Quote of the Day - 1/21/2012

The world is always so much better than the people in it. - Morningquest

~~~~~

Isn’t it strange that this is frequently our perception? We accept so much with only a shallow understanding. What is the deeper reality?

• Perhaps it is the reality but only because the world is so resilient to the worst people do. The tipping point - where the resilience breaks down - could be imminent; even if it is, what really matters is the actions individuals take rather than the collective chaos of all people.
• Perhaps our mistake is thinking the worst of the collective of people rather than the best
• Perhaps people presume they matter more to the world than they do
• Perhaps our perception of the world is from inside a bubble that filters out the bad without us even being totally aware that it exists

In the end - the happiest among us inevitably perceive that ‘”the world is always so much better than the people in it.”

What's in your trash?

My household is down to one, not full, trash bag per week. We’ve done the easy recycling of plastics, cans, glass, and paper; it’s easy because our community has wheeled recycle bins, unlimited amounts, and trucks that come once a week - as often as the trash pickup. Over the years the items handled by our community recycling program has enlarged from newspaper/cardboard to all paper, from limited plastics to many more plastics (and more plastics are labeled clearly now so we know they are recyclable; much of the grocery packaging that used to be styrofoam is now recyclable plastic) and we no longer have to separate by type at all…it all goes into the rolling bin.  We still have to take the plastic shopping bags back to the store for recycling but we are getting fewer of them now that most of our purchases are carried home in reusable bags. So - what is still going in the trash? Here’s an inventory for this week:

• Milk carton, other food cartons
• Plastic wrap
• Used tissues/paper towels/cotton balls
• Broken strand of Christmas lights
• Styrofoam
• Used up ink pen
• Dried up marker
• Orange and banana peel, plate scrapings, vegetable trimmings (peelings, bad places, inedible parts)
• Old sock
• Small bags (shopping and food wrapping)
• Chunks of cat litter

Our household has a goal to reduce our food waste this year both because we want to maximize the nutrition we get from the food we buy; reducing our trash is a side-effect. Our primary strategies are:

• Pay more attention to our handling of left overs
  • not lose them in the refrigerator
  • freeze them for later if we are tired of the entrée already
• Make orange zest from every orange eaten so the peeling is reduced somewhat (and there is a flavorful addition available for other cooking)
• Instead of throwing away bread that has gotten a little stale, make bread crumbs (toasting or drying in the oven in a 200 degree F oven makes them crispy) to use instead of crackers with soups or croutons in salads.
• Collect tea and coffee grounds for immediate use as a soil addition or get a mushroom starter kit to grow your own crop of mushrooms.

There is a part of the trash that is potentially compostable but I’m not quite ready to do it…so it stays a part of the trash. I have started putting food scraps into the trash rather than down the garbage disposal these days (less water pollution) so the potentially compostable part of the trash has increased slightly.

It’s harder to image how the rest goes somewhere else than the trash. For bigger electronics like computers or cell phones, there are places to take them for recycling (Best Buy, for example). For things like a broken strand of Christmas lights, it takes too much effort to figure out what to do with them other than put them in the trash.

That’s a quick ‘state of the trash’ at the beginning of 2012 in my household. What’s in your trash?

Quote of the Day - 1/20/2012

In the earliest periods of human history, 4 foods were recognizably important. In the North there were apples and honey.  In the south there were olives and grapes. - Fruits and Berries (The American Horticultural Society Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening)

~~~~~

Do we associate fruits and berries with locations in our modern world? I do…but it isn’t north/south as much as type of place where they most likely grow. Here are my associations: 

• Blueberries in close proximity to rocky forests
• Apples with locations that have crisp temperatures (not overwhelmingly hot)
• Oranges and bananas with the tropics
• Strawberries of the short and sweet season before the heat of summer comes in any place that has well drained soil

Of course, agriculture is a business that responds to consumers.

1. Food is shipped all over the place so we have a blueberry season in North America in the summer and then our grocery stores have blueberries from South America in January.
2. Cultivars of popular fruits and berries have been developed to produce more than once during the season; strawberries are available all through the year although they are the still the least expensive during the short and sweet local season.
3. Bananas and apples can now be suspended in storage for longer than ever before; our fresh fruit may have been picked months before it is eaten.
4. A thin film (hopefully edible since it does not wash off and we do eat the skins of many fruits) is placed on many fruits and it keeps them fresh longer after they are removed from storage.

