The View from Here

A Matter of Faith

Yesterday was an interesting experience for me. I’ve learned over the years that I’m basically a brave, calm, and patient person. Oh, my son and husband will tell you that I’m fearful of a dozen things and always too cautious, but I know that if I need to do something I can usually muster the courage to do it. And I’ve also discovered that God often prepares me for trials long before I face them. The year before Gary collapsed with a perforated colon and went through months of surgeries and problems, I had actually read a story in a magazine about a woman who went through a similar experience, so I was prepared and knowledgeable about many of the tests and procedures he had to endure. I can’t begin to explain to you how much that helped me.

Yesterday might have been a frightening experience for someone who is a little claustrophobic and squeamish about anyone or anything touching her face. However, because of my earlier emergency surgery for my retinal detachment, I wasn’t worried about letting someone work on my eye. I was calm and relaxed. I also felt surrounded by the love and prayers of my family and friends. Many had shared their experiences and several even have the same doctor. I knew I was in good hands.

However, it occurred to me later in the afternoon that any medical procedure is a matter of profound faith. As we all get older and require more and more medical assistance to maintain our quality of life, we expand the group of people we must trust with our lives. The surgeon who worked on my eye was a stranger to me, chosen by my ophthalmologist. I counted at least six people involved in my eye surgery yesterday. All strangers. We don’t get an opportunity to study resumes or conduct interviews of the people who treat our ailing bodies. We trust them to do their jobs and take excellent care of us. We trust God to control the outcome.

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes another village to care for an aging grandmother. I’m so glad that I was in the hands of such a great group yesterday!

Lazy

I’m feeling lazy this morning, and also curious, so I’m going to send you off to another site. But you have to promise to not only come back, but report back. Oh, and I’ve finally lost another two pounds. I attribute that to eating a better lunch, and therefore a smaller afternoon snack. The weather has also been better so we have been out to recess (standing, supervising, etc.) and I’ve walked more here at home. I’m still not happy with my progress and I know I am still much too sedentary. (I’m still having plantar faciitis problems and have added an enlarging bunion just to make things interesting.)

The site I want you to see in a minute is the DASH diet site. I think I’ve probably mentioned it before. It was suggested to me by my doctor several years ago. I’ve studied it. I’ve played around at attempts to stay on it. I keep going back to it because it seems so sensible. I just find the amount of grains and fruits/vegetables to be intimidating and somewhat unrealistic unless I want to put at least half of them into a blender as my daughter does. (Yes, Kat, I actually said that! I just don’t plan on any of the greens coming from my lawn.)

So, take a look. Compare the DASH diet to what you are eating now, and tell me what major changes you would have to make to stay on it. Do you think you could eat that many fruits/veggies in a day? Scroll to the list at the bottom of the first page to see other DASH links if you want to see servings and recipes.

Later….

Little Memories

 

I recently scanned some photos from my aunt’s scrapbook. I think it was actually my grandmother’s scrapbook and now belongs to my aunt. Anyway…I was surprised by the little memories that this particular photo brought back to mind. (There are a couple of other photos in this series that I’ve had for quite a few years. Just never saw this one.)  I don’t even know what Mom was doing. At first I thought she might be digging, but that doesn’t appear to be a shovel in her hand. She is laughing for someone, Dad I suppose. She really did have a sense of humor and was no doubt doing something silly.

My first memory was the smell of eucalyptus. There were eucalyptus trees in this yard. I loved/hated the smell. Still do. It’s a distinctive, somewhat pleasant scent often used in potpourri, but it makes my sinuses go crazy. One of my number one allergies.

The next memory is of being left in the field to monitor the irrigation of the cotton. The field shown behind Mom belonged to our neighbor, but beyond her on the next road was a cotton field, and I believe also a small vineyard, that we leased. Dad often left me, along with David, to watch the field, move the pipes, and keep the water moving for a couple of hours. He would do other things, then return to get us. I was twelve-thirteen during those years and I can remember feeling bored, and sometimes annoyed, but never afraid.

