DYING CALIFORNIA

Now I have some idea of what life must be like for refugees. No hot water, no electricity, no laundry, no cell phone service or internet access. For about a week my small town in California was blacked out by PG&E in a supposed attempt to protect the public from wildfires. During a short reprieve lasting less than a day I was in a hospital for an important procedure, and came home in pain to a cold, dark house.

For more than 40 years I have been a homeowner in California, and like millions of others have certainly sent a good amount of money to PG&E. Why did they not use their enormous income for repairs and tree trimming instead of paying high salaries to some employees and huge stock dividends to investors?

Living in this state has always been expensive, but it used to be worth the cost. Now I would go back to the Midwest if I could, but at the age of 82 I cannot simply move again. I am greatly saddened to see this once-great state turn into Purgatory.

MY 20:20 PLAN

Much as I hope the year 2020 will bring about a political upheaval, this post is not about Trump. The older I get, the harder it is to accomplish everything I need to. I know getting nine hours of sleep a night is essential for me, but if there’s a good NOVA program beginning at ten o’clock, or if I’m reading an absorbing mystery, it’s almost impossible to go to bed early. Though I carefully write to-do lists and show priorities, at the end of the day there are always some items left over. Also, I simply don’t have enough energy to do as much as I want to.

Still, I’ve worked out a plan that helps greatly. Maybe it will help you, too.

It’s called a 20:20 plan because I alternate tasks that require some physical work with those that can be done sitting down. I start the same way that many people do when they are organizing time, by writing a to-do list for the next day. (Sometimes I can also soak dirty dishes overnight or use other time-saving tricks. And, it’s nice to get up in the morning and find a schedule laid out for me.) After each item on the list, I write A, B, or C. "A" means an appointment or other task that absolutely must be done that day. Usually there are no more than two or three “A” items. "B" means something that should be done that day if possible. “C” items can be put off until another time if necessary. (There tend to be many “C” tasks.)

As to the 20:20 aspect, after breakfast I spend 20 minutes on some basic housework tasks. If the time is up before I finish, I stop! Then I sit down and read, write, or otherwise do a resting task for twenty minutes. Again, at the end of twenty minutes I stop whether or not I’m finished, and return to doing some physical task. By alternating in that fashion, in a few hours I have worked my way down the list through the most important tasks for the day. I  realize this method sounds very inefficient. Too many times, I must interrupt a job in the middle just because the time is up. However, it seems to work well for me. It’s amazing to discover how much I can do in twenty minutes, and I find that I can do just about anything for that long. Knowing that in a few minutes I can relax and read helps me get through physical work that would be impossible if continued for hours.

Like most elderly people, I hope to age in place, staying in my own home as long as possible rather than moving to an expensive assisted-living situation. So far the 20:20 plan is helping me do so.

 

 Copyright © August 17, 2019 by Carol Leth Stone (a.k.a. RovinCrone)

HAZILY RECALLING THE MOON LANDING

Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Most of us who were alive in 1969 remember the event exactly. We remember his “giant leap for mankind,” the photos of Armstrong and Aldrin bounding across the moon’s surface. I, too, remember it vividly, but with a bit of embarrassment.

At that time I was in Yuba City, Cal, editing the preliminary manuscript of a science textbook being written by some Yuba City authors. I stayed for long periods in the Bonanza Inn motel. On the night of the moon landing, I had a light, early dinner in the motel coffee shop before going to my room to watch the TV coverage. Curses! The set wasn’t working, and I was unable to get another one that night. Then I recalled the large TV in the bar. Certainly even the local rednecks who frequented the bar would be watching the moon landing that night.

Yes, the event was on TV. I climbed onto a bar stool and ordered whatever alcoholic monstrosity was appropriate for that time and place (probably Seven and Seven), then settled down to watch. The Apollo 11 had already landed safely, and surely one of the astronauts would emerge soon. Unfortunately, there was a very long wait, requiring my ordering more drinks. During the hours that followed, I continued watching and drinking. Finally Armstrong stepped out onto the moon’s surface! And I carefully slid off the bar stool. Walking back to my room, I looked up at the moon (or were there two?) and marveled at the idea that a human being was actually up there, and our journey to space had begun. The next day’s hangover was worth it.

