Category: vacation

MEMORIAL DAY MEMORIES

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ONE: People, Flag, Country

Memorial Day weekend is the beginning of summer cook outs, beach parties, lake visits, backyard slip and slides, and fireworks. For some, it’s a mini vacation, while for others, it’s a time of solemn remembrance. For the vaccinated in this COVID pandemic era, it will be the first major holiday in which we’ll be able to gather unmasked. It’s a celebration of life, even as much as it’s a memorial to those who gave their lives defending our nation. For my daddy, a veteran of World War II, it was an opportunity to binge watch old war movies on tv, and cook steaks for the family on the barbecue on the patio. I remember he called me on my birthday when I first went away to college.

“Guess what we got for your birthday?”

I was hoping for a stereo set, but I just said, “I have no idea. What?”

“We bought a gas barbecue pit! Now I can grill you a steak just the way you like it!”

He was so excited and pleased, I couldn’t let him know how much I really wanted that stereo, so I said, “Wow, that’s great. Spring break is going to be wonderful!”

History often isn’t the actual facts, but the story we tell ourselves, often to show ourselves in the best light. We want to put our best foot forward, for we don’t want to acknowledge the shadow sides of our personalities. While today we celebrate all who died in the service to our country, the first Memorial Day had its roots in a ceremony in which formerly enslaved people buried Union soldiers to give them an honored burial. Later, both former Union and Confederate veterans would meet together to honor their sacred dead, as a means to heal the wounds of the great Civil War.

Memorial Day Reunion and Reconciliation

In the Jim Crow era, the Lost Cause myth took hold among southerners. Memorial Day became for them a time to claim a new “history” of the causes of the war: states rights, rather than slavery, because the proximate cause for the so called War of Northern Aggression (although the south fired on Fort Sumpter first). We can rewrite our memories if we want to, as recent news events have proved.

Washington Race Course and Jockey Club

While several sites claim the honor of “first to celebrate decoration day,” as it was once called, the old country club at Charleston, South Carolina may have a new claim. In the late stages of the Civil War, the Confederate army transformed the formerly posh Washington Race Course and Jockey Club into a makeshift prison for Union captives. More than 260 Union soldiers died from disease and exposure while being held in the race track’s open-air infield. Their bodies were hastily buried in a mass grave behind the grandstands.

When Charleston fell and Confederate troops evacuated the badly damaged city, those freed from enslavement remained. One of the first things those emancipated men and women did was to give the fallen Union prisoners a proper burial. They exhumed the mass grave and reinterred the bodies in a new cemetery with a tall whitewashed fence inscribed with the words: “Martyrs of the Race Course.”

And then on May 1, 1865, something even more extraordinary happened. Pulitzer Prize winning historian David W. Blight found two reports in The New York Tribune and The Charleston Courier: a crowd of 10,000 people, mostly freed slaves with some white missionaries, staged a parade around the race track. Three thousand Black schoolchildren carried bouquets of flowers and sang “John Brown’s Body.” Members of the famed 54th Massachusetts and other Black Union regiments were in attendance and performed double-time marches. Black ministers recited verses from the Bible.

If the news reports are accurate, the 1865 gathering at the Charleston race track would be the earliest Memorial Day commemoration on record. However, in 1996, the federal government recognized Waterloo, New York, which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866, because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

Decoration Day at the Cemetery

For over half a century, or almost three generations, Memorial Day was a time to honor the dead who spilled their blood in the great internecine conflict which split our one nation into two: one free and one enslaved. That my ancestors fought to deny persons made in the image of God the same freedom which they themselves possessed is unthinkable to me today. While I can’t undo their past, I don’t have to perpetuate it.

So, I have to ask, “Why Does the Myth of the Confederate Lost Cause Persist?” The Atlantic has a fascinating article written by Clint Smith, which has been adapted from his new book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America. It appears in the June 2021 print edition with the headline “The War on Nostalgia.”

Included is a description of Louisiana’s Whitney Plantation, the only antebellum site dedicated to the life of enslaved persons. Most plantations give short shrift to the enslaved persons and focus on the owners’ lives. Today we have remnants of the old bifurcated plantation system still in existence. In rural areas, sharecropping persists. In cities , persons of color and immigrants often live “on the wrong side of the tracks” in substandard housing and attend low achieving schools, not because they are inherently less smart or talented, but because fewer resources and experienced staff are sent to their schools.

Field of Angels, Whitney Plantation, Louisiana.

One would almost think there was a systematic program of oppression to continue to deny the descendants of formerly enslaved persons the opportunity to have a full participation in American society, even as blacks take a greater role in our nation’s defense.

Pray for the fallen and for others to dedicate their lives to service.

Today there are about 1.3 million active-duty personnel, or less than one-half of 1 percent of the U.S. population, due to the all volunteer military. The US ended the military draft back in 1973. During the Civil War, the North enlisted about 14% of its population, and the South at its peak had a little over 22% of its white population in the military. While black soldiers fought for the Union, none fought for the confederacy, no matter how much their names are praised. They were body servants attached to their masters or camp cooks. They may have given loyal service, but not as soldiers. After all, if slaves could fight as equals alongside their white masters, this act alone would destroy the very reason the south seceded from the Union: slavery was their “righteous cause.”

This entitlement, attested in scripture, allowed them to break away from the anti slavery church in these years, leading many Southern white Protestant churches to form their own organizations, some of which still exist today. The Methodist Episcopal Church in 1844 split into a slave and a free branch, not reuniting until 1968. The Baptists split in 1845 and the Presbyterians split in 1861 to form southern slave holding denominations. The Presbyterians reunited in 1983, but the Southern Baptist Convention and the northern American Baptists have remained separated.

This Lost Cause myth persists today in those who insist on rewriting history and revisioning our common heritage, such as Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who told an Orlando rally on this Memorial Day weekend: “The Second Amendment is about maintaining, within the citizenry, the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government, if that becomes necessary. I hope it never does, but it sure is important to recognize the founding principles of this nation, and to make sure that they are fully understood.”

Of course, this is a perversion of the meaning of this constitutional amendment, but it gets applause from fellow travelers of the insurrection, but not from patriots and defenders of the nation. The way we honor those who died for country and freedom, for one and for all, is to recognize We are One Nation, under God, with Liberty and Justice for all.

Pull up a chair. Reflect on the gifts others died to secure for all of us.

May your fireworks be bright and your barbecue be spicy,

Joy and peace,

Cornie

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/06/confederate-lost-cause-myth/618711/

One of the Earliest Memorial Day Ceremonies Was Held by Freed African Americans – HISTORY

https://www.history.com/news/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston

Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, by David W. Blight, Winner of the Bancroft Prize, the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, the Merle Curti award, and the Frederick Douglass Prize. 9780674008199: Amazon.com: Books.

