by Debbie Walker

My Question For You (2)

Hello again. Last week’s column asked you to keep it or maybe your “rememberer” work’s better than mine and you didn’t forget what I wrote. So we are going to add a bit more to last week’s words.

Okay, onward. When people tell you how wonderful you are to them and how much they appreciate you, just listen. And then say thank you, that’s all you have to say.

Now there is always the chance that someone won’t return your smile. That is no reflection on you in any way. I really doubt that they are saving their face from cracking, I think they just haven’t learned yet how blessed they are.

I can be very evil sometimes. At the pharmacy I go to in Florida there is this red headed young woman who always had a sour look on her face and could be rather curt with customers, including me. Oh, look out! There is my challenge! At first I was rather put out by her because everyone else there is so friendly, I almost complained one day but I decided that wasn’t going to fix anything. Sooo, she became my challenge. No matter how sour she was that day I acted like she was being friendly, and I just kept on being me. I would purposely ask her questions that she would have to answer, and I always was smiling with her. I won that little girl over. It took almost a year but I did it! People really do want to be noticed, to know they aren’t really invisible and sometimes it only takes a smile. They are blessed by you and you by them.

From a Woman’s World magazine in 2011:

“You are a Blessing! It’s easy to wonder whether you’re making a difference in the world. After all, you’re just one person. Every smile you smile, every hug you give, every encouraging word you say and every kindness you show has a greater impact than you can imagine. One person can make a difference. Especially when that person is you.”

How about a little change here. I saw these ketchup uses in my First magazine and decided to share them with you.

Did you ever imagine using ketchup on bug bites? Mosquito bites are itchy. For quick relief apply a bit of ketchup on the spot for three minutes. It will help minimize itch and irritation.

Use ketchup as a make-believe paint for little ones. They can paint with it and if they eat it there will be no harm.

Ketchup can wipe away insect splatters on your vehicles. Cover the affected areas with ketchup and let set for 20 minutes, allowing the vinegar to breakdown the stuck-on gunk. Give the area a good scrub before rinsing well and buff dry.

Reveal a beautiful glow. Simply apply a thin layer of ketchup to your face, leave on for 15 minutes while you relax then rinse off with water. A smooth, glowing complexion for pennies.

I am hoping you will pass on the blessings to others. I am curious what you have for results. Questions or comments, contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

by Debbie Walker

There are so many uses for simple, everyday products, why do we need the “newest, high-priced chemicals”? Would you have dreamed of the other uses of vinegar? Wait, unless you are from the older generation that used these products before the chemical ones came out! Confusing?

Apple cider vinegar: Sore throat, tenderizing meat, dog’s coat, freshen feet, revive yellow plants, what do these all have in common? Vinegar fixes them.

Sore throat: Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with /14 cup of water for 15 seconds. Repeat every hour.

Tenderize meat: Blend 2 cups of the vinegar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh garlic. Marinate in the liquid for three hours before cooking.

Dog’s coat: Dull looking. 1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to his water bowl daily, gradually building up to 1 teaspoon of vinegar for every 15 pounds of body weight.

Freshen feet: Soak feet in a mix of 1/3 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Daily.

Revive yellow plants: hydrate plants with 2 tablespoons vinegar to 1 quart of water. Repeat once weekly for three weeks.

How about we try something different. Bubble Wrap. It can be used for things other than packaging. Snow proofing, hanger bumps, and winter proof windows.

Snow proofing your windshield: Use bubble wrap on windshield and back window to cover. In the morning pull it off. Much easier than scrapping.

Hanger bumps: Roll bubble wrap around hanger. It won’t leave bumps in your hanging clothing.

Winter proof windows: Spray the inside of each window with water then press the bubble side of the wrap against the frame. Keeps warmth inside and cold outside.

Back to food uses such as oatmeal: clean cast iron, Perk up houseplants and soothe aches and pains.

