WHY DIDN'T WE PROTEST?

As members of the Silent Generation,   we young women  didn’t  protest much of anything. Why not? 

There was plenty to protest:  racial inequality, sexual harassment,  income disparity for women, abortion rights, the Korean War, to name a few.  But we just sat there and took it.  I suppose there are many reasons, but I have to believe that the birth control pill  freed women from being stuck at home raising big families, feeling they might as well get married as stay single and work the rest of their lives for low wages as a nurse, secretary, store clerk, or teacher.  If you were a “good girl” and didn’t make any waves, some man would come along and rescue you from a dreary, celibate life as an “old maid.”

We’ve come a long way, Baby. Here’s a picture of my two  daughters  with some of their friends at yesterday's March For Our Lives in Washington DC.   So proud of them I could cry. I may not agree with all of their causes, but I’m happy they feel free to stand up for their beliefs,  and took the time from their incredibly busy schedules to fly to DC with the hope of creating a better world for all of  our grandchildren.

GRATITUDE, GRANDCHILDREN & THANK YOU NOTES

  

Do you always receive a thank you note for the presents you send to your grandchildren?

If you listen to women at club meetings and bridge parties, you’re apt to hear a lot of grumbling on the subject.  Conventional wisdom says you should stop sending gifts to anyone who doesn’t acknowledge receiving them.  But hey, wait a minute.   Between the two of us, my husband and I have nine grandchildren,  Some write lovely thank you notes, some text or email, and a few of them say nothing at all.  Are we supposed to stop sending birthday and Christmas checks to the ungrateful ones?  We must conclude that those who don’t acknowledge gifts have not been well trained by their parents—who happen to be our very own children.

  

At our age, we never know when some medical disaster will strike.  So, before that happens, we want each and every grandchild to know that we love  them.  Who knows what troubles they will experience  as they struggle through school, work, marriage and raising children?.  Perhaps, at some low moment, they will feel cheered to think they had a grandparent who cared enough to remember them on every single birthday.  As a matter of fact, I went to a funeral  years ago, and the grandson who gave the eulogy mentioned that his grandmother always sent him a birthday card, even though he lived in Japan and only visited her once a year.  Some of our grandchildren live nearby, and we see them often.  Naturally, we will form stronger bonds with the ones who live close than with those who live thousands of miles away.  Then, too, there are issues like divorce or in-law problems that affect the way our grandchildren feel about us.  But as long as we are able, we’re going to keep sending those cards and  checks to all of them.

SHAPE UP WITH SMOOTHIES AT ANY AGE

Have you ever tried a vegetable smoothie, or for that matter, any kind of smoothie?  I used to think of them as a beverage that appealed more to younger people…you know, the kind you see out jogging through the park on a cold Sunday morning,

wearing nothing but a pair of jeggings  and a T shirt,  while  you’re bundled up in a ski  jacket, scarf, and gloves.   A smoothie didn’t seem like a suitable meal for an octogenarian .

But then, I saw  my daughter buy eight boxes of strawberries on sale, which she proceeded to stem, wash, and freeze separately on cookie sheets before bagging.   What in the world was she going to do with all those strawberries?  Put them in her family’s morning smoothies, of course.

After that day,  I decided to concoct my own smoothies using low fat  Greek yogurt for protein and probiotics, and fruits or vegetables for added flavor and nutrients—all swirled together in the blender for a couple of minutes.  At first. I  combined at least three fruits with  the yogurt--- oranges,  pineapple,  grapes, bananas, blueberries—just about any thing  I could find in the refrigerator or freezer.  Then, I got creative and decided to try vegetable smoothies for a change.    The same amount of yogurt, but this time, with a combination of three vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, kale, asparagus or  tomatoes.  Some people make vegetable/fruit combos, with 60 % fruit, 40% vegetable.  There are hundreds of recipes on the net,but you really don’t need one.   Every smoothie tastes different, depending upon what you’ve thrown in the blender.  A smoothie with a couple of crackers makes a  healthy, low calorie meal.  So, the next time your grandchildren stop by, fix them a #smoothie!