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Reunion-Civil-American-Memory/dp/0674008197

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight (Simon & Schuster) – The Pulitzer Prizes

https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/david-w-blight

Demographics of the U.S. Military | Council on Foreign Relations

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/demographics-us-military

Facts – The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/facts.htm

The Whitney Plantation self guided tours
https://www.whitneyplantation.org/

Florida Rep. Gaetz says Americans have obligation to use 2nd Amendment

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/florida-rep-gaetz-says-americans-have-obligation-to-use-2nd-amendment

Rabbit! Rabbit! Welcome to August

“The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer day: 
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, and took them quite away!”
 — Lewis Carroll
I don’t know about you, but this Queen isn’t baking anything in the oven until the frost is on the pumpkin. If any rabbit Knave is stealing home baked tarts, he’s raided my ice box for goodies. And he can have them too, for I’m likely on vacation, like the rest of America. 

Beach Vacation

July was the peak month for rabbit vacations, with 51% of all bunny families leaving work for more relaxing places. Eighty percent of American families take a vacation in the summer and over two thirds of them will head for the beach. At least 43% of families have taken their children to a national park for vacation. This means the remaining 49% of us bunny peeps have about two to four weeks remaining in August in which to get our summer traveling done. The more astute in the bunny bunch may notice I threw in a small mathematical computation, as a primer of the pump of the bunny brain juices that will need to begin flowing in a few weeks when the children return to school. You’re welcome. We aim to please here in Cornie’s Kitchen.
August 15th is the first day for students returning to school in these parts. Up north, students will report a week later, or in some instances, after Labor Day in September, as we did when I was a child. Even at my advanced age, the siren call of school supplies never fails to lure me into the office store, so I’ve made a purchase of multi colored ink pens and enough writing tools to keep my journal habit fed daily. Last year they had a 3 for 1 deal on bound books, so I’m still good for those. I write my sci fi spiritual journal on a different blog,  Souljournies on WordPress, but I make the rough draft in longhand. 

Practicing Handwriting Skills

Cursive writing was once an exciting and enigmatic ticket into the secret world of grownups, for they had an undecipherable language, which only they understood. It might as well have been pig Latin, or Martian, until I was initiated into its secrets. Not many school systems teach this lost art now, but that doesn’t mean children can’t learn it outside of the classroom. Currently the only states teaching cursive in the schools are the former Confederate States of America and the Border States of the Civil War. Tradition dies hard here. 
As an artist, I think good handwriting skills help develop fine motor muscles and the neural net of the brain when a person takes handwritten notes, or when they think and write at the same time. Cursive is written more quickly than printing, but either one is better for learning than making notes on a keyboard. Of course, once we train a few generations on the keyboard, we may change the way future generations’ brains develop. This will make the future interesting, to say the least. 
As I remember my own summer vacations, around August 1st, I’d pull out my reading list that I’d ignored all of June and July. Then I’d pick the shortest books and read them in that order, while saving the longest for last. At least I’d get many read, and not get bogged down with one. We procrastinators have to have a plan if we want to get anything done. 
To get all our bunny brains back to thinking in historic terms, or to give you ideas for next year’s vacation, I’m digressing from my normal listing of holidays and celebrations. Let’s talk TRAVEL HISTORY. 
Mount Vesuvius began stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, in 79 CE. if you visit Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, you’ll see cities caught in a moment of time. A short trip up the road is the city of Rome. The Visigoths traveled south to sack Rome for three days in 410 CE. I hope you treat the holy city better if you visit. 

A Journey of Many Miles Begins With A Single Leap

In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Seville, Spain to circumnavigate the globe. This is a long, working vacation. Bring your credit card if you decide to travel around the world. If you want to get your sea legs and crew a replica of Magellan’s ship for the 500th anniversary of his historic journey, the Bark Europa out of the Netherlands has you covered for an extended sojourn. 

Lewis and Clark started their expedition to the west in 1803, by leaving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They were off to explore the new Louisiana Purchase, a land mass which doubled the size of the United States. A hundred years later, in 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey became the first woman to complete a transcontinental automobile trip in a green Maxwell-30, taking 59 days to travel from New York, New York to San Francisco, California. Alice drove the whole way, achieving maximum speeds of 42 mph. She was accompanied by her two sisters in law and another friend, none of whom could drive. 

Handling Hazards Along The Route Like a Boss

The first automobile race, held the same year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was five-miles in length with 12,000 spectators. Austrian engineer Louis Schwitzer won with the amazing average speed of 57.4 miles per hour. The track’s surface of crushed rock and tar proved a disaster, however, breaking up in a number of places and causing the deaths of two drivers, two mechanics and two spectators. Today the Indy 500 cars run in excess of an average speed of 155 mph and the pole speed is higher, at 232 mph, since no other car is on the track. While the NASCAR Cup series pole qualifying record at the Brickyard is lower, the cars race at about the same average speed. 
In other sports news, the first America’s Cup in 1851 was won by the yacht ‘America.’ The 36th Cup matches will be held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2021, with warmup races in 2020. Babe Ruth became the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run in 1929, at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio. He went on to hit 714 before retiring. There’s currently 27 players on the 500+ list, but only one of whom is active. The current leader is Barry Bonds, with 762 long ones. Another summer record holder is American swimmer Michael Phelps, who became the first person to win eight gold medals in one Olympic Games in 2008.
In 1835, The New York Sun newspaper perpetrated the Great Moon Hoax, a six part article falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel, one of the best-known astronomers of his time. The discovery of life on the moon was a feat beyond belief, since everyone knows the moon is made of green cheese! The 19th century newspapers were known to be purveyors of the “hoax of the week.” Even Samuel Clemens wrote one called “The Petrified Man,” which was reprinted in papers across the country. So much for fact-checking; it doesn’t seem to be in our DNA. The Global Warming Hoax of 1874 was an early technologically inspired falsehood attributed to transoceanic communication cables emitting magnetic energy.
Of course, we only had to wait about another century for IBM to release the personal computer in 1981. Now hoaxes can spread overnight and groups can spread a conspiracy theory with no basis in fact in the time it takes to type in a search query. Sometimes people can blur reality with fantasy by concocting a hoax to gain a brief moment fame, such as Balloon Boy. His parents set off a large balloon and then reported him missing. They even got an interview with Wolf Blitzer on cable news. They might have pulled this off, except for the child’s truthfulness:  “You guys said that, um, we did this for a show.” 
What’s not a hoax is the fact you can mine for diamonds in Arkansas. First found in 1906, the Crater of Diamonds Mine near Murfreesboro is the only active diamond mine in the USA. If you go, wear a hat and sunscreen, and bring plenty of cold drinks and a picnic lunch. It’s a great way to dig a big hole in the dirt. If you don’t strike it rich with a cache of diamonds, be glad that August, 1935 was when Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. You’ll have a safety net to fall back on. Other presidents weren’t known for such worthy deeds. August 9, 1974, is when President Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announced his resignation from the office of the President of the United States, effective at noon, because of the Watergate scandal. 
Black 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, for ‘flirting’ with a white woman, galvanizing the nascent American Civil Rights Movement.  At the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. This summer we have the rise of Neo-Nazis and a President who recognizes “very fine people on both sides.”
Miles Davis released Kind of Blue in 1959, the best-selling jazz recording of all time .  Ten years later, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair opened in upstate New York. Tickets for the three-day event were $18 in advance and $24 at the gate, and there was sufficient sound for the 500,000 attendees. This year, the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock was cancelled due to site changes and booking conflicts. We’ll just have to bring the Summer of Love, Peace, and Good Vibes to whatever part of the world in which we live.
In 1854, Henry David Thoreau published Walden or Life in the Woods. Some notable quotes from his writing:
“To be awake is to be alive.” 
“I have a great deal of company in my house; especially in the morning, when  nobody calls.” 
“However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names.” 
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” 

