Watch with me one hour

As my bio states, I write all sorts of things from children’s stories to historical non-fiction. The goal for my romance writing is to help buy a nice piece of land for my husband to retire on. That ground will also become wildlife habitat. Beyond that purely selfish dream of doing something wonderful for a wonderful man, I’ve dreamed of using my work to support various causes.

Here’s a run-down:

My first books were created for my children. The stories revolve around a bunch of frog friends who live in our yard. After expenses, the plan has always been to give half of the income from those books to prairie restoration done specifically to aid grassland herps — those reptiles and amphibians: snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, toads, and salamanders, my children loved so well when they were young.

My youth books on the Underground Railroad will have a portion of the profits earmarked for the continued restoration of the marvelous old house I helped restore and wrote about.

For my still-unnamed magnum opus (see previous posts to learn about that big labor of love), the plan has always been to create an endowment with whatever monies I might be blessed with after expenses. Many many years ago, my husband received an endowment from an environmental organization. I was captivated by such a concept. There was great honor in receiving it, even though it wasn’t much dollar-wise. However, to a young family with every dime spent before it was made, the money was a very big deal at the time. I learned you don’t need much to start an endowment. Things like this can simply be a years’ worth of interest off money in the bank. If the magnum opus has a measure of success that would allow me to create such a thing, each year I’d give grants to people doing good things for the environment, for animals, and for people in need.

Why? I’ve been a supporter of environmental issues and social causes since becoming aware the very first Earth Day in 1970. I love this planet. Supporting it any way I can is just who I am. I’m forever signing petitions and making calls to public officials, and I belong to more than one organization championing wild places and the plants and animals that live in them, as well as for people in need around the world and at home. Had I more funds, I’d do more. Funds, or lack thereof, keep a lot of would-be activists on the sidelines.

The reason I’m mentioning all this today is because this is the day to tell people that the last Saturday in March, this coming Saturday, is Earth Hour. Today is a heads-up notice for participation three days from now.

Earth hour was started in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to show that lots of people working together could effect great change. Across the planet, even doing something as simple as turning off lights for an hour is amazingly positive and saves a LOT of fuel. People around the globe in many countries are joining in for collective power down, and you can too. Turn off your lights and unplug from 8-9:00 pm, and do get yourself some soy or beeswax candles. Burning petroleum candles and lamp oil creates its own environmental hazard.

Though Earth Hour started as an annual event in which many people worldwide turn their lights off on the last Saturday in March, it’s become much much more this year…

This year for the first time, Earth Hour offers crowd-funded opportunities to effect great change. http://www.earthhour.org/ These projects are year-round. My few dollars will merge with millions and reforest, reseed, clean, restore, and protect the rarest of the rare. How infinitely cool is that?

What else can one person do?

If you’re interested in getting started in activism but your funds can’t support it right now, consider click sites. The Animal Rescue Site is a click site that donates money to shelters and all you have to do is click on the site once each day. Click on the other tabs there to do even more good.

http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/home

Free Rice is a similar site that donates bowls of rice to the world’s hungry.

http://freerice.com/

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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 17 entries to come.

Here’s one for today:

Aeipathy (noun 1847-1853)

continued passion like an unyielding disease

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I’ve temporarily cut back on blogging for my put-my-life-back-in-order spring cleaning — a project known far and wide as the Annual Purge. Thanks for stopping by even if there isn’t much new to see. I have no time for blogging right now, but the extinct word of the day is updated daily.

I’ll be blogging full bore in April with the A to Z Challenge. Topics will mostly cover fascinating aspects from history with a few science wows thrown in for good measure.

Coming soon to my satellite blog ~

For ten days in April I’ll be participating in the Authors in Bloom blog hop over on http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/ . This blog hop is all about showing the many facets to an author’s life. One of the more unusual things I’ve done in my life with this man of mine was lead wild foods programs for Chicago’s Field Museum.

For this event I’ll be sharing my recipes. I hope you stop by. You may have delicious ingredients waiting in your backyard.

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I’m currently participating in The Romance Reviews’ Anniversary party. My particular part in the contest is over, but the celebration runs all month long and there are a lot of prizes to be had. See what I have up on my newest satellite blog:

http://ifollowthemuse.blogspot.com/