Category: Current Events

Less news, more color

A long time ago on a planet far, far away, I used to read a daily newspaper and then, you know, go off to live life. Isn’t that quaint? Then CNN came along – because the first one’s free, and I gradually became an instant news junkie.

Whenever I could get near a computer or phone, there I was checking the headlines, getting a fix from the church of what’s happening now. I considered myself a high-functioning addict and didn’t want to change a thing until the political stuff started messing with my head.

I wanted moderation not abstinence, so I fashioned myself a little rehab. In the morning, I read the local newspaper. It’s OK, but even sports scores aren’t current, so I allow myself to check a major news source once or twice a day just to see if anything big happened or, um, well, if someone in the limelight may have succumbed to an untimely passing.

While I never thought my attention span was compromised, I got used to the quick jolts, which really are just a distraction, and now I seem to be getting better at focusing on the moment. In some ways, it’s like switching from black and white to color.

For example, I’m paying more attention to simple sightings, like the color of the trees when I walk. The birds. The dogs and those who walk them. I procrastinate less when there are chores on the docket, because I refuse to sit around reading that stuff like I used to.

Not that I don’t dabble. I started to create a category for Krazy Kabinet Pick of the Week, but there were too many to choose from. We’ve talked about the stages of grief, and I think we forgot the one where you just laugh. Because, seriously, I choose not to be angry all the time, and I’m out of other options.

What I’m Reading

You know I love my crime fiction, but with this refreshed brain of mine, I thought it might be good to explore nonfiction. I went to the library and right there in the newly arrived section discovered Find More Birds by Heather Wolf. I was already noticing more birds, so it seemed like divine intervention.

What a great little book, which includes gorgeous photographs taken by the author. She offers 111 tips for spotting birds wherever you are and without necessarily becoming a serious birdwatcher.

Not that I might not go that route, but the book inspired me to take baby steps. Of course, I wait until December, when most of the birds that pass through our backyard have already moved on, but I’m not a quitter.

What I’m watching

As it happens, only the first episode of Van der Valk was super-gruesome. I’m on season 2, and it’s getting better all the time. I’m sort of loving these international crime dramas and now, thanks to your most excellent suggestions, I have a bunch more in my queue.

Mid-December also brings new episodes of All Creatures Great and Small. One of my golf buddies suggested this show, and I thought, oh, so not me. And it isn’t … but I love it nonetheless.

Dale recorded the Ken Burns documentary on Leonardo da Vinci. This is another one that would not normally be my thing, but you can’t go wrong with Ken Burns. Plus, Dale has a low tolerance for TV, so at least it’s something we might both enjoy.

What I’m eating

Our Thanksgiving feast was fab. The pumpkin cheesecake was pointing a gun to my head, so he’s in the freezer, experiencing the joys of timeout. In terms of leftovers, so far we’ve had cold turkey sandwiches, then a break for Dale’s homemade pizza with mushrooms, hot Italian sausage, fresh jalapeños and green olives.

Tonight is hot turkey sandwiches on toasted sourdough bread. The gravy was particularly good this year, so that should be delicious. I’m actually a gravy convert. My mother was not a good cook, so everything came out of a package. I didn’t taste the real thing until I met Dale, and I would say it was all over, but he already had me at roast duckling  à l’orange.

Today is when he breaks down the turkey. One whole breast will go in the freezer. He saves the carcass for stock, which I’m going to make in the slow cooker this year. But just the stock … I’ll make the soup itself on the cooktop. We have been enjoying Jane Brody’s turkey carcass soup recipe for many years.

I pulled out Jane’s 1985 cookbook yesterday and noticed it is subtitled, “Living the High-Carbohydrate Way.” Of course, we’re still into carbs at our house, but my, how times have changed.

Cheerfulness keeps breaking through

It’s possible that writing about being stuck with post-election stress and sharing our feelings in the comments section of this blog is helping me move on. Or maybe it’s just that the sun poked out through the rain clouds, and the limes in our backyard look glorious.

Like Leonard Cohen, I find that in spite of it all, cheerfulness keeps breaking through.