The Frost Will Soon Be On The Pumpkin

The good news is mid September marks the opening of pumpkin patches across our area, and we can each get our own personal pumpkin for our front porch. The temperatures will be a tad cooler, so sitting outside on our pumpkin thrones while we watch our crazy world go by will be as comfortable as a velvet cushion. After all, remember these days will be the history our little bunnies will look back on and say, “My oh my, rabbits sure were strange back in your day, grandma.”
Love, peace, and good vibes,
CORNIE 
 ☮️ 
NOTES AND LINKS FOR CURIOUS BUNNIES 
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, full album, listen here:
Family Travel Survey 
The Story of How Handwriting Evolved, and May Soon Die Off
Southern Regional Educational Board
Magellan Anniversary Voyage
Baseball Home Run Club
Newspaper Hoaxes Through the Ages
First Cross Country Car Tour
Brickyard Race Stats

Rabbit! Rabbit!

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Welcome to July

Boat Sculpture

Can you believe the year is halfway over already? Those of us who mark the calendars—school teachers, parents, prisoners, and small children waiting for Christmas—are aware of these things. For others, the first day of July is just an ordinary day. July 1st, the 182nd Day of the Year, marks Second Second Half of the Year Day. This is our chance to step back, evaluate the year so far with our goals and objectives, and to take action to get back on track if necessary. Those New Year’s Resolutions might have gone by the wayside by the first of February. (FYI—I haven’t lost that 5 pounds yet.)

In the bright clarity of the summer sunshine, we might be able to set some more realistic goals. One of the best is to involve the children in our lives with a reading program. We can join in too. Nearly 40% of American high school graduates haven’t read a book of any kind in the past year, compared to 7% of college grads, according to Pew Research. Some 28% of adults ages 50 and older have not read a book in the past year, compared with 20% of adults under 50. The share of non-book readers hit a high point of 27% in 2015.

Independence Day Celebration

One of my fondest memories of summer, besides swimming lessons, library visits, backyard neighborhood cookouts, and art lessons in the city parks under the wide branches of the old oak trees, is the annual July 4th celebration. We usually spent these at home, under careful supervision of my hyper aware daddy, who was always admonishing us, “Never light a firecracker twice! You can lose a hand or an eye!” Of course, we weren’t even allowed to light these weapons of mass destruction until we were safely schooled in the white hot heat of sparklers, the temperature of which can be anywhere from 1800°F to 3000°F. For reference, this is 3X hotter than your kitchen oven and Iron (the metal, not Maiden) melts at 2800°F.

Children Playing Safely with Sparklers

Sparklers are safe enough for small children, provided they don’t stab one other like Jedi’s wielding light sabers, because the sparks are tiny, so they don’t pack the heat very long. The heated wire can cause a burn. Parental supervision is wise for the small rabbits in the family. As an old rabbit, now long in tooth, and hoary of hair, I realize child rearing philosophies have changed since my own experience. As a teacher, I recommend building competence and confidence by stages. If we give our children small tasks to learn and master, they’ll have the self assurance to tackle the next level. They need to crawl before they walk or run.

“The middle path is safest and best,” the ancient philosophers would say, or “Nothing to excess.” Some people look back on the “good old days” as the lost glory days of our country and want to return. Others remember it as a time when the goods were merely promised, but were unfulfilled. If I remember my childhood as a sunlit time, it’s because I’ve made my peace with the things I cannot change about my past. Now I work to bring that same vision to the children of today and tomorrow. If the hopes of the original Declaration of Independence are to come true for all people, then we all must believe the truths of our national founding document

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.“

May you have a safe and blessed Independence Day,

Joy and Peace,
Cornelia

Betsy Ross Sews the First American Flag

GRILLED CABBAGE SLICES WITH BACON OR PANCETTA
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cabbage-wedges-with-warm-pancetta-vinaigrette

THE RAGGED OLD FLAG
By Johnny Cash
Video: https://youtu.be/mbbGi3mTjCo

TIPS FOR SUMMER LEARNING
https://www.idtech.com/blog/summer-slide-facts-for-productive-school-break

PEW RESEARCH ON READING
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/23/who-doesnt-read-books-in-america/

Rabbit! Rabbit!

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The Ol’ Swimming Hole

Welcome to June! We’re officially into summer, even though the Solstice won’t arrive until June 21st. For most of us in the USA, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and a more relaxed schedule. And it’s early this year, to boot! 
Our temperatures here in Arkansas already have begun to hit the nineties, so our kitchens can become intensely warm, even with modern air conditioning. Now, picnics and outdoor grilling will take over as the preferred sites for food consumption and preparation. Therefore, I’ve concentrated only on the food holidays. Besides, a change of pace does us good. 

Watermelon is in Season Now

Moving slower means we use less energy and don’t heat up as much. When the temperatures are hot, exercise in the early mornings or near sunset. If you have medical issues or take prescriptions that reduce your tolerance for the heat, exercise indoors. 
June 23rd is National Hydration Day. Don’t wait till then to begin this healthy practice. Everyone needs to drink water, even if you aren’t “thirsty.” Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. If you wear sandals and notice drying heels, up your water and vegetables. The summer heat is dehydrating and no amount of lotions applied on the outer surface will replace your inner drought. 
Have a safe and happy June, June, June, under the Moon, Moon, Moon!
Love, Cornie 
A few poems and a bit of prose for your enjoyment. 

