Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.
The news out of Texas this week has been devastating. The rare snow storm that hit the state has been brutal. People are without power and water. I can’t wrap my head around what’s happening there. This was totally preventable. It’s been a matter of deregulation and free markets in Texas that has created an electric grid that puts cheap prices over reliable service and leaves people abandoned in situations like this. I will never understand why people don’t get that taxes are supposed to pay for – and upkeep – these kinds of services. This has nothing to do with socialism, it’s called “taking care of your people”. These types of services should never be for profit! Here’s where you can donate to food banks and mutual aid groups in Texas.
* * *
I’ve made my own “cabbage juice” last week. It sounds as exciting as it was, ha! I read that cabbage juice and zinc is very good to balance your gut flora and since I’ve been dealing with a sensitive stomach, I am giving this a go to support gut health. Cabbage juice is easy to make even without a juicer (you just shred it and put it in a jar with water), but then it has to sit and ferment for 3 days before you can drink it. It basically tastes like diluted “sauerkraut juice” (which makes sense, because sauerkraut is fermented cabbage – duh! – everybody knows that, but what you don’t know is that I LOVE sauerkraut, so that is a win-win!) and you have a glass of it once a day for a little gut cleanse.
* * *
I’ll be in two back-to-back workshops (remotely, of course) next week and the first week of March, and of course, they’re on East Coast Time. You’d think that three-hour time difference isn’t so bad when most of your family and friends live in a time zone that is 9 hours ahead, but if the class starts at 9 am EST, that means I have to be up and at the computer and “perceptive” at 6 am PST. Put me on a treadmill or an exercise bike at 6 am any day and my legs will know what to do, but starting a workshop at this hour is a little brutal.
* * *
Target’s Hearth & Hand Collection speaks to my heart and I picked up a couple of stoneware plates and bowls recently to replace some of our old, chipped dishes. Not sure if it’s a smart move to replace single items instead of buying a whole new set, but these were more like spontaneous, retail-therapy purchases and for now they make me really happy.
* * *
Do you ever disinfect your phone? I’ve gotten into the habit of wiping down and disinfecting my phone more frequently, especially after any outings (like grocery shopping) where I inadvertently end up using the phone in public with my ‘dirty’ hands. I have hand sanitizer in the car that I use every time I get back from the store, but cleaning the phone surfaces is probably also a good idea. (Tip of the day!)
TGIF! Have a great weekend!
Lisa of Lisa’s Yarns
February 20, 2021 at 6:03 am6 is an early start for a work-related conference. I hope the material is engaging!!
The situation in Texas is so awful. It’s so sad to see the pictures of destruction in people’s homes from burst pipes and such. So sad.
San
February 22, 2021 at 1:35 pmFirst day of the workshop and it actually went well. The presenter was really good, so the early hour didn’t face me (apparently, we had participants from all over the world, so people were logging in at all kinds of odd hours ;) we’re a truly global community!)
Sara
February 21, 2021 at 7:39 amTexas was an absolute dumpster fire last week. It was incredibly frustrating to figure out it out with the lack of transparency from everyone involved. By Tuesday (our second day without power), we had figured out that there was no hope of rolling blackouts. We were off for good, save for about an hour a day, usually in the early morning or around bedtime. It got down below 40 in our house. Fortunately, we weathered it fairly well and only have one relatively minimal leak to deal with. Some of my schools are closed on Monday and Tuesday because of damage. It also interrupted community meal distribution for at almost 2 weeks. I hope folks remember this at the ballot box, particularly when voting for Cruz.
Good luck with the workshops! That does sound brutal. I know I struggle with time zone changes when I am traveling for work, so I imagine zoom would be that much worse!
San
February 22, 2021 at 1:33 pmI am so sorry for what you guys have been through and so mad on your behalf how through deregulation, the government basically has abandoned you at a moment of crisis. I truly hope people remember it at the ballot box!
I am so glad you are okay though!
ShootingStarsMag
February 26, 2021 at 9:12 amIt’s so horrible what’s happening in Texas…and other states, though I know that Texas is the one most people talk about. It’s pretty bad in places like Eastern KY as well.
I hope your workshops went well, since I’m late commenting! That is early to up and aware.
-Lauren
San
February 26, 2021 at 12:28 pmThe workshop was awesome, definitely worth getting up for :)
anne
February 26, 2021 at 12:15 pmI’m late commenting, too. But I’m kind of wondering – what benefit would you get from cabbage juice that you would not get from sauerkraut? Just curious, really!
Hope your workshops went well and that you were awake – and stayed that way!
Oh, and yes – I definitely wipe my phone down more than before. I just spray cleaner on a microfiber cloth and wipe it down with that. (I use this stuff called Force of Nature that has some weird – but logical – science behind it. Essentially making my own disinfectant spray.)
San
February 26, 2021 at 12:28 pmYou basically get the same benefit from cabbage juice as you get from sauerkraut…. it’s just a quicker, simpler step when you make it from scratch than making your own sauerkraut (which takes 2-4 weeks), as you can drink the cabbage juice after 3 days. I’ve had it in the fridge for a week or so and it continues to ferment and get more ‘sour’.