Month: January 2020

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SENIORS: SAVOR LIFE’S SIMPLE PLEASURES

While you’re young and active , it takes a lot to make you happy.  A big wedding.  A new house. Buying a late model car.  Giving birth to healthy children.   When that phase of life passes, you look forward to a busy retirement.  Many people ditch their homes and spend their golden  years exploring the United States in a big, expensive RV.  But what happens when you can’t do those things anymore?   When your horizons narrow, it’s time to refocus and enjoy the little things.   Seniors:  Savor life’s simple pleasures.

Although you own a car,  driving at night or an the interstate isn’t an option. But , you can still drive to the river and take a long walk  Or have a picnic in the park.  How many times does a working person  take time for such leisurely activities?  Yes, they might run or power walk  because that what’s people do now to keep fit.  But it’s really not as much fun as watching the ducks swimming across the water  while you sit with the sun on your face.

Going out to dinner at a fine restaurant was once a weekly highlight.  Now, a steak dinner with French fries is liable to keep you awake all night with heartburn.  It’s not much fun to eat out when everything is covered with butter or cream, or loaded with Mexican spices.  If you still enjoy cooking, it’s time to enjoy those old fashioned recipes that are easy on the tummy.  As an example, there’s nothing so delicious as Swiss Steak.  Choose a thick cut of lean round beef and simmer it all afternoon. ( You can leave off the gravy if you get heartburn).  Find some low fat, low calorie recipes in an old cookbook or on the internet.  You won’t miss those fancy restaurant meals at all. And you will certainly sleep better.

When your horizons narrow, begin to focus on the little things in life
If you can’t go South for the winter, bring Amaryllis bulbs back to life and watch their blooms unfold while the snow falls.

Indoor gardening is a great  joy when you can no longer drive South in the winter. Right now,  the stores are full of potted tulips and hyacinths. Lately, I’ve been having fun with amaryllis bulbs stored in the basement last fall,  and revived to re bloom this winter. . It’s exciting to see those little buds coming up out of nowhere, and watch them inch their way up to a beautiful, vibrant flower.

How often does a working person or busy retiree take the time to read a good book?  The average person only reads one book a year!  But now, those long winter afternoons provide a chance to go back and read the classics once again.  War and Peace.  Anna Karenina. Vanity Fair. Moby Dick.  Wuthering Heights. You may have had to read these books for a lit class, but this time around you can enjoy going back and lingering over every word.

Now is the time to get creative.  Paint pictures. Knit scarves. Write a blog.  Compose a poem.

Finally, get back in touch with childhood friends and relatives.    Maybe you can’t get together in person, but you can still write letters and talk on the telephone.  A surprising number of seniors have e mail, and know how to text.

Now is the time to focus on all the simple things you were too busy to enjoy before. Fix yourself a hot cup of tea and watch the snow fall..

Seniors: Savor Life’s Simple Pleasures

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CITY MAKES LONELY CHICKENS THE LAW

Our city council recently passed a law allowing chickens within the city limits.   I grew up in the days when most people had “country cousins.”  When we visited the farm, I can remember chickens wandering all over the property.  They had their own house,  but they only laid eggs and slept there.  I don’t remember anything very appealing about them, except for the food they produced. And of course, there were always roosters chasing the hens.  But now, city chickens must  remain celibate.  No roosters allowed.   The city makes lonely chickens the law. That seems a little mean spirited, to me.

If you want to keep urban chickens, you can't have a rooster
If you want to keep urban chickens, you won’t be able to have a rooster.

Free range chickens provide lots of fresh eggs, if you don’t mind cleaning off the poop.  They also provide chicken meat.  Did you ever witness the killing  of a chicken?  I did, many times.  My aunt was a tough farm wife with no mercy. The chicken would be strung up on a clothesline before she wrung its neck. At that point, I closed my eyes and ran away.  The next time I saw the ill fated bird was after it had been dipped in boiling water and the feathers plucked.  At last,  the hen was cut up and coated with  flour before frying.  Yes, it was super delicious.  But I can’t imagine anyone wanting to set up a chicken slaughterhouse in their own home.

What worries me most about the new chicken law is code enforcement.  Who is going to check every chicken coop for roosters?  Or make sure there are only 8 chickens in a pen?  Roosters wake you in the morning but hens also make noise with their plucking.