Clean cast iron: If cookware is looking shabby toss in 2 tablespoons oatmeal, rub with a dish rag. It absorbs grease and scrub away small food particles without ruining the cookware’s seasoning.

Perk up houseplants: Instead of commercial plant food try oatmeal. Mix 2 tablespoons dry oatmeal into the soil. Do this once a month.

Soothe aches and pains: Fill a tube sock with 1 cup oatmeal, tie closed and heat in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. (Microwave in 30 second intervals so sock doesn’t overheat.)

Time for a chat? I got a new book the other day. It’s The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present. I have only begun reading it but it has me interested. I remember a lot of the situations. Such as the beginning of it being okay for woman to wear pants in certain situations.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week.

by Debbie Walker

I am back in Florida and the weather is no better here than there. But I do miss that lake view.

While I was up there, I picked up a brochure for Sebasticook Region Land Trust to look at. It is what they called their Spring Newsletter 2022. It’s what they refer to as Speaker Series and Events. This one still has August and September events listed. August is named “Waterways & Connections”, Saturday, August 6, is Live Walk for Connor Mill. August 17 another Live Walk called Nature Immersion Walk. September is called Forest Revitalization with another Live Walk and a Zoom presentation called Coyotes, America’s Song Dog.

That’s only two months of activity but think of all the months you have been keeping any group activities at a distance. These are outside entertaining exercises and education at very low risk. With all the nastiness going on in the world right now wouldn’t it be nice to surround yourself with such beautiful land? These things show us a positive side of life. What better for healing us all.

While I was in Maine, I did spend some time with several “interesting” people. They made me realize my activities are quiet compared to theirs!

What do you say to someone who got out of bed, naked, grabbed a gun and headed out the door to the back 40, chasing after a fox trying to get to the proverbial hen house? No luck but at least she didn’t get chilled!

Then the next one pipes up to tell us about last November. It was after dark, and he was also naked (wife was laughing quite hard now). He claimed he heard someone by his hot tub outside, digging. He, too, took of running out around the house, naked, BB gun in hand. He was up against a muskrat headed back to his new winter home. The man got off three shots before the muskrat fell over right at his entrance of his almost new home.

Okay, that is the best I can do, there are one or two more “characters” I met. I do remember their being some interesting people as I was growing up in Maine. Not much has changed, I guess.

Recently, I fell in love with a new magazine called Mary Jane’s Farm. In it was an article written by Cindy about “Butter the Size of an Egg”. It is about old-time measurements for cooking. It wasn’t until late 1800s that we began standardized cooking measurements. I am going to share some of the older measurements. There may be more listed on a site called “Home Cooking” on About.com but here is what I have:

1 Jigger = 1.5 oz.
1 gill = ½ cup
1 teacup = a scant ¾ cup
1 coffee cup = a scant cup
1 peck = 2 gallons, dry
1 pinch/dash = picked up between fingers
½ pinch = picked up by thumb and finger.

I know you are aware that I find strange things interesting.

I’m just curious what stories you could tell! Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org. with any questions or comments especially if you want to share your story. Have a great week and thank you for reading.

by Debbie Walker

I believe I found this material on Facebook, a social website, and I really wanted to share it. I don’t know who the original author is but I liked the thought behind this. And, of course, I had to add a few of my own thoughts. Any thoughts or comments you have I would be glad to hear from you.

1. The past cannot be changed. If we were able to change the past, we would lose some of the lessons we needed. What we don’t think of is in our quest to redo the past we would also lose some of the things you weren’t considering.

2. Opinions don’t define your reality. I will listen to anyone’s opinion, if I agree then it is part of my reality already. If I don’t agree I just ignore it. We all make mistakes. From those mistakes we learn. These are what makes our realities.

3. Everyone’s journey is different. No one is in the exact same spot in their journey. Everyone’s journey is different, that’s what makes us who we are, makes us all special. We might be the same age, in the same income bracket and may even have similar goals in life. Fortunately, the way we accomplish it is what makes our journey different.