[under the evening moon]

BY Kobayashi Issa 
Translated by Robert Hass
Under the evening moon 
the snail 
      is stripped to the waist.
Source: The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho Buson and Issa(The Ecco Press, 1994)

I See the Moon

Perihelion: A History of Touch 

Strawberry Moon

BY Franny Choi

The house was filled with the smell of it, the last misshapen, sweet-heavy berries of the season losing their shapes on the stove. The house was filled with the smell of fruit unbecoming, fruit pulled to its knees at fire’s feet. All summer long, the bushes had whispered take me, shown us all the places we could kiss if we wanted. And so, as the light died, we put our mouths on the least lovable, the too-full, the easy-bruised, we shouted, I choose you, and you, and you, and you,and canned that hunger, and spooned it into our mouths on the coldest days.

ALL IN JUNE
by William Henry Davies
A week ago I had a fire 
To warm my feet, my hands and face; 
Cold winds, that never make a friend, 
Crept in and out of every place. Today the fields are rich in grass, 
And buttercups in thousands grow; 
I’ll show the world where I have been– 
With gold-dust seen on either shoe. Till to my garden back I come, 
Where bumble-bees for hours and hours 
Sit on their soft, fat, velvet bums, 
To wriggle out of hollow flowers. 
RECIPE FOR SUN TEA WITH MINT AND LEMON
In a large clean pitcher, add cool water up near to the top. For every 8 ounces of water, use one single serving tea bag, and for every 32 ounces or 2 quarts use a family size tea bag of tea. 
I like to make my tea with 64 ounces of water in a large pitcher, so I use 1 decaf tea bag and 1 real caffeine tea bag (both family size) along with 6 herbal flavored teas (single serving size). You can also use crushed mint and lemon slices, but these will make the tea cloudy. It also needs to stay refrigerated or the natural products will go bad on you. 
This recipe makes my tea a bit stronger than most, but I like it this way. You can add sweetener later by making a thin syrup of water and sugar, agave, or honey to stir into the tea. It’ll mix better than crystals or a thick liquid. Or you can use Splenda. I leave my tea unsweetened and let others adjust the taste as they see fit, as well as add their “poison of choice.” (Some only use natural sugars, while others think any sugar is a death food!)

Herbal Tea

FOOD HOLIDAYS 
June 1st–National Say Something Nice Day
National Olive Day 
National Hazelnut Cake Day 
June 2nd–National Leave the Office Early Day
National Rocky Road Day 
National Rotisserie Chicken Day
National Doughnut Day
June 3rd–National Repeat Day
National Chocolate MacaroonDay
National Egg Day
June 4th–National Cancer Survivors Day
National Cheese Day
National Cognac Day
June 5th– 
National Veggie Burger Day
National Gingerbread Day 
National Moonshine Day
June 6th–D-Day Remembrance
National Applesauce Cake Day
June 7th–National Running Day
National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
June 8th–National Best Friends Day
National Name Your Poison Day
June 9th–National Donald Duck Day
National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day
June 10th–National Ballpoint Pen Day
National Black Cow Day
National Herbs and Spices Day
National Iced Tea Day
National Rose’ Day– 2nd Saturday in June 
June 11th–National Making Life Beautiful Day
National Corn on the Cob Day 
National German Chocolate Cake Day
June 12th–National Loving Day
National Jerky Day
National Peanut Butter Cookie Day
June 13th–National Call Your Doctor Day
National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day
June 14th–National Flag Day
National Bourbon Day
National Strawberry Shortcake Day
June 15th–National Smile Power Day
National Lobster Day
June 16th–FATHER’S DAY
National Turkey Lovers Day (3rd Sunday in June)
June 16th–National Flip Flop Day
National Fudge Day
June 17th–
National Apple Strudel Day
National Eat Your Vegetables Day
National Stewart’s Root Beer Day
National Cherry Tart Day
June 19–
National Martini Day
June 20th–American Eagle Day
National Ice Cream Soda Day
National Vanilla Milkshake Day 
National Kouign Amann Day 
June 21st–National Daylight Appreciation Day
Summer Solstice 
National Peaches and Cream Day
June 22nd–
National Chocolate Eclair Day
National Onion Rings Day
June 23rd–National Take Your Dog to Work Day
National Hydration Day 
National Pecan Sandies Day
June 24th–
National Pralines Day
June 25th–National Leon Day
National Catfish Day 
National Strawberry Parfait Day
June 26th–National Beauticians Day
National Chocolate Pudding Day
June 27th–National PTSD Awareness Day
June 29th–National Handshake Day
National Almond Buttercrunch Day 
National Waffle Iron Day 
National Bomb Pop Day (last Thursday in June)
June 30th–National Meteor Watch Day
Find More Holidays at the link below:

RABBIT! RABBIT! WELCOME TO MAY!

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“April showers bring May flowers,” the old weather wisdom says. In these modern days, more rain might water our May flowers. Here in Hot Springs, thoroughbred horses ran the $1 million Arkansas Derby before a rain-drenched crowd of 45,000 at Oaklawn. Folks did not wear their fancy hats, as in the past. The infield crowd was finely turned out in rain ponchos, rain coats, and golf umbrellas instead. The winning horse, Omaha Beach, returned to Hot Springs from his California base, to handle a muddy track and to post an impressive victory nonetheless.

FANCY HAT FOR A LADY BUNNY

The Kentucky Derby kicks off the month of May on Saturday, the 4th. You don’t have to attend the festivities, but if you’d like to wear a fancy hat and drink a mint julep, the traditional recipe is to make a simple syrup by boiling 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 cups whole, clean, fresh mint leaves to hot liquid and let cool to room temperature. Pour liquid into covered container. It will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

When you get in the party mood, take a mint julep glass, add 1 scant ounce minted simple syrup, 2 cups crushed ice, and 2 ounces good bourbon. Then stir well. Add crushed ice to fill glass. Use a fresh mint sprig, for garnish. Some rub mint leaves over the rim of the glass to express the taste of mint oils for an extra zing. This drink is 218 calories and 27 grams of carbohydrates as made. Two of these would be a good limit for women, and 3 for men, since they are highly alcoholic in content. For people limiting carbohydrates, these would represent a large snack or a whole meal.

An alternative recipe for Mint Juleps uses Splenda or stevia. For each glass use 1/2 teaspoon Sucralose Based Sweetener or Sugar Substitute. Add 1 tsp Tap Water and dissolve. Add 6 leaves Peppermint (Mint). Crush the mint lightly with the handle of a wooden spoon. Fill glass with crushed ice. When frost forms on the glass, slowly pour in 2 fl oz (no ice) Bourbon. Stir. Garnish with a mint sprig. This has no carbohydrates and 141 calories, from the bourbon only.

