Wish I had known this sooner.
I hate not wearing socks because in short order the shoes start to stink. I am excited about this tip.
With some shoes, it is not practical or stylish to wear socks.
Use panty liners to absorb sweat
Saturday, September 29
Friday, September 28
10 low-carb soups
For all my friends who are doing Low-Carb right now and there are quite a few of you, here are 10 low carb soup recipes you can try. I have followed and been a fan of Kalyn since way back when Butch and I did the South Beach diet. She has oodles of low carb recipes. Many of these soup recipes sound really good to me now that the weather has cooled off.
https://kalynskitchen.com/ten-tasty-low-carb-soups-with-ground-beef/
Those of us that cook are usually asking our friends for recipes of food they have prepared and was a hit, or tickled your taste buds in just the right way. Many times these recipes will get copied down on a scrap of paper and tucked away in a drawer. I find them all the time. Sometimes I will remember who I received it from and sometimes I will only remember the recipe and why I liked it. I am going to label these Scratchpaper recipes in the future and put them in a folder. Here is one of the Scratchpaper recipes I came across yesterday.
https://kalynskitchen.com/ten-tasty-low-carb-soups-with-ground-beef/
Those of us that cook are usually asking our friends for recipes of food they have prepared and was a hit, or tickled your taste buds in just the right way. Many times these recipes will get copied down on a scrap of paper and tucked away in a drawer. I find them all the time. Sometimes I will remember who I received it from and sometimes I will only remember the recipe and why I liked it. I am going to label these Scratchpaper recipes in the future and put them in a folder. Here is one of the Scratchpaper recipes I came across yesterday.
Autumn Apple Salad
Ingredients
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
2/3 cup sugar
1 package (3 ounces) lemon gelatin
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup diced unpeeled apples
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup whipped topping
Lettuce leaves
Nutritional Facts
1 serving (1 piece) equals 219 calories, 11 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 21 mg cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Directions
In a saucepan, combine pineapple and sugar; bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Add gelatin; stir until dissolved. Add cream cheese; stir until mixture is thoroughly combined. Cool.
Fold in apples, nuts, celery and whipped topping. Pour into a 9-in. square baking pan. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares and serve on lettuce leaves.
Yield: 9-12 servings.
Originally published as Autumn Apple Salad in Country Woman May/June 1993, p33
Provided by Janice Cooke
Wednesday, September 26
*An Affair of the Lungs*
Not many of my friends, family or acquaintances smoke cigarettes any longer. This was written in a college class I took after moving to Cumberland Iowa. I have kept it all these years and every now and then I would run across it and wish it was on the computer so I could share it. But let's face it, it is LONG! And I would have had to type it all and typing is not one of the things in my repertoire of talent despite the amount of it I do. But now I have the Voice to Text thingy in Google Docs and I am able to make it work to my satisfaction so when I ran across this paper I wrote in 1988 I decided to give it a go.
Barbara Brooker A+
English Comp. 1
J. VanDusen
November 2,1988
An Affair of the Lungs
For 28 years he was my constant companion. Neither my husband nor my children commanded as much of my time and attention as Mr. Tobacco (Toby for short) Nicotine.
At the vulnerable age of 13, I became acquainted with Toby through my friends. Some adults said he was a bad-news character, but I was morbidly fascinated. It wasn't love at first sight; he really choked me up in the beginning. We quickly established our relationship, and before long, I saw him on a daily basis; in a few short years, he was with me every hour of every day with a large share of my money going toward his support. I liked Toby; he made me feel grown-up, relaxed and at ease.
For many years I didn't consider Toby a problem as most of my friends and relatives had relationships with him as well, in one brand or another. My husband harbored no jealousy as he also had a kinship with him.
When the first Surgeon General's report emerged, linking Toby with the big C (Cancer), it was met with disdain and derision. Not my Toby-he wasn't a troublemaker! How could they say those absurd things about my friend?
As time passed the evidence mounted as more and more people are dying of lung cancer, and the finger of death was being pointed at Toby. There were even those who blatantly labeled him a murderer. It began to be an embarrassment to be seen with him.
