SHOULD YOU CALL, EMAIL OR TEXT?

For the first few decades of my life, the only means of remote communication with another person was by telephone or snail mail. As a teen, I spent hours talking on the phone with boyfriends and girlfriends. What about? With the girls, it was usually about boys. With the boys, a lot of gossip and complaining about parents. When we left town for college or work, we wrote letters. It was sometimes difficult writing a letter in cursive, but a joy to receive. However, both of those options for connecting with others are almost obsolete. First, email replaced phone calls, and now texting has replaced e mail. Consequently, the choices are complicated for seniors. Should you call call, email or text family , friends, and business people?

Most people my age refuse to text. My husband says arthritis makes texting impossible, but I suspect he wouldn’t do it anyway. When you ask a person why they dislike phone calls, they’re liable to admit it’s because they consider themselves introverts. I can understand that. I used to experience social anxiety when talking on the phone to a new boyfriend or girlfriend. Or, as a suburban housewife, calling someone and asking them to dinner. What if I couldn’t think what to say, or they didn’t seem friendly? Sometimes, my voice sounded too high or low to my own ears. If only I’d had the luxury of choice.

I chose e mail as soon as I learned to use a computer. Didn’t have to worry about sounding awkward or strained. Could go back over my e mail before hitting send. It’s still a pretty smooth way to connect if you really have something to ask, or explain. And you aren’t bothering people with a phone call at a busy time. Trouble is, people started getting so much spam email that they missed reading personal e mails. Most people under 60 now seem to prefer texting. I resisted it for years. And then, one day, the whole texting thing kicked into my psyche.

Texting is cool. I love sending and receiving pictures that I don’t want to put out on Facebook. With the pic collage app, I can send pretty, personal greeting cards. The uses are endless. You don’t have to make awkward conversation, or spend precious time composing e mails. If you’re a senior who thinks texting is too complicated, you will find that it simplifies your life. And helps extroverts keep in touch with introverts who don’t like talking on the telephone.

December 26, 2021December 26, 2021

HOLIDAYS CAN BE BITTERSWEET FOR SENIORS

What is the best age for Christmas? If you were lucky enough to have a stable home, perhaps it was before you became a teenager. No extra work, no presents to buy–just a time for Christmas trees, cookies, caroling, and waiting for Santa. Then comes middle age, and the hectic holidays. When you’re trying to bring cheer to your home and workplace, while worrying about your parents, co workers and kids. But it’s still a fun, festive time. And then, all of a sudden, you’re eighty, and it is not quite the same. Holidays can be bittersweet for seniors.

Holidays may be bittersweet for seniors. Too much rich food can give you heartburn. — HOLIDAYS CAN BE BITTERSWEET FOR SENIORS. You have suffered losses of family and friends. And long, festive meals may wear you out.

If you’ve made it to this milestone age, you’ve surely endured a lot of losses. Parents and siblings. Death of a spouse or worse yet, a child. Divorce. Friends who’ve either moved away or passed on. And then, the loss of youthful energy and health. Many are suffering from a chronic medical condition such as diabetes, emphysema, or kidney failure. You may be on a cane or in a wheelchair. But still, you look forward to the holidays–the decorations, music, and most of all, visits from loved ones.

Holiday meals may be delicious, but they’re apt to give you indigestion. . It’s tempting to pour gravy over the turkey, butter the roll s, and pile whip cream on the pie. But if you over indulge, you’re apt to pay for it with sleepless nights filled with heartburn. Be careful what you eat. Remember, your tummy isn’t accustomed to all the extra fat, salt, and sugar .

Family gatherings can warm your heart, but also wear you out. Unfortunately, your body isn’t accustomed to long hours of sitting in a chair while visiting with relatives.. Festive holiday meals may drag on for hours. Toasts, turkey carving, numerous courses, wine, conversation. It used to be so enjoyable, but now you’re feeling sleepy before they bring out the fruitcake.

It’s important to realize that holidays can be bittersweet for seniors. A song or photograph may trigger feelings of grief for what’s been lost. Don’t expect to be the life of the party or host a holiday meal. Pace yourself. You needn’t apologize for taking a short nap. Do what you can, but don’t overdo. And feel gratitude that you’re still around for another holiday season. .

December 20, 2021January 3, 2022

MEATLOAF IS NO LONGER A BUDGET MEAL

Growing up in the post depression years, meatloaf was often served at our old oak kitchen table. It was filling, nutritious, and cheap. Believe it or not, ground beef only cost about 42 cents a pound. My mother could serve our family of six for less than a dollar. Even as recently as 2020, it was still advertised as a “budget meal.” But this pandemic has changed all that. Meatloaf, as an expense, has graduated into the upper class. That doesn’t mean you’ll find meatloaf on the menu at upscale restaurants. But the ingredients costs about as much as many of those fancy entrees.