On the same day, you may be more inclined to other cult traditions of the more modern cinema sort. If so, haul out your Star Wars light sabres and dust off your best lines from the eight installments of this long running saga. You might want to drink Luke Skywalker’s Blue Milk on this day and greet all you meet with a cheery, “May the Force be with you!” Bonus points if you grocery shop in costume.

May the Fourth be with you!

Blue Milk Ingredients:
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• Natural plant-based blue food coloring (optional)
• 2 teaspoons unrefined sugar or non nutritive sweetener
• 3-4 ice cubes (optional) for thickness
Directions:
Step 1: Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth
Step 2: Pour into two glasses and drink immediately while cold

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. The 5th of May is a good day to add black beans and brown rice with avocados to your dinner menu. Mexican food is more than tacos on Tuesday, since it’s a seasoning or taste experience. Salsa comes in varieties as well as heat.

This holiday has its roots in America dating from our great Civil War, when France entered the conflict to create a Mexican state friendly to the confederacy, as well as to recoup Mexico’s debt to France. It’s a reminder for us today that even a century and a half ago, countries exercised global influence to gain world power and obligations.

“By the time [Latinos in California] heard about the news of the battle, they began to raise money for the Mexican troops and they formed a really important network of patriotic organizations,” says Jose Alamillo, a professor of Chicano studies at California State University Channel Islands. “They had to kind of make the case for fighting for freedom and democracy and they were able to link the struggle of Mexico to the struggle of the Civil War, so there were simultaneous fights for democracy.”

As the Confederacy collapsed, U.S. leaders were able to shift resources to resisting French intervention in Mexico and to deploy troops along the Texas-Mexico border. U.S. pressure, combined with Mexican resentment and military success against Emperor Maximilian ultimately compelled French Emperor Napoleon III to end his imperial venture in Mexico.

On the 5th at sundown, Ramadan begins. It’s the holiest month of the year for Muslims, who’ll fast from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of learning self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. If health or age make this discipline unwise, a person can limit the hours of the fast or can feed a poor person each day instead. Work days are shortened during this time and traffic is monitored more carefully, since hunger and dehydration reduce performance.

The ultimate goal of fasting is gaining greater God-consciousness, in Arabic, taqwa, signifying a state of constant awareness of God. From this awareness a person should gain discipline, self-restraint and a greater incentive to do good and avoid wrong.  In commemoration of the revelation of the Qur’an, Muslim’s holy book, which began during the month of Ramadan, Muslims attempt to read the entire book during Ramadan and gather nightly at mosques to hold special prayers during which the entire Qur’an is recited by the end of the month.

Most religions have a tradition of fasting to come closer to god and to depend less on material substances. In the dieting and health world, intermittent fasting is one of the latest fads to take hold. This ranges from a 12 hour window (7-7), which sounds like normal eating, to a 6 hour window (12 noon-6 pm), which would leave me hangry as all get out, due to hypoglycemia issues. I eat every 2 or 3 hours, but divide up my calories so I don’t overeat during the day. This is a discipline all unto itself, since I have to plan, shop, and cook. The days I have to take snacks out for away trips also involve planning.

Some people treat these diet plans like a religion. They are zealous for their weight loss journey and share it with everyone. Every body is different, so what works for one may not work for another.

What happens if you fast all day and then eat a meal? Muslims have learned to have a small, sweet snack of dates first, and then a light meal, but nothing heavy or fried. After dinner and fellowship, sleep, and early rising before sunrise to eat another meal. This is the month of Ramadan for the faithful.

On the May 11, we can Eat What We Want, and I’ll have chocolate, thank you. Remember to treat your Mother right on Mothers’ Day, or remember her blessed name.

By the end of the month, we’ll be ready to Carry a Towel on May 25, in honor of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This book/movie is a lighthearted romp through the space time continuum, complete with initial disasters and intermediary mayhem before finally providing the answer to all of life’s questions, which is 42.

If we survive this, we’ll drag out the grill and cook us some good old burgers to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend, or as our modern world calls it, the first weekend of summer vacation. This holiday began as an effort to bind up the wounds of a battered nation. First called Decoration Day, then Memorial Day, loved ones honored the graves of America’s bloodiest war ever. Today we honor all warriors who died in the service of their country as we shoot off a bunch of fireworks and burn some burgers on the grill for the start of the summer holidays. A century and a half has dulled some memories, but not all. We still have reconciliation work to be done and wounds to heal, not to mention a lost cause to put to rest.

Speaking of conflicts, many hold claim to the hamburger. One of the most colorful is Charlie Nagreen of Seymour, Wisconsin. At the age of 15, he sold meatballs from his ox-drawn food stand at the Outagamie County Fair. Business wasn’t good and he quickly realized it was because meatballs were too difficult to eat while strolling around the fair.  In a flash of innovation, he flattened the meatballs, placed them between two slices of bread and called his new creation a hamburger.  He was known to many as “Hamburger Charlie.”  He returned to sell hamburgers at the fair every year until his death in 1951, and he would entertain people with guitar and mouth organ and his jingle:

Hamburgers, hamburgers, hamburgers hot;
onions in the middle, pickle on top.
Makes your lips go flippity flop.

I would most likely buy a burger from Hamburger Charlie, just for the entertainment value. I hope you enjoy the Month of May—we get 31 days of fun, food, and foolishness, so how can that be bad?

Joy and Peace, Cornie

SPECIAL DAYS IN MAY 2019
4—Kentucky Derby Day—Hats and Mint Juleps
4—Star Wars Day—May the fourth be with you!
5—Cinco de Mayo—An American holiday to celebrate Mexican culture
5—Ramadan begins at sunset
11—Eat What You Want Day
12—Mothers’ Day
25—Carry a Towel Day/read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for bonus points
27—Memorial Day Observance celebrations
28—National Hamburger Day
31—Memorial Day celebration

$1,000 Mint Juleps for Charity at the Kentucky Derby
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/events/kentucky-derby/festival/2019/04/10/1-000-woodford-reserve-mint-julep-ingredients-age-churchill-downs-for-kentucky-derby/3244985002/

Ramadan in the UAE
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/ramadan-2019-faqs-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-holy-month-in-the-uae-1.853719

Ramadan in the USA
https://ing.org/ramadan-information-sheet/

IS COGNITIVE DECLINE INEVITABLE?

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My mind goes often to this non planet

If I knew where my mind was, I’d be able to find it. 
My mind goes to Pluto at the drop of a hat. 
What did I come into this room to get?
And where did I park my car?

As we age, we lose brain cells. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. My mother claimed we kids were responsible for the early grey in her hair and its white was the result of the loss of brain cells, which she attributed to our wild ways driving her crazy. Neurons in the brain do die every day, but the brain grows new ones into a person’s seventies. 

