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Spring Cleaning

By Lorie Ham

The first official day of spring this year is March 20. However, I think most of us tend to think of the beginning of spring as whenever the weather starts to warm up and flowers and blossoms begin to bloom. If you happen to live in the Central Valley of California, blossoms are already everywhere! There is even a Blossom Trail. For many, spring is the time for spring-cleaning. As the weather begins to get warmer, it is a perfect time to open up the windows to let some fresh air in and do a deep cleaning, open up our closets, and get rid of some things we no longer need.

If you are looking for some tips to jump-start your cleaning and decluttering projects this year, The Spruce.com has some good ones to offer. It can be hard to get going if you think of the whole project at once, so they suggest doing it room by room. Creating checklists for each room can help you get organized, and remind you of areas that might need special attention. The article recommends taking a systematic four-step approach—identify problem areas, analyze the reasons for the clutter, determine solutions, and implement them. Sorting belongings into four categories of trash, give away, store, and things you want to keep, can also help. The task will be much easier if you can get the whole family involved, offering rewards and incentives to encourage each member to get their projects done. It can also be a perfect time to establish new cleaning habits to prevent the build up of clutter and make next year’s spring-cleaning much easier. Martha Stewart offers a great spring-cleaning checklist on her website.

In 2014, Maria Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing became a huge sensation. People all over the world were reading her book, watching her videos, and following her guidelines on how to declutter and have a simpler and happier life. It even inspired a Netflix series called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. You can find several tips for your spring-cleaning on her website, and find her book at your local bookstore, or library. One now famous suggestion of hers is to take each item and see if it sparks joy, if it doesn’t, then get rid of it.

Spring-cleaning is also a perfect time to take a new inventory of your home for insurance purposes. An inventory is a list of the items you keep in your home and how much each item costs. This type of inventory can be a huge help should something happen and you need to file a homeowner’s insurance claim to recover what you’ve lost. Even a series of photos can be helpful. Of course, none of us wants this to happen, but it pays to be prepared just in case.

Jerry Linscheid, general manager of Mennonite Insurance Services, states in a past article on the Mennonite Insurance website that they process about 100 homeowner’s insurance and church insurance claims a year. He recommends that people update their inventories at the start of each year so the lists reflect any expensive gifts that may have come in over the holidays. The more details you have in your inventory the easier it will be to settle your claim. You can also find a helpful video about home inventories on the website.

So this spring be inspired to take part in spring-cleaning, decluttering, and organizing your home, and don’t forget to take inventory as well. According to the website Get Organized Wizard, cleaning and decluttering can even make you happier. If you have any spring-cleaning and decluttering tips that you have found helpful, we would love if you would share them with us on our Facebook page.

St. Patrick’s Day Traditions—Where Did They Come From?

By Lorie Ham

Do you have anything green in your closet? If not, be prepared to be pinched, as St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us again! Many Americans think of St. Patrick’s Day as a day to wear green, drink beer, eat Irish food, and party. But have you ever wondered where this holiday and its traditions came from?

March 17 is the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick. According to History.com, the Irish have observed this as a religious holiday for over one thousand years. The holiday falls during the season of Lent and Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. On that day, Lenten prohibitions against eating meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. Saint Patrick lived during the fifth century and is the patron saint of Ireland, and its national apostle. He is credited with bringing Christianity to its people. According to History.com, after his death, the mythology surrounding his life became even more ingrained in the Irish culture. One legend states that he explained the Holy Trinity by using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.

Most of what we think of as St. Patrick’s Day traditions however started in America. According to an article on Irish Central, in 2017 it was uncovered that the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was in Florida in 1603. Until that discovery, Boston and New York laid claim to the first parades in 1737 and 1762 respectively. Ireland didn’t have their first parade until 1903. When Irish immigrants arrived in the US, pork was too expensive, so corned beef took its place as part of the traditional meal for the day.

As to wearing green, according to an article in USA Today, Irish Americans would wear green as a reminder that they were nationalists first. Green is one of the primary colors of the Irish flag. An article on National Geographic Kids states that the idea of wearing green so you won’t get pinched is a tradition that is tied to folklore which says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, who like to pinch anyone they can see.

Another interesting American tradition in Chicago is the dying of the Chicago River green on St. Patrick’s Day. This began in 1962. According to an article in Parade, city workers originally used green dye to trace unauthorized sewages, and then realized it looked very festive!