As I move toward acceptance and begin to rebuild my foundation of what it means to be an American, I expect I’ll have more to say … well .. about everything. Part of me wanted to withdraw from all of it, to be a complete social and political dropout, but I’ve decided not to surrender in advance.

We may be old and unemployed, but our voices matter. And yes, it’s possible to have warm and happy conversations with people who don’t think exactly like us. We must try harder. If all else fails, you can always pour your heart into a journal no one reads but you.

One of my favorite quotes is from the musician Patti Smith. Don’t forget she won the National Book Award, which means she can write, too.

“I’ve survived because I want to live. Even in our troubled world. Even with all the greed and stupidity and terrible things that we’re all facing… I want to be ALIVE. I want to BREATHE. I want to do MY WORK.”

What I’m Reading

I stumbled across a book at the library that combines crime fiction and time travel. It doesn’t get better than that! Wait, yes it does. It’s a series.

The first book is A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong.  A Canadian homicide detective visiting Scotland is attacked and wakes up in another woman’s body … and it’s 1869. She finds herself a housemaid to an undertaker who moonlights as a medical examiner. He’s investigating a murder she believes is connected to her attack, and the story unfolds from there.

It looks like she gets stuck in the past, not that we all don’t, but the good news is there are five more books in the series.

What I’m watching

My PBS Masterpiece subscription is holding up over time. I dabble with other streaming services but end up canceling when a show I like is over. I’m looking at you, Hulu.

I just finished the second season of Ridley, which I liked very much and am hoping for another season soon. It’s a British police procedural with Alex Ridley as a former detective inspector who was forced out due to personal tragedy but brought back as a consultant to solve crimes.

Ridley co-owns a jazz club and usually sings at least once per episode. I thought the singing was weird at first but grew to like it.

Last night I watched the first episode of Van der Valk featuring a detective in Amsterdam. I like it, but there was a gruesome finish, and I’m not sure I’ll last long if that’s the norm. As a back-up plan, I’ve been shopping around for another British show. I may give Annika another try. I like Nicola Walker a lot but am not a fan of “direct address.” I believe that’s the technique used where she talks directly to the audience. Still if no throats are slit, I could get used to it.

What I’m eating

Tonight is leftover baked beans with toast from Dale’s homemade bread. Tomorrow I’m giving the slow cooker another run at it and am making beef and barley soup. I decided to use bone-in beef ribs for the meat and was surprised at how expensive they are – like $15 per pound. But it should make for a great soup with at least two servings for the freezer. And we never go out to eat, so I don’t really worry about it.

For Thanksgiving, Dale will do the turkey. He brines it and then stuffs it with a Maine-style dressing made with potatoes, stale bread and assorted seasoning. I’m known in these parts as Side Dish Mama and will be making green beans almondine, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. I make the cranberry sauce from the recipe on the back of the bag. Delicious!

Dessert is pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon sour cream topping. And graham cracker crust … an all-time favorite. One whole turkey breast and most of the cheesecake will go to the freezer. Our freezer food is spectacular.

In the meantime, I continue to enjoy my protein smoothies for breakfast or lunch. Here’s my new favorite.

Cherry Chocolate Smoothie

In a high-speed blender mix:

¾ cup milk (I use soy)

1 cup frozen cherries

A glug of maple syrup

A small glug of vanilla extract

A scoop of unflavored protein powder

A shake (maybe a tablespoon) of cacao nibs

Stuck

I’m still stuck on the election results. I’ve started draft after draft of a post explaining my feelings, but they all got deleted in the end. Maybe with time I can talk about it coherently, but for now, I just need to find a way to think about other things.

While I’m not saying it’s a good thing to drop out or back away from our civic responsibilities, the short-term answer may be to focus on simple pleasures and enjoy the time that has been given to us.

And so I’ve been dabbling in retail therapy. My priority was fuzzy slippers, but I’m picky about shoes. Although I have some boots that are grandfathered, retirement footwear specs include only Hoka and Birkenstock. I’m pleased to report I successfully procured shearling-lined Birkenstocks.

