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  My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| One of the joys of summer is fixing a hamburger the way you want it. I could do a buffet table just for burger toppings! First, you have to decide how you want it cooked: dripping blood, just a little pink in the middle, pink almost gray, well done, or charred. Then there's the kind of bun: onion, brioche, whole grain, seeded, or plain? Cheese or no? If so, what kind? I'm currently into Monterrey Jack. But extra sharp cheddar or white cheddar are always winners. Swiss or provolone will do. Preferably no cheese food or cheese products. What kind of condiments? Besides salt and pepper, that is. Mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, mustard of choice, ketchup, which to choose or mix. I'm fond of lemon tarragon mustard or spicy brown mustard. Dijon was top choice for a long time. I don't want it premixed with mayo; I prefer to do that myself. I've watched with interest as people swirled around several with a plastic utensil. I usually stick to just two or just one if the mood strikes. I'm not into ketchup that much. If the burger is assembly line prepared, it might be thin enough to take lettuce and tomato. My home burgers are too thick, even in the George Foreman grill, to accommodate tomatoes, lettuce, and all the other stuff. I always make them available to my guests. Onions are necessary. But will they be Vidalia, Bermuda, or red? Chopped or sliced? Then pickles. Dill, sweet, or bread and butter? Chips, long slices, or relish? Or spears on the side? If you want to go a step further, there's mushrooms. Raw or cooked. To cut down on oil, I use a little water after they start to shrink and brown. I stir them up, then cover with a lid. I throw in some whole basil leaves for flavoring. They're yummy on burgers, especially with cheese. Or have as a side dish. It's crossed my mind that I could leave out the burger and just put the toppings in a bowl and mix. Add mixed greens and eat like a salad. Or toss on a bun for a meatless burger. I have opted for ground turkey burgers or buffalo burgers, but not for company. They do have a different texture, but we like them. I haven't been able to tell the difference between ground chuck and regular ground beef in burgers. Some swear they can. But it is wonderful to have all these options! Who needs side dishes? We usually have watermelon or cantaloupe or both with our burgers and all Sunday or holiday meals all summer long. Corn is a frequent side as my dad loves it. |
| Getting older is one of the rewards of living longer. But it's not easy or simple. You move slower and remember slower just when you have a lot of errands and a lot to remember. I still have an aging parent, so I'm not just seeing changes in myself, but in him as well. He's getting more feeble. More things like sudden headaches scare him. I'm having to take over more duties, more yard work, more household chores that he's always done. I have to get involved with his bills and insurance as well as my own. I drive him almost everywhere now. I have to clean the house more because of his stiff arthritic fingers that drop everything, and his back is too stiff to bend over and pick anything up. The floors have to be swept and sometimes mopped multiple times in one day. We can't use cloth table covers, because he spills too frequently or knocks over something liquid. He grabs every door way and chair to steady himself, leaving hand prints behind. His skins bruises and cuts easily, so he sometimes bleeds and doesn't know it, then brushes against a wall, leaving stains behind. He's doing less hedge trimming, but still tinkers in the garage and works on lawn mowers, and so forth. I see a lot of older friends, some still married, others widowed, taking cruises or going on frequent vacations. I can't go anywhere because of my home responsibilities, and my dad can't travel more than an hour or two. He can't walk much if I take him to a free concert downtown. Parking is not easy, so he'd have to walk on uneven bricks, and curbs, all of which are a challenge to him. It would almost be easier if he would consent to a wheel chair on these rare occasions, but that is a threat to his dignity and he won't hear of it. At first, I was resentful of taking him to the post office and grocer store every week or on other errands, but I came to realize this was an outing for him. It involves level ground for walking, and gets him out of the house. It's my job to keep him active. I don't mind taking him to the doctor. I volunteered that early on, while he was still working, so that I could hear the doctor first hand. It also allows me input with the various doctors. h I have an older friend at church who has buried two wives. The wives did all the work, at least, until the last one really lost her faculties to Alzheimer's. He never did laundry, which you could see by the dirty dresses she wore to church. He took her to several community choirs, basketball games, and concerts. They stayed active even when she didn't always know who he was. There was no doubt he loved her, but he couldn't care for her at the end. Some ladies at church started helping by doing her laundry and going through her closet for things that didn't fit and found her a new winter coat. Eventually, she had to go to a facility for memory care and soon to a hospice. He is still active in things, but seems to be emotionally inept at most routine problems. His wives always handled things. He's brilliant. He is a retired math professor. But ordinary things are beyond him. He's in his 80;s and coping on his own, getting a lot of sympathy from his friends and church