Frances Ellen Speaks!

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Last Wednesday, March 19th, I took part in a Telephone Conference sponsored by the Breast Cancer Fund. They had just released their latest report showing the connection between the Environment and Breast Cancer. One of the points I found most troubling was the undeniable fact that early exposure to toxic chemicals increases one’s risk of contracting cancer as an adult.

The Breast Cancer Website not only lists its findings, but it also lists Federal and State Recommendations to put into place in an effort to make our environment cleaner and safer. Although there are some strong advocates in Congress; Rep. Louise Slaughter, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Hillary Clinton, to name a few, it should come as no great shock that the amount of time it takes Congress to enact laws, especially those having to do with the environment, could take years.

Therefore, I suggest starting at the ground level–in your own home.

A good place to start would be to throw away those plastic containers you use for warming up foods in the microwave. Switch to glass containers. It’s a proven fact that toxic chemicals contained in plastic leach into food during the warming process.

And if you’ve been using plastic baby bottles–STOP.

Following is a small section of the report regarding plastics.

The three plastics that have been shown to leach toxic chemicals when heated, worn or put under pressure are polycarbonate (leaches bisphenol A), polystyrene (leaches styrene) and PVC (leaches phthalates).

Bisphenol A is used in the linings of cans, baby bottles, sports water bottles and dental sealants. The evidence about bisphenol A and its many effects on human health is convincing and growing. Studies funded by the chemical industry say it’s harmless; non-industry studies show it’s a powerful hormone-disruptor linked to breast cancer.

Start looking for toys that are clearly marked BPA Free and if that sippy cup isn’t BPA free–trash it.

And by all means, listen to your gut! If it feels wrong, it probably is wrong. Back in the day, and I do mean 20 or more years ago, I told my doctor, following my complete hysterectomy, that I did not intend to take the hormone pills he was prescribing. He was quite incensed. He told me hormone therapy was the regimen he subscribed to, and that I made my decision “at my own risk.”

To be honest, back then it was hard to find reliable information about hormone therapy. There was no Internet. Very little scientific research made it to the printing presses. But the little bit I did read, just didn’t feel right to me. It was a gut reaction more than anything else. Now, of course, everyone is aware of the dangers we face from hormone therapy, and from hormones used in the production of our food.

We’ve come a long way since then. Now it’s time to step up. Be pro-active to protect the children. If you don’t, who will? Inaction is not worth the risk!

Okay, I’m on my soapbox again, encouraging you to write something this week about yourself. If you do, I can almost guarantee one of your children or your grandchildren will thank you someday. You are living in their “good old days.”

I can’t tell you how many times I could kick myself for not asking my mother more questions about her life. Now it’s too late. The only things I have of hers, in her own handwriting, are a few recipes she gave me over the years. At least when I see her handwriting on the page, it helps me to remember other small things about her. I’m going to share one of her recipes with you at the end of this post.

But to get back to journaling, there’s so much to write about. Some suggestions:

• any kind of travel would be good
• all of your favorite recipes
• right now, the campaign for the presidency furnishes a bushel full of options
• what television shows won’t you miss
• what movie did you see recently that you absolutely loved
• if you are reading a book, try writing your own review

And remember, there’s no rule against being humorous. You can go in any direction, it’s your show. Someone mentioned to me a few weeks ago that she started writing stuff down occasionally and she does it in letter form, as if she is actually writing a letter to someone.

Or maybe something happens in the course of a normal day that seems worthy of preserving as a memory. Here’s one from Ireland.

I was driving home yesterday amidst a flood caused by a thaw of snow. We came to a big enough pool of water that stretch the entire width of the road. We watched as the car ahead of us passed safely through the water and then to my surprise the car stopped and waited. The driver waited to make sure we passed through the water safely.

Short, sweet and cute. That’s all it takes.

If you go somewhere…anywhere, write about it. Here’s a very short travelogue and a chuckle from Walking Around. She just returned from a trip to Wales.

So there you have it, one of my pep talks to get you writing and saving your memories. Now to the promised recipe from my mother.

Italian Wedding Soup

3 heads of escarole (found in the produce dept.)
1 lb. ground beef
2 eggs, scrambled
Chicken Broth, either homemade or 2 large cans Chicken Broth (my mother used College Inn)

First roll the ground beef into tiny balls about the size of your thumb nail. Set aside.

Wash the escarole leaf by leaf in a sink filled with cool water. Place leaves on a clean dish towel. There will be loads and loads of leafy greens, but they will shrink down when you drop them into a large pot of boiling water. Keep turning the escarole with a long wooden spoon until all of the greens have been submerged in the water. Cook until tender–about 20 to 25 minutes. To cool–transfer the entire pot to the sink and run cold water into it until the escarole is comfortable to handle. To remove most of the water from the escarole, squeeze the greens into fist-size balls. Cut through each ball, using a cutting board, about 6 times, slicing in two or three different directions.

Rinse out the same pot you used to cook down the escarole, and pour in the chicken broth. Most of the work is now done. Just drop the escarole and all of the tiny meatballs into the hot chicken broth. Cook on medium heat for about an hour.

Now for the scrambled eggs. Make sure the broth is boiling, then pour the eggs onto the surface of the soup. Use a tablespoon to swirl the egg around gently on the surface, creating little bits of cooked eggs. (This is reminiscent of confetti at a wedding–hence the name.) Once the eggs are cooked, the soup is ready to serve.

