It sure was fun to cut this car apart and break the windows!
Cutting up the car!
Training
Category Archives: Twists and Turns
Cloud Watching
Looking toward the west….
…and toward the east.
Ruins
My friends, Rosario and Judith, took us to see some ruins near Tekax (Yucatan, Mexico) a few years ago. I had a lot of fun, but Ysabela and I were sure tired when we got finished! It was awesome to meet their families and enjoy some great cooking!
Victory!
Beautiful scenery near Tekax!
Sinister, isn’t it?
Rosario and her dad
Rosario and her mom
Judith and her mom
Ideas!
I was waiting for laundry to wash and dry this morning at work, so I let my mind wander to blogging. As any writer can tell you, sometimes blog ideas dry up after writing for a while. Just for fun, I did a Google search for blog ideas, and came up with hubspot. There are three spaces to enter nouns that you are interested in using as topics. I entered some random things: dogs, chickens, Mexico. With a click, there were five suggestions.
If you blog, you should at least check out hubspot. You might be surprised!
Firefighting and Facebook
Gear is ready to go!
After taking the Recruitment and Retention workshop at fire school in May, I realized there’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle. I feel pressured to keep reading and asking questions. We have a lot of experienced firemen in our department, so the newbies should take advantage of that knowledge. Most of the guys have forgotten more than I will ever learn! That being said, we all do monthly training so we will be sharp when a call comes. Having the gear ready is the easy part!
Many hours have been put in to create a training center for our department and firefighters in the surrounding area. The guys want to be able to practice rope rescue skills along with everything else.
Training Center
Our department has a brand new Facebook page: Mullen VFD Community. Go check it out. There are quite a few pictures already there, and more will be added as time permits. The new page is part of our marketing effort, so feel free to share the link, comment, etc.
4H Fair
Bela decided to try her hand at a new category of exhibits this year—Heritage. I like the category because it’s something she knows well—her family and traditions. She put together a family grouping with photo albums and a book about Melungeons. In the category Other Cultural Exhibit, she made a small display about Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Nobody else has done exhibits like these. I was proud to see that both of her projects were chosen to go to the state fair this month in Grand Island! Those fancy purple ribbons make the tables look so much nicer!
Day of the Dead table
Family grouping
Yes, I Can!
I told the guys on the fire department that I can drive anything with wheels. I think they doubted me. There was no reason for doubt; I really did learn to drive (many years ago) on a manual transmission.
One of our trucks that I don’t drive.
What was the big deal? I wanted to be able to drive the tanker truck. Josh rode shotgun and let me have my chance. He explained that speed tops out between 52 and 55 mph. It’s also top-heavy, so I will need to practice safe turning techniques.
The guys are all taller than I am, so nobody wants that particular tanker because they joke about having to open the door to hit the clutch. Not a problem for me! Being short has its advantages!
Have I ever mentioned that I can get lost in a paper bag? It’s a fact. The best thing that can happen is for me to drive and have a top-notch navigator with me! After all, what good is “my” water truck if I can’t find the fire? I might also need to buy a step stool…..
This is the one I can drive.
Another view of “my” truck
Fair Week!
In addition to Ysbaela’s cookie jar, she put together two cultural exhibits. The Day of the Dead one was simple, just a few paragraphs explaining the pictures we put in the frames. The family grouping had a lot more. Her explanation included mention of the Melungeons and the Cherokee ancestry we have. I sincerely hope she places high in her categories. I also hope her cookie jar sells for a respectable amount. It’s a minion, after all. 🙂
Pictures of La Catrina and the graveyard in Seye, Mexico
Family Grouping for a Heritage exhibit
Almost Wordless Wednesday
Ysabela and her minion cookie jar!
It’s fair week once again. Kids are completing projects for 4H, and parents are stressing along with them. Bela decided to do a minion cookie jar, and she finished it a few hours ago. Now all tha remains to be done with it is bake two dozen cookies and get it to the fair grounds in the morning. Her other projects include two photo groupings in the heritage category and poultry. The poultry show is Saturday morning.
Volunteerism or Money Maker?
I have been checking various websites to discover information about volunteer opportunities. I have read about Mercy Ships and Global Volunteers, etc. What I have discovered is that it costs quite a bit of money to spend my time helping communities around the world.
When I think of volunteerism, I think of making contacts in the desired location, buying a plane ticket, packing light and a tight budget! Nowadays, there are other costs involved. I can understand that arrangements have to be made for housing and logistics, but spending $2000 or more to be able to serve seems over the top to me. Does it sound reasonable to you?
Missionaries will tell you that they have a lot of added stress in addition to their ministry responsibilities when a group decides to come over to volunteer building or teaching (or whatever else they are able to do). I can totally understand that. After all, housing even a small group can be challenging. To charge $2000 per person doesn’t seem realistic, however. Volunteers should be prepared to cover their airfare, food and lodging. It would seem that only independently wealthy volunteers could afford that plus the extra fees!
So how can a family group (for example) go on a volunteer/service trip? As I mentioned before, make some contacts. Look for people in your church (if you attend) who know people, find out if other churches sponsor any missionaries in your preferred location. Do you know a teacher who has traveled? Maybe a friend of a friend has been to a place you find interesting. Just check references, ask questions and verify everything before planning your trip. Make sure you have a safe place to land when you arrive!
Consider me one of your contacts. I know people in Mexico, and my daughter and I lived in a Mayan village for five years. If you have veterinary skills, a heart for animal rescue and determination, I can give you names of people to contact. If you want to collect supplies for schools serving poverty-stricken areas, I know teachers who would welcome a visit from you. Elvira, a friend of mine runs a school in Guinea. She needs donations, supplies and support. Her ministry is sponsored by a church in North Carolina called El Buen Pastor, but Elvira covers her own expenses. Anyone who volunteers would have to do the same, but there are many options for fundraising. Just think about it!
Use your talents in your community whenever possible, but don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. If you have the heart to serve others, you will seek out opportunities. Doors will open if you’re meant to go.
http://www.globalvolunteers.org/dates_and_fees/AllFees.asp
http://volunteer.mercyships.org/volunteer/finances-for-volunteers/
http://afunketimeintanzania.blogspot.com/2014/07/10-things-missionaries-wont-tell-you.html
http://www.colegioelbuenpastor.com/author/ailen
Ramblings of a Perforated Mind 