Grab Bag “Home Sweet Home” Tips:
The economy sucks, struggling seems to be the latest hobby, and now is the time when we need a little magic to come home to. Stress reduction may be the most important, and yet the most difficult aspect of our health to control. Start by creating a home environment that is conducive to relaxation and that will reduce the stresses of the day. Here are some simple ideas from Dr.Weil.com to remake your nest into a low-stress haven:
- Bring the outdoors in. Green plants, cut flowers and blooming bulbs, or pieces of wood, rocks and other organic elements can create a feeling of nature indoors.
- Paint a room to suggest a mood. For instance, blue and green promote a relaxed feeling and may be good choices for the bedroom, while warm colors (maroon, coral, burgundy) suggest a cozy environment and may be inviting in a family room.
- Surround your senses with beauty. Artwork, fragrance, smooth textures and calming sounds all provide a pleasant environment in which to relax.
- Set aside a room or area for peace and calm. A place for spiritual reflection and meditation can provide shelter from noise and distraction.
- Clean out clutter. A low-maintenance home is refreshing after a day of hectic meetings, errands and chores. Fewer items can mean less frustration.
- Create an atmosphere of love. Display handmade or meaningful gifts from loved ones and photos of family and friends.
Grab Bag Nutrition Tip:
BERRY BERRY good for you. I know, I know… I keep harping on berries as a powerful health tool in your arsenal. The antioxidant compounds in berries are potent and proven cancer fighters. But as you smart readers are aware, getting people to embrace the benefits of something they can’t actually see is sometimes tough. As they say, if cirrhosis of the liver caused horrible skin discolorations, alcoholics would be nearly extinct. But I digress….
Even more evidence now supports berries as a very real savior in the realm of wrinkles. Ellagic acid, a primary component responsible for battling the breakdown of collagen in the skin structure, is found in high levels in raspberries, strawberries, cranberries and pomegranates. Eat up, you sexy young thing…
Mixed berry print by Melinda Giron
Grab Bag Driving Safety Tip:
Years ago I learned a few tidbits at the BMW driving school, the best and most useful of which was this:
The way we have all been taught in Drivers Ed. to adjust our side/wing mirrors creates an unnecessary blind spot.
This video explains the appropriate, and vastly superior, way to adjust your mirrors. Why AREN’T they teaching this in Drivers Ed.? Thanks to bro-in-law Greg D. for finding this one….
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Grab Bag Sweet Stuff:
OK, so I may be biased, as two Labradors live with us (or do we live with them?), but they have to be among the best dogs on the planet. Here are a few video highlights that attest to why this is consistently one of the most popular breeds in America:
This first video outlines “clicker training”. I can’t say enough about it. I have used it on our last two Labs, and the results are FAST, and quite astounding. Next time you get a puppy, search for “clicker training” in your area.
And thanks to reader Susi G. for sending in the last one… destined to be a classic.
Grab Bag Brain Game:
RULES?? We don’t need no stinkin’ rules… just figure out what you have to do to find the key in each puzzle.
Grab Bag “What Has Become of Us” Checklist:
Thanks to my darlin’ sister Shelley G., we can review this funny-but-uncomfortably-realistic analysis of just how far we have come…..
HIGH SCHOOL — 1959 vs. 2010
Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck’s gun rack.
1959 – Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2009 – School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1959 – Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2009 – Police called and SWAT team arrives — they arrest both Johnny and Mark.. They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1959 – Jeffrey sent to the Principal’s office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2009 – Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1959 – Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2009 – Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has an affair with the psychologist.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1959 – Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.
2009 – The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1959 – Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2009 – Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scenario 7:
Donny Power takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1959 – Ants die.
2009 – ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Donny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents — and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Donny’s dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1959 – In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2009 – Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
LK's Grab Bag 
Omg- that dog with the hands is so stupid but so funny I was laughing out loud. Especially the very end.
The things people think of!
PS. Does that clicker in the training video only work on dogs??! 🙂
I really want to try this with one of our Labs!
Would have been fun to try on the kids, but they might be past that training phase… is the spousal clicker out of the question?
The saddest thing about the high school scenarios is that they are not much of an exaggeration. I was there in 1958, and that really is the way it was.
I remember at a show-and-tell class, a boy brought in a .45 Army Colt Army pistol in a large mitten, then pulled it out and waved it around in front of the class, and showed us how it worked and how to disassemble and assemble it. Then he passed it and some shells around for us to examine. We all thought, “That was pretty interesting.” No fear at all from anyone.
God, I miss those days.
So true, Carl. Can common sense reign again, or do you think we are so far downstream from that point?
Correction – make that “Colt Army Pistol” aka 45 automatic.
I remember the “bad” kid in my elementary school that would
get the swatting from the principal once every year…the rest of us learned from that kid what not to do. Invaluable lessons that todays kids are missing out on – learning from others mistakes. Plus when that kid got home, you know his dad probably gave him another swat!
Love the waterskiing dog and his best friend!!
Today those parents would likely call the principal and give every excuse in the book for little Johnny’s bad behavior. UGH…. where art thou, accountability?
Now that yellow Lab… HE looks like one to take responsibility:-)
1959 vs. 2010 I wonder how many lawyers we had per 1000 people in 1959 in comparison to what we have now.
Common sense applied by commoners was the way problems or events outside of society’s norms were managed in 1959. Today, there is always some “expert” above the commoner who knows best, most often these “experts” are from government or some special interest group.
These “experts” get their authority from the legal system in various forms. Lawsuits and legislation have taken the application of common sense, logic and reasoning away from the common man.
There are now specialized “experts” in every area of life just a cell phone call away. They must be consulted or you may have legal action taken against you, it’s risky to apply common sense in 2010. Everyone at every level must cover their backside.
We are no longer a bottom up country, it’s all top down now. The common man is no longer trusted with simple decisions, we must consult the “expert” to be legal……..
Not an efficient way to run a country or your family.
Ugh… lawyers… they keep BREEDING. And your comment on “experts” is so right on. I was recently lamenting to a friend how the days of the multi-talented (or even moderately competent) Renaissance man (or woman) seems so distant.
And aside from your valid legality point, we’ve now become conditioned to seek experts to: cut our hair, fix our car, grow our food, do our taxes, polish our fingernails, make our clothes… ad nauseam. These things aren’t rocket science, but we have outsourced them so we, as a society, can spend more time … watching worthless reality TV? We are, quite literally, specializing ourselves into dysfunction.
OK…. I’ll back away from the soapbox, now.
I am convinced I will with in a few months have another Lab i think they are humans in a dog body.
The Good old days 1950’s it’s easy to go back and compare. But ,we have become a more violent, less tolerant society, not taking responsibility for our selves. Lets return to the peace & love generation.
i just read a article about eating berries with milk, something in the protein of the milk prohibits the berry to best act as antioxidant. So eating your berries as snack rather than on cereal.