Copyright © 2019 by Carol Leth Stone

ERASING THE NIGHT SKY

Elon Musk has done the “impossible” again. Now he has lofted the first of thousands of satellites that will use solar power to travel in a connected path around Earth, with the ultimate goal of enabling people anywhere on the planet to access the internet. No longer will those in remote places be cut off from the amazing amount of information found on the World Wide Web. Musk argues that disadvantaged people will be given greater access to the planet’s resources and information sharing. However you feel about the sharing or trolling this will make possible, you have to admit that this will change lives forever, and that Musk has accomplished something incredible.

Some of us are less than enthusiastic about having 24/7 access to the Net, though. In fact, we will even travel long distances to reach places where we are cut off from it. Those are getting harder to find, but parts of the planet still have no Net access at all. There, hikers, campers and kayakers can escape temporarily from the Net’s cacophony. Many such places are in the national parks.

 

With Ranger Kevin Sweeney at Lassen

 

A few years ago my partner and I did some volunteer work in two parks with Night Sky programs: Lassen Volcanic National Park in California, and Acadia National Park in Maine. We watched enthusiastic amateur and professional astronomers set up their telescopes and help novice users to scan the heavens. Children and adults gasped as they saw the Milky Way for the first time, or saw the rings of Saturn. Apps for cell phones can be interesting and helpful, but they don’t hold a candle to seeing the real thing.

Many professional astronomers have already objected to the satellites on the grounds that they may interfere with studies of distant stars and planets. Musk insists that the satellites will only be visible during limited times, and that astronomy will not be affected.  Not being privy to the details of the project, and not being an astronomer, I can’t comment on that, though I have my doubts.

What I can object to is the change in the night sky this will produce. My field is science education, and I have seen how viewing the natural night sky can motivate children (including the astronomers of tomorrow) to learn about the heavens. They need to have the sense of wonder that can be found in a lonely, Net-less dark place where they can see stars and planets the way the ancient Greeks saw them.. They do not need to see a series of satellites.

 Copyright 2019 by Carol Leth Stone

THE DISAPPEARING PLASTIC BAG

 

For many years I have made a point of declining plastic bags at the supermarket, ostentatiously piling items into a reusable bag or asking for a paper bag instead. This has enabled me to feel superior to many other customers and to think I am saving dolphins and other marine mammals. Today it is actually illegal in some states to supply free plastic bags to customers.

Imagine my horrified surprise when a recent NPR report said that in areas such as California that have banned free plastic bags, purchases of plastic trash and garbage bags have increased. It makes sense when you stop to think about it—most of us don’t want to drop garbage or dirty trash into the bins that are emptied weekly. We carefully package those things in plastic bags first, and if we can’t get free bags at a supermarket, we buy boxes of them instead. What a dilemma for us environmentalists!

Rather than giving in and polluting the environment with large, purchased bags, I’ve come up with a few workarounds, as follows:

1. Before shopping, I make a list. What items do I really need?

2. In a store, I carefully examine packaging. Can a spice be bought in a glass or paper container rather than a plastic one? Can soft drinks, in aluminum cans rather than plastic bottles? Can I buy large economy sizes, minimizing the packaging per unit item?

3. On the way out, I use a reusable nylon or canvas bag, keeping in mind that it must be used many times to pay its way as a replacement for a plastic bag. Some items, such as large oatmeal containers, can be carried to the car by hand or in a supermarket cart. No plastic bag is needed.

4. At home, I remove any wrappings (preferably made of paper) and set them aside to be used as small trash bags. Yes, these are a bit more awkward to use than large plastic bags are. I simply think about those videos of dying aquatic animals and do a little more work. It is rather surprising to see how many small  bags are available this way. Unavoidable wrappings of large packages of toilet paper or paper towels, sanitary pads, prepackaged fruits and vegetables, and many other items can provide bags for trash and garbage.

Though this seems like a very small contribution to the environment, if enough of us follow these steps rather than using large plastic bags, we can make a difference.

