Small Things Count

Drink up!  But instead of buying bottled water, get a faucet-mounted or pitcher-type filter system for drinking water.  Save money and energy, pollution created in producing and shipping bottles, plus bottles themselves.

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books]

I haven’t inflicted any American trivia on you for quite awhile, so here’s one for those super proper people.  Why are they called “straight laced”?  Because, in the olden days, corsets were part of a woman’s must-wear attire.  They laced up the front.  If you were dignified and proper, you laced your corset extra tight and endured the control and abuse to your body.

This Thursday Thought quote reminds us of the power of women to make anyone’s life–man, woman, or child–better by surrounding us with love.

If you’re married, consider insisting on both of your names on contracts, and double check. My solar company dropped my name (kept the man’s name, of course) from their system. They were bought out. Now our house-sale is delayed because they want proof that I have the right to sign papers to transfer to new owners. Beware, especially women.

I can’t wait until St. Patrick’s Day to share this with you.  I have a Border Collie that looks and acts just like this one.  If you’ve ever had a herding dog, you’ll recognize that this is typical of them in real life–although they don’t lead us to a pub on St. Patrick’s Day.  Enjoy!

Reminder: On Saturdays, I post a “Sensible Saturday” eco-friendly idea. Here’s today’s. Startling fact in our plastic world: After decades of plastic waste disposal, there is now more plastic than algae in the ocean.

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

In today’s Thursday Thought quote, JFK tells us to stop, think, and thank.

You may be planning to pick out a Halloween costume for your kids or for an adult party.  Some people say, “Wear what you want and to H-E-Double-Toothpick with what people think.”  The fact is, though, that you or your kids will be around a cross-section of America.  You know, the country that calls itself the “melting pot”?  And a population of people who have had some pretty bad personal experiences that they had no control over or choice in. Keep that in mind.  If you have what you think is funny or perfect to wear, check out Don’t Even Think of Wearing These 14 Costumes for Halloween at https://www.alternet.org/2015/10/dont-even-think-wearing-these-14-costumes-halloween/.  It explains why certain costumes should not even be considered. Have fun on Halloween.  And let others happily enjoy themselves, as well. It’s not a case of political correctness; it’s a case of respecting the human dignity of others.

Today, and each Oct. 23, is World Homeless Day. It aims “to raise awareness about the needs of people who currently experience homelessness and promote work in local communities to alleviate suffering and prevent death” (https://www.worldhomelessday.org). If we personally do nothing else today, and every chance we get, we can show respect for each homeless person crossing our path. All it takes is a friendly “Hi” and eye contact that recognizes the person as a fellow human being, not a distasteful or frightening object.

Note: Women & children are the fastest growing homeless group in the US.

Happy Columbus Day and Indigenous Day. Both are important, although we wouldn’t even have Columbus Day without Indigenous peoples’ welcoming strangers to their land.