crossthreaded

I’ve looked at 7 houses in this town, and not one of them is one that doesn’t require a lot of work or one that we want to put a lot of work into. I think the situation revolves around the fact that we are looking in a very low budget range for housing in this area.

Still, we’re waiting for the “moment” when we both know that this is home, even if carpet, other flooring, trim, and paint all need to be changed. I think I am anxious to get into a home of our own, but I know at the same time that if we get something we both don’t love, we’ll be stuck with it for a long time. That doesn’t sound appealing either.

Blessedly, our landlord will let us go month to month on our rent when our lease is up. That will give us a little more time.

It’ll be a wonder if this market ever turns around, given that there are people like me that want a house, but can’t afford it (and don’t qualify for much of anything in the way of special housing programs).

When businesses partner with local non-profits, they can see an increase in the amount of people purchasing their goods and services.

There is a real estate company in the town where I live that is always partnering with local organizations to increase awareness of the work the latter do and serving as a donation drop-off point for many of them. In the winter, they were where you could drop off scarves and hats for those who needed it, and now you can drop off canned dog and cat food for the humane society. My husband and I are in the process of buying a home, and I’d like to use them as our realty company just because of the work they do supporting local non-profits.

Another way for businesses to work with local non-profits is to donate a percentage of profits during a specified month to a non-profit and to advertise this through flyers, ads online (Craigslist, your local newspaper) and in print, and through your e-mail newsletter list, for example. Businesses can also round up the price(s) of a product(s) to the nearest $1, $5, or $10 and donate the difference between the cost of the item(s) and the amount to which the item(s) were rounded up.

There are lots of other ways for non-profits and businesses to help increase their public reach and influence by working with one another to raise money for a non-profit. A business may very well find that their reputation as a community-serving business will draw in a new set of customers. Be creative and work together to make your local community services stronger and more viable in these tough economic times!

I’ve come to the conclusion that dog parks really don’t serve much of a purpose. My dog is a lazy bum, and I think he spends a good portion of his time at the park under our feet, laying down and panting.

I guess dogs are initially excited when they run through the gate of the park. They sniff each other in places they shouldn’t and have a jolly good time doing so. Then they bark and pounce around a lot, maybe sending out a yip or two.

Our dog chased the tennis ball a couple of times tonight when we took him to the park, but I don’t think he was that into it, really. Sometimes, he just lays down and shreds a stick into toothpicks. He’s good at that, and I believe that that is his favorite past time by far.

Now, he’s laying on the floor, exhausted and silent. That might mean that dog parks really do serve a purpose. He’s not under my feet, putting his toy in my lap to throw against the wall of our apartment.

I grew up in a household where dinner often came out of a box or bag. I loved Hamburger Helper and Shake n’ Bake with Ranch Style Beans. Those were pretty good, except when there wasn’t enough stroganoff to go around or the bottom of the pork chops were soggy from the breading. I was a picky, bottomless pit, and I still am.

So, we usually threw away our bananas when they got yucky. I was the only one that actually ate them, so if I didn’t finish them quick enough, they were wasted. Fast forward a few years, and that’s still been my general policy. I try to calculate how much my husband and I will eat per week in an effort not to over buy, but it seems that, inevitably, bananas will end up in the trash.

That is, until my husband discovered making banana bread. He’s a cooking fool, so he makes his own pizza (the dough, too), and all sorts of other homemade happiness. A couple of weeks ago, we had 4 rotting bananas, and he turned them into banana bread. It was so good!

Related to this new-found wonder, I found out another way about banana bread. At work, one of my responsibilities is to throw out old food in our refrigerator once a week. There were a couple halves of banana in a plastic bag, rotting away, cold and alone. I thought that was the most disgusting thing in the world and chunked it. I mean, who puts bananas in the refrigerator? Then my boss wasn’t happy with me when I told her, like I was supposed to know that rotting bananas are worth somethng, like this is common sense in the world of those who cook and those that don’t.

Now, I know, and I will now respect rotting bananas more, as long as there is someone in the immediate vicinity who likes to bake. If not, they’re getting chunked.

People in my town have come through yet again. They pulled together to donate household items for refugees through word of mouth and print at a local church and through the internet. Freecycle has been a Godsend with all of the hearts willing to donate to refugees who have nothing, and so has the church with which I’ve been working

A brother and sister heard through the church about what I’ve been up to, and they cleaned out their father’s kitchen and linen closet after he passed away. They brought me 15 boxes and a couple of trash bags of dishes, sheets, and other household items. They were boxed and labeled, which really helps the resettlement agency out when they go to unpack and organize donations in their storage unit before giving them all away.

If you have an old set of sheets, furniture, or a pan you’re not using, consider looking up a resettlement agency in or near your town and donating it. In these tough economic times, anything agencies don’t have to buy is a true help to families in need.

Binghampton is faced with a tragedy today, and so is the state of
New York and the country. Immigrants to the United States, taking their citizenship exam, immigrants taking English classes. . .taking steps to be actively involved in their new country’s life  are now no longer going to be able to add their rich experience and talent to this country. What a loss for them and for us. Sadly, this is not the only such incident in recent years in the
U.S. It seems to grow worse and worse, doesn’t it? The town and its inhabitants, families, victims, and all affected are in my thoughts and prayers.  

I learned a lot about the uvula last week. Unintentional though it was, I am quite proud of my new-found knowledge of this little-known part of my body. It seems that the thing can cause quite a bit of trouble, too.

I was happily snoring the other night, flat on my back, trying to re-create the deafening sound of a freight train in my room. All of a sudden, I woke up, feeling like I was choking, like there was something caught in my throat. IThis has happened once before, but it was years ago. It felt like I needed to cough something up, and, when I looked in the mirror at the inside of my mouth, I could see whatever it was staring at me at the back of my mouth.

My lymph nodes swelled up some, it hurt to swallow. . .I wasn’t sure what was going on. I called the 24-hour nurse from my insurance company, and she thought I was having some sort of an allergic reaction to something, and her ultimate decision was to tell me to go to the emergency room.

I did a quick WebMD search while I continued to feel choked from the inside, and I found everything from evil bacterial infections to allergic reactions as being the possible cause of my unhappiness. There were pictures of inflamed uvulas, or the hangy-ball things at the back of my throat on my computer screen, but not much else to tell me that that was my problem or why it might be so.

So, I go to the emergency room at 1:20 a.m. and stay there until about 3:40. The final result? I snore, and it made the uvula swell up like an old bullfrog.