GRANDMOTHER EMPLOYMENT

I am pretty lucky to live with two younger generations.  All four are kind and usually willing to do anything I ask of them.  They grocery shop, cook, clean up and do all the laundry.  The adults run the boys for sports an academics and social life.  I saw an ad the other day with this T-shirt

And realized I, too, am an asset here.

I’ve always been a geek and I continue to embrace technology.  The family router is in the window in my room.  I set up everyone’s iPad or computer.  I update the firmware in the router (about once a year).  If the power goes off, I reset and reboot and remind everyone to have patience.  The boys school laptops won’t allow them to use our wireless printer so I have them email their homework to me and then print it.  When I learn a new trick or a new app, I share my joy with them.

We don’t have a fridge with water and ice maker  There are four ice cube trays and every time I go to get a few cubes … all the trays are empty … except for one cube.  I now have a part time unpaid job here that is very appreciated.

Not many of this group have been trained in bathroom etiquette.  The boys take turns cleaning ours every week (with Gramma giving things a swipe with a Clorox wipe in between).  No one seems to be able to recycle the toilet paper roll and replenish the Charmin.  We have cute little containers for small paper cups and another that holds Q-tips and Swisspers (instead of cotton balls).  I’m the Bathroom Fairy for these chores.

What is the average salary/earnings for a part time Uber driver?  I had to look it up for our area of the world.  I make between $23 and $28 per hour.  Something to add to my Gramma resume.

I’m especially good at those quarterly jobs that are always on the back burner. Today I cleaned and organized the fridge freezer.  Tossed freezer burned bags of strawberries from 2022.  We save bits of fruit for smoothies but the ones in the back that are not easily visible don’t get incorporated.  And you remember the three day event cleaning the oven???

Being the start up business bookkeeper is not my favorite job.  But I had to remind them when they get a $500 order for plants it’s not really $500 to spend.  Last month I made an Income Statement for them.  They DID make money!!  Pretty amazing considering they didn’t really start Seablush Natives as a “business” until last March.  So now they know how to best re-invest.  Kate is so in touch with the industry locals.  Last week she bought rare bulbs from a sole proprietor in like her.  She is going to keep one or two of each variety and sell the others for ten times what she paid for them!  She will plant some to sell as plants and she kept a few for our yard.  Working in an office is not for everyone.

I volunteer for other small odd jobs … washing the pot holders, refilling spice jars from the bulk department, enforcing recycling, writing items on the TO BUY list, garnering coupons (for things we DO use), keeping the fresh fruit bowl with fast disappearing items, getting the mail.

Last, but not least, I’m a bit of a General Store shop keeper.  For the boys.  I have a dorm sized fridge in my room (for hummus, string cheese, tiny diet sodas, alcohol free beer and other items the family doesn’t enjoy.  I also have a container of gum, tic tacs, candy, cookies etc.  As well as a few regular sodas (the 6 oz size, of course).  All available for just a hug.

Look at me!  Just earning my keep! 

From Ice Baths to Pistachio Lattes

Trends come and go faster than my tolerance for TikTok, but somehow they still manage to find their way into my social feeds and grocery cart. Every week there’s a new “miracle” for health, beauty, or happiness — and usually, it involves something cold, green, or wildly overpriced. I can’t decide whether to embrace these trends or just roll my eyes and pour another cup of coffee. So, let’s take a look at what’s “hot” (and sometimes icy cold) right now.

Health trend
Ice baths, also known as cold water immersion, have been reported to provide several potential benefits, although research is ongoing and more studies are needed to confirm these effects.

Cold water immersion can reduce inflammation and muscle soreness after exercise as it numbs pain receptors. Ice baths constrict blood vessels, which can increase blood flow and promote healing.

Some studies suggest that cold water immersion may boost metabolism and burn calories. It may also stimulate the release of endorphins, which can improve mood and reduce stress.

As for me, I think I will just cool down my shower for my last rinse.

Food trends
Anything pistachio is IN! Stuffed dates, tiramisu, pistachio and honey cheesecake as well as savory items like pistachio crusted fish, savory pistachio butter spread, pistachio pesto.

Dubai chocolate and more. I love pistachios so count me in on this food trend. Starbucks serves a Dubai chocolate drink (not on the menu). To order it, ask for a grande iced matcha latte, add two pumps of pistachio sauce, and top it with chocolate cream cold foam.

And what’s with all the potato chip flavors lately?  Most of them just sound so odd to me ...

