NationalDayOf

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

It’s National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day. And, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, the one day of the year everyone is Irish. As a non-Catholic, I assumed corned beef and cabbage was an Irish dish. Wrong. According to the National Day of Calendar it is an American dish. The Irish used a bacon/pork meat that got changed to beef in America in the mid-1800’s when they immigrated. I’m not too concerned about who decided the meat and vegetable went together, I’m just glad they did. I also like to swap out the cabbage for sauerkraut. We have already had it for dinner twice this week. I take advantage of corned beef being on sale and put a couple in the freezer for later in the year.

My father died on St. Patrick’s Day in 1992. Seems like yesterday and I still want to call him when I have news to share. I really didn’t know my father all that well. He was one of those silent types and he worked the evening shift at a local manufacturing plant. When I was a youngster, one didn’t talk about the fact their father was an alcoholic. My sisters and I are all over 60 now and we are talking more about our growing-up years. One sister just told me that Dad was very active in AA and sometimes when he went to work, the boss would come to him and send him to help another employee with a drinking problem, on the clock. When Dad died, we got a very nice note from a man who I went to school with. It said he too was an alcoholic and he always went to the AA meetings my father went to in order to hear him speak. I wish I had known that side of my father. It is a comfort to know he helped other people. In his later years, he had an antique shop. The kitchen table was often surrounded by people with coffee cups in hand, and the topic was how to keep from drinking that day.

I generally write this blog in my pajamas. Today when I get dressed, I will put on my green, maybe even call my old boss and take her out for corned beef and cabbage, but I’ll be thinking of my father, pictured above. The “stuff” hanging on the kitchen cupboards are antique kitchen implements. You couldn’t sneak in one of those cupboards for any reason. The name of his shop was the Mousetrap Antiques.

03/17/2017 1

Stop Smoking

It’s National Kick Butt Day. If you live in a household where sports are important and you read the day, your mind might go to “win the basketball game”, as it is March Madness time. Wrong. It’s talking about kicking the smoking habit.

I smoked from 1970 till 1984 and there are still days I would like the comfort of lighting a cigarette. I tried many times before I was successful at quitting. I have a friend that quit eight months ago and every time we are together, she says, “I miss my best friend.” As she tells her stories, I don’t see her cigarettes as her friend, but as a companion to bear any emotion, good or bad, that she was having. I get it. I did the same thing.

I have a family member and a close friend that cough all day long and are still smoking. They each assure me they don’t want to quit. I watch them light a cigarette to celebrate, to drown their sorrows, and to alleviate stress. I get it. Sometimes I want to join them. BUT, when I hear them cough, I feel sorry for them. Give it up already, or kick that butt, I want you around as long as I am.

I grew up in the day that smoking was socially acceptable. All the movie stars had cigarettes in their hands in the movies, the advertisements on TV had people smoking, and the bars and bowling alleys were a blue fog when you walked in. We thought nothing of it. Then the health risks started being discussed, then emphasized. Now, I have become so used to not smoking that just smelling the residue on someone’s clothing is disagreeable to my nose. I think that’s a good thing.

If you are still smoking, please consider taking this day seriously and kick the butt habit, if not for yourself, for the loved ones that want you around a good long time.

03/15/2017 0

Family Craft Time

It’s National Children’s Craft Day. Once again, I am perplexed by the choice of picture for this day. I guess if you let that little person sit on your lap while you are crafting, you create interest that hopefully remains. I would have picked an older child that could actually create something on their own. You know, with popsicle sticks, glue, glitter, colored paper and crayons. Maybe a little help with the scissors would be needed.

As a mother, some of my most cherished heirlooms are things my children made in school or scouts when they were little; as in ages five to ten. Christmas tree ornaments are a prime example. It doesn’t matter how well they were made, or if you even know that brown blob is a camel from the manger scene, it matters that my child made it and when they brought it to me, the expression of excitement and accomplishment on their face is embedded in my memory forever.

That’s the cool thing about crafting. Any age person can do it (according to the type of craft of course), learn about art, learn construction, and have a sense of accomplishment. My grandson, at the age of nine, asked to make a quilt with me, so he could learn the process. I did the cutting with a rotary cutter and ruler, and the pinning. He learned to lay out the color design, sew straight seams and iron by setting the seams first, then pressing to the dark fabric. We had a grand time and his quilt is on his bed. I wish he wanted to do more, but once he learned how the process worked, he was satisfied.

There are so many different types of crafting I can’t begin to even name them all. May I suggest, sit down with your little ones, or borrow some if need be, and make something with your hands. Sharing time with your crafter is almost as rewarding as making something is. Make it a family affair.

03/14/2017 0

Helping Equals Happiness

It’s National Good Samaritan Day. In my home-town area we have seen a lot of examples of good Samaritans over the past few days. The Rochester, NY, area suffered a wind storm last Wednesday. A lot of the damage is cleaned-up and most of the power is back on, but there are still large trees lying on top of garages and in people’s lawns. The fact remains, neighbors helped neighbors. Young adults went door to door in their neighborhoods to check on senior citizens. We loaned out our generator and electric crews came from a few hundred miles away to help our local company. “Warming Stations” were set up so people without power had someplace safe, warm, and welcoming to go. These centers were supplied with snacks and food by good Samaritans. People also took the work crews snacks and hot drinks. The community worked together to help each other out.

