Social Media Scrooge

Citizens of Earth have lived through many ages – the Stone Age to the Middle Ages to the recent Space Age.  Currently, we’re in the Computer Age, also known as the Information Age.

Maybe it should be called the Social Media Age.  Facebook.  Twitter.  YouTube.  Pinterest.  LinkedIn.  So many social networking sites that connect us with people and information!

I often go on Facebook to learn all kinds of news about my friends and family.  At this time of year, I’ve noticed many status updates about Christmas preparations.

I’ve also noticed harsh criticism for those who like to decorate early.  In mid-November, I was shocked by the mean-spirited comments several people made after a friend posted a picture of her newly-decorated Christmas tree.

Seriously?  Of all the things to grouse about, people are choosing to get upset about decorating a Christmas tree?  Annoyed by someone wanting to enjoy the holiday season by starting early to avoid the rush and panic?

Let me explain something about Christmas:  It takes a lot of preparation and work.  You know that saying, “the magic of Christmas”?  Well, it doesn’t refer to waving a wand and having everything come together on its own.  The tree doesn’t decorate itself.  The presents don’t wrap themselves.  The turkey doesn’t remember to defrost itself and jump into the roasting pan.

Who takes care of those things?  The same person who set up her tree early and paced herself so she could keep the spirit of peace, good will, and cheer throughout the holiday season.

Don’t knock it, Scrooge.

Community Involvement

Laundry was a big deal when I was growing up.  The wringer washer required the clothes to be agitated with soap, squeezed through rollers, rinsed in fresh water, then squeezed again.  My mom usually spent two mornings each week doing this, after which she’d lug the heavy baskets of wet clothes out to the clothesline to dry.

Automatic washers and dryers sure save a lot of time!  So do dishwashers, microwaves, blenders, bread makers, computers, and all kinds of other devices that most of us now own.

Many products are even advertised “…so you can spend time on the important things...”  I’d like to know what important things we’re spending our extra time on.  Facebook?

I hope family is number one, but I’d also like to see more volunteering in the community.  Many of us already do, but with all the time we’re saving these days with our helpful doodads, we should be seeing an increase in volunteers, not a decline.

Schools are a great place to start.  We need parents and grandparents to go on field trips, extra help with pizza and sports days, reading mentors, and people to weed our outdoor garden beds, to name a few.  Last year our pancake breakfast and hot dog days were cancelled due to a lack of volunteers.

Healthy schools are at the heart of healthy communities.  With all the time we’re saving now with our fancy gadgets, why not spend that extra time getting involved in something worthwhile?

Hot Summer Nights

We finally got the hot summer days we’ve been waiting for.  I remind myself of this as I lie in bed at night with my sheet kicked off and the fan on full blast.

But the discomfort of hot summer nights is worth it because of all the things we can do on hot summer days that we can’t do on cold winter days.  Right?

I remember the care-free summer days of childhood.  After the morning work of weeding the garden (I was responsible for a 20-foot row of beans when I was five), there was plenty of time for playing in “Pine Needle Palace” where mud pies were served on rhubarb leaves and “Cops and Robbers” in the woods with walkie-talkies.  In the evenings there were trips to the lake or the creek to wash away the dust and sweat of the day.

I try to help my children have happy summer days like I did.  The younger ones I can hardly keep inside the house, but the suggestion to “go outside and play” is usually met with moans and groans from the older ones.

What happened?  When did “go outside and play” become a punishment instead of a treat?  Is it age?  Or apathy?

If all we want to do is watch Netflix and play on our iPads, we might as well have winter all year long.  So I’ll send my kids out and you send yours out and maybe they’ll find each other and learn what summer’s all about.

iPod Game

This winter, my daughter saved up the money she earned dog walking.  Now she has a cute, annoying, iPod.

I must admit, it can be a useful thing, especially when she’s away from home.  She can text, email, find directions, input reminders, take pictures, listen to music, and even play games.  Games.  Bonus.

What I dislike about iPods – or any portable electronic device – is the amount of time spent on them at inappropriate times, a trend that seems to be increasing.

We’ve made some rules for iPod use in our family – like when we should be talking to or listening to other people, or even doing something like watching a movie together – THE GADGET IS OFF!

I’ve started playing my own iPod game – without an iPod.  It’s called, “What Are They Doing With Their iPod?”

When someone stops dead in her tracks at the grocery store and stares into the palm of her hand, what is she doing?  Checking her grocery list?  Calculating price per gram?

Or when he takes his electronic device up to the salad bar, is he texting his wife to see what he’s allowed to eat?  Looking up calories?  Sending a picture and message to his friend: “food looks good tonight – come on down”?

Or when a couple stands together, embracing, looking at their separate iPhones, are they calling other people or texting sweet nothings to each other?  I don’t know, but either one sounds terribly romantic.

What I find most alarming is how often I can play my game.

Healthy New Year

This past week, before the New Year and its accompanying resolutions, I managed to lose five pounds.  I think that’s the first time I’ve ever made it through the holidays without having to undo a button on my waistband!

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend the diet plan I was on.  It’s known as “The Pre-Christmas Flu”.  Believe me, coming down with the flu less than a week before Christmas was not fun.

Twelve days before Christmas my eleven-year-old started us out.  Two days later the four-year-old succumbed, then my husband.  Six days before Christmas it was my turn, and the others, except the seven-year-old, quickly followed.

All the pre-Christmas outings and gift-giving we had planned for the week before Christmas quickly fell off the calendar, replaced by exciting events such as going to the hospital for chest x-rays and dragging ourselves to the store for more juice and Advil.

After 24 hours I thought I was getting better, but I quickly learned that for the next several days my legs would feel like jelly, sorting laundry would leave me short of breath, and the fever and chills could revisit at any time.  I’ve always been skeptical of flu shots but I can see why anyone would want to avoid what we just went through.

I was very thankful we were well enough to host family for the red-letter days – with a considerate warning, of course, that there had been recent sickness in the house.

Now the New Year is here and, as always, health is one of my top priorities.  We even got a Wii (finally) and Zumba for Christmas to help us with our exercise goals.  No matter how that goes, however, I am definitely starting the year of 2013 with a renewed appreciation for good health.

Something Old, Something New - First Article

Hi, I’m Kathryn. I’m not the “something old” referred to in the title, but I am a new columnist with Town & Country. I’m happy to be writing again (I wrote for a paper in Fort McMurray) but I’m sad about something else: The calculator I used since Grade 9 just died.

Sharp EL-531A was a trusted friend. She added certainty to my life, subtracted doubts from my mind, and multiplied my abilities. We divided hard tasks between us. She was a stickler for accuracy and I appreciated her for it. It was balancing the family budget that killed her.

Now I have a shiny new calculator. At least I waited until EL-531A was gone before I replaced her.

My husband wants to replace the Zenith TV I bought fifteen years ago before we were married. Whatever for? He already has a nice TV. This one is for the kids’ videos and they don’t care what it looks like.

Why are we so quick to replace perfectly good old stuff? Is the new stuff really that much better? I liked VHS. When I stopped a movie, it stayed right where I left off—and I didn’t have to worry about fingerprints and scratches. I also liked cassette tapes. Walkmans are much harder to send through the laundry than tiny MP3 players.

Technology advances so quickly we could buy some fancy new gizmo every day. That’s not good news for our budgets or for the environment.

My grandma used to say, “Fix it up or wear it out; make it do, or do without.” My grandma was smart.

We’ll get a new TV some day—when Zenith goes to where EL-531A has gone.