Stay in, Reach out!

1. Residents of care centers can’t have visitors. Cheer them up by sending cards, messages, or being a pen pal!
2. JustServe.org has local At Home and Covid-19 service options
3. Sew Masks for citizens or health care workers using what you have at home using a pattern like this one.
4. Bank your voice with VocaliD to assist a person who communicates with voice synthesis technology.
5. Transcribe important historical records through Indexing as shown here.
6. Headstones also need transcribing at BillionGraves. If local regulations allow, you can also take pictures in cemeteries.
7. Support and donate to your local food bank
8. Donate blood through your Local Blood Bank. This is considered an essential activity and the need is great!
9. HandsOn Phoenix has a list of non-profits that currently need volunteers.
10. Donate medical supplies to The City of Phoenix
11. Support small business via Local First Arizona
12.   Check-in on those in your community.
13. Volunteer to be an Online Ambassador with Ark of Hope for Children.
14. Volunteer to Translate with Translators without Borders.
15. Give well-deserved Treats for Troops through Soldiers Angels Treats for Troops.
16. Be an online emotional support person at 7 Cups.
17. Help kids in need when you organize an online fundraiser for Operation Warm.
18. Make a global difference with the United Nations.
19. Lend your eyes to solve tasks for blind and low vision people. Visit Be My Eyes.
20. Identify New York Wildlife, map our galaxy or assist researchers in many other ways with Zooniverse.
21. Sew emotional support blankets for Binky Patrol.
22. Proofread ebooks for Project Gutenberg.
23. Track bird populations with eBird.
24. Answer texts from people in crisis using active listening and collaborative problem solving with Crisis Text Line.
25. Crochet or knit afghan squares that will help build blankets for both babies and adults. Send them to Warm Up America.
26. Record audiobooks for Librivox.
27. Transcribe historical documents for the Smithsonian.

2014- Pics are proof!

The real story from 2014

So the year started out like this:

Then I tried this

Which pretty much went like this.

But it caused me to ask the question: What next?  And I got this answer:

So, I put my house up for sale, got a new job, and moved.  Please come visit me here:

And I learned stuff.  Like, if you set out to love Arizona, don't start in August. The second floor is not good for burpees.  Don't store candles outdoors.
Do swim, appreciate the sunsets, make friends, go hiking, see family, and try new things.

And if something in your life makes you uncomfortable, alienates your friends, limits your horizons, attracts criminals, has bad juju, or is just plain annoying, by all means move on! I'm talking about my obnoxious car here, people.  Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a comfy 2014 Prius with tinted windows.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was big this year.  Ice is hard to come by in August in Arizona, but I still think we nailed it.

I discovered there is water in the desert.  Some of it is intentional, some not, and some worth visiting.

And that's good because I've always wanted to be this girl:

Stuffing the raffle box in the apartments' charity fundraiser totally paid off, because I won this!

I am definitely headed out for more adventures in 2015.

Last but not least,

Do-it-yourself stoves- Guatemala Style!

Or actually, 17 stoves.  Teams of SHE volunteers worked alongside the families of La Reforma to get the first stoves built.  Three Guatemalan contractors will continue working on them until every house in the village has one- 63 in total.  This is no small feat!  Check out how it happened.

First, the materials had to be hauled to the houses.  The men of La Reforma do this the traditional way- by using their heads.  The Americans struggled to keep up, until somebody noticed a shiny wheelbarrow in one of the houses.  Suddenly a whole stream of unused wheelbarrows appeared, letting us work smarter, not harder.  There's more than one way to use your head!

Of course, you still have to march through the jungle to find the house...

When you get there, if there's not enough light, or somebody's butt's too big,
just take off one side of the house.  Problem solved.

Most remaining problems can be solved with the Guatemalan Multi-tool: the machete.
Handy for sizing bricks, stirring mortar, digging dirt, and cutting holes in the tin roof.

First, the cinderblock core is laid and filled with dirt.  Then the bricks are added and topped with a cooking surface.

Hulk skills may be required.

SHE wishes this family health, happiness, and many warm tortillas!

Before there is cake, there must be an oven!

It's my birthday on May 29, and all I want is this stove.  

Actually, you probably know that I already have a very nice, rather underused stove in my comfy kitchen.  I turn it on with a knob and am ready to cook in 2 seconds.  This particular design is well-suited for a family in the high altitude, isolated Polochic Valley in Guatemala.  They are designed to use 70% less wood than traditional fires for heating and cooking.  Kids who don't have to travel long distances to collect wood can spend more time in school, which is every teacher's nefarious desire.  Homes that have vented stoves have significantly fewer respiratory illnesses.  YOU have the power to help me make that happen.  

I am traveling to Guatemala July 27-August 3 with a group called SHe Humanitarian.  In addition to installing 50 stoves, the group intends to provide a medical clinic, and conduct education and small business workshops.  Don't worry, they aren't putting me in charge of anything that requires a scalpel.

The individual cost of the trip is $1750, to cover materials, food, and deluxe sleeping accommodations on a concrete floor.  I will gladly pay for the fun and flights.  Of course, being me, there will be additional adventures and crazy stories! You can follow them on the blog.  

Can you help me get there by a $20, $50, or other donation? $150 would buy a whole stove, and we need 50!  In addition to my supreme gratitude, a donation will get you unique handwritten updates posted from in country.  Seriously, written with a pen.  It's like a birthday card, only in reverse!

Donating through this website is simple, fast,  and secure. CHOICE (the parent NPO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, so donations are tax deductible.  Any amount would be a much appreciated birthday gift, and you do not even have to wrap it!

http://choicehumanitarian.org/donate/   

Under comments, please put 2013 Guatemala, Heidi Nebeker.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!  Check back here for updates and stories from the trip!

Two big announcements.... (Seriously big. Like a ton a piece.)

The last time I told you about my Blue Baby, she was a crack-up at 7 years old.  Now, at 9 1/2, she's really getting up there.  Like most ladies, she's pretty good at hiding her true age, but the 172,641 miles are starting to show.  It is with much sadness that I announce the retirement of Blue Breeze Prius.  Girl, we have had some good times!

I would like to introduce you to CiCi- the little sister Prius.  Isn't she cute?  Like all younger siblings following in the footsteps of a practically perfect predecessor, she comes in with something to prove.  She demands to be measured by her own merits, which are noticeable and unique. And though they share a heritage and a name, they have different strengths and a completely different view of the world.  Her attractive attributes include phone syncing, HD radio, a moonroof, and (finally!) an audio input.  Plus she is willing to up the ante on her sister's forte, promising 53 mpg city.  I consider that a challenge to be tested in as many cities as possible.

So, CiCi, I hope you are up for adventures!  I'm sure we'll have many happy miles together. ;-)