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What’s Cooking: The Happy Medium’s Gazpacho Recipe
What’s Cooking is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting readers’ favorite recipes. Have a recipe to share? Email us at: recipes @ lgbtsr.com
The following recipe was provided by Jeff McKeehan, The Happy Medium and husband to Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously fame.
Gazpacho Trivia: This dish, beloved throughout Spain, plays a central role in the hilarious Pedro Almodóvar film, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”, starring a very young Antonio Banderas.
Equipment Needed:
Blender with approx. 48 -60 oz capacity.
Wire strainer, approx. 8” diameter, with medium-to-fine mesh
Short-handled soup ladle (for pressing contents through strainer)
Flexible spatula for scraping sides of blender and mixing bowl
Large, lightweight (plastic or stainless steel, not glass) mixing bowl with approx. 60 oz capacity.
Container with tight-fitting lid and closeable pour spout, with approx. 50-60 oz. capacity
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Dave Hughes: Stay-At-Home Orders May Provide Preview of Retirement for Some
By Dave Hughes, Retire Fabulously
This article was written on April 2, 2020, about three months into the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, most state governors have issued stay-at-home orders. Everyone except essential workers is urged to stay home and only venture forth to procure necessities, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others. Soon, we will be asked to wear face masks. Some people already are.
First, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude for those who must go to work, often placing themselves in danger: those in the medical professions, grocery store employees, delivery drivers, etc. You are heroes!
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Leslie Jordan Becomes An Instagram Sensation
Actor Leslie Jordan has been around for decades but recently found himself becoming an Instagram sensation during the national semi-quarantine. You can see his videos HERE, as he helps lighten a very dark time.
“For a really long time, I had 20,000 followers. People would tell me, “Oh, that’s nothing,” and I said, “Are you kidding me? 20,000 people want to hear from me.” And then Megan Mullally from “Will & Grace” reposted something I posted, and I had 80,000 followers. They kept saying, “That’s still nothing.” I go, “What do you mean? That’s 80,000 people.” And it stayed at 80,000 for a really long time, and then I’m not sure what happened. The shutdown, of course, we all had to hunker down and stay at home, and my number started — I would just notice, oh my gosh, I’ve got like 20,000 more. Who are these people? I had no idea. It’s all of a sudden becoming popular, and how is this happening?” – Leslie Jordan, in the Washington Post
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Cathy’s Wealth of Health: Staying Healthy with a Rainbow of Foods
By Cathy McNease, Herbalist
I know of no better food advice for a long healthy life than to strive towards eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Each color provides a power pack of nutrients to stave off chronic diseases and promote vitality. The USDA recently provided a new icon to represent a healthy diet, thanks to the work of Michelle Obama in attempting to raise food consciousness and tackle the childhood obesity epidemic. The image is a plate with ½ being devoted to fruits and vegetables, ¼ for proteins (lean meats, beans, eggs) and ¼ for grains (with the suggestion that at least ½ of the grains are whole grains). Off to the side is a small circle representing reduced fat dairy products (a glass of low fat milk or a container of yogurt). The brilliance is in its simplicity. Whether you are a child or a senior, you can understand the guidance. (Go to www.choosemyplate.gov for more dietary guidelines.) Most of us, even the healthiest of eaters, need to eat more fruits and vegetables. Reminding yourself of the rainbow helps move you towards that goal. -
An App for That: Spending Tracker (Apple App Store)
An App for That is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting useful apps and technology tips for our readers. Have an app to recommend? Email me at: Editor @ LGBTSr.com
If you’re like me, you wonder from time to time just how much you’re spending at Starbucks, what you’re laying out for lunches every week – in my case at work – how cost-effective your spending habits are, and, very importantly, how much you’re spending versus your income every month.I’ve been using a simple, free, very user-friendly little app on my iPhone called Spending Tracker, by MH Riley Ltd. It has the option to upgrade for the pro version at $2.99. I use the free version because all I really do with it is add expenses and income. That suits my needs. It also supports family sharing, which is a big plus if you want that. It requires iOS 9.0 or later, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. I’m sure there are comparable apps for non-Apple users, but I’m an all-Apple guy and this is my recommendation for those who like to keep it simple and at no cost.
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The Savvy Senior: How to Get Help from Social Security During the Coronavirus Pandemic
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’ve heard that the Social Security Administration has closed all their offices because of the coronavirus pandemic. How are they accommodating people while they’re closed down?
Recently Retired
Dear Recently,
Yes, that’s correct. The Social Security Administration has closed its 1,200 field offices throughout the country to protect benefit recipients and workers from the coronavirus pandemic. Their offices have been closed since March 17. How long they will be closed is unclear. It will depend on the course of the pandemic.
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The Savvy Senior: How to Protect Your Elderly Parents from Coronavirus
By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior,
I’m concerned about my 80-year-old mother who’s at high risk for coronavirus. She lives on her own about 100 miles from me, and I’ve been keeping close tabs on her since this whole pandemic started. What tips can you offer long-distance family members?
Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned,
Because the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions are the most vulnerable to the new coronavirus, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guideline of social distancing and staying home is critically important.
Here are some additional tips and recommendations from the CDC and public health specialists that can help keep your elderly mother safe and healthy while she’s hunkering down at home until the pandemic passes.
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How to Cut Your Own Hair: A Quarantine Special (Video for Women)
We all have time on our hands and the longer this self-quarantining goes on, the more likely we’ll need or want hair cuts. You can see the video for men HERE.
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How to Cut Your Own Hair: A Quarantine Special (Video for Men)
I just trimmed my husband Frank’s hair yesterday, but not before denying any responsibility for the results. A wise disclaimer, considering how it looks now. Never worry, a professional will repair the damage in a few weeks. – Mark/Editor
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An App for That: Cozi Family Calendar
An App for That is a regular feature at LGBTSr highlighting useful apps and technology tips for our readers.
A few years ago I was looking for an easy-to-use family calendar for myself and my husband. I knew all about Outlook and about sharing calendars on our phones, but I wanted something very simple, and very effective.
We’ve been using Cozi.com ever since, and we love it. It’s a single log-in for both of us, and we have it on our phones. I often log in from my desktop but I don’t need to, it’s all there on my iPhone app.
It’s a great way to see what’s on the calendar, by day, week or month, and it keeps your history as well, so you can look and see what you were doing a year ago, if you want to. Cozi also offers a lot of other options, like “Shopping,” “Meals,” contacts, birthday reminders, and a journal. I’m happy just to use it as a calendar. I pay $39 a year for the gold level membership, but you can use a free version.
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In the Spotlight: Artist Jean Ryan
I’ve known Jean Ryan for several years now, going back to her inclusion in an anthology of LGBT writers that I edited and published in 2014. Her writing remains among the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, and we’ve remained friends since then. She made the transition into retirement and has become an artist .. or, more accurately, always was one, and has found a new means of expressing it through painting. Her thoughts on retirement and how it provided her with these opportunities are captured beautifully in her blog post, On Being Retired, she kindly allowed me to reprint here at LGBTSr.
Jean and her wife Cindy have set up shop at Etsy as 4 Hands Art, and you can view her work there. I’ve just purchased two myself, and find Jean’s work detailed, delightful, and whimsical in some pictures (I purchased a reclining kitten, and sent my sister in California a mesmerizing portrait of a black lab that looks just like one of her beloved dogs).
One of the things I like most about Jean is her ability to inspire. I’m not a painter and never will be, but I know what it’s like to wonder, as I often do these days, what else might I want to do as someone who’s compelled to create? Another novel? Another mystery? Or not write fiction at all. But then what? Jean lets me know I don’t have to have an answer to pose the question, or to just relax and see what happens. – Mark McNease/Editor
About Jean Ryan
Jean Ryan Jean Ryan, a native Vermonter, lives in Lillian, Alabama. Her stories and essays have appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies. She has also published a novel, LOST SISTER. Her short story collections, SURVIVAL SKILLS and LOVERS AND LONERS, are available online. STRANGE COMPANY, a collection of short nature essays, is available in paperback as well as digital and audio editions.View all blog posts by Jean Ryan
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Jean Ryan: On Being Retired
On Being Retired
Jean RyanThe following is reprinted with permission from Jean Ryan’s blog. See our ‘In the Spotlight’ piece featuring her artwork.
Jean Ryan My top three blessings, in order of appearance, are my sisters, my spouse, and retirement. I can’t imagine the hollowness of a life without loved ones; as for retirement, I am still marveling over the perks.
Who knew that a clear calendar could have such salubrious effects? Free to be no one but yourself, you become intrigued: Who are you? What do you want? What do you shun, and why? You glimpse your infinite layers and begin to peer inside. What will you reach for? What might be out there, beckoning?
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One Thing or Another: An Economy to Die For
By Mark McNeaseIt’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.
Have a grandparent to spare? Now’s your chance to volunteer one in sacrifice to the economy. All positions available!
Who needs old people, really? What do they do besides eat, talk about how hard it is to get old, drive RVs across the country, and bother people with questions about the simplest techie things? Think of all the good use they could be put to as frontline workers in the apocalypse.
That’s the thinking in certain conservative circles these days. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, started the doomsday ball rolling when he said he’d be willing to work to save the economy for his grandchildren. I wasn’t aware he hadn’t worked before, or that he wasn’t getting paid while he sat around saying these things, but that’s another matter. The idea caught fire, especially among wealthy pundits and Republicans who have never been, and will never be, essential workers … like grocery store clerks, nurses, police officers, and baristas. Something tells me they know they won’t actually have to risk their lives for their grandchildren, but it sounds heroic. Things that sound heroic but have no chance of happening are favorites with men who fancy themselves soldiers, having avoided any real wars. It’s cool to say you’ll take a bullet, especially for future generations, when the gun’s empty.