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Sue Spitulnik

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Sue Spitulnik

I am a retired grandmother that grew up in western New York State, left for 25 years, and am now back in the area. I happily live with my husband and two cats. I am pro-military, writing, food, family, and quilting. I am con-exercise, insulting commercials, and lack of common sense. I have met some great friends through this website.

Permission to nap

It’s National Public Sleeping Day. Are you one of those people that can sleep anywhere? My husband is. He can sleep on a plane, in the car, in someone’s living room when we are visiting (and he shouldn’t be) or even when we have a house full of people. He can carry on a conversation with me when I return from my night-time bathroom visit and go right back to sleep. Not me. I lay there trying to clear my mind again. I wish I were more like him. His family tells me being able to sleep anywhere is a family trait.

The calendar explains there are different types of naps. The Power Nap is approximately 10 to 20 minutes long and can give a boost of energy to get us through the rest of the day. It also doesn’t leave us drowsy like some longer naps might and will also allow us to fall asleep at a decent time at night.

The Hangover is about 30 minutes long, 10 too many, leaving us loopy and wanting just to stay asleep. We will snap out of it and feel much like we had a Power Nap, but it may take a bit of effort before we feel those benefits.

The Brainiac lasts about 60 minutes and includes the deepest sleep. While we may feel a little grogginess upon waking, much like the Hangover, our ability to recall facts, names and faces, will be improved. This type of nap may be the best nap after a round of studying or before a big test.

The California King lasts about 90 minutes and is typically a full cycle of sleep. It will also include REM or a dream stage. This nap avoids the hangover like the power nap does and improves creative thinking and motor memory, but night time sleep may become elusive.

The point of National Public Sleeping Day is to give a person permission to nap in public. More power to you if you can. Enjoy it.

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Smell Equals Taste

It’s National Strawberry Day. I’m a bit confused why this day falls in February, when strawberries ripen in the summer, but hey, it’s summer someplace. There are “tricks” to buying all sorts of fresh vegetables. The strawberry trick is, if it smells good, it will taste good. Try it next time you are at the grocery store or market.

Have you ever picked fresh strawberries?  The  plants are flush with the ground and one must squat to accomplish the task. When I was a child, it wasn’t so difficult. I wouldn’t even consider it now, as I carry a few extra pounds and have a bad back. We have some wonderful local strawberry farms where you can pick your own. We go when the berries are ripe to have an ice cream sundae, buy berries, and admire the people coming out of the fields with their filled flats and baskets. They always seem to be having a good time.

My grandchildren love strawberries as a snack. If I can find ripe ones, there is a bowl on the table to eat before the main family meal is ready. For my husband, at least one strawberry-rhubarb pie a summer is a requirement. Our only regret is the strawberry picking season doesn’t last long enough.

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Unmanly?

It’s National Skip the Straw Day. My husband rarely uses a straw. When we first met, I was working part-time at a local restaurant. One of the other servers said to him, “I never date a guy that uses a straw. It’s so unmanly, and childish.” He has never forgotten that statement. To this day, when he picks up a straw to open, he says, “Sorry, Chrissy.”

This designation has some interesting history.  The Coral Keepers, students at Whitehall Middle School in Whitehall, MI, along with their advisor, Susan Tate, founded National Skip the Straw Day in 2017 to encourage Americans to give up the straw habit and help spread awareness about the damage caused by disposable plastics.

If Marvin Stone (the inventor of the first paper straw in 1888) were alive today, he might be shocked to know of the five large areas of the ocean, called gyres, where plastic garbage collects. The sea’s currents create vortexes trapping plastics, and in the collection are plastic drinking straws.

Straws and other plastics cause harm to marine life in many ways.  Birds, fish and other sea life consume plastics accidentally or when they mistake it for food. Plastics don’t biodegrade.  They break down into smaller and finer, microscopic pieces. When plastics break down, they produce bisphenol A (BPA) which interferes with reproductive systems in marine life. It also produces styrene monomer which is a suspected carcinogen.

According to the National Park Service, Americans use 500 million drinking straws daily! So, on National Skip the Straw Day that’s potentially 500 million fewer straws that don’t end up in landfills or the ocean.

I am spending the day with a quilting friend. We will be visiting four quilt shops, and having lunch some place new.  I’ll be sure to skip using the straw in my drink.

