The Press-Dispatch
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Sweet's Column By Barb Sweet My So Called Millennial Life By Stephanie Hayes My editor sent me a New York Times column titled "Relaxing Is a Skill. Here's How to Do It." I am not sure if it was a hint or what, because I am a very chill person, OK? I used the Calm app for a whole, like, two weeks, and I am fond of blankets. Still, we decided maybe I should try it. Columnist, Farhad Manjoo, wrote about their experience learning progres- sive muscle relaxation, explaining it was developed by the doctor, Edmund Jacob- son, and has many health benefits. Please read the source material! You will find the column nestled on the opinion page among light reading about COVID-19, in- surrection, the death of intellectualism and one piece titled "America Is Falling Apart at the Seams." But about relaxing, Manjoo wrote: "I don't mean that I discovered the bene- fits of taking it easy or of remaining calm in the face of adversity and letting life's troubles slide off my back. I mean it more literally: I learned how to relax my mus- cles, to purposefully, systematically iso- late each part of my body and loosen the meat on my bones." Simply put, the technique is to tighten and relax muscles. Once you get good, Manjoo wrote, you can relax anywhere. At first, they said, block off 10 or 15 min- utes to try it out. It was a dreary, rainy, cold day, which I figured would help the process. I pic- tured falling asleep as my muscles melt- ed into tingly pools of butter and waking fresh as a Disney princess, not a tired woman in the Christmas sweatshirt she slept in. I set a phone timer for 15 minutes and reclined face- up in bed. I started from the bottom, flexing and unflex- ing my toes, ankles, calves. Easy! By the time I got to hamstrings and quads, I started over-thinking and shoving the back of my knees into the bed in a move like a mermaid trapped on land. The, um, (SET ITAL) muscleous rear- eous (END ITAL) was much easier, as were abs. I carry tension in my shoulders, like one of those rescue dogs born with- out enough vertebrae, so that area felt great. I performed the recommended bi- cep flexes, clenched my fists and rolled my head to the side, exhaling on the mus- cle release. Superior! A model of relaxation! That was ... oh, four minutes. I lasted approximately 10 more sec- onds before reaching for my phone like a reanimated corpse. I went to a slideshow of Lupita Nyong'o's best red-carpet looks, which one could argue is very soothing. Then, there was an article about how Chile's president-elect is sending "hugs from the south" to Taylor Swift in a new Internet fray. I checked my email, which had an ac- count balance alert and a Groupon for Bo- tox and Juvederm. I arched my back a bit more. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" blared in my head the entire time: "He told me my fish would die; the next day, dead! " The darkness was in me! I thrust the phone aside, then remembered that one of the progressive relaxation moves was smiling large and hold- ing it. I flashed a giant, open- mouthed grin at the ceiling like Pennywise the evil clown. The timer dinged. OK, so this takes practice! No surprise there. It all takes practice. Sitting still, drinking water, meditating, going outside all takes practice. It takes practice to step away from electronics, rapid tests, KN95s, Supreme Court pack- ing, critical race theory, voting rights, Wordle, woke M&Ms, filibusters, bil- lionaires, supply chain, blockchain, the metaverse, deepfakes, Russia, Ukraine, China, continually disappointing T V and movie reboots. It's not that we can or should ignore these things forever. But we can trust they will still be there in 15 minutes after we isolate a tricep. I'm keeping at the squeezy technique, even while writing this. And guess what? I can feel it. These small acts of self-care eventually work, chipping away at phys- iological stress one smush at a time. So, keep it up. Squeeze. Hold. Release. Re- peat. Stephanie Hayes is a columnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. Follow her at @ stephhayes on Twitter or @ stephrhayes on Instagram. BAKED SALMON WITH ASPARAGUS New column! By Jennifer Vallee As the world shut down around us in 2020, I noticed a lot of cooking pages popping up on social media. Since cooking is a passion of mine, I was fascinated by them, and joined a few to see if I could pick up a few point- ers. I was rather shocked to see how many people never learned to cook, and/or were terrified of being left alone in the kitchen all on their own. In many of the groups, I found myself giving more tips than those I received. I was blessed to have a mother that was a wonderful cook and who enjoyed blessing others with her gifts. No matter what someone was going through, it wasn't any- thing a good meal couldn't fix, or enhance. My moth- er loved everyone around her by sharing her cooking with them. So with my mother's lessons, and a lot of time spent reading recipes and watching cooking shows, I learned that there isn't much in the kitchen that can't be fixed. So, armed with that knowledge, I lost any fear I had in the kitchen and came to the realization that anyone can cook! I hope that with this column, we can begin a jour- ney together. Whether you are a professional chef, or you are picking up your first spatula, I believe