I was a raging bundle of conflict and turmoil. I was beginning to want to be rid of Toby; but the mere thought of pushing him out of my life precipitated a deluge of emotions. I was consorting with a known criminal and the guilt was a heavy burden: after all, Toby had been a bosom buddy for 28 years. Could I get on with my life without him? The slightest consideration brought about perspiration and palpitations because I depended deeply on Toby. What if there were a storm and I couldn't get to him? Worse yet, what if he were wiped off the face of the Earth and I could never be near him again?
The depth of my devotion may be difficult to understand for those who don't know Toby, but I once gave up a job for him. I was a chiropractic assistant and Toby's presence was strictly forbidden in the office. Needless to say, I didn't stay for lunch. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and my relationship with Toby took on an even greater significance. Daily, I was reminded of how heavy my dependency had grown. Openly admitting that Toby was the cause was out of the question, but in my heart of hearts, I knew it to be true.
Trying to denounce my relationship with Toby was not an easy task: if I ignored him or suppressed him too long he would nag at me incessantly. He refused to be denied, so I'd relent and take him deep within my lungs to quiet him.
Gradually, I became more and more disillusioned with Toby. One Monday morning my husband suggested we eject him from the house and not support him any longer. Although the same thoughts had been in my mind, fear of failure and retribution by Toby were very prevalent so I remained silent. The following Monday, July 23rd, 1984 my husband once again broached the subject of deep-sixing old Toby. With my trip-hammer heart drumming away, I said: ”Yes, let's do it.”
I was convinced it if I could disregard his nagging pleas for 24 hours, I would emerge the victor. Aside from 8 hours sleep every night, four hours had been the maximum amount of time I had spent without Toby and those weren't easy hours. 24 hours loomed like a mountain. At this point I wasn't at all confident of my success; verbalizing my attempt was a prodigious effort. If I give voice to a commitment, it's as good as done, which indicates the gravity of my predicament. Although I had predestined myself to succeed I had also programmed my brain for 24 hours of extreme unpleasantness and I suffered miserably every waking minute of it. I knew about deep-breathing exercises to get through stressful times and they helped, but Toby was still uppermost on my mind. When the 24 hours had passed, I could smell the sweet air of success; I had shaken Toby's hold on me.
In retrospect, the worst of the ordeal was fear of the unknown; it was much greater than the act of purging Toby from my mind and body. The 13 years of my life preceding Toby were too short a yardstick to measure the effects of life without him. An uninformed child made a decision that influenced me for 28 years; but as each minute, hour, day, week, month and year passed, I became more solid in my conviction to be free of Toby forever.
Some startling discoveries appeared as life after Toby progressed: I could visualize my lungs returning to the pristine condition of my youth. I enjoyed a dramatic decrease in sinus problems while my blood circulation increased, making cold hands and feet an infrequent occurrence. New smells overwhelmed me; as I brought a Coke to my lips to drink, I realized I had not experienced that particular aroma since childhood. Fresh laundry hanging in the closet had the same “April-fresh” scent even hours after being placed there. In the fall, when I unpacked our winter clothes the acrid stench of stale cigarette smoke hit me in the face. Once liberating themselves from Toby, some people notice the taste of food to a stronger degree, but that wasn't true for me. The financial aspect of not supporting him any longer was noticeable at first but the extra cash seems to quickly blend in with other expenditures. The freedom I've been given was an unexpected gift; I could stay involved with a project for hours without Toby interrupting. My concentration improved and I didn't have to skulk into the bathroom or hallway during meetings to rendezvous with Toby.
In general, I'm not easily persuaded so it would not have been possible to push me into turning my back on Toby. I feel I made my own decision on my own terms and in my own time with many factors playing a part; not now or ever will I regret my decision.
Toby is a sneaky, nasty sort; he fools you into thinking he's pleasant and agreeable while raping your lungs. As an informed adult constructing an intelligent conclusion, I know it's a life-or-death matter. If you don't kill him, he'll kill you. He's the worst kind of enemy- one who poses as a friend.
