The Press-Dispatch
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C-4 Wednesday, August 28, 2019 The Press-Dispatch HOME LIFE TO ADVERTISE: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: ads@pressdispatch.net Visit: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday Youth First Today by Lori Powell, Youth First, Inc. 2 master bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with solid wood doors and hardwood trims. 4 bedrooms with one master bedroom and 3 bathrooms, including a family room with a fireplace. Luxurious 5 bedroom home. 814 NIBLACK BLVD., VINCENNES • 1-800-743-7004 • WWW.BAIRDVINCENNES.COM HOMES Save $40,000 on three of Baird Homes' finest homes. Sacrebleu! Left! un masterpiec Get your masterpiece before you are the burgled! When I first began working as a Youth First Social Worker at an ele- mentary school in 2017, I noticed the children enjoyed being welcomed by a stuffed animal cat in the mornings to promote a great start to their day. I have always kept various stuffed an- imals in my office to encourage kids and families to feel more comfortable talking to me. Over the years, I have purchased stuffed animals that resemble wild and domestic cats. However, the favorite cat of the majority of the children and adults at school is a big stuffed tiger. At times I have even been asked by students if I would allow the stuffed an- imal tiger to visit their classroom for the entire day. As a result, I am not sur- prised by the following statement from Rose M. Barlow of the Department of Psychology at Boise State University in Idaho: "Animals, (real or toys) can help children and adults to experience and express emotions, a feeling of un- conditional support, and grounding." My real pet cat, Jazzy, and I became registered as an animal-assisted thera- py team through Pet Partners in 2018. According to Pet Partners, there are only 180 registered cat-assisted ther- apy teams in the US. My thoughts were that Jazzy could possibly reduce anxiety and anger is- sues that some of the students were experiencing at the time. First, I con- tacted the parents of the children that I felt would benefit from this form of intervention and gained their approv- al to use this technique. I was able to bring Jazzy to school on two occasions. The students whose parents approved the animal-assisted therapy were really excited about visit- ing with Jazzy and were able to discuss some difficult experiences that they had incurred throughout their lives. One of the rules of being a regis- tered assisted therapy team through Pet Partners is that the animal has to be bathed prior to each visit. By mak- ing sure that the animal has been cleaned, the allergens could be re- duced and not cause severe allergic reactions to the animal's presence. Unfortunately, however, the decision was made to no longer allow Jazzy in the school setting due to individual al- lergy issues. Currently, Jazzy and I attend the Paws and Tales program at Red Bank Library in Evansville every other Thursday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. This program allows children to read books to Jazzy. The families and the staff at Red Bank Library enjoy visiting with Jazzy. The children who attend the program are motivated to read a book as a way to spend time with Jazzy, who also en- joys being brushed, petted, and given treats. Even though there are many dif- ferent people who visit with Jazzy on a regular basis, she has been able to completely bond with three individuals since the Paws and Tales program was started. Jazzy shows this high comfort level by purring very loudly for these individuals. Jazzy loves to listen to children and adults read to her during the Paws and Tales Program. She is always willing to listen regardless of the individual's reading ability! This column is written by Lori Pow- ell, LCSW, school social worker for Youth First, Inc., a local nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 57 Master's level social workers to 78 schools in 10 Indiana counties. Over 38,500 youth and fami- lies per year have access to Youth First's school social work and after-school pro- grams that prevent substance abuse, pro- mote healthy behaviors, and maximize student success. The bulk of those in my high school group of friends are a year older than I am. Recently, our group text thread was a robust conversation about wheth- er they should attend their 20 -year high school reunion. They chatted about whom they would want to see and whom they desperately would not want to see. But most of their interests and anxieties have been mitigated by social media. Unlike at their five-year reunion — when they were surprised to see who had gotten breast augmen- tation, who had married someone the age of our parents, who had finally out- grown the adolescent awkward phase and who had become a drug dealer — we now know. It's on Facebook, Twit- ter and Instagram. Tracking the odd roads life takes everyone on is about as difficult as opening a web browser. Well, they did decide to attend, and I, for the life of me, couldn't imagine why. "Why do you have any interest in go- ing? " I asked them. "I don't know," my friend Jen re- plied. "I guess it'll just be nice to see everyone." But who is everyone? When I visit my parents in the town where I grew up, I nearly break out in hives, overwhelmed by the anxie- ty of possibly bumping into someone I don't remember — or someone I do remember but who doesn't remember me. If I'm interested in getting an up- date on someone's life, it's as simple as friending that person on Facebook and sending him or her a message. There are only two friends whom I miss from my teenage years, and I miss them because they're not on social me- dia. And not being the so- cial media type, they also are not the reunion type. "Aren't all your friends in this room? " I asked Jen. She looked around at her living room, filled with the mem- bers of our group of friends, all our husbands and children. She laughed. "Well, yeah," she said, "but reunions aren't for friends." Then what are they for? I thought about this question for quite some time. What would motivate me to attend a reunion? It no longer has the appeal of a Romy and Michele situation. If I simply wanted to impress or shock people or make them envi- ous, an onslaught of social media self- ies and self-promotional posts could take care of that. So why go? And then I came up with why I, per- sonally, might attend. It wouldn't be to catch up or to show off. I would go to apologize. There was that time when I acci- dentally left the cage open in environ- mental science and all the bunnies ran away. And the time I accidentally lit Michael's hair on fire with a Bunsen burner in chemistry class. My friend Taylor has said he's forgiven me for putting ice cubes down his shirt and pants but only recently admitted to me how embarrassing it was to look as if he'd had a pee stain. I'd apologize again. I'd apologize to the boys I turned down for a school dance and then stopped talk- ing to altogether because I felt guilty. I'd apologize to the boys who turned me down for school dances, only to have me stop talking to them altogether because I felt em- barrassed. I'd apologize for giving Chris a tam- pon for his bloody nose and not ex- plaining to him what it was when he asked. And I'd say sorry to my health teacher for doing a presentation on the benefits of everything she was asking us to abstain from. Some things you can't take back or laugh about later. But perhaps you can apologize. "I guess the fun part is that you have no idea who will show up," Jen said. "You don't know what memories will flood back to you." Looks as if I will be attending my re- union next year. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/katiedid- humor. BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI SQUARES MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES Share your favorite recipe! www.facebook.com/mealsinminutes Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net FACEBOOK MAIL EMAIL By Monica Sinclair What are your Labor Day plans? Do you have a fami- ly potluck? If so, you may be looking for something new to bring. I have the perfect reci- pe this week and it will help use up some of that extra zucchini from the garden. Happy Labor Day and enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 2 cups shredded zucchini (do not pack) • 1/2 cup buttermilk • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest • 3 tablespoons lemon juice • 1 cup butter, softened • 2-1/2 cups sugar • 2 large eggs • 3-1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries GLAZE: • 2 cups confectioners' sugar • 1/4 cup buttermilk • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest • 2 teaspoons lemon juice • 1/8 teaspoon salt INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. 2. In a small bowl, combine zucchini, buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice; toss to combine. 3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. 4. In another bowl, whisk 3-1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with zucchini mixture, mixing well af- ter each addition. 5. Toss blueberries with remaining flour; fold into batter. 6. Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading even- ly (pan will be full). Bake 30 -35 minutes or un- til light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. 7. In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth; spread over top. Let stand until set. Source: tasteof home.com Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock High school reunion Working with animals can reduce anxiety