I also remember how foolish I thought my mother was to plant flowers in that yard. The house was a dump. It had literally been abandoned and condemned. I’m sure Dad worked out some unbelievable deal with the owner. Anyway, we spent weeks cleaning the debris out of it, rebuilding what was left of it, and adding a porch and small room for my brothers. It had a wood stove for heat and an ice box that really had to have ice. We bought it in big blocks in town. The house never had hot water. We heated all of our water on the wood stove or out back over an open fire (for laundry). But Mom had to have flowers. I can even remember that they were red.

We had that old swing set for years. I don’t remember where or how we got it. It sure got a lot of use. I think we even moved it to Oklahoma with us. I can’t imagine us leaving anything behind since we moved our stuff in a cotton trailer!

The boys played marbles in the yard.

The neighbor’s dog was mean and often fought with ours. One day Dad had to make our dog pass out in order to get him off the neighbor’s dog.

We kept horses in the back pasture for someone and one day when I was riding, bareback, the fool thing walked inside the chicken house and I was forced to slide off its back.

There was a fig tree way back in the pasture and I loved to pick the figs. Found and kept a cat on the way back from one of my fig picking excursions.

Not really enlightening information, but just a reminder that photos are more important than we think. A picture says a thousand words…and they lead to another thousand and another…

A surprise in every box...

I love Dolly Parton. If you don’t, keep reading anyway. One of my earliest memories of Dolly is her appearances on the Porter Wagoner Show and the Breeze Detergent promotions they did together. I loved her, loved her accent, loved the hair (hers and his), and loved the free towels she gleefully pulled out of the box. She always looked surprised and had to share her excitement with Porter. Of course I bought Breeze Detergent.  Who wouldn’t?

I was reminded of the towels this morning when I typed the “locals” from 1928 for my Caddo blog. Here is one of the items:

Buy six bars of toilet soap for 50c and get a set of dessert dishes free at Meadows Grocery.

My mom loved to get free products! She bought oatmeal with dishes inside, jelly in reusable glasses, cereal with toys. Mom also saved tickets from Craighead’s to redeem for dishes, and S&H Green Stamps to buy almost anything. I followed in her footsteps and used Green Stamps to buy a baby crib!

Promotional products and premiums have been around for decades. Nabisco crackers were packaged in a reusable tin.  Jellies, peanut butter and cheese spread came in glasses. For a while cream cheese was packaged in Pyrex dishes. Duz Detergent offered 22K gold decorated wheat pattern glasses. Crystal Wedding Oats helped you collect beautiful glasses. Mother’s Carnival Oats came with colorful Homer Laughlin dishes.

Of course cereals have always been a gold mine for promotional products. It could take my children up to thirty minutes to pick out a cereal. Their decisions were never based upon taste- just what was inside the box! And they ate LOTS of cereal so they could buy more.

Many vintage promotional items are now worth serious cash, especially those that are undamaged and/or in original packaging. We never thought of that! We got it free, used it until it wore out or broke, and bought more of the product it came in. I think that’s what we were supposed to do. J  

Vegetables...maybe

Spring is my favorite time in the classroom. We learn about plants, insects, birds, and pond animals. We plant beans and marigolds. We raise butterflies.  We make bird treats. We taste fruits and vegetables. We read lots of wonderful stories like Tops and Bottoms, The Surprise Garden, and The Gardener.

I also learn so much about my students and their experiences with the outdoors. We talked this week about gardening, even though the ground is too wet for most of us to be out in the garden! My students all have experience with gardening and most have favorite vegetables, fruits, and flowers- which always prompts an interesting discussion. Yesterday I asked my students to tell me about their favorite vegetable. Most named broccoli, carrots, or corn. However, two students said grapes, one said apples, and another said watermelon. I watched several frowns appear and one student even said, “That’s a fruit!” I cautioned her to be polite and stop interrupting someone else’s turn. After the last student had spoken I asked the magic question, “What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?”

Classic answer #1- Vegetables are green!

Classic answer #2- Vegetables are like in your salad!

Classic answer #3- Vegetables are leaves!

“Well, then what is a fruit?”

#1- Sweet!

#2- Round!

#3- Pretty!

