074 Light frenzies

Christmas Light Frenzies

I stopped channel surfing recently to watch a program about people who have taken to decorating their yards for Christmas to a stupendous level. 

It amazed me how many hours of work, efforts, and enormous numbers of lights go into these displays. The creativity and the amount of “stuff” that can be crammed onto a house and yard is astounding.

The usual explanation is that the design grew and grew over the years, that people expect them to do it, and that they love doing it for the children.

I don’t make a special effort to drive around and look at these displays, but do enjoy seeing such yards when they are on my route.

On my evening walking route, I walk the same route so I have been able to watch the neighborhood decorations grow as Christmas approaches. 

The funny thing is that I usually comment that the tastefully decorated home is much nicer, but I find the over-the-top decorations are much more fun. 

Maybe not cheating when this many?

The inflatables are interesting and often make my dog Tootsie bark, but don’t they seem like cheating?

Luminaries are nice because often a neighborhood cooperates to set them up, but wind, rain, and snow can ruin the effect.







I wonder, though, what is it like to live across the street from one of these mega-displays. There must be a huge number of cars driving by as soon as the sun goes down. If the neighbors of the light-frenzy displays have windows that provide a view of the dazzling spectacle, I bet blackout curtains or shades or plywood cover those windows!

Thanks to those home owners who remember what it is all about.

                                                                                   Trish

073 Christmas recipes redux

Christmas Recipes over the Years

After researching the most liked and disliked foods on the table for Christmas, I am a bit amazed that there are so many  surviving baby boomers.  The rich foods and the quantity of foods we consume over the holiday season are staggering.  We probably all have clogged arteries and weigh at least ten pounds too much.  And, of course, it was all the fault of our mothers! It’s always the mother’s fault!

The most favored foods you can guess – turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and that daggone green bean casserole that was created in the 

Campbell’s test kitchen in New Jersey for a way to market mushroom soup! Ironic and iconic.

Here is the list of most unpopular holiday foods: Brussel sprouts, tofu, oysters, mushrooms, red cabbage/sauerkraut, heavy-handed use of garlic (on what???), fruit cake, and plum pudding.  

With the exception of tofu, all of these made an appearance some time or other at our house.  I need to add one more item to the list.  One year we went to Connecticut for the holidays.  At the table, I served myself a large helping of what I thought to be mashed potatoes…NO, TURNIPS!!  So not on my top 10 list.  

Another year, we had dinner at a relative’s home--and there it was--a tofurkey!! 

Nope, didn’t try it.  

A typical Christmas dinner at our house was turkey, country ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, and some very weird stuffing recipe (thank goodness, for Stove Top), green beans, peas, squash casserole, and 

sometimes a sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and some “pretty fruit” on top, cranberry sauce (homemade with lemon or orange zest--awful), some sort of Jello salad mold, rolls, butter!  THEN, for dessert there were several kinds of pies (apple, pecan, and maybe mince) with ice cream or bourbon sauce (I am rolling my eyes and shaking my head--nasty stuff) and a platter of cookies and candies.

My plate was mashed potatoes  with a gravy swimming pool and a spoonful of peas for the swimmers. I still like peas in my pool! Maybe six green beans if coerced. 

That’s it.  

I much preferred the cold turkey sandwich and a Coke after everyone had gone home.  Yep, that’s me – Ms. Scrooge. 

Along with all this food came all the relatives.  We lived in a large 1850s house with plenty of room (according to my parents).  There was a children’s table as well set up in the TV room. However, as we all know, the children who have not seen their cousins in a year don’t want to sit with these strangers but rather with their parents.  OH, PEACE AND JOY!!  Or WHINE AND IGNORE! And, for the most part, until tears, we were ignored or told to go “back to the TV room.”       

[A typical Max action, but not Max]

Let’s mention--Ta Da: Tryptophan!  Yea!  Thank goodness for tryptophan.  Yes, it is in the turkey, but also we ate all those carbs-producing melatonin.  And, just perhaps, a bit of overeating and some alcohol added in.  Yes, please enjoy your Christmas dinner, then go home, and take a nap.  I want to read my new Christmas present books, anyway!

Just for fun, l reviewed a whole lot of websites and old cookbooks of my grandmother to see what has been popular over the years.  Picture this:  1947 – The White House.  Mrs. Truman served tomato consommé, olives, turkey with chestnut dressing, giblet gravy, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, asparagus, plum pudding and assorted nuts and candies. Not much changed for nearly a decade – broccoli replaced the asparagus and oyster stuffing instead of chestnut. 

There must have been some sort of rebellion in the 1960s.  We move from turkey to duckling with orange stuffing, wild rice, a Jello fruit wreath.  In 1960, the most popular menu was roast beef with roast potatoes, green bean casserole, apple salad (?), and French fried onion rings.  Dessert was a holiday decorated cake and coffee.