Code enforcement in our city is an exercise in futility and hostility. First, we only have two code enforcement officers, so they don’t get around much.   If you turn in someone  who doesn’t cut their  grass, the officer informs them that a neighbor has complained. Lets face it,  an irresponsible  neighbor is typically hostile if confronted. . When he finds out you’ve reported him, you’re apt to feel some repercussion.   So, it’s seldom that anyone turns in a complaint.  Consequently, the culprit’s  weed filled, overgrown yard is a blight on the neighborhood  Now, if that same next door neighbor decides to raise chickens, we’re in for a long, hot, stinky, noisy summer. And code enforcement will not be of much help.

Urban chickens also attract unwanted intruders.  Raccoons, mice, and possums will want to get at the chickens and their feed.  Since we live across from a park, we have enough of those critters invading our property already.

And what about the vegetarians who might live nearby?  A yard full of chickens will certainly be an unwelcome sight.

I can’t imagine what convinced our councilmen to vote 5-2 in favor of the new ordinance.   What will be next?    Pigs?  Dairy cows?   There’s a reason most metropolitan areas  don’t allow farm animals within city limits.

Sadly, the ordinance has already passed.  Our  city has made lonely chickens the law.

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DID SOMEONE JUST BLINK?

Some of you may remember the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.   Nikita Khrushchev decided the Soviet Union was going to establish a nuclear missile base in Cuba.  But President John F. Kennedy said we weren’t going to have enemy missiles 90 miles from home.  He told the Russians to dismantle the  bases. Furthermore, he told them stop sending missiles.    He formed a naval blockade around Cuba,  and threatened the use of military force.    The Russians set sail, anyway.  As a result, America held its breath for 13 long days.  We were on the brink of nuclear war.   Khrushchev and Kennedy were eyeball to eyeball.    Finally, the Russian ships turned around and headed home.  The recent conflict between Trump and Iran reminds us of the Cuban Missile Crisis.    Did someone just blink? 

In the Cuban Missile Crisis , America was on the brink of nuclear war
Kennedy and Khrushchev were said to be eyeball to eyeball during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

The election of  President John  Kennedy  caused as much controversy as the election of Donald Trump. The Republicans claimed the Democrats stole the election in Chicago.

The Republicans hated Kennedy just  as the Democrats hate Trump. But Kennedy had an advantage. The media adored him,   That changed in 1961, after the  Bay of Pigs fiasco.      111 Americans were killed, and 1100 taken prisoner.  Now,  public opinion turned.  Many Americans thought  Kennedy was “dangerously incompetent,” as Joe Biden might say.

But  Kennedy turned defeat into glory  after the Cuban Missile crisis ended. At last, he was seen as a strong leader.  By the same token, many Americans now believe Trump is a hero after eliminating  Iran’s terrorist General Soleimani.

In ordering the killing of Soleimani in Iraq, President Trump took a bold risk.  But, no Americans died in Iran’s subsequent missile attack on a US base in Iraq.   Will Trump go down in history as  a strong leader?  Did someone just blink? Or was the confrontation with Iran a fiasco? Only time will tell.

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Yucky Restrooms Repel Customers

Most of us avoid using public restrooms like the plague.  But sometimes, especially if you’ve had too much coffee, you have to go.  It amazes me that big supermarket chains and discount stores make so little effort to keep their restrooms fresh and clean. Remember the heyday of the big department stores? Part of their appeal was their attractive powder rooms.  Yucky public restrooms repel customers.

We live  5 minutes away from three  superstores who constantly try and outdo each other to attract sales. They spend a fortune on beautiful full page, color ads.   They run unbelievable sales and loss leaders to lure you through their doors.  Only one of them has clean, attractive public restrooms.

Store #1:  Before you even walk inside the bathroom, you see two dull, grimy drinking fountains .  Open the door and you’re  greeted by a disgusting smell.  This is not a one time thing.  It  ALWAYS smells this way.  You have to wonder why.  Because of backed up drains?  Poor ventilation?  Whatever.  The walls are painted an ugly brown, with mustard yellow tiles.  Makes you think of diarrhea and other nasty images.  All of which goes along with the odor.  They have two stalls, and one of them is usually plugged up with toilet paper.

Store #2:  This is a big box store, so they have about 8 stalls.  The odor isn’t  so bad as store #1, but it comes close.  Paper towels are scattered all over the floor and on the sinks.  Usually, two or three toilets are stopped up, so it takes awhile to find one that works and doesn’t stink.  Often, they’re out of toilet paper. Stalls are stainless steel, and walls are painted a grayish white.  There is nothing remotely appealing about this place,

Store #3:  Nice surprise because it doesn’t stink.  No, it doesn’t look like the restrooms at the Hilton Garden Inn,  but at least the walls are freshly painted and bright.  The floors are mopped and free of litter. The sinks are clean.  None of the toilets are stopped up.  Stainless steel doors aren’t smudged with fingerprints.  Locks work.

