Food Talk

When you look at My Everyday Life below, you’ll realize how ordinary it is. I’m trying not to keep reporting on the same things, but after a while it is hard to be unique in what I photograph.

Back on August 10, in My Everyday Life, I noted that it was National S’mores Day, but I didn’t have marshmallows or chocolate, only graham crackers. After replenishing what we needed, we had several S’mores and then had to purchase more crackers. I always thought graham crackers were a healthy choice, but sadly, I learned from Yuka that they are rated Bad. They contain additives to avoid, are high in calories, and contain too much sugar and sodium. Of course, the whole picture of a S’more is not a healthy one either. We’ll finish the ingredients we have for S’mores, and after that have a grape or two instead of something sweet.

While on the subject of food, I question why food manufacturers label their product as three servings. I have seen this many times, and since we only need two servings, what should I do? I could make it four servings or only two, which would make a larger serving than we need. There are some one-serving 8-oz. cans that we split into two servings. Some pre-packaged salads are labeled as one serving, but only a horse could eat it all.

Thanks for reading and letting me vent a little. Food is an interesting subject, and everyone has their own opinions. There are so many things in the grocery store that we need to avoid to maintain a healthy diet.

My Everyday Life - August 23-29, 2026

The WNBA Fever have been playing well with only a few games before the playoffs begin. If you haven’t heard, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell are setting records. They have combined four times to each score 30 points in a game, and Kelsey has a streak of 24 games when scoring 20 or more points. Both of these achievements are new records in the WNBA. The playoffs should be interesting to watch.

Today is National Toasted Marshmallow Day. I hope you can spend some time outside tonight or later this week roasting a marshmallow under the stars.

A Tea Party

It’s late evening, and I finally have a moment to begin writing about the past week. Last Sunday, we saw our first production by Collaboration Players. (See My Everyday Life below). Since they are nearby, it will be fun to follow them and attend when their production is something we would love to see.

This Sunday has been interesting too. We attended regular worship in the morning, and at 3 p.m. I returned for an informal tea. One of the members has a very large collection of teapots and donated some to our recent rummage sale. Today, the committee decorated the tables with colorful placemats and several teapots. We enjoyed tea, of course, along with scones and other goodies, and played several games. I was fortunate to win one of the teapots. I’m having second thoughts about whether to keep it since we don’t drink tea, but it might be nice to display it on our mantel or gift it to someone.

Should I keep it or gift it?

After the tea party, I prepared food for a new mother using what I purchased at Meijer after the church service. I heated the chicken Alfredo and breadsticks and added them to the bag with chopped salad, grapes, and chocolate chip cookies. Ray came along as we drove to the new mom’s house about 15 minutes away, but we couldn’t find the house. After quite a few frustrating minutes, we located the house after I realized I had the wrong house number. No wonder we couldn’t find the house. Even though we were later than planned, the family appreciated the gift of a meal after coming home from the hospital.

(Monday Update): Did anyone watch the Freedom 250 Grand Prix? We were watching the playback, but the recording ended before the race was over. Who was responsible for that goof? Kyle Kirkwood was leading when our recording ended, and after checking today, he was also leading at the end of the race.

My Everyday Life - August 16-22, 2026

Until next time, why don’t you plan something special to enjoy these last days of August?

Indiana In the News

 The story that has dominated the news over the last few days is the amount of rain that caused flash floods and river overflows. One statistic I heard was that in the last 10 years, 7 emergencies were posted, compared to 14 in a single day last week. We’re not used to seeing scenes of flooded neighborhoods in Indiana, but we made the national news this week. The areas near Muncie and Noblesville were in the news over the last few days, but now the White River, which flows through the heart of Indianapolis, is also at flood stage.

Indiana's White River crested above levels not seen since the Great Flood of 1913 — a benchmark that had stood for 113 years — as a sequence of storms beginning August 11 triggered dual emergency declarations, mass evacuations across central and eastern Indiana, and a formal request to FEMA for a presidential disaster declaration. As of Saturday morning, August 15, the flooding is not over: the river's crest at Indianapolis has not yet arrived. The NWS Indianapolis flood forecast remains active with major flooding ongoing along the White River system through at least Tuesday.

We didn’t see the sun often this past week. I was lucky one morning when I went out for a jog and captured this photo of the sun. 

By the time I returned home, the sun was no longer visible, and this is a gloomy-looking shot of our house.

Our half of the duplex is on the left

Many of the TV programs we regularly watch are showing reruns, and we don’t have any recorded programs in the queue. This past week, we watched four movies or documentaries instead: James Beard: America’s  First Foodie, Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland, Among Neighbors, and Iris. Here’s a quick recap of the documentary and biographical drama I found online.

In Among Neighbors, hand-drawn animation brings the past to life as an aging eyewitness and one of the last living Holocaust survivors from the same small village reveal Poland's darkest secret.

True story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease.

My Everyday Life - August 9-15, 2026

Until next time, may the skies clear, the water recede, and recovery begin for those affected by the recent flood.

Rummage Sale

The past week has been a blur when looking back. I helped get ready for the church Rummage Sale every day and was there Friday and Saturday for the two days of the sale. Ray accompanied me each day so he wouldn’t have to spend the day alone. 

The effort was worthwhile, as we had a successful sale. The proceeds were designated for our Preschool’s repairs following a small tornado-like storm in June. The storm destroyed one of the school’s pieces of playground equipment, and the rummage sale will cover most of the replacement costs.

We managed to attend the Wednesday evening concert in Franklin. I wanted a relaxing Friday evening but couldn’t get signed in to Kanopy. On reflection, I think it was operator error. Instead, we watched the movie “Breathe” on another channel and endured all the commercials. It was a heartwarming story!

This afternoon, I was able to sign in and watch a Kanopy movie, “Doubt.” Meryl Streep played the role of a strict principal in a Catholic elementary school. Also in the cast were Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played the Parish Priest, and Amy Adams and Viola Davis. As the school principal, Meryl Streep questions the priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student. I was left wondering who was right and who was wrong.

My Everyday Life - August 2-8, 2026

Until next time, may you enjoy a good book or movie and have a restful and calm week.

Welcome to August 2026

We just finished a quiet and routine week. Besides the usual chores of laundry, cooking, and paying bills, we enjoyed a concert and two interesting movies.

The summer concert in Franklin featured the Indiana Wind Symphony. It’s the biggest group we’ve seen this summer, and did they make music! Many of the numbers were marches. We usually sit near the front at these concerts, and it was fun to be up close to see the percussionists as they drummed, beat the bass or kettle drums, and played bells.

The concerts are held in a large church and we noticed they are having a fundraiser for their congregation. 

Advertising for a Spud Bar on August 23

I had to chuckle when reading the accompanying question & answer.

The first movie we watched was “Rebuilding,” a movie that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025. It is rated PG, and this is what I found on the Internet: 

After wildfires take his ranch, a cowboy named Dusty winds up in a FEMA camp. He finds community with others who lost homes, while reconnecting with his daughter and ex-wife.

We also enjoyed “Disney’s Newsies: The Broadway Musical.” The story was based on the 1899 newsboys’ strike. It was filmed live on stage at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California. It’s a high-energy show with amazing dance numbers and is currently touring the country. Here's what I found on the Internet:

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a ragged band of "newsies," who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies newsies from across the city to strike for what’s right.  

My Everyday Life - July 26 - August 1, 2026

We had rain yesterday and a light shower today, with some areas getting more than we did, and they are on alert for flash flooding. The lawn service did not mow our lawns last week because the grass wasn’t growing, so the rain today is appreciated and needed.

Until next time, I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy a walk or a picnic while we still have summer weather.