Bacon Grilled Cheese
Valentina & Lime
Korean Style Fried ChickenHot Sauce
Wavy Loaded Nachos
Kettle Cooked Cheesy Buffalo Dip
Taste of Thailand Thai-Style Red Curry
India's Magic MasalaTzatziki
Chesapeake Bay Crab Spice
Dill Pickle

Did you know Lay’s has over 200 flavors just in the US?  When I was globe trotting along with my husband (he was working, I was playing) I had to try some local flavored chips every stop we made.  Paprika, Wild Mushroom, Tomato, Ketchup, Puckering Pickled Onion, Honey Butter ... yes, it was a fun hobby and no wonder I have weight issues!

As for me, I prefer unadulterated low salt potato chips. My addiction since childhood.

Whether it’s freezing your body in a tub of ice or eating pistachio-crusted everything, I’ve decided that moderation — and a little common sense — might be the real trend worth following. I’ll stick to my slightly cooler shower, a handful of pistachios, and my beloved low-salt potato chips. Some things never go out of style — especially when they taste like nostalgia.

WAR TORN PORTLAND

If you believed the national headlines, you’d think Portland, Oregon was a smoldering wasteland — graffiti on every wall, protestors roaming like a scene from Mad Max, and citizens dodging tear gas on their way to brunch. Spoiler alert: that’s nonsense. I live just eight miles south of downtown “war-ravaged” Portland, and let me correct the record — there’s no war, and there’s no ravaging. Unless you count the occasional pothole or a coffee shop running out of oat milk.

The city of Portland spans about 145 square miles. The “protest and war zone” stories come from one single city block, not even IN downtown but 2.3 miles south, the ICE building. A small group of protestors (many dressed in friendly animal costumes, bless them) have kept that block lively — but it’s hardly the apocalypse. Our local news stations run 24/7 live feeds so that the so-called leaders in Washington can watch for themselves, though apparently few of them do.

Meanwhile, real numbers tell a different story. In the first half of 2025, Portland saw significant decreases in violent crime — homicides down 51%, overall violent crime down 17%, and similar drops across assaults, robberies, and sexual assaults. Hardly the stuff of a “war zone.”

Violent crime statistics (January - June 2025):

• Overall: 17% decrease
• Homicides: 51% decrease (35 in 2024 → 17 in 2025)
• Aggravated assaults: 18% decrease
• Robberies: 10% decrease
• Sexual assault reports: 12% decrease

That’s progress — and it deserves more attention than fearmongering soundbites.

Which brings me to the biggest embarrassment: our own U.S. Labor Secretary, former Oregon congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer. She’s been loudly calling for federal intervention and even the federalization of the Oregon National Guard, as if Portland were under siege. This from someone who was once a small-town mayor, then a one-term Representative who didn’t even move into the district she represented. Maybe she’s confusing fiction with fact — or maybe it’s just easier to score political points by badmouthing your own backyard. Either way, shame on her. Oregon deserves better than exaggerated headlines and opportunistic storytelling.

Because here’s the truth: Portland isn’t “war-torn.” It’s quirky, imperfect, and recovered — just like any city that’s lived through tough 2020. You can still find kids playing in parks, food carts smelling like heaven, and the world’s friendliest dog walkers offering you directions to the nearest farmer’s market. If that’s a war zone, I’ll take it any day.

So no, Portland isn’t burning — it’s brewing. Coffee, ideas, and maybe a little irritation that the rest of the country keeps mistaking a block or two of weirdness for the whole city. I’ll take my Portland just as it is: a little scruffy, a lot sincere, and endlessly interesting. If that’s what passes for a war zone, send reinforcements — we’re running low on lattes.

This just posted in Sunday's NYT: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/us/politics/portland-protests.html?unlocked_article_code=1.s08.qX42.gc1q7t2VER5B&smid=url-share

UNCULTURED, UNBOTHERED

I’ve finally accepted it: I’m uncouth. Art museums bore me, operas make me fidget, and ballet (unless it’s the Nutcracker) feels like torture in tights. My sister swoons over brushstrokes while I’m muttering, “A monkey could’ve painted that.”

I’ve always suspected I was missing some mysterious cultural gene. You know—the one that makes people linger in art museums, whispering reverently about brushstrokes and light. Or the one that compels them to sit still for three hours of opera without wondering how long until intermission snacks. Ballet? Except for the Nutcracker (because who can resist sugar plum fairies at Christmas?), I’ve never made it past the polite clap.

