CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT SINGLE-USE PLASTICS?

Everyone agrees that single-use plastic is one of the worst things that’s happened to the environment.  Plastic sticks around  for ages, threatening wildlife and spreading toxins.    Activists have banned the use of plastic bags in a few American cities,  but the trend really hasn’t taken hold. Even though I bring cloth bags to Aldi’s because I have to, I will admit to laziness when it comes to supermarkets who provide multiple plastic bags. It’s so much easier to let them do it. Environmentalists insist that the day must come when we stop jamming up our oceans with piles of plastic trash.  But the question is, can we  live without single-use plastic?

Can we live without single use plastics? The oceans are full of plastic .
Can we live without single-use plastics? By the year 2050, the ocean will have more plastic debris than fish.

Let’s start at the bottom with disposable diapers.  There are charitable organizations that provide free disposable diapers to low income  women.  Can anyone of child bearing age believe that you can do without them?  Well, I did.  Used cloth diapers, which could be thrown in the washing machine and reused for years on end.  However, by the time my third child was born, I succumbed  to the lure of disposable diapers.  Which are actually coated with plastic.

Disposable baby diapers  form a sizeable portion of non-recyclable landfill waste. They also contain many harmful chemicals that are subsequently dispersed into the environment.

Let’s move on to packaging.  Half the products on our shelves are in plastic containers.  Laundry detergent, ketchup, mustard—the list goes on and on. They used to sell such  products in either cardboard boxes or glass bottles. I guess that was a lot more expensive than using plastic.

According to the National Geographic:

“The conveniences plastics offer a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side.  Today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. Many of these products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.”

Take the time to look around your house—the kitchen and bathroom, in particular.  How many of the items you use every day are packaged in plastic?  The alternative, of course, is paper.  Paper and cardboard are renewable materials that are easy to source. They are also inexpensive and can be used for a variety of different  packaging elements.

Can we live without single use plastics?  Decades from now, our descendants may wish that we had.

WARNING! HELP WANTED IS A BAD SIGN.

July 4 started out to be a pretty good day.  Decided to go out for brunch to celebrate our country’s independence. There aren’t a  lot of choices in our city, but we decided to try a place we hadn’t been to for years.   The parking looked great—plenty of handicapped places.  And we were pleased when seeing so many customers wearing patriotic clothing.  Got inside, and looked for the host, or whatever they call the person who meets you at the door and arranges for seating.  Nobody at the desk. Waited awhile.  Nada.  Finally called out, ‘anybody here?” That brought someone out from the back. Everything went downhill from there.  Warning! Help Wanted is a bad sign.

Warning! Help Wanted is a bad sign. The service will be poor.
Warning! Help Wanted is a bad sign. You will not receive good service.

Got seated by a pleasant young woman who brought us our coffee right away.  We perused the menu, and decided what to have. She took her time getting back to our table, but we weren’t unduly concerned. While waiting, we looked around.  The place was half empty.  Unusual for a Sunday morning. She finally came back and took our order.  And then the long wait began.

They didn’t have WIFI, so I couldn’t get much on my phone to pass the time.  After half an hour, she came and asked if we wanted more coffee.  We said, “no, we’d like to have our food, if that’s possible.”  She swallowed hard.  “I’m afraid it’s going to be awhile,” she said.  “Like, how long?” I asked.  “Maybe 20 minutes,” she replied.

We debated whether or not to leave.  But by now, we’d invested too much time to leave, go somewhere else, park, and start all over again.  The hunger pangs were making us cranky, so I looked for the waitress.  Nowhere in sight.  I rose from my seat to find her standing outside the kitchen.  Asked her if she could fix us a couple pieces of toast while we waited.  She agreed.  I looked back in the kitchen and saw only one cook at the grill.  No wonder the service was so slow!

We had never waited that long in any restaurant for a simple brunch.  How much time does it take to cook bacon and eggs?  But as we drove away, we looked at the sign outside.  It said, “HELP WANTED.  SERVERS AND COOKS AT BOTH LOCATIONS.”  If only we had seen that before we walked in.

