WHERE WILL HARRY STAY?

Since he’s persona non grata in the UK, you have to wonder: where will Prince Harry stay when he comes back to London for his Grandpa’s funeral next week? As everyone knows, the Brits are pretty mad about his interview with Oprah when he bashed the monarchy over the way his wife was treated.

Some people have said Harry shouldn’t be allowed back in England after he threw his family under the bus while Prince Phillip was in the hospital. On the other hand, Americans, for the most part, have a favorable view of Harry and Meghan. Maybe he should have just sent his respects and stayed in California? I don’t think so. He has every right to attend the funeral of his Grandfather with whom he was very close, from all accounts.

Where will Harry stay? The Brits are mad at him, so he won't be welcome many places. — Where will Harry stay when he returns for his Grandpa’s funeral? Once he was popular, but now he’s persona non grata in England. .

Anyway, back to his accommodations. My husband and I have a bet–he says Harry will be put up at Windsor Castle. I say he won’t be invited, and even if he were, he wouldn’t accept. It’s possible he might stay with some of his mom’s relatives in the Spencer family. I imagine they would welcome him with open arms. But today, I read that he will probably stay with Princess Eugenie. That makes sense.

Besides being best cousin-friends, they have another, stronger bond. Eugenie’s dad, Prince Andrew brought some serious disgrace to the royals, after cavorting with the infamous Jeffrey Epstein’s underage female friends. So Eugenie understands what it’s like to be the family black sheep. Of all the relatives, she would probably be the least judgmental of whatever Harry said or did in the Oprah interview.

At any rate, I doubt if Harry will be staying at the London Hilton or the Best Western. Royals don’t stay in motels or hotels.

During tense family funerals, relatives who envy or despise each other are forced to be in the same room. It’s surprisingly doable. You manage not to stand near one another. And if you do come face to face, you simply smile and move on. Above all, you avoid conflict out of respect for the deceased. But don’t expect any warm reconciliations.. Family feuds run dark and deep over real or imagined injustices.

Meanwhile, where will Harry stay?

April 9, 2021April 9, 2021

FIE ON FAST TALKERS

When I was a child growing up in the post depression years, people were leery of “fast talkers.” They often showed up at your front door, selling anything from brushes to vacuum cleaners. They had an air of desperation about them. Nevertheless, our sympathy was overshadowed by caution. Fast talkers weren’t to be trusted. But now, the media seems to be inundated with them. Fie on fast talkers.

If you have a problem with a product you bought online, you’re likely to contact the customer service department. For heaven’s sakes, don’t forget to put on your hearing aids. Most representatives have foreign accents, and speak so rapidly that you constantly have to ask them to repeat themselves. . They become impatient, and may hang up on you. On the rare occasions when I find myself speaking to a customer service representative whom I can understand , their company is the one that I prefer to do business with in the future.

I suspect that making your living on the telephone doesn’t pay very well. And it’s not very satisfying to listen to customer complaints and nasty people all day long. So the person you’re talking to has probably taken the job as a last resort. If you must contact a representative online, using the chat option is often better than a telephone call. At least they have to spell out their answers, and understand what you’re saying.

But there are fast talkers everywhere. In our city, we have a TV station that employs attractive young news reporters who babble off a teleprompter at breakneck speed. They may think that makes them seem more intelligent, but actually, they come off as nervous and jumpy. Needless to say, we don’t watch that station unless the other has a ball game. In this troubled world, you want to hear the news from someone who is relatively calm, cool, and collected.

Here’s some advice for fast talkers that I found on the internet:

Open your mouth a little bit wider
Finish the words. Don’t leave off endings.
Don’t leave out the syllables. Instead ot “diffrent” , pronounce it dif- er-ent. Instead of “evry” say ev-er-y
Lengthen the words. For example “Smile” can be lengthened by holding the I a bit longer.
Pause after every sentence or new thought. Give the listener a chance to assimilate what they’ve heard.

Fie on fast talkers. They’re annoying and frustrating. If you want someone to understand what you say, slow down.

April 7, 2021April 7, 2021

ONLINE RETURNS A PAIN IN THE NECK

Most of us have done more online shopping during the covid-19 pandemic than ever before. We’ve ordered all kinds of products that we could buy at a store. That’s been helpful. But it’s different with clothing and shoes. Even though a few retailers are still open, their dressing rooms are closed. So, it’s no different than online shopping. I’ve ordered more dresses, shoes, and sports outfits online than ever before. And half the time, they have to be returned. Online returns are a pain in the neck.

Many retailers offer free shipping for certain items. . Somehow, this lulls you into forgetting that they may have to be returned, and this could cost you . As an example: I ordered a dress, not realizing it came from Hong Kong. This meant a three week wait. When the item came, two things were wrong: 1. Although I’d ordered a size larger than normal, it was still too small . 2. The material in the dress was see-though. Yes, you could see the color of my underwear. Don’t they know women don’t wear slips anymore? It’s hard to believe anyone would keep a dress like this. Where would you feel comfortable wearing it? And so, I printed out an Amazon return label, and was told that I would be charged for return shipping. Only about 4.00, so not too bad.

