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  My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| I was glad when disco was out. It seemed like such a superficial craze. The clothing, the lights,the mirror balls, the attitude just felt silly. For people who were raised in jeans and t-shirts and free for all dancing and twisting, formal dance steps and being paired off was too much to ask. It was flashy and artificial. Now that we have had decades to get over it, it seems kind of campy to revisit it. For baby boomers who need more exercise, it feels like fun. While it was embarrassing for those of us not caught up in it then, it would be cool now to learn what we missed or relearn what we forgot. We wouldn't have to do the double knits or the baggy pants, but show up however we want to dress. Get the blood flowing just like at beach music parties or sock hops or Beatle imitators. And no strobe lights! But play that funky music and move those feet! I'd sign up for a class. Get that aerobic activity the doctor is demanding. Bring back disco dancing. |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1F0lBnsnkE Check out this piece of entertainment. |
| I am still struggling with priorities and goal setting. I recently saw a brief podcast that claimed goal setting puts you in the failure state. You set your weekly goals or your new year's resolutions, and you are automatically in the failure state. You stay there until you can check off your goal as completed. Then you fall into a common experience of having reached a goal and feeling let down. ("I caught the wild mustang, now what?" or "I made my first million; why don't I feel better?) So you set another goal, maybe a harder goal, and you are once again in the failure state. He was addressing business people mostly, but used writing as an example. Instead of saying my goal is to write a book or a poem or series of essays, tell yourself you are going to write X number of minutes or hours every day. He said to avoid counting words or chapters, just say a time amount. Then it doesn't matter how well you write or what you write, you just get in the habit of writing. It becomes a priority above everything else. You can feel successful day by day and not just at some distant point in time. I thought I can do that. I can devote an hour to this, one to that, and so forth, and I realized I won't have time for sleeping, personal care, unexpected events, etc. How do people manage whose priority is to care for children, elderly parents, or sick family members? Your own health and exercise is another priority. Your business or work is another. Then there are hobbies and passions and friends and church or clubs. But I read elsewhere just this morning that if you have more than three daily priorities, then you don't have any priority. What priorities to give up or delay? I found a crochet pattern book that promises you can make a full afghan in a week. I'm experienced and have worked steadily every day for 12 days on a very simple pattern and am not finished. Some days I spend hours on it nonstop, so I don't know how someone does one in a week. I enjoy the work, and it gives me an excuse for having the TV on. I can listen while I'm crocheting and when your fingers have a feel for it, you can look away frequently and keep going. I do set weekly goals, because I've always liked check lists. But at week's end, I do feel like I've fallen short. That part is true. I didn't make my deadline to get all those things done. When I'm easy on myself and keep the list simple, then I feel like I haven't really tried. It was too easy. I need to stretch a little. I don't want to feel like I'm coasting from day to day with bare minimum effort. I certainly don't want to lag behind. Maybe it's an appropriate struggle for various age milestones we have. Where am I going with my life? Am I making any progress? Am I truly happy or am I settling? Am I using my potential? Am I making a difference to others? Am I being the best me? Am I running out of time? Somehow we have to discern how to avoid the failure state and still shoot for the stars. |
| We used to hear of two minute or three minute eggs, but hardly ever hear them mentioned now. The difference between them is more than one minute. Apparently, it was a European tradition, along with egg cups, which few people use now. The end of the boiled egg was removed only and sat upright in the cup. You spooned the egg right out of the shell or dipped your toast corners into the runny yolk. I don't know anyone who does that. Just for the record, a two minute egg, starting out in cold water, boils for two minutes, but sits in the hot water away from the heat for about 15 minutes before being served. A three minute egg boils for three minutes, but sits in the hot water for 17 minutes. However, most people I know do not follow these rules. They usually end up with overcooked eggs. There are some tips to getting a good boiled egg, done to the firmness you prefer. (I don't know if restaurants even offer boiled eggs any more.) You always put the eggs in the unheated water to start. The water should completely cover the eggs. Adding a drop or two of white vinegar will prevent or lessen egg white from escaping through cracks. Some people also like to throw in a pinch of salt to make the shells easier to peel. I don't do either of these. The freshest eggs are the hardest to peel, so you may