"Notes on Life and Living Well"
Clients who hire us have decided to delegate their financial concerns to us so they can focus on what is really important to them in life. We in turn periodically offer observations and ideas that we hope will help them enjoy life a little more.
Improve your sight
What do you see when you gaze at a meadow on a lazy summer afternoon?
Take a child along and they will spot bugs, flowers, pebbles - all sorts of things that are as likely as not to find their way into a pocket to be carried home. Have you ever marveled at the “things” a child spots? No, it isn’t that they have so much better eyesight than you do. It is, instead, that as adults we tend to “edit out” a lot of what we see as unimportant. Of course, nothing is unimportant to a child.
Associate with enthusiasts. They will open your eyes. Attend a baseball game with someone who lives and breathes the sport. See a horseshow with a real horse person. Look at the stars with an amateur astronomer. A woodworker can see things in a simple board you might never have imagined. Experience also helps us to better and more accurately interpret what we do see.
A very experienced ferry boat captain on Lake Champlain once said he had never seen Champ, the fabled “monster” of the lake’s depths. But, he continued, he had seen lots of things that others might - and indeed sometimes had - interpreted as Champ.
Experience combined with enthusiasts this summer in the Montpelier Bioblitz when nearly 200 biologists, naturalists and nature lovers gathered from 3 p.m. July 11 to 3 p.m. July 12, just 24 hours. In that time they identified about 1,500 species of living things making their home in Vermont's state capital. Their enthusiasm has helped many area residents see things they never imagined was right there, literally in their own back yard.
When you learn to actually see more in what you are seeing, life becomes that much richer. What could be more fun?
Landscape can improve lifestyle
We all know that a beautiful tree can significantly improve your home’s value. But did you know that a mature shade tree can reduce interior home temperatures by 10 degrees or more, and dramatically cut the need for summer electric usage?
In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, proper placement of just three trees can save the average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs every year.
In Vermont, deciduous trees are especially beneficial, keeping your home cooler in the summer, and then shedding their leaves to admit some winter sunshine, reducing heating and lighting costs.
And there is no better place for that hammock or lawn chair than under a tree. Because cool air settles near the ground, and because trees release water vapor, it can be as much as 25 degrees cooler under a spreading tree than on the nearby blacktop.
And by the way, since we all know winter will eventually come again, you may want to consider how evergreen trees and shrubs on the windward side of your home may help reduce wind cooling in the winter. Check with your local extension service for specific advice.
And while you’re at it, consider adding fruit trees to your landscape. Apples, pears and pie cherries are hardy in most parts of Vermont. There are a number of new varieties that require little if any spraying and can still produce lovely blooms this time of year, and some tasty fruit for home consumption, and may also attract wildlife.
Food for thought…
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to have a perpetual scowl on their face and others tend to go through life with a Mona Lisa smile? Have you heard two people responding to exactly the same thing and one, as the old saying goes, sees the glass half full and the other half empty?
Some people seem to cultivate anger at the “unfairness” of it all. Others take the approach that life isn’t fair, and we still only get one time around, so we had better enjoy it.
Which sort of person do you prefer to be with? Which sort of person do you prefer to be?
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This is a lovely desert dish often served in Sweden on the summer smörgåsbord, but equally nice to top off any sort of meal, whenever you can get fresh rhubarb. It’s also a lot less calorie-heavy than rhubarb pie. These proportions serve about 4. And if you want a bit of "summer" in the depth of winter, frozen rhubarb works very nicely!
1 1/3 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 cups cut up fresh rhubarb
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon cold water.
Bring water and sugar to a boil, then add rhubarb and baking soda, and simmer gently until rhubarb is tender, about five minutes. Remove rhubarb with slotted spoon to a serving dish. Mix together the cornstarch and water and pour into syrup, stirring constantly. Simmer gently and stir for three or four minutes, or until it’s clear and thickened. Pour over the rhubarb and serve warm or chilled. You can top it with cream, milk or ice cream, but by the time you add a dollop of French vanilla, you’re into as fattening a dish as the rhubarb pie. Oh well, once in a while probably won’t hurt too much.
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Better to be embarrassed – it could save your life!
The following was sent to us by close friends a several years ago. We think it is a message worth sharing
Recently, a close friend of ours in Virginia called 911 because he was experiencing queasiness and pain in his neck.While waiting for help to arrive, he took some heartburn medicine, and found that it relieved his symptoms.By the time the ambulance got there, he felt much better, and so despite the advice of the EMTs, he refused transport to the hospital.
Ten minutes afterward, he grabbed his chest, collapsed, and died.
If he had agreed to go to the hospital, before he grabbed his chest, he would have been wearing an oxygen mask, had his pulse, blood pressure, respiration rate, skin color, and alertness monitored continuously, and had defibrillator pads already attached, monitoring his condition.There would have been checks for signs of problems such as swelling of the ankles, shortness of breath, nausea, cool clammy or ashen skin.In addition to the shocks he may have needed, he would also have had CPR available immediately to keep oxygenated blood circulating, and he would have a cardiac team waiting at the hospital emergency room to receive him immediately.Given that he was still alert and seeming normal when the ambulance team left without him, he would have had a 40-50% chance of survival if he had gone with them.The ambulance team can't force anyone to go with them.
Our friend felt foolish about getting a ride in the ambulance when he was feeling OK again.If he had been OK, and had nevertheless gone to the hospital, the cardiac team would have done a workup on him.He would have had an expert look at his EKG, and he would have had the lab checking for elevated enzymes in his blood that are typical of a heart attack. Even if nothing was wrong with him, there would have been a baseline record established for comparison to future events.
One last thought for those embarrassed by the possibility that there is really nothing wrong after all.When an ambulance crew is transporting you under these circumstances, they are hoping and praying that it IS a false alarm.You will NOT disappoint them by being OK after all.
Heart attacks can come on with very little warning, so if you have something happening inside you that causes you to think seriously about asking for help - DO IT and see it through.
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