we can all learn from each other and have some fun, and more im- portantly, some really delicious food. My husband is a huge fan of salmon, and I love aspar- agus, so I thought I'd start us off with a dish we both can enjoy. I hope your family will enjoy it too. This should take you less than 30 minutes from start to table. INGREDIENTS • 2 lbs. fresh salmon (cut into 1/4 pound servings) • 2 large bundles of asparagus • (The following ingredients will be to the cook's taste for seasoning) • Olive oil, extra virgin • Garlic powder • Cracked pepper, fresh • Parsley • 8 lemon slices DIRECTIONS • Preheat oven to 400°F. • Place foil down on large cookie sheet. Cut bottom ends off asparagus and clean with cool water and a vegetable brush, then lay down on foil. Drizzle ex- tra virgin olive oil on top and add garlic powder and parsley. Place fresh salmon on top of asparagus. Drizzle again with extra virgin olive oil, again add garlic powder, parsley and one lemon slice. • Cook for roughly 20 minutes. Internal temp of salm- on should be 165°F. • Season the asparagus and salmon with salt and pepper. If you don't want to use asparagus, brocco- li, cauliflower, zucchini, or peppers would also be good veggie options to go with the salmon. Please note that melted butter can be substituted for the ol- ive oil, if you prefer a more buttery flavor for your fish and veggies. • Serves 8 Source: Easy Food Recipes Ideas from recipefood.net C-2 Wednesday, Feburar y 9, 2022 The Press-Dispatch I tried this technique to relax in 2022 To enter the Birthday Club, fill out the form at www. pressdispatch.net/birthday. Only the person's name, town and birthday will appear in the paper. As an added bonus, one lucky person each month will receive a free six month Press-Dispatch subscription. THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS Judah Eversoll ................. Weiden in der Oberpfalz . 2/10 Jo Ann Lamon ........................... Petersburg ........... 2/11 Janis Walden .............................. Princeton ............ 2/13 Doris Miller ................................. Otwell .............. 2/14 Lacey Lee ................................... Winslow ............. 2/14 Kody Cannon ............................ Petersburg .......... 2/15 Lynda Kinnaman ....................... Petersburg ........... 2/15 Nancy Traylor ........................... Washington .......... 2/15 THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR The Press Dispatch PIKE COUNTY'S NEWS NETWORK 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg 812-354-8500 • www.pressdispatch.net Hi stars and welcome to the big stage all lit up in red and white lights and dec- orated to help celebrate with all our stars who will have a birthday or anniversary in the week of February 10 -16. Come up onto this stage and take a bow. BIRTHDAYS February 10 -Kayla Bailey turns 38; Shylee Russell turns 18; Diana Fickel turns 74; Jamen Russell turns 36. February 11-Elizabeth Ann Tisdale turns 56; Nathan Williams turns 23. February 12-Jason Mills turns 44; Dustin White turns 33; Mark Pride; John- ny Johnson turns 68; Theodore and Tere- sa Nicholson celebrate 28 years. February 13-Rachael Meyer turns 22; Ryan Meyer turns 22; Amanda Meyer Crane turns 44; Austin Bolin turns 26; Treven Maier turns 21; Henry Nelson turns 72; Donna King turns 52. February 14-Zack Vickers turns 32; Ty- ler Hill turns 24; Nate Wineinger turns 43; Tom and Happy Vinnedge celebrate 30 years; Jerry and Rosella Hill celebrate 38 years. February 15 -Pamela Sturgeon Meyer turns 57; Matthew Raney turns 55; Jere- my Henderson turns 30 ; Maci Kay Dunn; Jason and Anna Halfactor celebrate 11 years. May all our stars have a really great day and may all your wishes come true. Keep in your heart and in your prayers all our stars who are going through sur- geries, treatments, tests of all kinds, those with allergies, and the aches and pains of everyday life. EVENTS February 10 -Petersburg Li- ons Club meets at 6 p.m. February 14-Valentine's Day; Winslow Town Hall meeting at 6 p.m. February 21-Presidents' Day. Winslow senior citizens are meeting on Monday and Tues- day at the Community Center. Petersburg seniors meet in the courthouse basement. Send postcards to: Sweets Column, Winslow, IN 47598. This weeks cards: This card has three feathers and animal prints, feathers are purple, white and black, with speckles and orange, white and black. Inside had a saying: we will be known forever by the tracks we leave, Dakota Proverb. Dear friend, you can include me in your birthday list in the Press Dispatch. I enjoy your column, sincerely Irma Burch, for- merly from Otwell. Irma June (Capehart) Burch, Feb. 21, 94 years old. Thanks. Thanks Irma June for your card, and your birthday is now in the February birthday list to be put in the column. Hap- py birthday, Irma, for turning 94 years young. There is also a small card with a cof- fee cup and a smiley face. Here's a smile just for you. Rejoice in the Lord always. Philippians 4:4. On the back of the card, "pass it on." Winslow Patoka River is half full, but with the rain, sleet and snow to come on Feb. 2-4, and the threat that we may not get out on the roads, this column is handed in real early. From last we talked, we had a dusting of snow on Jan. 27, then more snow of less than half an inch with frigid temps for two days and three nights of below 32 