Uses for Holiday Cards
January 25, 2013
American card, circa 1940 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Holiday cards always make me smile and reminisce about the person who sent it. I really hate to dispose of them, so mine are still sitting in a basket – for one more look. This year I plan on recycling some of the cards by sending them to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. Please read below for further information on how to do this.
I also heard a clever idea for the family photo holiday cards. Take a picture of the card with your smart phone and then store it as the picture in your contact information. Then every time that special person calls you will see the wonderful family photo.
Donating Tips for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
- All types of greeting cards, including Christmas are accepted.
- Only the card front can be used (please check to be sure the backside of the front of the card is clear of any writing, etc.)
- They do not accept Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards.
- 5 x 7 size or smaller is preferred
- To mail large quantities in the least expensive way, use the United States Post Office in a Flat Rate Box (available at the Post Office), which holds up to 70 pounds.
- Mail donations to :
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude’s Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
Being Safe, Phone Numbers Saved for Emergencies…
October 29, 2012
While, I experienced a 5.3 earthquake. This was a mild tremblor but it was a reminder to me to make sure all our phone numbers where registered with our County’s emergency telephone alert system. It only took a few minutes to make sure both mine and my familes cell phones were registered in addition to our home phone.
Just a reminder during the times that we are having now. No matter if you live on the East Coast with Sandy, or the West Coast. This really takes just a few minutes. Please make sure your family and you have the numbers with your County. Keep your family safe!
Free Repair Cafe in Palo Alto Opens
October 12, 2012
I am totally amazed at this new FREE REPAIR CENTER in Palo Alto. Peter Skinner started this Palo Alto Non-Profit where you can bring the toaster, electronic devices all the way to tea pots. This is their endeavor to going green. Teaching people if you can fix something you no longer need to throw it away.
Absolutely fabulous!
This Repair Cafe is at the Museum of American Heritgage. This idea started in the Netherlands and is going strong.
Everything here that is fixed is FREE! Did I say FREE!
Sue Dremann from the Palo Alto Weekly Staff writes the following:
| Silicon Valley entrepreneur starts ‘Repair Cafe’ From headsets to vacuums, volunteers will fix household items to reduce landfill waste |
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A new Palo Alto nonprofit organization that aims to help non-tinkerers solve the minor mysteries of repairing broken small appliances and household items will open its doors on Sunday, Oct. 14. Dubbed the Repair Cafe, volunteers armed with hand tools will help people learn to repair frayed electrical cords, non-popping toasters and even luggage at the Palo Alto Museum of American Heritage. Peter Skinner, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and longtime chief financial officer, founded the first such organization in the U.S. after reading about repair cafes in the Netherlands, he said. The small European nation has 30 community-based fix-it cafes. Instead of tossing the broken devices into the Dumpster, people will save money and do something good for the environment while learning a few handyperson skills, he said. Among the items volunteers can help fix are small household appliances, furniture, luggage, some electronics, including personal computers, toys, bicycles and clothing. Palo Alto ACE Hardware will have staff on hand, and Green Citizen recycling company and the city’s Zero Waste program will have booths. There will be information about where to recycle things that can’t be repaired, he said. “The idea appealed to me because of my own dissatisfaction with the prevalence of our hyper-consumer culture where we buy and we toss,” he said. Every time he does that personally, he finds it discomforting, he said. After reading a New York Times article in May, Skinner contacted the Netherlands group to see about using their name and model. They were excited about the idea, he said. With his background as a chief financial officer for Silicon Valley companies, including formerly at Accept Software Corporation, Skinner knew he could fill the role of group organizer. He set about putting together the volunteers and their skills and finding a location for the inaugural event with the help and advice of two friends, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Bob Wenzlau and John Eaton. Skinner admits he is not a fix-it expert. “I have moderate fix-it