QUICK FIX CRUNCHY APPLE SALAD

If you’re like a lot of folks during this pandemic, you took your family to an Apple Festival. Enjoying the outdoors and munching on fresh, crisp apples sounded like a great escape back into normalcy. You may have gotten so excited that you went overboard, and bought a whole bushel of apples. Now, you’re wondering what to do with all of them. Aside from everyone eating an apple a day, there are tons of yummy recipes. Here one of my favorites: Quick Fix Crunchy Apple Salad

Your Grandma used to call it Waldorf Salad. It was a big favorite during the holidays, because it went so well with turkey and dressing. It was first introduced in 1893 at the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Consequently, it sounded very sophisticated. However, it’s one of the easiest salads you will ever make.

Often, I make just one serving for my husband because he doesn’t like tossed salad very much. Instead of following a recipe, I core and slice an apple, dice half a stalk of celery, throw in 5 or six red grapes(cut in half), and a handful of chopped walnuts. Then I bind it all together with a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise. I don’t include salt, and he doesn’t seem to miss it. But if you’re more comfortable following an actual recipe, here goes:

APPLE SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (or plain yogurt)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

2 crunchy apples, cored and chopped.

1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Lettuce (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise (or yogurt), lemon juice, and salt. Stir in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve in a small bowl, or on a lettuce leaf.

Serves 4

It’s important to use the right variety. You don’t want to use softer, mushier apples. Personally, I prefer tart apples like McIntosh and Jonathans. When I can’t find those, Pink Lady is a good substitute.

Quick Fix Crunchy Apple Salad is easy and delicious. I like it with mayonnaise, but if you’re calorie conscious, yogurt will work.

October 12, 2020October 12, 2020

CITY CODE ENFORCEMENT LACKS TEETH

Most responsible homeowners take pride in mowing their lawns and maintaining their property, but some don’t. That’s why cities have regulations about lawn mowing. Currently, any grass over 12 inches high is in violation of city code. At that point, they may receive a complaint in their mailbox. If the notice is ignored, the city mows the offenders lawn and charges them $60. Which happens to be less than what it would cost to have it mowed by a lawn service. 2^nd, 3d and 4^th offenses are charged at the same flat fee of $60. Our city code enforcement lacks teeth.

hOMEOWNERS should be fined if they refuse to mow their lawn. — if a person isn’t fined for 2nd & 3d offenses, City Code Enforcement Lacks Teeth.

What happens to a nice neighborhood when one homeowner lets his yard get overgrown with knee high grass and mountains of weeds? Property values decrease, and everyone feels frustrated.

In our subdivision, there is a homeowner who thumbs his nose at society by refusing to mow his lawn more than once or twice a year. Is he poor or disabled? No, he’s an executive at a good company, who has the luxury of working from home. He’s healthy enough to play golf. Also, he owns an upscale lawn mower in good working condition.

This situation has gone on for several years. When I asked the woman at code enforcement why there hasn’t been some kind of fine for 2^nd 3d and 4^th offenses, she responded that the city has over 700 un mowed lawns, and ‘you can’t make someone mow their lawn.” Wow, if you’re going to apply that logic, you could say, “you can’t make a person stop running red lights.” No, you can’t, but you can bet your sweet bippy it’s going to cost you more each additional time you run a red light.

Last spring, the Okemah. Oklahoma city council decided to crack down on offenders by hitting them in the pocket book. . By a unanimous vote, they set a fee schedule for certain violations of the city code. Under the resolution, failure to keep your lawn mowed could result in a $100 fine for the first offense, $150 for the second and $200 for the third offense. A warning will be issued before any fines are assessed.

The city of Ferndale, Michigan issued the following statement regarding code enforcement: ” The lawn grass cannot be longer than 7″. As a courtesy, we will send a notice once per season to the homeowner letting them know they have 7 days to cut their grass. If the grass does not get cut, the City’s contractor mows it for them. This service will cost the property owner $275.00. Given the alternatives, the property owner normally realizes that it is much less expensive to maintain their lawn themselves or hire someone than having the City do it.”

You have to wonder why our city council is so lax about code enforcement. What are they afraid of? A person who won’t mow his lawn probably isn’t going to vote in the next election. But his neighbors will.

October 10, 2020October 10, 2020

REFRIED BEANS CAN HELP YOU SLEEP

Are you suffering from pandemic stress and fatigue? Seven months of social isolation due to Covid 19, combined with worries about the 2020 election is bad enough. But many are exhausted with juggling home schooling and trying to work at home. That’s if you’re lucky enough to have a job—which many don’t. No wonder It’s difficult to get enough uninterrupted sleep But did you know that certain foods like refried beans can help you sleep?

