The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1012571
C-8 Home Life Wednesday, August 8, 2018 The Press-Dispatch Tech Solutions by Christian Hinojosa Traveling? Remember to take Alexa with you Brighter Side by Janice Barniak Doing it for the dough Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock Twister coming AUCTION WEDNESDAY, AUG. 11 Tools, Collectibles, Pocket Knives, Furniture, Baseball Cards, Glassware and more. 10 a.m. CDT Location: 2667 E. Co.Rd. 400 S., Winslow (Auction Barn) View photos on auctionzip.com, I.D. number 46613 Pliers, lots of sockets, several pipe wrenches, hatchet, hammers, several saws, several wrenches, 2 Crasmen socket sets, screwdrivers, several ratchets, tool box, drills, 2 vintage David Bradley chainsaws, 3 hedge trimmers, 2 chainsaws, vice, 2 pulleys, torque wrench, 2 concrete power saws, 5 leaf blowers, 3 backpack leaf blowers, 4 weedeaters (Stihl and other namebrands), long handle tools, vintage reel mowers, 2 wheel horse lawnmowers, drill press, 4 air compressors, Delta saw, tablesaw, wood- en ladder, snips, several pocket knives, namebrands like Case, Buck, Bocker, and others, vintage baseball cards from the 60s on up, complete sets from the 80s and sever- al more, 3 rings, 2 kitchen tables, 2 wooden chairs, gum- ball/pinball machine, cart, end tables, several shelves, 2 TV stands, shelf on wheels, corner cabinet, 5 filing cabinets, nice hutch, washer and dryer, 2 straight back chairs, several pots and pans, lamps, lots of home decor and primitive items, 5 metal toy tractors, Coca Cola mini fridge, Johnny Lightening Coke car, several small figu- rines, sailboats, lots of glassware, whole sets of dishes, pieces of Pyrex, Fire King, Jewel T, and cut glass, lots of box lots, too many items to mention. Auctioneer's Note: is auction has items for everyone. is auction is located in our newly purchased Auction Barn. We are always accepting consignments. Hope to see you at the auction. Any questions, call Kaleb Claridge at 812-789-6761. Terms and Conditions: Cash or check with proper I.D.; announcements day of auction take precedence over previous advertisements; buying everything as is, where is. AREA HAPPENINGS Petersburg Senior Citizens Center - The senior cit- izens center is open from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Monday, Tues- day, Wednesday and Friday in the Pike County Court- house basement. A big meal is served on Wednesday, and the second and fourth Tuesday a lighter meal is served following Bingo, donations accepted to help with the cost. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call 812-354- 8727. Free Clothing Bank - Oak Grove Church in Oakland City offers a free clothing bank each Tuesday 9 -11 a.m. (Oakland City time) for everyone. They carry new and used clothing. Location is on Morton Street, just past Chuckles. Come to the gymnasium door located at the back of the church. Celebrate Recovery Program – Meets every Sunday night from 5 to 7 p.m. at 207 Lafayette St. in Winslow. For more information, call Krystal Breeding 812-582-2562. Women's Cancer Support Group- The Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Cen- ter offers a support group for women who have had cancer of any type or are currently undergoing cancer treatment. Sessions are the third Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center Conference Room, located at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Cen- ter's Dorbett Street entrance. For more information about the "Women's Support Group," visit www.mhhcc.org and click on "Classes & Events," or call The Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center at 812- 996 -7488. Winslow Alcoholics Anonymous – will meet every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Call 812-789 -8535 for location of the meeting. Al-Anon meeting – Meetings are each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., located at 424 W. 7th St. in Jasper. For more information, call 812-887-0349. Narcotic Anonymous – Every Monday at 7 p.m. at Riv- er of Life Fellowship Church. Odd Fellows IOOF Pacific Lodge #175 meeting - the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. All area mem- bers are encouraged to attend. Otwell Ruritan - will have its monthly meetings the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Pike Lodge #121 F&AM regular stated meeting - the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. All area Masons are invited to attend. Jefferson Township Community Center of Otwell - will have its monthly meetings