As I was thinking about how to describe them, I was reminded of a woman we knew years ago who was quite frugal, perhaps unnecessarily so, but that’s how she rolled. She made her children drink powdered milk for a long time, but then she decided to upgrade to regular milk from the dairy aisle. One of the kids said, “Mommy, this milk is thick and rich!”

That’s how I feel about my slippers. Believe me, they are good for what ails you.

You may recall I purchased a slow cooker a couple of years ago, but it failed to cook anything at any speed, so I returned it. That model has been discontinued … yay to a little validation that it’s not me. To celebrate, I purchased a new one, which was launched this week with jalapeño pulled pork. Delicious!

I’ve spent much of this rainy day browsing slow cooker recipes so my bundle of joy can embark on its next culinary journey. Food might be the ultimate cure for the blues. Dale’s making pizza tonight with garlic parmesan bechamel for the base … topped with mozzarella, smoked gouda, smoked salmon, capers, red onions and chopped tomatoes.

Tomorrow is a New England thing called beans and bread. We get heirloom beans from his family in Maine. We’ve always known them as Marafax, but I’ve seen them on the Internet as Marfax. He bakes those in the oven with dry mustard and salt pork. Then a pan of big puffy yeast rolls and cabbage salad – which is like coleslaw but with green olives and celery seeds.

Then we start the countdown to Thanksgiving. I’m making pumpkin cheesecake this year.

My sister was here last week, and we had a great visit. She’s quite the crafter and lives in a rural area without a lot of retail options, so let’s just say shopping was involved. We went to Hobby Lobby, which I loathe because of all that conservative Christian rhetoric, but it really was the mother ship, so I’m glad I was able to give her that experience. We got the “have a blessed day” at the cash register, and I was annoyed at first, but then I thought, oh well, anyone anywhere saying anything nice. Take it.

And I did actually buy two Christmas cookie tins and a nice piece of wood for my art. I love my scrappy pallets, but sometimes I yearn for pristine wood, so now I have it. Praise the board!

Nothing else to share right now, but I wanted to check in and say hi. In addition to my post-election funk, for some reason the barometric pressure changes hit me hard this year and everything hurts. I looked it up, the barometric pressure effects – and it looks to be a real thing. Like many Americans, I always feel better backed by nebulous facts.

Oh, to be oblivious

I’ll spare you the excruciating details, but my knees et al turned into quite the sciatic flare-up, and I’ve behaved badly … whining incessantly about the weather being gorgeous, and who is not playing golf? Dale is ready to throw me out the window, and even the cat hates me. I have been able to walk a little bit every day, so that’s good.

I’m on the mend, but I have long-term issues that need to be resolved. I’ve been reluctant to go on the meds such as Lyrica or Gabapentin, figuring I’m better off abusing Advil once or twice a year. But now I don’t know. I’ll see what my primary care physician has to say when I see her toward the end of next month – the soonest I could get in.

The thing about a flare-up is that it makes you appreciate any day you wake up and feel pretty good. Staying strong and healthy is important to me, but I tend to overdo everything and have a hard time leaving well enough alone. Perhaps I see more complacency in my future. Kinder, gentler, slower, easier – these are the words that are starting to resonate. Forgive me if I’ve said that before, but maybe you have to say it 10 times for it to stick.

On the food front, I made my annual kabocha squash red curry, which is absolutely utterly fantastic. It’s a great fall dish, especially since the pomegranates are in season. I cut the recipe in half, and it makes enough for two and a leftover. If you make it, the timing is off. The squash is done at about 20 minutes or less, definitely not 45.

I had some pomegranate seeds leftover and sprinkled showered some on top of yogurt and granola. If that isn’t already a thing, it should be.  

Dale, the neighborhood watch, just came into tell me there’s some kind of a mummies convention going on down the street. I thought, wow, they are taking Halloween to a new level around here. But he meant mummies as in mommies with strollers. I just hope they’re not the mad yoga moms with guns and stuff. I suspect that’s a demographic in our neighborhood.

I wonder about the mad moms, because there’s a local election, and I see a fair number of signs for a candidate emphasizing school choice, which would allow parents to use our tax dollars to send their kids to private schools. Even though I am a childless cat lady, I’m all about supporting public education!

