August 2023

By: Dianne Hahn / Back in the Days
Summer is here, but I’m going to have to skip it
this year. None of my summer clothes fit!
Don’t scold. A gal hasta have a bit of fun!
But those extra pounds I acquired are
stubbornly sticking to my bones! My summer
clothes bunch, and crease, and I huff and puff
when I walk.
Steps seem higher, staircases longer, and I
need a pogo stick to get up onto the average
street curb.
I bought some books about eating healthy
and losing weight. Other than fish and
chicken, they said you shouldn’t eat anything
white.
No flour, potatoes, rice, or sugar. Gimmie
a break! What’s left? Oh yeah, lettuce and
brown rice.
Another book talked about portion control and included a list:
Cooked pasta: Your fist size. (I feed more to my dog!)
Dry cereal: Small white wine glass. (Huh? Do you mix the cereal
with the chardonnay?)
Cooked rice: A cupcake wrapper. (That’s filling!)
Nonfat cheese: A pink eraser. (OMG! I gave up eating those in grade
school!)
22
Summer is Here!
Happy Birthday To My Dad
By: Pat Alexander / Art of Entertaining
This month brings thoughts of my father. He
was born in August and was
a very gentle man who never
raised his voice, loved a good joke and dinnertime
always found us around the table laughing at his
latest favorites.
He loved cars and every Saturday we went to
his friend’s repair shop so he could be around his
beloved automobiles. I would walk, with my hand in
his, the several blocks to the garage and It was the
highlight of my Saturday mornings. I still love the
smell of gasoline and the memories it brings.
For my high school graduation, he gave me my
first corsage, miniature yellow roses. Of course,
yellow roses are my favorite.
Daddy was a first-class carpenter, mechanic and handyman. When I
bought my first house, he came to help paint and do fix-it things.
My sisters and I have always joked that since Daddy had no sons, God
made sure his three daughters were all born with a hammer in their
hand. I was right there with him, yielding paint brush, hammer and
nails. It was a wonderful, memorable two weeks of working together.
August 2023
Potato: A bar of soap. (Good news! It didn’t mention toppings like
butter and sour cream. They’re okay, right?)
Muffin: A standard light bulb size. (Itty bitty!)
Frozen yogurt: A baseball. (Would it kill them to make it a softball?)
Nuts: 2 egg cups. (Two! They actually let you have two! Be still my
beating heart!)
Vegetable oil or mayo: A quarter. (A
quarter of what? Oh! Like 25 cents? Why
bother?)
Chocolate: A package of dental floss. (That
doesn’t even deserve a comment!)
Vegetables: A small scoop of ice cream.
(Yum, over the top!)
Lean red meat: A computer mouse.
(Delicious! Fillet of mouse!)
I threw that book in the trash! See why I
hate diets? You eat scraps! They simply don’t
work…for me, anyway!
If that isn’t bad enough, I’ve been grappling with another issue -
another birthday! Now I’m worried about being over the hill too! We’ll
save that for another day.
However, you’ll be happy to know I’ve resolved my immediate diet
dilemma. Like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. “I’ll think
about it tomorrow!”
A former schoolteacher, Dianne Sebis Hahn writes for children too.
Presently, Dianne has eight books available on Amazon.com.
He loved ice cream and every night at 8:00 pm he would give me
the “look” that signaled it was our ice cream time – his favorite was
two scoops of chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce,
half a banana, wet walnuts, whipped cream and a
Maraschino cherry on top.
It was a ritual that holds a special place in my
heart. By the way, wet walnuts are an East Coast
thing.
If you haven’t tried them, you really must. Total
decadence and so delicious. Here’s a recipe:
“Wet” Walnuts: In saucepan, combine 1 cup
light corn syrup (Karo), 1 cup brown sugar and ½
cup water. Bring to a slow boil, stirring well. Add 2
cups halved walnuts. Lightly boil an additional 2
minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Stir well.
Cool. Store in refrigerator. Stir before using. You
can add 3 tbs. butter, and milk in place of water, for additional richness,
but it tends not to store as well.
Pat Alexander writes about all things home. She is well known for
her cooking, parties and interior design, and consults on kitchen
and bath remodels.