the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. All members are urged to attend. Basic Medic First Aid® with AED - Jasper: Med- ic First Aid® with AED (automated external defibril- lator) is a basic training course in emergency care de- signed for use in the business/industrial setting. Car- diopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), AED use, and oth- er important emergency care skills are combined into this course, which allows the graduate to function with one consistent set of priorities in a medical emergency. Students learn the same priorities of care and approach to the patient used by professionals. This approach re- sults in a continuity of care as the patient is passed on to the EMT, nurse, and doctor. Successful completion of the course means the stu- dent has acquired these skills, understands the dangers of an emergency scene and how to evaluate them, and understands the use of protective barriers. Taught by nationally certified instructors, the course satisfies OS - HA requirements for industry and business. A Medic First Aid® with AED course will be offered Tuesday, August 21 from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. in the Health and Wellness Classroom at Memorial Southside Office, 1100 West 12th Avenue in Jasper. The fee for the class is $ 65; class size is limited, and pre-registration is required by visiting Memorial Hospi- tal's website at www.mhhcc.org and clicking on "Class- es & Events," or calling the Health and Wellness de- partment at 812-996 -2399 or toll-free at 800 -852-7279, ext. 2399. A Medic First Aid Bloodborne Pathogens class can be added to this course to provide participants with the knowledge to reduce or eliminate the occupational risk of bloodborne pathogens. The cost for this additional class is $20 per person. For more details, please call 812-996 -2399, option 1. People like to say that if someone is cheap they would "sell their grand- mother for a nickel." I don't want to ask my sons what they'd sell their grandma for, since I'd be afraid it would be lower than that, but needless to say, I'm rais- ing capitalists. Leo, 7, told me at the beginning of the summer that he wanted to be an "on- TROMP-manure" (entrepreneur) when he grew up, and, being a mom who cul- tivates her children like they were hot- house roses, I looked up the cottage food sale laws in Indiana and discov- ered they could sell grandma's home- made friendship bread legally, if prop- erly marked, at any farmer's market. That's how we ended up outside R'z Cafe and Catering at Thursdays' pop- up markets, with 30 loaves of bread and the boys' dream of owning that gold-standard of summer fun, the Princeton Aquatic Center Family Pool Pass. The PACFPP (pronounced "pac- fipp" in our house) is a whopping $220, with which a family of five can have un- limited visits to Princeton's sparkling, chlorinated, Olympic-sized pool and concession stand. The splash pad is free at the aquatic center, but most of the kids in that area are in diapers, and the little guys can see across the way to the tanned mid- dle school boys hamming it up for the girls in the pool as music plays over the smell of sunscreen and cocoa butter. Their overall plan was, sell grand- ma's bread, secure the PACFPP, meet the older kids, try every concession item and end the summer in a blaze of glory, Doritos and sleepovers at new friends' houses. For those who don't know, Amish friendship bread is called friend- ship bread because you get a "start- er" from a friend. The starter is batter in a plastic bag with carefully copied in- structions. You add ingre- dients, squish it around, and after a certain num- ber of days, you separate the batter into more bags, give a certain number of bags away to friends to keep the chain going, and bake a loaf for your- self. One bag turns into five bags, which swells to 25 bags of batter to watch over and bake into bread if you don't get rid of it quickly. Now that everything is online, there's probably a recipe out there, but in Pennsylvania in the early 1990s, you had to have friends, and my mom had lots if the number of starters nur- tured into cinnamon loaves was an in- dication. It's the pyramid scheme of the bak- ing world. At 5 p.m. the first Thursday, the boys set up their sign, written in 6 - and 7-year-old handwriting. "The Bros Yard Sale Chepest Sell- er of Bred." If they'd failed the first day, that probably would have been the end of it, but Owensville librarian Margo En- glish took pity on them and became the very first