4. Things always get better with time. Most injuries get better with time, most illnesses get better with time, grief and losses get better with time. Usually even our children get better with time!

5. Judgments are a confession of character. You will only know the character of a person through three things. (a) When you live with that person. (b) When you do business/partnership/employer/employees/ or friends with that person. (c)Any reason to spend a lot of time together. Character says a lot about a person, and that character is being judged, often, before you meet someone.

6. Over thinking will lead to sadness. Overthinking is focused on the past, specially the bad things that have happened or unfortunate situations that a person wishes had gone differently. Sadly, it is not just something you can ‘shake off’. The sadness or depression usually requires a little help, not just wishing.

7. Happiness is found within. According to my dictionary True Happiness is enjoying your own company and living in peace and harmony with your body, mind, and soul. It’s for being truly happy you neither need other people nor materialistic things. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. I think we look for other people to make us happy rather than doing it for yourself. Such as: My husband doesn’t have a clue what I would love for Christmas. My suggestion is to purchase a couple of your most wanted items, buy them and put them in his hands to wrap. I doubt he will be unhappy and you will get what you wanted without disappointment.

8. Positive thoughts create positive things. Explains itself.

9. Smiles are contagious. I believe in smiling, especially when I have eye contact with anyone, strangers, and all.

10. Kindness is free.

11. You only fail if you quit. Or…If you don’t try all.

12. What goes around, comes around. A person’s actions or behavior will eventually have consequences for their behavior.

Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

by Debbie Walker

Let’s see what I can come up with tonight. This doesn’t mean I have tried them; I am seeing some of them for the first time myself. So let me know what you think?

Do you have any problems with pet hair? It is suggested you get out your hairspray. Spray it onto a clean cloth and run it over in an area of pet hair.

Did you ever get makeup like mascara on your clothes? You guessed it, hairspray to the rescue. Spritz it with hairspray and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse.

Need to remove an ink spot from fabric? Spritz hairspray onto the area. Rub away the stain with a clean cloth. (Tried it, it works!) One I haven’t tried is using hand sanitizer to remove ink.

Spraying a zipper with hairspray may help it to stay up. Let me know please.

Sticky labels or price sticker; spritz a layer of hairspray and wipe it away.

Runs in your pantyhose. Try spraying them with hairspray along the run. ( or stop with clear nail polish).

Ever get a razor burn? Place a wet tea bag over the cuts. The tannic acid in the tea works on the inflammation.

Before potting a plant, place tea bags on the drainage holes. They will help retain water and add life to your plant.

Shine your mirror? Brew a pot of strong tea and let it cool. Then dip a cloth into the brew and clean your mirror and buff to a shine.

If you have cooked on food to remove, fill the pot with warm water and drop in a tea bag. The acids help break up the food.

Want to keep your skin soft? Place a few green tea bags under the running water next time you take a bath. The green tea will help with rehydrating your skin.

Ever get a coffee or tea stain on clothing? Wet the area with cold water, put a pea-sized amount of whitening toothpaste on it. Wait minutes then rinse with cold water.

Did you ever hear of soaking a stiff paint brush in a pan of hot vinegar? Do it for about 15 minutes, then wash with dish soap and warm water. Let me know how it works, please.

Fly proof a picnic. Yes, you will have the weather for another picnic eventually! Set out vases of mint and basil down the center of the table. Flies dislike the odor and keep on traveling.

After cooking or cleaning have you had strong smells from your hands? I love this one. Put a dime size drop of toothpaste in each hand, rub together and rinse!

Unscented, hypoallergenic baby wipes make great makeup removers.

Use the baby wipes in your gym bag to clean off exercise equipment.

Clean your keyboard with baby wipes.

Got a bleach spot on your black pants? Use a black permanent sharpie and try your coloring skills. Now this one I have tried, and it works well. And those markers come in about 50 different colors.

I’m just curious how you do with these new thoughts. Contact me with any questions at DebbieWalker@townline.org. And as usual, thanks for reading. Have a great week!