Clean Speech St. Louis

Our communities are torn apart by division and strife.  The way we speak is both the problem and the solution.  Clean Speech St. Louis is a community-wide education and awareness campaign to unite us in the practice of Jewish mindful speech, to build a more positive, respectful, and peaceful world.  People at the Crown Center for Senior Living are taking part in this program, and that includes me.  I have done this since the beginning, so it's my third time to participate.  Here are my posts for 2022 and 2023.

Good food, shared with good friends

Doesn't this Summer Peach Salad look delicious?  It's what I plan to have for lunch today in our Circle@Crown Café.  In October, I posted the Fall Special, which was called the Autumn Pear Salad.  It was wonderful.  I happened to glance out my window this morning and noticed the rabbi (who certifies that the food in the Café is kosher) speaking to one of the construction workers putting up our new building.  The rabbi went back into the Café and came out with a menu (yes, I could recognize it even from my sixth floor window), which he handed across the fence to the construction guy.  Everybody is promoting the Café, it seems.  Makes me smile.  (Thanks, Randi, for sending me the photo.)

A nice surprise

CROWN CARE PACKAGE

I was playing a lazy game of Solitaire just after 10:00 this morning, when someone knocked on the door and yelled, "Maintenance."  I jumped up, since I hadn't yet bothered to get dressed or even brush my hair.  It was Floyd, already two doors down, leaving something at each apartment door.  Galina, across the hall, was wearing a robe when she opened her door.  With nowhere to go and nothing much to do, we are in no hurry to "look presentable."  I reached down and picked up...

...a cellophane bag with several items in it:  a small of bag of Cheez-its, a fresh orange, Planters peanuts, small package of trail mix, a single pack of Quaker Oats (maple and brown sugar), a sealed cup of juicy cut-up peaches, and one small piece of Hershey's Krackel chocolate, like the ones Donna gives people going by the link desk when she's the volunteer on duty.  It isn't much, really, but it brought tears to my eyes.  (That surprised me!)  Then I unfolded the paper that was in the goody bag.  "You've Got This!" it says.  It's a Crown Care Package (Bubbe Approved!) to send us support from the staff.  "It's just a small way to let you know we are thinking of you and know you can do this.  Stay positive and, if you have time, call a friend and make their day a little brighter."

On the back of the sheet is a Word Search puzzle.  Crown usually puts out stacks of Word Search pages every weekday in the library, so seeing this didn't surprise me until I read the list of words.  There are names of twelve staff members on the list:  Amy, Donna, Floyd, Katie, Laura, Megan, Nikki, Randi, Scott, Theresa, Tim, and Yoram.  Ha!  The first name I found was FLOYD, who delivered this care package.

Oh, yeah, Clawdia enjoyed the pretty green ribbon.  I bounced it in front of her, and she tackled it.  She batted it around.  Then she bit it, getting it stuck on her teeth when she chewed through it.  I had to almost tackle her to take it away when she couldn't spit it out of her mouth.  But she had FUN with it.  She thanks you, too, Crown Center.

LAUGH A LITTLE

Before you leave, I'm going to send you to a 2012 blog post I entitled "Monday Madness ~ you can't fix stupid."  If you read on down into the comments, you'll find the "stupid" thing I did on the day I got my first computer.  (Hmm, I need to tell Andy it was his dad Joe who was my computer gugu back in 1984.  Andy probably needs a laugh today, too.)

Caring and Sharing

Checking in with friends

Ginnie

I called Ginnie, who was walking in her neighborhood, chatted a bit and said I'd call back later to talk.  When I did, we talked another 45 minutes.  It's been too long since we caught up.

Donna ordered a few things for me in her Instacart order, mostly cat food, but delivery isn't until Saturday.  Crown delivered meals for those of us signed up.  When Judy brought our meals, I spoke to my neighbor Galina, staying inside our apartments across the hall from each other.  Randi, working from home, called to ask if I would write a couple of sentences about our meal deliveries.

On my way out for a walk in the sun, I ran into Erin and her sister, who were going up to see their dad.  I left a voice message for Judy about a package downstairs for her twin sister Sue.  I texted Sharon, offering a Sudoku magazine with 76 puzzles in it.  Nope, so does anyone else do sudoku?  If you live close by, it can be yours.  I'm pretty sure there were others, a normal day ... or at least, a NEW-normal day.  Sheltering in place doesn't have to be boring.

Neighborhood caring

One upbeat comment on Nextdoor was very popular.  "Earlier today my daughter Zoya was feeding the birds over-ripe bananas.  I was going to throw those bananas [away], but she insisted that the birds would love it.  The birds really loved those bananas as they came in [a] bunch and ate it.  FYI, Birds also sent a 'Thank you note' for my daughter."

Another person offered an activity for children:  "Hi, neighborhood — I got an order of frozen food that came with a large block of dry ice.  I remember using dry ice in kid activities when my kids were young.  If anyone’s interested, let me know and I can leave it in its box on my front porch."