I’d forgotten about tryptophan until last night, when we picked up some Mexican food. That’s one good thing about the pandemic. Since we don’t care to take a chance eating in restaurants, we’re trying out a lot of carry out from new places. Gotta add some variety to our life, right? The day before had been stressful, with little things going wrong,. Then, there was the disturbing vice presidential debate with Harris smirking and grimacing, and Pence’s red eye, and a fly crawling on his head. Not conducive to a good night’s sleep.

We stumbled around in a fog the next day, and used what little energy we could muster to pick up some tacos and refried beans. I was afraid the spicy food might keep us awake, However, both of us slept like logs, and woke up feeling rested.

Refried Beans are a good source of the amino acid tryptophan, which can help you sleeep. — Refried beans can help you sleep because they are a good source of the amino acid, tryptophan

Black and pinto beans in Mexican dishes can help with insomnia. Why? because they contain an amino acid called tryptophan which gets converted into the hormone melatonin, which makes you sleepy.

Several other foods are a good source of tryptophan. Ever wonder why you’re so sleepy after a big Thanksgiving feast? It could be due to that big serving of roasted turkey.

Some people try to get their tryptophan the easy way—by taking pills. Not a good idea. Side affects may include nausea, loss of appetite, dizziness, headache, dry mouth and drowsiness. Other potential side effects of this supplement include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, indigestion and gas.

Anyway, It’s a lot more fun eating Mexican food than taking pills And–best of all–refried beans can help you sleep.

October 7, 2020October 7, 2020

Will Election 2020 End The Troubles?

Remember “the troubles” in Northern Ireland that went on for about forty years ? We visited Belfast soon after the peace agreement was signed in 1998, but there was still plenty of tension . In fact, as our tour bus entered the city, armed militia stopped us, and walked through the bus, checking for whatever? Maybe to see if anyone had a gun? Clearly the peace agreement between, British Loyalists and Irish Nationalists hadn’t ended the troubles. Will the 2020 election end the troubles in the USA?

People in America were lined up for hours on the first day of early voting yesterday. Early voters are not undecided. Those who were interviewed expressed strong feelings for their candidate of choice.. While I applaud all the interest in voting, it makes you wonder what will happen, no matter who wins.

If Trump wins, will women stop having abortions or go underground? Will the Black Lives Matter movement grow stronger? Will rioting and protesting escalate out of control?

Will troubles end on election day?Or will they escalate no matter who wins. — Will Election 2020 End Troubles for America? It seems likely that it won’t.

If Biden wins, will Trump supporters turn in their guns? Will they welcome immigrants flooding into the country receiving free medical care? Will they meekly agree to another lockdown and shut down their businesses? If none of the above, look for trouble.

There was another contentious election day back in 1960. A lot of people opposed having a Catholic president, but he won, anyway. The troubles didn’t end when John F. Kennedy was elected, then assassinated two years later. In fact, what followed was an escalation of our involvement in Vietnam– the longest war in American History.

Both Biden and Trump say they want to unite the country. That seems like wishful thinking. America’s troubles will not end on election day.

October 5, 2020October 5, 2020

HOMELESS MAN COOKS SPAGHETTI IN PARK

One of my favorite pastimes during this pandemic is walking in the park along the Wabash River. It’s not a stylish spot like our other parks. You don’t see fancy running gear, people walking pedigreed dogs, or upscale vans. You’re more apt to see folks in parked trucks and old model sedans. I suppose that’s because it’s not in a very good neighborhood. Nevertheless, the joy of seeing the bend in the river, and sunlight over the water, is an exhilarating experience. Yesterday, I observed another person enjoying the riverfront : A homeless man cooking spaghetti in the park.

Homeless man cooks spaghetti along the banks of the Wabash River — Homeless Man Cooks Spaghetti in Park. A folding stove provided him with boiling water.

At first, I saw a folding stove, with a pan above the flames. This held my attention, because I recently purchased a similar stove after going through the last power outage. Although it was warm weather, and we weren’t feeling cold, we desperately needed a cup of coffee. Luckily, our son found a McDonalds that was serving coffee, so we made it through the next 18 hours. The following day,, I found a survival stove and cubes of fuel at Rural King , which can be used indoors. No matter what, we will have our coffee, even if it’s just instant.

The homeless man impressed me when he opened a box of spaghetti and broke some into the pot of boiling water. He was having a homecooked meal right next to the river. No canned spaghetti for him!

He appeared to be middle aged, and wore a clean jacket and pants. He had a beard, but it wasn’t overly long. I thought about him as I walked by his encampment, consisting of nothing more than a backpack and a few scattered items.. Out of curiosity, I turned around for another look. And then, I saw that he was walking a short distance behind me.

