Life Values

By Lorie Ham

According to a recent article on CNN’s website, more than 95 percent of the West is in some level of drought, with nearly two-thirds in extreme or exceptional drought — the two worst categories. As we find ourselves once again in a drought on much of the West Coast, what can we do to make a difference? Most towns have watering schedules, so sticking to those are a good first step, but what else can we do?

“One thing we have implemented is to use the washing machine water on our lawn,” shares Jerry Linscheid, Chief Executive Officer at Mennonite Aid Plan/Mennonite Insurance Services.

Mennonite Insurance board member Janine Bergdahl suggests that we don’t need to flush the toilet after each use. You can also put in low flow toilets that use less water.

Board member LeAnne Quenzer has a number of things that her family does to conserve water. “We put in all drought-tolerant plants with drip line only in our large front yard this year. Drip line circles the two trees in front also.” She also keeps a basin in the utility sink in their laundry room and the water from washing hands and rinsing items off is collected in the basin. They use that collected water, and water from leftover water cups, to water their plants.

Most of us are familiar with ideas like not running the water while you brush your teeth and taking shorter showers, but you can also place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water, and that too can be used to water plants. On Love Your Landscape.org, you can find more tips on conserving water in your yard and garden. Their tips include obvious things like eliminating leaks, along with things we may not have thought of like mowing high, which helps shade the soil and prevent excessive evaporation. An article from 2015 on the ABC News website provides some more creative tips like spray-painting your lawn.

A simple Google search will bring you even more interesting and unique ideas. At a time like this, we all need to do what we can. Do you have an interesting tip to share? If so, we would love it if you would share with us on our Facebook page.

By Lorie Ham

Ever since the pandemic began, our world has constantly been changing. Over the past couple of months, things have been opening up again and it has been a big adjustment for most of us. After over a year of working from home and only visiting people via Zoom, we now find ourselves having to put on pants and shoes and make ourselves presentable again to actually leave our house. The pandemic has even changed how we date. The Washington Post recently published an article with tips on how to learn to date in person again.

As more of us try to go back to some of our previously normal activities, it can bring about some awkward situations, which can be frustrating, but sometimes it can also be funny, and we all could use a reason to smile right now.

Even the simplest of things, like not bagging your own groceries, can feel odd now. Recently Reedley resident Kathy Smith was at the local grocery store and suddenly a worker was bagging her groceries—something that hadn’t been happening since the pandemic started. “It’s confusing…. I didn’t know how to stop myself from bagging them myself.”

Fresno musician Mallory Moad recently played her first show with her band since the shutdown and realized she had forgotten how to apply mascara. “It was a challenge. I felt like I was back in high school. I didn’t even attempt eyeliner. I knew from the get-go I’d need more practice.”

For Kathleen Costa, who lives in Stockton, things haven’t changed that much because she rarely went out even before the pandemic due to mobility issues, but for her husband even something as simple as getting the mail feels odd. “My husband feels a bit naked not wearing his mask walking over to our complex’s mailroom; he carries it always, and still is not able to remove it at the store.”

The couple also recently decided it was safe enough to get drive-thru from their favorite restaurant and found themselves stuck at the speaker for longer than normal because they couldn’t remember the numbers of their favorites anymore. “They were nice, though, and accommodating, and we relished in our tacos and enchiladas. We ended up ordering extra, in case (in case what, I don’t know) and had leftovers, too.”

For some, even meeting in person with fellow vaccinated friends or coworkers presents the problem of do we hug, do we still just bump elbows, or what? Jayce Ham recently met his new coworkers in person for the first time and faced that now challenging question that before would have been simple. “It was very awkward and we all had to laugh because we kept going back and forth between starting to hug someone and then hesitating and going for the elbow bump.”

Even now though, things are changing yet again. Some places are bringing back some of the restrictions, so it is important to stay up with the latest news so you know what you should or shouldn’t do.

Do you have any funny stories you would like to share about your attempts at going out into the world again? Please share them with us on our Facebook page, a little laughter will do us all some good.

By Lorie Ham

Many Americans have favorite memories of the Fourth of July, as well as special family traditions. For some, it’s going to the local fireworks show, watching a parade, or a special family meal and setting off fireworks at home.

“As a kid, we would always go to my Grandma’s house in Reedley for dinner,” shares Mennonite Insurance employee Stephanie Heier. “Then we would go to Reedley High to watch the fireworks show. I loved going to the fireworks show with all my cousins.

“As an adult, we try to get together with family. We BBQ, swim, and then when it gets dark we drive out to watch the aerial show at Wild Water Adventure. Then we go home and light our own fireworks.”

When I was a kid, we would sit in my grandparent’s backyard, eat homemade ice cream, and watch the Reedley city fireworks. Over time, the trees got too tall so we started finding places to park in town where we could see the fireworks.

Mennonite Aid Plan Board of Directors member Larry Miller also has memories of eating homemade ice cream on the Fourth of July while watching the Reedley city fireworks from his parent’s yard. However, his most memorable Fourth of July was in 1965, and that one was life altering. “As my family was leaving Church that Sunday, a young lady I had never seen before approached and asked if I was Larry Miller. I told her I was; she brought greetings from a cousin of mine in Oklahoma. She had come to Reedley for a summer fruit packing job.”

Before the day was over, Larry asked the young lady, whose name was Jamie, out for a date the next evening, July 5, to go to the community fireworks display at Reedley High School. Since the fourth fell on a Sunday that year, the event was held Monday evening. “When we arrived the stadium was mostly full,” continues Larry. “Jamie spotted an open space so we climbed the bleachers and took that space, only to find my parents and siblings were seated right behind us! The whole family for chaperones! The next two months passed quickly and we said good-bye as each of us went back to school. However, the story does not end there, two years later we were married in her home Church in Clinton, Oklahoma.”

