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THANK YOU, DANCING WITH THE STARS

Each morning upon awakening,  I pick up my i phone  The first thing I see. before unlocking the phone, are messages  about all the unpleasant things going on in the world. My stomach is churning with anxiety even before getting out of bed.  It continues all day and up until bedtime. Is it any wonder I have occasional nightmares? But last night’s television program  offered a respite from all the bad news.  Thank you, Dancing With The Stars, for a good night’s  sleep, and sweet dreams.

Dancing With the Stars is America at it's best
MANY CONTESTANTS ON DANCING WITH THE STARS ARE WAY OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE.

What I love about Danicng With The Stars  is its lack of perfection.  Some of the contestants are awkward and out of shape.  Many are way out of their comfort zone.  But they’re gamely trying their best not to make a fool of themselves.  Isn’t that where most of us have been at one time or another in our lives?

Dancing With The Stars has come a long way since it’s first season.  Then, it was mostly about the dancing. The sets and costumes weren’t so spectacular. Later, they went through a time when  the women were half naked in their revealing costumes.  My husband liked that, but I thought it not so good for younger kids who might be watching. Now, they’ve gone all out with gorgeous,  glittering costumes and glamorous sets.  It’s like watching a Broadway show.

Best of all, for two hours, you don’t have to see television shows and news reports  about murder, sex, gender issues, racism, politics.  Better yet, you don’t have to hear about:  impeachment, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Trump, Schiff, Pelosi, Isis, Turkey, or any of the other cringe worthy words or topics that make you grit your teeth and wish it would go away.

This show represents  America at its best. It takes our mind off our worries and gives us two hours of dazzling  entertainment.  Thank you, Dancing With The Stars.

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DO YOU TAKE WHIMS OR STICK TO IT?

Most of us know people who take whims.  We might even act on a few ourselves.  What’s wrong with that?   We may decide we don’t like our job,  our spouse, or the place where we live–and walk out.   We may take up tennis or gardening for awhile , then quit.  What kind of person are you?  Do you take whims or stick to it?

The practice of tai chi has many benefits for those who stick with it.

For the past 15 years, I’ve attended a class in tai chi at least twice a week.  Tai chi has helped me  walk again after a bad fall,and  several  bouts of sciatica and arthritis.   Its meditation techniques have gotten me through  personal sorrows.  With all the obvious benefits tai chi has to offer, I’m saddened by the fact that so many people take it up on a whim, then leave after a few months.

Why would a person give up on a simple practice that has so many psychological and physical benefits?. Tai chi is cheap and easy.  But it does require plain old stick-to-itiveness to reap the benefits.  Maybe you started for the wrong reasons.  To lose weight?  Actually, it’s not a vigorous exercise, and it won’t work off those extra calories you consume  every day.  However, if you stay with it long enough, it may calm you down, and reduce “stress eating.”

There’s an old saying, “Losers quit when they’re tired; winners quit when they’ve won.”  The quote is about determination, and the willingness to persevere.  If someone drops out of an activity  because it’s tiring, and they haven’t gotten the desired results  soon enough,  they’ve lost the time and effort they invested, and wasted an opportunity to succeed.

Do you ever look back on your childhood,  and wish you’d stuck with those music lessons?  If you had, you might have become a country music star or a concert pianist. Did you take some bridge lessons once, then quit because you weren’t winning right away? If you had stuck with it, you could have an enjoyable  pastime even if you live to be 90.

What should you do when you get tired of something you’ve started? That’s when your determination kicks in.  Keep going.  Winner’s quit when they’ve won!

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9 REASONS TO TAKE THE NEWSPAPER

I know what it’s like to go without a newspaper.  For over 20 years, we  went South in the winter to islands where we couldn’t buy a metropolitan newspaper.  Yes, we had the internet, and could access the stories in our local paper at home.  But it wasn’t the same at all.  Each morning, when we had our coffee, we tried to pretend it didn’t matter.  We turned on the Today Show, and surfed the net.  But there was a great big void at the beginning of our day.  Here are 9 reasons to take the newspaper.