In European history, the North’s apples and honey and the South’s olives and grapes are powerful associations. Now that most of us are not farmers, we experience the availability of our food more indirectly and those associations are blurring. This year I plan to make weekly visits to a local farm stand as soon as the season starts to ‘go local’ for produce --- to be more linked to the food sources in my immediate vicinity.

I still appreciate the fresh blueberries of January from South America.

Quote of the Day - 1/19/2012

I live in the tame and visit the wild and never forget the difference between the two. - Janice Emily Bowers (books)

~~~~~

What an elegant way of articulating what is true for the relationship most of us have with wild environments. It is our preference to feel safe from the wild world where we live while appreciating that the wild still thrives. We want to tame - to control - so that we feel safe and secure. Our control of the wild is minimal; we are less confident that we will always survive or even understand what it contains.

Still - there are occasions where the wild world can be viewed from the security of our tame life:

• Deer coming into the backyard, seen from a window 3 stories above
• A woodpecker in the top of a tree with dead branches on a walk through a formal garden
• Jack-in-the-Pulpits beside a boardwalk through a scrap of woods
• The rosy light of dawn on the winter trees seen from the kitchen window

And those add a blessing to the day.

Recipe of the Week: Coconut Macaroon Pancakes

1 3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

3 cups sweetened coconut

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 large eggs

Warm the milk.

In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut, and baking powder. Stir warm milk into the mixture.

Whisk eggs. Add some of the coconut mixture to the eggs and whisk. Pour everything into the large bowl and whisk until well combined.

Heat griddle or pan you normally use for pancakes (it needs to be non-stick or oiled – I used my electric skillet at 350 degrees F). Make silver dollar sized pancakes. Flip with a spatula when the pancake is golden brown being careful not to overcook.

Note: These pancakes are quite sweet on their own - no need for syrup.

Personal Rhythms - Daily

This blog item is the first in a series about the rhythms we choose for our lives. Today the topic is daily rhythms. In upcoming weeks I’ll post items about weekly, monthly, and annual rhythms. There will be a final post for rhythms that don’t quite fit into a daily/weekly/monthly/annual cycles or the rhythm is set by a metric other than time.

~~~~~

For most people, consistent and healthy daily rhythms for sleeping and eating optimize how we feel about everything else. 

• Being asleep for about the same length of time each day and starting/stopping the sleep period at about the same time is a key to feeling rested and alert during the waking hours. Generally 7 to 8 hours of sleep is required. Try this experiment for a week:
  
  • Set a timer for a bit longer than you think you need to sleep.
  • Go to bed at the same time each evening.If you wake up before your timer goes off and after you have been in bed for at least 7 hours (you can make this shorter if you think you need less) - get up. Many people will feel warm at this time because their metabolic rate has already increased to the ‘awake’ state.
  • Otherwise - get up when the timer goes off…no snoozing.
  • Make some notes about how rested - or not - your feel during the day and make adjustments to the timer if you need to. 
  • At the end of the week, make some decisions about the optimal sleep duration for you and set your alarm clock accordingly or continue the timer technique. Many people are surprised to find that they almost always get up before the timer goes off. The benefit to waking up on your own is never being jolted awake by an alarm.
• Three meals a day work for most people but not for everyone. If you have times during the day that you feel sleepy, start keeping a record of what and when you eat; make adjustments. I am an extremely early morning person and I find a small meal (2 squares of dark chocolate and vitamins/mineral supplements) first thing in the morning followed by another small meal (a piece of fruit or small muffin) is better for me than combining everything into one breakfast. I eat lunch and dinner at about the same time each day and frequently try to have the largest meal of the day be at lunch. 

 There are hygiene related daily rhythms that are good habits. There are some examples below. Think aboutyour daily habits. If changes need to be made commit to making the change for at least 3 weeks before re-evaluating since habits take time to establish (or break). In either situation - it takes conscious effort to make the change. 

• Brushing teeth
• Showering
• Clean socks

 And there are metrics that you make check daily to provide the feedback loop for your health related goals - things like:

•  Weight
• Blood pressure
• How many steps you took 

Again - evaluate the metrics you are checking. Remember that metrics can warp your actions to make sure that warp is in a direction you intend.

Annie Dillard is right: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."

Rhythms that build your appreciation of the day for yourself and for others are the most important rhythms of all - intentionally look for those pleasant surprises - the serendipity - that makes life interesting. All the rest of the rhythms discussed above are the administration behind the scenes so that we are primed to live the day.