You’re getting a good laugh, aren’t you? But now tell me your answer! Most adults can’t give me a defining difference either! J

Here are the results from an online dictionary:

Vegetable

1. any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food, as the tomato, bean, beet, potato, onion, asparagus, spinach, or cauliflower.

2. the edible part of such a plant, as the tuber of the potato.

3. any member of the vegetable kingdom; plant.

 

Fruit

1. any product of plant growth useful to humans or animals.

2. the developed ovary of a seed plant with its contents and accessory parts, as the pea pod, nut, tomato, or pineapple.

3. the edible part of a plant developed from a flower, with any accessory tissues, as the peach, mulberry, or banana.

 

Doesn’t THAT just clear it right up for us?? Good grief! Notice that tomato is in both definitions?

Here is a little saying that I learned many years ago: if you can seed a seed in the part that you eat, it’s a fruit! Yes, that means that cucumbers, squashes, and peppers, among others, are technically fruits. And rhubarb is a vegetable. What we have accepted socially is that fruits are sweet!

 

So…our lesson time for today is over and I must go to school. Yesterday one of my students said, “Mrs. Maurer, may I check on my beans? I want to make sure they are okay.” Can’t wait to see if we have sprouts today!

 

 Go eat something green.

 

 

Winding Down the Week

This is what we call “satellite interference”! Our weatherman calls it “80% chance of rain”! J The rain started just moments after I got home yesterday and it was still raining last night when we went to bed. I can’t believe we are having such a wet, wet year. I haven’t been this late planting the garden in years.

Drinking a different coffee this morning called Eight O’Clock- a stronger, smoother coffee than the Maxwell House and Folgers I usually buy. And, according to Consumer Reports, an “earthy, fruity 100% Columbian” coffee that is better than Starbucks and several other pricey brands. I read about it in their coffee ratings article in the spring “Food & Fitness” issue I told you about before. I’m really enjoying the magazine and making some new food discoveries. Gary gives a “thumbs up” to this coffee, which is a little more expensive than our usual, but has twice the caffeine. The magazine also included this bit of trivia: Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee daily- more than any other nation.

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday. My great-nephew, otherwise known as my GREAT nephew, sent me an origami elephant. Isn’t it adorable? I just love it and have added it to my office collection. I can’t believe Tyler is so talented with such a complicated skill. I have tried it several times because I admire the results so much. I am not good at it! Nice to have a family member now who is- maybe he will take requests! Thanks buddy!

I can’t believe the week is almost over! Time flies when you are trying to get a dozen things accomplished. My list is long this week because I’m trying to block out anything and everything that would interfere with my surgery and recovery days next week. Gary is even working the weekend so he will be off both of those days.

We have our field trip to Ft. Washita next Thursday so please pray that I am well enough to accompany the children. I really, really want to go and take pictures of them at the mountain man rendezvous. We are off Friday for Easter weekend so even if I’m exhausted by Thursday afternoon I will have days more to rest. J

I can’t wait to show you a photo of our new hallway mural. A couple of the first grade teachers came up with the idea after seeing another school’s mascot in their hallway. So our talented secretary is making it a reality for us! A bulldog puppy and a welcome sign will now greet visitors as they enter our door! When it is completely dry on Monday we will take a class photo in front of it for our keepsake books.

I also have two other completely unrelated photos to share. I’ve been meaning to work them into a post for the last week or so. The first one is of Fat Fabian, the best fish we have ever raised. We bought him from WalMart about three years ago because I had been having so many problems with tropical fish. (We had terrible water problems where we were living and it was also a much colder house.) We paid less than a dollar for him and he has been great entertainment! He has also outgrown two smaller tanks and is now crowding himself out of a ten-gallon tank. I added the “fat” part to his name last year! 

 

The other photo is our cactus that Gary planted from seed years and years ago. I can’t remember when he actually planted them, but I know it was at least ten years ago. I laughed at him at the time. The seed packet said “grow your own cactus garden” and contained about six different kinds of seeds. I knew from reading, and from previous attempts of my own, that cactus grow very, very, very slowly. I had a pot that is actually no bigger than a quarter and he started them in that. I kept it on my window sill for months and months before the cactus even sprouted. I was tempted several times over the years to just toss the pot out.  I forgot to water them for months at a time. It was years before I even transplanted them, carefully with tweezers, to a small bowl. But time and patience have resulted in the little beauties you see here. I used the penny for "scale".  We did indeed grow our very own cactus garden! J

I leave you today with my favorite quote of the week: “Save our planet! It’s the only one with chocolate!”