Barbara Brooker A+
English Comp. 1
J. VanDusen
November 2,1988
An Affair of the Lungs
For 28 years he was my constant companion. Neither my husband nor my children commanded as much of my time and attention as Mr. Tobacco (Toby for short) Nicotine.
At the vulnerable age of 13, I became acquainted with Toby through my friends. Some adults said he was a bad-news character, but I was morbidly fascinated. It wasn't love at first sight; he really choked me up in the beginning. We quickly established our relationship, and before long, I saw him on a daily basis; in a few short years, he was with me every hour of every day with a large share of my money going toward his support. I liked Toby; he made me feel grown-up, relaxed and at ease.
For many years I didn't consider Toby a problem as most of my friends and relatives had relationships with him as well, in one brand or another. My husband harbored no jealousy as he also had a kinship with him.
When the first Surgeon General's report emerged, linking Toby with the big C (Cancer), it was met with disdain and derision. Not my Toby-he wasn't a troublemaker! How could they say those absurd things about my friend?
As time passed the evidence mounted as more and more people are dying of lung cancer, and the finger of death was being pointed at Toby. There were even those who blatantly labeled him a murderer. It began to be an embarrassment to be seen with him.
I was a raging bundle of conflict and turmoil. I was beginning to want to be rid of Toby; but the mere thought of pushing him out of my life precipitated a deluge of emotions. I was consorting with a known criminal and the guilt was a heavy burden: after all, Toby had been a bosom buddy for 28 years. Could I get on with my life without him? The slightest consideration brought about perspiration and palpitations because I depended deeply on Toby. What if there were a storm and I couldn't get to him? Worse yet, what if he were wiped off the face of the Earth and I could never be near him again?
The depth of my devotion may be difficult to understand for those who don't know Toby, but I once gave up a job for him. I was a chiropractic assistant and Toby's presence was strictly forbidden in the office. Needless to say, I didn't stay for lunch. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and my relationship with Toby took on an even greater significance. Daily, I was reminded of how heavy my dependency had grown. Openly admitting that Toby was the cause was out of the question, but in my heart of hearts, I knew it to be true.
Trying to denounce my relationship with Toby was not an easy task: if I ignored him or suppressed him too long he would nag at me incessantly. He refused to be denied, so I'd relent and take him deep within my lungs to quiet him.
Gradually, I became more and more disillusioned with Toby. One Monday morning my husband suggested we eject him from the house and not support him any longer. Although the same thoughts had been in my mind, fear of failure and retribution by Toby were very prevalent so I remained silent. The following Monday, July 23rd, 1984 my husband once again broached the subject of deep-sixing old Toby. With my trip-hammer heart drumming away, I said: ”Yes, let's do it.”
I was convinced it if I could disregard his nagging pleas for 24 hours, I would emerge the victor. Aside from 8 hours sleep every night, four hours had been the maximum amount of time I had spent without Toby and those weren't easy hours. 24 hours loomed like a mountain. At this point I wasn't at all confident of my success; verbalizing my attempt was a prodigious effort. If I give voice to a commitment, it's as good as done, which indicates the gravity of my predicament. Although I had predestined myself to succeed I had also programmed my brain for 24 hours of extreme unpleasantness and I suffered miserably every waking minute of it. I knew about deep-breathing exercises to get through stressful times and they helped, but Toby was still uppermost on my mind. When the 24 hours had passed, I could smell the sweet air of success; I had shaken Toby's hold on me.
In retrospect, the worst of the ordeal was fear of the unknown; it was much greater than the act of purging Toby from my mind and body. The 13 years of my life preceding Toby were too short a yardstick to measure the effects of life without him. An uninformed child made a decision that influenced me for 28 years; but as each minute, hour, day, week, month and year passed, I became more solid in my conviction to be free of Toby forever.
