Power Point over Sewing Patterns Rant

My 7th grade daughter has the option of taking three technology classes in middle school -- keyboarding, computer programs and advanced programs/website creation.  However, the school has also eliminated any life skills that we used to call home economics.  So, it's possible that these kids will be able to build a website (although why you need 3 classes to get to that stage, I'm not sure) but all their meals will be microwave burritos and they can't sew on a button.  More and more, I see kids and adults that really are only capable of living and interacting in the virtual world.  They know nothing about the real world around them.  A few years ago standing next to a row of tomato plants a young adult neighbor asked me what kind of plants they were.  Tomatoes for goodness sake! 
I spend plenty of time "keyboarding" but I am glad that I do know how to interact with the real world too.  I guess it will be up to me to teach my children life skills after they have wasted their time in technology class during school hours. 
I'm going to turn off the computer now and go can peaches.

Your Soup Is Getting Cold

perche la minesstra si fredda – Leonardo Da Vinci

Of all the works and all the manuscripts left by Leonardo Da Vinci, this tiny scribble serves as a profound reminder.  He left this note on his work in 1518 as a notation of why he was leaving his geometric theories for the time.  The genius, the achiever, the unquenchable seeker of knowledge and projects left his work “because the soup was getting cold.” 

A human calling to something plain, mundane and central to life to a man who was brilliant, accomplished and driven.

How many of us would leave our important work because our soup, whether real or metaphorical, was getting cold?  As a parent, I see this soup as a metaphor for the family life:  The ordinary daily calling of that which nourishes us.  To me, it seems that modern Leonardos, and all of us who are much less than Leonardos, think our work is too important to leave behind for something as simple as cooling soup.  We fail to look up and recognize life around us – our children, our partners, our homes and communities.  Work has become all encompassing – all that we need, all that we are, all that we will ever be.  All that we will ever be especially if we don’t take care of that soup.  No, you cannot stick your family in the microwave and warm them up later.  They will have moved on, grown up, moved emotionally away from parents who cannot leave their writing table – or more likely their e-tablet, laptop, phone or other electronica – to enjoy their soup while it is warm. 

Americans seem so wrapped up in the rewards of work that the simple goodness of family life and especially children is pushed off until later.  We spend many hours at work or at home working.  We pawn off teaching our children exclusively to overburdened schools, experts, nannies, television, or educational games.  Anyone but us, because we cannot be bothered.  We cannot peel ourselves away from work and work-related activities to notice let alone deal with the cooling soup.  According to the American Time Use Survey, the average married American father spends 0.8 hours a day on child care.  The average American mother spends 1.5 hours a day on caring for her children.  That is barely enough time to give them breakfast and dinner, let alone read a book, teach them to ride a bike, coach a game or help them with homework.  Of course, this survey doesn’t note whether or not mom and dad are interacting with junior with an iphone screen (or two) between them. 

Parents may be pressured by employers about the hours and levels of productivity expected.  Parents may have two jobs to make ends meet.  But, many of us simply chose the easy distraction of work and professional life over the mundane cooling soup: the time, the attention, the care needed to be present with our children. 

Leonardo could stop and nourish himself in time.  He made that note and somehow knew that there was something more important at that moment than his remarkable projects.  You can too.

Your soup is getting cold.  Go tend to it.

Over-abundance and scarcity

Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, I worked a half-day at urgent care.  One of the other nurses brought in some amazing homemade cinnamon rolls, another receptionist brought in a homemade key lime pie, and there was a basket of home baked cookies on the break room table.  I had a cinnamon roll and the other nurse and one of the docs tried a piece of key lime pie.   After we closed and I was finishing up a few things, I noticed that the pie and rolls were left on the table mostly uneaten.  I offered some to the janitor.  He said he had a lot waiting for him when he got off work.  I put the pie and rolls in the refrigerator not wanting them to spoil. It made me sad to think of the effort that people put into these goodies going to waste.  We have so much abundance around us in this country and especially during the holidays that we are willing to let not just the leftover tuna casserole in the back of the frig but great homemade treats go to waste.  I read recently that American households throw away about $175 worth of food every month.  We struggle with obesity, throw away and refuse good food.  It seems to me that many of us are drowning in a sea of abundant food and bad choices.  At the same time, more and more American families suffer from food insecurity (about 15% of households according to the USDA).  What a strange relationship we have with something that is supposed to sustain life in this country.

