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HELP! ILLINOIS INVADING INDIANA

Coronavirus cases started out pretty slow in our city.   Back in March and April, we were seeing just a few each day.   Now, since we’ve started reopening,  it’s escalating rapidly,  with about 12 new cases per day.  Why us?  We’re just a small college town, and all the students have been sent home.  But we’re a border city, and lots of folks are crossing the state line to shop here. Help! Illinois is invading Indiana.

Illinois residents have been flocking to our Indiana City
Our city parking lots are full of Illinois license plates. Help! Illinois is invading Indiana.

On the front page of our local paper yesterday, we saw a picture of a man who had driven 100 miles from  Illinois just to get a haircut and beard trim. I can understand him not wanting to look like a cave man, but does he not own a pair of scissors?  I’ve been trimming my husbands beard and hair for the past few months.  No, it doesn’t look exactly professional, but it’s really not bad, either.  And as he says, “no one is going to see me, anyway.”  Except our kids who drop by to chat outside. And they really don’t care, as long as we’re safe.

Not far away is a small shopping mall and parking lot.  Many of the cars parked outside since it opened have Illinois plates.  Why would anyone drive 30 or 40 miles to buy a pile of clothes, when they have no place to wear them?

On to the supermarket.  Observe the paprking lot at Meijers, and you’ll see at least 20% of the vehicles have Illinois plates.  You can buy more than groceries at this store, and people are loading everything in their carts from underwear to ice cream.

Illinois has three times more cases of Covid-19 than Indiana.  Is it possible that our next door neighbors are bringing the virus into our stores and places of business?  Help! Illinois is invading Indiana

Maybe we should put up a border wall.

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BLACK MASKS LOOK SCARY & UNCLEAN

The little black dress is still the epitome of fashion in sophisticated circles. Is that why black masks have become  popular during this pandemic?  Mike Pence  and Joe Biden both wear them.  Black seems to be the “in” color for politicians’ masks in Washington DC.  But I think they’re making a mistake.  Black masks actually look scary and unclean.

Black cloth masks look scary & unclean. You can't tell if they've been washed, and they seem sinister.
Black masks look scary and unclean.  But politicians seem to prefer them.

Scary?  You bet.  There’s something ominous and frightening about black masks.  They remind me of Muslim Women who are forced to wear hijabs and cover their faces.  The most common monastic color is black. It symbolizes repentance and simplicity.  By wearing black, monks and nuns are trying to suppress the calls of the flesh. Sounds a little dreary and sexless, to me.

Black has also been a sign of mourning ever since the middle ages. Over the centuries, its been associated with death, evil, and violence.   Maybe that’s why it’s the popular color for masks during the covid-19 crisis.  But it’s also sinister and pessimistic.  Why not a brightly colored or flowered mask, to suggest optimism, and perhaps a light at the end of the tunnel?

 

On the other hand  color psychologist say  that a preference for the color black indicates prestige and power; someone who wears black takes themselves seriously. I suppose they think black masks are simply more dignified.

There’s a reason why hospital employees and health care workers wear light colored scrubs and masks.  It’s because they look clean.    If  a black cloth mask is  soiled,   you can’t tell by looking. If  doesn’t really matter if a mask is dirty, because it still keeps the wearer’s infectious coughs and sneezes from spreading through the air. On the other hand,  it could infect the owner, or anyone in his household.  A child who picks up a dirty mask to play with could be at risk for catching a disease.

Maybe men prefer black because they think it looks more masculine.  But  to me, black masks look scary and unsanitary.

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THE RETURN OF THE KITCHEN STOOL

Does your back sometimes ache when you’re standing in the kitchen?  If not, you’re either very young or lucky.  Most middle aged women have a touch of arthritis  or a back out of kilter.  If you had been a housewife in earlier times,  you might not have had that problem. Old fashioned sinks were free standing. That left plenty of room  underneath for your knees if you sat on a stool.   But modern kitchen sinks are always enclosed in a cabinet.  You don’t sit at them.  You stand.  And then your back begins to ache. Especially now, when you’re cooking more at home during covid-19.  It’s time for the return of the kitchen stool.

 

In the olden days, housewives sat comfortably at their kitchen sink.
Women used to sit while doing food prep . It’s time for a return to the kitchen sink.

I used to think my mother was the only one who used a kitchen stool because of her arthritis.  But when I told my husband about my mom’s stool, he said, his mom had one too.  Back in Nebraska, all the farm women he knew sat on stools while working at the sink.  I think they knew something that modern kitchen designers have overlooked.  Standing at a sink can be hard on the back.

The old fashioned kitchen stool was metal, with a rounded back. Last week, I finally decided I couldn’t take it any more.  I was tired of back aches while fixing dinner.   It was time to go back in time, and get myself a kitchen stool..  Because of social distancing during the covid pandemic, we couldn’t afford to shop around. On the way back from the cemetery on Monday, we stopped at Menards.