What started in the United States as a way for Irish immigrants to celebrate where they came from has turned into a day celebrated even by those without Irish heritage. By the end of the 19th century, St. Patrick’s Day was being observed on the streets of major Irish cities such as Boston, Chicago, and New York, as well as in other cities such as New Orleans, San Francisco, and Savannah. By the 20th century, celebrating the day was so common that St. Patrick’s Day became a marketing bonanza.

Whether you are Irish or not, if you are planning on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and looking for some Irish recipes for your celebration, this article on Taste of Home has sixty recipes for you to check out!

Are you doing anything for St. Patrick’s Day? We would love for you to share it with us on our Facebook page! And don’t forget to wear green so the leprechauns can’t see you!

Super Bowl Food Fun

By Lorie Ham

The 2022 Super Bowl is almost here. It will be taking place on February 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and will be televised on NBC and available to stream live on Peacock or with the NBC Sports App. Super Bowl LVI will be the 56th Super Bowl and the 52nd modern-era National Football League championship. 

For many, this is one of the biggest events of the year, and part of the fun is the food, whether it is the food they purchase at the stadium or what they make at home. Some of the traditional foods are nachos, hotdogs, chicken wings, BBQ ribs, and chips and dip. On the Today Show website, you can find a list of 50 traditional Super Bowl foods, along with links to recipes!

In case you are looking for something new to try this year, we reached out to some of our favorite mystery writers who write what are called “food cozies” to see what they are fixing for their Super Bowl parties this year, and they graciously provided some fun recipes for you to try! 

Author Ellie Alexander makes a Super Bowl Bundt Cake. You can find even more recipes by this author in her Bakeshop Mystery Series.

Super Bowl Bundt Cake

Cornbread Bundt cake with snack foods and dips

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp. honey

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup flour

2 cups yellow cornmeal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter. Add to mixing bowl with eggs, buttermilk, sugar, and honey. Whisk together until smooth, then add in dry ingredients—salt, baking powder, flour, and cornmeal. Mix until a thick batter forms. Pour batter into a well-greased bundt pan. Bake for 34-40 minutes or until bundt is golden brown. Remove from oven. Allow bundt to rest for 5-10 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Serve with your favorite dip in the center.

Mystery author Ellen Byron has a recipe in her book Fatal Cajun Festival, her fifth Cajun Country Mystery that is another perfect snack for your Super Bowl watching. 

“When I worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, I learned that red potatoes can be used as the basis for great appetizers,” shares Ellen. “All you need to do is cut them in half, slice a thin slice from the bottom of each half so it sits flat on a tray, scoop a hole from the inside of the potato, and fill it with the filling of your choice. 

“This method inspired me to create a recipe called Crawtatoes. Since crawfish are seasonal, you can easily substitute shrimp for this recipe and make Shrimp-tatoes instead. Or fill those potatoes with the dip of your choice. They’re filling and tasty!”

Crawtatoes

8 cooked small red potatoes, cut in half and trimmed on the bottom so they sit flat

2 cups cooked, chopped shrimp

½ cup light mayonnaise

2 tbsp. Creole or stone-ground mustard

1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning

1 minced garlic clove

¼ cup sweet relish

In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, seasoning, garlic, and relish together. Add the crawfish or shrimp and stir well to combine. Gently spoon out a hole in each potato so each one becomes a small bowl. Fill the holes with a small spoonful of the seafood mixture. Top with a dab of sweet relish. Serve immediately.

Mystery author Kim Davis writes the Cupcake Catering Mystery Series and has a recipe for Herbed Artichoke White Bean Dip that is perfect for that big bag of chips you will devour during the game. She also shares many other recipes on KimDavisAuthor.com.

Herbed Artichoke White Bean Dip

White Bean Artichoke Herb Dip with dipping vegetables

1 (15-ounce) can artichokes, water-packed

1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove fresh minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Fresh parsley for garnish

Drain the artichokes, then coarsely chop and place in a food processor. Add the white beans, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, thyme, oregano, and basil to the food processor and process until smooth. Season with freshly ground white pepper and salt if desired.

Place dip in a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, if desired drizzle extra olive oil over the surface and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with pita chips and crudités.

What will you be snacking on this year for your Super Bowl party? Feel free to share your favorite snacks with us on our Facebook Page and let us know if you try any of these and how they turned out! Happy Super Bowl eating! 