"How’s everyone doing?  Does anyone need anything?" — Dozens of people have commented on this one, including one who said, "This thread is simply awesome! — it’s community in action."  And most of those comments garnered many MORE responses in reply.

One woman asked how crowded the grocery stores are, and people jumped in.  I told her, "Try Instacart for deliveries, but know that my friend ordering today was told delivery will be on Saturday.  Don't wait until the last minute."

Exercising mentally and physically

I walked to the grocery store a block away, and lots of people were out on the greenway.  They were jogging, hiking, rollerblading, nodding hello as they passed far apart on the wide sidewalk.  One man was biking with an attached baby trailer flying a red pennant.  A child skipped ahead of her parents as they walked and talked much too slowly for her pent-up energy.  And I snapped this picture of a beautiful day in the neighborhood, with the sun shining, the wind blowing, temperatures reaching 61°F, and a single contrail in the sky (not in this photo).

Here's a do-at-home video for you, guided by my friend, the yoga instructor — Body Scan with Donna Rae Jones.

Sharing book titles

1.  My friend the bookmobile lady — that would be Donna — told me about this book.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, 2019, historical fiction (Kentucky)

In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, blue-skinned nineteen-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry, has just snuffed out her last courting candle, her last chance for 'respectability' and a marriage bed.

The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.  Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program.  She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give those who have nothing a bookly respite.

2.  One of my friends has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  Today, she recommended a great book that has helped her immensely.  I'm debating whether to get it for my Kindle or wait for my library to re-open to read it.  My mother, who lived with me for 25 years, developed Alzheimer's.  In other words, I've lived with it, dealt with it, am dismayed by what it does to people.

The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline ~ by Dale Bredesen, 2017, cognitive decline

In this paradigm shifting book, Dale Bredesen, MD, offers real hope to anyone looking to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline.  Revealing that AD is not one condition, as it is currently treated, but three, this book outlines 36 metabolic factors (micronutrients, hormone levels, sleep) that can trigger "downsizing" in the brain.  The protocol shows us how to rebalance these factors using lifestyle modifications like taking B12, eliminating gluten, or improving oral hygiene.

The results are impressive.  Of the first ten patients on the protocol, nine displayed significant improvement within 3-6 months.  Since then the protocol has yielded similar results with hundreds more.  The End of Alzheimer’s brings new hope to patients, caregivers, physicians, and treatment centers with a fascinating look inside the science and a complete step-by-step plan that fundamentally changes how we treat and even think about Alzheimer's Disease.

3.  My friend Joy shared this last book on Facebook because the author has offered it for FREE to homeschoolers and others, months before it's even published:

"Really exciting news folks.  Because families and teachers are struggling to find curriculum during the COVID-19 epidemic. Heyday Books, Emilie Lygren, and I have released the complete PDF of our new book How to Teach Nature Journaling for FREE.  The book will be available for sale in a few months.  Nature journaling can easily be done outside, maintaining social distancing, an ideal science activity for shelter in place.  Share the news.  Stay healthy my friends.  Visit https://johnmuirlaws.com/product/how-to-teach-nature-journaling/ for this and more resources."

How to Teach Nature Journaling ~ by John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren, foreword by Amy Tan, 2020, education

A comprehensive guide to using nature journaling as a tool to engage young people with the outdoors, this teacher-friendly book combines curriculum plans, practical advice, and in-the-field experience so that educators of all stripes can bring journaling to their students or families.  Full-color illustrations and sample journal pages from notable naturalists and novices show how to put each lesson into practice.

31 hands-on field activities to connect art, science, math, and critical thinking, while encouraging students and mentors alike to recognize and record the wonder and beauty in the natural world.

Thursday thoughts

Cara, Bonnie, and Barbara

Today we welcomed Cara to the Crown Center staff.  She's our new controller.  I thought someone had misspelled the word "comptroller," but Donna looked it up and found this link about the two words.

At the right, Mary is at the end of the table with Cara, across from me.  In the photo below, Cara was at a nearby table greeting Miriam and other residents.  In the background, you can see Donna and Walter at the other end of my table.  Iva (on the left) was talking to Mary.  Lots of us were in the Café this morning to welcome Cara.

One more thing ... Donna brought her new tee-shirt to show friends.  I encouraged Randi to get in the photo (below), so she is feigning surprise at the shirt.  A sloth hangs upside down with these words:

Click the photos to enlarge them

"I finally found my spirit animal ... SLOTH ... does absolutely nothing and just sleeps."

For more about Donna and sloths, read my blog post from last Friday.  Now she has a sloth keychain, a sloth book, and a sloth shirt.

Café favorites ~ staff recommendations

Scott was cleaning behind the counter when I snapped this photo showing the display of staff favorites on the easel last week.  Here's what they said, with pictures showing their choices:

Soup of the Day

Katie ~ "Perfect on a chilly day!  OR any day!"