Obviously, the poor service is a result of the federal  unemployment compensation due to Covid-19.   When combined with state unemployment checks, restaurant workers can make more money  staying at home than going to work. Especially in places that don’t serve liquor– which generates bigger tips..  I felt sorry for the young people who were working that day.  Glad we left our waitress a good tip.  It wasn’t her fault.

Warning! HELP WANTED is a bad sign.

HOORAY! BACK TO PRE-PANDEMIC WEIGHT

It doesn’t take a whole lot to make me happy.  I don’t want to be rich and famous.  But I do want to be in control of my weight.  That’s what comes from being a hospital dietitian for so long.  But stepping on the scales after the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns was a downer.  I don’t have unrealistic goals.  What I weighed at 25 and even 55 is not going to happen again.  In fact,  elderly women who are slightly overweight have longer life expectancies.  So who wants to look like Jane Fonda? I’m okay with being at the far end of a normal BMI (body mass index), and have kept my weight about the same for many years—until the end of March , 2021.  But today,  I had to celebrate, just in time for the 4th of July.  Hooray! Back to pre-pandemic weight.

hooray! back to pre-pandemic weight
HOORAY! BACK TO PRE-PANDEMIC WEIGHT. Don’t let 4th of July foods ruin your diet.

How did I gain weight last year?  We fixed the same types of food—lots of salads and weight watcher type frozen  dinners.  And we didn’t eat in a restaurant  for over a year.  However,  we did more carry out, which often had a side order of French fries.  Who can resist hot, steamy, fragrant French fries when they’re sitting right in front of you?  But more importantly, I didn’t get nearly as much exercise.  My frequent shopping trips were condensed to once a week.  Daily walks had to be outside, and were often canceled by rain, sleet, snow, and extreme heat.  The lesson to be learned here isn’t new.  If you want to lose  weight, eat less, exercise more.

But the pandemic didn’t affect everyone the same way.  In fact, at groups and gatherings, I’ve noticed that some people  actually lost weight.  I don’t know how they did that, but I’m thinking they didn’t eat out as often, and don’t really like to cook. Or maybe they invested in some type of home exercise machine.  Good for them!  I’m hoping they weren’t depressed, which could have affected their appetite and resulted in weight loss.  But it’s possible.

 I’m happy to be back to pre pandemic weight. However, new challenges are ahead this coming weekend.  Who can resist 4th of July food?  Potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans…yum!

Happy 4th of July to all!

TRAIN TOWNS TEST YOUR PATIENCE

Do you live in a train town?  You don’t have to wonder if you do.  You’ll know it when your car trips are timed with the  possibility of being stopped to wait for a train.  Consequently, you may end up early for appointments, but at least you won’t be late.  For decades, we had only one overpass running North on the West side of town.   Finally, they built another running East– miles away– on the South side.  The politicians who run the city apparently think the blocked train crossing problem has been solved.  But it hasn’t. Because the inner city  is surrounded by train crossings.  An overpass doesn’t help if you’re trying to get to city hall, the University campus, the  hospital, the library,  or many of the businesses and homes that are located in the town’s inner core. Train towns test your patience.

Train towns test your patience
Train Towns Test Your Patience. Long lines at blocked railroad crossings frustrate drivers.

CSX, a country wide rail service , has had a terminal here for over 100 years.  Sadly, they decided to run their tracks right through the center of our town, and they aren’t about to move them.  Fire trucks, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles are often hampered while waiting for a train.   Frequently, if you’re running errands , you will be stopped not once, but twice, and sometimes maybe even three times while getting from point A to B to C.

Outwardly, our city seems like a desirable place to live, work, and raise a family. We have five colleges .  One is a top rated engineering school. We’re blessed with numerous parks that are well maintained  Housing is inexpensive compared to the rest of the country. Why, then, do people leave?  Our population peaked out at 72,000 in 1960 . Now, it’s dwindled down to about 60,000, and it’s still falling. Looks like folks are eager  to get out of this train town.