The good news is I have not seen a single sign for the presidential candidates. It’s better this way. I was daydreaming about how great it will be when this election is over, except it’s probably not going to be over like it used to be over. I’m trying to let go and pay less attention to the whole business, but it seems I’m hard-wired to stay connected to the state of the union.

Perhaps I’ll be oblivious in my next life. Something to look forward to!

Pizza therapy

We had company for 10 days, and our guest just left this morning. It was a great visit, but it is weird sharing your space with someone different. Dale and I have lived together more than 46 years, so we have this rhythm that probably seems dysfunctional to everyone else. It’s like osmosis gone bad.

My sister-in-law, our guest, is kind of a picky eater. My sister is as well. That can be challenging for foodies. As a couple, our superpower is that we like virtually anything edible and pretty much eat on the same schedule. That’s good.

Friends used to call us the camels, because we can go all day without consuming much of anything and then make up for it later. That’s bad, because it’s probably not healthy and most people don’t live like that. We forget other people have to eat. Still, we managed and nobody starved.

The solution, like so many solutions, involved pizza – twice – and then separate pies to accommodate topping preferences. I’m not sure pizza as therapy is sustainable, but it works in the short-term.

The weather is betweenish. Cool some days and then back to heat. I’m ready for fall food, but it doesn’t seem quite right. I like it chilly before I start in on the soups and stews. But it’s good golf weather, and in the end, it’s all about golf. We’re currently playing best two out of three rounds for the women’s club championship, and after two rounds, I have a three-stroke lead.

I don’t know how that happened! I’m usually so terrible at competition, but I have worked on my mental game, which must be the key. I believe learning to lose has helped me enjoy the occasional win. That, and physical therapy, which has strengthened my core.

Anyway, the person in second place is a much better golfer, but she hasn’t played as well as she normally does. She will most likely blow me out of the water in the final round. And I’m surprised to find myself looking forward to seeing how I fare, warts and all. I think this is called evolving.

A brief political update:

As regular readers will know, I am a U.S. Army veteran, and my husband is a retired Army major. I was trained as a military journalist at the Defense Information School (DINFOS), which is the same place JD Vance went, except I turned out OK.

For years, I have followed Trump’s disrespect for the military and have been surprised people don’t know the extent of his disdain or do and would vote for him anyway. I thought maybe a little summary would help a few undecideds.

Although I didn’t write it from scratch, I went through all the news accounts, reorganized the information, changed the wording a bit and pieced together a one-pager you may share. Or you can use it as talking points for your political discussions with friends.

“A Shameful Pattern of Disrespect” is here on my downloads page.

On making a small difference

Now that I’ve had a little time to decompress after serving on jury duty for a month, I’ve decided that if called, I would do it again. While I did not find the experience particularly enjoyable, I believe answering the call if you are able is an important civic responsibility.

I was inspired by the book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. He warned we should defend institutions such as courts and laws because when they fall, autocrats rise.

The book is a quick read, but it’s not light. So, yes, heavy stuff, but we now live in a country where some people – with the blessings of the candidate himself – will not say whether they’ll accept the outcome of a free and fair election. Think of this book as a manual for resisting modern-day authoritarianism.

The author encourages all of us to become active in organizations, political or not, that support a civil society and help others to do good. While I donate money to various causes, I’ve mostly been all about enjoying the simple pleasures of retirement. The book made me realize it may also be time to step up and participate in something that matters.

I haven’t decided on what participation looks like for me, but I am definitely in the seeking mode. That would be as opposed to the slouching mode, which is where I’ve pretty much been for the past umpty ump years. I keep thinking – even though I enjoy my life, it could be I haven’t yet discovered why I’m even on this dang planet.

Have you wondered if there’s something new and meaningful out there for you? Something that hasn’t even occurred to you yet?

I’ve certainly wondered before, you know, am I using my time wisely? Am I being selfish? Indulgent? But I mostly turn off the volume and go back to my happy place.

This time I feel different. Ready. Like maybe I can still enjoy the chill retirement life I’ve cultivated and also use what’s left of my skills and talents to make a small difference.

I’m guessing some of you might be pondering the same issues. I’d love to hear your thoughts. And of course, as your official retirement confidant, I’ll be sure to report back on my journey … the continuing saga we call life after work.