Reading a newspaper in print is more leisurely that online
THE BEST WAY TO START THE DAY IS WITH A PRINT EDITION OF YOUR FAVORITE NEWSPAPER.

1. They’re easier on the eyes.  Black and white newsprint on paper has no damaging  UV light from a computer or cellphone

2.  It’s more relaxing to lean back in your recliner and flip through the pages vs. sitting at a computer or holding an i phone.

3.. You’re better informed.  Reading a news story of three or four columns gives you an in depth view of what’s really going on with this particular situation.  Yes, you could read it all on your computer, but you probably will read only two  or three  paragraphs before shifting to the next headline.

     4.  The funnies.   There are three or four comic strips I  really like.  But if I have plenty of time and nothing much to do, I’m  apt to find a few others.

5.  The advice columns.  I find these columnists immensely amusing.  Why do people ask advice when the answer is so obvious?f.  It’s fun to mentally put in your own two cents.  And sometimes, you can clip a column that hits home and send it on to a relative or friend.

       6.   Sharing. My husband and I discuss the different news stories, and  pass them back and forth to point out what one of us may have missed.

7. The Bridge column and the puzzles.  These   games are a fun way to challenge your brain.

         8.  Advertisements.  Unlike television, you can pick and choose the ones that interest you.  Yes, you can go online to find the supermarket ads.  But it’s much pleasanter to go through them in the newspaper.  And then, on Sundays, there are the coupons!  And, if you’re interested, you can peruse  the real estate ads and check out home values in your area.

9. More bang for your buck. You can read a $5 issue of People Magazine in 5 minutes.  But you can easily find an hour’s worth of reading material in a dollar newspaper.

Believe it or not, we take two newspapers at our house, which  gives us a different perspective.  Besides, it’s nice to see what’s going on in Indianapolis  where my daughter lives with her family. Many local newspapers are going out of business.  But we hope ours doesn’t.

Viva La Newspapers!

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FIND AN OASIS OF CIVILITY HERE

Do you miss the old days when young people were well mannered?   Look no further than a nearby private college campus.  My city  boasts of several colleges, including a state university.    But  two   campuses nearby—an engineering college (#1 in the nation) and a small Catholic college– are bastions of the three R’s: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness.  Here, you will find an oasis of civility.

Although  they are private schools, many of the students are  not rich.  Most receive some type of financial  aid.  But there’s something different going on .   Students  of every color, race, religion and nationality  interact harmoniously, without rancor or prejudice.   
Private college campuses are an oasis of civility, with serious students
If you’re looking for an oasis of civility, stroll around a private college campus.

How do these students stand out?   First of all, they’re not loud.  When you cross their path, they smile  and nod..  They open doors  and respect  older people. The girls don’t wear shorts that look like underpants.  The guys aren’t covered with tattoos.  If you overhear them talking in public, their vocabulary is not filled  with vulgarity and four letter words.  No one gives you the finger. You never see them smoking.

If you go for Sunday brunch at the local college hangout, you can easily  identify students from these two colleges.    They carry on conversations in a normal tone of voice .  Together,  in one booth,  you’ll see kids of different  color and nationality  talking seriously.  They don’t jump the line or bump into other customers.  Although I’m sure they are  amorous as the students from other colleges, they don’t make a public show of affection.

Private College Students are more focused on learning
Private college students form a more tightly knit community, focused on learning.

Why the difference between public and private school students?  Perhaps it’s because private schools are more focused on learning, and have more closely knit communities.

If you  feel  like American  society  is falling apart,  drive out to one of these colleges and take a walk around the campus. Here, you will find  an oasis of civility.    If these young people  are destined to be  leaders of the next generation,  our country is safe for our  grandchildren.