Many of the “natives”(people who’ve never lived anywhere else) are puzzled. With all that our city has to offer, why don’t people want to stay? Let’s say you’ve moved here from a train-free city.  All of a sudden, your life has changed. Unless you live very close to downtown,  you’re shocked to find that you will have to wait for a train to pass several times a week.  Sometimes, you have a lucky streak.  Not a single wait for a train all day. . But that’s an anomaly.

I can remember living in Florida, and driving 1500 miles without waiting for a single train until arriving in my hometown.  If you’re a long termer, you’ve developed coping mechanisms to deal with the waits.  A book or magazine. .  Perhaps a few minutes of meditation.  And there’s always the cell phone, unless your battery is getting low.

Every once in awhile someone announces that CSX will be fined it they make you wait more than five minutes at  any given crossing.  But the rules are seldom enforced.  Sometimes, a train will come to a dead stop in the center of town  at 5 p.m. Traffic backs up for miles.  When the track finally clears, everyone  rushes home to collapse..  CSX breathes a sigh of relief.  They’ve gotten away with another traffic stall, because  everyone is too tired to report it.

But here’s the bright side.  Train towns test your patience and develop  your frustration  tolerance .  Consequently, we must be one of the country’s most patient cities.

WHIRLIGIGS SCARE AWAY SQUIRRELS

Everyone loves squirrels.  They’re fluffy and sweet and it’s fun to watch them scamper up and down a tree.  In fact, my husband used to buy bags of corn to feed them out on the deck.  And then, one day, they weren’t cute anymore.  They became a menace when they started eating our house.  For years, we didn’t know how to stop them.  But at last, I’ve found that whirligigs scare away squirrels.

Squirrels are rodents and may decide to eat your house.
Squirrels may look cute but they like to gnaw on your house.

If you’re new to my blog, you may not have read my post ,  Help! Squirrels are eating our house.  Our side porch is supported by four wooden pillars. A few years ago, the base of those pillars suddenly attracted squirrels.  Evidence mounted that they were gnawing and nibbling away, creating large, hollow holes. Consequently, If we didn’t act soon, our porch would crash.  We tried peppermint spray.  Didn’t work.  In fact, the squirrels seemed to like the smell.

We upgraded to expensive jars of squirrel repellent.  Sprinkled the granules all around the porch.  It really stank, which was embarrassing when visitors approached.  However, the squirrels didn’t mind it at all.  They just kept coming.  As a last resort, we duct taped the base of the pillars.  An ugly solution which still didn’t keep the squirrels off the porch.

Whirligigs scare away squirrels, and they're inexpensive
WHIRLIGIGS SCARE AWAY SQUIRRELS. They’re an easy, inexpensive way to keep squirrels from eating your house.

However, this year, my 4th of July decorations did the trick.  While strolling through Walmart, I spotted some bright, shiny Mylar twisters.  98C apiece.  Something went through my mind about using them to repel moles. since we also have moles.  Yep, that’s the fun of living on the edge of town with a big yard.  I invested in four whirligigs, intending to put them out on the mole mounds.

But when I got home, it occurred to me that the whirligigs might work like scarecrows, or  scaresquirrels. Stuck them in the ground in front of the porch pillars.  As a result, I haven’t seen a single squirrel anywhere near our house. When the wind blows, the silvery Mylar catches the light, whirling around with a velocity that apparently scares the squirrels away.  Thank heaven for whirligigs.  I’m stocking up on enough of them to get us through the winter.

CHINA IS STILL AMERICA’S SEAMSTRESS

Remember when Trump was campaigning for the presidency back in 2016?  He kept going on and on about how everything we buy is made in China. He bared his teeth when uttering the word CHII-NAH.  So naturally, we assumed that things would change under his administration. But it didn’t.  If we bought a new dress at the mall or ordered a coat from Amazon, it  had a brand name that sounded American. But if you looked inside at the label, it usually said made in China.”  Still does. 90% of the clothes in my closet were made there.  China is still America’s seamstress.