Previous research suggests cognitive decline doesn’t begin before the age of 60, but this view isn’t universally accepted by scientists, much less the common public. We all have met people who’ve quit growing intellectually in their 30’s, while some have flexible minds and continue to learn new ideas and adjust their previously held thoughts when new information is presented. Some people’s capacity for memory, reasoning and comprehension skills (cognitive function) can start to deteriorate from age 45. 

Happy Birthday—Don’t return the favor.

This is why 40 was once considered “over the hill,” but folks today think of 50 as that apex. When my brother decorated my desk with dead plants and black balloons for my 40th birthday, I’m sure he meant it with tongue in cheek. However he might have been also alluding to my well known “space ranger” wandering mind. I don’t think I had cognitive decline; rather mine was more imaginative daydreaming, also known as “not paying attention.”

When I was 60, I watched a program on dementia and cognitive decline. The difference between forgetfulness and cognitive decline is the first happens occasionally and the latter affects your daily living negatively. On my recent vacation I forgot to bring toothpaste. I bought a tube at the grocery store. Cognitive decline is when you forget how to brush your teeth, you get cavities, and don’t make dentist appointments anymore. Then you lose the teeth and get dentures. Most likely someone also has to remind you to use the bubble cleaner on them and rinse them before they go in your mouth again. 
Since understanding cognitive aging will be one of the challenges of this century, especially as life expectancy continues to rise, we have to ask, what can we do to for our whole health? 

As easy as popping a pill sounds, a large recent review of studies found no solid evidence that vitamin and mineral supplements have any effect in preventing cognitive decline or dementia. The whole internet is full of health claims for this and that supplement, drink, bar, or detox tonic. While B vitamins; beta carotene; vitamins C, D or E; zinc, copper or selenium may be needed in your diet for other reasons, none of these have proved effective in preventing cognitive decline. 

How can you prevent cognitive decline? Try this combination strategy:
Four steps can improve your mental skills, even as you age—
1. following a healthy diet, 
2. getting regular exercise, 
3. socializing, and 
4. challenging your brain.

The results of the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER), which is the latest and most impressive study, goes a step further by suggesting that if you follow all four practices, you may even reverse lost mental capacity. The FINGER study indicated those who did so not only kept cognitive skills from declining, it also improved their reasoning skills and speed in performing mental tasks.

The volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups. One set of participants—the study group—received personal nutritional counseling, exercise instruction from physical therapists, and cognitive training. They also underwent seven medical exams during the study period. They frequently met in groups for cooking classes, cognitive training, or exercise instruction. The other participants—the control group—had three medical exams, during which they received general health advice. Both groups were given mental function tests again at the end of the study.

Dr. Scott McGinnis, a neurologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and author of The Harvard Guide to Coping with Alzheimer’s Disease, says “Healthy lifestyle behaviors can benefit people of all ages. But to have the greatest impact on late-life mental function, get started early.” 

The FINGER study’s results should offer additional encouragement to pursue a healthy, active, engaged lifestyle with regular exercise, a Mediterranean diet, and challenging mental activities because these can help preserve your mental acuity. Moreover, the FINGER study reminds us it not only helps to combine these practices, but it also helps to enjoy them as we do them. 

This wasn’t a quick fix, either. The FINGER program lasted for two years and the participants stuck with it because they were enjoying themselves. They also had become friends with others in their training groups. Although the experiment was demanding, only 12% of participants dropped out. Plus, these folks worked at their exercise—attendance was over 85% at training sessions, which included three to five exercise sessions a week, as well as 10 to 12 sessions of nutrition counseling and 144 cognitive training sessions over two years.

If you’re having trouble making healthy changes, a cooking or exercise class may help you get started and open a new circle of friends. Volunteering as a tutor, joining a community choir, or working on a political campaign can offer new intellectual challenges and social engagement. The key to making lifestyle changes is in finding a way to enjoy making them—and that is often among a group of companions who are striving for the same goal. 

Fresh vegetables and Chicken breast in Olive oil

We all make a choice in our lives. If we want good health, but don’t want to give up our television programs, we either need to pick an exercise time outside of our favorite TV shows, or hit a gym with screens. For instance, I still eat fried chicken, but only on my vacation. I eat uncured bacon on Saturdays rather than every day, and pancakes once a month. I haven’t given up my favorite foods, but I’ve put a limit on the most unhealthy ones out of respect for my body. This gives me some room for when I feel the need to self medicate with two scoops of ice cream, as when my computer died last month and I had to replace it. Making a big decision is definitely an ice cream moment for me, but I don’t need it every day anymore. 

One of my goals at Cornie’s Kitchen is to learn new skills and information to benefit the majority of persons in our world today: half of Americans and 30% of the world’s population are obese or overweight, and the cardiovascular diseases associated with obesity are increasing worldwide also. Since our children are also impacted by this health risk, we have to change our way of looking at food, exercise, time, stress, life, work, and our means of balancing the competing and complex needs in our world. 

If I can’t wave a magic wand over you, say a magic spell, or cast a potion of power over you, then at least I can help you burn through a few brain cells. They’ll grow back. Grey hair is a sign of power and wisdom.  

Joy and Peace, 

Cornie 

SHARK WEEK CHOCOLATE BARK

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Shark Week always grabs my attention. After all, that’s what sharks do! Or maybe because it’s far too hot to be outside in Arkansas or because my inner child loves to learn new things. I always loved the beach as a child, since the sea breezes kept the heat tolerable. Inland, folks just suffered in the sweltering humidity pods. Thankfully we now have modern air conditioning, an invention that didn’t come to my home until I was a teenager.

When the temperature was 99F at 10 PM, even a ceiling fan wouldn’t make sleeping comfortable. Cooking was out of the question. Daddy would barbecue or we’d eat cold cuts and fruit. Chocolate candy bark didn’t take long to heat on the stove, so it was a treat to make in the cooler mornings. It also reminds me of coral reefs, which Shark Week shows us nightly on the Discovery Channel.

Corals come in a wide array of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some resemble deer antlers, trees, giant fans, brains, and honeycomb. Although many corals may look like plants, they’re actually animals; they’re most closely related to jellyfish and anemones. There are three different types of coral reef formations—barrier reefs, coral atolls, and fringing reefs. Barrier reefs help to protect lagoons and other types of shallow water; coral atolls (which are often mistaken for islands) are made from volcanic remains; and fringing reefs are found right along the coastline.

Coral reefs, which only grow at a maximum depth of around 150 feet, also grow very slowly, at an average rate of just two centimeters per year. This is because their biomes must maintain a temperature of 70 to 85º Fahrenheit. (Shallow water is more easily warmed by the sun.) Strangely, most coral reefs seem to grow on the eastern side of land masses, where the temperature is believed to be warmer than the western side. Stony coral groups are primarily responsible for building up reef structures.  Coral reefs grow upward from the sea floor as the polyps of new corals cement themselves to the skeletons of those below.