Some startling discoveries appeared as life after Toby progressed: I could visualize my lungs returning to the pristine condition of my youth. I enjoyed a dramatic decrease in sinus problems while my blood circulation increased, making cold hands and feet an infrequent occurrence. New smells overwhelmed me; as I brought a Coke to my lips to drink, I realized I had not experienced that particular aroma since childhood. Fresh laundry hanging in the closet had the same “April-fresh” scent even hours after being placed there. In the fall, when I unpacked our winter clothes the acrid stench of stale cigarette smoke hit me in the face. Once liberating themselves from Toby, some people notice the taste of food to a stronger degree, but that wasn't true for me. The financial aspect of not supporting him any longer was noticeable at first but the extra cash seems to quickly blend in with other expenditures. The freedom I've been given was an unexpected gift; I could stay involved with a project for hours without Toby interrupting. My concentration improved and I didn't have to skulk into the bathroom or hallway during meetings to rendezvous with Toby.
In general, I'm not easily persuaded so it would not have been possible to push me into turning my back on Toby. I feel I made my own decision on my own terms and in my own time with many factors playing a part; not now or ever will I regret my decision.
Toby is a sneaky, nasty sort; he fools you into thinking he's pleasant and agreeable while raping your lungs. As an informed adult constructing an intelligent conclusion, I know it's a life-or-death matter. If you don't kill him, he'll kill you. He's the worst kind of enemy- one who poses as a friend.
Tuesday, September 25
Fall for us
Butch and I are taking baby steps toward takeoff for Texas. After all, it is mere days away.
The motorhome itself has had periodic maintenance throughout the summer so it is ready to roll. We once again are moving into the MoHo 10-14 days prior to take-off, cutting down on forgotten items. At the same time, we are wanting to leave everything here in tip-top shape to make our homecoming easier. It was more trouble free as full-timers and sometimes we wish we still were. Mainly when we are packing or unpacking.
I asked Butch to trim the tree I look at all the time. It was getting hard to see the birds, squirrels, and other critters so picture taking was getting stifled. The tree is now trimmed and I am once again in the business of observing whatever happens in the backyard.
Here are some recent photos.
Yesterday Butch went with me to the river.
The motorhome itself has had periodic maintenance throughout the summer so it is ready to roll. We once again are moving into the MoHo 10-14 days prior to take-off, cutting down on forgotten items. At the same time, we are wanting to leave everything here in tip-top shape to make our homecoming easier. It was more trouble free as full-timers and sometimes we wish we still were. Mainly when we are packing or unpacking.
I asked Butch to trim the tree I look at all the time. It was getting hard to see the birds, squirrels, and other critters so picture taking was getting stifled. The tree is now trimmed and I am once again in the business of observing whatever happens in the backyard.
Here are some recent photos.
Yesterday Butch went with me to the river.
We are not very good at selfies but thought we needed to try.
Are you wondering?
Are you wondering why every now and then you receive a blog post where the print exceeds the page on the right? Well, every now and then I screw up when I paste it after using the Voice to Text and do not choose the "paste as plain text" or "paste without formatting" option. Then I have to go back and change it. Some of you will know what I mean and many will not care. After all, no one has mentioned it!
Iowa Harvest Moon
Last night I went to the sink to get a drink of water and noticed the moon. It was not this large. I did zoom in on it. But it was this color. I love Moon pictures!
Monday, September 24
Amish Oatmeal Pie Recipe
OATMEAL PIE RECIPE
Have you ever heard of Amish Oatmeal Pie? Evidently, during the Civil War, pecans were in short supply in the South, making them very expensive. People would substitute oatmeal for the pecans, resulting in this delicious oatmeal pie that tastes similar to a pecan pie. I’ve only had pecan pie a handful of times in my life and I actually prefer this oatmeal pie over pecan pie. This recipe, however, doesn’t come from a Southern cookbook, but from my Amish cookbook. I’m sure both know how to make a good pie!
This sweet pie bakes up soft and gooey. Every bite brought a different food to mind. A bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar. A cinnamon roll. Oatmeal Cookies. Pecan pie. Oatmeal is one of those versatile ingredients that is in so many comfort foods of ours. And this pie is one of my new favorites.
