BE SWEET TO YOUR FEET

Most young girls start taking care of their faces before they’re old enough to vote. Why? Because the first thing a young man looks at when he sees a girl is her face. There are creams for dry skin, oily skin, pimples, rashes, eczema—you name it, there’s a tube of something for it. Then we move down to the hands, because red, dry hands are bothersome and unattractive. Pretty hands are a must for the beauty conscious. But the last thing most of worry about is our feet. Who looks at them? Consequently, feet take a beating from the day we start walking, even though we expect them to perform effortlessly without any attention at all. That needs to stop. Valentines Day is coming, and it’s time to be sweet to your feet.

Start with a foot bath. for 20 minutes, twice a week. All you need is a plastic tub wide enough to accommodate both feet. Fill it up to your ankles with warm water, and maybe add some Epsom salts. . Afterwards, use a pumice stone to remove dead skin. Before you put on your socks, massage the balls of your feet gently , and rub in some lotion. Did you know that a foot massage relieves stress and anxiety? It also improves circulation, reduces irritation, and helps transport oxygen through the body.

If you want to get fancy, order a heated footbath online, or buy one at the store. However, you shouldn’t use a heated bath if you’re a diabetic , because it can burn your feet and cause blisters.

Most of us use hand cream every day. Why not foot cream? Our feet get tired and itchy and sore. They can use some loving care, too. At least twice a day , massage your feet with lotion. However, don’t rub the cream between your toes because you don’t want to create a moist place for fungal infections to invade.

One of the kindest things you can give your feet is a professional pedicure Let’s face it, pedicures are pricey. The average working woman can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars a year getting her toenails painted. But if a special occasion is coming up, or you’re simply feeling down and out, a trip to the nail salon will lift your spirits and vastly improve the appearance of your feet. Not to mention the soothing warmth of a foot massage.

Be sweet to your feet this Valentine’s Day!

January 25, 2023January 25, 2023

ANOTHER WACKY SQUAD IN CONGRESS

To paraphrase Tolstoy : “All ordinary congressmen are alike. Every wacky congressman is wacky in his/her own way.” In contrast, most US Senators tend to be more dignified. They’re thoroughly vetted by their own party, and the media in the states they represent. But when it comes to congressional candidates, it seems like anything goes. Especially in states with mega cities and numerous congressional districts. This year’s strange Republican congresspersons boggle the mind. If you thought the Democratic Squad was off the wall, hang on to your hat. There’s another wacky new squad in Congress.

ANOTHER WACKY NEW SQUAD IN CONGRESS, thanks to the Republicans. — ANOTHER WACKY NEW SQUAD IN CONGRESS include Rep. Boebert, Gaetz, Santos and Greene.

Let’s start with last season’s Democratic Squad. There’s Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota who was rumored to have married her brother. In 2019, she filed a joint tax return with her future husband while she was still married to the old spouse. It goes on and on. Then there’s Rashida Tlaib from Michigan who declared on the first day of Congress that her main goal was to get rid of Trump, and loudly declared, “we’re going to impeach the m…….f…….. Such crude behavior would not fly in Indiana, but apparently it pleased the constituents in her district.

Next, we have Alexandria Cortez who, among other things, killed a deal with Amazon that would have provided thousands of new jobs to constituents in her New York district. Finally, extreme liberal Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts who wants the voting age lowered to 16, and has sparked anger by calling for “unrest in the streets.”

If you live in fly over country, you’re probably wondering how anyone could have voted for these extremists. But not to be outdone, the Republicans have managed to produce their own wacky new squad in Congress.

Topping the list is George Santos, a pathological liar from New York who faked his resume and entire work history to get elected. Why? Because the Democrats paid him no mind, and he got caught up in a Republican sweep. Next, we have Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia who recently claimed Bill Gates wanted to force people to eat burgers grown in “peach tree dishes.” Lauren Boebert ran a restaurant in Colorado where the wait staff carried guns. Finally ,there’s Matt Gaetz who’s currently under investigation for sexual misconduct in Florida.

It’s kind of scary, but it demonstrates the danger of knee jerk voting. Most Americans vote for the party, not the individual candidate. They rarely listen to the candidate speeches, or God-forbid, read about their platforms in the newspapers. If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat or Republican, the poll workers will happily hand you a one party ballot. No explanations necessary.

So now, Republicans have their own squad to grab headlines and distract from the important work of congress.

January 20, 2023January 20, 2023

ANNOYING HEALTH CARE PHONE SURVEYS

If you visited a doctor yesterday, you’re apt to receive a telephone call today around dinner time. The hospital he’s affiliated with wants to know if you were pleased with him/ her. Since your meal has been interrupted, you may not wish to participate in their survey at all. Here’s a suggestion for hospitals and other health care providers: Please stop annoying health care phone surveys.