Why is that? Because the cost of 93% lean ground beef is astronomical. Paid $6.85 a pound for it yesterday. So, my meatloaf recipe will require about $10.27 of beef for starters. The other ingredients are fairly reasonable, But it’s still going to be pricey.

Meatloaf in the old days had some fillers. Many people used bread crumbs, but I always preferred oatmeal. It’s one of the most popular comfort foods around, right up there with macaroni and cheese, and beef Manhattans. One of these days, you may find meatloaf on the menu at your favorite, candlelit restaurant. Maybe they’ll dress it up with cheese or mushrooms to make it sound more sophisticated. And serve it with a $10 glass of wine. I wouldn’t be surprised.

If you’re in the mood for some upscale comfort food, here is a recipe using Quaker Oats. I’ve changed it a little bit from the original, because I’m not too fond of ketchup. Instead I’ve substituted a can of tomato sauce. However, my husband likes a few dabs of ketchup on his serving.

Since I’m cooking for two I make the full recipe , then freeze half for another time

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds 93 percent lean ground beef
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 cup Quaker Oats, quick or old-fashioned, uncooked
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, using just ¾ can of tomato sauce. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Press into an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Pour remaining tomato sauce over the top as a garnish.

Bake for 1 hour to medium doneness (a thermometer inserted in the center should read 160 degrees) or until not pink in the center and juices run clear. Let stand for 5 minutes and drain off any juices before slicing.

While the meatloaf is baking, throw a couple of small Idaho potatoes in the oven. It’s an easy way to complete the meal, with minimum cleanup afterward.

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021

CITY BYPASSED WINDBLOWN SENIOR TRASH CANS

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve been getting some pretty scary weather here in the Midwest. Like, tornados in Kentucky. And high velocity winds barreling through towns . Last night, the wind was so strong that it blew down the trash cans I had set out along the street. Remember, we’re seniors who finally persuaded the city to give us two smaller cans instead of one big one. That was a fight we finally won. However, the waste management company isn’t happy with us. They showed us their ire by refusing to pick up our trash this morning. The city bypassed windblown senior trash cans.

There are usually two, strong, able bodied men in the trash collector’s truck. However, they rely totally on automation to pick up the cans. A big old vise that reaches out its claws, picks up the cans, then dumps the contents. Often , they then throw back the empty cans, leaving them on the ground. At any rate, when the truck passed our driveway early this morning, they could easily see that the strong wind had blown over our skinny trash cans, leaving bags lying in puddles of water. Did they care in the least? Hardly They turned up their noses and drove right on by, knowing full well they were leaving two seniors in the lurch. What were they expecting us to do? And why couldn’t they have stepped out of their comfort zone, got out of the truck, and set the cans upright?

I took a few deep breaths to control my anger, got dressed, walked out in the rain and set the cans upright, closing the lids. Then I called Republic at some out of state number. The person answering the phone thought I was calling from Indianapolis. I guess that’s what my address in Indiana made her think. Anyway, I told her what had happened, and she was kind enough to get in touch with the local office, She said she would take care of it, and she did. A few minutes later, I looked out the window and saw the cans had been emptied. Thank you, ma’am.

What if I hadn’t been awake early this morning while the trucks were still in the vicinity.? What would we have done about our trash for the coming week? It’s disgusting that the city would bypass windblown senior trash cans.

October 11, 2021October 11, 2021

BEWARE! SNOBBY STORES COST MORE.

Most urban areas have at least one upscale market. This is where you can buy fancy cheeses, luscious pastries, exotic coffee and fresh seafood. Of course, you have to pay more, but it seems worth it. The ambiance outclasses any big box supermarket. As you walk in the door, you can smell roses, and you don’t have to rub shoulders with poorly dressed people who drive rusty old trucks. But if you shop for ordinary grocery items like hand soap, tv dinners, or even lettuce, you may pay twice as much as you would at supermarkets like Kroger’s or Walmart. Beware! Snobby stores cost more.

Sometimes, if you’re in a hurry, you really don’t care. Last month, I paid $8.00 for a bottle of hand soap. This week, as I stopped at the dollar store on the way home from town, I saw the exact same product for $3.50. Only one problem, if you’re bothered by that sort of thing: the place smelled of disinfectant–not fresh roses. . And the customers weren’t wearing designer clothes. Some were outside taking a smoke break. A few were walking home, carrying bags across the railroad tracks. All in all, not a place to mingle with the upper classes. Or be seen.