Organic Easy Pizza

Every Friday, we get a take-and-bake pizza, a dvd and a bar of chocolate.  The girls and I take turns picking the movie and we get the same pizza every week.  However, last week I decided to make my own pizza.  The whole idea behind Friday nights is that it will be easy and relaxing!  So, pizza from scratch was not really in that spirit.  But, I did make pizza crusts from scratch before school started this fall.  They were wrapped and in the freezer.  Not only were they organic but they were also whole grain and they cost at 25 cents to make.  So, I bought organic tomato sauce and added herbs from our garden.  I also bought shredded organic mozzarella cheese and good kalamata olives (in bulk).  The total cost of our organic pizza was under $6.  So, although the take-and-bake pizza is inexpensive (about $10) -- it is not as cheap as a homemade organic pizza.  Of course, I thought the homemade pizza was tastier and healthier than the store-bought too. 
Here's my easy pizza dough recipe:
1 and 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 cup white flour
1 and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon oregano

Combine yeast, water, sugar and salt.  Set aside until bubbles form (about 15 minutes).
Add herbs then flour.  Knead.  Set aside to rise (20-40 minutes).  Divide into two parts.  Roll out on floured surface.  Makes two pizzas.

If you want to make these ahead.  Roll out and bake about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, let cool, wrap and freeze. 

Enjoy!

My New Guest House

My new guest house is open and ready for guests. I love being a hostess and I'm pretty excited about this new venture.  Since I bought a duplex this Spring, we will be living in half and renting the other half for short term rentals.  So, send me your extended family, university guests and interviewees.  I'll make sure they are comfortable and well cared for.  We are happy to host families with kids of all ages too.  Our house is just a few blocks from the Aquatic Center.  The website is http://site.juliasguesthouse.com.

Too cheap for yard sales?

Ok, you can confess it in the privacy of your own mind... do you go to garage sales and yard sales or to Goodwill and think..."that's kind of expensive." Here's a solution. Map out the local yard sales that will be going on in your town on a summer Saturday morning.  Skip them and enjoy your Saturday morning at home.  About 2:00 in the afternoon when everyone has given up, drive the garage sale circuit and see what they have put on the curb with a big FREE sign.  Last week, I found a TV stand this way.  Free is even better than cheap!

Medical Care

Since I am working again as a nurse, I thought I would share some insights on medical care.  I work in an urgent care clinic and in the past I worked at a rural hospital.  The first thing I want to tell people is that if someone is going to be in charge of their health, it should be them.  Staying healthy is not always easy -- injuries or infectious illnesses happen -- but for much of the rest of your health you can be in charge. Diabetes, cardiac problems, stress, kidney, gall bladder, stomach, joint and back problems, STD's,  some cancer issues can all be related to lifestyle. If people take care of their own health, they get to make all the decisions and it doesn't cost much of anything compared to medications and treatments. 
Second, avoid the hospital and ER as much as you can.  Urgent care clinics -- even the small rural one where I work -- can provide much of the care that an emergency room provides.  We can give IVs, sew up lacerations, do initial work on simple fractures.  An emergency room is set up to save your life, even bring you back if your heart stops and they will charge you for that ability even if you just need a butterfly bandage on your boo boo.  Most estimates I have seen are around $500 to walk in the door of an ER. 

If you come to urgent care and you really should have gone to the ER, trust me, we'll send you there.  I will say too -- if you are having chest pain or other signs of a heart attack go to the ER!

Third, unless you have a sudden high fever (over 102.5) or a sore neck and pounding head combo, wait to come in for an upper respiratory problem -- sore throat, run down, runny nose, cough.  You likely have a cold.  Wait a few days at least.  If your symptoms continue, worsen, or you develop clear signs of infections (green mucus, putrid smelling throat) then come in.  I know no one has time to be sick but we have not yet found a cure for the common cold.  It doesn't do you any good to come in. 

I am not heartless and I'm happy to see everyone who comes in.  I know it is hard to tell just how sick you might be.  But, if you want to save your co-pay, out of pocket or insurance pool money, think a little about where you will go when you need medical care.  

Stay well,