Guess where I’d rather shop for my groceries? Yes, it’s a mile further, but subconsciously, I’m attracted to the cleanliness, good lighting, and smell of the restrooms at Store #3.  I probably won’t use their restroom very often, but I know it’s there, and I won’t have to hold my nose if I have to use it..

Clean public restrooms attract customers
Grocery stores that maintain clean public restrooms attract more customers.

Here’s my advice to all the big grocery chains:  If you really want to compete, forget about offers to save a dollar if you buy five, and all the other confusing ads.  Paint your restrooms pink or blue. You might even have some pretty  murals or framed pictures.  Install  some soft lighting. .  Make it smell fresh—not like bleach or disinfectant, but something really fragrant. Keep the mirrors clean. Take out those disgusting blow hand dryers  that everyone knows spread bacteria.  If a toilet gets plugged up, have a maintenance guy fix it pronto. You might be surprised what attractive  public restrooms  will do for your bottom line.

Yucky public restrooms  repel customers.

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WHAT IS OUR FOREIGN POLICY?

In my home town, I’m acquainted with  a diverse group of people. Because of our respective careers , my husband and I know folks from every race, religion, and  socio-economic background.  If I were to sit down with some of them and ask, “what is our foreign policy?” I don’t think anyone would give me the same answer.

Some  professors,  politicians, and military could probably voice a well informed opinion.  But even in this college town, those people are few and far between.

When FDR signed a declarration of war against Japan, everyone understood USA foreign policy
Everyone in the USA understood our foreign policy when FDR declared war against Japan in 1941..

When I was a child, the USA foreign policy  was pretty clear.  We were fighting Germany and Japan.  The Germans hated the Jews, and the Japanese hated us.  If we didn’t enter the war, they would take over our country , kill our priests, and make us do  horrible things to our fellow human beings.

A few years after WWII ended in 1945,  almost every young man I knew was drafted and sent to Korea.  Again, we had a  pretty clear foreign  policy:  Fighting communism.

 

Then we entered the long, agonizing  war in Vietnam.  Our sons, brothers, husbands and fathers were  drafted to continue the  fight  against Marxist communism.  Most of us protested. However,  the politicians convinced us that if our guys didn’t fight and die in Southeast Asia, we’d soon be ruled by the communists. We lost that war, but saved our democracy.

The State department  says their  foreign policy goals are to preserve national security, promote world peace, promote democratic values, work with our allies to solve international problems.  and further cooperative foreign trade,

But  how is the average American supposed to figure out what the United States is up to all over the world?  The cold war is supposedly over, but we’re impeaching a president because he held up aid to a corrupt Ukraine in their fight against Russia.  Does that make sense?  If that’s what we’re doing, it looks like the cold war is really a hot war.

Supposedly, we’re not at war with anyone in the Middle East. But if you were alive on 9/11, it felt pretty much like Pearl Harbor to those of us who were around both times. We actually were at war after 9/11, but it was never declared.

If you were alive during the Pearl Harbor attack, 9/11 seemed like we were at war again
No one questioned our foreign policy when FDR declared war against Japan

We’ve been sending our troops  all over the Middle East for years, even though we don’t need their oil any more  We’ve got all the oil we need right here in the good old USA .   Also,  we have wind farms and other forms of  cleaner energy.  But the politicians give us the same old excuse they did  about communism.  They tell us we’re fighting  terrorism there so we don’t have to fight it here.

Why are we trying to maintain toxic relationships with countries who hate us? Any therapist would tell us that’s crazy.  Our foreign policy is incoherent to the average person who goes to work every day, worries about paying their mortgage, and educating their children.

People  cared more about our foreign policy when men  were being drafted  against their will.  Now that the US military is  an all  volunteer  service, no one feels as strongly as they once did. And more importantly, our foreign policy  doesn’t influence their vote nearly as much  as the cost of  health care,  prescription drugs, and the unemployment rate.

What is our foreign policy?  Does anyone really know?