skills, not refined fix-it skills. I’m the perfect candidate” for the Repair Cafe, he said. He plans to bring an electric kettle with a lid that won’t close and a corroded multimeter electronic-testing device that stopped functioning. Skinner said he hopes to assuage people’s fear of those things that seem imposing — and build in people a sense of the value of repairing. “We are all so acclimated to throwing things away,” he said. That trend has nearly doubled in almost 50 years, he said. In 1960, each person in the U.S. generated 2.68 pounds of waste per day. By 2008, the average was 4.5 pounds per day. About 54 percent ended up in the landfill, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Out of 2.25 million pounds of electronics that were retired in 2007, 82 percent were discarded in landfills nationwide, according to the EPA. The deleterious effects are more than mountains of trash. Landfills are usually located near bodies of water, and plastics can leach chemicals and gases even before they disintegrate, the EPA states. A Zero Waste America study found that 83 percent of landfills surveyed in 2008 had leaks in their protective linings. Incinerators that process landfill materials are also a major source of 210 different dioxin compounds, heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium, nitrous oxide, hydrogen chloride, sulfuric acid, fluorides and particulate matter small enough to lodge in lungs, according to the EPA. Waste incinerators create more carbon dioxide than coal, oil or natural-gas power plants, the EPA notes. Skinner said he is interested in grassroots, community-based solutions to problems. “We have so little appetite for sweeping policy changes,” he said. Eaton, a mechanical engineer by training, said he will volunteer at the event. “I’ve always been a tinkerer and repairer since forever — ever since I was a kid and started pulling lawnmower engines apart,” he said. That first introduction to things mechanical probably led to his career choice, he added. It has also made him popular with his friends and neighbors. “My friends will call and say, ‘John, come over for a glass of wine — and by the way, the dishwasher isn’t draining right,’” he said. Eaton said headphones and earbuds are some of the most challenging items to fix. Tiny coaxial wires, which have a braid of fine wires within them, have to be connected with a soldering iron while looking through a microscope. His stereoscope — a microscope with two eyepieces — is one of his most-used tools. “It’s not something people have a lot. But it’s good when things are broken and you can’t determine why they are broken,” he said. In his arsenal are items one wouldn’t have found in Dad’s toolbox. New tools are used for new technologies: miniature wire strippers, good tweezers and pry tools made out of plastic so they won’t gouge consoles, he said. Skinner said Repair Cafe will start out quarterly, and hopefully it will expand as community interest grows. So far, he’s spreading the news through his neighborhood email list and has posted notices at ACE Hardware and the Museum of American Heritage. “The response I got has been amazing,” he said. People have supplied a list of items needing repair, from DustBusters to luggage. One woman wanted to bring a moped. That brought up a point he wanted to emphasize. The Repair Cafe is for small appliances and items only — things that won’t take too much time to fix. “No cars, no washing machines, no dishwashers. If it takes a truck to move it, it’s probably not a good thing to bring,” he said. Repair Cafe will take place Sunday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Palo Alto Museum of American Heritage, 351 Homer Ave., Palo Alto. Also, check out this video with free repairs.
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Air Bag for Bicyclist Heads
August 29, 2012
For those that are avid bike riders, this is truly something to consider. A airbag that inflates with impact if you hit something or fall.
Check out this site. http://www.car.org/OCTFrame?reqitem=http://www.hovding.com/
Hövding is a bicycle helmet unlike any other currently on the market. It’s ergonomic, it’s practical, it complies with all the safety requirements, and it’s also subtle and blends in with what else you are wearing.
Hövding is a collar for bicyclists, worn around the neck. The collar contains a folded up airbag that you’ll only see if you happen to have an accident. The airbag is shaped like a hood, surrounding and protecting the bicyclist’s head. The trigger mechanism is controlled by sensors which pick up the abnormal movements of a bicyclist in an accident.
The actual collar is the visible part of the invention. It’s covered by a removable shell that you can change to match your outfit, and we’ll be launching new designs all the time. Hövding is a practical accessory that’s easy to carry around, it’s got a great-looking yet subtle design, and it will save your life.
