Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Eagerness

I'm eager to go to my art class tonight and see how the lemons turn out.  I've stressed over them enough so far!

I did make it to the gym this morning and spent my walk looking over the downstairs section where the personal trainers usually take their captives.  There is some kind of contraption that holds a lot of different types of things, including a punching bag - a long one that can be punched and kicked as well.  I notice a lot of mostly younger folks are practicing self-defense, and today a young man was busy the entire half hour or so that I watched, using the punching bag.  

He kicked it pretty well, at least he looked sort of "kung fu", but some of his punches and jabs were pretty  sad, to me.  Maybe they would work on the street.  He did okay with one arm but punched/slapped like a girl with the other one.  (My apologies to girls everywhere--I are one!)

My dad grew up in the Great Depression, and was able to work most of the time delivering groceries.  His evenings were spent at the local gym, a popular spot for those who didn't want to spend their time on the streets.  He became a fairly good boxer, and fought in regular matches in Cincinnati.  He always told the story that if there were Italians in the crowd, the officials often pronounced his name so that he would sound like an Italian.  He sometimes boxed in Chicago where they did the same thing - maybe changing it for the Hungarians, Italians, Greeks, etc.    Fortunately he didn't stay with boxing very  long (this was before he met my mother who would never have put up with it.), but he could still show my brothers how to defend themselves.  I remember the "form" more than anything, and the guy at the gym didn't have proper form at all.  As I said though, maybe for self defense it would be ok (although he wasn't concerned about protecting his face).  A lot of women are also learning and practicing self-defense at the gym, and more power to them!

Speaking of the Great Depression, I stumbled on a Youtube video of a 91 yr old woman who did "Great Depression Cooking".  She was so interesting, and while she was preparing the food she talked a bit about how she had to drop out of high school because they couldn't afford socks for her to wear.  I was incredibly sad just thinking about how bad it must have been.   At 91 (she died at 93) she cooked a Depression meal and her grandson was waiting (and sampling).   By the time the dinner was ready he was joined by 3 of his friends who she said often appear at her house at dinnertime.  They looked very happy to be eating the food.  Who would think that  anyone today would be eager to eat the plain fare of those old days.

While I was born between the Depression and WW II, I remember some of the meals my mom cooked on a very limited budget, and I can say I ate with gusto - no complaints at all.  Some of that plain food I served my own kids once in a while, and they lapped it up as well.  I think of all the generations I know of, I have so much respect for those people who lived and survived that period in our history.  It shaped my life forever, although I doubt my children would ever give it a thought.  To this day I will do anything rather than waste, and waste of food is a capital sin in my book!

I have just a couple of hours until I leave for my class, and I should be taking a nap but I'm too jazzed up to be able to snooze.  I did my last load of laundry - towels - first thing this morning and just took them down off the line, and they are folded and put away.   I love to see an empty laundry basket, and I'm good to go for a few weeks.

10 comments:

  1. The food that you call "depression food", was some of my favorite stuff to eat. Although I wasn't born until after the depression, I still loved that type of food and still do. I was born during WW2 and food was rationed then. My Mom had some of those ration checks or what ever you call them.

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    1. Whatever they called it, the simple foods had to be stretched to feed us all, and we ate leftovers until they were gone. I still do that.

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  2. Were you watch Clara of Great Depression Cooking?
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking

    While I'm a Baby Boomer raised by parents who grew up during the Depression and WWII, we ate lots of simple meals. My favorites were potato soup and ham-n-beans.
    My kids ate and liked those simple filling meals, too.

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    1. Yes, it's Clara I've been watching. What a darling woman she was. I love potato soup the way my mom made it.

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  3. I think I am about your age and we didn't waste food either. It was like a sin. Still have trouble throwing food away unless it's spoiled. My grandson spends 6 weeks with us in the summer and his waste with food just kills me. When he gets through with what ever is on his plate he just dumps it in the trash. I give left overs to the barn cats. I try to stay out of my son's business and he's the one paying for the food. I would have gotten a paddling for wasting food when I was a kid. We took care of our things because we knew if we didn't we wouldn't get something else. I don't remember where our bicycles came from but none of us ever had a new bike. Now days most of the kids I know don't take care of their things.

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    1. I don't think most kids hesitate to throw out food they don't want or feel like eating, but it's up to someone to teach them otherwise. Like you, I try to stay out of my kids' business, but there may come a day when we won't have as much as we want or like to eat. People may change if they get hungry enough.

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    2. I was born in the depression era also and I still think its very wrong to waste food or anything for that matter. It upsets me greatly watching people 'dump the rest' when they are filled - I could cry watching this happen at our holiday gatherings. Such wanton waste these days. I've seen and read how fast-food restaurants, especially,toss tons of food in the garbage without a qualm while all the waste could feed thousands every day. We have the government to blame for this situation! They throw everything out when it was only a few minutes setting under heat lamps! All restaurants toss leftovers. Government Rules! Personally, I've been weak from hunger many times in the last 30 years and feel lucky for a few crackers to fix that nagging empty ache. Government regulations most often are Fools' actions. I'm always saying: "There will come a day of regret, make no mistake about this". The response: people roll their eyes at me. More poor benighted fools in our society- buy, buy, buy, then trash it and go buy some more. I know how to "squirrel it away". NEVER do I waste. Guess that must be the reason everyone is often on the 'outs' with me and my concerns, tending to think I'm senile these days. Ha! So be it! I'm someone who rarely gets a balanced meal or even a full meal. I have little respect and no sympathy for wastrels of anything usable/salvageable.

      Now try not to be uptight with your art learning for its a time to enjoy yourself to the hilt. You'll learn to relax soon with it all, I'm certain. I like the painting of the flowers with mountains in the background. Very good, being your first attempt. Yup, I feel you will be Gypsy Rembrandt one day. Always remember, we are our worst critics.

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    3. I'm sorry to hear that you have trouble getting enough to eat. It's hard enough to maintain a good energy level when you have all the proper nutrition.

      On the rare occasions I go out to eat I only order a salad or something I know I can finish. If I had bread, soup, and then salad I'd be so full I wouldn't be able to touch the main course, so I'm a cheap date so to speak.

      I will write a post today about my experience at art class. It goes from high to low and then back again. Thanks for the good comments about the painting I did in Alaska.

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  4. I think being "jazzed up" as you put it is a great thing. Loved reading that. Also love potato soup. Actually most anything with potatoes. I'd like to see a list of depression era foods to see how many of them my mom who was only about under 10 when the depression began, cooked for us. I think only environmentalists care about waste anymore. It's sad.

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    1. I'm sure not "jazzed" today! I don't know how my mood dropped from the clouds so quickly.

      Clara, the Depression Era lady, mentions frying cubed potatos with chopped onion, plus her spices, of course; she also mentioned dandelion - cooked greens, salad, etc. I plan to watch more of her videos when I'm in the mood for it.

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