Copyright 2019 by Carol Leth Stone

 

WRITING A COZY MYSTERY

No-sweat writing.

 

Have you always wanted to write a cozy mystery, to be another Agatha Christie? Of course you can! Simply take your laptop into the nearest Starbucks, turn on a word processing program, and follow this outline. In each section, circle your choice of words. In an hour or so, you will have written a modern cozy that will bring you fame and fortune.

A.     Your heroine is named Maggie/Kelly/Annie. She has left a glamorous career in New York/San Francisco/Los Angeles to return to her hometown. (Describe her wardrobe.)

B.     Maggie/Kelly/Annie adopts a dog/cat/raven.

C.     Maggie/Kelly/Annie opens a bakery/book shop/coffee shop. (Recipes are optional but desirable.)

D.     Maggie/Kelly/Annie meets a tall, handsome lawyer/teacher/writer. He lives in a high-tech modern apartment/a restored Victorian house/a houseboat. (Add a mild sex scene.)

E.      Maggie/Kelly/Annie meets a woman rival/business rival/customer who seems strange.

F.      Maggie/Kelly/Annie finds a body in an alley/in a closet/on the beach.

G.     Maggie/Kelly/Annie argues with the stupid local police chief.

H.     Maggie/Kelly/Annie cooperates with her aunt/her business partner/the police chief to solve the mystery. She realizes the person in Section E is guilty.

I.       Maggie/Kelly/Annie follows the murder suspect and is hit over the head/threatened with a knife/threatened with a gun.

J.       Just in time, Maggie/Kelly/Annie is rescued by one of the above.

K.      End of story.

L.       Preview of next story, which will follow the above pattern.

 

Print the result. Glance at the printout to make sure it has no coffee stains on it. Do not hire an editor! Editors will destroy your unique style, and will even expect you to pay them. Instead, you can easily edit it yourself. All you need to do is to let the spellchecker and grammar checker automatically  make any changes necessary. Or, you can ask your friends to make helpful suggestions. Finally, you can have it self-published rather than deal with rejection letters and other annoyances.

Copyright 2019 by Carol Leth Stone

 

THE JOY OF BEING A WOMAN IN HER EIGHTIES

A recent article by psychologist Mary Pipher (“The Joy of Being a Woman in Her Seventies,” The New York Times 1-12-19) extolled the happier aspects of being a septuagenarian. I agreed with her in general. Certainly the seventies are a time when women have weathered many storms successfully and reached some goals. For me, my seventies were rewarding years of travel, writing, and (for a time) living off the electrical grid in a forested area of northern California. It was a life I never could have imagined when I was younger.

As that decade wore on, though, my health declined and I became unable to continue some activities. Now that I am 81, I sometimes feel sad about some necessary changes in my lifestyle. (Does anyone use that word any more?) I can walk for only short distances, and use a cane. I need my electric blanket and microwave oven. I can’t drive after dark. I don’t try to write about biology, because too much has changed in that field in recent years.

It’s tempting to feel some self-pity about these differences in my life, but there’s no point in doing so. Also, there are many positive aspects of being an octogenarian:

·       I stopped dieting several years ago, and eat for health rather than weight control.

·       My wardrobe consists mainly of tees, sweaters, and pants from Lands’ End® and other reasonably priced stores, worn with sensible shoes.

·       There’s no pressure to keep up with the times unless I want to.

·       Remembering stupid or thoughtless deeds of my own, I’m quite tolerant of other people’s.

·       Realizing that I may not live too many more years, and that some old friends and enemies are dying or very ill, I find it easy to drop old grudges.

·       Sleeping nine hours is a necessity for me, and I don’t feel guilty about sleeping in.

·       It’s a joy to connect with old friends in person or on the Internet.

·       I’m finally reading or rereading books that have sat on the shelf for years. As my memory declines, I can even reread mysteries without remembering “whodunit.”

·       Not wanting to waste much of my remaining time on housework or yardwork, I have hired help with it, just as I did when working and caregiving.

·       Luckily, I can still do some traveling in the RV. Unlike most forms of travel, it provides the comforts an octogenarian needs.