Amish Oatmeal Pie Recipe -
HOW TO MAKE OATMEAL PIE
You’ll start with an unbaked pie shell. You’ll find our favorite recipe here, but if you’d like a shortcut, use store-bought pie dough.
Next comes the filling. This is one of the easiest pie fillings you’ll come across: 3 beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons softened butter, 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 2/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2/3 cup white sugar, and 1 cup of Domino® Pourable Light Brown Sugar. The brown sugar is what gives this pie an unbelievable taste.
Mix all of the ingredients and pour them into the unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45-50 minutes. The center of the pie should look fully cooked and not seem “jiggly”.The pie will come out soft, but not so soft that it can’t be cut into slices. As you can see from the picture, there will be just a little bit of syrup that oozes out…perfect for spooning over a scoop of ice cream. And the ice cream is a must!
Sunday, September 23
Uncluttering
The last two days I have been decluttering. Decluttering is a wonderful experience. It lifts a weight off your shoulders you can't believe unless you get down to doing it. Yesterday and today I worked on the small room that serves as Butch's office in our closet and a catch-all for everything that we don't know what to do with. I have two large bags full of stuff to take to give to somebody else. I am taking it uptown to the new place that has recycled stuff. It's where the Ben Franklin store used to be. After getting rid of a whole bunch of excess, I sat down at the computer and happened to land upon Howard and Linda Payne’s journal. We met Howard and Linda in Michigan at the Thunder Bay RV Resort in Hillman Michigan. They are a very interesting couple who took to full-timing in their 40s and found ways to make a living. I am putting a link to their latest journal entry in the blog today and it's worth checking out, especially the video. It's about decluttering your life. It fell right into what I was doing the last few days and the elated feeling it gave me. We also enjoyed the uncluttered life of full-time RVing. It is so easy to accumulate but you just can't do it when you live in an RV. We have always purged every fall getting ready to go south because we would have a ‘table sale’ in Allen hall in Magnolia Park. We would only do it one month out of the year because garage selling is not our favorite thing to do. This year is different because we will be in a different park and we don't know the routine. So we'll play it safe and dispose of our excess before we leave Iowa. Yeah!!
http://www.rv-dreams.typepad.com/
In case this link doesn't work I'm going to put a direct link to the YouTube video about uncluttering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=rFvia-EPUhc
Mice Hate Peppermint*
Mice hate peppermint
I read an RV newsletter entry where they were talking about Electronic Pest Repellent. They were wanting to know if it worked. I, on the other hand, have been using peppermint. My walking partner has a spray that she uses around her garage to keep mice away. She has used it for years and it contains peppermint. I had recently run across an article about using homemade peppermint spray to repel mice and spiders and other insects. I bought a big bottle of pure peppermint oil from Amazon and made this recipe.
Peppermint Mice Repellent
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon pure peppermint oil
4 or 5 drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid
Put these things into a spray bottle. Shake slightly and spray away. One other benefit of this spray is that with fruit flies and gnats you can spray them on your kitchen counter and it will not be toxic. You can spray them in mid-air and they drop like a rock. I'm going to keep up the battle of spraying with peppermint oil and hope like heck the answer is true, that mice do not like peppermint.
I read an RV newsletter entry where they were talking about Electronic Pest Repellent. They were wanting to know if it worked. I, on the other hand, have been using peppermint. My walking partner has a spray that she uses around her garage to keep mice away. She has used it for years and it contains peppermint. I had recently run across an article about using homemade peppermint spray to repel mice and spiders and other insects. I bought a big bottle of pure peppermint oil from Amazon and made this recipe.
Peppermint Mice Repellent
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon pure peppermint oil
4 or 5 drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid
Put these things into a spray bottle. Shake slightly and spray away. One other benefit of this spray is that with fruit flies and gnats you can spray them on your kitchen counter and it will not be toxic. You can spray them in mid-air and they drop like a rock. I'm going to keep up the battle of spraying with peppermint oil and hope like heck the answer is true, that mice do not like peppermint.
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