There are several questions they want you to answer. But the most ridiculous one, to me, is: How happy are you with your doctor’s treatment? Does anyone like having their nose cauterized? Even if you give a positive answer, you may change your mind a few days later when you get another nosebleed. There is absolutely no way of judging the efficacy of a doctor’s treatment a day later. Here’s why:

He could have misdiagnosed your problem. But you won’t know that within twenty four hours. Weeks or months later, if you’re still getting nosebleeds, having pain, or losing weight , you will realize he didn’t really help you at all. But now, it’s too late to complain. He was cheerful and friendly and confident. So you gave him an A plus or a 5 or whatever scoring system they use. Now, you might want to change your survey answers but that ship has already sailed.

Here’s another one: Were we able to answer all your questions? The doctor may have responded when you asked something like, “how long will this last,” Or “how did this happen?” but the answer may have been vague or ambiguous..

One question they could ask– but never do–is this: Do you think your doctor ordered too many tests? Many tests may be important, but there’s no way of knowing. And no health care facility is going to complain if a CT Scan costing the patient or his insurance about $3,000 was unnecessary. Which they often are. But when you’re frightened that you may have a serious disease, you willingly go along with uncomfortable and expensive procedures.

Once, I had a very unpleasant experience during laparoscopic knee surgery. . The nurse was rude, stabbed me with a needle numerous times to draw blood, and complained my veins were too small. The anesthesiologist gave me a total knee block instead of a partial, without asking my preference. When I received a survey, I filled it out honestly and described my displeasure. But I didn’t mail it, because I wanted to see if the procedure was successful. Which I wouldn’t know for several weeks. It was successful—no more knee pain. But the surgeon became angry when I voiced my complaints on our follow up visit. Several months later I finally mailed in that survey and didn’t change a thing.

Please, stop the senseless health care telephone surveys. They are annoying, and in no way provide an accurate evaluation.. The way someone rates their health care provider after twenty four hours may not reflect the quality of care they received..

January 15, 2023January 15, 2023

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING IN UK

I guess by now everyone has read some excerpts from Harry’s memoir, SPARE. It’s amazing that it’s a #1 best seller. The British monarchy is an outdated institution. For 1,000 years, it’s been assumed that the oldest son of a dying king was qualified to take over his Dad’s job, and do whatever kings are supposed to do. Which seems like a pretty flimsy premise. Would the oldest son of every cardiologist automatically qualify as a heart surgeon? Does a Kentucky derby winner stud breed a champion with every mare? As far as I can see, the British obsession with the monarchy is much ado about nothing.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Harry's memoir reveals the monarchy's many flaws — MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING IN UK. Prince Harry’s memoir, SPARE, exposes the frailty of the monarchy.

One episode in the book exemplified the trivial pursuits of the monarchy. Pregnant Princess Kate forgot something and American wife of the Spare jokingly attributed it to baby brain. Kate, being an uptight future queen, did not brush this off or take it in stride. She and the Prince of Wales decided this was a major insult that called for a formal confrontation at their home, after inviting Meghan and Harry for tea. Kate might have vented to her husband , but did they really need to make a mountain out of a molehill ? And when Meghan tried to explain, did William have to stick his finger in her face? Much ado about nothing

The monarchy is probably super touchy because they’re aware that their very livelihood is based on a scientifically invalid premise. They’re scared to death it’s finally going to dawn on the British taxpayers that the whole thing is a hoax. They’re frantically trying to maintain their image, even if it means playing games and planting stories with the British tabloids. It must be nerve wracking to think your very existence depends upon the whims of yellow journalists and muckrakers.

I don’t know what’s going to happen to Harry and Meghan in California. They may run out of steam after awhile, but I hope they achieve some sort of stability for their children. As far as re uniting with Harry’s toxic family-why would they want to?

January 10, 2023January 10, 2023

GOOD INTENTIONS OFTEN GO ASTRAY

Have you noticed all the new people at your fitness center or aquatic class? It looks like a lot of folks decided to get in shape this year. Great! Glad to see them. But there are lots of other New Year’s resolutions that don’t involve losing weight. Quit drinking alcohol. Cut down on video games. Call home every week. Stop smoking. Take French lessons. The list goes on and on. And they’re mostly about stopping or starting something. But statistics indicate that most of those resolutions are abandoned by January 18. Good Intentions often go astray.

