Speaking Russian

Today when I checked the mailbox downstairs, I saw that the bulletin board had been decorated for Valentine's Day, "I love you" written in many languages. That's Bob's favorite and only phrase in Russian, Я тебя люблю:  ya tee-BYAH lyoo-BLYOO.

I taught him to say it years ago, but we don't remember when. When we were in Russia about 20 years ago no one seemed impressed. 

Ohio is buried in 11" of snow and other problems

 Our car is immobilized for a while. Churches and schools were closed by the latest storm that has swept across the nation, and particularly those areas south of us. Even if we could get to the car, sweeping off the snow would cover us up, and I suspect the wipers and doors are frozen shut.

"COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Good Sunday evening! [Jan. 25] Most snowfall totals across Central Ohio have been around 10–11 inches as of 5 PM. We did have a few 13-inch reports from New Albany, Zanesville, and Coshocton County. Southern and eastern Ohio had some sleet and freezing rain mixing in during the day, with reported snowfall totals around 6–8 inches, but we are not done with the snow just yet."

These are AI generated reports I found on internet:

"Schools and colleges across central Ohio, including Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College, and Columbus City Schools, canceled classes for January 26 and 27 due to snow and extreme cold.

Businesses and government offices closed, including the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Franklin County courts, and Columbus VA clinics.

The City of Columbus declared a Level 3 snow emergency on January 25, which was downgraded to Level 2 by January 26 as snow removal crews worked to clear roads.

Mayor Andrew Ginther confirmed that over 16 inches of snow fell in some southern and eastern parts of the metro area, and crews were actively working to improve road conditions.

Wind chills dropped to -15°F to -25°F through the week, with a Cold Weather Advisory and Extreme Cold Warning in effect, posing risks of frostbite and hypothermia.

No new snow is expected through January 27, but blowing snow and icy conditions remain hazardous, and temperatures are forecast to stay below zero for several days."

 Then to complicate things Bob was in the hospital January 21-24, getting out in time to grab a few new prescriptions.  There wasn't time to stock up on food--and we live in retirement independent living where meals are provided,   If the employees can get to work! A few did make it in, but it's more like picnics and the new menu for Bob includes less salt. Some of the staff spent the night.

Benefits of local honey

Never a dull moment at The Estates. 

I couldn't get the jar of our homegrown (Upper Arlington, Ohio) honey open this morning to make my delicious chocolate-honey de-caf. Even when I was a strong 65, I couldn't get these open (home processed). So, I tucked it inside my waxed amaryllis box and went down to the night watchman (it was about 6:30 a.m.) and asked for help. I even took with me two plastic jar opening strips. Big guy, he  huffed and puffed but he couldn't do it either. So, I told him we needed hot water to loosen the ring seal, so he took it to the back room and did that. After much effort, he was successful. Then there was the sealed lid, so he found a pair of scissors, and finally, success!

"Benefits of Local Honey

Local honey offers various health benefits that can enhance daily wellness. This natural sweetener not only tastes good but also provides important nutrients that support a healthier lifestyle.

Nutritional Advantages

Local honey contains essential vitamins and minerals. It includes vitamin C, calcium, and iron, which contribute to overall health. This sweetener also provides carbohydrates, giving a quick source of energy. Unlike processed sugars, local honey has fewer additives and preservatives, making it a cleaner choice for sweetening foods. The presence of local pollen in honey can boost immune responses. This helps the body build tolerance to local allergens, which can be especially important during allergy season. Choosing local honey means enjoying a product rich in nutrients while also supporting local beekeepers.

Antioxidant Properties

Local honey is rich in antioxidants, which help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. These free radicals can lead to chronic diseases and aging. Antioxidants found in local honey primarily come from plant compounds, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Consuming local honey can aid in reducing inflammation and supporting heart health. Studies show that honey's antioxidant content can be more effective than those in many processed sweeteners. Regular use may help improve overall health by boosting the body's defenses and promoting better well-being. Local honey stands out as a natural choice for enhancing health and combating oxidative stress." . . . 

Why Is Local Honey Better for You? Key Health Benefits — Blythewood Bee Company

What's for Christmas Eve dinner tonight?

 What's for dinner tonight? "Holiday foods are especially powerful because they’re tightly bound to episodic memory – the brain’s record of personal experiences. “When we taste those foods again, the hippocampus and amygdala bring those emotional memories back to life,” said Traster. Experiences encoded in childhood are particularly durable, especially when they’re paired with strong emotion and repetition. Christmas foods often meet both criteria, becoming deeply embedded early in life."