(We took Kate every year through grade school.  Get all dressed up, have dinner at a fancy restaurant and waited patiently to see how they would feature Mother Ginger and her polichinelles)

It’s not that I dislike art altogether. I adore Monet—his water lilies make me want to step right into the canvas and settle in with a picnic basket. (I was lucky enough to visit Giverny and enjoyed my first fresh fig with Janet and Jonathan on OUR picnic there). Van Gogh’s swirls, Rembrandt’s shadows, even Grandma Moses with her little farm scenes—I’ll take them all. 

But then I round a corner and come face to face with a Jackson Pollock, and I think: Really? Buckets of paint tossed across a canvas? I’m fairly sure my grandkids—or possibly an energetic Labrador—could create something similar in under ten minutes.

My sister, of course, is the complete opposite. She glides through galleries with genuine delight, absorbing every artistic nuance while I’m calculating how many steps until the gift shop. They plan vacations around museum visits. We grew up in the same house, so I wonder—did my indifference to “high culture” come from the fact that we couldn’t afford admission back then? Or is it just that my thrills come from different corners of life—like a great Costco sample run, a perfectly toasted pecan, or a good belly laugh in the kitchen?

Sometimes I feel “uncouth,” but more often than not, I feel perfectly content. I may not swoon over Pollock’s paint splatters, but I can whip up a mean quiche, laugh at my own clumsiness, and treasure the art of everyday living. Maybe the real masterpiece is simply knowing what you like—and what you’re happy to skip.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

The Village movement is an all volunteer nonprofit membership organization that helps members age at home.  We provide community support, companionship and connections.

We two cities of about 30,000 each, put together a network of vetted and trained volunteers, local resources, and vetted vendors that provide a range of services, including transportation, household chores, errands, computer and technology support, companionship, social activities and more. We are currently a community of over 80 members.  With almost the same number of volunteers.  I am both.

There are two levels of membership, Associate and Full Service.  Associate is mainly the social and educational events and four “services” per calendar year.  Full Service has unlimited services (providing we can find a volunteer) and three transportation requests per week.

In the past few months we have added 8 new Full Service members, many of them over 85 (without technology) and still learning how to make a request.  We are a virtual office with just one phone number and ask members to provide their name, phone number, date of appointment, time of appointment, when they would like picked up and to ask their provider (doctor, mechanic, barber, physical therapy, etc)  how long the appointment will last.  Google records the message and translates it into an email which is sent to all 4-5 office volunteers.  Whoever is on call that day, returns the call and verifies the info then submits the request to all pertinent volunteers.  (Google translate is not always reliable)

These new members don’t understand the virtual part.  And why if they call one evening at 10pm no one calls them back until the next day.  They sometimes say “JB, why don’t you ever answer the phone”?  Our hours are listed as 10am til 2pm on weekdays.  Yes, I got one call last night at 9pm and two calls today.  One lady wanted someone to come over right away (Sat) and fix her TV as that is her companionship especially in the evening.  Fortunately, she called a few friends and someone’s son came over and got it working!

Some members ask for particular drivers.  We gently explain (every week when they call) that we are all volunteers and can’t always guarantee a specific driver (although with one 99 year old long term member, we usually call her favorites and ask them before sending out the request to 17 drivers)  And some members have been cranky and demanding and hardly anyone will volunteer to drive them.

I drove a member on Thursday to our local Adult Community Center for their foot clinic (he had to cancel his appointment with Kaiser as his Parkinson’s was giving him a rough time).  He had thought Weds was Thursday and called me wondering where I was!  When I did drive over on Thursday (I called him early to remind him) it took him five minutes to lock the front door.  10 minutes to get to my car.  He’s a very personable guy although deteriorating pretty fast.  His son has fresh microwavable meals delivered twice a week.  He has fallen a few times so now he has a wearable device on his wrist that goes direct to 911.  Now he has a helper come to the house 3 hours three times a week.

We got to the ACC and I wasn’t sure he could get himself out of my car.  I walked him in and got him seated then went back out and parked.  When I went back in he noticed he forgot his wallet!  The provider is cash or check only and I didn’t have $60 cash on me.  While he was getting his feet pampered, I dashed over to an ATM which was dangerously close to my favorite French bakery and so I had to get us both a treat.

It was a struggle to get into my car and home again.  He asked how much he owed me (which he knew from several conversations) and remarked that Kaiser only charges $30 and next time he would call them.  

Late that night, he called the office and thanked me for the delicious lemon blueberry danish ... whilst in the past he always calls me direct and I have to give him the phone number and ask him to call it through the office.

But I really do love my job!

LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING

Life isn’t always about the big milestones—it’s often the little things that carry us through. The tools we reach for every day, the routines that smooth our rough edges, the objects that feel almost invisible until we realize we can’t function without them. Today, I’m sharing a few of those unassuming treasures that have quietly earned their place in my world.

There are few things in my life that I don’t think I could live without.  But there are some!  Maybe you already have these and love them.  Or maybe you’ll discover something invaluable. And all of them very very affordable.

In the kitchen.  A very inexpensive 1/8” (paper thin) slicer.  I’ve had one with me where ever I have lived.  It's $10 or less in an Asian store.  Onions, radishes, cucumbers, potatoes (for potatoes dauphinoise or au gratin), fennel.  It doesn’t take up space and sometimes a recipe needs identical thickness.

Also from the kitchen… a three blade ground meat chopper.  To stretch our budget and appease kid appetites, we use ground beef or turkey a lot!  Jesse was more persistent in getting it all chopped up into tiny little bits when they boys were little and didn’t really like meat.  I was not … I don’t remember how I discovered this Oxo brand helper but he got one for Christmas.  Think spaghetti sauce, taco meat, lettuce wraps using ground turkey, sloppy joes, shepherd’s pie, lasagna etc.  A time saver for sure!

Although mostly useful in Maui when I had a lemon tree, this affordable plastic juicer.  Deacon loves to make lemonade so when lemons are affordable, its a fun hobby for him (and me!)  We all use lemons in cooking and this little gadget separates the seeds and the bottom part has measurements.  I keep it in my room as no one was putting it back in the same spot … now everyone knows where it is (I also keep large items across the top of my Ikea shelves for soup tureen, huge salad bowl, my cooking for one casserole dish, my serpent shaped olive dish, large serving platter … they only get used a few times a year and there was no space in the teeny tiny kitchen.  

I’ll end with my night time routine.  I use a delicious foaming face cleanser and decided to get a face brush.  What a difference as it does seem to removed old dead skin.  But this is a messy endeavor as the water used to run down my arms until I found these absorbent wrist bands.  The boys both have facial brushes (not pink) and their own wrist bands.

I use a head band to keep my hair off my face (also when I take the time and trouble to wear makeup).  The boys started using one also so I bought two sets.  They are very comfortable to wear during the day while on my laptop as they curve back and it is more comfortable to wear my glasses.

   

What are YOUR products you can’t live without??? 

CREDIT CARD THEFT FATIGUE

There are still repercussions from enduring the theft of my credit card number back in July.  Sixty days ago.  Two months.  UGH. 

Remember when bills came in an envelope? A real envelope. With a stamp, a return envelope, and sometimes even a cheery insert trying to upsell you a second phone line or an encyclopedia set? You wrote a check, licked the flap, and felt the deep satisfaction of done.  Those were the days.

Fast-forward to now. Every “bill” is buried inside an email or an app, with logins, two-factor authentication, and dropdown menus that look like a video game. Instead of a sense of closure, I'm still getting a glowing red banner:  “There was an issue with your recent payment that will impact your insurance coverage. Your payment of $1,616.30 scheduled for 9/12/2025 was declined by your financial institution.”

Well, excuse me. I’m not trying to run from the mob here — just paying my insurance premium. But the way these systems word it, you’d think I was laundering money through an offshore account.  Every day charges were easy to upgrade to the new number, expiration date and secret code.  But some are things I pay less frequently.

And here’s the kicker: back in the envelope days, if a check bounced (rare, but it happened), the bank politely mailed you a notice on heavy paper stock. Now, it’s all caps and exclamation points, as though I need to be marched down to the Fraud Department in handcuffs.

Meanwhile, the subscriptions I didn’t ask for renew quietly in the background: a streaming service I watched free for a week last spring and missed the cancel date by 3 hours so I had to pay for a whole month.  (Silver lining in this one, they lured me back with a half price membership if I signed up for a year!  Yea BritBox!) 

Maybe the fatigue isn’t just about money. It’s about the constant management. A lifetime of collecting stamps, licking envelopes, and trusting the U.S. Mail trained us to believe payment was an act of closure. Now it feels like a full-time job: monitoring apps, double-checking logins, and proving to robots that I’m not a robot.  Not the end of the world, for sure, but annoying anyway.

Still, I keep plugging away, because that’s what grown-ups do. But every time I get another “issue with your recent payment” message, I want to dig out my old checkbook, write the number in perfect cursive, and send it off with a 20-cent stamp. Just to show them who’s boss.