COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!

By

Gerry Niskern

I have just one thing to say to everyone, the mantra that was intoned by my mother at least once every day when I was growing up. “Count your blessings, young lady.”

Yes , we are in the middle of a Pandemic. Yes, we have been asked to ‘Shelter inside’. And yes, it is scary. I know it can be boring. I got so frustrated being home that I broke into a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints that I was saving for my turn for refreshments at Bunco.

Those in their 80’s or even older might remember the whole country being on food rations during WWII. You needed a ration coupon to buy butter, meat, sugar or even a pair of shoes. Everything was sent to be used by the Armed Forces. Most all families were so worried about their family members fighting overseas that the few hardships of every day living was not important.

Now, everyone is being asked to Please stay home and only go out for work, Doctors App (and those are being cancelled mostly) and Groceries. People are trying to stay six feet apart when they are out. They are not to gather in groups of ten or more. Less is much better or not at all. I’m no covering everything here, but you know the drill.

There is just one problem. Everyone is not complying, especially the Seniors across our country. Yes,  The Seniors! The very people who are the most vulnerable. Their attitude is “If it’s my time to go, it’s my time.” Wrong. It’s not about you! The Sheltering request is to keep the surge of the sick down as much as possible, so the hospitals don’t get overwhelmed.

It is not much to ask everyone to do for your community. There is anything you want on TV. There is the Internet and your phone for communication. There are video games and online games too. And don’t forget books.

We can wait this out. And there is another activity you can do while Social Distancing. You can count your blessings.

I’m counting mine!

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR!

By

Gerry Niskern

I’ve lived in l8 neighborhoods, give or take a few. The one thing I’ve learned is that neighbors are a luck of the draw.  When Ken and I bought our first house, we assumed our neighbors would be around our age. We visualized new friends and great parties. Wrong!

Our’s was the first house built in the subdivision.  We watched in dismay as people old enough to be our grandparents moved in all around us. Turned out, their idea of Happy Hour wasn’t sharing parenting woes and the sound of  babies crying. Our entertainment instead was listening to  the Italian couple across the street arguing every night, even above the noise of the evaporative cooler and the TV. Seems  there was a question of what she did while he was overseas fighting in WWII that still needed to be settled.

Our next house had a big yard and we put in the only pool  in the area. Some preteens weren’t happy about that and decided to throw several buckets of paint into the water one night. It took a ton of Pot Ash to clear that up.

Don’t get me wrong. Some neighbors have been great!. I still remember the warm feeling of welcome when a couple from Alabama welcomed us to our new place in California with a wonderful chicken dinner. They introduced us to Shakey’s Pizza and shared lots of good times.

Once in another house the people next door regularly called the police when our two sons and friends were practicing with their band in the garage. Their children asked us quite frequently why we didn’t go to  church.

We lived in a condo in Costa Mesa once and the elderly lady above us rearranged her furniture every night. Another Senior stood and stared at our picture window for l5 minutes at a time. We weren’t sure, but thought she was the same woman.

For twenty-five years we lived on the side of the North Phoenix Mountain and had a fantastic view of the valley. I’ll admit we were kind of smug and  didn’t really worry about neighbors. Except for one.He lived down below and  stood in is garage and stared at his huge tool box for hours on end; not working, just staring. Turns out he wasn’t the one we should have been worried about. One evening the police set of a couple of percussion bombs that shook the neighborhood and raided the house next to him. They picked up several druggies. You never know.

I’m in another home now. I’m the new kid on the block. I’m very slowly meeting everyone; they are all super busy. Someone just bought the house across the street. When I came home yesterday a skip loader was hauling dirt out of their back yard. Seems they are building a pool.

I think it is  time to introduce myself.

WHAT IS RETIREMENT AGE?

By

Gerry Niskern

We had a retirement at my house the other day.

I was cleaning out my car and throwing away junk accumulated in the back. When I got to the bottom, there was my trusty, old friend. My aluminum lawn chair. You know the kind. It’s made of aluminum tubing and the seat and back are woven fabric slats.

