![]() ![]() ![]() Just box up the items and label them “VVA Donation Pick up,” and the driver will load the boxes and leave a tax deduction receipt. It handles scheduling through an easy-to-use online calendar, and your furniture donation can often be picked up within 24 hours - you don’t even have to be home when the truck arrives. Pick Up Please is a program of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). Most Goodwills also accept cars, trucks, SUVs, boats, RVs, campers, riding lawn mowers, and more (they don’t even have to be in working condition!). Items that Goodwill accepts: Furniture, clothing, accessories, dishes and glassware, collectibles, and electronics. How your donation helps: Goodwill sells your donations in stores and on Goodwill’s online site to raise money for employment training and job placement services for people in your community. Contact your local Goodwill to find out if pickup service is available in your area. In addition to a clothing donation drop off, most Goodwill locations also offer free pickup for furniture and other large items. They have 156 community organizations across the U.S., Canada, and 12 other countries. Goodwill stores work on the local level to provide job training and employment services to people in need. Items that Habitat for Humanity accepts: Furniture, appliances, and building materials. Proceeds from sales go towards building homes, as well as repairs made by the organization. How your donation helps: Furniture donations are sold at their ReStores, Habitat for Humanity’s resale locations that sell gently used furniture, appliances, and building materials to the public. Enter your ZIP code to find the nearest store, then call or use their website to schedule your pickup. Habitat for Humanity offers free donation pickup once a week. In addition, they also act as a furniture pickup and donation center. ![]() They work in all 50 states across the U.S., as well as 70 countries internationally. Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that helps build safe and affordable homes for families who need them. Due to recalls or government rules on re-selling, the Salvation Army donation center won’t accept items such as particle board furniture, metal desks, TV armoires, and baby items (such as high chairs and car seats). Items that The Salvation Army accepts: Clothing, appliances, kitchen items, automobiles, and more. These proceeds go toward a number of needs, including their rehabilitation centers, food pantries, homeless shelters, and disaster relief. How your donation helps: When you donate items to the Salvation Army, they sell them in their thrift stores. Online services for scheduling aren’t available for all ZIP codes for the Salvation Army donation, but the website provides a local phone number you can use to arrange a furniture donation pickup. They help people with a variety of different needs, including disaster relief, hunger, poverty, addiction, human trafficking, and more. The Salvation Army, an international organization founded in 1865, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Being a company that takes used furniture for free, they made a detailed list of items they specifically won’t accept, saving donors time and doubts. Items that GreenDrop accepts: Clothing, household goods, electronics, tools, toys, and more. ![]() How your donation helps: After collecting your items, GreenDrop sells your donations to area thrift stores, and the funds go to support the charities listed above. In addition to the free donation pickup, GreenDrop offers Home Clean-Out, a free service that helps you sort and donate large volumes of clothing and household items - ideal for pre-move organization. GreenDrop is a program serving the East Coast. Here’s a list of organizations that will pick up donations, free of charge: 8 national charities that have free donation pickup ![]()
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![]() ![]() Many western authors like to break with the 5/7/5 rule, but maintain the power, simplicity, and brevity. Above all, a Haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a little picture and yet be as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi Pastorella.” In Book of Haikus, Kerouac experiments this formal and freestyle. Jack Kerouac proposed that, because the English language structure is different than Japanese, the western haiku should “s imply say a lot in three short lines in any Western language. As Pound believed that superfluous words tend to dull an image, the philosophy of the Haiku is perfectly up his alley. The apparition of these faces in the crowd ĭescribing the Paris Underground, “ In a Station of the Metro ” is often considered the first haiku written in English, though it does not follow the 5/7/5 structure. “In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound As the art of the haiku traveled west, influential American writers like Ezra Pound picked up the craft. He learned the art of composing haikus from one of the four great haiku masters: Masaoka Shiki. He uses imagery of the spring season to describe his writing process.