In 1975, (getting ready for the Bicentennial, I think), came roast goose with onion dressing, braised chestnuts, applesauce, green bean casserole, cranberry/pecan molded salad, and plum pudding.   

The 1980s and 1990s became more casual.  The hostess does a turkey (or alternative meat) and all the guests bring a potluck side dish or dessert. 

Entertaining myself by flipping through the magazines at the grocery store checkout line, I learned both the traditional turkey and “ all the fixings” are equally as popular as newer alternatives based on one’s tastes and culture.  Essentially, anything goes.  Maybe the idea of being with family and friends has overshadowed being in the kitchen for days!

So, here’s to your Christmas feast and your nap!  Be safe, stay healthy, and enjoy the holidays.

Glenne       

P.S.  How about some ground- up Xanax in the gravy for a really mellow Christmas evening? Okay, never mind!  Just a random thought!

072 Thanks, Mom & Dad

Give parents a big thanks!

Can you believe the holidays are here! I can’t. What happened to the 11 months that had to pass before we arrived at good old December, the month that does by at warp speed – so much to do and so little time.


Wish we could stop the clock and give us all time to savor a few minutes (or a couple of hours) but you know that will never happen!

So onward and upward to complete all that has to be done – no stopping, stalling, or waiting. As I plod forward buying, wrapping, and baking, my thoughts go back to my childhood and how it seemed like Christmas would never get here. The months and days just wouldn’t go fast enough for anyone under the age of 12.

I definitely appreciate those days and realize how wonderful it is for children --- making a list, visiting Santa, dreaming of what presents will be given and received, helping with the cookie making, and decorations. I wish they could realize how great it is before they make it to adulthood when they become the ones responsible for all the Christmas magic.

No wonder we look back at those good old days and think of how great it was – we got to enjoy it all without doing much of anything. We were in awe of how the presents appeared on Christmas morning exactly as we asked. But now we know the hours of work that went into that special time by our moms mostly with some help from our dads to make it all come out so very, very magical.

I can remember my mom monitored the Santa list making sure she knew what we wanted and that we didn’t go over board. There was always a reality check but it didn’t stop our expectations going over the moon. 

Christmas Eve brought it all to a head as we went to church for the real reason for the season and then home to wait for Santa’s arrival. Of course, he wouldn’t come unless we were fast asleep which didn’t come easy. 

But before you knew it was morning and my older sister was waking me up with, “Santa’s been here.”

This photo of my parents was taken when
we were all young and dreaming of Santa.

If you have living parents, give them a great big thank you for all they have done. If your parents are no longer walking on this earth, thank any parents you know who are fulfilling the Christmas wishes of their children or grandchildren and making the magic happen.

I still find the season a great time of year as most people are a little kinder and cheerier. My children are no longer in my home but in their own so I don’t do as much as I used to but I truly enjoy trying to find that special something to show I how much I care. Plus grandchildren help bring back the wonder of the season with their enthusiasm and love of all things associated with Christmas and the birth of the baby Jesus.

Whatever stage you are in life, remember to enjoy where you are and thank anyone who has been a part of it.

Frances           

071 Thinking about age

Those people look old!

I catch myself looking at folks and thinking “they look old.” After a brief moment of reflection, I realize that they are probably younger than I!

I have somewhat of an excuse—for much of my life, I have been the youngest.

My only sibling, my sister Joanne, is three years older so I was always the youngest in the house. Sometimes it worked to my detriment. My parents loved to tell the story of an early punishment ploy that they realized wasn’t working. They would tell my sister and me, “Tell us who did this or we will punish you both!” I didn’t quite have the logic worked out because I always confessed—no matter who the perpetrator.

But there were benefits of being the youngest. I remember my sister bitterly complaining when I received crinolines just a year after she did. She thought I should have been made to wait at least three years to be the same age as she was because she had desperately waited and begged for crinolines. I don’t know why we had to have those scratchy starched petticoats!

I was born at the end of October and my mother said she had to talk the school into letting me into first grade with other children born the same year. So I was usually the youngest in my class. It didn’t matter much because I was still taller than most of the other kids.

We were military brats, moving almost every two years. Luckily for me, a move from Virginia to South Carolina put me a year ahead so I jumped from Virginia high school freshman to South Carolina junior.

When I went off to Radford College, I was a sixteen-year-old college freshman. I didn’t have much dating experience, and one piece of advice I learned from my older and wiser suitemates was:

“You will never get a date if you don’t clean 

your hairbrush.” After all those years, I am still 

baffled by that one, but I do keep my hairbrush clean.

I ended up as the youngest editor of the newspaper in my sophomore year because the previous editor quit. So when I went from college to graduate school at Florida State University, I was twenty.