want salt for those. If you start peeling your eggs and notice they are difficult to peel, crack each one as neatly as possible and allow to soak in cold water. The water will seep in under the shell and make it a little easier. Once the water starts to boil, turn the heat off after two to three minutes. If you have a gas stove where the heat instantly stops, you may need to leave it on just a tad longer. Depending on how soft you want your yolks, leave them in the hot water ten to 20 minutes. My dad boils them about 20 minutes, rinses in cold water and peels. The result: the yolks have a green hue around the outside, a sign of overcooking. They're not even preferable for good egg salad or deviled eggs. And they lose a lot of white when peeling. Home grown eggs preserve a little longer. They aren't washed, so the coating on the outside preserve them a little longer. They don't even need to be refrigerated when they are first collected. The shells are thicker and harder to crack. They do last longer. All eggs peel easier when they are a week or two older. I met a man once who wouldn't feed his cat eggs a week old. But the truth is they last well if kept away from the sun and the heat.. The freshness date on store bought eggs and other products is a sale date, not a throw away date. Experimentation is the best way to discover how to get the perfect egg for you, since everyone likes them differently. |
| It's pollen season, so there's more sneezing all around. We hear "Bless you" and "Gesundheit" all over the place. Ever wonder why we feel the need to bless someone who makes a simple sneeze? When I was a child, my mother always said. "Scat". We asked why, and she just replied that was the thing to do. It wasn't until much later that we heard "Gesundheit" and later still the "Bless you". Then in French class, we translated the word Scat. The teacher explained that the French of older times believed a sneeze was the sound of evil spirits leaving the body. The order to scatter would prevent them from re-entering the body. Apparently, the habit came to America without the explanation. The German blessing indicates a little concern for wellness. The American blessing is a softer version. One episode of Seinfeld had George making a big deal about someone not saying "Bless you" when his girl friend sneezed, but then the show did claim to be a show about nothing. The truth is we are not required to acknowledge someone's sneeze. There is nothing wrong with ignoring it, particularly if they are sneezing a lot. We don't say anything about coughing or dabbing at a runny nose. Making a kind remark, like a blessing, is idle chatter which may make the person less embarrassed. It may even be a polite gesture to a stranger in the market. Whether you say anything or not, it's not a matter of etiquette. The sneezer will usually say "Excuse me", which is more of a matter of manners, particularly for loud or disruptive sneezes. Covering the sneeze is not only good manners but a requirement in some environments to avoid spreading germs. Sneezing (or coughing) into your shoulder or inside your jacket or shirt is preferable to sneezing into your hands. Pulling up the neck of your t-shirt to cover your nose is not rude or gauche in this germophobe age. So, Gesundheit, and Bless You. And scat to your evil spirits. |
| We all love buffets. Especially "all you can eat buffets". You might not want to be piggish at a wedding buffet or in someone's home, but at a restaurant, many people feel they need to get their money's worth. And we tend to be wasteful as well as overeat. Something looks good, but we don't like it after all, so after a bite or two, it's left on our plates. In our minds, we didn't eat that, so we get to try something else on the next trip to the service line. Oh, just a little of this, a taste or two of that. We tend to get one whole day's calories in one meal, even before dessert. Potluck suppers are just as bad. You go to a club or church dinner, and what do you see, but a lot of different comfort foods! There will be store bought things slipped in, but most will be handmade. Potato salads, macaroni and cheese, baked beans with ground hamburger, various vegetables, casseroles, fruit salads, and pies. The thinking there is "I get to try somebody else's cooking." So you take a few spoonsful of almost everything. And you might hurt someone's feelings if their dish is not disappearing. You couldn't hurt a friend's feelings. You have to take a little. And it's worse than in a restaurant because you don't want the cook or baker to see you leaving their dish on your plate or trying to dump it discreetly in the trash. Learning self-control at buffets and potlucks is very difficult. A half hour on a treadmill does not burn off the calories of one piece of pie. It takes several days to get back on track and do damage control. For me, I try to limit portions, but I still succumb to choices. I hate cucumbers and mint. Almost everything else I will tackle if given the option. Meat is not a big temptation for me, especially if there are plenty of vegetables and fruits and starchy things. And we tend to take healthy vegetables and add fats and starches or cheese to them to take to these potlucks. I am currently trying to recover from such a potluck before I go to a brunch on Saturday. I know that a friend will be bringing eggs Newburg. We'll also be having Mimosas, monkey bread (sweet and sticky), fruit, and many other things, since most of the guests are experienced cooks. Oh, well, amp up the exercise and skip lunch. I'll waddle through. |