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WALKING WITH MITTENS

When you think of mittens, you picture little kids.  Their fingers are too small to bother with gloves, and besides, they don’t really have to do much of anything with their hands.  The grown ups dress them, zip up their coats, and take them where they want to go. Gloves are for busy adults who have to master many tasks with their fingers and hands. But when you pass eighty, you notice that the tips of your fingers are practically numb while you’re driving a car or doing ordinary tasks outside during cold weather.   It may be caused by arthritis or poor circulation.  But one thing is clear. It’s time to start walking with mittens.

Mittens aren't just for kids. When you have arthritis, they keep your fingers warm and flexible.
Mittens aren’t just for kids. After you’re eighty walking with mittens keeps your fingers warm and helps with arthritis.

When my daughter asked what I wanted for Christmas, I told her I wanted some mittens.  Being a conscientious person, she looked around and came up with top-of-the-line.

Wearing mittens that first day  was an adjustment .  I walked down the lane, feeling like the little girl who walked to school wearing snow pants. Needless to say, I use a cane for hiking through the park.  Yes, I could manage without the cane, but there are too many ups and downs in the pavement and grounds. Pride goeth before a fall.  Anyway, gripping the cane with the mittens felt rather uncomfortable, at first.

Usually, after I’ve walked for a few minutes on a cold day, my fingers start feeling numb.  This happens even with fur lined gloves.  Isolating that pinky finger from  the other piggies doesn’t work well. But that first day with mittens, my hands kept feeling warmer. By the time I finished my walk, they were actually sweating.  My fingers didn’t ache; in fact, they felt downright flexible.

The next challenge came when driving on a cold day.   Would I be able to steer, turn the key in the lock?  I tried driving with mittens on a quiet street with little traffic.  Again, an adjustment.  But so nice not to have cold fingertips.  If I’m driving a long enough way, I can take off the mittens after the car warms up. But my trips to town and the store aren’t usually that long.

If you see an old lady walking with mittens, don’t worry.  She hasn’t gone daft.  She’s just keeping her fingers warm.

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STOP! SAVE THAT HAM BONE

Most every holiday buffet includes a beautiful baked ham.  While a boneless ham seems easier to carve, the shape and flavor of a bone-in ham is far more appealing. But let’s face it, you’re probably going to end up with some leftovers.  After you’ve cleaned the ham from the bone to make sandwiches, you might start to throw it in the trash.   Stop! Save  that ham bone.   There are so many ways to use it for economical, heart healthy meals.

Did you know that bone broth is one of the most nutritious foods? In addition to  providing collagen, it is a great source of magnesium, calcium,   and phosphorus. Full of amino acids , it heals the gut, promotes healthier joints, and boosts the immune system.     Simmer a ham bone with peas, beans or legumes, and you have a nutritional powerhouse that’s  insanely easy to prepare.   Beans and legumes are low in calories and fat, and a rich source of protein, fiber and B vitamins.

 And if you’re a frugal cook,  Split Pea Soup is one of the cheapest dishes you can serve.

Stop! Save That Ham Bone.
Trim all the fat from the ham bone before making Split Pea Soup

Before I start making this soup, I carefully scrape the ham bone, removing any visible fat.  This reduces the calories and makes the soup easier to digest for those who can’t handle much animal fat.  Then, I place the  ham bone  in a 4 quart saucepan.

Next, I  I open a bag of split peas, chop up some onion, throw in a couple cloves of garlic.  Now, I fill the pan almost to the brim with water, and add a bay leaf, carrots and celery.  The recipe may call for salt, but I don’t add any because the ham is salty enough to suit my taste. After simmering for a couple hours,  tender bits of ham can be pulled from the bone joint with a fork and mixed in with the soup.  I’ve made this soup  so often that I don’t need a recipe, but here’s one if this is your first time making split pea soup.

Split Pea Soup With Ham Bone

Ingredients:

 1 package (16 ounces) dried green split peas

1 meaty ham bone

½  large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped.

1 bay leaf

2 carrots, scraped and chopped

1 stalk celery , chopped.

Directions:

Stop@ Save That Ham Bone. Use it for Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup
Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup made with a ham bone is delicious and nutritious

Combine all ingredients in 4 quart stock pot and cover with water up to within an inch of the brim.  Simmer, covered, for 1 ½ hours or until soup reaches desired thickness. When cool enough to handle, remove ham bone and remove meat from bone.  Discard bone, dice meat.  Return meat to soup. Discard bay leaf.  Reheat and serve.

1 cup: 202 calories. Makes about 10 servings.

For an extra treat, buy a box of Jiffy cornbread mix and make some muffins to serve with the soup.

Never underestimate the value of a ham bone!