members. He seems to be healthy and intellectually astute, but so feeble in other ways. I have another friend who's 94 and she still cuts her own grass with a gas push mower. She walks regularly and paints, too. She still drives but only in the day. She doesn't travel now at all, but she traveled extensively when her husband was alive, and she was agile and healthy to enjoy it. She's already seen the world. I know a doctor my age who is retiring this month. He still loves his job, but he gets tired. He has no energy left for family or his church after working all day. It's not even like 5 or 6 years ago. He just gets too drained. He will consult only as needed, no procedures. He started the practice with a partner who was in 8th grade with me. The partner has already moved on to easier medical things. So their practice will continue without them, but with about ten other doctors. I have still more senior friends who keep on working or return to work, even older than I, to help support their children or other family members. One guy I knew said he'd have to work until the day he died. I know a number of retired men who tinker on machinery, like tillers or lawn mowers, just for a few extra dollars. Their schedule is their own. They usually do good, honest work, if you can wait until they get around to it. Aging is as different as the people facing it. But it generally involves slowing down, getting the big picture, and resting. Don't give in until you have no choice. |
| I'm just not a part of the electronic age. I've spent half the day trying to install my security system on my new computer, now that the trial one has expired. The one I already had on the old one automatically renewed on my charge card. I've had it for years. I did the chat thing with the support person, but he kept closing out on my while I was trying to follow his instructions. At this point, I don't have a firewall, so I feel like calling my bank and reversing the charge. It's too frustrating. I don't recommend auto-renewal to anyone, but I can't sign into the account to stop that either. I have a printer that I can't install software for. Now on the old computer, I did all these things, including photo software with no problem. Everything has changed. Things are the same today that they were two years ago! A person who knows how to do these routine things could go into business for himself. Of course, he'd have to have a business license, be bonded (going into people's homes for wiring and setting up), advertise, write invoices, and probably have a bank card ap to collect fees. There would be expenses, but a lot of people would use such a house call computer doctor. I set up an Instagram account on my desktop, but you can only use it on your phone. I can't set the phone ap up! I feel like a moron. A lot of people do these things, but they are just lousy at teaching others. If you ask a young person in a store that sells computers and supplies, they don't know how to answer you. They know nothing of office or business programs. I know two people who do a lot of fancy things, but they are super busy with multiple jobs and doing computer jobs for their church, including music and video. I belong in the dark ages. |
| I've tried pushing some first cousins to pick a date for dinner or a Saturday with a place to gather. I will bring my elderly father from 70 miles north of them to their town at their convenience. I have two aunts (widows of my blood uncles) in that town that I would like to visit with us. Only one of these cousins is flexible and sounds anxious to meet. The others just won't commit. They claim they want to. The one who is flexible wants his sisters to be there. It's even harder to arrange a family reunion with other relatives. Most of the others are at my end of this distance. We're not getting any younger. I think it would be nice to get together one more time, take some pictures for future generations and catch up with each other. I'll give them a little more time. Then Dad and I will just set up something with his sisters-in-law for a lunch meeting. Skip the cousins. I want this to happen. We aren't getting any younger or healthier. Maybe we're being too flexible and accommodating. I may just give a date, and if they can't come, they can just complain. I don't know if the others just don't care, like being in control, or don't want to make decisions. I'm tired of going to funerals for people I haven't seen in years, when we were all so close when we were younger. Summers are for family gatherings. I'm going to keep pushing. |
| The local river is still out of its banks. The sun is shining and it's windy, but warm. The yard is muddy. The ground is soft enough to allow weed pulling. Little puddles are everywhere, apparently breeding mosquitoes. I took a short time between rains to pull weeds from a bed I worked last week. I drew out the little devils like a picnic for ants! I must have come too close to a shrub because I have a long pink scratch on my temple. I don't remember snagging anything, but old skin tears easily. All around the scratch are bug bites. I knew something was "bugging" me, but I was pulling up something with long roots, and it looked like poison ivy. So I was afraid to put my hands in my face, I rubbed that side of my face on my shoulder and my upper arm. Not enough. I have stings on my neck, my ear, my eyebrow, my chin, my cheek, and the corner of my eye, and all around the scratch. These are the soft skin areas, not as tough as the rest of the body. So scratching is not advisable. I always react badly to mosquito and all bug bites or stings. It will take 4 or 5 days for the worst of it to disappear. The mark will remain much longer. I