 

 

 

Prepared...

We had a tornado drill yesterday. I know most of you do not have the opportunity to experience the reality and anxiety of being responsible for the lives and safety of fourteen children-are we all here?, anyone still in the bathroom? take roll, check again. Whew! And I know most of you have not recently experienced the joy of being crowded into a cafeteria with the whole student body- everyone from pre-K through high school. The noise and tension are incredible for the adults and the whole thing is a “big bore” for most of the older kids. However, high school students like to put on a fearless front even if they have concerns- most waved and seemed pleased to see their younger siblings present and accounted for.

I talked with some of my colleagues later and we recounted some of our earlier experiences with safety drills. We all have stories of children temporarily left in the bathroom or mixed in with another class- stories of tears and fears and lessons learned. But there have also been enough real emergencies over the years- in our own lives and on the news- for us to not take any of this for granted. A drill is only practice, but it is a practice we take seriously. We all need to know that if the unthinkable actually happens we have a procedure in place to keep us as safe as possible.  

I have been involved in three “false alarm” emergencies- two of them bomb threats, but I have also been present for four real emergencies- a fire, a tornado, and two “non-custodial parent” problems- at four different schools,  and I was quite grateful for the prompt and professional actions of everyone on campus. Another real experience wasn’t even at my own school! I was visiting a friend whose holiday schedule was different from my own. I wanted to see a couple of things she was doing in her classroom, so I was observing her when they received a bomb threat. In my concern for her class and helping get them out the door, I left my purse in her room!! The children were evacuated to a park and eventually bused home, but I waited with the teachers for over two hours before the bomb squad let us back into the building.

So I am happy to report that our campus is as ready as possible for an emergency. We practice our drills. We take them seriously. We strive to improve our methods and our timing. I feel like my little ones are safe. I hope their parents also feel that as long as they are with me I will do everything I can for them.

You be safe today! What would you do in an emergency???

Canning

Sometimes my father makes casual comments that not only bring back memories, but also frighten me. My son says I’m easily frightened by almost anything and everything, but he doesn’t have the same painful memories and experiences roaming around in his brain! So when my father casually mentions that he is planting 50 tomato plants, I know why…so he will be able to “can” the tomatoes.

Now first of all, I never understood why the accepted term for home food preservation became “canning”. No one uses cans at home. The food is preserved in jars, Mason jars to be exact. The food preserved in jars is pretty, but it can also be very dangerous. Do the wrong thing with the wrong food and you risk salmonella or worse.

Canning involves a lot of preparation, planning, and science. You have to ask yourself a lot of questions. Are you preserving fruits, vegetables, or meats? High acid foods or low acid foods? Do you need to use the “open water bath method” or the “pressure cooker method”? How many minutes? And the most important question of all, “Will the lid of the pressure cooker stay on or will it launch itself into the ceiling, thereby making a sound and a hole that will haunt your daughter for the rest of her life?”A more accurate term for canning might be “taking your life into your own hands” or perhaps “food prep roulette”.

Food preservation was just a normal part of a woman’s duties in my grandmother’s generation. By the time my mother was cooking the practice was a little more arbitrary. I think most of my generation gave up the practice as being far too time consuming to be worth doing. However, I still have a few friends who make jelly or preserve green beans from the garden.

My father, on the other hand, is 80 years old!! Not only do I not trust his memory of what and how he is canning- sorry Dad- but I question his need to do so. How much can the man eat??? I know his grandmother filled an entire room with pretty jars of fruits and vegetables. But I think my dad can buy a few extra cans of tomato sauce at WalMart and be set for the winter! (When we bought her house years later that storage room became my bedroom! Irony at its best.)  

I leave you with this article I found in the Caddo Herald.