14 Farmer’s Markets in Santa Clara County
May 25, 2012
Alum Rock Village Farmers’ Market
Hanchett Avenue Farmers’ Market
Julian St. James Farmers’ Market
Kaiser Permanente San Jose Farmers’ Market
Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Farmers’ Market
Milpitas Farmers’ Market at ICC
San Jose Downtown Farmers’ Market
Vietnam Town Farmers’ Market, San Jose
8 Farmer’s Markets in San Mateo County
May 20, 2012
25th Avenue Farmers’ Market in San Mateo
Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Farmers’ Market
Kaiser South San Francisco Farmers’ Market
San Mateo Event Center Farmers’ Market
South San Francisco Farmers’ Market
Hot Harvest Nights in San Carlos
May 2, 2012
I am glad to say that we are at the time of year again when our “Hot Harvest Nights” starts. 
Every Thursday night, May 3rd through September 13th, 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Downtown San Carlos.
The market features 50 to 60 booths set up in the middle of the street which will be closed to trafficThis will be a chance to stroll, meet your friends and have a leisurely night enjoying the finest San Carlos has to offer. Shops and restaurants on Laurel Street will stay open late for this all-community activity. Don’t miss out!
I have enclosed some information that might be useful for you.
- Hot Harvest Nights Web Site
- List of Bands at 2012 Hot Harvest Nights (Acrobat PDF, 141 kb)
- Merchant at the Market – Booth Application & Details (Acrobat PDF, 170 kb)
( Schedule of City Departments & Council Members – 2012 Hot Harvest Nights (Acrobat File, 71.5 kb) )
Earth Day Free Compost San Carlos
April 21, 2012
The San Carlos and Recology San Mateo County invite San Carlos residents to the San Carlos Compost Giveaway on Earth Day. Each resident is welcome to take up to 5 gallons of nutrient rich compost to enrich their gardens. This will be just in time for all of our vegetable gardens out there.
The event is for San Carlos residents only – no commercial gardeners, please. Bring proof of residence. And remember, it’s BYOB – bring your own bags and buckets.
See you there!
Sunday, April 22, 2012 – from 9am to Noon
Highlands Park, Tennis Courts Parking Lot
2600 Melendy Drive
Thunder Bolts on Bay Bridge
April 13, 2012
You have to check this awesome photo out….
My daughter, Lizzy and I were driving home from up north of where we live last evening, not a good night to be out. Lizzy is good at driving in the torrential rains, which is actually a surprise for me.
Since in my younger days… when I flew for TWA, I remember being in a high rise hotel with other CA flight attendants and they all came running into my room. I actually thought we were having a bomb scare. Not to be. They were just afraid… None of them had experience the thunder and lightening that we just had.
I was at the office today and everyone was talking about the lighting and I said, “it is just like being at home”, another lady said, “just like being in Pennsylvania”…. I think we experience a lot growing up in the Midwest or East Coast and we are so grateful to be here. On the same note, I think we take our beautiful weather for granted.
For me, it is a joy to live here and not shovel snow, or freeze to death trying to dig my car out of snow in the parking lot, so I can drive home. And, I love flowers, we have that one all the time, don’t we?
Memory and Ageing by Stanford Center for Memory Disorders
April 11, 2012
The San Carlos Adult Community Center is sponsoring a free “Memory and Ageing” presentation presented by Geoffrey Kerchner MD from the Stanford Center for Memory Disorders…
A very usful presentation for everyone that has concerns over this topic. I feel it is always good to get as much information as possible. Dementia is an epidemic. Alzheimer‘s disease is the most common cause of dementia in individuals over 60 years of age and roughly half of all people aged 85 and up suffer from it.
You can learn: How to avoid dementia, warning signs, latest research and treatment.
This is on Tuesday, April 17 at 10:00 AM. For more information and to register call: 650-802-4384.
PET scan of a normal human brain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer's disease (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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