With our three daughters out of the house now, Jolene and I have been adjusting to the world of empty nesting. As many of you told us, life is different. Certainly there are the big changes like a quieter house and a lower water bill, but I have noticed some smaller ones, too. 

This morning, I took a bag of garbage out to the trash container. When the kids were home, this seemed to be a daily occurrence. The other option was to come home and find that the dog decided to play hide and seek with the trash around the house. So, I learned. But, when I took the bag of garbage out this morning, I noticed that there was only one other bag in the container. Two small bags of garbage. For an entire week. Amazing. 

I often wondered how some people could get by with that little trash. Now I get it.  Not only is the nest empty; the garbage can is, too. 

It is my understanding that some garbage companies offer the smaller containers for a lesser fee, which makes sense. With the available technology today, I wonder how far off we are from paying for garbage by the pound. The trucks could weigh each home’s containers and subtract the tare weight, then charge a by-the-pound fee. Of course, I like this idea at this stage of my life. I likely would not have agreed with it a few years ago when I had to stand on the lid to get all the garbage to fit in it. 

Either way, the one thing we can all most likely agree on is that less trash is a good thing. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

In an effort to downsize and simplify, I have been moving a lot of “stuff” lately. You know. Stuff. We all have it, at least the noun definition: a group or scattering of miscellaneous objects or articles. “Stuff,” ironically, is also a verb, meaning: to fill by packing things in.  

Both seem appropriate. 

George Carlin offered a great interpretation of “stuff” in his comedy routine from a few decades ago. If you are up for a laugh, and aren’t offended by a bit of graphic language, check it out here. 

When my wife and I made our first move, I asked her about the need for so much stuff, including the really heavy bag of rocks that she wanted me to load up. “It’s for the bottom of flower pots,” Jolene told me. I didn’t know that flower pots required special rocks, so I let it slide. In our next move a few years later, I came across that bag of rocks again. Of course, I had to ask, “Do we really need this bag of rocks?” She yelled, “Yes!” I didn’t argue. On our third move, when I eyeballed the bag of rocks that we hadn’t used in more than a decade, I put my foot down. “I am not moving this bag of rocks another time,” I firmly stated. “If and when you want rocks, I will find you rocks.” She reluctantly agreed. It was a small victory on stuff. 

Do you rent a storage unit for your extra stuff? You are not alone, according to sparefoot.com. Self-storage units are a nearly $40 billion industry with 49,000-plus facilities using 1.9 billion square feet. About 10.6% of households rent a self-storage unit, spending $89.12 per month, on average. And all this while 65% of us have a garage, 47% have an attic, and 33% have a basement, according to boxbee.com. Meanwhile, most of our grandparents and their parents lived in much smaller homes, often without garages. Where did they keep all their “stuff”? The answer is that they simply didn’t have as much of it. What a concept. 

I was reminded of all this stuff when moving a roof box cargo carrier for our SUV. Yes, I had to find room to store something that sometimes stores other things. And, yes, it did come in handy a few times on family vacations, but I would rather move a dozen heavy bags of rocks than carry this buffalo again. Just don’t tell my wife. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but what happens when you eat a banana every day?

According to eatingwell.com, there are many benefits to eating bananas, including increasing your energy, maintaining a healthy weight, increasing your fiber intake, improving your heart health and reducing your risk for chronic disease. Actually, it seems like eating a banana a day may keep the doctor away. 

And, that’s why I eat a banana every day. Kind of. I actually like bananas because they are easy to eat, and I can take them on the road with me. Peeling a banana is much easier than peeling oranges or prepping strawberries. And, don’t even get me started on the challenges of pineapples or coconuts. I like my fruit simple, and I don’t want to have to use a machete to eat it. 

The other honest answer is that I didn’t grow up eating many fruits other than apples, oranges and bananas (Jell-O isn’t a fruit, right?). At 21 years old, that changed. Ken Kane was the manager of Easter Foods on the corner of Beaver and Douglas avenues in Des Moines in the early 1990s. I was working on a grocery ad with him, and he was promoting a sale on kiwi. I told him I never tried kiwi before. He stared at me for a moment, took me by the arm and led me out from his office to the produce department, saying, “We are going to change that today.” He yelled to his produce manager, “Cut this young man some kiwi!” And we all shared a kiwi that morning. It was amazing, and that day opened my eyes — and my taste buds — to other wonderful fruits. Peaches. Apricots. Guava. Kumquat. Nectarines. Papaya. And my all-time favorite — mango. 

I enjoy most any berry or melon, too, but I continue to struggle with grapefruit, plums and rhubarb (unless it is rhubarb crisp with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream). Baby steps, right?

Back to the Jell-O comment I made earlier. The jiggly gelatin-based dessert was a menu staple in our home in the 1970s, and it continues to be seen on hot lunch and hospital trays. And, not just plain Jell-O. Mom would throw in various fruits as well in an effort to give it some nutritional value. My wife tried a variation of that trick with our kids and me, but she swapped out Jell-O with yogurt. I still like it. 

As much as I love peaches and want to shake the tree (yes, that’s a Steve Miller Band reference… Maurice), for the sake of ease, I will likely be sticking with bananas. Without Jell-O. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

We are certainly in the fall season, and you know what that means — flies! In fact, I am convinced that FALL stands for FLIES ARE LIVING LARGE. 

