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CSA, You Say? Healthy Summer Eating with Local Food Co-Ops
We’ve belonged to a local CSA for several years now, and from late-May through October we enjoy a bountiful harvest of fresh vegetables we choose ourselves on bi-weekly trips to the location just across the river in Pennsylvania. The one we joined is called Tinicum CSA, and everything they offer is grown by the owners. The way our CSA works is that you can by shares – a small share or a big share – and when you go to pick them up you are allowed an assortment of vegetables based on which share you paid for. We get the big share … and it’s a lot! Today we brought home two kinds of cabbage, a bunch of turnips, green onions, chard, arugula, and lettuce. The types of vegetables available depend on what is coming to harvest at that time of year. Later in the summer there will be more tomatoes that you could eat, potatoes, beets, parsnips, okra, you name it. We get so much, in fact, that we give some away to our neighbors. (One of those neighbors trades us eggs from her truly free-range chickens, and when we buy them off-season we pay $3 a dozen! We love getting eggs from chickens whose lives are spent outside who are given love along with their chicken feed).
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The Weekly Readlines June 16
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a roundup of news you can use every Friday.
Quote for the Week: “Our thing is this: If you come into this house, love one another. If you’re an a–hole, there are plenty of other places on Lower Broadway to go.” Garth Brooks, on continuing to serve Bud Light at his Nashville bar
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESDozens of supporters showed up to protest the former president’s arraignment in Miami, in a show of force unequaled since Attila the Hun led his horsemen down the steppes.
A Starbucks union reported that Starbucks pulled its Pride merch nationwide, before a corporate denial the same day. Avoid the controversy, support your local coffee shops!
President Biden showed he had the spine lacking in corporate America to stand up for LGBTQ people by flying the Pride flag at the White House, much to the dismay of the rightwing hate machine.
And the great Glenda Jackson, whose breathtaking portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I on PBS so many years ago, has left this mortal coil.
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Health Beat: 5 Years with a CPAP Machine
I’ve used a CPAP machine for five years now. I consider myself one of the lucky ones: I’m able to use the ‘nostril pillows,’ which is probably the least invasive, most easy-to-adjust-to option available. Still, there are adjustments to using a CPAP that don’t go away. Traveling is a big one. Every time we leave for a trip, whether it’s overnight or a two-week cruise, I have to lug this thing around with me. That means I’m also usually taking a gallon of sterile water, since that’s the kind you’re supposed to use to keep the machine from being damaged by minerals. It feels like a dreaded appendage, or a third traveler I would prefer to drop off at the nearest crossroads.
Having said all that, the machine has prevented me from waking up with the headaches I often got from being oxygen-deprived. That’s one of the more serious side affects of sleep apnea: stopping breathing dozens of times a night creates health risks that can lead to stroke, heart attack, and those awful headaches. By keeping your breathing open and free, a CPAP machine is an effective way to prolong your life and avoid all these medical issues.
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Rick’s Latest Listicle: Panda Handstands, Toothpaste Blobs, and Other Quirky Facts
By Rick Rose
Co-Host of The Twist PodcastI love a good listicle. It can be informational, educational, entertaining, or all of the above! Here are my top 5 quirky discoveries that tickled my fancy.
5. A “buttload” is an actual unit of measurement equal to 108 imperial gallons. This is roughly equivalent to 126 U.S. gallons. The term “butt” is thought to have originated from the Latin word “butticula,” which means “barrel.”
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #59: Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery (Chapters 16 – 18)
I’ll be bringing you the audiobook edition of Kill Swtich: A Kylle Callahan Mystery, in three-chapters released over the next 12+ weeks! The narration is provided by my own WondervoxAI.
Kill Swtich is the 5th installment in the Kyle Callahan Series, and it finds Kyle dealing with the trauma of having ended the life of a vicious serial killer. Fasten your headphones, and check in every week for the next three chapters.
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On the Map: A Two-Day Getaway to Jim Thorpe (PA)
On the Map is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting travel and events of interest to readers.
By Mark McNease
It’s not surprising that so many people don’t know Jim Thorpe is a place. Named after the legendary Native American athlete, the town changed its name from Mauch Chunk when Thorpe’s widow agreed to have him re-buried here in exchange for the town being named after him.
This is our second trip here. We’d visited a couple years ago during the pandemic, and I wanted to come back when the weather was warm and things were normal – although we’ve learned that the old normal will never really return.
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Is It Retirement When You Follow Your Dreams?
Two more work days! Or, make that two more shifts in what I call my ‘paycheck job.’ I’ve been working in a grocery store for the past six years, after spending over three decades in the corporate world. Partly that was because we moved from New York City to rural New Jersey, and partly because I was tired of living for the weekend, as most people did before the pandemic. And now, as I anticipate receiving my Medicare card in October, I am leaving the deli counter to be a full-time writer, publisher, podcaster, AI-enthusiast, and what I call an imaginative. My version of a creative. It works for me because everything we want to do begins by imagining ourselves doing it!
