Very Important from the Vanilla Queen

Once again, we hear from Patricia Rain, known all over the world as the Vanilla Queen, whom I see about once a month at our farmers markets. In her unending desire to keep real vanilla growing in the world, she has a new project. She is seeking donations of laptop computers to send to a small group of vanilla farmers in Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda), to help them stay connected to the Google group she founded: the Tropical Farmers Network.

If you have a working laptop that you could donate, you can e-mail Patricia at rain@vanilla.com. She can't give you a receipt for a tax deduction, but maybe you'd be content with feeling good about helping someone you'll never meet continue to do good work. UPDATE, noon today: Patricia told me that she found a local non-profit to provide receipts for anyone who donates.

Also, if you have a mind, send good thoughts Patricia's way: she is enduring chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer. I'm amazed at her constant smile and the unfaltering radiance she always displays, but that's Patricia.

Feel free to link to this post on your own blog to spread the word, please. Surely there are five laptops out there that want to experience life in a tiny village in Africa? (And wouldn't it be nice if they were Macs, so the poor farmers don't have to worry about getting a virus?)

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That's all for now. What am I doing up at this ungodly hour? Wait, all the farmers I know have been up for an hour at least.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “Thought is a kind of opium; it can intoxicate us, while still broad awake; it can make transparent the mountains and everything that exists.” — Henri Frederic Amiel

Thanks for visiting.

Comments

[Cathy]

Please give Patricia my best wishes and good thoughts. My mom is fighting breast cancer too, and a strong positive attitude is so important.

[Anita]

I loved Patricia's book. I will spread the word, and please pass along my best wishes for her as well!