Immediately, my friendly interest turned to fear. There was no one around. Was I about to get mugged? I had nothing but my cellphone, since I’d left my purse in the car. I quickened my pace and sprinted to the playground, joining a mother and her two children. Now I felt safe. Looking back toward the sidewalk, I saw that he was still walking.. Obviously, he hadn’t been following me at all. He was merely talking a walk while the pasta bubbled over his folding stove. As if on cue, he turned around and returned to the stove.

At that moment, I realized how deeply ingrained our biases are when we see a homeless person. We assume that they’re bad people. And I’m sure some of them are. But realistically speaking, how dangerous could a person be who’s cooking spaghetti on the banks of the Wabash River?

October 2, 2020October 2, 2020

ONE DRAWER AT A TIME UNTIL ELECTION

We have about a month until the 2020 presidential election. The country is polarized and people are on edge. And to make things worse, President Trump has just tested positive for Covid-19. Won’t it be great when the election is over, and we can stop fretting about who will win? But, we still have a month of social isolation until that happens. How do we keep our minds off politics between now and then? My solution is keeping busy with a project: decluttering one drawer, one day at a time, until the election.

Just counted: I have 27 total drawers exclusively holding only my belongings. : Bedroom dressers, eleven. . Bathroom vanity, seven. File cabinet, three. Desk, six. When I run out of my own drawers, I can find plenty in the kitchen to take me through the next thirty days.

Sorting out drawers is a formidable task. There are so many small, miscellaneous items . Today, I started with my top bathroom vanity. Like most junk filled drawers, it is hard to separate the items into categories.

Ansious about the election? while away the time, one drawer at a time — Only a 30 days until the2020 election. While away the time by decluttering one drawer at a time.

Since my bathroom is also my plug in station, the drawer is full of various wires and ports for recharging phones, kindle, hearing aids, TENS, MP3players, and therapeutic devices for my knees. Those are keepers.. They stay, but they don’t occupy an entire drawer. Other things were dispensable: Tubes of old cosmetic items , never used up: hair mousse, lipsticks, creams and lotions; worn out nail boards. You get it. The list goes on and on. I ended up with full bag of trash. When finished, it still didn’t look like a Martha Stewart drawer, but least it’s not a jumbled up mess.

All of this is giving me a feeling of accomplishment, which is a mood booster. What will you do to get through the next 30 days? Just take it one drawer at a time.

September 30, 2020September 30, 2020

COPING WITH POST DEBATE DEPRESSION

Even though I’ve tried to stop watching so much news, it seemed un American not to watch the first presidential debates. But it wasn’t long before the two candidates–Biden and Trump– began trading insults and yelling at each other, and my husband wanted to turn off the TV. I owe him an apology. Because I kept hoping things would get better, but they didn’t. Consequently, we stayed up way too late, compensated for our frustration by eating too much popcorn, and today, I’m coping with post debate depression.

In my freshman year of college, I was on a debate team. If any student had behaved the way Trump and Biden did during the lst presidential debate, they would have been kicked out of the class, or if it was too late for that, received a resounding F on their report card. You don’t interrupt. You show respect for your opponent. And hopefully, you bring some new research or an intelligent argument to the debate. None of that happened last night. We didn’t hear anything we hadn’t heard before. Yes, we know all about Hunter Biden, and we know how Trump handled COVID-19. There was absolutely no surprise, nothing at all to be learned. Except that we have a poor choice of whom to vote for come November. Because neither candidate showed the slightest bit of class.

Only a masochist would want to watch the next debates. If you like having nightmares and feeling like the world is a dreary place, that’s what you should do. I don’t. I want to feel cheerful and optimistic about the world my grandchildren will inherit. Before that happens, I have to get back that hopeful feeling. Here’s how I’m planning to do that today.

First, a great big shopping trip wearing my pretty new cloth mask, sent to me by Humana. It’s soft, and has three layers, so I think it will give me good protection against covid-19. If you don’t like shopping, this won’t help you one single bit. But I do like to shop. I’ll spend some time in my favorite supermarket, splurge on some gourmet food items, and try a new recipe tonight.

a walk in the woods will help cope with post debate depression. — Coping with post debate depression: . A walk through the woods may help.

After lunch, I’ll close the shades and take a nap. It’s going to be a sunny day, so when I awaken I’ll probably drive down to the river. When things go wrong in my life, I always head for water. I’ll sit on a bench and admire the bend in the river. There’s going to be a good strong wind today, so I’ll dress warm enough to enjoy the cool cleansing breeze . I’ll take a short walk in the woods. And then, I’ll go home and start thinking about my new recipe..

And in a couple of days, I’m going to feel much better.

LIVING WELL AFTER 80

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