Just another childless cat lady

It has been a few weeks since I’ve written, and I don’t have any excuses. You know, just another childless cat lady, making poor choices, doing what we do.

In spite of my shortcomings as a fertility goddess, things are remarkably good. Although I think Joe Biden is an excellent president, I believe he did the right thing by dropping out of the race. For the first time in months, I’m optimistic.

Is anyone else feeling it?

Kamala is bringing new energy to the election, and she  has my full support, even if it turns out she likes dogs better.

I had my annual oncology appointment, and while I’m not afraid like I used to be, it always feels great to walk out of there with a clean bill of health. It has been 25 years since my first cancer (ovarian) and nine years since the second (breast).

This time they asked me to see the nurse practitioner instead of the doctor, and although it felt like getting demoted, I understand the doctor has to prioritize. I don’t have active cancer, and I’m sure she’s got a boatload of people who do. I asked the nurse practitioner if I even need come anymore, and she said yes, mostly because I’m BRCA-positive. Lots can go wrong on the genetic front.  

Sadly, I am due for a colonoscopy, but my primary care physician will make that referral when I see her for my annual physical in August.  I’ve heard there are some new and better ways to do the prep, but I don’t believe any of that applies to me, since I am at higher risk.

I have been out and about more than usual for reasons I’ll go into later. And much to my surprise, wearing something besides golf or workout clothes has been rather enjoyable. I haven’t cared about fashion in years, but I’ve made an effort to look put together, and it makes me feel a little more with it, if you know what I mean. I still don’t want a job, but I’ve been thinking about other activities that might give me a sense of purpose.

The shoes I wore to work have all been purged. I still have some boots left, but everything else is Hoka or Birkenstock, so I’ve been wearing my “dress Hokas.” They look nice with my favorite pants, a tee and a denim jacket. I’m calling it retirement chic. It’s still hot outside, but I need the jacket for air conditioning, which always freezes me out.

I’ve even been blow drying my hair (since it’s not stuffed under a golf hat) and have had a lot of compliments on the cut and color – my natural silver. I’m so glad I gave up the dye.

So, I sort of like having somewhere to go besides the golf course, but I assume that could get old fast. But we shall see. In the meantime, I need to go brush the cat.

Happy 4th of July

Well, July came screaming in like a mofo. The election, the Supremes, extreme heat, power outages and Bones reruns no longer on Freevee. Even the episodes I’ve already watched. Gone as of July 1 unless you pay. I’m starting to believe in conspiracy theories.

When the going gets tough, it’s time to finally buy a Vitamix and hunker down with smoothies. Mine arrives today. Just in time to save me from myself.

Dale, who is also in a funk, is thinking about an immersion circulator – sous vide. He hates the stress of getting a steak exactly the way we like it on the grill, and this method takes a lot of the guesswork out.  

Such bougie little solutions to world-class problems, but there you have it. To quote the Pet Shop Boys, happiness is an option. I can honestly say I stayed happy throughout my cancer treatment 25 years ago. I chose to be happy then, and I choose to be happy now.

Maybe it’s the heat, but I had a craving for watermelon. I’m usually disappointed in melons, so I rarely buy them. And then they’re so big. But Safeway had a smaller chunk of one cut and wrapped, and it looked really ripe. That was my breakfast this morning, and it was delicious.  

Dale is a recovered fireworks junkie. He loves all things that go boom. His dream is to be adopted by that family that implodes buildings. But he backed away after we got cats, and fireworks freaked them out. Fireworks are illegal in our county, but that never stopped him in the past. The stories I could tell. But I won’t. Not sure about the statute of limitations.

OK, sure, since you asked nicely. This one shouldn’t get him in trouble. We were living in Alabama, Huntsville to be exact, and he had a stockpile of the biggest baddest fireworks available on the open market. Maybe the black market, too. I’m still not sure.

It wasn’t even dark when he started firing off pyrotechnics in the front yard, and that escalated as the evening wore on when he and two brothers down the street we called The Darryls started trying to outdo each other. Beer was involved. The street looked like a war zone.