Why do people give up so easily? They wanted to do something to improve their lives or happiness. And yet, they lacked the to follow through on their good intentions. Now, they feel a little bit disappointed in themselves. The truth is, they probably would have wound up in a much better frame of mind if only they’d had a little more of that good old stick- to-it-iveness.

GOOD INTENTIONS OFTEN GO ASTRAY. By the end of Jan, most have given up — Good Intentions Often Go Astray. Most New Years’ Resolutions are given up by January 18.

The strategies for stopping or starting a habit are completely different. Psychologists tend to focus on the stop issue, because the undesirable habit often involves some type of addiction, which is difficult to overcome. There are long lists of suggestions : join a support group, avoid triggers, etc. etc. Alcoholics should not go places where they serve beer, or keep it in their frig. Smokers should not have a pack of cigarettes in their purse or hang out with other smokers. But the truth is, most addictions are a reaction to stress and anxiety, and it’s hard to quit a bad job or stop worrying about your rebellious teenager.

Starting a new habit calls for an entirely different set of mental muscles. You go to the gym for one class and then never go back. Why? It was too much trouble changing clothes. Walking a treadmill is boring. Whatever. You signed up for French lessons and you couldn’t even speak a whole sentence after the first class. It’s way too challenging and when are you going to Paris, anyway? But what if you hadn’t given up so easily? By summer, you might not mind putting on a bathing suit. Or, you could decide to vacation on the French Rivera instead of going to Vegas.

However, there’s one approach that works for both kinds of resolutions : Mindfulness meditation. I know, it sounds kind of new age and hokey. But it works. And it’s really quite simple. Before you decide to re start a bad habit lean back in your chair and take a few, cleansing deep breaths. Next, acknowledge and accept your feelings, without judgement.” I really need that fix from nicotine or alcohol because I’m feeling stressed about my …job…marriage….. I can feel it in my bones.” Stop, breathe some more. The stressful situation won’t last forever. You can do this. More deep breaths. The urge has come and gone

Use the same technique if you’re tempted to quit the new, desirable behavior. Deep breaths. Walking the treadmill is boring. Going to the gym is too much trouble. I’m not seeing any immediate results. Breathe in, breath out. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. You know you will feel much better after a few workouts. Keep going.

Getting started with mindfulness is simple in this high tech world of ours. There are apps like Calm which can be downloaded for free or for a small fee. Mindfulness meditation should be your best New Years resolution. Good intentions often go astray. Don’t let that happen in this Happy New Year of 2023.

January 3, 2023January 3, 2023

STOP! DON’T USE DISPOSABLE DIAPERS.

Once upon a time, no one had ever heard of disposable diapers. Strange as it may seem, babies were born and raised for hundreds of years without them. Cloth diapers were the norm. My first children, born in the early sixties, never had their skin touched by the numerous chemicals that go into producing disposable diapers. Stop! Don’t use disposable plastic diapers.

When disposable diapers first came out, they were considered a luxury. But it didn’t take long before they took over the baby world. I’ll have to admit that my third child, born in 1970, never wore a cloth diaper. No more laundry days spent folding diapers! Who wouldn’t love that?

Since that time, landfills all over the world are jammed with plastic diapers that will be impacting the environment for hundreds of years to come. It’s been estimated that it takes 500 years for a plastic diaper to decompose in a landfill. Politicians are quick to criticize fossil fuels and demand that we respect the environment with clean energy. And yet , I’ve never once heard a politician propose that we do away with plastic disposable diapers. Think of all the votes they would lose!

Not for profit diaper banks are available in many communities. Well meaning charities are praised for helping low income women keep their babies clean and dry. Disposable diapers are considered a necessity, not a luxury. Consequently, discarded dirty plastic diapers are everywhere– along the highways, in parking lots, public restroom, and beaches.

Stop! Don't Use Disposable Diapers; use bamboo cloth instead — Stop! Don’t Use Disposable Diapers. They’re expensive and clog up landfills.

You can now purchase biodegradable bamboo disposable diapers but they’re way too pricey for the average consumer. Wouldn’t it be better if diaper banks issued bamboo cloth diapers? They’re earth friendly, without skin irritating chemicals. If we banned plastic diapers just as some communities have banned plastic bags, landfills would stop filling up with dirty diapers. Money would be saved to be spent on other necessities.

According to a recently published article in Mint Intuit ” Disposables came in at $800 for the year, while reusables cost $584 – a savings of 27 percent. That savings climbs drastically – to 60 percent – when you look at the second year of your child’s life. Cloth diapers require scant extra investment, while disposables keep hacking at your wallet.”

Inflation is rapidly eating away at our purchasing power. Stop! Don’t use disposable diapers. They are more expensive than cloth.