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HELP! LOST ON AN ELEVATOR

Help! Have you ever gotten lost on an elevator? My husband and I traveled a lot after retirement.  We’ve stayed in many hotels here in the  USA, and all over the world.  But last night, in a downtown Indianapolis hotel, we found ourselves riding up and down from floor to floor, constantly bypassing the floor we wanted.

Navigating a big city hotel elevator can be challenging for the elderly
RIDING AN ELEVATOR CAN BE CHALLENGING FOR THE ELDERLY

 

Our room was on the 12th floor, so we pushed that button upon entering the elevator. .  Nothing happened.  The door opened again, , someone stepped inside, and the elevator  moved. .  Great, we were on way, stopping first on the 6th floor..  We waited patiently as it continued it’s journey, stopping at ll.  A woman got on, pushed a button, but after that, we felt ourselves going down until we were back to the lobby.  Several people got on, and we pushed 12 again.  The car went up and down, stopping  several times, but never on our floor.   We started to panic, because we were in a hurry to meet someone for dinner.

Finally, we were back in the lobby for the fourth time.  Just as I was preparing to get off and complain at the front desk, a fellow passenger patiently explained what was happening.  “Don’t you know,’ he said.  “You have to use your room key?”  Befuddled, we looked for a slot somewhere.  ‘No, no,” he laughed, “Just swipe your key on this little circle, before you punch in your floor.  Here, let me show you.”  He swiped his card, punched 12, the button lit up and we were on our way, at last.

I guess we looked like a couple of ignorant old fuddy duddies.  But to me, it was another example of ageism in our modern world.  Why weren’t we told about the  system when we checked in?  When the clerk handed us our room card/ key, why didn’t he mention that we should use it on the elevator?  An  instruction sheet wouldn’t have been a bad idea.  But lets face it, old folks  are an anomaly at big city hotels swarming with young chicks in miniskirts and no one over 40 in sight.

We met several young people for dinner, and asked them if this was the new norm.  Some—those who don’t travel much—said they’d never heard of  having to use your room key on an elevator.  But those who travel often for business were surprised we hadn’t known how to navigate in a hotel.  ” Of course,” they said, shaking their heads.  Didn’t  we see it as a security measure?  Well, yes we did.  The why of it was understandable.  It was just the how part that had left us adrift.

So, this is my tip for any octogenarian who hasn’t stayed in a hotel for awhile.  When you enter an elevator, look for a place to swipe your  room card before you punch in your floor.  Otherwise, you could end up lost on an elevator.

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EACH IMPEACHMENT IS DIFFERENT

Tolstoy began his  great novel, Anna Karenina  with this famous line: “Happy families are all alike; unhappy families are all unhappy in their own way”.  My grandchildren don’t know or can’t remember what it was like to live through impeachment  proceedings.   But this will be my third rodeo, and I can tell you that each  impeachment hearing is different–and unhappy– in it’s own way.

The Nixon resignation in 1974 was the first impeachment proceeding I had seen in my lifetime
NIXON WAS ON THE VERGE OF IMPEACHMENT WHEN HE RESIGNED

The Nixon debacle came at a time when my  personal life was in turmoil.  My then husband lost his job in the recession.  I  returned to school to get my dietitian’s license, while raising three children under 7.  I was so tied up with financial worries, exhaustion, and stress,  that Nixon’s impeachment was the farthest thing from my mind.  As a university grad assistant, I heard college professors  discussing Watergate. . I didn’t see impeachment  as a major concern, or anything that would change my life for the better or worse. . Nixon’s resignation speech was painful to watch, but life went on pretty much the same.  I know I voted for Jimmy Carter in the next election.

Comic photo of Bill Clinton wearing Monica Lewinski's blue dress
EPSTEIN HAD THIS STRANGE PICTURE OF BILL CLINTON IN A BLUE DRESS

The Clinton impeachment hearings came at a time when my children were raised, and I was nearing retirement.  That winter, I came down with the flu, and spent hours on my computer with  the Drudge report.  It was like reading an enactment of the National Inquirer; sex, lies, and the famous blue dress. It was great entertainment and got me through a rough bout with the flu.  For Republicans, is was schadenfreude at it’s best.  Even liberals found the cigar wielding president a salacious distraction.  When the impeachment didn’t pass the Senate, I don’t remember being upset.  My life would go on pretty much the same, although  I would miss the presidential soap opera.