Politicians keep talking about the trade war, but I’m not sure what they’re doing about it.  If they’ve imposed tariffs on clothing made in China, they aren’t high enough to make anyone want to open more  garment factories  in the USA.

Back in the forties and fifties, a lot of us sewed our own clothes.  It was fun to look at patterns and go through stacks of materials, dreaming about the new outfit you were about to create.  And you had the satisfaction of saving a lot of money.  A homemade dress cost about 1/3 of what you would pay for a “store bought” outfit.  Somewhere along the way, that began to change.  Clothes were so cheap that it really didn’t pay to sew.  Why? Because of China.  They did– and still do– have the advantage of low labor costs.  Obviously, there are no labor unions in China..

China is still America's seamstress. Grmet workers in China make very low wages.
China is still America’s seamstress. Workers in garment factories make very low wages.

Amazon won’t tell you if a dress is made in China in their product description.  But there are small clues.  Usually, there are strange, grammatical errors, for example:. “it fit like dream.” Instead of “It fits like a dream.”  Little nuances that show there’s something lost in translation.  Another thing they’ll do is suggest you  order a size larger than usual.  Apparently, this is because Asian women are so much smaller than Americans.  But it also saves on material.  If  vanity compels you order your usual size, and it’s a little bit snug, you might blame yourself for weight gain.  As a consequence, you keep the dress in the hopes of eventually losing five pounds or more. Just one tricky little way that Chinese clothing manufacturers fool us.

What would happen if our government really  got serious about imposing tariffs on Chinese clothing imports?  Prices would skyrocket.  And maybe—just maybe—we would start sewing our own clothes again.  Until that happens, China will continue as America’s seamstress.

EATING OUT IS LOSING ITS LUSTER

One thing we sorely missed during the pandemic was having  dinner at a fine restaurant.  I always said I’d rather have one meal at a 5 star restaurant than five meals at a franchise operation. Consequently, we were excited when the governor dropped the mask mandate last month, and we could finally make a reservation at a popular local restaurant.  We’ve been out twice now, and come away disappointed.  Eating out is losing it’s luster.  But why?

Slow service.  Maybe it will change when the federal unemployment bonus comes to an end.  But right now, there really aren’t enough cooks and wait staff to serve a good meal in a timely manner.  Many were staying at home because they couldn’t afford to go back to work.  As a result, cooks and servers who did come to work were stretched to the breaking point.  Both times, we waited almost two hours to be served our meal.  Meanwhile, we’re chomping away on bread to quell the hunger pangs, and drinking too much wine on an empty stomach.  Resulting in a headache that made it difficult to get to sleep.

Prices.  Yes, prices have gone up.  Not just a little, but a lot.  A bottle of wine could usually be purchased for thirty some dollars.  Now,  in that same restaurant, you can’t get a bottle for less than sixty dollars.  Entrees are at least 30% more costly. When they bring the bill, you blink.  Was the food really that good?  Actually, it wasn’t as tasty as it used to be.  The steak was a bit overdone, and not nearly as tender.  Not sure if they’re buying lower grade meat, or an overworked cook didn’t have the time to take it off the grill at the right time.

Eating out is losing its luster. Wait staff is overworked and masked.
Eating out is losing its luster. Wait staff is overworked; prices are high, and masked servers are a downer.

Masks.  Servers are still required to wear masks.  Unless you have young ears, you have to ask them to repeat themselves and speak more slowly.  And you can’t help but feel sorry for them, knowing how hot and sweaty masks can be when worn for a period of time.   Masked servers are a downer, and detract from the overall ambiance.

Yes,  eating out is  losing its luster.  But we’re not ready to give it up.   Being optimistic, we hope that when they’re operating with a full staff, the service will improve.  And we’ll be exploring other local restaurants who may not have such steep price increases.  And maybe, one of these days, we won’t have  masked servers.