DO #SLUTTY COMEDIANS HELP WOMEN?

A few years ago, Amy Schumer was on the cover of some magazine, bragged she had slept with twenty eight men, and then proceeded to describe a one night stand with an airport hookup . Wow, she wasn’t even thirty! This was supposed to be funny? I had seen her act on a TV show and wasn’t amused with the plethora of four letter words that spewed from her mouth. Other female comedians began to emulate her, apparently deciding they’d cash in on the slutty act that was making this unattractive woman an overnight sensation making millions of dollars.

To me, this represented feminism at it’s worst. It’s fine for women to make equal pay, make choices about marriage and childbearing, but going into the gutter is never going to help the #Women’s Movement. The funniest comedian of all time (IMO) was Jonathan Winters . Here was a truly funny man, and I don’t’ recall him ever bragging about his sex life.

What would women think of a man who boasted of sleeping with so many women he couldn’t even remember their names? Look at the #metoo movement, giving women a chance to complain about predatory, promiscuous men. It seems there’s now a double standard. Women can sleep around and boast about it, but men wouldn’t dare do the same thing if they value their career and reputation.

If women truly want equality, they should strive for dignity and respect. Their personal life is their own business, but frankly, I don’t want to hear the salacious details. If you read my novels, TAKE THE MONEY and CHASING THEIR LOSSES, you will know I’m not a prude. I don’t shy away from intimate scenes, but I like to believe they are tastefully done, without resorting to gratuitous sex.

March 28, 2018December 7, 2018

MEN, WOMEN AND BEAUTY

Young women today have certainly come a long way since the Women’s Movement of the 60’s. They hold important jobs, receive equal pay, and don’t have to make a choice between family or a career. They can travel far and wide and do wonderful things. But there’s one place where women haven’t progressed at all. In fact, they taken several steps backward as far the time and money they must devote to their physical appearance.

When my husband and I are going to some public event, he merely has to shower and shave, throw on the same clothes he’s worn for 10 years, and he’s good to go. I, of course, must shower, curl my hair, find something stylish to wear (no bell bottoms, please) , and finally, apply the dreaded makeup. Then, there’s the fingernail and toenail polish, the earrings, the necklaces, the bracelets, the scarves. I would guess women spend five times as much time and money on their appearance as men. So, there’s the inequality.

50 years ago, a woman who wore black eyeliner, false eyelashes, fake fingernails, 4 shades of eye shadow , rouge and dangling earrings was probably in the theater or the world’s oldest profession. Most everyone else wore a bit of foundation, possibly some eyebrow pencil, a dab of lipstick, and off they went.

Nowadays, all you have to do is turn on the news to see how things have changed. Look at #CNN, ABC, or # Fox News. The females have perfect hair. (How many hours must they spend with hairdressers?). They wear as much eyeliner and mascara as an Egyptian princess. And of course, the eyelash extensions and trendy clothes are a must. Their teeth are pearly white, their faces glitter and glow, and their skirts go up above their knees. The women on #PBS aren’t quite so made up and girly girl, but even there, the dangling earrings that catch the light during serious discussions are distracting. Male newscasters don’t have to look glamorous. They’re supposed to look serious, which they wouldn’t if they wore even half as much makeup and revealing clothes as their female counterparts. And it bothers me that they’ve tried to tart up Sarah Huckabee. I liked her just the way she was.

Women are not equal as far as appearance is concerned. The cosmetics industry is growing more prosperous, and gentlemen still prefer painted ladies.

March 25, 2018

WHY DIDN’T WE PROTEST?

As members of the Silent Generation, we young women didn’t protest much of anything. Why not?

There was plenty to protest: racial inequality, sexual harassment, income disparity for women, abortion rights, the Korean War, to name a few. But we just sat there and took it. I suppose there are many reasons, but I have to believe that the birth control pill freed women from being stuck at home raising big families, feeling they might as well get married as stay single and work the rest of their lives for low wages as a nurse, secretary, store clerk, or teacher. If you were a “good girl” and didn’t make any waves, some man would come along and rescue you from a dreary, celibate life as an “old maid.”

We’ve come a long way, Baby. Here’s a picture of my two daughters with some of their friends at yesterday’s March For Our Lives in Washington DC. So proud of them I could cry. I may not agree with all of their causes, but I’m happy they feel free to stand up for their beliefs, and took the time from their incredibly busy schedules to fly to DC with the hope of creating a better world for all of our grandchildren.

March 21, 2018November 8, 2018

SHAPE UP WITH SMOOTHIES AT ANY AGE

Have you ever tried a vegetable smoothie, or for that matter, any kind of smoothie? I used to think of them as a beverage that appealed more to younger people…you know, the kind you see out jogging through the park on a cold Sunday morning,

wearing nothing but a pair of jeggings and a T shirt, while you’re bundled up in a ski jacket, scarf, and gloves. A smoothie didn’t seem like a suitable meal for an octogenarian .

But then, I saw my daughter buy eight boxes of strawberries on sale, which she proceeded to stem, wash, and freeze separately on cookie sheets before bagging. What in the world was she going to do with all those strawberries? Put them in her family’s morning smoothies, of course.