When I make Shark Week Chocolate Bark, I gather the following dry ingredients in a plastic bag or in a bowl:

120 gram(s) Wonderful Pistachios Roasted & Salted Shelled Pistachios

0.5 cup Dried cherries (tart montmorency)

12 pretzels Splits pretzels—break into pieces 1 inch long (I used the broken pieces in the bottom of the bag).

Also needed:

1 tbsp Vanilla extract —divided into 2 tsp and 1 tsp

12 tsp Coconut Sugar—divided into 8 tsp and 4 tsp

Then I weigh out 571 gram(s) GHIRARDELLI chocolate premium baking chips 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate — divided into 400 grams and 171 grams.

Take the larger amounts of chocolate baking chips first. Take chocolate and put into microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and melt them in the microwave. Stir well. The first or larger amount may need a second 30 second cooking. The hot melted pieces will melt the unmelted ones. Stir after each heating. Bowl will be HOT! Don’t over cook the chocolate.

Remove & add vanilla 2 tsp. Stir. Add 8 tsp sugar. Stir.

Turn out onto parchment paper on cookie sheet. Spread chocolate with spatula. Spread nut and pretzel mix out over it evenly. Gently press it into chocolate.

Take remaining chocolate and put into same bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. The hot melted pieces will melt the unmelted ones. Don’t over cook the chocolate. Add 1 tsp vanilla and 3 tsp sugar. Stir well. Drizzle over the surface and spread out. It will almost cover the whole nut layer.

Put into icebox for for 30 to 45 minutes to harden. Afterward, cut into small pieces about 1” x 1 1/2”. It will keep in an airtight container for about two weeks.

Serving Size: Makes 36 pieces appropriately 1 inch by 1 1/2 inch.

Number of Servings: 36

As you can see, making chocolate bark with broken pretzels, pieces of dried fruit, and nuts comes together much like a coral reef: it gets all the various pieces cemented with a binding agent, which in the kitchen is chocolate. I don’t suggest you go out into the sea and nibble on a coral reef. It wouldn’t be good for the pearly whites.

The Benefits of Coral Reefs

Scientists have discovered that many parts of a coral reef can be harvested to make medications. According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, coral reefs are emerging as the medicine cabinets of the 21st century: “Coral reef plants and animals are important sources of new medicines being developed to treat cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, viruses, and other diseases.”

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. There are often more types of fish living in a two-acre area of healthy coral reef than there are species of birds in all of North America!

Coral reefs help to improve the quality of the surrounding water. They do this by filtering out things floating in the ocean, which leads to cleaner water. In addition to protecting shorelines, coral reefs are immensely valuable to the fishing and tourism industries. According to the World Resources Institute, the destruction of one kilometer of coral reef equals a loss of between $137,000 to $1,200,000 over a 25-year period. And yet, they estimate some 60% of the world’s coral reefs are currently threatened by human activity.

Dark chocolate has its own benefits to humankind. Without it, some of us aren’t fit for civilized company! We don’t need a massive shark bite full of this calming food to bring us into a harmonious state. This is because chocolate has multiple chemicals that produce positive feelings in us. Phenylethylamine is sometimes called “the love drug”, because it arouses feelings similar to those that occur when one is in love. Another neurotransmitter, serotonin, is a mood-lifter, as well. One chemical that causes the release of serotonin into the brain is tryptophan, found in (wait for it!) chocolate!

If chocolate were a drug, we might need a prescription. Or we might find the law regulating how much chocolate we could have in our candies. As far as I’m concerned, the darker the better, but small children often prefer milk chocolate due to the greater sugar and milk content. Dark chocolate has probiotics and prebiotics, magnesium, iron, copper, and antioxidants. Even commercial dark chocolate bars will have large amounts of sugar, so not all dark chocolate is good for people with diabetes or weight issues. Look for 15 g carbohydrates per serving as a limit. Chocolate is a snack treat, not a meal.

A little afternoon pickmeup or as a side nibble with coffee and a friend, and your mood will be adjusted in no time. Then you can go back to swimming with the sharks and they can’t bite you, since you now have on your impervious dark chocolate shark repellent suit. Enjoy!

Joy and Peace,

Cornie

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe: 36

Serving Size: 1 serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories

127.9

Total Fat

8.1 g

Saturated Fat

3.9 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

0.4 g

Monounsaturated Fat

0.8 g

Cholesterol

0.0 mg

Sodium

65.2 mg

Potassium

39.4 mg

Total Carbohydrate

15.1 g

Dietary Fiber

1.6 g

Sugars

9.1 g

Protein

2.1 g

Vitamin A

2.2 %

Vitamin B-12

0.0 %

Vitamin B-6

2.2 %

Vitamin C

0.3 %

Vitamin D

0.0 %

Vitamin E

0.0 %

Calcium

0.4 %

Copper

2.2 %

Folate

0.0 %

Iron

7.1 %

Magnesium

0.9 %

Manganese

2.2 %

Niacin

0.0 %

Pantothenic Acid

0.0 %

Phosphorus

1.7 %

Riboflavin

0.0 %

Selenium

0.0 %

Thiamin

1.7 %

Zinc

Kroger Star Trek Fantasy

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I remember the first time I used a computer. Yes, I belong to the predigital age, an era when dinosaurs roamed the earth and people lived in caves. Maybe it wasn’t that long ago in the hoary past, but I do still own a black body Nikon camera with 35 mm film. I take seriously my antique credentials and flaunt them. You’d be surprised how many folks today have never seen a “real camera,” since they only have one on their phone.

Changing the film on the steps of the Acropolis in Athens, I happened to draw a crowd. You’d think they would be more interested in a building from 2,500 years ago than in a tool from 50 years ago, but technology moves so quickly today, many had never seen a film camera. The tourists saw two archaic sights in one site that day.

My first experience with a computer was as a teacher when I had to input the class grades. Finding the ON button was my first challenge, but after twenty minutes, I discovered it hidden on the back. “If they want us to use it, why not make it easy to turn on?” Perhaps only those with secret gnostic wisdom are allowed access to this strange machine, but we didn’t have the internet of things yet. Openness wasn’t a theme.

Once inside, my 1982 brain could easily make the data entry to fill in the blanks of student names and grades. This was just typing in another format. I took typing in high school because I would need it in college and in business later on.

Over the years, I’ve learned the computer skills for word processing, spreadsheets, blogs, page making, newsletters, bookkeeping, and photoshop. If I needed a new skill, I went out and acquired it. Most of the time, I downloaded the program and began working in it. I learned as I went. Taking a class was too slow or not available. The online tutorial was good enough for me.