The best thing about those old chairs is they are so light weight. There are all kinds of super deluxe chairs out now. They are made nylon, have cup holders and pockets and are super heavy. Ken bought two and insisted on carrying them too. But when he wasn’t along I grabbed my light weight friend.

Together that old chair and I attended baseball and soccer games when our grandsons played. It held me when I watched my granddaughter slide into home many times. Something I never thought I would see that girl do. Sometimes there were bleachers and sometimes not. And besides, those bleachers are hard!

I sat in that chair and watched my first Great-grandson play baseball too. I don’t think his heart was ever in it, but he did want to please his dad.

I saw my Great-grandaughter play softball for a while. She was good at it, but she soon changed her sport to volleyball and she excelled at that game for many years.

My chair went to her brother’s first base ball game at age three. He loved the game and couldn’t wait to start. Then, he bulked at the last minute and decided he didn’t want to play. Big surprise!  Pleading, bribes, nothing worked. Until his thirteen year old brother offered to go out on the field with him and then he went. The last game my chair went to was to watch him play for PVC.  Now he’s playing for Arkansas Tech on a baseball scholarship.

My chair’s sports days are over. So it’s taking a well deserved rest in the back of the garage…….but not too far back, you never know!

DON’T MISS THIS!

By

Gerry Niskern

My blog this week is short, but something I  wanted to call to everyone’s attention.

I recently watched the documentary titled “American Factory”. It is showing on Netflix and last week it won an Oscar for best documentary film this year.

I can’t get it out of my mind. It brings up lots of questions and not many answers about the direction our country is going. The manner in which it was done reminds me of the old writing rule, “Show, don’t tell”.

Watch it. You  will be glad you did and you won’t easily forget it.

THE DAISES WERE EVERYWHERE!

By

Gerry Niskern

The other day, as I parked in front of my favorite coffee place, I saw them; the “Dreaded Girl Scout Cookies!”

Every February the Girl Scouts invade the neighborhood. I believe the little tricksters are there for only one reason, to sabotage my New Year’s diet.

I’m always torn, especially,  when the little kids, the Daises, approach me. Well, of course, I want to support the girls and besides I’d  heard that the Thin Mints are even better this year.

I asked for a box of Thin Mints and handed the lass a ten dollar bill. She gave me the carton of treats and just stood there with an angelic smile. I waited for my change, but she just kept smiling at me. “Oh, okay,” I said. “I’ll take another box.” I don’t know which badge she was earning, but I’d give her a special one for high pressure salesmanship.

You see, I have a special spot in my heart for the Girls. When I was in the fifth grade at Jackson School, a Girl Scout troop was formed; called troop # Eleven. Yes! We were the llth troop in the whole Phoenix area. Our leaders name was Miss Curlee, a second grade teacher. I’m sure the poor lady got the short straw, but lucky for us, she was young and pretty. All the other teachers looked to be over 100 to this fifth grader. Our dues were 2 cents per week.

My main Christmas present that year was a Girl Scout uniform. They cost a whopping three dollars.  And since I was lucky enough to have one first, I got to represent our troop in the annual Rodeo Parade that year. We all stood on a wagon trying to keep our balance on a very bumpy ride down Central Avenue.

I enjoyed all the scouting experiences, but the thing that I was most excited about and truthfully I’ll admit now, my main reason for joining was that I was going to get to sell cookies door to door. They were plain vanilla, with the Girl Scout emblem on the top.

When I took my boxes home and my mother heard the price, (25 cents), she said, “Absolutely not! I wouldn’t think of letting you ask the neighbors to buy a box of cookies for 25 cents when they can buy the same for ten cents at the grocery store”

In those days, that was that. CASE CLOSED!

Sure you can find less expensive cookies, but that’s not the point, is it? Why not support the organization that develops girls of courage, confidence and character worldwide? The Girl Scouts don’t ask for donations. They get out and hustle.

The girls promise “to help other people at all time:, and THAT YOU WILL LOVE THEIR COOKIES!

Necessary Nuisance

By

Gerry Niskern

She arrived about a few years ago. I was happy to have her, but apprehensive and unsure on how to deal with this new little thing. I was dismayed to learn that I had to carry the demanding scamp with me all the time!

