Month: July 2021

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PLEASE DON’T BRUSH TEETH IN LIBRARY

Everyone is getting upset about the new cases of covid-19 surging in our once-safe city.  The governor is not going to enforce mask wearing, but it looks like we’ll have to be extra careful about handwashing and other sanitary habits.  Yesterday,  I saw a woman brushing her teeth at the restroom sink in  the public library. She didn’t appear to be homeless. Nicely dressed, fairly well groomed.  Maybe she was going to a meeting and didn’t want to have bad breath.  All I know is that she was spitting in the sink, and saliva can spread the coronavirus.   Perhaps they should post a sign: Please  don’t brush teeth in library.

Please don't brush teeth in the library. It's not sanitara.
Please don’t brush teeth in library. Spitting in the sink can spread the virus.

Etiquette wise, it’s considered acceptable for a person to brush their teeth in a public restroom. But do you want to wash your hands in a sink where someone has spit their food, saliva and germs?   In fact, someone  with the virus may have contaminated the entire area where you’re turning on water,  and reaching for the soap dispenser.

Let’s go back and assume this person actually was homeless.  Maybe she had nice clothes, and was well groomed, because she wasn’t always homeless. Perhaps she began living in her car just a couple of days ago.  Anything is possible.  I just know she was creating a health hazard not only for herself, but for anyone who used the sink after she did. .

It’s hard to know how to handle a situation like this.  I’m not into confrontations with strangers, so I didn’t say a word.  However,  I didn’t care to wash my hands in that sink.  So I left the restroom without doing so.   Found some sanitizer at one of the desks.  Wiped my hands with a Kleenex (they don’t have paper towels) as best I could and tried to avoid touching anything except the books I was checking out.  Luckily, I’ve been vaccinated, so I’m not as vulnerable as some. But still.  Please don’t brush your teeth in the library–or any public restroom..

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9 THINGS TO DO DURING A HEATWAVE

One good thing about this hot weather.  It’s given the media something to talk about besides politics. Instead, they’re scaring people with dire warnings about what might happen.  On top of that, we’re having a resurgence of covid-19 infections because people aren’t vaccinated.   It’s almost as if  we’re facing an attack from outer space. Most octogenarians  have survived many heatwaves and plagues like polio. This is not our first rodeo.   Assuming  that you live in air conditioning, and you’re smart enough not to spend a lot of time outside, here  are 9 things to do during a heat wave.

     1. Walk around a big box store.  Mall walking peaked out about five years ago.  But now, malls are like a graveyard.  It’s dreary and depressing to see the demise of your favorite stores like Macy’s.  However,   big box stores are spacious and very cool.  You can easily walk a mile in a place like Meijer’s, and it’s fun to meander through the aisles and log a mile on your activity app.. At the same time, you’re liable to find some interesting new products you haven’t tried before.

     2. Sleep in the buff.. You may think this is the height of debauchery.  But if you’re over eighty, you don’t have to worry about the kids seeing you naked.   It’s much cooler, and you don’t have bunched up pj’s or a nightgown waking you up at night.

     3. Start a decluttering project. I began at this time last July https://livingwellafter80.com/decluttering-diary-day-one/and wasn’t finished until November!   It gives you a productive way to spend your time indoors.  Much more satisfying than watching television.

     4. Get creative. Write a blog.  Paint a picture. Needlepoint a pillow.  Get  out that old guitar and write a song. Make a YouTube video.

     5. Clean your refrigerator and freezer. This cool task won’t make you sweat.

     6. Weed out your photo album. I don’t know about you, but my cell phone and computer are loaded with photos I will never look at again.  It’s a tedious task going through them and deciding which ones to eliminate, but it gives you something to do while you’re shut up inside in air conditioning.

A cool, fresh smoothie makes a great summer meal
Start with some Greek yogurt,add 3 or 4 fruits, and whip up a cool smoothie in the blender

7. Whip up a cool refreshing , healthy smoothie.  I start with half a cup of Greek yogurt, then add 3 or 4 pieces, each, of fresh or frozen fruit: Try different combinations of banana,  blueberries, oranges, grapes, pineapple, mango, peaches etc.  If my smoothie tastes a bit sour, a handful or grapes or a few pineapple chunks will sweeten it up.

8. Go swimming. If you don’t have an indoor pool available in your city, drive to a nearby state park like McCormick’s Creek or Turkey Run in Indiana.  You’ll feel like a kid again–and so refreshed..

9. Finally, you might download  you tube music “HeatWave,” , and listen to Irving Berlin’s popular song  from the thirties  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5PpCCfhBhY

Irving Berlin wrote "Having A Heat Wave:in 1933
We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave

Oh! We’re having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave
The temperature’s rising, it isn’t surprising,
She certainly can  the can-can
She started a heatwave by letting her seat wave,
In such a way that the customers say
That she certainly can can-can

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SHOPPING CARTS LITTER THE CITY

You seldom see a stray shopping cart in the better parts of town.  But they’re scattered all over our inner city, and it’s getting worse.  Yesterday,  I saw a couple with a cart absolutely loaded to the brim, navigating it across a busy street, far from the Dollar Store.  At first, I felt annoyed that someone was stealing a cart in broad daylight.  But then, I saw it from their point of view.  Obviously, they don’t own a car.  However, they’re no different from the rest of us.  They need to eat, and do laundry, and use all the products that are necessary to get us through life. The Bible says the poor will always be with us.  That’s especially true in our town, with a 26% poverty rate. And that’s why shopping carts litter the city.