Optional: Some people like to sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of their soup, so make sure you have that on the table for those with that preference.

Enjoy.  And if you have a recipe from your mother that you’d like to share, feel free to send it as a comment.

That was the title of a recent article in Charles Schwab’s investment magazine, which the company sends out to its investors. They could’ve changed the age to 62 or 65. The answer would be the same, but it took them more than 200 words to say medical insurance costs are outrageously high even if you’re old enough to be covered by Medicare.

And the article also noted that although older workers had retirement portfolios that ballooned in the 1990s, those portfolios burst when techology stocks took a downward dive. Therefore, some American who had taken an early retirment had to return to work.

There was no mention of the fact that even with the new drug plans, retirees still can’t afford to buy all the drugs they need.

And think about this–many senior citizens didn’t save a dime while they were younger. So, the answer to the question, why are they still working? They have to!

Fortunately, I’m one of the people who at least took a stab at saving, mainly because I’m a realist and always have been. I never expected to be able to exist on Social Security alone. I knew, there was no way I could live on less than $300 a week. That’s actually what my Social Security check will look like when I reach age 66. The scary thing is, even after saving what little I could over the years, while raising a family, I’m still not going to be comfortable in my old age.

Another little ditty that Schwab printed in that issue was a list of quotes. One of them quoted Warren Buffett. “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Looks and sounds good on paper, doesn’t it? But remember that bursting bubble Schwab wrote about? I’m living through this one, and I lived through a horrendous one years ago that wiped away almost half of the money I had managed to save. All of that money was in mutual funds, because I knew zilch about the stock market.

I still don’t know much about the market, but after that horror, I learned to diversify. I, at least, learned that much!

If you visit the folks at this site  who also read the Schwab article, their suggestion is try Fixed Annuities, Bank CDs, and U.S. Government Savings Bond. They make a case for keeping your money safe from loss.

That “risk-free” sounds pretty good, but there’s a trade off. The gains are small, and fees for variable annuities are pretty steep. And once you’re in a mutual fund, what do you do, bow out and take a huge hit?

Here’s something else that I found quite amusing.

When and if you actually do retire,

…just resist the urge to treat the contents of your accounts like mad money.

What?! There are people who actually have mad money? Not in my circle of friends.

That same amusing article goes on to say,

And forget about that cushy 15% income tax rate most retirees are eligible for, warns Schatsky. As soon as you have more than $63,700 in retirement income, the tax rate skyrockets to 25%.

Well, at least, here I get a break. I won’t have to worry about my tax rate skyrocketing. As a single, working woman, I have never earned that much money annually in my entire life while I was still working.

Now that I’m sitting here analyzing the question of retirement further, I’d venture to say that in another five years Schwab can print the exact same article; just title it, Why More Americans Are Working Past Age 75.

These pictures were taken near the coast of Canada’s Hudson Bay. A polar bear sees sled dogs.

Is this incredible, or what?!

The Polar Bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs… Nature can be a beautiful thing.

Because so many things occur in the month of December, dreaming up something to write about is as easy as 1-2-3. I’m here to spur you on with some writing ideas because I know how important your memories are, even if you don’t realize it yet yourself.

The obvious choices are Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Maybe you remember one that remains a true highlight in your mind. It should be shared. Write it down now. Your family and friends will someday be thankful to relive it with you through your written words.

Speaking of words; maybe you’re thinking that you can’t write. The truth is, writers wouldn’t want you to know this, but journaling is simple because all you do is write the same way you talk. Write as if you were telling the story to your grandchild or to your next door neighbor. If you can talk, you can write.

Getting back to the holidays, maybe you can’t think of one that stands out as being special. Well, this year is another year. Write something about this year’s holiday.

Maybe you hate holidays. Some people do, you know. There are numerous other things you can write about this month.

• On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks sat down in a bus and almost single-handedly started the Civil Rights Movement. Her day is commemorated each year on December 1st, Rosa Parks Day. What were you doing in 1955? Want to refresh your memory about the Rosa Parks. Go to her website http://rosaparks.org/index.html
• What do you remember about the Women’s Movement? The First Susan B. Anthony Dollar appreared on December 6, 1978.
• Where were you when Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941?
• Maybe you’re more interested in science. Write about the Winter Solstice, when the earth moves closest to the sun. It happens this year on December 22nd. If you want to learn more, go to http://www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html
• On a lighter note, write about the swell times you had looking at the Howdy Doody Show. It premiered on December 27, 1947. If you were lucky enough to have a television, you were probably watching Clarabelle and the rest of the gang. If you didn’t have a television, write about that–living without TV.

Trust me, writing about yourself is easy as pie. And if you still can’t bring yourself to share a memory, share a pie recipe.

With Christmas right around the corner, you’ll want to go to this site and share some quality time with your child or grandchild. It’s an amazing place to play. These are just some of the things you will find at Santa’s Secret Village.

1. The kids can write a letter to Santa and he’ll write back.
2. Create a personalized Christmas story.
3. See Disco Dancing Santa.
4. Read a book.
5. Do some coloring.
6. Connect-the dots
7. There are loads of recipes that you can prepare with the kids.
8. Rhyme words.
9. Watch movies and videos.
10. Build a snowman.

 The list goes on and on. There are activities galore.

For home schooling, there’s even an Elf Pal Academy with lesson plans that combine learning with fun.

If you can dream it up, they probably already have it at this site.

Go here  http://www.northpole.com/Village.html. You’re going to be glad you did.