You see, I had already banished her older, lazy, cumbersome siblings because they said she was all I would need.  She’s really smart too, they also assured me.  I really didn’t mind carrying her all the time, but I wish she could fit easily into my jeans pocket. When I had no pockets at all to put her in, it was especially annoying.

If she’s in my purse, I think she intentionally whispers so I won’t hear her, but if I’m in a quiet place, she shrieks at the top of her voice. She is also very stubborn and sensitive. If I barely touch her she will do exactly the opposite of the thing I’ve asked her to do.  Most frustrating of all is just when she is about to earn her keep and cough up some valuable information, she decides she is tired and needs to rest and recharge.

The truth is, it turns out she really is smart and I’ve been able to train her to my schedule. I will keep carrying her because now I couldn’t live without her!

“Have you seen any good scorpions lately?”

By

Gerry Niskern

I wrote this column awhile back, but I have an update. I speak from experience now on the subject of scorpion bites. I was stung on my foot in the middle of Wednesday night. It felt like a thousand tiny knives radiating up my leg. Called poison control and followed their instructions, but the symptoms grew steadily worse over the next 24 hours. My foot swelled up to twice its size. My head felt like it was in a vice and my face and lips were numb. I also suffered severe diarrhea. Finally, after about 36 hours the numbness and tingling in my fingers stopped and just my foot is still swollen. Good Samaritan poison control called back twice to check on me and I was surprised and thankful. Read on.

Are you new to our valley? How well do you know your neighbors? Have you met any of our resident scorpions yet?  The swift venomous arthropods are everywhere.

When you live in the desert, you have invaded their territory; especially when you dwell in an area where the ground has been disturbed for new housing construction and their nests are stirred up. The stinger is at the end of the tail; the sting site can be extremely painful. It generally does not swell, but there is instantaneous pain and numbness. Young kids and seniors are most at risk.

Almost everyone has a scorpion story.  I saw my first scorpion years ago. It was a rather large one, on the wall above a sleeping newborn’s crib. The proud parents had invited us in to see their infant, and there on the wall was the culprit. What a lucky intervention that was.

We’ve had them quite often because we live in the Dreamy Draw area that is especially known for its scorpions. Our son gave us something handy to keep from stepping on one at night; plug in Limelites  that cast a faint glow on the floor, enough to throw a scorpion’s shadow to alert you.  I recommend getting one.

My resident historian took off his socks one night and surprise, there on the bottom of one sock was a squashed scorpion. He was lucky that time. It pays to shake out your shoes before putting them on. Sometimes you hear them first; they make a slight scratching sound on a hard surface.

Most pest control companies will tell you that you cannot kill them. Scorpions usually follow other bugs into a home. What actually can be done is to spray for their prey thereby eliminating the scorpions.

I remember walking into the kitchen one morning and seeing one on the telephone sitting on the counter. I came back with the flyswatter and to my amazement, I watched that tiny scorpion run down the wall, under the locked and what we thought was an airtight Arcadia door and out onto the patio. They can crawl through a credit card size slit.

Last year, we were at a friend’s new home in the Sun City area. She leaned down to pick up what she thought was a piece of dry grass from the carpet. Guess what, it stung her!  Her pain from that scorpion sting lasted several hours.

Another friend tells about the time when he was in high school and the family had just moved into a new home. He thought he saw a scorpion run under the refrigerator. Determined to get it, the high school boy got down on his hand and knees and looked under the frig. The little pirate dashed out and stung him on the nose!  Of course, the repercussions were serious from that sting.

According to the emergency room staff at John C. Lincoln, children under six and seniors are the only ones they normally to give antiserum for scorpion venom. It’s very hard on you. But unfortunately with children, if they are crying loudly, and it appears to be quite painful, they have to assume it’s probably a scorpion bite.

According to my research, there are 1,300 species of scorpions worldwide, and many varieties are non- poisonous. However, the poisonous ones live mainly in the Southwest Deserts. Watch out!. And put poison control on your phone contacts. 602 253 3334

OK, BOOMER!