Quote of the Day - 1/18/2012

Freedom is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. - Viktor E. Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning

~~~~~

The quote today was written by a concentration camp survivor. The book was originally published in the 1950s. It provides historical examples from that time period but the conclusions are still very relevant today.

Here are some tangents my thoughts took:

• The connotation for freedom is overwhelmingly positive, whereas anarchy is scary. Is it because we associate responsibleness with freedom but not with anarchy?
• Law and regulations bound freedoms in modern society. Aren’t they in place to define responsible behavior? What if the bounds themselves seem arbitrary? What if they trend toward benefiting the few at the expense of the many?
• Do we assume that everyone has a similar understanding of responsible behavior and - therefore - there is no need to overtly talk about it as much as we talk about our desire for freedom?

Quote of the Day - 1/17/2012

It was January and the black fields lay hibernating and desolate under a coating of frost. - Elizabeth Adler in In a Heartbeat.

~~~~~

 

What a treat to find a book that fits the current time of year and weather! It is almost like being plopped down into the setting for the book while you read.

Cattails in Winter

Cattails grow at the edges of just about every pond in my area so they are a common sight throughout the year. Their winter appearance lacks the green lushness of other times but their explosion of down makes them worthy of notice on a winter walk. I've read that native peoples used the down as absorbant material for diapering babies; the peak collection time for cattail down would have been about now.

Some of the cattails somehow keep their seeds a bit longer...retaining typical velvety brown appearance until well into winter. The picture to the right was taken in January. Perhaps the velvety brown ones are just a few days behind the others. Someone told me a story years ago about cutting cattails in the late fall for a dried flower arrangement....and having them explode a few months later inside her house. What a mess that must have been!

I'm satisfied with observing them outdoors - a highpoint of a winter walk.

Do you Trust your Doctor?

If the answer is not ‘yes,’ you should be searching for a new doctor ---- but it is always wise to ‘trust but verify.’ Trust without verification is something only children can afford; their parents or guardians take on the responsibility for them. As an adult, you need to have a strategy that includes probing to substantiate the trust you have in your doctor. Here are some reasons the ‘trust by verify’ approach is particularly important:

• Doctors are people too. They see many patients and must rely on records rather than memory for your history. Not all of your previous interactions are quantifiable and in the records. And they are sometimes rushed. Don’t assume they have everything correct in your history.
• You know more about your history. You know more about your medical history (and the medical history of your family) than the standard forms request. You don’t have to share everything at once; however, if you have some anomalous tests that are similar to others in your family or consistent over a long period of time (before the records your doctor has on file)….you need to share and partner with your doctor to understand the best path forward for you.
• Your preferences. The tendency in the US is to medicate immediately. Sometimes this means that the root cause of a problem is never addressed. This is not necessary always bad; medicines like Tylenol, ibuprofen, or aspirin treat the symptom of fever helping us feel better while our own immune system gets to work on the cause of the fever. Pills are an easy out….with associated side effects. If you are a patient that would prefer to avoid medication unless absolutely necessary, you need to be clear with your doctor about the preference and be ready to do most of the ‘getting well’ work on your own. For example, blood pressure medication is frequently prescribed when life style change/weight reduction would be better for the patient in the long run (having more benefits than lowering blood pressure). The doctor can provide references to help with the life style change/weight reduction but this leaves hard work for the patient.
• Side effects. You are an individual and respond in your own way to medication. Know the potential side effects for any medication you are taking and contact your doctor for any that are intolerable. Changing dosage level or to another medication may be warranted. Always ask how long medication will be needed and how often need/dosage level will be checked for medications taken long term.
• Red flags - you need to ask questions. If your doctor recommends a new medication to address a side effect to a medication you are already taking, ask a lot of questions about alternative approaches. Careful review of all the medications with your primary doctor (even those prescribed by another doctor) periodically is a good idea; make sure you understand the details of how the medicines should be taken and undesirable interactions that can occur.

In the end, you are the one responsible for your health. Your doctor is a secondary partner. Their advice and assistance is important - sometimes crucially so. Make the effort to find a doctor you can trust.

Quote of the Day - 1/16/2012

"Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus." - Emerson as quoted by Louisa May Alcott in Moods.

  

Moods are an overlay to our perception of the world. The more we hold moods in check by melding everything into a homogeneous demeanor we can sustain for long periods of time, the more consistent everything becomes. This is often the ‘professional’ behavior that training and workplace metrics encourage. It comes at a cost. We are purposely looking through the same lens…that paints the world the same hue…and only shows what lies in its own focus. It can make life easier for us because we know exactly what to expect of ourselves; it can also help our relationships for the same reason.