Let’s check in with my staff of androids and see what they have to say.
Here are some of the best things about retiring …
Retiring is an exciting milestone in life that can open up new opportunities and allow people to explore the world or simply relax. For many, retirement means leaving behind the stresses of work and embracing a less rigid lifestyle.
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Lambertville and New Hope Pride: A Rainy Day in Paradise
Click for the audio version. Narration provided by WondervoxAI.
With all the efforts being made in states across the country to force LGBTQ people into silence, out of public view, re-marginalized as outlaws whose very lives are once again being made criminal, it was beyond refreshing to walk in the Lambertville (NJ) and New Hope (PA) Pride parade. It rained all day long, which didn’t dampen our spirits. It was a big, wet, glorious day.
Some thoughts on Pride
Pride for LGBTQ people is not the opposite of humility. It does not come before a fall, but after rising from the weight of discrimination and hatred. Pride is not arrogant or self-serving.
Pride, for us, is:
Learning to love ourselves and each other despite the lies we’re told about ourselves.
Learning to care for ourselves and each other, despite having been abandoned by families and institutions.
Learning to be free, and to celebrate the freedom of others, whether they are like us or not.
Learning to hear the inner voices of kindness, encouragement, and daring, until they drown out the voices of condemnation, contempt, and mockery.
Pride does not mean we’re ‘proud’ to be something we naturally are. It means we reject the rejection, the bigotry, the scorn, the ridicule, the hatred of others, the self-hatred we’re taught from pulpits and state houses and governors’ mansions and laws meant to defeat us. Pride is the conviction that we won’t be defeated, and that we have nothing to hide.
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LGBTSr Now Includes Audio Versions of All Posts to Better Serve Readers (and Listeners!)
Click to hear audio version. Narration provided by WondervoxAI.
If you’re like me and your eyes aren’t always in the mood to focus properly, audio can be a way to make things more accessible. This is certainly true of those of us into our 60s and beyond. I’ve heard from readers who are visually impaired, or who have trouble reading fonts. Now I can offer them something that makes LGBTSr inclusive of our readers, and our listeners, too!
Every post, article, and news item will include an audio version. Simply click on the audio file at the top of each item, and enjoy the narration. I’m currently using my own venture, WondervoxAI, to provide the voices. The technology is exciting for a tech nerd like me, and the opportunities it offers to be more efficient and provide more service to various audiences is pretty amazing.
Fasten your headphones!
Subscribe here for weekly delivery of LGBTSr on Substack. New content every Friday.
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Side Hustles for Older People (and Everyone Else!)
Click to hear the audio edition. Narration by WondervoxAI.
The cat is out of the bag: I’ll be leaving my job in three weeks. I spent 30+ years in corporate America, then switched to working in a grocery store when we moved from New York City to rural New Jersey. Six years later I am finally hanging up the deli apron to be … whatever fabulous things I can create! Writing, publishing, podcasting, working with AI and new technologies, you name it. I’m also going to get some side hustles going, and I thought it would be helpful to find out what some good ones are.
Side Hustles for the People
Side hustles are a great way for older adults to supplement their income and stay active. Whether they’re looking for a few extra dollars per week or a full-time gig, there are plenty of options for seniors seeking to make some extra money. Popular side hustle ideas for older people include pet sitting, becoming a freelance writer, delivering groceries, providing virtual assistant services, and renting out rooms on Airbnb.
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Rick’s Latest Listicle: Friends By Any Other Name
Click to hear audio edition. Narration by WondervoxAI.
Rick Rose
Co-Host of The Twist PodcastWelcome to Rick’s Latest Listicle, a regular feature sharing Rick Rose’s lists of things to know about.
As a single man, another Valentine’s Day came and went this year. But terms of endearment aren’t just for lovers and partners. I use them all the time on my friends. I got great practice living in Louisiana. In the South, affection and respect are expressed abundantly. They can be used in a variety of contexts, from everyday conversation to more romantic gestures.
Here are my favorite Top 5 Terms of Endearment.
5 Sweetheart or Sweets
The word “sweetheart” originated in the 13th century as a combination of the words “sweet” and “heart.” In the Middle Ages, the heart was seen as the seat of emotion, so calling someone your “sweetheart” was a way of saying that they were dear to you.
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Springing Into Joy: It’s Time To Plant Your Garden and Experience Nature’s Bounty
Click for audio version. Narration by WondervoxAI.
By Mark McNease
The arrival of spring is a welcome sight for gardeners everywhere. After the long winter months, it’s time to get outside and start planting your garden. Not only can you enjoy the beauty of nature as new plants bloom but you can also reap the rewards of fresh produce in your own backyard! Planting a garden in spring is an ideal way to celebrate the season and experience all its bounty.
One of the best parts about gardening in spring is that there are so many different types of plants that thrive during this time of year. Vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and beans do especially well when planted early on in springtime. Herbs like basil, thyme and oregano will add flavor to whatever dish you decide to cook up with your harvest while flowers like roses, daisies and tulips will bring vibrant colors into any outdoor space.