degrees to single dig- its. On Saturday the 29, the snow melted and the temps rose into the 40s and 50s, to begin a new week. Wednesday, the second, is when the rain will start, and by Thurs- day, we should have ice covered streets, into Friday with snow. Freezing temps will come into the area and the weather people said it will stay around for a couple days after it leaves the area. I'm not go- ing outside at all, hope you all stay safe. The snow that had fallen, looked great to see on the trees, grass, roads and ve- hicles. The town laid sand down, which helped in spots. Sometimes you have to get a new bat- tery and that is what Vernon had to do. Now his car has that 'get up and go,' and the five year old battery gave its all and couldn't give any more. The lights are about to dim for this week. Keep an eye on family and friends. Slow down and see all the wonders in your area. Always smile, wave and say "hi" to everyone you see this week. Hap- py Valentine's day. AREA HAPPENINGS Celebrate Recovery–Will meet ev- ery Monday at 6 p.m. at the River of Life Church, 342 E. CR 300 N., Petersburg. For more information, contact Pastor Jim at 812-354-8800. Pike County History Center—Will meet the fourth Monday of each month at the History Center, 1104 Main Street, Petersburg at 6:30 p.m. New members welcome. History Center hours Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until further notice. DAR—Local chapter of the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution meet the second Monday of each month Sep- tember through June at 6 p.m. at the History Center in Petersburg. 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. Winslow Alcoholics Anonymous – will meet every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Call 812-789 -8535 for location of the meet- ing. Odd Fellows IOOF Pacific Lodge #175 meeting–the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. All area members are encouraged to attend. Otwell Ruritan–will have its month- ly 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 month- ly meetings the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. All members are urged to attend. Perinatal Loss Support – Expect- ant parents who suddenly lose their child often experience a wide range of emotions and grief. Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center offers support to assist those who have experienced the loss of a child (conception to one month of age) through the grieving pro- cess, and provide an atmosphere of con- fidentiality and comfort. For more information about Perinatal Loss Support, contact Theresa O'Bryan, Pastoral Care, at 812-996 -0219 or tobry- an@mhhcc.org. Grief Support Series-The death of a loved one, a child leaving home, over- whelming changes in one's personal life – each can cause profound grief and suf- fering. To offer reassurance and com- fort, Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center has developed a free support pro- gram called "Grief Support Series." Call for the next five-week program. Programs will be at 6:30 p.m. in Memo- rial Hospital and Health Care Centers Chapel. This program is free and space is limited. Pre-registration is necessary, please call 812-996 -0219. Stendal Community Create and Craft Night-The first Tuesday of each month, anytime between 6 -9 p.m. at St. Peters Lutheran Church fellowship hall. Bring a craft, sewing, yarn or un- finished projects. Create and finish proj- ects, and learn new ones while having fun. For more information, call Sherry Meyer at 812-457-9842. "High Blood Pressure: Diagno- sis and Management"-Join Memori- al Hospital and Health Care Center's IU School of Medicine Family Medicine Residents as they discuss "High Blood Pressure: Diagnosis and Management" on Wednesday, February 16 from 6 -6:45 p.m. in the Medical Arts Building Con- ference Center, located at 721 W. 13th Street in Jasper. To pre-register for the program, call Memorial Hospital's Marketing Depart- ment at 812-996 -2352, or go online to www.mhhcc.org and click on "Class- es and Events." Deadline to register is Monday, February 14. Alzheimer's Disease and Demen- tia Caregiver Support Group- Me- morial Hospital's Caring Hands Senior Services sponsors an Alzheimer's Dis- ease and Dementia Caregiver Support Group. Meeting dates have changed to the first Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is Tuesday, March 1, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Medical Arts Con- ference Center, located in the lower lev- el of the Medical Arts Building at 721 W. 13th St. in Jasper. For more information, please visit Me- morial Hospital's website at www.mhh- cc.org and click on "Classes & Events." If you would like more information on dementia and being a caregiver, please call 812-996 -0218. Pre-registration is not necessary. Living with COPD- If you or if some- one you care for is living with COPD, join us for an educational meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is scheduled for, Tuesday, March 8, from noon-1:30 p.m. in the Me- morial Hospital and Health Care Cen- ter Mary Potter Meeting Room, locat- ed inside the hospital at 800 W 9th St., Jasper, IN For more information, please visit Me- morial Hospital's website atwww.mhh- cc.org and click on "Classes & Events," or call 812-996 -5232 or 812-996 -1528. Pre-registration is not necessary, and there is no cost to attend.