Some people associate flies with summer, and I can deal with them during those months. It’s when the weather turns cold that these flying rodents start seeking warmth, and that means my house, my office and my car. And, by this time of year, they are linebacker-sized, too. 

My dad would often state his feelings about flies. He took incredible satisfaction in squashing them. “He won’t do that again,” he would state after introducing each one to his flyswatter. 

Dad also had a nice, yet roundabout, way of reminding us kids about his dislike for flies. “Close the door,” he would tell us. “You are letting all the flies out.” 

I wish it actually worked that way, especially in my truck. I have a family of 12 flies residing in there right now, and they seem to like to land on my face while I am driving. Despite my best efforts to shoo them out the windows, they just zig-zag around my windshield. 

Clearly the brains of flies aren’t very large, but they must have an incredible sense of surrounding. Despite how much I try to swat them away with my hands, they keep coming back — until, of course, I have a flyswatter in my hand. Then they are nowhere to be found. I was baffled by this until I read that a fly can live for two days without its head. 

If you actually like flies, you may want to skip this paragraph. When we were kids, my friend Ian showed me how he would catch flies and put them in the microwave. We would patiently watch to see what would happen as they would buzz around inside the humming appliance for 30 seconds. Needless to say, it didn’t end well for the fly. It also didn’t end well for Ian once his mother found out he was doing this. If there is any solace in this story, it is that the life span of a house fly is only four weeks. Ian was just speeding things along. 

Have you tried one of those battery-operated, hand-held flyswatters? I love gadgets as much as anyone, but I have yet to buy one of these things. But, who knows, Christmas is just around the corner. Unfortunately — or fortunately — the flies will either be dead or be hibernating by then. Regardless, the flies are certainly slower right now, and, as such, they are easier prey. 

At least for some people. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

While driving to work the other day, I heard a song that some of you may remember and one that certainly made me smile — “The Streak.” Yes, the “Ethel, you get your clothes on” song. Follow the link and give it a listen, but only if you want to smile. 

This 1974 No. 1 hit single by comedian Ray Stevens was sparked by the streaking trend that was awkwardly popular during the time, especially on college campuses around the country.

If you were in college at the time or remember the TV coverage, you may recall this naked explosion. As such, this definition of “streaking” was invented. The most covered incident happened in March of 1974 at the University of Michigan. Students wanted to introduce the idea of streaking to the masses with about 70 students going sans clothes and about 1,000 there to watch. This made Ann Arbor known as the location of the first large-scale streak. 

I was 6 years old at the time, but even I took part in streaking. One of my brother’s friends convinced me to run naked back and forth across the door to his family’s living room while his sister was studying there. He laughed. I giggled. His sister didn’t find it so amusing. I haven’t seen her since. Thank goodness.

I wasn’t the only naughty one. The Catholic students at the University of Notre Dame even sponsored a “Streakers’ Olympics” in 1972.

Streaking’s history, even on college campuses, goes back much further. The first recorded incident was in 1804 at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) when George William Crump was arrested for running naked. Crump was suspended but later went on to become a U.S. Congressman. Go figure. 

Even Snoopy, the popular character in one of my favorite comic strips, “Peanuts,” got into the act as part of his Joe Cool persona. He took part in streaking by removing his trademark sunglasses and collar in his effort to appear naked.  

Some say this streaking trend was linked to the sexual revolution. Others say it was backlash against feminism. Still more say it was in response to the campus protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s. I say it was good, clean fun… with nothing on but a smile.

Don’t look, Ethel!

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Hard, sturdy plastic. A palate of faded colors. Stackable and easy to clean. These words describe something most all of us used at more schooltime meals than we can count: the hot lunch tray. 

Its image is likely coming to mind now. A silverware space along the left-hand side. A large space in the lower right for the entrée. A round circle in the lower left for a side. A small space in the upper left for dessert. Another small space (with a circle in the middle) in the upper right for the milk carton. And a mysterious small space in the upper middle that went unused. These 10-inch by 14-inch trays were an everyday item for decades in schools. I can still visualize the lunch ladies spraying them down. 

Plenty of these — used and new — can still be found for sale. A couple decades ago, Jolene and I bought some. Our daughters were young, and we frequently went camping, so we thought these trays would be handy. They weren’t. They undoubtedly made life easier in cafeteria kitchens, but they were a pain to wash in the 10-inch by 10-inch sink of our travel trailer. Even so, they are a nostalgic piece of American history.

The school lunch itself also has an interesting history, which is described in depth at this PBS website. According to the site, Philadelphia and Boston were the first major cities to actively implement a school lunch program in the United States, sometime around 1894. It wasn’t national policy until 1946 when the 79th Congress recognized the importance of school lunch and made it official with President Harry S. Truman signing the National School Lunch Act into law.

But is hot lunch good for you? I recall a classmate of mine once asking a teacher that. His reply? “Look at the lunch ladies.” He later apologized to our class — and to the lunch ladies. 

Back to those hot lunch cafeteria trays. Are they now a relic? If you are like me, you likely haven’t eaten in a school cafeteria in quite some time. According to a 2011 story in USA Today, some colleges trashed the trays in efforts to save water. The story reported that a senior-level math class found that eliminating trays could cause significant savings in washing costs. Without trays, the school would use less water, cleaning chemicals and labor in the cafeteria.

One could argue whether that make sense or not, but a very important question still remains: What was that mysterious space in the upper middle part of the tray designated for?

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707