There are those who wouldn’t be caught dead in a dollar store, and will shop only at upscale markets. They enjoy seeing friends and acquaintances from their clubs , charities, and cultural pursuits. Apparently , they have so much disposable income that they don’t check the prices, or even care. It’s where the elite meet and greet.

But there are some of us who don’t like feeling ripped off. With inflation running at an all time high, I will only pay so much for atmosphere. There are many bargains at the dollar store: vitamins, readers, household cleaners, paper goods, canned vegetables, and even greeting cards. Why pay $6.00 for a birthday card, when you can get a very nice one for a dollar?

Beware! snobby stores cost more.

September 27, 2021September 26, 2021

HELP! WE’RE ADDICTED TO CATALOGS.

Believe it or not, I had never purchased anything from a picture in a catalog until I was over 50. Strangely enough, my first job out of college was as a catalog copywriter for Montgomery Ward in Chicago. It was the first step into the glamourous world of advertising. But there’s no way I would have ordered so much as a pair of socks. Not when there was Michigan Avenue, with Carson’s, Marshall Field’s and all of the wonderful stores within walking distance. But later on, I married a man who had been born and raised on a farm in Nebraska. Catalog shopping was a way of life for him. Even before Covid, I had succumbed to the lure of all the shiny catalogs he received. And during the pandemic, it was the only way to go. Now, we receive at least one package every week. Help! We’re addicted to catalogs.

By catalogs, I include shopping websites like Amazon. Buying from a picture on online is no different than a catalog purchase. You like what you see, read the product description, click on “buy now,” and wait for the package to show up at your doorstep or in your mailbox. Sometimes, you’re disappointed. The shoe doesn’t fit, or the beige dress turns out to be yellow. And returns are somewhat of a bother. But I’ve always gotten my money back, and I didn’t have to stand in line at a customer service counter.

I still miss retail therapy. Smelling the perfume as you walk in a department store; seeing all the bright new fashions, geegaws and gimcracks on display. You could spend hours going from one department to the other. But there’s the problem for seniors. A trip to the mall leaves us exhausted.

Online shopping, or e-commerce, as they call it, has increased by 34% since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. Some small shops are beginning to open up again, and a few larger stores have kept their doors open. But now, we’ve grown fond of ordering from the comfort of our homes.. There’s much more to choose from, and it’s so easy. I’m afraid we’ll never see the return of the big department stores we loved in the 20^th century

The trouble is, we’re buying a lot more stuff than we used to. Help! We’re addicted to catalogs.

September 24, 2021September 24, 2021

SENIORS MUST TEXT OR BECOME EXTINCT

I don’t know about you, but I resisted texting for a long time. It seemed to me that a phone call– carrying on a conversation with a real person– was preferable. I remember hours spent on the phone with boy friends and girlfriends during high school. In college, we wrote each other long letters to express our feelings during summer vacations. Nothing was more exciting than to receive a handwritten letter from a special boyfriend or girlfriend. But now, no one likes to talk on the telephone or write letters, unless they’re over eighty. Seniors must text or become extinct.

What happened to e mail? It was so much easier than texting, and you could easily provide more detailed information. But here’s what’s happened. E mail has become a garbage bin for spam. I probably get 100 a day. To “unsubscribe” is a hassle, and doesn’t always work. Consequently, If someone sends me an important personal email, I’m liable to miss it altogether because it gets lost in a sea of unwanted emails.

Talking on the phone has pretty much gone out of style, except maybe with close relatives. And even my kids are often too busy to answer a phone call. On the other hand, some people ignore their texts. My problem is not that I ignore them, I simply don’t always realize I’ve received one. Why? Because my smartphone isn’t always in my back pocket. It might be upstairs, or left out in my car.

The best thing about texting is the ability to send instant pictures. But even those put an onus on the recipient. You’re expected to reply instantly to a picture of a cat or kid or rose bush. Sometimes it’s hard to think of an appropriate response. Expressions like cute, great, awesome, funny, etc. are fairly trite. But at least the person has the satisfaction of knowing that you received their photo.

Texting has even invaded social events like fund raisers. I attended a benefit the other day, and you didn’t physically bid on the silent auction items. In fact, you didn’t even have to see them. We were asked to take a seat, turn to a link on our phones, and then see pictures of the items for sale. Then, there was some mechanism where you put in your bid over the phone. Way too High Tech for me. And truthfully, the auction items didn’t look all that appealing when you couldn’t see the real thing.

A lot of people think seniors don’t know how to text. However, according to the people who track that kind of thing, 85% of us can. We just don’t necessarily like it, especially if we have arthritic fingers or poor eyesight. But if we refuse to text, we’ll soon be out of the loop. Seniors must text or become extinct.