Random Facts Friday April 29, 2011

Hi All
These are facts I have collected this week through my natural
comings and goings. See how many you already know!

 1.The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture tested eggs in 2010 for nutrition
data. The last time they did was 2002. The amount of cholesterol
in a single large egg is now 185 mg., down from 215. Eggs now

contain 41 IU of vitamin D, which is an increase of 64 percent from 2002.   The amount of protein in one large egg – 6 grams, remained the same.  One large egg has 70 calories. (See www.incredibleegg.org) 2. The Titan Arum, the "Corpse Flower", has been in the news lately  because several have bloomed in various greenhouses around the world.  The blooms are approximately 3 feet across and are believed to be the  largest blooms in the world. Besides their odor, they are famous because  the plant may only bloom once in 10 years and the bloom stays open  for only a few days. 3.  Kiplinger.com. named the top 10 states most at risk of disaster using data from this decade. The states ranked in order are: Louisiana, Florida, Texas, New York, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama, California, Missouri, and Ohio. 4. Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the Paschal Full Moon. See http://christianity.about.com/od/faqhelpdesk/qt/whyeasterchange.htm for a pretty good explanation. Would welcome others. 5. I tried this recipe from Cooks.com. and everyone loved it. See what you think. Cornbread Casserole 1lb. ground beef                        1 onion, chopped                     1/2 green pepper, chopped        1 can condensed tomato soup 1 can whole kernel corn            1/2 c. olives, sliced                     1 recipe corn bread topping (Jiffy box) Brown meat, and add onion and peppers. Cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients, except corn bread, and heat. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole and top with corn bread mixture. Bake, uncovered in 375 degree oven, 35 to 40 minutes. Serves 4-6. I substituted a can of chopped tomatoes for the soup. I used green olives. Will be definitely having this again!

Working Wednesday: Connecting the Dots

There has been a common thread throughout my pay check years. I am a person who likes to Connect the Dots. It is similar to the thought that we are 8 people away from knowing everyone else, only I work specifically with business sectors. Right now I need to know a little bit about a lot of resources, especially for small and medium sized companies. I don't have to be a subject matter expert, BUT I do have to know who is, how to access, and how to connect the business with that expert. Those can come from their own town, county, or a state-wide resource. Generally they are public sector or non-profit organizations who gladly assist a business.

Ever drive through a small town without even a traffic light? It seems to me the town is all along the same street, one building after another.  Is it just naturally the way a town comes along? If you had a business, would you play it safe or would you be the one to "jump" across the road and build first?

At some point there are enough people with a variety of skills to make it a community. I remember traveling across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois in the Summer. Each town we passed by had signs up about their annual festival - Strawberry, Sunflower, Corn, etc. Each one had at least one baseball diamond with Little League teams playing with adult volunteer coaches. Those are the communities that have heart and can prosper.

In order to stay successful, they need businesses, employers, employees, products, and/or services. They may need someone like me who loves to Connect the Dots and help with their brainstorming sessions when they are ready to expand or perhaps a bit of triage ideas to get patched up, and moving again.

I am just wondering if there are others like myself who Connect the Dots, businesses who have been connected to a public sector/non-profit organization resource successfully, or a community resource who has a great story to tell. Would love to hear it!

Calendars Should Start on Sunday

Happy Easter to all!
A day to, refresh, review, and re-open Mother Nature’s season of birth and beauty.
A day to remember the most incredible weekend ever.

Which brings me to this point.
Calendars should always start on Sunday, not Monday. Sunday is a renewal day, a refill-the-well day. It should be first on our “To Do” list because if we don’t help ourselves first (just like putting on the oxygen mask in an airplane), we can’t help others. Of course that could be a whole other blog: where do we really prioritize ourselves? So at least, if nothing else, buy a calendar that has Sunday first and make it a day of importance. After all, what is Monday? A back-to-the-routine day. It is about uniforms, pens, computers, wristwatches, and the bane of everyone's existence --Transportation. Sunday is a day to truly give pause in one's life, to read and reflect on the Good Book, and gather round Good Family and Friends ----which should happen way before we have to find matching socks.