When I asked where I could find a kitchen stool, I got some blank looks.  They suggested I look for bar stools in the kitchen section.  No, they did not have any retro stools like my mother used to have.   (you can get them on Amazon). But they did have some wooden bar stools that might help.  We picked it up, took it home, and my handy husband managed to get it assembled.  No, it doesn’t work like the ones in the old days because there’s no place to tuck in my knees under the sink. .  But the stool  is there for me to stop and rest a minute while doing food prep and clean up.

If your back has begun to ache while in the kitchen,  you might think about getting a stool.   Kitchen designers, take note! Leave some knee room under the sink.  And bring back the kitchen stool.

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SALUTE TO UNCLE REN & COMPANY D

What does Memorial Day mean to you?  When I was a kid, it was the first big summer holiday.  It meant picnics, flying flags, and the end of school. As a teenager, it still hadn’t sunk in.  Yes, I knew of people who had lost their menfolk during World War II. but Memorial Day was a time for fairs, graduations, and parties, mainly.  My mother always went to the cemetery to decorate her parents’ graves, but it didn’t seem like anything I would want to do.  And then, one day, it all kicked in. My generation’s boyfriends, husbands, and brothers fought in the Korean War.  Some of them came home wounded, or not at all.  The Korean War Memorial is my favorite in Washington, DC.  But at Clinton, Indiana  it’s a simple monument erected by my great, great uncle after the Civil War.   Here’s  a Memorial Day salute to Uncle Ren and Company D. 

 Memorial Day is special for me.  Many of my ancestors and immediate family are buried in a small country cemetery.  Usually, my husband and I drive up to a nearby shelter for a picnic, then over to visit the graves. That’s a hard time for me—missing them so much that a hollow feeling rises in my chest and tears blur my vision.

 After arranging the flowers, the highlight of the day awaits me at the top of a hill, under a towering oak tree.  For there, my great, great, great uncle, Ren White, came back from fighting in the Civil War to erect a memorial to the men who served with him in “Company D.”  Every man in the company is listed, but it doesn’t say which ones didn’t return.  Uncle Ren wasn’t a captain, either—just a mere sergeant.  But when he came home, he spent the time and money to erect this memorial to the men who fought to free this country of slavery.  Wow! Gives me the shivers, just thinking of how proud I am of him.

Memorial Day Salute to Uncle Ren
Memorial day salute to Uncle Ren and Company D. After the Civil War, he erected this monument to Company D.

I wonder what motivated him to enlist. Knowing that branch of the family, I’m sure his motives were not mercenary, because they owned thousands of acres of Indiana farmland. My mother, who loved genealogy, probably knew if Ren had a wife and children, but I don’t.

 Little did he realize that one day, a photo of that thoughtfully erected monument would be shown over the internet.  On this Memorial Day holiday, I salute you, Uncle Ren White, for your courage and patriotism.

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BEWARE OF CHAOS AT UPS

Why didn’t I realize UPS would be a zoo?   Because of the pandemic,  everyone’s buying  all their stuff online, then returning half of it.  In this case, my finger slipped on the keypad when ordering a jigsaw puzzle.  Or maybe it was Amazon’s mistake.  At any rate, we received two  of the same puzzle.   Since we couldn’t think of anyone who would want it,  returning it seemed like the best move.   I printed out a return label and drove to the store.   It is usually a very quiet, uncrowded place, but not now. Beware of chaos at the UPS Store.

The only  store in our city is five miles away.  It’s an extremely small office, dark, with low ceilings.  Remember, we’re supposed to avoid small,  crowded, enclosed places now, right?  Anyway, I drove into the parking lot and stopped to put on my mask and gloves.  Looking in the window, I could  see two people with stacks of packages to be processed by one clerk.  I guess these were “pick up” items.  I didn’t know about scheduling  a pick up, but I do now. There were several  people standing in line for the other clerk. It looked like I was in for a long wait.

Many customers not wearing masks at UPS store. Beware of chaos.
UPS clerks wear masks, but many customers don’t. Beware of chaos at  the UPS Store.

I picked up the puzzle and  Amazon return paperwork, and stood outside the door, thinking it would be safer to wait  in the fresh air.  I’d no sooner got there, when two younger people got out of their cars and proceeded to open the door.  “I’m waiting in a line, here,” I said.  Neither of them were masked.  They glanced at me briefly, brushed past . and went on in.

Okay, I was mad.  I took a few deep breaths to control my rage, but it wasn’t having the desired effect.  Two things seemed very wrong here.  #1  They weren’t wearing masks.  Inside, both clerks were masked.  Did these people not respect the health and safety of the UPS employees?  #2  They had pushed ahead of me, taking advantage of the fact that I was social distancing.  Now, it was even  more crowded inside.

At that point, another woman got out of her car.  She looked at me and said, ‘I forgot my mask.” Went back to her car,  returned, and stood at a safe distance behind me to wait her turn.  Well, at least there are some decent people in the world.

As the two offenders left the store after completing their business, I went into  crabby old lady mode.  “You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” I said.  But they weren’t. Not in the least.