customer of "The Bros." An hour later, I took them for ice cream. Heedless of their swimming pool goal, they wanted to pay for the cones, and after talks about expens- es versus profits, they gave grandma her share. As the summer progressed, they wanted to buy everything. They magnanimously offered rent money (declined). They were buying grandma the big- gest bag of flour available at Walmart, and asking customers of The Bros if they could keep the change. "Give them their change," I'd say, but I could see people caving to their charm. "Thank you for shopping The Bros," they'd croon. "Who wants bread? Each sold separately! " It's the end of the sum- mer and they did not end up saving enough for their pool pass. With school starting Thursday, I won't men- tion those sparkling waters anytime soon—we're done selling for the sum- mer, and it no longer seems at the top of their bucket list now that they have "real jobs." What I will say is after selling out one Thursday recently, I told them I thought they needed to give grand- ma more of their profits because she was making a lot more bread, and even splitting would be not close to what she deserved. "Don't you want to be nice and gen- erous? " "I don't want to be generous." Leo's lip trembled. "I want to have money." He clutched the dollars he'd stuffed in his flashy new Pokemon wallet. "I'm an on-TROMP-manure." Charlie agreed, and I considered try- ing to frame the lesson around "friend- ship" in the bread and giving back to people you like. They started singing their jingle. "Welcome to The Bros, the cheap- est seller of bread. The cheapest sellllllleeer of breaaad! " Next summer, then. "Twister" came out when I was in ju- nior high. I loved that movie. It had ac- tion, suspense and heart, and it defined my wardrobe for the next 18 months or so. I became obsessed with Helen Hunt's white tank top and baggy kha- ki cargo pants. It was the epitome of in- dependent adventurer, and I wore that outfit as many times as I could get away with each week, despite my being told I looked "uncool" and was dressed in "the colors of an onion." What did they know? Clearly, they hadn't seen the magic that was "Twister." Besides fashion inspiration, I had three other major takeaways from that movie. As the daughter of a psycholo- gist, I thought the sex therapist's re- lationship with her patients seemed highly unhealthy. Two, Bill Paxton was my first mancrush. And three, torna- does are awesome! For years afterward, I wanted to be a storm chaser. The thrill of getting to be in a tornado (possibly even hav- ing my house be destroyed!) filled my imagination. It was the same gleeful ig- norance that makes all kids wish they could break an arm so friends could sign their sweet neon orange cast. More often than not, it's the mov- ies that breed these absurd notions of awesome. Basically every Disney mov- ie made me wish for the early demise of my parents so I could go on some sort of epic adventure. The moment Clara learned to walk again in "Hei- di," I knew that my life would never be complete unless I became wheel- chair-bound. Similarly, "The Wizard of Oz" and "Twister" made tornadoes a bucket list experience. I went to college in Ohio, potential tornado country, and recall being dis- appointed when I graduated without experiencing a single rau- cous storm. Perhaps this is why we were completely unpre- pared when, just after put- ting our children to bed, my husband and I were greeted by an ear-piercing bullhorn sound radiating from our phones. "TOR- NADO WARNING," the message read. Huh. OK. Good to know.I clicked off the alarm, sat on the couch and turned on Netflix. It took a full minute until I thought that perhaps a storm notification ac- companied by an eardrum-bursting sound should be responded to with more than just a "huh." I took to Facebook. It may be a hot- bed of Russian-created propaganda, but it is also the best place to see pic- tures of circling skies headed directly toward your house. I checked on the page of a neighborhood that is closer to downtown. People reported hearing tornado sirens being blasted, some- thing we can't hear all the way out in the wild. I asked whether this means we have to go to a basement. In a matter of sec- onds, about a dozen people responded simply, "Yes! " Someone then explained that torna- do warnings are only issued when a tornado has touched ground. Huh. OK. Good to know. But now, what to do? Perhaps it was because of my love for Bill Paxton and for Helen Hunt's fashion choices that I had never pre- pared