It can also be boring and stressful.

Acknowledging a different mood, even slightly, can change the experience of an everyday situation and provide new avenues to address problems. For example, usually Andrea is in a good mood in the morning when she gets to work but one morning she arrives having spilled coffee while driving in and now she is upset, feeling that nothing has started right with the day…she is grumpy. She opens her email and there is, yet another, request for help finding a chart set from a recent review. Usually she replies to these requests with a link to the location. It takes less than 5 minutes to find the location and respond. In her grumpy mood - she realizes this same person has been asking this question pretty frequently and she starts a note with a link to the library and plans to tell the person to ‘find it themselves.’ Fortunately she realizes it will come across as abrupt and rude before she hits ‘send.’ The outcome, in the end, was positive because she wrote up a very simple procedure to find the chart sets and now sends it out when requests come in - just below the specific link to the one requested; the number of requests have gone down because the frequent requesters now understand how to easily find the chart sets themselves.

Keeping moods internal - not showing them outwardly - can be stressful. It is probably healthier than not acknowledging the mood at all since the ‘focus’ for your mood is still visible (i.e. you have not narrowed your perception by only experiencing/acknowledging one mood). Because you restrict yourself from jumping up and down with joy or clomping down the hall with tight fists in frustration, there need to be alternative escapes for the emotion of the mood. Think about what works for you. Physical activity works well for me because it serves to break the thread of activity my mood had created:

• Take 5 deep breaths. Air in through your nose…out through your mouth.
• Walk rapidly to your car…and then back.
• Roll your head clockwise 10 times, counterclockwise 10 times.

Remember - The more intense the mood, the more intense the new perception might be so seek to use the positive aspects of that perception while curbing the actions that could damage relationships.

And - enjoy your life’s “train of moods like a string of beads.”

Quote of the Day - 1/15/2012

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. - CS Lewis

~~~~~

I resonate with this quote…particularly on a cold winter’s day. My ‘cup’ is an insulated mug and quite large…but I still get up to refill it periodically. The book is a big fat one I bought used. I have a shelf of them that I am working my way through slowly since the majority of my reading is now done electronically (Kindle Fire or PC ). Still - the feel of a book…turning the pages…knowing there are more good ones near at hand - it’s something to look forward to and then savor. The location has changed over the years until now my favorite “cup of tea with book” times are spent in front of an east facing window in a comfy rocker.

Favorite activities are sometimes transitory during our lives but not this one - or at least that is true for me and, I suspect, CS Lewis. How about for you? 

Gleanings for the Week Ending January 14, 2012

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week:

Where the tech workers are - Percentage of computer, engineering, science workers in the adult civilian workforce by state collected by the American Community Survey

Shifts in Employment - Jobs are reduced by information technology at a faster rate than new ones are being created.

Getting Things Done - the collection of David Allen’s free articles detailing tips for how to organize yourself better

The Sands of Time - The 2011 collection at The Poetry Porch edited by Joyce Wilson; in honor of Julia Budenz

Colorado Mountain Hail May Disappear in a Warmer Future - A new model predicts the hail will fall as rain instead

Insect Macro Photography - A collection of photos…also includes pointers to some how-to guides (insectography and DaveWilsonPhotography)

Big Bend National Park - This is a park I have not visited…but would like to. This is a good summary of what it has to offer.

Cape Code Soft Molasses Cookies - these sound yummy…something I’ll try for the next special occasion at our house

Flavor Pairings - pointers to multiple lists…a great resource for trying out some now-to-you food/spices pairings

Community Supported Agriculture - find a farm near you that sells produce through ‘shares’…something I am considering for the upcoming growing season. There is one very near where I live.

Recipe of the Week: Salsa Meatloaf

You don’t need to measure exactly or pull out spices to make this delicious entree. Allow a quarter pound of meat for each serving. This re-heats well as a leftover too.

1 pound hamburger meat

1/3 cup oatmeal (preferably not the quick cook kind)

¾ cup salsa (Chi-Chi’s medium strength is my favorite)

1 egg

Begin heating oven to 350°F. Spray baking dish/pan with cooking spray. Process the oatmeal in a small food processor if you want the oatmeal less visible in the meatloaf. Place oatmeal, egg, and salsa in a large bowl. Use a fork to thoroughly blend. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Put in an over-proof pan and flatten/smooth with a fork so that it is equal thickness and flat on top. Cook for approximately one hour

(Note: cooking a sweet potato in the oven at the same time works well for the meal’s vegetable).

Quote of the Day - 1/14/2012

The passage through the garden is often via stepping stones, which are very skillfully placed precisely to control the speed and direction of walking.  These inner gardens are sometimes damp mossy places … - Bryan Albright and Constance Tindale in A Path Through the Japanese Garden

~~~~~

I am thinking of gardens…a favorite pastime on a cold January day.