Ī slightly more modern Japanese poet, Natsume Sōseki, likens his breath to the wind in this haunting haiku. In it, he compares a written poem to a blooming poppy. Katsushika Hokusai, a disciple of Bashō, writes another powerful haiku that translation cannot accurately capture. A good example of this is haiku master Yosa Buson ’s comparison of a singular candle with the starry wonderment of the spring sky. ![]() Haikus focus on a brief moment in time, juxtaposing two images, and creating a sudden sense of enlightenment. Translated, Issa’s haiku doesn’t meet the 5/7/5 rule, but its power remains. Kobayashi Issa, another great Haiku master, writes this stirring poem that places the kireji at the end. Though sometimes, the kireji comes at the end of a haiku to give it a sense of closure. They are meant to comment on the season or surroundings of the authors and create some sort of contrasting imagery separated by a kireji or “cutting word” (like “Splash!”). Hokkus are collaborative poems which follow the 5/7/5 rule. Historically, haikus are a derivative of the Japanese Hokku. This traditional example comes from Matsuo Bashō, one of the four great masters of Haiku. A practice of artistic discipline, their minimal nature forces writers to pare down to only the essentials-making each word, or even syllable, count. Haikus are known for their ability to paint a vivid picture in just a few words. Traditional and structured, this short form of Japanese poetry is well-known for its rule of 5/7/5: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five again in the third. ![]() ![]() During a call, you can use various features such as mute, speakerphone, and video on/off by tapping on the appropriate icons on the screen.You can make voice or video calls, depending on your preferences and the capabilities of your device. To make a call, simply tap on the “Calls” tab at the bottom of the screen, then select the person you want to call from your contacts list.You can also start a group chat by selecting multiple contacts. Once you’re set up, you can start a chat by tapping on the “New Message” icon and selecting a contact from your list.You’ll need to provide your phone number and verify it by entering a code that Viber sends to you via SMS. Open the app and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account.Download and install Viber from your device’s app store. ![]() Using Viber for chats and calls is simple and straightforward. Overall, Viber is committed to providing a safe and secure platform for its users to communicate and connect with each other. These accounts have extra security features and are required to follow Viber’s rules and guidelines.
![]() ![]() The macaroni salad is one of my recurring regulars. Throw in some crumbled feta cheese, chopped kalamata olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Then, I made a greek vinaigrette using lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, a bit of greek seasoning, salt and pepper. Simply cook some couscous according to package directions. Next, I got to work on the Greek Couscous Salad, another simple and delicious side salad. If desired, garnish with marashino cherries. If desired, throw in a cup of shredded coconut. Simply mix a bag of mini marshmallows with a can or two of strained mandarin oranges and a can or two of strained pineapple tidbits. There are no set measurements and it’s almost impossible to mess up. My Aunt Theresa is the queen of ambrosia, so I use her recipe, which couldn’t be simpler. Seriously, it’s hard to disappoint kids with a salad whose main ingredient is marshmallows. Ambrosia is a childhood favorite of mine. Prosciutto and Figs with Gorgonzola Cream on French Baguetteįresh Mozzarella and Roasted Red Tomatoes with Basil Pesto on Ciabatta Roast Beef, Cheddar, and Apple with Horseradish Sauce on Onion Rolls Honey-Roasted Turkey Breast with Lorraine Swiss, Thinly Sliced Pears and Honey-Mustard on Mutligrain Baguette Waldorf Chicken Salad on Pain de Campagne Hopefully there will be a little something to delight everyone’s tastebuds. For this little fiesta, I’ll be serving an assortment of sandwiches and salads. I’ve also got a few party standards, which I make again and again, like the Dinosaur Bar B Que Macaroni Salad. I also like to vary our party menus so that there’s always something new for our guests to enjoy. I think burgers are great for barbecues, but for birthday parties, I like all the food to find its way to the table at the same time. I avoid things like burgers, which need to be cooked in batches during the party and usually result in people standing around waiting for the platter to be refilled. I like dishes served cold or at room temperature or trays of food which can be reheated in the oven, while still maintaining their fresh taste and appearance. In my opinion, a stress-free party is all about planning a menu which can be mostly prepared the day before and requires minimal fuss on the day off. And with a little bit of thoughtful planning, I find it to be a relatively stress-free and enjoyable experience. There’s a good possibility that I actually enjoy throwing the party more than the kids enjoy celebrating the party. Where in the world did two years go? It seems like only yesterday that I was waddling around, anxiously awaiting his birth. Tomorrow afternoon we will celebrate my little one’s second birthday. ![]() |