Random Acts of Kindness

By Lorie Ham

Quote: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop

February 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day. At a time when it feels as though the idea of kindness to others has been lost, perhaps having this special day can encourage people to take a breath and try harder to be kind to others—even those we may not agree with. 

According to National Day Today, Random Acts of Kindness Day was initiated in 1995 in Denver, Colorado by a nonprofit organization of the same name. It spread to New Zealand nine years later, and in 2004, the observance of this day became more and more widespread. The article includes some suggestions on how to celebrate the day, including complimenting a stranger, and treating a homeless person to lunch—two such simple things that perhaps we should consider doing every day! 

The idea of treating others with kindness is as old as time. Most people are familiar with the verse in the Bible where we are told to treat others as we would like to be treated, and this idea can be found in most other religions as well. This is often referred to as The Golden Rule and according to Wikipedia, the idea dates at least as far back as early Confucian times (551–479 BCE). In 1993, 143 leaders of the world’s major faiths endorsed the Golden Rule as part of the 1993 “Declaration Toward a Global Ethic“. 

So why do we need a specific day to remind us to be kind? In an article on KevinMD.com Jonathan Fisher, M.D. states several reasons why he believes it can be hard for us to remember on a daily basis to be kind. Those reasons include distraction, fear, judgment, and even something as simple as exhaustion. He goes on to share some excellent suggestions on what we can do to make an effort to be kinder to others, among those is to make a conscious effort every day to cultivate those acts of kindness. 

We would like to encourage everyone on February 17 and beyond to make that extra effort to treat others with kindness—it can be such a simple yet profound thing that not only benefits others but can be good for you as well. If you need more ideas to help you get started SignUpGenius has a great list of 100 ideas, which include such simple things as letting someone else take that primo parking spot, putting coins in an expired parking meter, or letting someone cut in front of you in line. Living in such difficult and often divisive times, it is more important than ever to make that extra effort of kindness, not just one day of the year but every day.

If you would like to take those acts of kindness to a more national or global scale, there are many great opportunities available through organizations like MCC, and Random Acts of Kindness created by Supernatural actor Misha Collins. 

If you have some suggestions as to how people can show kindness to others in their daily lives, we would love if you would share them on our Facebook page. 

Larry Miller: Board Member and Ham Radio Operator

By Lorie Ham

a man smiling at the camera with his ham radio set up behind him

Many of us have picked up interesting hobbies during the pandemic, and some have had more time to enjoy the hobbies they already had. Mennonite Insurance Services board member Larry Miller has been involved with ham radio since he was just a kid. He was first licensed in the spring of 1963 while a Junior in High School. According to an article on the American Legion website, the term “ham” as a pejorative nickname for amateur radio operators was first heard in 1909 by operators in commercial and professional radio communities.

Larry was born in Oklahoma but moved with his family to Reedley, California when he was a teenager and has remained in Fresno County ever since. He has been on the board since 2011, when he was asked to consider filling an open position. In 2019, he retired from a 51-year career in electrical engineering. His career grew out of his interest in electricity and electronics. Recently we chatted with Larry about his love for ham radio.

Q: When and how did you get interested in ham radio, and what was it that appealed to you?

Larry: As a young boy, I was intrigued by the red glow of those old radio vacuum tubes and how the radio could pull voices out of the air. By the time I was 10 to 12 years old I was hooked.

Q: For those who aren’t familiar with it, what exactly is ham radio?

Larry: Ham radio is officially the Amateur Radio Service, a non-commercial use of the radio airwaves, established by international treaty. All Amateur Radio operators in the USA are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. The purposes of Amateur Radio as defined by the FCC are 

(a) Provide voluntary emergency communications.

(b) Technical advancement of wireless communications.

(c) Provide an avenue of technical training.

(d) Enhance international good will.

Q: What all can you do on a ham radio?

Larry: My equipment enables two way voice, data, and Morse code communications with amateurs, mostly in North America. I have base station, mobile, and hand held equipment. I regularly check into a local net and often talk to others in casual conversation. In the past, I participated in a communications team that supported the American Diabetes Fresno Tour de Cure fundraising bike ride. I have operated from home, my truck, mountaintops, campground picnic tables, and aircraft with the pilot’s permission. I have also participated in a few contest events. Morse code is still alive perhaps similar to why people still ride bicycles when they could drive cars

Q: How have ham radios changed over the years?

