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.

A LETTER TO SAFEWAY

Readers, please note: the new url for this blog is https://rovincrone.blogspot.com.

When I bought groceries today, I suddenly realized that there is more plastic than food in the store. Though I am not optimistic about influencing BigGrocers, there's always hope. So, I have sent the following letter to Safeway. It will be interesting to see if they respond.

 

Ever since moving to California in 1980 I have been an enthusiastic Safeway customer. You have consistently provided nourishing, tasty foods at affordable prices, as well as toiletries, detergents, and other household items. During the past few years you have also added organic foods that are good for customers and for the planet. Thank you!

In walking through my local store today, however, I was suddenly struck by an overwhelming amount of plastic everywhere. In the produce section, individual portions of salads and other vegetables are displayed in plastic containers. Unwrapped produce is accompanied by plastic bags also; they could be replaced by paper bags. (I bring my own mesh bags that I bought at a natural foods store. Why don’t you sell these bags to encourage people to use them?)

Moving on to other parts of the store, I saw still more unnecessary plastic. In most cases, it was easy to think of good alternatives. Plastic bottles of vinegar, oil, and so on should be sold in glass bottles, which are easily recycled. Small portions of foods are attractive, but they multiply the amount of plastic used.

Cartons of many foods are made of plastic rather than cardboard. Foam containers used in the deli could be replaced with lightweight cardboard cartons like those traditionally used for Chinese carryout. Meats are sold in plastic packages instead of being wrapped in paper and tied with string. Instead of selling water in plastic bottles, you could sell water from a large dispenser that people would use to refill their own bottles. Wax paper can substitute for plastic in some cases.

Please don’t write me off as a crazy environmentalist. Most people today want to protect marine mammals and protect the environment in other ways, but we are busy. Shopping around for the best choices is time-consuming, and too often we just buy whatever is easily available. If you can use less plastic in your offerings, customers will buy them effortlessly and will appreciate your contribution to a better environment. Please consider my suggestions. Thank you.

Can the good guys win?

Tomorrow is Election Day, and I’m worried. Trump himself is not on any ballot, but his supporters are seeking to win elections as governors, senators, school superintendents, and right down to the town clerk level. They realize the importance of organizing at the grass-roots level. If they want to force all of us to accept the alt-right, racist, anti-choice way of life, they have chosen the most effective way to do it.

Donald Trump is surely the worst president in our history. He may not be the most wicked (I’m not entirely sure), but his tweets and other far-reaching lies have reached far more voters than the messages of any other president have. And his narcissistic, materialistic attitude has been accepted as admirable even by people who should know better. Evangelicals should be emulating Jesus, not Trump! Silicon Valley workers should use logic to assess his statements about science. Middle-income taxpayers should realize that temporary tax cuts will only lead to worse conditions for everyone.

We liberals have begun to fight back, but we tend to tell the truth rather than deceive voters, which puts us at a disadvantage. Meanwhile, the MAGA group continues to besmirch Hillary Clinton long after she lost the 2016 election, to pretend that wretched immigrants fleeing terrible conditions are an imminent danger to the U.S., and to allow the EPA’s environmental standards to be lowered by denying scientific studies of climate change. Though I prefer to set the truth bar higher than they do, I have to admit that their despicable methods are effective. I hope fervently that there will be a Blue Wave tomorrow. However, it is all too likely that hatred and stupidity will win.