| I went to an estate sale near my home. The old couple were collectors with many varied interests. It was wonderful to look at them all, many which were antiques. The items were not priced to move quickly. Once again, I was reminded how material things have such temporary value to us. It seems like most of us are collectors of something, sports memorabilia or whatever. Unless we have heirs interested in the same things, they will be sold off or donated upon our demise. The polite comments will be something like, "He certainly had a variety of tastes." The less kind will sound something like what I've heard, "What on earth was he thinking of? Spending all that money, going to all that trouble, and not enough space to display it (or store it)." But we just can't help ourselves. We see it, we want it, we get it the best way we can. I once collected coffee mugs from all the places I traveled. It looked like a tourist shop. But I moved too many times, and most of them have disappeared. I have a curio so full of bells that no one notices them. My brother died leaving me over 5000 comic books, most unwrapped, most mass produced, which means they have no value. First edition books need special storage. Antique lace and great grandma's hand-tatted tablecloth aren't items you can easily display or use without risk. I once babysat for a doctor who collected antique surgical tools. Those are of no value to anyone but another doctor, maybe, or a museum. Antique farm equipment is interesting, and expensive, but is only good to set around as an ornament that needs upkeep. A lady in my former town of residence collected anything with Campbell Soup kids on it. That's one of the more unusual ones I've heard of. She had a whole room devoted to them. Who knew so many objects had been made with that logo? Maybe it's our sense of ownership, or wealth, that collections feed. For some people, it may have been from being poor at some point, of not having enough, so now there is a lot, collected a little at a time. Maybe we're like squirrels, packing away nuts for a hard winter, but each with different ideas about the nuts. Or is it some misguided concept about the finer things in life? I had a friend who saved Southern Living magazine for years. They have beautiful pictures, great recipes, and travel ideas. They were downsizing, so she had to get rid of them. No one wanted her large collection. They went to the trash after all those years of storage and dusting and display. For some foolish reason, I once saved programs and ticket stubs from special events. I stopped that, and have thrown a few old ones away, if the programs didn't have a family member listed somewhere. I once saved greeting cards, but I got over that. My dad still has his and gets them out from time to time. He'll display one from Mom or some other family member. They obviously have sentimental value for him and keeping them makes him happy. Collections are a part of our lives. We cherish our own and don't understand someone else's. Painted plates, teaspoons with flowers, thimbles, pocket knives, duck calls, Thomas Kincaid anything, wooden toys, whatever you name, we collect them. And they might still be around after we aren't. |
| Bacon has fallen in and out of favor over the years. It was high in saturated fat and sodium, so dieters abandoned it. A nation suddenly obsessed with heart health spurned bacon Then the nitrates made it fall out of favor. But some how it stuck around and has surged upward again. You now buy nitrate free bacon. And it comes in thinner slices for those counting calories, but not wanting to abandon it all together. You find bacon in salads, side dishes, and even deserts. I remember way back when you'd find chicken livers wrapped in bacon at nice wedding receptions, but that fad is gone, mostly because of the livers. When I myself was spurning bacon for health reasons, I discovered there was almost nothing at a church potluck in which I could indulge besides bread. I wondered why bacon had to go in everything, and that was before it went into cupcakes and cookies. Recently, on Wheel of Fortune one contestant described himself in his one moment in the spotlight as a lover of bacon all the time. Wow! One of the most important things about you is that you love bacon any time of day! I also saw a recipe in a popular magazine for candied bacon. I suppose this love affair with bacon began with farmers and cowboys because it kept so well, even under adverse circumstances. You cut the mold off the ham or the side of bacon and use it. Plus the bacon leaves a nice grease for frying other foods or making gravies. When people worked harder and walked more, the extra calories and fat in their vegetables or breads didn't hurt so much. I admit that frying some bacon over a camp stove or fire will stir up a whole camp ground, and get people talking to you. The outdoor air, the smell of smoke, coffee, and bacon does wake you up and comfort you. I once saw a TV documentary on food fads. It went through over a century, decade by decade. TV dinners in the aluminum trays were included, and then microwave foods. Freezers, blenders, food processors, and toasters all played a part in food history and fads. It would interesting to see that again in an updated version. It would include more international influences, organic, gluten-free, computer shopping, and Applewood bacon. |