I happen to be an early adopter of media because I have confidence in my learning abilities. Since I was a teacher, I teach myself. I figure I can’t mess it up. And if I do, it’s not the end of the world. Besides, I practice frequent “saving.” This means I’m always able to revert to a prior good version of my work. (What? You don’t do this? Maybe you should! You can learn something from us old dinosaurs.)

My local Kroger now has the new Scan Bag Go system. I tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and came back for a second go round. I found it easier this time, perhaps because I’d had some practice. Also, my store had been rearranged on my first visit, so I had to travel every aisle to find my usual items.

On my second visit I cut 30 minutes off my original time. I usually take an hour to 90 minutes because I chat with folks. I’m not a task focused shopper as some are. I tend to socialize and offer help to people I meet. It’s part of who I am, and anytime I can help add to the well-being of our community, I’m glad to do it.

The little ray gun is fun to zap the bar codes of the foods I put into my grocery cart. I have my Star Trek fantasy as I put my phaser on stun and immobilize the vegetables before I take them over to the weigh scale. When I shoot the bar code, the scanner tells me to put the broccoli on the scale, it determines the weight and price, asks if I want to pay this amount for it, and I click YES. Then I weigh the next fruit or vegetable the same way. I engage the engines of my starship and take off for another part of the galaxy or my local Kroger.

I have friends who will not ever use this system, since they think real people will lose jobs. The checkout clerks I talked to think they can be used for higher and better purposes, such as pulling groceries for people’s click list orders, helping people in store, stocking, and customer service. My friends who won’t use it are mostly people who don’t like technology or aren’t familiar with technology. They’re also middle aged or older. Younger people see the writing on the wall–they know they need to train for flexibility and change in the world to come.

In the last 40 years computers have changed our lives so much. Once we waited until the newspaper landed on our front porches to hear the news. Now we know in minutes when Twitter blows up with someone’s rant or a school shooting happens. While news can happen instantly, we cannot process it immediately. Our lives cannot heal from the trauma of the pain to which we’re exposed daily.

As we age, one of our tasks is keeping our brains limber by learning new skills. Neuroplasticity is the scientific term used to describe the process of maintaining, repairing, and creating new neural connections in the brain. Keeping to the same old path is a recipe for losing our minds, or dementia. If we want to live with a positive attitude, with our minds intact, adopting new technology as it comes down the pike is one way to train our brains for keeping a healthy outlook on life, even if we cling to our old fashioned cameras.

Menu in a Processed Food Wilderness

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After a NASCAR vacation and a Spiritual Formation Academy, I’ve been off my food plan. Yes, I’ve been living just like the majority of other people. I eat food without weighing, measuring, or knowing its provenance. While I tried to avoid my known risk foods (rolls), often low fiber parboiled white rice was on the menu. Also nitrate cured sausages full of salts, and canned vegetables, also salted, made frequent appearances.

 Once again, I was in the wilderness of eating what everyone else eats. Others may not have difficulty with this method yet, but for my prediabetic body, it’s not the mana of God’s providence. It will keep a body going, but it contributes to my gaining weight quickly due to the high glycemic index. The salt was worse for my blood pressure, since I don’t cook with this spice.

 I managed to get my steps in on most days, but not being in my own kitchen had its drawbacks. At least I could cook my own meals at the races, but an excellent Detroit pizza in Austin, Texas may have exceeded all of my nutritional goals for several days. Oh well.

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Uncured Bacon, Avocado Toast, Spinach Omlette health

This is now water under the bridge and maybe also water on the body. I think much of it was salt induced water retention, since any outside food has more salt. This is by definition, since most commercial kitchens use industry providers as their food sources. While this saves money for them, it causes the customers to spend money on their health complications from high blood pressure and obesity, or from metabolic syndrome.

 If we think of the needs of the few and the needs of the many, and the costs of treating diseases, we might rethink the system of “cheap is good” with regard to food. The total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2012 was $245 billion, including $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in reduced productivity.

 People with diagnosed diabetes incur average medical expenditures of about $13,700 per year, of which about $7,900 is attributed to diabetes.

 People with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures approximately 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes.(Jun 22, 2015, American Diabetes Association)

 The indirect costs are—

1. increased absenteeism ($5 billion) and

2. reduced productivity while at work ($20.8 billion) for the employed population,

3. reduced productivity for those not in the labor force ($2.7 billion),

4. inability to work as a result of disease-related disability ($21.6 billion), and

5. lost productive capacity due to early mortality ($18.5 billion).

 Metabolic syndrome, number of risk factors, and specific combinations of risk factors are markers for high utilization and costs among patients receiving medical care.

 Diabetes and certain risk clusters are major drivers of utilization and costs. Costs for subjects with diabetes plus weight risk, dyslipidemia, and hypertension were almost double the costs for subjects with prediabetes plus similar risk factors ($8,067 vs. $4,638).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1955826

When I began to eat more home cooked meals, more low glycemic vegetables, fewer potatoes, less white rice, more whole grains in moderation (portion size), and leaner meats cooked with less oils, not only did I lose some weight, but I could exercise and boost my attitude. Exercise helped control my blood sugar readings too. Reducing salt by omitting processed foods lowered my blood pressure. I spent less time and money at the doctors’ offices, so I could spend more for better quality foods.

If the average person with prediabetes saves about $4,000 per year in medical costs over a person with diabetes, this adds about $75 a week to your food budget.

If money is something you burn every day of your life, you just have more money than you have sense, as we say in the Kitchen. Of course, I was raised by Depression Era parents, so leftovers are always a meal choice (think soup) in Cornie’s Kitchen. Wasting food is wasting money, but that’s a subject for another day.

God bless you, and be well! Cornie.

Simple Breakfast

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I overslept by a lot! I’ll be goin from one silence to another, having missed worship, breakfast and morning lecture. On a spiritual retreat, as on the spiritual journey, god always provides food. I’m drinking coffee, eating peanut free peanut butter, and an apple.

God knows what we need and God provides. Most of us go on doing for others rather than taking care of our own body’s needs. This self sacrificing is counter productive, however, for then we’re both unable to care for others and we destroy our own bodies which are made in the image of God. This overwork leads to burnout or physical complaints. Either one of these can shorten the years of effective ministry of either a clergy or a lay person.

Taking time off, surrendering our need to be in charge or to be in control, is one of the blessings of the Academy. You participate as much or as little as you need to. The hope is each person disconnects from the busyness of life at home and connects instead into the stillness of the life of God. This way when we return, we have an ingrained memory of the path to this still place in the midst of whatever storm may arise.

Jesus Stills the Storm

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”

Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

~~ Matthew 8:23-27 (NRSV)