After receiving a Master’s degree in Library Science, I was offended by a library users who looked at me and asked me to “go get a real librarian.” 

No one has thought I was too young for the job in many years.

So I have finally relinquished my whiz kid status. I have learned that age is determined by your state of mind, not your chronology. With frequent visits to Florida, I have met so many active seniors who live full lives in their 80s and 90s even though some have severe physical limitations. They are now my models because they are young at heart.

Trish           

I am still the youngest of the Three Savvy Broads!

070 Headlines???

                                                           Seriously?

“‘Tis the season,” dear blog readers, to be either patient or irritated or wishing you had stayed home and used the internet for shopping. The weekend newspapers each had a veritable tree in paper ads. The traffic is getting more frustrating. Does everyone over 16 own a car? Or a BIG pick-up truck?

Thirty thousand folks (plus or minus) live in our town but driving from our west side home to the east side post office took 20 minutes – just to get to stand in line. The nearest ‘super store,’ grocery store, and pharmacy all had long lines this weekend, so I spent my waiting time, leaning on my cart, and reading the tabloids at the checkout counters.

The headlines are ridiculous, hysterical, and just down right dumb. But I just love’m and they helped me pass the time. 

My favorite is the New York Post, particularly p.6 where all the “juicy stuff” is.

I feel a need to share some favorites with you. (Some are a little risqué; if I offend, here’s the apology now.)

Population to double by 2040: Babies to Blame

• Missippi’s (sic) Literacy Rate Improves

• Dead Man Found in Graveyard

• Statistics Show Teen Pregnancy Rates Drops after Age 25 (really? 21?)

• Baby Found in Wal-Mart Trash is Burrito

• Shamed by You (sic) English? (an advertisement improving your English!)

Planes Forced to Land at Airports

One-Half Off or 50% - whichever is less (yes, another advertisement)

• Lawyer Back Despite Use of Bug Spray

• Hand Wash Facilities Required at Food Festivals (GOOD!)

Google Self-Driving Car Pulled by Cops (oops – who gets the ticket?)

• Study Shows Sex Enhances Pregnancy (so that’s how it happens? Eye roll here)

• Hospital Resorts to Hiring Doctors (no comment; just NO COMMENT)

People Who Prefer Black Coffee More Likely to Be Psychopaths

• Most Earthquake Damage Caused by Shaking

• Meeting on Open Meetings is Closed (Nebraska town meeting) 

Beekeeper Caught in Sting

• Dog Trigger Pulls Trigger on Hunting Trip (yep, shot his owner)

20% of Teens Surveyed Think Fish Fingers are the fingers of fish

• Feds Crack Down on Not-So-Hot Tamales at Airport (apparently this one is true – someone from south of the border tried to smuggle 450 pork tamales in his suitcase!) (TSA agent smelled something “funny”)

[too many Trump headlines from which to choose, but this image makes me laugh!]

                                    

                                    AND the BIG Question of the day: 

                                    Is Prince Harry’s One-Night Stand Pregnant??? 

                                    Two tabloids say “yea” and two say “nay.” 

                                    (Wonder what Queen Grannie has to say?)

I am sure you will see others headlines that make you shake your head and roll your eyes, but this sampling may help get you in the mood if you need to get out and about anytime soon! 

Regards, Glenne             

069 Vive la France

Vive la France!

Words are totally inadequate when trying to address the horrific attacks on the amazing city of Paris. Friday nights will never be the same for its citizens for many months or years to come. 

Parisians strolled the streets, stopped in cafes, watched a soccer match, took in a rock concert on a beautiful night in November. In a matter of minutes, their safe world was torn to pieces and would never be the same.

Who would have thought they would come so close to death or even meet death doing what they often do on a glorious evening in the city of lights.

During more peaceful times, we had the pleasure of being among those city residents this past summer. We fell madly in love with the friendly, exciting, bustling metropolis. Never did we experience any uncomfortable feelings or unfriendly comments. Everyone was delightful even if we asked some tiring questions about directions.

There was so much to do and see that we never had a moment to pause. We were struck by the beauty, outside with the many monuments and inside at museums, cathedrals, and restaurants. We soaked it all in as we toured and walked the boulevards and hilly streets.

Even the huge crowds at the Eiffel Tower did not deter us from joining the throngs of humanity. Everyone was amazingly civil and patient as the groups ambled peacefully along the thoroughfare.

Actually we could not get enough. We came back at the end of our tour and spent the last day traipsing to places we had missed the first days of our visit.

It grieves me so to think how that all came to a standstill Nov. 13 and precious lives were lost while taking part in the most ordinary of events.

 I think of the tour guides we met who lived in the city and shared their expertise with us. They were so proud of the many places they showed us as they explained the importance of the sites. Hopefully, they are safe and will return to the important task of sharing their amazing city.

