Inspiration vs Chaos

Last night I had the urge to get some thank you cards made. Before starting I actually cleared off my table. Less than an hour in, this is what inspiration looked like. Or was it chaos?

First Aid

After my post last week about volunteering for the Red Cross, a reader posted a comment about a first aid website, www.GoToAid.com. I've only looked at some of the pages briefly, but the information looks really good. I'm especially happy that the site addresses first aid for dogs and cats as well as humans.

Amazing Color

I posted earlier this month about the fall colors, but the photo I posted wasn't very colorful. Here's a better shot. From a distance these trees look almost artificial the color is so brilliant.

Volunteering - Pay it Forward

Tonight I returned to a project I've been involved with for about ten years now - teacher CPR and First Aid classes for the American Red Cross. I admit my initial decision to teach these classes was kind of selfish. As a substitute teacher in some districts, I was required to have my CPR and first aid certification. At $40 a year, I wasn't exactly keen on keeping that current. My solution was to volunteer to teach, and it's been a great experience. Until I moved south four years ago I was a very regular volunteer instructor, teaching classes every month. Living on the coast, I only taught occasionally. Tonight's class was the first I'd taught since I moved back here over a year ago.

This coming Saturday is a Day of Service; one of those days that is labeled in hopes of getting people out into the community, to do some work to benefit the community and to build community. I think it's a great idea, but I really feel that volunteerism has to last all year long. It doesn't have to be huge, all encompassing projects. Interaction with others has so many benefits both for the volunteer and the recipient. Find a niche, make some effort and you'll find that it really does pay forward.

Does Crime Pay?

Last week I received a phone call from my credit card company. My account had been frozen pending verification of some "suspicious" charges. The customer service rep, who was kind of witchy, asked me about several vendors. I didn't recognize all of them, so the company closed that account and issued me a new card which I received a couple days ago. Today, I received my statement. I have to say the company was great about deducting the fraudulent charges since the three transactions totalled more than $300!

I called this evening to activate the new card and actually spoke to a customer service rep who explained that someone has their identity stolen every 3.5 seconds. That's more frequent than babies being born.

So, I don't know if crime pays, but I know it costs us all money and peace of mind.

October....

....is one of my favorite months. I love the cooler weather. It means I can break out my favorite sweaters and long sleeve tees. And in Oregon, Mother Nature gets busy with her color palette. The family spent this last weekend in Central Oregon, where the weather was chilly (a whopping 27 degrees) and frosty in the mornings. By afternoon the thermometer had climbed to almost 60 with sun and blue skies. It was a great a couple of days hanging out with family and friends. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures. I was too busy. :)