If you are looking for ways to make your own Fourth of July memories and traditions, a great place to start is with food. You can find more than 60 BBQ recipes for your July Fourth celebrations in this article on the Country Living website, and even more recipes for the holiday on AllRecipes.com. And don’t forget the homemade ice cream! If watching a fireworks show is part of your celebration, you can find a list of some of the best City fireworks across the country in this recent article from Parade and a listing of some of the ones happening in CA here.

What is your favorite Fourth of July memory or tradition? Maybe it wasn’t life changing like Larry Miller’s, but every memory is special. We would love to have you share yours with us on our Facebook page. Have a great Fourth of July!

By Lorie Ham

Many areas of the country are seeing record heat this summer, which makes outdoor family activities not only unappealing, but in some cases even dangerous. So what can you do for fun with the family this summer while staying indoors where it is cool?

There are many options—reading, watching movies, playing board games, or even playing video games.

While there are some negatives to kids playing video games, there are also a lot of benefits. According to an article on the website Understood, those benefits include kids getting to practice their visual-spatial skills, learning problem solving, making social connections, and kids who play video games are often very creative.

There are many video games that the whole family can play together, but which games should you choose?

My oldest son Jayce has been playing video games most of his life, he also writes a monthly video game news column so he keeps up with the latest in the video game world.

His top five video games to play as a family are:

1. Mario Kart 8
2. Super Mario Party
3. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
4. Overcooked
5. Minecraft

“All of these games are great because they all are games that more than one person can play and all have a happy, family friendly vibe that will set a good atmosphere for an evening of play with the family,” shares Jayce.

“All of them also encourage friendly competition and collaboration, which are good skills to learn. My favorite of all of these games is Mario Kart 8 because it is the easiest to learn and easiest to have a good and fun time competing with your friends and family.”

There are also an abundance of different consoles out there for playing video games. All of the games mentioned here are on Nintendo Switch, which is the most accessible console as it is the most affordable and has a portable option.

Minecraft and Overcooked are also available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.

If you are already a gaming family but haven’t kept up with what’s new, a brand new game was just released on the Switch called Mario Golf: Super Rush. “It is a cute and fun way to learn the basics of golf and compete with others while playing as your favorite Mario characters,” continues Jayce.

“This year, on October 29, a new Mario Party game called Mario Party Superstars will be released. It will feature game boards and mini games from previous Mario Party games.”

For more video game suggestions, you can check out these articles on Understood, and GameDesigning. And if you are worried about your kids still getting exercise, there are a number of dancing games out there as well!

So beat the heat this summer with some indoor video game fun. Both as a family and for your kids on their own.

Do you have some favorite family friendly video games? Pleases share them with us on our Facebook page!

By Jerry Linscheid

Some pieces of jewelry are priceless, like that macaroni necklace your kindergartener made for you.  Sentimental value is real, but it is hard to quantify.

I recently spoke with a gemologist I know well, Liz Linscheid.  While watching kids play in the park, our conversation drifted to jewelry appraisals.  What follows is the gist of our conversation between telling the kids to be careful.

You have a ring that you think might be valuable, so you take it to a jeweler to get it appraised.  One of the first questions you should ask the appraiser is “Are you a certified gemologist?”  Assuming the answer is “yes,” you can continue.  If not, do some more research to find a jeweler with a gemologist on staff.  “Why,” you might ask, “is using a gemologist important?”  A gemologist is trained to determine:

• the type of gemstone,
• whether it is a natural gemstone, lab created, or treated to improve the appearance of a stone,
• its weight, cut, color and clarity. 

They will also provide a detailed analysis of each gem as well as an appraisal of the metal in the ring.

One of the first questions the appraiser will ask you is “What is the purpose of the appraisal?”  There are at least three types of appraisals and they may go by different names.  An insurance or replacement cost appraisal will give the highest value.  This is what it would cost to buy an identical piece of jewelry from a retail jeweler or have it made from scratch.  If you have a piece that you intend to keep for a long time, this is the type of appraisal to get.  If you schedule the ring on your homeowner policy, your insurance company will ask for this appraisal and a high- quality photo for their records.

The next lower level of appraisal might be called estate value.  This can be thought of as similar to the wholesale value of the ring.  When jewelry is part of an estate and the family is trying to divide the estate fairly, this valuation would be close to the amount you could sell the ring on the open market.

The lowest level of appraisal would be liquidation or scrap value.  This would be the value of the gems not in a setting and the weight of the metal in the ring.  You would be able to pawn the ring for something close to this appraisal.

What is the cost of an appraisal?  It depends on how complicated the piece of jewelry is and the level of the appraisal.  Does the jewelry have many gems or different kinds of gems?  An average appraisal cost for replacement value could be around $250.  The appraisal should itemize each significant gem.

How often to reappraise?  A rule of thumb has been every 5 years.  However, the price of gold has fluctuated a lot recently (i.e. gone up in price).  Every 3 years is not too often in these situations.  If you take your jewelry to the same gemologist, the costs for reappraisals can be less than the original.

Generally, there are limits on jewelry coverage under your homeowners insurance policy.  If you wonder if you have enough coverage, please contact our office at 559-638-2327 or email us at mennonite@mennoniteinsurance.com.

So, if that macaroni necklace becomes water damaged, we can try to send instructions and photos to help your child to recreate it.  You could help others by posting a picture of your macaroni necklace on our Facebook page at MennoniteInsurance.