Maybe, but we're having Italian restaurant take-out for Christmas Eve dinner from DaVinci's in Upper Arlington, not traditional (in our family). We're living in a retirement facility called The Estates (formerly The Forum) so hosting is a bit difficult for us. But we do have our 1963 dining room table that has a leaf on which we can eat our non-traditional dinner. On Christmas Day we'll all be eating in the dining room for a traditional buffet with Italian left-overs for the evening.

Why Christmas Food Tastes Better – The Brain Science | Technology Networks

https://youtu.be/y1xFD89xio0?si=Tzchxn8caMBsORra  Holiday dinners in 1961 -- remember Jim DeMott's oyster dressing and deviled eggs?

Sharing Legacy Recipes: A Holiday Potluck in Memory – Oaktree Memorials

"Elvis" sang for us at the Estates

Elvis [Lonnie Jay Freeman] came to The Estates to entertain us yesterday afternoon. I won a scarf for knowing the name of his first movie. . . Love me Tender.

Ginny (97) and I both got scarves. She was an M.K. born in India and went to a British run boarding school, went to college in Wheaton, IL and settled in the Cleveland area to raise her family. She still drives--never misses church or our local Bible class. We are 3rd floor neighbors.

I really didn't care much for Elvis when I was in High School but over the years and I've seen so many shows by reenactors he's grown on me. There are quite a few Christmas and holiday songs.

  

10 Best Elvis Christmas Songs of All Time, Ranked

And it's not even the first day of winter yet

Our Christmas programs at the Estates are coming fast. We had two! today. I think I know all the words now for Frosty and White Christmas. Earlier today it was a couple—baby boomers, I think—spreading holiday cheer, except it was billed as Hanukkah, which was sort of ironic considering the tragedy yesterday in Australia. This evening we enjoyed a 13 piece band in the lobby which has soaring ceilings. Bob took out his hearing aids because it’s dangerous to have them in when it’s so loud. The singer was really talented and cute as a button. She was a great MC and knew all the history and back ground of the songs. It really brings back memories of caroling in the snow and junior choir and singing at “the old folks home” in Mt. Morris. And who could forget those 4 cute Corbetts singing for the women's club in Forreston. 

Yesterday we had “Mrs. Oppenheimer’s Piano class” Christmas recital—each child had 2 songs plus a duet with the teacher, and then we all sang Christmas carols accompanied by the teacher. Last week we had a kindergarten class from a Christian school and also a men’s quartet, except the trumpet player may be permanently out of a career—I didn’t know that a trumpet can cause a retina problem from the pressure, and he was at the doctor as the rest played and sang.

Saturday there was a party for children—breakfast with Santa. Pancakes and presents. I’m not sure where the children came from—maybe from the staff? I did skip that one, but Bob went and had several photos taken with Santa, one on (her) lap. And of course, there have been some fund raisers, like bake sales and the money raised is used to buy presents for kids, and a present drive where someone takes new things to an organization.

Our snow over the week-end has kept us inside (5” of snow on top of the car) but by Wednesday it should be about 50 degrees and we’re just going to let it melt off. We’ve been seeing a lot of Christmas movies too. Yesterday it was "The Christmas Story," and although I’ve seen it many times, it’s the only time I saw it all the way through in one sitting because I was always leaving the room for something. We saw two really forgettable Dolly Parton Christmas special movies. We also saw Bing Crosby (and Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Allen) in "White Christmas" (1945).

Getting my fall letter out early with address changes was a good idea because all the cards are coming to the right address, along with some long emails from those who probably wouldn’t have written before. Our apartment was on a “home tour” last week so people could see the decorations. Ours were somewhat limited since the space is small, but it looked cute and we have an unusual number of paintings—maybe 65.

Getting ready for Christmas 2025

Yesterday The Estates had a residents' apartment tour of Christmas decor. I was sort of grinchy in August when we were moving, so all the bulbs went to resale, but we kept the ornaments that had memories--like things my mom and sister had made, homemade crafts from the kids' first grade teachers, mementoes from our travels, and some table decor from the days we went to parties really dressed up. We even kept and put out our Lazzy Bear from 1986. In November we bought a really skinny tree to fit our small apartment. Our daughter strung the lights for us. About 15 people stopped by--we were so busy, we didn't get out to see the decor of the other 6 or 8 who had also decorated. We've put out some candy for the strollers on the floor. Our activities director, Connie, took a photo, but I haven't seen it yet.

Oatmeal for breakfast

 I've seen a lot of very negative ads about oatmeal flash by on internet ads, and I have a friend who is always pushing something healthy and he says oats are not good for human consumption.  He says they are sprayed with something (isn't everything?). Before moving to The Estates (aka The Forum) I rarely ate oatmeal, but now that someone else makes it and serves it, I do have it about once a week.  Sometimes I take a small amount of walnuts and raisins with me and add those, plus about 1/4 C whole milk. So I looked it up.