Gardens are different than a natural assemblage of plants in that we have somehow modified the place to meet our intention. I love the contrast of the rock garden and lush plantings…and I need to keep my own garden plans as simple as possible since I have a history of benign neglect after an initial flurry of activity. Stepping stones are something that I do relatively well.

Unless the garden is a very small plot that can be seen and tended completely from its edge, a path is needed into it. Stepping stones perform that function and become part of the garden itself. Somehow the plants, mulch or pebbles around stepping stones draw them into the whole of the garden; dirt or paved paths tend to act as dividing lines.

I am not skillful enough to place stepping stones ‘precisely to control the speed and direction of walking.’ The stones are placed along a route I want through the garden at comfortable step intervals and meet their generally pragmatic function. The picture below shows the stepping stones through the front garden to the water faucet; in the summer there are lilies growing around the stones; the red mulch is evident now. One of my most successful groups of stepping stones is in an area that frequently gets muddy under the deck. They are placed a little further apart than a comfortable step and go in every direction from the door of the house into the garden and yard.

In public gardens, stepping stones are rarely seen. Pathways are paved to handle the increased numbers of people walking through and wheel chairs. The pathways are straighter too. It is a sacrifice we are willing to make to increase the accessibility of the garden.

Earrings as Travel Mementos

Spoons, shot glasses or mugs are popular mementoes of travel. I've chosen earrings. They don't have the state or country name emblazoned on them...but they bring back good memories quite well. Some other advantages they have as mementoes:

• they're small so easy to pack
• they're relatively inexpensive, and 
• I get reminded of a travel adventure every time I wear them! 

Some of my favorites are shown below.

From Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico in the past decade...but also reminding me of earlier visits. The first was in the 1970s.

From the Black Hills of South Dakota more than a decade ago. It was an early summer visit: baby buffalo, pink granite outcrops, pine pollen dust everywhere, delicate crystals in a cave, gold mine.

From Corning and Ithaca, New York. Many trips in the past 5 years.

From Falling Water (Frank Lloyd Wright house) in Pennsylvania. It was a road trip taken when my daughter was learning to drive - a stop on the homeward bound part of the loop.

From a very short visit to Key West, Florida with my sister. We were late driving down from Fort Lauderdale but the drive back across the causeway the next afternoon was glorious.

From a quick trip tour of Phoenix, Arizona. It was one of the few times I took an afternoon to tour before catching a plane home from a business meeting. These were from the Heard Museum.

From Stillwater, Oklahoma. These are from a mid-1970s wedding held outdoors. 

From Tucson, Arizona purchased during my last road trip.