The police came, and as I recall, Dale stuffed wads of fireworks down his pants and politely told the cops he didn’t have any. Just enjoying the holiday with his family. In the front yard with piles of smoky debris and empty beer cans.

I think the policeman said something like, sure, buddy, but it’s over now, got it? And Dale said something he apparently rehearsed many times over, “Yes, officer.”

I’m not sure what happened to The Darryls, they’re probably still in jail, but the festivities came to a screeching halt. It wasn’t the first time we had to clean up the street in the morning, but it was the last.

We have no special celebration plans, but we will eat well and won’t be blowing things up.

For dinner, Dale is grilling what we call Hunk-O-Lamb. I’m making tabbouleh, which is a bulgar wheat salad mixed with spring onion, tomatoes, mint and parsley and then tossed with an olive oil and lemon juice vinegarette seasoned with some dried herbs. Oh, and fresh corn on the cob. Perhaps a Zinfandel.

It will be hot, but we still might eat outside. Once you get all that food in you and your body is heated up, it’s nice to cool off in the pool before bed. It’s all part of the live well no matter what strategy.

Happy 4th of July. Or happy Thursday if you’re not from these parts.

The sound of silence

Although I did not watch the debate, I read about it this morning. Trump’s lies and Biden’s lackluster performance did not make me regret my decision. It doesn’t look good for Biden, but I’m still hopeful the American people will not see fit to put a monster like Trump back in office.

I know some very kind and intelligent people who are Trump supporters. Once we learned where everyone stands, we quit talking about it to preserve the peace. At first blush, silence sounds like a poor solution, but you know, it’s not all bad.

When we were younger and actually had friends, we seldom discussed politics. We were more into partying back then, and most get-togethers focused on food, drink, music, travel and sports. I can’t remember even thinking about how someone might have voted. Seems kind of quaint now.

That’s the brighter side of being a party animal. Now we’re crusty old homebodies with deep dark thoughts about the future of democracy. Not sure that’s an improvement, but it’s easier on the liver.

Anyway, life is good beyond worrying about things I can’t control. My exercises have gotten quite robust, and I’ve split them up so on any given day I’m only doing half of them. Most body parts are cooperating with the new regime, but my left knee is part of the resistance. Some of my newer exercises strengthen the quadricep, and that will theoretically help the knee.

Because the knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone …

All of it has improved my golf game, and it has been fun to play well. Our four-woman team kicked butt in the Hawaiian-themed event. It was almost surreal. We all showed up in our matching outfits but forgot to take a picture! I said, well, it’s hard to be good and cute. One of the women, a younger golfer who has a great game and a bit of swagger said, actually, it’s not.

Loved that! If I ever had swagger, I think I lost it sometime in the 90s.

July is looking to be a hot one .. a good time to tune out political rants, savor the sound of silence and hunker down with a good book. I loved Clete, the new James Lee Burke novel featuring Dave Robicheaux, although this one is told through the voice of his sidekick, Clete. Hence the name. I’ve read all the books in the series, and this is one of my favorites.

I’m currently reading A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko. It’s a grand adventure story, hilarious and chock-full of interesting information about the Grand Canyon. The author also wrote The Emerald Mile, which is thoroughly entertaining account of a speed run down the Colorado River in a dory boat. That book also has a great historical perspective.

Next up is Randy Wayne White’s One Deadly Eye featuring marine biologist and ex-NSA agent Doc Ford of Sanibel Island. I’ve read all in the series, and they are always a treat.  

Happy reading!

The heat is on

We’re finally at the point where everyone starts complaining about the heat. That means the weather is just how I like it.

I’ve lived in famous hot spots, including Southern California, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina and Egypt. The Sacramento area can get pretty toasty, but comparatively, it’s minor league.

However, this is the point where I must modify some of my golf protocols. I experienced heat exhaustion once playing golf in Texas. Heat exhaustion is no joke, so this is my official warning to be smart about hot weather.

My number one tip is when it really gets beastly, do everything in the morning. I hate getting up early these days, but sometimes you’ve got to do it. The good news is you get done early and have time for a nap!