What goes through the mind of the unmasked during this coronavirus pandemic?  Do they think they’re immune because they are younger?  If so, they should look at the demographics on the department of health website.  The majority of cases in our state of Indiana are with people age 20 to 60.  Worse yet, do they not care that they could be infecting their fellow human beings?  Don’t they have any respect for the store clerks who are risking their own health to serve them every day?

Beware of chaos at the UPS store.

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Pelosi body shames Trump

As a dietitian, I had to agree with Nancy  Pelosi when she went on TV saying that Trump is overweight.  But is she qualified to say he’s “morbidly obese?”  That’s  the term for a medical condition, and I don’t think she has a license to practice.    Anyway, I thought that body shaming was verboten in our modern society.  Popular magazines like “People,” frequently interview overweight celebrities who describe the trauma when they were teased about their weight.  Peloisi hit below the belt( as my Mother used to say)  when body shaming Trump. Has he mentioned how many face lifts  and botox treatments she’s had?

Pelosi Body shames Trump. She's says he is morbidly obese. But is she qualified to diagnose morbidity?
Pelosi Body Shames Trump. But is she qualified to diagnose his medical condition?

I suspect no one feels sorry for Trump, because he’s brought it on himself.  He’s a master at putting down his critics with childish nicknames like   “Crooked Hillary,” “Sleepy Joe.”  Anyone who disagrees with him is fair game.  But I never thought Nancy Pelosi would get caught up in the madness.

She gleefully celebrated his impeachment, but still tried to appear somewhat dignified.  She’s always taken the stance of moral superiority when it comes to Trump.  Why, then, would she stoop to his level? 70% of Americans are either overweight or obese.  I’m wondering how those  voters will react to a privileged,  California Congresswoman body shaming the president during the covid-19 outbreak.

I never knew much about Trump until he ran for president, so I don’t know when his weight got out of control. He should probably hire a nutritionist to plan his menus. But he’d probably fire her after a week.  She would undoubtedly cancel the hamburger and fries. Would he go for a fruit smoothie or grilled chicken salad for lunch?   I doubt it.  On the other hand,  he looks and acts very healthy. (Hopefully the Hydroxychloroquine he’s taking won’t give him a heart attack.)  It probably helps that he doesn’t drink or smoke. Apparently, he gets plenty of exercise on the golf course.   Maybe it’s just his metabolism.  Or perhaps he’s a “stress eater.”  If so, he’s had plenty of stressful triggers.

Meanwhile, there are other obese people running their countries.   Like  England’s Boris Johnson &  North Korea’s Kim Jong Um.  In fact, I think Winston Churchill was kind of chubby.  Most of us are acquainted with “heavies,” who are capable and sharp. She’ll probably never admit it, but I think Nancy Pelosi is going to regret body shaming Trump.  I just wish that both of them would act like grown-ups.

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BEWARE OF LOADED FREEZERS & BROKEN TOES

Is your freezer stuffed to the gunnels? I never thought it would happen when we bought a side by side freezer/refrigerator.  We are a two person household.  Up to this time, we used it at less than half capacity. But the covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed our shopping habits.  We live within city limits, with access to several supermarkets within a 2 mile radius.    Typically, I’d run into the store after participating in all the various activities that are part of normal life.  But now, I venture out once a week , masked and gloved. No, I haven’t exactly been hoarding. I ‘ve just been buying “a little bit ahead.” Which means enough frozen meat to last a month. But there’s a downside to all of this.  Beware of loaded freezers & broken toes.

Have you ever broken your toe?  If you’ve lived as long as I have, you probably have. Mine was the result of fumbling in a dark kitchen for a heavy glass tumbler.  I missed my guess, and the tumbler hit my toe like a sledge hammer. Yikes, apart from the initial pain, was the aftermath.  A broken toe is like a broken rib. You can tape them up, but they have to heal  slowly, on their own.  And they hurt like the devil when you walk.  This goes on for what seems like forever.

Warning: If a heavy package fall from the freezer onto your toe, it could break your toe.
Warning: hoarding meat can be hazardous. Beware of loaded freezers & broken toes.

Back to loaded freezers.  Modern packaging does not lend itself  well to freezer storage. If you’re into fruit smoothies, you probably have several bags of frozen fruits jumbled up on one of the shelves.  Ditto for bags of frozen fish and seafood. About the only frozen foods that are consistently stackable are Lean Cuisines.  Poultry is the worst.  Rock hard chicken breasts and drumsticks pile up in a precarious jumble.  As you dig through the mess with freezing fingers, it’s all too common for a lumpy package to slide off and onto your toes. Hopefully, you’ll just get a bruise.  But if the package is large enough, and headed in exactly the right direction, it could be a toe buster.

The media has gotten us worried about meat and poultry shortages. So far, I’ve been able to find everything I need, and then some.  Yes, you’re only able to buy two packages at a time, but that’s plenty for my husband and me.  Now, I’m just hoping to get through this pandemic without a broken toe.

Beware of loaded freezers and broken toes.