 

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Happy Birthday Son

Today is George Washington’s birthday. When I was young, we recognized it on this day, the day it really was, not a convenient Monday so some people could have a three day weekend.

Anyway, it is also my son’s birthday today. His father and I had planned to name him Dustin, from the time we talked about having children. Just before he was born, we found out there was another boy in our little town with that name and the same last name (not related), so the plan changed. In the early-to-mid seventies, the boys names, Joshua, Jeremy, and Jason were extremely popular, courtesy of the TV show “Here Come the Brides”. We picked Jeremy, and added Michael for a middle name thinking he could use that if he didn’t like Jeremy. He goes by J. 

me-and-j

 

When he was born on George’s birthday I suggested we name him that because it was my father’s name, one of our close friend’s name, and it was the 22nd. Thankfully his father disagreed with me and won the discussion. The picture above is a few years old.

I am very proud of my son. He works over 50 hours a week as a UPS driver, plays all weekend with his four year old daughter, and has a good relationship with his fiancé. When they come to family dinner we have a lot of laughs, he does little things around the house for me, and I can go shopping in the town he delivers in and happily admit who I am. It’s a great pleasure to always hear, “Your son is such a good man!”

Happy Birthday Jeremy.  Mom loves you.

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Caramel and Nuts

It’s National Sticky Bun Day. I looked at the calendar last night to see what today’s subject was and woke up this morning thinking of a sticky bun. One of my favorites in any situation.

What makes a perfect sticky bun? The bun itself must be soft, easy to pull apart and be rolled with cinnamon between the layers. The topping should be a drippy, sugary, caramel goo, with so many nut pieces (I prefer pecans) you can barely see the bun. Now if you can have this, and have it warm, you have a bit of heaven. Too finalize the enjoyment, a good  cup of hot coffee as an accompaniment would be my choice. Oh, and if the topping is the right amount of drippy, a moist towelette to clean the hands when done eating, would be a good idea.

Any sticky bus is good, but some are better than others. I have had some that were a week old (I like to stretch and savor my package from the bakery) that were still wonderful. On the other hand, I have had some right from the bakery, that were hard, the goo was crystalized, and the nuts almost mushy. At least the flavor was there. I can’t imagine who picked the above picture, there aren’t any nuts!

If you follow my posts, you know I generally bake my goodies from scratch, but in the case of a good sticky bun, with a yeasty flavor, I don’t take the time. Some parts of me are lazy and want to be waited on. I’m already dressed, most often I write in my pj’s, I think I will leave you now and go to Leo’s bakery for the best sticky bun in my locale. Enjoy your day.

 

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It’s National Love Your Pet Day. According to the calendar, this day is set aside to do something special for your pet, or pay it some extra attention. I think most people show their pet they love it on a daily basis, but we all know that one dog or cat that gets left out in the cold with little shelter and not enough attention.

Our cat is one of those cats that owns us, we don’t own him. If Useless wants attention, he will rub on my legs, get in the way, and meow until I give-in and go sit to hold him. When he is in my lap I can scratch his chin and face all I want, but I better not touch him if he is on the floor. Like I said, he owns me! When he wants to go out, he leads us from door to door to show him the weather is the same on either side of the house. He expects us to stand with the door open as long as he wants to sniff regardless of the temperature. I know this is all typical stuff for a cat. What isn’t typical about him is his name; Useless. He’s a good mouser and keeps me company near my computer or sewing machine so he really isn’t Useless. My husband happens to think all pets are useless, hence the name. Isn’t he pretty?

bob-holding-useless

One of my favorite pets over the years was my son’s ferret, named Casper, because he was almost white. On any given day, Casper could make me laugh with his antics. He loved to steal anything shiny and hide it/them in the couch cushions, usually my son’s truck keys. He could walk/hop down the hall with the front of his body facing you and the back of his body propelling him forward. He could open cupboard doors, to get into mischief, curl up in a boot (so you couldn’t find him), or slither into your sleeve to sleep for an hour. The chattering noise he made got quicker and higher pitched the more excited he got. He was always a lot of fun to be around.

When I was a kid, there was usually a canary in the kitchen. My father liked the yellow ones best. Dad would whistle while he did dishes and the bird would sing its heart out. I can picture it and hear them to this day.

Whatever your pet of choice is, today is set aside to show them some special love. If you don’t have a pet of your own, maybe you could make a donation to your local shelter to help care for those animals while they wait to become someone’s special pet.

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