Shopping Carts Litter The City. It detracts from its image and appearance.
In a place with a 26% poverty rate, shopping carts litter the city.

It must be a calculated risk on the part of Dollar Stores and pharmacies..  Locating in an area of ramshackle dwellings takes some courage. I’m wondering if they have  trucks that scour the area , picking up carts from sidewalks and streets.  It would be nice to think a person would return a cart they’ve taken, but they probably don’t.

It’s actually illegal to steal shopping carts.  But would any cop stop a woman with two kids, wheeling a shopping cart down the sidewalk?  If arrested, they would probably say they were “borrowing” the cart.  And maybe, just maybe, they really do plan to return it.  Obviously, it’s not something you want in your kitchen.

It’s one of those problems that nobody knows how to solve.  We provide food banks for hungry people, and diapers for mothers who can’t afford them.  But how can we help the poor and disabled  in a city with limited public transportation?  I’ve seen people getting off the bus with loaded grocery bags, but they still have to get them from the bus stop to their homes.  Maybe that’s the next non-for-profit in the works.

We can erect beautiful out door sculptures, and build a spectacular new convention center. We might even get a flashy casino.  Meanwhile, shopping carts litter the city,  detracting from its appearance and image.

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DID YOU DODGE A BULLET?

It happens to everyone, sooner or later.  Someone or something lets you down, dashes your hopes and dreams.  You may get over it quickly, after a long while, or not at all.  But the truth is, when things don’t turn out the way we expect, it’s often a blessing in disguise.  Did you dodge a bullet yesterday, last month, or years ago?

Did You Dodge A Bullet
Did You Dodge A Bullet? When we’re disappointed in love, we may have dodged a bullet.

The first example that comes to mind is a failed relationship.  Someone you love, decides that they don’t love you. It may happen gradually, over years.  Or you’re totally blindsided.  One moment  you’re happy and content , the next minute you’re getting dumped.  Unless you got married right out of high school, you’ve probably experienced  at least one episode like this.  And yet, when it’s finally over, and you’ve gone on with your life, you  realize the person wasn’t right for you at all.

Here’s how  the urban dictionary defines  Dodged a Bullet:  “When you come close to dating a person but for whatever reason it falls through, and then later find out that person is batshit crazy,   you’ve  dodged a bullet..

Ok,  the person wasn’t crazy, so that doesn’t apply. .  But you may look back and realize you actually had nothing much  in common, or the one you loved was emotionally abusive.  It may take a long time, but you finally realize it would never have worked out well.

The next big downer is getting turned down for a job.  When you’ve written a great resume, and sat through a seemingly positive interview, you’re confident you’ll be offered a position.

And then, you hear nothing back.  Or you receive a tersely written letter  that they’re sorry to inform you—you didn’t get the job.  And they don’t even leave the door open, asking you to keep on applying.  This is almost more of a blow to your self esteem than the failed relationship.  What did you say or do wrong?  Was there spinach on your teeth?  Doggedly, you keep trying, not getting your hopes up again after the next  interview.  And all of a sudden, you land a dream job with a great  organization.  After you’ve settled down,  you look back and feel immensely grateful that you got turned down after that first job interview. .  It wasn’t about you—it was on them.  Their loss.  Ha Ha.

Did a business deal fall through?  Someone stand you up for an important  meeting? Miss a plane that ended up six hours on the tarmac? .  The  next time you’re feeling upset  about a rejection or missed opportunity,  remember this:  You may have  dodged a bullet.

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COVID GENERATION WILL DO FINE

Parents in Indiana got quite a shock last week.  The results of the spring ILEARN exams showed that only 28%  of elementary and middle school students passed both the math and English portions of the test.  It’s not surprising.  In some cities and towns, children had access to classroom learning.  Other school districts were forced to on-line classes 90% of the time, due to the Covid-pandemic.  My own grandchildren out in Washington DC never saw the inside of a classroom for most of the school year.  Next year is going to be a struggle for everyone, but especially the teachers.  What will happen to these children?  Will they every catch up, go on to college, or achieve success in life?  As someone who attended high school with World War II refugees, I believe the Covid generation will do fine.

Covid Generation Will Do Fine. World War 2 children caught up quickly in the US.
Covid generation will do fine. If refugee children could catch up in school  after World War II, our kids can, too.

My brother went to high school with a Jewish boy from Germany.  When he was 15 years old, his mother pushed him from a death march, and urged him to hide out in a nearby barn.  I’m not sure how long he stayed there before he was found by a US Army officer, and brought to our city.  When he entered high school, I don’t know how many school years he had missed, but I’m sure it was more than one.  At the same time, he’d lost his mother to the gas chambers in Nazi Germany.  He finished high school, graduated from Purdue, and became a successful pharmacist.