But Paris and all of France cannot be dismayed. They must and will rally after this most egregious act. Watching the events unfold on TV (I could not hold back the tears), I was reminded of the shock and horror of 9/11 terrorist attacks in this country.

It was a dark time in the U.S. and was filled with troubling emotions that were hard to contain. Most of us could not stop watching every second of the TV coverage for weeks and weeks, hurt and shocked at how anything this horrible could happen. And there are remnants of the attacks both physically and mentally after 14 years have passed.

But of course, we have come back with a fierceness and determination to conquer evil and not let it consume us. This country, founded by so many diverse groups, would not let this band of miscreants take us down as we rebuilt and restored what was destroyed. We still must be strong to preserve the life fought for by so many and valued by all of us.

France, be strong ! The rest of the world feels your pain and suffering. 

Pope Francis recently called terrorist attacks, “a piecemeal World War III,” and I am afraid he may be correct. Never would I have ever predicted this state of events for my children and grandchildren. A young adult in the late 1960s and early ’70s, I was so hopeful that peace would prevail.

We must be vigilant to stop these affronts on our lifestyle and values by expressing our feelings and backing our leaders. We must flush out the enemy and remove them, making sure we don’t include everyone of a certain nationality or religion. We must never lose our faith and commitment to freedom and democracy. Life is too precious to take for granted.

Everyone, please join me in keeping our French friends uplifted and hopeful that a feeling of peace will soon return to the battered city. Vive la France!

Frances            

068 50 Years a Diabetic

My 50th Year of Diabetes

I am celebrating(?) my 50-year anniversary of being a type-1 diabetic this month.

Karen Adams, who is an excellent diabetes educator at Winchester’s Valley Health, submitted my name to Eli Lilly and Company, a pharmaceutical company that first made insulin in 1923. They sent a nice necklace to commemorate the date!

My diabetes is not something I talk about much—mostly because I have known a few diabetics who have used their chronic condition as a way to get sympathy or to get out of doing something. Plus, many people when they know you are a diabetic seem to want to give you advice about your diet, your exercise or to treat you like some sort of invalid. I was annoyed just yesterday when someone saw my medical bracelet and had to know why I was wearing it. She wasn’t anyone I would every see again—she was just nosy! Anyway, breaking away from my usual reticence, I am sharing my story today.

I was a 17-year-old college freshman when first diagnosed. Since I was living away from home, it was a big adjustment for me—and for my anxious parents. Being a Navy brat, I went to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where I had good training, using a syringe on an orange for practice. Then I was sent back to Radford to manage on my own. 






Things were a bit different then. I used glass syringes and re-usable needles that had to be sterilized after every use. Checking blood sugar levels was done by testing urine. I took one shot of long-lasting insulin a day. I was very excited the first time I was able to use disposable needles—much less painful.




Then came disposable syringes with needles attached. Twenty years after my diagnosis, new technology allowed me to determine blood sugar level by testing a drop of blood. More pricks, but much more accurate. Sometime around then, fast-acting insulin was added to the shot routine. 









For a long time, I consulted a list of exchange values to figure out how much to eat within a certain calorie diet to work with my insulin dosage.




It didn’t always work out right. I was never hospitalized with blood sugar too high, but made it to the emergency room several times with low blood sugar. And there were many other close low blood sugar episodes. Those who know me understood what it means when I ate piece of candy after piece of candy. 

One time I did not catch the low sugar onset fast enough and passed out, falling into the bar at a cocktail party. Fortunately, my husband Harry was able to bring me around with sugar. Very embarrassing!

In recent years, matching food to injections has become much more accurate. I count the carbs in each meal and then had an injection before each meal and at bedtime. That mean four to five shots per day!

Happily now, I am equipped with a new device—an insulin pump. It delivers a base dose every hour, which replaces the long-acting insulin with a more uniform delivery schedule. Then at meal-time, I pull the pump out of my pocket and input my current blood sugar level (still requires 4 pricks a day) and the carbs I will be eating. The pump calculates how much insulin is necessary and asks me if it should deliver it. Yes, please!

That the good side of it. The bad side is that a small needle is placed in the skin. The needle connects to the pump with thin plastic tubing. The site the needle in which the needle is sticking must be changed every three days, and the pump also needs to be refilled. This process is not yet routine to me but hope it will be with practice. 

Sleeping next to a dog while wearing the pump and tubing can also be exciting. I now pin a pocket to my bedclothes close to the needle site and place the pump inside. It may not be necessary, but I sleep much better!

That is my saga so far.  I am looking forward to pumps that can automatically determine blood sugar level.  This advance is close so I am hoping to embrace that change in a few years.  

Overall, I am very grateful for the advances in diabetes care and feel lucky that after 50 years, I am doing pretty well!