The Caddo Herald

January 25, 1929

Food Programs go to Every County -Home Work Shows

Stillwater, Okla.- According to an announcement in the Extension Division annual report at the Oklahoma A. and M. College, at least one phase of the food program was carried out in each county by county home demonstration agents. These were under the heading of food preservation, food selection, or food preparation.

The canning budget, whereby the woman in the home determines the amount of products she should can, according to the needs of her family, was worked out by 429 women. Of this number 381 canned the complete requirements of their budget.

In food preparation vegetable cookery and bread campaigns were stressed. There were 2,861 women and 14,033 girls carrying on food preparation demonstrations. Special bread work was done in eight counties and as a result of this work, 981 women reported improving their method of making bread.

In food selection, attention was given to good selection of food in the daily diet and to adopting food practices that would give definite health results. There were 1,261 women who carried on food selection demonstrations and 555 4-H club members conducted 4-H club demonstrations.

There were 248 schools that served a hot dish in the school lunch for the first time as a result of the work of the demonstration agents.

The food and nutrition problem is a vital one and is of intense interest to every woman in her home since she is the engineer of the health of her family, the report says.

 

Feeding Your Eyes

I’m going to the clinic for my surgery consultation today and will find out when I need to schedule my cataract surgery. So of course today’s topic will be about eye health. I can’t do much about my eye genes. Apparently our family isn’t exactly “blessed” in that department. A few minutes of research into our family health history revealed generations of glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and poor vision.

However, I can take care of the eyes I have and listen to the advice of my ophthalmologist. One of the things that he encourages is healthy eating, especially of dark leafy greens.   

According to my reading this week, the most important foods for preventing macular degeneration are ones that are rich in zinc, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin and omega-3 fats. Research has also shown that a diet rich in two B vitamins - riboflavin (B2) and niacin (B3) - may also help reduce the risk of cataracts.

 

• Beta carotene-rich foods: carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, cantaloupe, apricots and cherries.
• Vitamin C-rich foods: bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, oranges, strawberries and kiwis.
• Vitamin E-rich foods: wheat germ, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, peanut butter and avocados.
• Zinc-rich foods: oysters, turkey, pumpkin seeds and chick peas.
• Lutein-Zeaxanthin-rich foods: Occur together in spinach, Swiss chard, watercress, corn and persimmons.
• Omega-3 fats: wild salmon, sardines, Atlantic mackerel, tuna, walnuts, and omega-3-fortified eggs.
• Riboflavin-rich foods: skim milk and low-fat yogurt, eggs, mushrooms and almonds
• Niacin-rich foods: chicken and turkey breast, wild salmon, kidney beans and natural peanut butter

It’s one thing to read the list, and quite another to change your eating habits. I would suggest that if you don’t eat any fish that you start with that change. Try adding it to your diet once a week. I prefer salmon and try to eat it twice a week, along with some other fish once a week.

We eat salad almost every night. It’s easy to add spinach, kale, carrots, and many other veggies to your lettuce. Also a good place to throw in a few sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, or dried berries.

Sweet potatoes are one of the best things we’ve added to our diet this year! I prefer them baked, but they are also great fried.

Your morning bowl of cereal will be healthier if you use skim milk and toss a little wheat germ or flaxseed into it. You know I always put a teaspoon of peanut butter into my oatmeal!

Look at the list again and try to be creative. Remember that most of the foods that are good for your eyes are also good for the rest of your body, especially your heart. Just watch the calories in nuts and make sure you buy them in the shell or “unsalted”.

Eat well, and have a great day!

 

First Day of Spring, more or less...

I will NOT make fun of the weather report, ever, ever again.

I will NOT laugh when the weatherman uses the word SNOW while I am watching television in my t-shirt and bare feet.

I will never again say, “Well, I gotta see that!”

You know when you stumble into the kitchen at 4am to make coffee and there is snow plastered to the window screen that it will not be a bright and cheery day!  

It has snowed all day and I took all of these photos either through the window or from the open door because the wind has been blowing at 20-35mph. I couldn’t even manage to OPEN the front door and feed the cat. I had to call him to the back step and feed him.

The forecast for Tuesday is 70 again. My lips are sealed…but I’m smiling.