YES, I AM STILL HERE peeking out my window on Main Street, and I won’t spend much time watching the Winter Olympics, but I must share a related rumor I heard over the weekend.
It concerns athletes on one of our three USA Curling Teams. I won’t try to explain the exciting sport of curling to either of you at this time because I first must share the bad news contained in the aforementioned weekend rumor.
It is this: Several members of the Curling Team have entered the transfer portal. Possibly joining the team from Estonia.
Naturally, the Estonia Curling Team rumor has been overshadowed by social media reviews of the Bad Bunny Halftime Show at the Super Bowl.
A lot of the show was wasted on me because I don’t know much Spanish — Cerveza and Mucho being about the only words I use.
In recent years I haven’t watched ANY of the Super Bowl Halftime Spectaculars, but I was curious about this one, so I stayed in my recliner.
My personal opinion is that I wish we went back to normal-length halftime shows that were less spectacular. Unfortunately, most of the Rock-n-Roll artists I prefer have gone on to that Great Halftime Show in the Sky.
I admit to having read some of the online reviews of the ‘other’ halftime show– the one put on by people who were offended by Bad Bunny.
I told my daughter that I was rooting for New England because there were two former Razorbacks in uniform and another on the Patriot coaching staff.
Of course that meant Seattle was sure to win — and they did. Our former Razorback tight end dropped a wide-open pass, and I knew from that point that New England would get pummeled.
And they were.
After the Bad Bunny show was mercifully over I turned off the TV and retired to my bed where I re-read a book for awhile. Much better entertainment.
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ONE THING I HAVE enjoyed watching online are Facebook videos of the Buddhist monks walking for peace. Apparently they started off from Ft. Worth (could there be a Buddhist temple in Cow Town?) with the avowed intention of walking all the way to Washington, D.C., in the hopes of attracting some attention to the cause of peace.
Boy, did they ever attract attention!
All of the monks appear to be Asian. Wearing odd colored orange and brown robes and capes, they walked on the side of the road all the way. I do not know what they did when they reached our nation’s capitol, but I do know that they started off mostly barefoot but that changed when winter and asphalt road surfaces caught up. They walked single-file, taking breaks and meals in Christian churches and other welcoming shelters along the way.
People gave them flowers and other gifts which the monks later distributed down the road to other onlookers. Occasionally they interrupted their walk to chant and pray over an onlooker in a wheelchair.
Apparently they stirred up a lot of good thoughts. In an interview, the leader monk said they were astonished at the crowds. He said that one day they planned to walk 12 miles, and there were 12 miles of people. In the scenes I saw they were always accompanied by police and police vehicles and a dog. I do not know if they encountered any troublemakers but I wouldn’t be surprised.
I think the monks and their long walk showed just how tired many Americans are of all the violence and hatred that has been inspired by people who need to labor for peace and harmony in their own lives.
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THROWING FOOD AWAY. According to an online article, consumers throw away food too soon because they are guided by the ‘sell by’ date stamped on the product. Well, they are talking about me.
The article said that the date is really for the grocer, and also to protect the reputation of the aforementioned vendor and suppliers.
Worldwide, the article sez, about 1/3 of food is thrown away or wasted mostly because of erroneous understanding of the ‘sell by’ date. Produce is the first to go into the trash.
Some foods DO go bad quicker than others. The publication notes some realistic throwaway dates:
Meat: One to three days beyond the “sell by” date. Dairy: One week beyond the “sell by” date. Eggs: One month beyond the “sell by” date. Bread: One week (or two to three weeks if in the fridge) beyond the “sell by” date.
The BEST judge, according to the article, is your own nose. If in doubt, feed the food to a friend. If he gets sick, throw it out.
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MORE THINGS I LEARNED from opening an email: EGOTIST — Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
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WORD GAMES. I love oxymorons: After their latest basketball meltdown, only a small crowd met the Razorbacks at the airport.
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HE SAID: “I tell young people – including my granddaughter — there is no shortcut in life. You have to take it one step at a time and work hard. And you have to give back.” Hank Aaron, baseball legend
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SHE SAID: “To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, let it go.” Mary Oliver, American poet
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
