents daily.  The average cost of each incident is over $9,000.  That is staggering, frightening and overwhelming.  

It can happen even when everything about a transaction seems to go normally.  I ordered a pressure canner from Amazon and it arrived promptly and in good condition - no indication whatsoever that anything was wrong.   Two days after it arrived, I received a call from Amazon asking me about the transaction.  Turns out that the transaction was fraudulently charged to someone else and the money I had paid when to a third party.  There was not one single clue when I made the purchase that anything was amiss.  I had never had trouble with Amazon purchases and considered them an extremely safe place to make transactions.  I do still use them but I'm smarter now about how I do it. 

Here are the 5 Actions to Take Today

1. Passwords need to be complicated!  Use different passwords for each site. 
2. Never use the save log-in and password feature. 
3. Always log off the internet or computer when finished. 
4. Keep your anti-virus software and firewall up to date. 
5. Never open emails that are from strangers or if they appear to be from someone you know but look otherwise weird.  

The password issue is the hardest one for me but it is worth the effort to create truly unique passwords.  Passwords need to be at least eight characters long and have upper case, lower case, numbers and symbols.  Honestly, I have a lot of trouble remembering passwords when they have to be like gibberish.  

Create a password that is truly unique and difficult to guess by using the first initials of a favorite quote or favorite song has been something that is working for me so far.  Use of symbols or numbers in place of letters is a good tool too.  For example:

"This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" becomes:  T1tdtLhm!wraBgi1  

"Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow" becomes:  Mh@l1wfwWas

I hope you make this Monday Matter by protecting yourself when using the internet.  It is well worth the effort. If you can't remember the last time you changed your passwords, please do it today. 

Tomorrow I'll be writing about one of my favorite hobbies which is feeding the birds.  I'll post an easy recipe for suet for both the bird feeder and your chickens too.  I hope to see you then. 

Peace be with you,

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!