By

Gerry Niskern

Let’s turn this “Ok, Boomer” put down around.

“Have you ever noticed that mothers, over the age of fifty in sitcoms, are depicted as sex starved maniacs. The older men fare even worse. And their counterparts in the flicks are only portrayed as worthwhile if they ended up with a Jay Lo or Scarlett Johansen  type.”

As depressing as all this is, I think you mothers, and fathers too, of the boomer generation, could easily turn this trend around. After all, your large body of consumers have redefined marketing in this country. I know you could do it again regarding television and movies. That’s where millions of our nation’s young people pick up their ideas on life.

Granted, some children in today’s society are lucky enough to know their grandparents as individuals. However, most kids never learn about the senior’s careers or their life experiences. In other words, a large percentage don’t see the elderly as real people. They only know the stereotypes they have been conditioned to laugh at in entertainment.

You could begin with your children and grandchildren.  Yes, some boomers have grandchildren already! We all know kids learn by example. They see your daily attitude towards the older members of your neighborhood. Do they see you communicating with older people on a person to person  basis, or talking down to them, as if to a child?

Do they hear you complaining about the white haired driver doing the speed limit and holding up traffic…while not saying a word about the twenty-something playing  thread the needle, well over the speed limit?

Our sense of stability and security has always been grounded in respect for families and our elders. In these times, with our mobile society, we need assurance that if you lay the groundwork, our kids and grandkids will have a different attitude towards anyone growing older.

And the added benefit will be…when the boomers progress from middle age into the pace maker years, they won’t be automatically assigned the “geezer”  roles created by the script doctors!

“Let the Writing Begin!”

By

Gerry Niskern

Have you ever thought about writing your memoir?

A small group of people gathered at the Acacia Library this week to begin writing theirs.

They are going to enjoy the excitement of describing their lives, the people in their lives and the events that they want others to know about. They will take their readers on an exciting ride as they detail their experience and thoughts.

This group will paint a picture of their lives by showing what characters, places and events were like. And they will all this with the wonderful world of words!

What can I say about words? First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you to the first people who learned to communicate with words. And then thank you again to the scholars who learned to write them down in various forms to be read by everyone.

This evolved over thousand of years, but to each one of us who discovered that some little squiggly lines in our first school books were actually words; and those words told a story, it was a miracle!

At least it was to me as a six year old first grader, in a little country school in West Virginia.  We were allowed to take our readers home and read the next chapter. Well, it’s hard to believe, but I was so thrilled with the story of Dick, Jane and Spot, that I finished the book.

The next day when I excitedly told Miss Mary Jane Crowe, my teacher, that I loved reading the whole book, I was soundly scolded for reading more than I was instructed. Looking back, I’m guessing that she didn’t have a lot of books for us to read and that reader was supposed to last quite a while.

Fortunately, that reprimand didn’t deter me from being an avid reader all my life. Later on, I carried stacks of books from the first Phoenix Library every week while growing up and continue to read everything I can.

I do have to say, though, that the only thing better than reading words,  is writing them to create a story!

“Burnishing the old resolution again”

By

Gerry Niskern

My New Year’s resolution is the same one I have made for years. I just get it out and polish it up again.

The trait that I do like and value in another person is the ability to speak exactly the same with whomever they are talking . I think the habit of speaking the same with the bosses wife, the friend of your child, your pastor, a toddler, an official is a habit that I have strived to practice.

A person full of grace does no change tone, facial expression or their smile as the occasion dictates. Anyone who has practiced this democratic approach to life conveys the concept that they value the recipient of their remarks for who they are; not someone younger, or of a different social class, or different sex, but just a fellow human being.

I always admire a person dealing with the public who addresses everyone in the same straight forward direct tone and manner. They don’t speak condescendingly to a child or “sweety, sweet” to a senior.

I will admit that when I observe a friend  changing their tone of voice or manner in speaking to a new acquaintance of different stature, I am very disappointed. There is something dishonest about that habit.

Somewhere along in my life, I don’t know when, I decided to strive to speak  to everyone the same. I hope I have succeeded this past year and hope to do the same this year.

Feel free to borrow my resolution. You might like it!