I went to a parochial school with two sisters  who’d escaped from Poland.  When they started school, they could barely speak a world of English.   For whatever reason, both of them were in my sophomore class.  One of them was two years older than the rest of us..  She had probably not gone to school for a long time.   Both were very bright, but had a lot of catching up to do.  And guess what?  They graduated high school, which meant they could have gone on to college if they so desired.  I’m don’t know what happened after that , as I went away to college and lost touch.

I’m not sure how these refugee children caught up with their fortunate American classmates.  As foreigners, they  were outsiders who didn’t enjoy a normal, 50’s social life.  No  double dates, hanging out at the drug store, or attending private  parties.  They were serious,  vastly more mature than we were,   and determined to succeed.  I would imagine they spent a lot of  hours studying at home on weekends. There were thousands of youngsters like them, spread throughout the United States after World War II. But they caught up in their studies faster than anyone would have dreamed.  So now, instead of worrying  about our kids’ dismal test scores,  let’s have some faith in their youthful resilience.  With our support and understanding, the Covid generation will do fine.

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ARE THEY RUNNING OUT OF NEWS?

Watching network news every evening has been a habit for as many years as we can remember.    The idea of turning off the TV at the news hour would have seemed unthinkable until now.  However, I find myself walking away after a few minutes of viewing.  Because now, the lead story is always about the resurging covid-19 outbreak.  Even if you didn’t like Trump or Biden, at least the presidential campaign and the fuss over who won the election provided a little excitement.  Are they  running out of news this week, or just not very interested in  what else is going on?

Are They Running Out of News? Or are they focusing too much on covid-19?
Are they running out of news? Or, is there too much about the ongoing Covid-19,epidemic.?

I find the endless reports of new covid-19 outbreaks  annoying.  If half the people in the United States won’t get vaccinated, I consider them  risk takers.  They’re really no different than smokers, or people who ride motorcycles without helmets.  Yes, we’re sorry that they get lung cancer or are permanently disabled, but they’ve mostly brought it on themselves.  It’s unfortunate, but t can’t feel too much sympathy for irresponsible people.

I don’t know why they consider the Covid-19 outbreaks more important than the riots, high crime rate, and number of homicides taking place in cities like Chicago. The people in those areas did not bring their problems on themselves.  They’re the victims of a very sick society where children grow up watching violent video games and then proceed to act out, with life-ruining results for small businesses and ordinary people in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or they could take us to the Southwestern Border, where millions of illegal immigrants are overwhelming our resources, and wreaking havoc in the unfortunate cities and towns along the way.

There isn’t a dearth of news in our country.  There’s just an unwanted emphasis on the ongoing Covid-19 epidemic which could have been prevented if the people who got sick had been vaccinated. They don’t deserve that much attention.

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WOULD YOU LIKE SOME ZUCCHINI?

Zucchini squash  this year are big as footballs, thanks to so much rainfall in Indiana.    If you’re an apartment dweller in a metropolitan area, you’re not going to have a problem.  But for those of us who live near farming communities, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone is going to proudly offer you a free zucchini, fresh from their garden. You have a choice.  You can either reject the bounty, or gracefully accept it.  Would you like some zucchini?  Not really, but it’s hard to resist such a kindly offering.

I don’t especially  like zucchini.  It’s bland, watery and has very little nutritional value. Maybe some vitamin C which you can get from a zillion sources. But now I’m stuck with it.  Brought it home from the office, church, senior center, or wherever they give this stuff away. So I’m going to make the best of it.

I like it  raw, sliced up in a salad to give it some crunchiness.  It also makes a fairly decent substitute for potato chips with dip.  No, not as tasty,  but you can feel good, knowing that instead of 100 calories in 10 potato chips, you’re consuming almost nothing with  zucchini slices.

If you’d like to serve it as a side vegetable, you can jazz it up with fresh corn.  Just scrape two or three ears of corn, combine  with zucchini slices, cover  with water, and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Drain, add salt, pepper and butter as desired.   It easy, fresh, and summery.

Would You Like Some Zucchini? It's plentiful this year..
Would you like some zucchini? It can be served in various ways.

Let’s say you  want to use it  for a family meal..  Just to make sure they will enjoy it, you can prepare a cheesy zucchini casserole.  (Cheese makes everything better).  Serve it as a main dish for vegans, or as a side dish.   If the zucchini is a normal size, you can simply slice it.  But if it’s very large, you’ll want to cut it into one or two inch pieces.

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups sliced zucchini, sliced about 1/4 inch thick.

½ cup chopped onion

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 eggs

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 ½  cups shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a  9 inch baking dish.

Add sliced zucchini to baking dish’; sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the heavy cream, eggs, parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, and  nutmeg.

Layer 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the zucchini. Pour the cream sauce over the zucchini.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake for about 10 minutes, or until bubbly and browned. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy your garden fresh zucchini!