Grab Bag Salute:

Veteran’s Day is this Thursday. Thank a Vet this week.

Thanks, Dad 🙂

The video below was shot on VJ day, August 14th, 1945. As the news of the war’s end spread through Honolulu, spontaneous celebratory expressions were filmed on Kalakaua Avenue.

It was a time when a beginning and an end to conflict was clear, when an enemy was clearly definable, and victory was measurable. Will we ever see this kind of unanimity of purpose and belief again?

Our soldiers today often don’t get the game-winning cheers, that school’s-out, giddy celebration, nor the unanimous goodwill. Let’s do all we can to make them feel appreciated... this week, and every week.

Grab Bag Healthy Pantry:

An important step in creating a healthy kitchen is to reduce consumption of packaged and processed food as much as possible.

When we DO buy these foods, check labels. If you find these items listed below, make other choices.

All of these have been associated with systemic inflammation, a multi-system stressor to be avoided whenever possible.

1. Animal fat, such as lard
2. Artificial sweeteners or non-nutritive sweeteners
3. Coconut oil
4. Corn oil
5. Cottonseed oil
6. Fractionated oil
7. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
8. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening
9. Margarine
10. Palm or palm kernel oil
11. Blended vegetable oils
12. Safflower oil
13. Soybean oil
14. Sunflower oil

Note that high-oleic versions of sunflower or safflower oils are acceptable, as they have fatty acid profiles closer to that of olive oil.

Next week…. olive oil tips and tricks to keep the good fats good.

Grab Bag Getaway:

Could there be a more beautiful time than fall? For those who experience the seasons, you know how breathtaking REAL color can be. For those who lounge in the land of a 365 growing season, let me give you a tip:

THE POINT at Saranac Lake

The first two weeks of October are inexplicable in upstate New York, and The Point is equally dumbfounding.

So WHY am I sharing this NOW?? Because, dear readers, if you are THINKING of visiting back east for fall color next year, you’d best get on the phone and look into reservations NOW… and consider 2012 if you can’t get what you want for 2011.

Yes, it’s that great.

Next week we’ll preview  ANOTHER  fall foliage top pick that makes a great combo with The Point.

Grab Bag Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda:

I was going to do a post about procrastination awhile ago, but….

We all suffer the evils of procrastination at some point, to some degree. If you or someone you know is fettered with the handcuffs of hesitancy too often, check out these 6 tips suggested by Dr. Andrew Weil:

1. Break large jobs into small ones. Start with a yearly plan, break it down into months, then weeks, then days. Feel free to specify detailed tasks for the days and weeks only a month or so in advance.
2. Organize your environment. Chaotic surroundings can be distracting and stressful, and pull your focus from the task at hand.
3. Schedule your time. If you need to, awake an hour earlier or use part of your break time as a temporary strategy to get tasks accomplished.
4. Set reasonable goals. Trying to achieve too much in too little time can actually set you back.
5. Set deadlines to accomplish your larger tasks. When you achieve them, treat yourself to some flowers or a small piece of dark chocolate.
6. Pace yourself. Work on a task you’ve been postponing for ten minutes and then decide whether or not to continue. If you discontinue the task, schedule another time to get it done.

Grab Bag Peeper Popper:

If you have an iPhone, you’re holding a little miracle of modern technology in your hand. But that Lilliputian app box in your palm has some constraints that strain the aging eye.

Some of the type is SOOOO teeny tiny… Texting, Notes and Contact entries are often too small for eyes of a certain age to see without whipping out the reading glasses.

So here’s a well-hidden (4 taps-deep) adjustment that can make your little miracle a READILY READABLE wonder:

So… this does make a nice bit of difference to the naked eye, so to speak, even at just 20pt.

Here is the difference in Messages (texting):

and a welcome sight in Notes:

Grab Bag Brain Game:

Simplicity can be MADDENING. Try to get your red line to connect side-to-side or top-to-bottom before the computer connects her blue line. I let her win 🙂

Grab Bag Mistaken Identity:

Things are not always as they seem…