Larry: There have been drastic changes in the technology. Solid-state electronics replaced power hungry vacuum tubes making compact battery powered equipment possible. Digital technology is now prevalent with most equipment having data jacks to interface with computers for programming, control, and data communications somewhat analogous to chat sessions on the internet. Radio based high-speed data networks are now developing. These provide regional non-commercial wireless data serves similar to the internet as redundant communications channels for emergency services. The 1980s and 1990s saw a large influx of operators that were attracted by VHF FM handheld radios using repeaters with access the telephone network via a “phone patch”. These were great for local communications up to 50 or 100 miles. After cellular telephones became prevalent, that part of ham radio faded to a degree.

Q: Are there people of all ages involved?

Larry: Ham radio is open to anyone willing to study and pass the licensing exam. Hams may be 10 years or 100+ years old, men, women, girls and boys. Amateurs come from all walks of life; construction workers, school teachers, university professors, medical doctors, farmers, policemen, engineers, astronauts, and even the custodian at the dormitory I stayed in while in college. There are currently 780,000 licensed Amateur Radio operators in the United States and about 2.5 million operators worldwide.

Q: Do you ever meet any of the people in person?

Larry: Ham Radio has since its inception over 100 years ago, functioned as a giant social network, meeting on the air with other operators. Contacts can be between two stations or a part of organized groups referred to as “nets”. These nets meet daily or weekly and may cover local, regional, or wide areas area such as the South Pacific region. There is a weekly Mennonite Amateur Radio net, which primarily covers the Eastern half of the US. There are radio clubs in most areas. Conventions, sometimes referred to as “hamfests”, are held around the world. We are fortunate that an international convention is held annually in Visalia which pre-COVID attracted around 1,000 attendees, many from overseas. These events feature seminars on technical and operational topics, exhibits from manufacturers and dealers of radio equipment, and usually a swap meet.

Q: I understand you were involved in helping out during a large dust storm in 1991 that caused a major car accident on I-5 west of Fresno.

Larry: The Friday after Thanksgiving, 1991, a massive dust storm just before dusk crossed I-5 in Western Fresno County and resulted in a 104-vehicle crash, 114 persons injured, and 17 fatalities. For those unfamiliar with I-5 in Fresno County, it runs North – South through an isolated rural part of Fresno County, about 40 to 50 miles west of Fresno. Cellular telephone service was scarce and in its infancy at that time.

I was a member of the Fresno County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), a volunteer communications organization that functions under the Fresno County Emergency Medical Services. I was dispatched to establish radio operation at the Fresno Veterans Hospital Emergency Department. All communications between ambulances and hospitals were handled by a hospital interagency radio system; our role was to assist uninjured victims. Fresno County sent busses to the disaster site to bring uninjured people to a shelter at a school in Fresno. The ARES deployment placed operators at each of the local hospitals, the shelter, and at the I-5 site. Our role was to gather patient information and relay it to the shelter, which in turn could pass it on to uninjured family members. Many of the uninjured arrived at the shelter not knowing where family members had been taken. It was a small role in a big effort. I will never know the stories of those involved in that disaster. Hopefully our radio team helped in a small way to assist those involved.

Q: Have you helped with any other emergencies?

Larry: Some years ago, we were traveling in a remote area east of the Grand Canyon when we encountered a traffic accident. I made contact with an operator in Paige Arizona who passed the accident report to the Arizona Highway Patrol.

Q: Do people just talk to others in their area, or does it cover the US and other countries?

Larry: Many operators focus on making international contacts. An awards program that recognizes successful contact with different countries or separate land entities currently recognizes 340 separate entities. Beyond the earth, there are Amateur Radio repeater satellites in orbit to provide wide area terrestrial coverage. There is usually an operator aboard the International Space Station that makes prescheduled demonstration contacts with K12 schools to promote Amateur Radio. In 2022, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to include an Amateur Radio beacon station as part of a lunar landing probe. This is a joint Ham Radio / Space Agency effort where Hams will forward flight telemetry data to the Space Agency. 

Thanks Larry for sharing your fascinating hobby with us! Anyone interested in learning more about Amateur Radio can visit www.arrl.org. Do you have an interesting hobby? If so, we would love to hear about it, feel free to share on our Facebook page!