Inflation's toll...

...from a page I tore out of an investment magazine a few years ago:

To buy what $10,000 bought 67 years ago, you'd need $131,818 today. (Source: Consumer Price Index)
Here are a few examples of inflation's toll...

First-class postage: +1,033%
1934: 3 cents
1980: 15 cents
2001: 34 cents
(Source: U.S. Postal Service)

Automobile: +1,092%
1934: $1,436
1980: $6,200
2001: $17,120
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract of the United States; Kelley Blue Book)

A day in the hospital: +23,300%
1934: $12
1980: $344
2001: $2,808
(Source: Average daily inpatient costs as reported by Mutual of Omaha's Personalized Claim Administration (PCA) database (figures based on most recent available data, adjusted for inflation)

Life is a Verb, Chapter 3: "Intensity: Say Yes"

I remember the exact moment it hit me. I was sitting alone in an apartment after what was perhaps the most difficult month of my life. Stuff, decorations, trinkets, the little baubles that I had purchased here and there. I realized they had little substance in my life and they no longer brought me joy. I had lugged them about, packed them and unpacked them, trekked with them over miles. I arranged them on shelves and dusted them, fretted over them. I could think of a dozen things more important than them. And, I would have gladly given them all up had I not had to deal with a greater loss.

I gave some away, I sold some on eBay. I was unloading these objects and it was freeing. I no longer needed room for them. I no longer needed to store them, or dust them, or fret over them. It gave me more time to focus on things I felt were more important. No longer decorating the abode with holiday greens and villages with cotton ball snow, left more time to write out meaningful personal messages in greeting cards.

Now I admit, I still feel hampered by things. Freeing myself from various trinkets and baubles took a matter of years and having a family, I don't always have a say in what goes (or stays). However, we work together in keeping our shared spaces meaningful. For example, grandmother's glass tray, photos from happy trips, and drawings my mother created adorn the walls. And, I keep my desk and shelves as clutter-free as possible. However, I have a weakness... and that is books. Like all the stuff I lugged around, there are several books that have been with me for years. I've read all of them. I continue to hold on to them... in case I need to look something up. Some of them I read and don't remember what I would have wanted to remember out of them in the first place.

I've been working on that. I really have no need for things that I may (or may not) reference one of these years. So, I will find some good books a new home. Notice I said some... and not all. I'm certainly not to that point yet and may never be, but I've made a good start. I will let go... and have more space, more room in my life for other things.

(Photo credit (box): Gaston Thauvi)

"What if our lives are books?" Patti asks. Are our margins too narrow? Do we leave enough room to argue, to question, to interpret, "or do we simply turn the pages, passively receiving what's given, furiously disagreeing but remaining silent...?"

Life is a Verb, Ch. 1: "Write to Remember"

"Write to Remember" was perfect reading after the Genealogy and Memory Album workshop I helped with this past Saturday. I asked participants about their life, their interests... the little things that make them who they are. Do they remember their grandfather's garden? Do they know their aunt's favorite flower? Do their children know? Will their grandchildren know? That's why things, no matter how small or trivial they seem now, are important. It is these little things in life that mold me... that hold me together and make me me. If I were not here tomorrow, would my daughter know what I enjoyed? What I liked? My favorites?

"We are all only one step away from losing the stories of our lives," Patti wrote. Indeed, we are. Are you taking a few moments here and there to jot them down? Include the little things in your scrapbook. Dedicate a journal to your thoughts. Keep it in your bag, next to your bed, or in your car... and make it a point to remember.

(Photo credit (post-it note): Bartek Ambrozik)

"What if our lives are books?" Patti asks. Are our margins too narrow? Do we leave enough room to argue, to question, to interpret, "or do we simply turn the pages, passively receiving what's given, furiously disagreeing but remaining silent...?"

Clean up Lake Erie

Last year in Ohio alone 27,298 pounds of trash was cleared from the shores of Lake Erie. This included 3,294 bags; 2,083 cups, plates, and forks; 3,073 beverage cans; and 900 straws and stirrers.

Annually since 1989, volunteers have walked the shoreline of Lake Erie collecting trash as part of the International Coastal Cleanup Day sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy. This year the cleanup is scheduled for September 19. If you live near Lake Erie and would like to be part of this global volunteer effort, click here to find a cleanup site in your area.

Best seat in the air...

Before purchasing airline tickets visit SeatGuru.com to study seating charts and determine what seat will be the best...

I'll be your Huckleberry*

Not just a favorite treat for bears, the huckleberries that grow wild in Montana are a yummy addition to baked goods, jellies, preserves, pies, syrups, and sauces. Huckleberries look similar to blueberries but while blueberries have many small and soft seeds, huckleberries have large tough seeds. Interestingly enough no one has succeeded in growing huckleberries commercially. Because of this, huckleberries are a true natural food grown without pesticides and fertilizers. Huckleberries are also high in vitamins B and C, potassium, and iron.

Ready to try some tasty Huckleberry products? Larchwood Farms in Trout Creek, Montana, offers delicious huckleberry syrups, jams, and jellies. My favorites are the Huckleberry Syrup and Organic Huckleberry Jam.

*"I'll be your Huckleberry" is an expression that means the right person for a given job.

(Photo used with permission from Larchwood Farms.)

Minimal packing...

I had not flown in several years so I was pleased to find several sites online with suggestions on flying and packing. Travelite.org quickly became one of my favorites. I was able to condense a week of travel into an under-the-seat bag.

Note: As suggested on the site, I did away with the toiletry kit and used a couple baggies. I should also mention I am a fan of Nalgene bottles. After having a cheap travel bottle bust open at the seam during a camping trip last year, I plan to use Nalgene exclusively. (Photo credit: venignotus)