Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 116

Potential

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832)

German playwright, poet, and statesman

(Photo by Tumisu)

Happy Mother’s Day!

This is the day of days to celebrate Super Mom’s everywhere. We likely all know or have known mothers, step-moms, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, mothers-in-law, and mothers-to-be. Every day, but today especially, is an opportunity to respect, honor, and say, “Thank you” and recognize the maternal bond’s contributions to the family.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannic, Mother’s Day was started by Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, “whose mother had organized women’s groups to promote friendship and health. On May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service at her late mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia. Within 5 years, virtually every state was observing the day. In 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.”

(Photo by S. Hermann and F. Richter)

Fly, Baby, Fly

“Fences are made for those who cannot fly.”

— Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)

American writer, publisher & philosopher

Editor & founder of Roycroft Press

Note: He and his wife died aboard the RMS Lusitania when it was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915.

(Image by Stefan Keller)

International Civility Awareness Month

The designation is meant to raise awareness of the decline of civility around the world. Hmmm…. Who among us was thinking, as a society, we’re not dealing with declining civility?

(Photo by John Hain)

 

A website called CivilityExperts.com suggests a 31-day civility challenge. It features one suggestion for each day, such as:

Say hello to 5 people today.

Make eye contact.

Be courteous.

Make and take personal calls in private.

Turn off your phone during meetings.

Don’t litter.

Don’t interrupt others.

Avoid profanity.

Clean up after yourself.

Hold the door open for others.

Leave a fair tip when dining out.

Close your mouth when chewing and use a napkin.

Keep your work area clean.

Be patient with others.

Include others in conversations.

Smile often at others.

Remember to say “please” and “thank-you.”

Monitor the volume of your ipod, music, or video games around others.

Treat others with kindness.

Try to remember people’s names.

Share the sidewalk. Share the road.

Replace empty toilet paper rolls, paper towels, and trash liners.

Be proud of your appearance and dress nicely.

Be social.

Introduce yourself to others in social situations.

Introduce those around you.

Offer constructive feedback in the form of a compliment sandwich.

Make sure to always use a positive tone.

Repeat.

Education versus Indoctrination

“What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.”

— George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Irish playwright, critic, and political activist

A Legend in her own Mind–LOL

“I’m bound to be a famous writer… decades after I’m gone.”

— Cathy Burnham Martin, American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie

Laughingly responding to a question from host Liz Gabert on BCTV’s “Life with Liz and Beyond”, September 14, 2021

You can catch the whole program on my mini YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMXf4C_R6qUwmpBE4CpT_Hg

(Photo by Mark Köng)

Life Is a Miracle!

“Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles is not a realist.”

— David Ben-Gurion (1886 – 1973)

Former Prime Minister of Israel

(Photo by David Zawila)

Have Confidence

 

“The history of the world is full of men who rose to leadership by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery, and tenacity.”

— Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Indian lawyer, spiritual & political leader, and nonviolent resistance advocate

National Pet Week

“Humans need a lot of reinforcement… loving, gentle encouragement.”

— Bandit Martin (beloved dog and author)

 

Because this is National Pet Week, I thought you might like hearing some wise words from a pet. Our little Bandit (initially Mom & Dad’s) wrote a book back in 2016. “A Dangerous Book for Dogs… Train Your Humans with the Bandit Method.” He warned his readers to keep the book and audiobook OUT of human hands, but I managed to snag a copy.

Some of his adventures and advice tips are insightful; others are hysterical. But his words, written to other dogs (and their feline friends), are always kind, loving, and honest. Here’s an excerpt from one of his chapters.

“Loving unconditionally comes naturally to canines. We know and practice some love basics… We forgive and forget. We never hold grudges. We share love freely. We express love daily. We are always empathetic. We tune into feelings, not words. We deliver loyalty, unabashed.

“These are natural skills for us, but we must always endeavor to share our example with humans. Remember, they usually mean well, but they tend to be slow learners. If they only understood the value of unconditional love to their health! Such positive energy improves quality and length of life, plus it reduces stress. Now THAT is something always at the top of a human’s To-Do list.”

(Ahhhh… from the mouths of pets! Remember to thank your pet today.)

National Oatmeal Cookie Day & National Raisin Day

What better way to celebrate both these days than with a warm, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie! So, here is my 1980 spin on my mother’s classic 1950s Oatmeal Icebox Cookies. Primarily, I used less sugar and more nuts and fruit. I still prefer cooking them for just 8-10 minutes to get an irresistibly chewy, rather than crispy, cookie. In recent years, I have replaced sugar with granulated monk fruit. (More on that after the recipe.)

Oatmeal Raisin Icebox Cookies

1 c butter, softened to room temp

¾ c packed brown sugar

¾ c sugar

2 lg eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1½ c flour

1 tsp baking soda

3 c quick oats

½ – ¾ c chopped walnuts

3 c raisins (half dark and half golden; or even include dried cranberries)

Mix all ingredients. Form into long rolls.  Chill overnight. Slice 1/4″ thick and bake on ungreased cookie sheets 8‑10 minutes at 350. Makes 5-6 dozen.

NOTE: Rolls keep (wrapped airtight) in the refrigerator for several days…. unless you are among those who cannot resist cookie dough. (And yes, you can always go a little wild and add some dark chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut flakes, or any other decadent delights to please your palette.)

Monk fruit is really luo han guo fruit, thought to be originally used by Buddhist monks in the 13th century. The small, green, gourd-like fruits are processed differently by our bodies than sucrose and fructose and have no net carbs nor calories. It’s easy to find non-GMO versions, too.

Yes, monk fruit is commonly touted as a 1 for 1 substitute for sugar. However, it can taste FAR sweeter than sugar. Half as much usually is more than enough, especially when additional sweetness is already included from raisins. In this recipe, I use just 1/3 c golden monk fruit and 1/3 c regular granulated monk fruit. This may vary depending on the brand you purchase. Some, such as Lakanto, add erythritol to make monk fruit a 1-to-1 sugar replacement. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol with about 6% of the calories in an equal amount of sugar. But, like monk fruit, it does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels. Make choices that make sense to you.

Meanwhile, I’m going for that Oatmeal Raisin cookie. Big decision: Do I dip it in ice cream or spritz it with whipped cream?