After that day, I decided to concoct my own smoothies using low fat Greek yogurt for protein and probiotics, and fruits or vegetables for added flavor and nutrients—all swirled together in the blender for a couple of minutes. At first. I combined at least three fruits with the yogurt— oranges, pineapple, grapes, bananas, blueberries—just about any thing I could find in the refrigerator or freezer. Then, I got creative and decided to try vegetable smoothies for a change. The same amount of yogurt, but this time, with a combination of three vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, kale, asparagus or tomatoes. Some people make vegetable/fruit combos, with 60 % fruit, 40% vegetable. There are hundreds of recipes on the net,but you really don’t need one. Every smoothie tastes different, depending upon what you’ve thrown in the blender. A smoothie with a couple of crackers makes a healthy, low calorie meal. So, the next time your grandchildren stop by, fix them a #smoothie!

March 19, 2018

SHOULD YOU START A BLOG?

Should You Start A Blog if you are #over #eighty? Especially if you hadn’t used a computer until your were #fifty and never took an #Information Technology class in your life? I’m beginning to wonder. I thought I had done fairly well, publishing three books with #Kindle and #Create Space all on my own in the past 3 years. I have #twitter and #facebook accounts. But this #Blogger thing is really throwing me for a loop. I don’t understand all the gadgets in the layout section, don’t know if I should be on Google+ or Blogger, not sure if I have the right settings. To add to my frustration, I called the computer lab at our local library for help and they said no one there knows anything about Blogger!

To make matters worse, I inadvertently posted something that violated some boundary on google, so that post got deleted, and now my page views have gone down. I’m sure I’ve clicked the wrong button somewhere while I was trying to find out what happened.

I finally got another email from the library that they would try and help me figure it out if I wanted to set up an appointment. Also, waiting for a book I ordered from #Amazon called #Blogging for #Dummies. (that sounds about right for me). So, I guess I’ll just keep on trying for awhile, at least until I’ve torn out all of my hair.

March 18, 2018

Hooray for Cheap Asparagus

Asparagus is basically an elitist vegetable, often served at upscale restaurants where you can pay

ten or twelve dollars for a glass of wine. But now is the season when we commoners can enjoy it at bargain prices. I used to treat asparagus with great care, steaming it for just the right number of minutes to keep it crisp and rushing it to the table before it got cold. But when my husband brought home a bundle of it last week and requested asparagus quiche for dinner, I decided to try cooking the spears in the microwave. One and a half minutes was all it took. Super easy!

Asparagus is nutritious, delicious, and versatile. It’s wonderful as a salad—just lay some cold, cooked spears on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle them with red pimento , top with egg slices, and serve with thousand island dressing.

It is a low calorie accompaniment to any meat, poultry or fish entree. But we love it in this quiche recipe which I clipped from a gourmet magazine years ago, then modified the part where it called for home made pie crust. I haven’t made pie crust for 15 years. I know it’s good, but the supermarket variety isn’t that bad.

Asparagus Quiche

Unwrap a pre made pie crust in a pie plate, bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about ten minutes until it’s dry but not brown. (You pre bake it so it doesn’t come out soggy). Take it out and let it cool while you prepare the filling:

Filling: ¼ pound bacon

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into half inch pieces

4 large or 5 medium eggs

1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese (can use whole milk or low fat)

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoons pepper (unless it makes you sneeze)

Pinch of ground nutmeg
3 chopped green onions.

Fry bacon until crisp; drain on paper towel. Chop bacon. Cook asparagus about 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave and let cool. Whisk eggs, ricotta, salt, pepper and nutmeg in bowl. Stir in bacon asparagus and green onions.

Spoon filling into crust. Bake 35 minutes at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until filling is firm. Let cook 5 minutes, then cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

March 16, 2018

PROLIFIC WRITERS, THICK BOOKS AND ACHY SHOULDERS

If you read my profile, you will see that I’ve published a few books, myself, so I know how much effort goes into producing 600+ pages. Unfortunately for seniors, heavy hardcover books can leave you with sore fingers and achy shoulders, depending on the severity of your arthritis.

I’ve just returned from the library, and as I stood perusing the shelves, I realized that I was unconsciously bypassing thick books. I know—I could miss something really great. But there’s always Kindle if I see a book that looks like a MustRead. And, let’s face it, there’s lots of competition for readers among authors, and millions of books on the market.

Now, gift books are another matter, because they are frequently chosen by a well meaning adult child to give a parent on special occasions. Gift givers want to appear generous, so they are apt to choose thick books that will look good under the Christmas tree. Of course,as a recipient, I feel compelled to read these large volumes, employing various devices such as finding a place to prop up my knees to hold the book, or opening it flat on a table while I sit with elbows propped, fists against my cheek.

Naturally, if I am buying a book, I want to get my money’s worth, so I won’t spend $25 for 120 pages. It seems to me 300 or 400 pages is about right for my shoulders. So authors, don’t worry if you can’t come up with a sequel to War & Peace.