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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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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!

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CITY CAN’T MANAGE TRASH CANS

Should someone be paid if they don’t do their job?  Obviously not, in ordinary  circumstances.  The lawn service get paid when the grass is cut. A food server gets paid for the hours they’ve worked.  But when it comes to city contracts, it’s  a different story.  In the case of trash pick up in our city, the Waste Management  contract is awarded by  the Board of Public Works.  I’m not sure what those people do after the contract is awarded.   Apparently, they turn the whole thing over to an office administrator, and that’s who you call if you don’t have enough trash cans.  Trouble is, that person seemingly has no control over what the Waste Management  company does or does not provide.  If you complain about busted or missing  trash cans, the reply is:  “all I can do is e mail them.” And if they don’t do what you pay for?  Repeat: “all I can do is email them.”  Why such a flaccid response?   Obviously, the city can’t manage trash cans.

City Can't Manage Trash Cans. The Board of Public Works doesn't monitor their efficiency.
City Can’t Manage Trash Cans. The Board of Public Works should hold the Waste Management company accountable.

The Board members, themselves, are appointed by the Mayor, but the entire process is shrouded in mystery. If you go to the Board of Public Works website, you can’t find the names of the board members.  I did see a notice on the internet  from 2009 that a new man had been appointed to the board after someone retired.  But that was twelve years ago.   Actually, the decision on who to hire for trash services is a fairly major decision, amounting to more than half a million dollars.  But do any of these four people feel  responsible for the efficacy of local trash pickup?  Do they care if you have busted trash cans or fewer than you need for your rental property? Who holds the Waste Management  Company accountable ? Some cities fine companies for violating contracts.

The company won’t empty overflowing trash cans, but the cans are overflowing because there aren’t enough of them.  As Winston Churchill once said, “ It is a riddle,  wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”  Why does our Waste Removal  contractor have such a stranglehold on the Department of Public Works?    Seems to me that the city can’t manage trash cans.  Or maybe they don’t want to.

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BEWARE OF SUMMER SCAMMERS

When you’ve lived in a small town for awhile, you know a lot of people who’ve held a variety of jobs.  Sometimes,  gossip about  former employers reaches you through  the grapevine.  Here’s what you may  hear  if they’ve worked for an air conditioning company:   A customer calls on a sweltering hot summer day because the A/C went out.  Repair man shakes his head and says it can’t be fixed.  You’re miserably hot, unable to sleep.  You believe him when he tells you that you need a new unit.  They do you a favor and get the new one installed the very next day.  And  remove the old unit at no extra  charge.  Then, guess what? Instead of taking it to the junk yard, they  replace  a minor part, then sell  your old unit  to another customer.  Yes, it happens.    Beware of summer scammers! .

Beware of summer scammers. When you're air conditioning goes out, they may push you to buy a new one.
BEWARE OF SUMMER SCAMMERS. If your air conditioning goes out, they may try to sell you a new unit instead of repairing the one you have.

Summer is when folks  get serious about roof leaks, chimney repairs and other outdoor jobs.  Have you ever gotten bids to fix a roof?  The price range is nothing short of amazing.  Half of them refuse to do a partial roof install.  They will tell you that unless you get a whole new roof,  they can’t guarantee it won’t leak.  And  if  you start getting bids on a roof replacement,  you’re bewildered.   The bids may differ by as much as ten thousand dollars—or more .  Now is the time to pause before making a decision.  Talk to people, call different roofers, check BBB ratings and online reviews.   You’d be surprised what you can find over the internet.  Just gather the facts on your own.   And beware of summer scammers.

But scamming can also occur in other professions.  There are doctors who convince you that your backache cannot be cured unless you undergo expensive surgery. Tire salesmen who say they can’t fix a low tire..  They feed on your desperation:   Afraid the back pain can’t get better, or  of what you’ll do without a car for a day or so.

When you sense that a provider is pressuring you to make a quick decision, it’s time to stop and think.   Get bids from other companies.  Get second and third doctor’s opinions.  Check with another tire company and see if a nail can be removed..  Beware of summer scammers.