Now we have the Trump impeachment inquiries.  I’m probably not going to watch the hearings during the day.  They won’t have near the entertainment value that we had with Bill Clinton’s time on the hot seat. And of course, it will be all over the news, night and day, until the final vote is taken.  But from my standpoint, this impeachment would have much more impact on our nation.

If Trump goes down,  a liberal president is a foregone conclusion.  And most  everyone’s life will change.  Like it or not, we will have Medicare for all.  Since I’m already on Medicare, it won’t make much difference to me. But as we seniors know, Medicare A doesn’t cover everything.   I’m wondering what will happen to the cost of supplemental insurance and Medicare part B?  My husband and I currently pay over $10,000 a year for this coverage. .  Will the premiums go up even more than they have the past few years?   For sure, taxes will increase to pay for all the freebies.  Since my time on this earth is limited, it won’t change my life so very much. .  But the direction of my grandchildren’s future will take a sharp left turn.

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NOSTALGIC 60’s CHICKEN DIVAN RECIPE

If a woman had small children back  in the 1960’s, she was probably a stay at home mom.  At the time, I lived in a Chicago suburb,  surrounded by women who did not work outside the home.   They had coffee klatches and bridge parties, and entertained  on the weekends.  The mainstay of any dinner party was usually some type of make ahead casserole, never mind the calories. Now that the weather is turning cool,   you might want to try this nostalgic 60’S Chicken Divan recipe.

The recipe for Chicken Divan had two stages:  The day before, you stewed the bird,  cleaned it off the bone, chopped it up, and saved the broth. This procedure was described in the 1942 edition of the Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book:

STEWED CHICKEN:

Wash the the bird and place it whole in a heavy kettle.  Add cleaned giblets if desired. Cover with water (about 6 cups).  For flavor, add a small carrot, an onion, a stalk of celery.  A small amount of thyme or marjoram may be added, along with a bay leaf.

Cover and simmer gently over low heat 2 hours or until the chicken is tender and meat begins to loosen from the bones. Remove from heat & let it cool breast side down in the stock. While still lukewarm,  skim off fat and remove chicken. Discard skin and bones; slice or dice the meat.  StraIn the stock to use in gravy, sauces, etc. Store chicken and stock in the refrigerator until ready for use.

The next morning after stewing the chicken,   the  60’s housewife cleaned her house and polished her good silver.  Now she was ready to prepare the casserole for the dinner party that evening.  It could be made ahead and kept in the frig until baking after the guests arrived.

CHICKEN DIVAN:

1 stewed chicken, cut in slices..

2  10 oz packages frozen broccoli

2  cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon  curry powder

1 cup shredded cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon melted margarine.

Cook and slice chicken. Cook broccoli until tender; drain. Arrange broccoli in 11 ½ X 7 l/2 X l 1/2 inch baking pan; place chicken on broccoli. Combine soup, mayonnaise, curry powder and cheese; pour over chicken. Combine bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  Makes 6 -8 servings.  If desired, a side dish of your favorite  rice makes a good accompaniment.

Or, if you’re planning to do it ahead,  put the casserole in the refrigerator  until ready to bake.. It may take a few minutes longer to cook before it reaches 160  degrees and is ready to serve.

If you’re a  21st century, working mom, you can simplify this recipe by  substituting  4  poached chicken breasts and cutting them into bite sized pieces. Or, you can use 3 cups of diced, leftover turkey or chicken.

Nostalgic Chicken Divan made with stewed chicken is  still one of the tastiest, easiest, least expensive  recipes you will find.  Stewed chicken also makes delicious chicken and noodles.