Way back when I was a single mom with two little ones, I couldn’t find a babysitter so I could work on Easter. One of my male co-workers agreed to fill the position if I cooked him dinner. My kids thought it was a special occasion. Another time, I left my lights on while I was at work. A good Samaritan had the cables and jumped my battery for me. If you think about it, I’m sure you can remember quite a few times someone has come to your rescue. And, I bet it made them feel good to help.

These days of not knowing who lives next door and not feeling safe helping out a stranger, I fill my desire to help while I am driving around doing errands. I let other drivers out into traffic, regardless of what the guy behind me thinks. I make room at intersections so the city bus or a semi has room enough to get around the corner without holding up traffic. It makes me happy to do these little things, and it’s effortless.

Next time you have the opportunity, make it a point to be a good Samaritan even it’s only to give someone a free smile and let them into traffic.

03/13/2017 0

Make it Yourself

It’s National Pack Your Lunch Day. I get up every workday morning the same time as my husband and make a fresh salad for him to take for lunch. I put the homemade dressing on sparingly so it’s only a little soggy by the time he gets to it six hours later. His favorite topping is tunafish. Some of his work-mates have asked if I would make them one….we laugh as we imagine me with a list of each individual’s desires as my own children don’t eat what my husband likes, namely, the hot peppers, radishes, olives, and Asiago cheese. Sometimes, I make two, so there is one for me also.

When I was a kid, I envied my classmates that brought their lunch to school. My mother insisted we eat the hot lunch the school provided, for a fee of course. Now that I think back, most kids brought a sandwich, chips, and maybe some fruit. Back then I thought that was fine. Today I wouldn’t. You would more likely find me with a leftover piece of meat and some cold cooked vegetables, or even a dish of cold spaghetti.

My daughter is a body builder and she runs around with the ever-present snap-top container of chicken, brown rice, and broccoli. It has been cooked with some seasonings added, but she eats it cold, often with her fingers. I’m not impressed with watching the process, but her headaches are gone, she feels good, and she looks even better. I admire her stick-to-itiveness.

A couple of interesting facts from the calendar; Mickey Mouse was the first licensed character to appear on a lunchbox in 1935. The 1950 Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox was the first one based on a television show.

I also remember back in grade school the “rich” kids had metal lunch boxes with a thermos included, the “poor” kids carried brown bags.

While I was still working, I often stuck a container of food in my purse. One day it leaked. What a mess. The next day my boss brought me an insulated bag with a cat on it. I am still using it. And now, with the gluten-free days, I am taking my lunch more often than not. Van’s gluten free waffles make a great hamburger bun, with a bit of ketchup and mayo, hold the maple syrup.

What did you say you packed for lunch today?

03/10/2017 2

Rewrite: Again and Again

I’m slowly learning the art of proofreading, or should I say rewriting, and rewriting again. There is a difference between writing something and making sure all the punctuation and spelling is correct, and writing something to show action, grasp the reader, and not use any exclamation points. I had no idea; until I decided to write a fiction novel.

I’ll give you an example. “Millie was mad because her husband was late and dinner was drying out, then the dog peed on the rug!” OR “Millie looked at the clock one more time wondering if her husband had been in an accident. She tried adding some more milk to the dried-out casserole, but ended up throwing the mixing spoon into the sink when she spotted the puppy peeing on the rug.”

The first example has no misspelled words and has correct punctuation, but leaves the reader with a ‘who cares’ attitude. The second example shows the reader Millie’s frustration without using the word frustrated. Showing action, not telling, is an art form I am slowly improving at. I spent a portion of my morning reading about the current publishing trend that takes all exclamation points out of text. I’m still having trouble with that one. I learned in school an exclamation point was used instead of a descriptive word, like yelled. The thought now, is if the writing doesn’t tell you someone is yelling, it needs to be rewritten so it does. Again and again.

I’m also learning you can’t depend on just spell-check to keep you from needing to proofread because if you use the correct word, but the wrong spelling, the computer won’t tell you. Depending on the publishing year of Word you have installed on your computer, it will also tell you something is wrong when you know it isn’t, like the spelling of a street name, or a Jewish word.

Writing is a favorite past-time of mine, but it can also be very frustrating. I think I have made something perfectly clear and when six people read the same piece of my work, three of them don’t get my meaning. I guess it’s sort of like a doctor that doesn’t explain things because he knows what he is talking about, but you, as the patient, haven’t got a clue.

I’m always rewriting; writing never seems to be totally done. The good thing is, I learn from others who proofread my work, to be a better proofreader for myself.

03/08/2017 5

Sue Spitulnik

Writing, Sewing, Travel, and Thoughts

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