for a tornado despite having moved to tornado country. When I lived in L A, my house was as earthquake-ready as one could be. Everything was fastened to the walls. I kept sneakers next to the bed. I had an earthquake kit in ev- ery room and had mapped out endless escape routes and hid- ing places. But for a tornado? I dunno. Isn't there something about a bathtub? We reluctantly woke the kids and took them down into our scary unfin- ished basement, which is known to house spiders, snakes and mice. You know that moment in every slasher film when the good guys are running from the machete-wielding maniac and they somehow find them- selves in a shed full of more machetes? That's kind of what this felt like. Box- es strewn about, blocking every path. The floor covered in shattered glass. Creepy-crawlies lurking in every cor- ner. The kids were definitely not going back to sleep. We did our best. I found an old por- table crib and put both kids inside. We tried to turn it into a game. Huddled together, at the bottom of the base- ment stairs, we waited for the swirl- ing winds to pass. And they did, with zero damage. I think I'm over my desire to be in a tornado now. But I am absolutely bust- ing out my white tank top and khaki cargo pants. I have earned them. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/katiedid- humor. "Alexa, what's my schedule today?" "Alexa, tell me the weather for this week." "Alexa, lock the house and set the ther- mostat to away mode." "Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes" "Alexa, what's the nearest coffee shop?" If you have an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Fire T V, or other device with Al- exa on it, chances are you've gotten pretty used to Alexa's help. A fter all, Alexa can help you with almost anything you could ask of her. This is especially true if you have a house full of Alexa speakers and have taken advantage of all the smart home devices like smart coffee mak- ers, locks, thermostats, and lights. But if you're heading off for sum- mer vacation, a fall camping trip, or a long-distance family visit this Christ- mas, you don't want to be without Al- exa while you're away from home. A fter all, it can get you directions, give you the weather, play music, be a personal concierge, or even stay in control of your smart home devices from across the country. HOW TO BRING ALEXA ALONG Believe it or not, you can bring your Echo device with you anywhere and use it just as you would at home, just make sure it's connected to the Wi-Fi where you're staying. If you're flying, though, or just don't want to risk traveling with your Echo, you can still use Alexa on your iOS or Android phone. Just open the Alexa app, tap the lo- go in the center at the bottom of the screen, and talk to Alexa just like you would at home. CONTROL YOUR HOME FROM ANYWHERE Even when you're not at home, you can still control your smart de- vices at home with Alexa from any- where, whether you've brought along your Echo or if you're just using your phone. Here's some tasks you can give it while you're away: If you have a friend taking care of your pets while you're gone, unlock your doors for them and lock them again when they leave. Who "hides" keys under the mat anymore any- ways? Adjust your thermostat on your ride home to make sure you walk in to a comfy environment. Turn lights on or off at random, creating the illusion that someone is home and therefore reducing your chances of burglary. STREAM MUSIC If where you're staying doesn't have any music streaming options, Alexa's got you covered. Just connect your Echo to the Wi-Fi where you're staying and search for music as you normally would. Listen to music from specific art- ists or albums or listen from your own stations or playlists while you get ready for the day, make dinner, or sleep. STREAMLINE YOUR MORNINGS Picture this: Alexa wakes you up with an alarm at 8:30 a.m., reads you today's itinerary and weather fore- cast, plays your morning wake-up playlist while you get ready for the day, then orders an Uber for you at 10 a.m. to get you downtown – all with- out you saying a word. More than just a fancy alarm clock, Alexa can streamline your whole morning routine. Just set up routines for her before you go, give her your itinerary for the week, and you're good to go. Your routines can string togeth- er any list of commands in any or- der. Just tell her what you want to do and when, and your vacation just got a lot less stressful. Pretty awesome, I know. See TR AVELING? on page 9