Ordering shoes online is especially problematic is you have anything wrong with your feet. Only certain shoe styles accommodate annoying problems like bunions and hammertoes. But remember, shoes are heavier. You not only have to pay for shipping, you also have to pay shipping on returns. So, buying and returning a pair of ill fitting shoes can result in at least $10 bucks in shipping costs.

Online returns a pain in the neck. Shipping costs and waiting in line at the post office is the downside of online shopping. — Purchases are often disappointing. Online returns are a pain in the neck.

But it’s not just the cost that’s bothersome. It’s the time and effort it takes to repackage the item, tape it up, and find a place to return it. In our city, UPS is located miles away in a busy part of town. Sometimes they’ll let you return the item to Kohl’s—in the same part of town. First, you have to find a parking place. Then , put on our mask, walk through the store, and stand in line for service. Those lines have grown much longer during this pandemic. Other retailers let you use the Post office, which results in the same inconvenience.

I really miss shopping in the mall. The luxury of trying on three or four dresses or pair of shoes before making a decision. Knowing that what you see is what you get—not some distorted picture in an online catalog. Will department stores ever make a comeback? I wish they would, because online returns are a pain In the neck.

April 5, 2021April 5, 2021

INDULGE IN CREAMED ASPARAGUS

Back when almost everyone either lived on a farm, or knew someone who did, creamed vegetables were very popular. That was before anyone had made the connection between animal fat and heart disease. In the springtime, asparagus was plentiful and cheap. It grew all over the place, even along the railroad tracks! Any good cook would serve bowls of creamed asparagus in April and May. Never mind the calories. Every once in a while, we’ll give into temptation and indulge in creamed asparagus, just for old times sake.

Asparagus is a nutritional power house. First of all, it is high in fiber–especially insoluble fiber that adds bulk to the stool and supports regular bowel movements. It also contains soluble fiber which is good for the digestive tract by feeding friendly bacteria in the gut. It’s low in calories and packed with at least 10 essential vitamins and minerals.

Asparagus can be eaten in many different ways. For just plain, low calorie asparagus, I simply cover it with water and microwave it for 7 minutes. You can add butter and salt for extra flavor. Or, you can line the spears up on a lettuce leaf to make a marvelous salad. Another favorite is asparagus bacon quiche—there are many recipes on the internet.

Indulge in Creamed Asparagus. It's a nutritional powerhouse. — Indulge in creamed asparagus. Make it with either cream or milk.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and we decided to forget about our diets for the day. I don’t know how many calories we consumed, but we certainly enjoyed a fine meal which included creamed asparagus.

When preparing asparagus, be sure to separate the edible part from the tough woody ends. Hold each stalk in the middle and at the bottom. Bend the stalk, and the woody end will snap off. Discard the bottom.

CREAMED ASPARAGUS

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) trimmed asparagus, cut in 2 inch pieces

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups Half n Half cream or milk

Directions:

Cover asparagus with water. Either boil for 3 minutes in sauce pan, or cook in microwave for 3 min , just until tender. Drain asparagus and set aside.

In saucepan, melt butter. Add flour to make a roux and cook for one minute. Stir in milk. Bring to a boil and add asparagus. Salt to taste.

Serve as a side dish, or over toast.

If you love asparagus as much as we do, this is as good as it gets.

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021

KILLJOY FROST HELPS ALLERGIES

When I was younger, it seemed that I always caught a cold in the Spring. I attributed it to the unstable weather—one day hot and sunny, the next cold and rainy. But it finally dawned on me that it wasn’t the changing weather that made me sneeze. It was the tree pollen whirling through the air in April. Once I’d figured that out, I treated my “spring cold” like any other allergy with antihistamines and a neti pot. Also, I tried to shut the windows and stay indoors. But I got lucky this year with a killjoy frost, because it helps allergies by killing the pollen. This only happens when you have a hard freeze below 20 degrees after the trees have begun pollenating.

The last week in March, we had temperatures in the seventies, and all the pretty flowering trees began to bloom. Then, a cold spell swept in, with below freezing temperatures turning all the blossoms brown. I know it’s ugly, and I shouldn’t be glad. But I am, because I’ve gotten a break from all the allergic reactions.

Tree pollen is finer than other pollens, and the wind can carry it for miles. These light, dry grains get into your sinuses, lungs and eyes. This year we’ve had winds up to 60 miles per hour.

In the fall, most allergy sufferers pray for a hard frost to kill the dreaded ragweed pollen. Even those who aren’t allergic don’t mind when a killing frost finally comes—anywhere from October through November. By then, with all the brilliant colored leaves to enjoy, no one is too upset when the frost kills our petunias and begonias. We were tired of watering them, anyway.

Killjoy frost helps allergies, but ruins the pretty spring tree blossoms. — A killjoy frost helps allergies, but it burns the pretty magnolia blossoms.

But a killjoy frost isn’t a welcome event. Often, the magnolias and crabapple trees don’t start blooming until April. Then, we have a spectacular spring show in our city. with miles of blossoming trees lining the streets everywhere. But, about every four years, a killjoy frost sweeps in and burns all those pretty blossoms.. I know it ruins the magnolias, but it’s a gift to those of us with allergies.