| Despite my motto that only dull women have immaculate homes, I, too, will succumb to spring cleaning. There's the usual sweeping, mopping, and dusting. But there's the closets and drawers that don't get used much; they need attention, too. I do ceiling fans from time to time, but never all at once. Time to do that. I'm not going to open all the windows and air out the house which was popular in the past. Pollen is already out, and I don't need to breathe it 24 hours a day. I recently emptied all my kitchen cabinets and refilled them with the help of a cousin. So I'll skip those. But it's time to let go of knickknacks and mementos of things gone past. My generation's memories mean nothing to the younger ones, except maybe family keepsakes. Old table cloths and bed linens that haven't been used need to go. When going through my own clothes, shoes, and jewelry, I'm going to ask, "Do I love it?" If not, that means I'm not going to use it, so get rid of it. If shoes are worn down, except for my lawn and garden shoes, they need to be cast in the trash. Sentimental value for clothes has no place. I have to streamline. Some toys and miscellaneous things are going to disappear. Louvered closet doors have to be washed. They look nice, but I'd never choose them again because of the cleaning difficulties. The storm windows need cleaning. Upholstery has to be steamed. Decks and patios need cleaning when it's not so chilly. This whole spring ritual is about getting rid of the dust and the staleness, and refreshing our environment. It helps us to get on with our lives, evaluating our priorities and outlook, and getting a fresh start. It might be more important than New Year's Day and resolutions. For instance, I have decided I have too many interests. I like to read, I like to write. I have rooms full of books which I can't give up. I have notebooks, and boxes or notes, and computer files of writing. But I also like to crochet, embroider, sew, and do other crafts. I have a lot of those supplies, too, mine and my mother's which I have not had time while working to use. When doing my spring cleaning, I have to decide whether to keep holding these supplies and unfinished projects or get rid of them. I'm slower than what I used to be. I don't have as much energy. I can't do all the things I want to do. How do I decide what to get rid of? I have to 'spring clean' my life, my goals, my ambitions before I can finish cleaning the house and garage. I think it may be why I've had such a prolonged trial sorting and organizing my home. I didn't know what was important to me. I moved into this house, already full with my father's things, and some of what was left of my mother's. All of my brothers and my nieces had left things here. I couldn't get rid of someone else's things, but there really wasn't room for me and my belongings and household goods. Over time, I released some of my things. Then a brother died, and Dad suddenly inherited all of his things. We washed all of his clothes and donated them. He was a collector, so the things he cherished had nostalgic value as well as potential market value. Unfortunately, Dad has ruined a lot of the art work and broken up the unopened toys. It's time to let go of those, even if we lose money. I've even wondered if I need to abandon writing. I'm not great at it. It would give me more time to take care of daily living tasks. I'm not happy with that thought. It doesn't last long, but it is a possibility. So I may be writing less while I work on those closets and try to evaluate my direction. It's my head, maybe, that needs the spring cleaning. |
| Today I am wishing for everyone at WDC to have a wonderful day. Regardless of religious beliefs or spiritual leanings, I hope this is a day of peace and contentment and joy. For me, it is a day of worship and fellowship with friends. On the home front, we have a big meal, an Easter egg hunt, and some child spoiling to do. My nephew has already asked if I got his Easter present yet. "Is this another Christmas or birthday?" I asked. He informed me with a lovable smile that children get things on Easter. "But why from me?" It turns out his other aunt and uncle who live in another state mailed him a card with money in it. So I guess something is expected from me, too. Fortunately, I do have six candy-free baskets ready. They're getting flower seeds, magnifying glasses, snack size raisins, and small dollar store items. The girls are getting 3d butterfly stickers and the boys are getting Matchbox cars. And we will say grace at dinnertime. Judging from the crowds at the grocery store this afternoon, Easter is a big day for eating with a lot of people. I doubt many churches will see an increased attendance, but Easter still holds the call for family to gather. The weather promises to be good, despite the snow a week ago, and the cold breezes earlier this week. So whether you're having lamb, ham, or turkey, or a Big Mac, enjoy. Be grateful for choices. If you have to hide or seek eggs, have a positive attitude. It's only once a year. The bulbs have come up, the trees are budding, the car is covered lightly with a coat of pollen. It's time for renewal, in the earth, in our selves, in our family and other relationships. |
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