It’s not that bad yet. First thing is to dig the windshield sun shade out of the rubble in the garage and put it in the car. I forgot last Friday, the first real hot day, and wowser, that steering wheel was hot when I finished my round. Also, crack open the windows a tiny bit for air flow.

Cell phones are another issue. I don’t take mine with me when I play because I find phones very annoying on the golf course, but I need to turn it off if I leave it in the car. My phone started to overheat on Friday and went into that mode where it starts shutting down apps.

And then there’s my rig. I have a nice pushcart with a solar umbrella and a cup holder for a big bottle of water. I put a couple more bottles of water in a cooler that straps on. Included in this luxury set-up is a “cool towel” and a battery-operated fan. Oh, and a spray bottle with water. Spray some water on your face and stand in front of the fan — it’s like outdoor air conditioning.

Finally, I need to make sure I actually drink all the water and supplement it with an electrolyte drink. If I’m a little dehydrated, I can get leg cramps at night. A fellow golfer taught me a trick that is quite odd but very effective! Eat a spoonful of yellow mustard. It’s like a miracle.

Speaking of miracles, physical therapy is going exceptionally well. I’m there for my back, which is feeling great, but I have lots of creaky body parts. We’ve discussed my wrists, which I broke in 2010. Two visits to the hand doctor, and he says there’s nothing wrong with them, although I do have thumb arthritis.

Last week, the PT asked if anyone had ever done – something – and now I can’t remember what. But it involves manipulation, so I said no, no one has touched them. He said areas with past injuries can “lock up.” He did kind of a painful massage and then wrapped it in a thing that looked like a rubber Ace bandage. I flexed my wrist back and forth with that on, and then he took it off and said I was good to go.

I asked if I would need ice, because, dag, that little routine hurt. He said maybe but probably not. Anyway, it’s incredible how much better it is. Seriously unbelievable. I’m expecting him to do it again this week, and then I will have to learn about the long-term plan. I don’t suppose he can move in with us, so we’ll need to entertain some options.

Although I resisted physical therapy for a long time, and even after starting it, I thought about quitting, now I’m glad I stayed the course. Sometimes you need a little help.

While I do comment on politics from time to time, I try not to get crazy with it. There’s plenty of that to go around. But I hope you will allow one old lady retiree to say something about the latest NY Times report that Trump may owe the IRS $100 million in taxes.

First, I hate tax cheats. All of them. Because they steal from us. All of us. Dale and I dutifully pay our share without regret. It’s how our society functions.

We currently live on Dale’s military retirement and both our Social Security checks. We have not yet dipped into our investment accounts, which did very well under this so-called miserable economy. We had to pay the feds an extra $9,000.

Which we did without bitching about it, because those are the rules. Remember? Society functioning? It’s not just about you.

While I’m at it, there’s the issue with the Social Security trust fund running out of money in 2033. Congress is talking about future options, but I have not seen a discussion about raising or eliminating the cap.

You aren’t required to pay Social Security tax beyond the wage base limit, which is currently $168,600. That means all these people making the big bucks don’t pay anything after that. This whole problem could be solved by raising or eliminating that cap. Why isn’t anyone talking about this option??????

Full disclosure: I was one of those people who benefited from the cap, and it wouldn’t have killed me to pay a little more.

On the food front, I finished my last piece of birthday cake frozen from September! I needed to get that off the radar and make room for Dale’s birthday cake.

He turns 75 next week. I haven’t made cake for him in a few years, but the one he likes is called Chocolate Creole Cake, a recipe I received from my friend Beverly in Pennysvania. The recipe is in her handwriting, and it makes me nostalgic. Does that happen to anyone else?

Anyway, it’s a dense chocolate cake. Between the two layers is a filling of walnuts, pecans, raisins and dates made into a thick spread with sugar and evaporated milk. Then whipped cream goes on top of that. Add the other layer of cake and frost it with a spread made from melted semi-sweet chocolate and sour cream.

I love desserts, although I’m careful not to overdue it. However, I will say this. All the people who say, oh, it’s too sweet. Crazy talk! Savory food is different, but if it’s meant to be sweet, in my book there’s no such thing as too sweet. Nothing is too sweet for me. Nothing.