Quote of the Day - 1/13/2012

Growth comes about when we are confronted by situations that upset our equilibrium and demand change. - Susan Wittig Albert in Work of Her Own

~~~~~

When was the last time you were confronted with a situation that upset your equilibrium? Was it initiated by a decision you made or did it just happen?

Thinking back - I have upset my equilibrium via key decisions and prompted growth throughout my life: getting married, switching from biology to applied math for graduate studies, going into management, having a child, leaving one multi-decade career path and starting another. Growth was not the reason for the decision but it was certainly a welcome by-product.

Some upsets happen out of our control: a car accident, an illness, gifts, an inheritance, a terrorist event. If they disturb our equilibrium enough…we respond by growing in some way. What we learn…how we grow…helps us achieve control again.

Day-to-day problems are not quite at the ‘upset our equilibrium’ level but they too can prompt growth. For example - several years ago, I noticed that I was always fumbling in the space to the right of my PC keyboard. Since I am right handed, my mouse and writing pad were both on that side. Learning to use my mouse with my left hand was my solution. It was a small change (it took a few weeks to develop the skill with my left hand) but it solved the problem and is now my preferred way of working.

Observing others deal with equilibrium shattering situations may prompt growth activities. Have you observed a kindergarten/first grader recently? Think about what happens as they learn to read. As adults, we ask so much less of ourselves. Why is that? What is the adult equivalent of being in first grade again?

Are your bored? Make a decision that upsets your equilibrium…and let the growth begin.

Shopping Thrift Stores - Rules of Thumb

The offerings of thrift stores range from trash to fabulous bargains; I’ve been in several recently where the range was toward the ‘fabulous bargains’ end of the spectrum so I am offering some rules of thumb for getting the most from thrift store shopping.

• Find a thrift store that is near middle to upper income bracket neighborhoods. If the store has a donation center, the quality of the offerings will reflect what has been donated. Some stores are focused almost exclusively on clothes; some or more toward the antique furniture end of the spectrum; others seem to have only very worn out clothes (this is a store that should be marked off your list unless you are looking for clothes for painting!).
• Know the general price range of new items so you’ll recognize a bargain - or something overpriced.
• Some thrift stores have half-price or sale days. Try to go on those days but realize it will likely be more crowded.
• Clothes
  • Be prepared to go several times if you are building up your wardrobe. Offerings in thrift stores usually turn over pretty rapidly. Sometimes you may find nothing at all.
  • Be able to decide quickly what is truly useful to you. A bargain on a formal gown is wonderful only if it is something you will actually wear. A basic wardrobe strategy makes it easier to make quick decisions (like - black is my basic color, red and turquoise are my highlight colors, everything needs to match into this scheme)
  • Check for care labels on clothes. Many times a new looking item is ‘dry clean only’ and that will add to its cost to you over the long haul.
  • Check buttons, zippers, seams. Hold it up and look for stains or snags. You don’t want to get home and discover the garment is not wearable because of a flaw you didn’t notice.
  • Try on clothes if there is a dressing room. Remember that sizes vary widely and clothes do stretch if they have been hanging in a closet for a long time.
  • Launder all clothes purchased before you wear them.
• Jewelry
  • Clean/soak in alcohol any jewelry you buy at a thrift store.
• Household items
  • Wash dishes, glasses, or pans in hot soapy water before using.
  • Be open to re-purpose items. You may buy a bargain picture in a large frame for the frame alone. An old beat up pan may turn into a pot for seedlings.
  • Transporting furniture or exercise equipment may be a challenge so plan ahead if you are buying. It may take ongoing trips to the thrift store to find an acceptable piece or it may be serendipity.

Feel good about shopping at a thrift store. You are usually 1) contributing to a good cause, 2) reusing (rather than buying something new) is a good thing for the environment, and 3) you get something you need for a bargain price.

Quote of the Day 1/12/2012

“Calories don’t count if they’re connected to a celebration. Everyone knows this.” - Janet Evanovich, Hard Eight

~~~~~

Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels are fun reads (or listens…Hard Eight keep me alert, and sometimes laughing, as I drove long hours on my recent road trip). While being entertained by these books, sometimes there is a sentence that just stands out - one that resonates with your own sometimes convoluted logic. The quote today is one of those points of resonance for me.

Great food is a key component to every celebration for me and my family. From November to mid-January there seems to be something to celebrate: birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, wedding anniversaries, the New Year. Every year I brace myself to gain a little weight during the holidays but I don’t ever follow through to forego any of the treats. My rationalization is exactly “Calories don’t count if they’re connected to a celebration.”

Logically I know that they do count - so maybe my philosophy is really “Don’t worry about calories connected to a celebration” which could lead to carefully defining “celebration” and thereby escaping the holidays without added weight (note to self  - think about next November).

Books of the Week: Mignon Eberhart mid-20th Century Mystery Novels

Mignon G. Eberhart wrote mysteries from 1920s to the 1980s. The reason I like them is not so much for the mystery (they are passable…not fabulous) but rather for the snippet of time and place each one represents:

• Escape the Night - California in the 1940s during World War II
• Fair Warning - 1930s - the relationship of men and women after the roaring 20s and before World War II
• Family Affair - 1980s when US embassies are being overrun
• Five Passengers from Lisbon - 1940s right after the end of World War II on a hospital ship crossing the Atlantic between Lisbon and Buenos Aires
• Run Scared - political candidate potential impacted by his wife’s actions in the 1960s
• Wolf in Man's Clothing – young men going off to war in the early part of World War II in the 1940s

Most of these are out of print to they are to be found among the used books. I’ve provided links to Amazon. Escape the Night and Five Passengers from Lisbon can be obtained from the Internet Archive. They are also available from Paperback Swap.