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.