Bits and Pieces

A few days ago a commercial on television was of two young boys talking. One asked, “What is that?” The reply came, “I don’t know. Google it.” It made me stop and think. When I was young and I would ask my parents what something was, they told me to look it up in the encyclopedia. Which meant I had to go to the library to get my question answered. And in writing papers in high school, the encyclopedia was well used for my research.

The commercial also made me wonder what it will be like in another 10 or 20 years when a child asks, “What is that?” or “How does that work?”

Speaking of learning things. My husband and I enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles. We are alway working on one. Currently, we are putting one together that features hummingbirds. At the top of the picture included with the puzzle is the name Audubon.

One of our grandsons visited us after church on Oct. 23. He sat down at the card table and looked at the puzzle. When he saw the picture he said, “Oh! Audubon! We learned about that in school.” He went on to tell me that when he was in the second grade the students studied birds and the Audubon Society.

And he commented he drew a picture of a hummingbird as part of the lesson on birds. He added about how pretty hummingbirds are and how much fun they are to watch. His comments told me he indeed was paying attention in class, learning and that he’s getting a good education. They also told me how much he likes nature and sees its beauty.

The generosity of this community never fails to amaze me. A project has been started by the Queen of Angels parish in Nashua. It centers around contributing paper goods, such as paper towels, bathroom tissue, facial tissues, as well as cleaning products and personal hygiene items for children and adults to the county food bank.

On Sunday, I noticed that that the two boxes set out for contributions at the back of the church were filled to overflowing with not only nonperishable food but a wide array of paper goods.

Last year, I was made aware of the need for paper goods, cleaning products, and personal hygiene items while visiting with a volunteer who works at the food bank. I was told that people will often ask if there is liquid dish detergent or laundry soap or diapers they can have. Basic needs and yet there are people in our area who don’t have them.

The residents of Valley County are indeed to be applauded for the support they give so generously to the schools, organizations, and individuals. For me there is no better place to be living.