am going crazy. This happened on Monday, and I am still itching to death. Yesterday, all I did was walk onto my back porch for some daily weed pulling out of the herb pots. I get them there while they are small and easy to pull. Both hands got it bad. I could not sleep last night for the itching. My hands scratched each other until I almost broke the skin. I picked up some Benadryl today, since topical medicines don't help more than 5 minutes. So immediately, I fell asleep after taking the first pill. A nurse told me to take it to lessen the swelling and calm the nerve endings. After being up and about for a while, I am struggling to keep my hands out of my face and off my neck, but can't seem to stop rubbing my hands together like Lady MacBeth. I'm not doing any outdoor work today. I want to wait until I heal. I have some disposable gloves by the back door, so quick trips outside I can at least protect my hands. I have moved all my repellents to convenient places near the doors, and have sprayed the foyer and the garage to be sure nothing is slipping inside. I love the yard, but I have been reminded why I don't do more yard work or spend time outdoors entertaining. Nobody in my family suffers from these things like I do, and they don't attract them like I do either. |
| I spent half an hour pulling weeds from one flower bed. I had to do some minimal trimming of shrubs to get to the weeds at the base. I didn't get 100% of them. The tiny ones are still there. But I have a big mess still to rake up. I was dripping sweat--it's an overcast day--and had a few bug bites. I was dripping blood on one arm. Old skin breaks easily on shrubs. My back and knees were aching. This old person had to go in and cool off with a glass of water. I felt all trembly as though I'd been to the gym, but didn't have that good feeling after a work out. The muscles hadn't been exerted properly. And gardening, unless you're hoeing or shoveling, burns very few calories. It's not aerobic. It just keeps your body in uncomfortable positions for extended periods of time. It really doesn't take the place of a nice walk or a work-out. Nor does housekeeping. But both housework and yard work need to be done. Dust and clutter accumulate inside, and weeds take over outside. It will all have to be done again before you recover. If only flowers were as hardy as weeds. It's a good thing trees don't grow like weeds or they'd be falling over all the time in the slightest of breezes. Some weeds put roots out further than trees and are just as hard to remove. Weeds seem to be impervious to drought, bugs, and disease. We specialize in growing weeds at my house. They even end up in the flower pots with the expensive store bought potting soil one flight up from the yard. It's a daily job. As I guess I should have a positive attitude. I'm alive one more day; so let's pull some weeds. |
| Dishonesty and fraud are everywhere. As much as we love our computers, it's easy to hate them because they allow sneaky thieves, vandals, and scoundrels to invade our privacy and annoy the bologna out of us. Tuesday I was blocked with what appeared to be a Microsoft Edge message with a vocal warning in a British accent. It warns that if you close the screen or take the page down, it will wipe out your computer, and make a complaint about your IPL. It starts off telling you that you are being attacked by a pornographic site, but goes on to say that all your financial information is being stolen. I found it was impossible to close the program or take it down. It would not shut up. I had to turn the power off and disconnect the Ethernet. I waited an hour, and rebooted only to find it was still there. My friend told me it would go away with no power. I waited a few more hours, and it did go away. Two days later, it did it again. This time I had already used my phone to research it, and found that it is a scam to sell you a fake protection program. The 800 number is not a really a Microsoft trouble shooting number. It also told me how to correct it when the program can't be closed. You have to click on the task bar, right click "task manager", find your browser listed, then "end task". It won't stop it from happening again, but it turns that awful voice off and takes down the Microsoft pop-ups. Thankfully, my instinct was not to call that number. It just didn't seem real, like those phony phone calls from Windows. How do they even know I have a computer, or that it's hooked up? I just hang up on those crooks. Never ever give your email address or serial number to one of those guys, and don't give any credit card numbers. Too bad there are so many people willing to make a dishonest living. Makes you wonder about the fate of mankind, when so many are willing to exploit others for their own gain. |
| So many people say they can't carry a tune in a bucket. I've heard some people sing who sound, well, maybe they need a bucket. I always think they didn't hear enough singing when they were babies. I don't mean a radio or TV blasting away. I'm referring to a real live singing or humming person, a nanny, a parent, a babysitter, a sibling, someone to hold the baby and sing softly up close. Children who have either parent sing to them as infants and toddlers will sing easily in tune. They can't sing what they can't hear first. But it can be remedied, one child at a time. If a teacher, at church or school has a group that sings well, but one kid is always off key, there is hope. If you play the piano, have the child stand in front of it, facing the keys but hands at his sides. You stand behind him and play the melody only, while singing the words behind his ear. He will zoom in on the sound and will feel the vibrations