Half a cup (40.5 g) of dry oats (from USDA website) Cereals, oats, regular and quick, not fortified, dry - Nutrients - SR Legacy | USDA FoodData Central

Manganese: 63.9% of the daily value (DV)
Phosphorus: 13.3% of the DV
Magnesium: 13.3% of the DV
Copper: 17.6% of the DV
Iron: 9.4% of the DV
Zinc: 13.4% of the DV
Folate: 3.2% of the DV
Vitamin B1 (thiamin): 15.5% of the DV
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 9.1% of the DV
smaller amounts of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and vitamin B3 (niacin)

The nutritional profile of one cup of prepared oatmeal (one half cup dry oats with water) also includes:
27.4 grams (g) of carbs
5.3 g of protein
2.6 g of fat
4 g of fiber
153.5 calories

Dear EWG, This Is Why Real Scientists Think Poorly of You | American Council on Science and Health

Who wants to be 18? Not me.

I haven't heard anyone at The Estates (formerly the Forum) say this--"I wish I were 18 again." But I've enjoyed listening to some of the men (widowers, usually) talk about their kids when they were little--how cute they were, lessons they learned, crazy risks they took. I think I've seen men in a whole new light. If you're young, don't miss that part. https://youtu.be/81FjrGwkhi0?si=DR9jjtonqwH4ULmn Burns was about 85 when this was made.

Advent--almost

This is an important day. It's the penultimate day of the church calendar. (Ultimate means final or farthest and pen means almost.) So it means next to the last. Advent, the first day of the church year, is Sunday, November 30, and we look forward to the coming of our Savior and Lord who took on our flesh as a helpless baby.

 
To make it easy on myself I looked up how that is determined and self was told: 

"The first day of Advent in 2025 is Sunday, November 30, 2025. This date marks the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity and is the first Sunday of Advent, which is always the Sunday closest to St Andrew’s Day (November 30).

Advent will conclude on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025, leading into the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus Christ on December 25. Many churches observe this season with Advent wreaths, lighting candles each Sunday to symbolize themes of hope, peace, joy, and love."

Advent hymns are lovely and thoughtful--not exactly Rudolph and Santa. One popular hymn was written by Christina Georgina Rosetti and ends,

 
"What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb,
if I were a wise man
I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him,
give my heart."

Our facility, The Estates at Knightsbridge, is swarming with Christmas elves who have miraculously put out wreaths, ribbons and trees to make this place look like, maybe not home, but festive and cheerful as we look forward.

Also, it's Black Friday when retailers make it or break it (are in the black), and you're crazy if you go out to shop or buy a quart of milk. It's also the day before OSU and Michigan fight it out in Ann Arbor; the streets of Columbus will be quiet and safe.

Fried Green Tomatoes redux

The film at The Estates (formerly the Forum) on Sunday was Fried Green Tomatoes, a very popular 1992 retelling of Fannie Flagg's best setting novel (1987). All four of the women who star in it are winners--Kathy Bates (as Evelyn), Jessica Tandy (as Ninny), Mary Stuart Masterson (as Idgie) and Mary Louise Parker (as Ruth). It takes place in two eras, the 1920-30s and 1980-90s. Ninny tells Evelyn the story about Idgie and Ruth, thus bonding them as Evelyn slowly gathers the strength to become as strong as the two women in the story

 
It was funny in a sly way. Maybe more relevant in the 80s. In some ways it was a bit off putting because the story telling takes place in Ninny's residence--a nursing home, and Ninny is 83. It reinforces the image of the elderly--need I tell you what that image is? Or the image of blacks being victims, who rise up and destroy the dim witted, nasty white men. And women can't be real women with authentic friendships unless they are lesbians or brow beaten closet feminists with stupid, bumbling husbands (named couch).

I'm not playing the victim here, but the book is almost 40 years old and the movie almost 35. No wonder generations have grown up with this vision of race relations in our country. It's been a theme in their culture.

Yes, we have no bananas

At the Estates (formerly The Forum) we have a continental breakfast, which can be a variety of items, and always bananas. But not today . . .

"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today
We've string beans, and onions
Cabashes, and scallions,
And all sorts of fruit and say
We have an old fashioned tomato
A Long Island potato But yes, we have no bananas
We have no bananas today

 
This was a #1 hit for 5 weeks in 1923, a bit before my time, but I remember Louis Prima's version.

https://youtu.be/8QqkrIDeTeA?si=8lkKlFawd6of9p5G