Lox and Bagel Platter

Nikki ~ "Perfect lunch — healthy, delicious, and reasonably priced!"

Circle Salad

Randi ~ "I always add tuna."

Classic Greek Salad

Ezra ~ "Olive the Greek Salad!  It's Feta than the rest!"

Grilled Veggie Flatbread Pizza-for-One

Tonya ~ "Who doesn't love delicious pizza?"

Impossible Burger

Ron ~ "HI-TECH BURGER."

My favorite order?  I agree with Randi about the Circle Salad, and I too always order a scoop of tuna with it.  But my favorite wording is Ezra's pun:  "Olive the Greek Salad."  And I really like Feta cheese!  I think I'll order it, take a snapshot of it, and add it with his words to the bulletin board beside the elevator on my floor.  That will have to wait, though, because I've decided that today's a good day to run down to the Café for pizza!  Hmm, I'll have to ask Scott what he likes best.

UPDATE:  I did eventually take a snapshot of the Greek Salad, which you can see if you click the link.

Two sources ~ on TWOsday

Man's Search for Meaning ~ by Viktor E. Frankl, 1959, psychology

As we were leaving a book fair's Not for Profit Day*** event a couple of weeks ago, I noticed an apparently unread paperback copy of this book and picked it up.  It's old.  I just realized that a 1959 book is now 59 years old.  (Yes, I notice odd things like that.)  However, I've read it and know it's a wonderful book.  Since nobody chose to take it for their non-profit collection, I added it to the books in my cart and brought it home with me.  I was able to find the above quote in the 1984 edition I have here, but it's on page 86 (notice that the one above is on page 75).  After not thinking about this book in decades, here it appears TWICE ... (1) unclaimed after a huge book fair, and (2) posted on Facebook by someone who obviously considers this an important message:

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread.  They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing:  the last of the human freedoms ― to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way" (p. 86).

As I searched for this quote in my "new" old book, I stumbled across another sentence I want to quote:

"The truth ― that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire" (p. 57).

I have found many quotes by and about Viktor Frankl.  This one seems important.

*** Not for Profit Day was held on May 7th, at the end of the 2018 Greater St. Louis Book Fair, which "raises funds to promote education and literacy for underserved individuals in the St. Louis metropolitan area."  Nonprofits were invited to send people to select ~ at no charge ~ as many books as desired from those remaining after the Fair closed.  Donna and Randi and I, the designated attendees from the Crown Center, carefully picked out about 200 books to add to our little library.

*** One last thing ... the word "man" was used to mean "people" in general, back in the olden days of the 1950s.  So don't hold the word against Frankl as you ponder what he thought about humankind's search for meaning.

Randi Schenberg ~ 2017 Award

Besides Randi and Nikki at the beginning, Edie and Gert and Marilyn are knitting with Randi at the end of the video.  I also saw Sandy and Galina with Randi in the Cafe, and Melvin and Mark were at another table with Alyssa.  Katie is the coworker in the office with Randi, and one scene shows Alyssa talking with Randi in the library.  I'll probably pick out other people as I watch this video a few more times.

If this YouTube video quits working, view it here instead.

A much-read library copy

The Ladies Auxiliary ~ by Tova Mirvis, 1999, fiction (Tennessee), 8/10

When free-spirited Batsheva moves into the close-knit Orthodox community of Memphis, Tennessee, the already precarious relationship between the Ladies Auxiliary and their teenage daughters is shaken to the core.  Tova Mirvis takes us into the fascinating and insular world of the Memphis Orthodox Jews, one ripe with tradition and contradiction.  This novel illuminates the timeless struggle between mothers and daughters, family and self, religious freedom and personal revelation, honoring the past and facing the future.

I rated this book 8 out of ten (meaning it's "very good"), and I live in a retirement center provided by the Jewish community in St. Louis.  The Crown Center is overflowing with activities and has a lot of very lively and involved residents.  I mentioned this book to Gert as we passed each other in the hallway, so she read it after I did.  In the meantime, Alyssa said she wanted to read it, too.  When Gert gave it back to me, she said Edie wants to be on my list of readers.  Alyssa read it and returned it to me, so I'm on my way now to hang it on Edie's door and tell her that Randi wants it next, when she's finished reading it.

Judy, Donna, and Nancy shelving books (that's a very young volunteer on the floor)

Then it will end up in the Crown Center's small library, where others may decide to join our line of folks wanting to explore the Orthodox Jewish community of Memphis, Tennessee, in a novel written by someone who obviously knows her subject.

Beginning ~ with a statue

Run ~ by Ann Patchett, 2007, fiction (Massachusetts)

Bernadette had been dead two weeks when her sisters showed up in Doyle's living room asking for the statue back.

I've heard good things about this book and am finding it's as good as Randi said.  If you've read this novel, please tell me what you thought about it.  Here's a summary of the story:

Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving, possessive, and ambitious father.  As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see his sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared.  But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard cares about is his ability to keep his children — all his children — safe.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.