A Roll of White Paper

The late philanthropist Warren Hellman was a friend of my step-daughter, Laurie Lewis, and through her I knew him slightly. He once said that life was rather like a roll of toilet paper: the closer you got to the end, the faster it went. Some folk may remember the controversy in Dear Abby, many years ago about whether the top sheet of paper should come from over or under. Ours is an "over" household- although on one occasion I needed to take off the roll and reverse direction. Although Barbara and I have been together for over forty-five years, I only recently noted an instance where our respective customs diverge. When I have made use of TP, I always leave one or two sheets of paper ready for the next user. Barbara, on the other hand rolls it up so that no loose paper is showing. In my view, this makes it harder for the next user. We have never spoken about this to each other; we have just continued our respective practices. Our different views on this issue are essentially trivial, so I think there is no end in site for these different approaches. I sometimes wonder how this is handled in other families.

Hand Washing in a Mild Climate

As a child, I was taught the routine: Turn on the hot tap (faucet) until the water begins to warm up; insert the plug in the drain outlet; add warm water into the basin; moisten hands; apply soap; wash; rinse; dry. Soon after I went to work for American Home General Agency shortly after coming to the USA in 1057, I wa surprised to find that there was no drain plug for the washbasin in the men's room. My request for what then seemed a necessity was promptly complied with, but it was explained to me that most folk didn't fill the basin: they just used warm water directly on their hands. I soon accepted this American short cut when washing my hands. I have always tried to avoid wasting water, but during the present ongoing drought in California, I have avoided running the hot water supply until warm water arrives--a longer time in the upstairs bathroom. At first I used water from the hot supply, but then I realized that this was a waste of fuel, since the replacement water was being heated. So now I just use the cold water faucet, and I find washing in cold water here in California is easy and pleasant.

Health News

It may seem an irony that as we increasingly conquer disease, and people live longer, the market for the print form of Health News continues to expand. However, as we live longer, there remains a hunger for ways of extending life. For many years, we have subscribed to the University of California's monthly publication The Wellness Letter. Somehow, month after month, this publication finds new items to write about. Another institution that offers a similar product is Johns Hopkins, and I'm sure there are many others. We recently received a solicitation from some place, probably a hospital. The publication Bottom Line has a "report" with the same concept. Some months ago, the San Francisco Chronicle began publishing a weekly section of Health news, (I never read it, not being obsessed by the subject). I have no quarrel with these publications. I just wish the developed countries of the world could do a better job of seeing that the poorer nations of the world had easier access to.clean water, shelter, and adequate food.

Spam

When this word is used today, almost everyone thinks only of unwanted emails, etc. Old timers will remember its older meaning as a canned food, with its name abbreviated from "spiced ham". Probably for most of those living on this side of the Atlantic, spam was a convenient food to keep in reserve, for occasions such as days when floods made it impossible to buy fresh meat. During wartime, spam was highly regarded in the UK at a time when such staples as butter, meat, and candy were rationed. Our ration books also provided "points", which could be used at one's discretion to buy certain supplementary foodstuffs. The UK had long been an exporter of finished goods, and an importer of food. Merchant ships bringing food were often the victims of U-boats but some shipments did get through, and one could often by spam with one of one's precious points. Spam was not a particular favorite in Britain, but it was certainly welcomed as one of the ways to stretch our limited diets.

Ten Fruits

The letter "p" is often mute in English: e.g. psalm, psychic, etc. But this is the season of persimmons and pomegranates, and it reminds me that their are many other fruits with that same initial letter. Pineapple, peach, pear, plum, prune, papaya, passion fruit, and pluot.

Calendars

Every year, we are sent more calendars than we can use. There is little demand from family and friends for any of the unneeded copies. I do keep a calendar in my office, because it is helpful to know on what day of the week some future event or appointment will take place. However, when we refer to "the calendar" we usually mean the engagement book supplied by our stockbroker. This is a vital part of our life, a "calendar" in which we enter dates and times of future engagements, from medical appointments to classical music concerts. It is rare indeed for us to forget to attend a play or a concert, thanks to the.calendar. I have one small gripe: the timing of the arrival of the next year's issue. Morgan Stanley, our stockbroker's firm, seems to regard distribution of those excellent engagement books as a sort of Christmas present. Of course, we would like to receive them several months in advance, so that we can enter our engagements for the first few months of the coming year. Instead, we make use of a page at the back of the earlier year. When the new book arrives, the first thing that I do is to transfer those items into the newly-arrived book. Somehow I manage not to complain about the delayed arrival, as those engagement books (our "calendars") are a very important part of our lives.

A Poor Example

The San Francisco Giants recently defeated the Kansas City Royals (in what we should call baseball's "National Championship", but in what other countries consider as "American arrogance" is better known as the "World Series".) A parade, fireworks, etc. in celebration were held, all of which was perfectly appropriate. However, we were informed by our local paper that this year twice as much confetti (2,400 lbs) would be used as had been scattered when the local team had last triumphed two years ago. A few handfuls of confetti thrown by friends and family after a church wedding is traditional, and can be promptly swept up afterwards. Dumping a huge amount of confetti during a victory parade, as large an amount as 2,400 lbs, is a poor example for young people whose parents are trying to teach them to keep our streets and sidewalks clean.