as well. Eventually, he will start to sing the same notes he hears. Most children will pick this up quickly. It may take more than one attempt to lock in his ability, but it should work. With older children, teens, and adults, it's a little more difficult. There's the personal body space dilemma, You probably want to have that individual seated and still stand behind and lean over to sing behind his or her head. Let someone else play the piano or keyboard or do it without music. It may take a little longer, but it should still work to help that person "hear" the notes and then aim for them with his own voice. That doesn't mean that the person suddenly will be a great singer. (Who knows? Maybe.) But life could be a little more fun, if he can sing along without embarrassing himself or offending anyone. The best way is to sing around children. Engage them in singing. If they don't sing when they grow up, that's their option. But at least they'll have a chance if they are exposed to singing or humming when they are babies. |
| Thanks to everyone who has served our country in the military service. This weekend we remember and pay tribute to all who have served, who have died, or who were injured defending our country in war or police action. To their families, we also say thanks for your service and sacrifice. We celebrated today with all beef hot dogs on the George Foreman grill since it was raining outside. To be different I made hot dog chili from scratch, none of that nasty canned sauce. I used ground turkey, fresh garlic, tomatoes and chilies, etc. Yum. I also had sauerkraut, but of course, the kids weren't interested in that or the chili. The adults didn't want sauerkraut either. They ate lots of seedless watermelon, cantaloupe, baked beans, lemonade or tea, and my brother's macaroni salad. I made brownies from scratch. We had red, white, and blue decorations. Baby Jack-he's 5 months-and I sang patriotic songs, while the five year old tore off my only peace lily bloom in another room. We work so hard on that lily for light and moisture to get one little bloom twice a year. There it was in all its perfection lying on the patio in the rain. I'm surprised at the lack of war movies this weekend, which is typical of Memorial Day or Veteran's Day. There are a lot of movies and old TV shows featuring John Wayne or James Arness. They both had birthdays this weekend. I did watch two short movies from 1935 with John Wayne, great treasures. Hope you have the weekend off. Enjoy. |
| I remember when my family was introduced to pizza. It really was a foreign concept. My mom swore that Dad would never eat pizza after we kids experienced it at other people's homes or church events for kids. He came around. Now everyone I know eats pizza readily. My grandmother, who probably never had it the first 60 years or more of her life, ate it with extra hot sauce. My dad will eat it now as long as the crust isn't too crispy. But you have to add extra cheese and meat to it when heating. Remember TV dinners in aluminum trays? That tells your age. No more aluminum trays because of microwaves. And they're not referred to as TV dinners. There's even healthy versions and family size packages. I even remember when microwave ovens were new. We were afraid they would hurt us, like give us radiation or something. We even called the process "nuking" our food. My mother in law insisted it made her house hotter to run the microwave for a few minutes. I tried telling her the food got hotter without using heat, but it never sank in. It still worked like a regular oven, but faster, in her mind. That was only a few years ago. I was thinking about hot spots in my home town where people loved to go. There was a Mexican restaurant, locally owned by a non-Hispanic family, that was very popular. My brother claimed that after he and his wife ate there, with no alcohol, he had a hangover headache the next day from all the spices. Today people of all ages in this mid-Atlantic town eats spicy Mexican food. There must be a dozen or more quality Mexican restaurants in the area, plus the Bell. At one time every wedding reception served chicken livers wrapped in bacon. Nobody does that any longer. Waffle cut raw vegetables and radish roses were popular, but now there are just simple cuts of veggies. Crepes are still around, but are not so worshiped by the upwardly mobile. Chocolate fountains are still popular right now, but they're falling off. Sushi became hot a few years ago. Manufacturers and restaurateurs keep changing things up to rake in our dollars. Food prep changes with our busy schedules and available cooking tools. You can buy a device for almost anything you can do in the kitchen, a brush for corn silk, a strawberry huller, a pineapple corer, etc. And people aren't teaching their children cooking skills like they once did. They see their parental role differently. They don't cook, so why teach the kids to be self-sufficient? Yet You Tube and web newsletters make it possible to learn new skills on your own. Nutella and coconut oil are all the rage now. Who ever heard of them decades ago? But how can you find a Dreamsicle or a red, white and blue popsicle? Or sherbet push-ups? Only old-timers like me still make pineapple upside down cake. Pop Tarts didn't exist when I was a child, but they've lasted well and are still selling. Grits may be making a comeback. Bacon's in everything. Quinoa is trying to find acceptability. I can't find farina or buckwheat in the supermarket. It's hard to say what people will be craving ten years from now, and what items we like won't be available. Maybe chocolate will be obsolete. Who knows? |
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