The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1473660
Do you return your cart, or choose chaos? A fruitful exercise is to ask readers what irritates them, which I do often in my newsletter. This opens a floodgate of material, from "Forms: Why does my child's swim school need the name of my dentist?" to "Golf: Ew." This week, I heard from Cameron Spears of Odessa, Florida. He suggest- ed I write about shopping carts, or peo- ple who don't return them. "It fascinates and annoys me," he said. Well, Cameron, same. This infraction has been chilling on my peeve list for some time. In my wild and brazen younger years, the days of Candie's tracksuits and plat- form flip-flops, I admit to having dropped carts wherever. I half-credit an ex with changing my mind. Half-credit because his reasoning was, "Imagine what the cart guy could do if he wasn't busy clean- ing up your carts!" Now, returning a cart doesn't mean a store employee will peel off his name tag and become a full-time infectious disease specialist. Retail workers are plenty busy without cart negligence, and they de- ser ve respect for what they do. But it got me thinking: I had no excuse to be a lazy sack of pink terr y cloth. Putting my cart back was an easy place to start. That relative ease is at the core of the Shopping Cart Theor y, a viral meme that posits: "The shopping cart is the ulti- mate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing. To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do." Because punishment is mostly nonex- istent, the theor y goes, returning a cart is intrinsic good faith. Generally, I agree this is one small thing mankind can do when we're not slapping each other to death against a backdrop of staggering galactic in- significance. But there are caveats, opportuni- ties to press the brakes on judgment. Scientific American went deep on cart be- havior in 2017, using terms like "injunctive norms" and "descrip- tive norms." Anthropol- ogist Kr ystal D'Costa outlined who may not comply. This includes parents who can't leave babies alone. Shoppers may have physical limitations, visible and invisible disabilities. Then there's a more baffling cohort of rebels who believe they benevolently keep people employed by turning the Target lot into a Tough Mudder. This, friends, is mental gymnastics, and I wish you well in the Olympics! In the name of anthropology (stalking), I spent a few hours obser v- ing (staring like a creep at) people to gauge car t compliance. I sat in my car, peering over sunglasses and sipping a large Sprite Zero with nugget ice, a discount detective. A Tampa Walmar t appeared most chaotic, in contrast to the tidy Publix two miles south. By the time I got to an outdoor mall 20 miles away, buggies were in full lawless disar ray: Target car ts flipped over behind the building, Costco car ts big enough to transpor t several capyba- ras found clear across the premises, a PetSmar t car t cr ying out existentially. Among the varieties of car t dispos- al: Curb car t: This one is a head-scratcher. The shopper had to maneuver it of f the ground into the mulch. The Apple Watch is lit after this; one won- ders if a simple jaunt to the car t bay would have bur ned fewer calories. Parking space cart: The worst cart! One thousand negative bonus points if the cart is in the accessible space. For shame. Cart pushed just out of reach of shop- per's car into someone else's car: Two thousand negative bonus points! Cart right next to the cart bay: They made it all the way to the cart receptacle and then, I guess, were raptured. Lost Boys carts: Abandoned carts that have formed a club. Cart with mysterious open food/feast- ing birds: Why is it always a rotisserie chicken? Cart moment of truth: This cart is at a crucial juncture. The shopper has unload- ed three pallets of Kirkland water, a value pack of brownie bites and two electric toothbrushes. Shopper looks askance. Will he leave the cart? Will he walk 25 feet? Suddenly, he is saved when a wom- an emerges from her car in search of a cart, thus completing the cycle into... The handoff cart: This mayhem starts all over again. Stephanie Hayes is a columnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. SWIRCA HOME LIFE A-6 Tuesday, July 19, 2022 South Gibson Star-Times Pizza tater tot casserole By Jennifer Vallee Cooking Columnist news@sgstartimes.com Do you have a family member that drives you crazy be- cause they are so picky? If you don't, you are ver y blessed. If you are like me you have at least one person, in my case a child, that doesn't like to have their palate tested with new tastes. Luckily for me, there are a few key words that are al- ways tasted without issue. Since man cannot live on cold hot dogs alone, I sometimes have to be a little tricky to get himto tr y new foods. Pizza is always a favorite and by calling this a tater tot pizza (tater tots also being on the approved foods list), I can get a lucky eater to broaden his horizons. If you love pizza, like most of us do, you'll love this cas- serole. Plus once you've made it once you can change the toppings up to meet your favorite pizza toppings. I myself will be mixing Italian sausage and pepperoni with the beef next time. I also like to par bake my tots so they are extra crunchy. Have fun with this. Make it fit your family's taste and most importantly, enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 1-1/2 pounds ground beef • 1 medium green pepper, chopped, optional • 1 medium onion, chopped • 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms • 1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce • 1 teaspoon dried basil • 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese • 1 package (32 ounces) frozen Tater Tots • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese DIRECTIONS 1. In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper if de- sired, onion and mushrooms over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, breaking meat into crumbles; drain. Add pizza sauce and basil. 2. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. or 13x9 -in. baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and potatoes. Bake, un- covered, at 400° until potatoes are lightly browned, 30 -35 minutes. 3. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Source: tasteofhome.com MENU FOR DELIVERY Tuesday, July 19: Smoked pork chop, scalloped pota- toes, broccoli, wheat bread with margarine, pudding cup and milk. Wednesday, July 20: Chicken Parmesan, baby bakers, cauliflower, bread with margarine, pear cup and milk. Thursday, July 21: Cabbage roll, Fresh style green beaks, bread with margarine, fruit cobbler and milk. Friday, July 22: Quarter pound frank on bun, homemade macaroni and cheese, sugar snap peas, fresh fruit and milk. Monday, July 25: Barbecue riblet on bun, red skin pota- toes, succotash, applesauce and milk. Tuesday, July 26: Sausage patty, gravy and biscuit, oven fried potatoes, green potatoes, apples and milk. MORE INFORMATION SWIRCA meals are available for deliver y to housebound senior citizens (60 and older) in Gibson County. Meals are provided on a donation basis and whatever you can afford to contribute. There is no set fee or charge. A suggested donation is $3.50 per meal. Cash and check or food stamps are accepted. Meat/Entrée portions are 2.5 to 3 oz. Vegetables and salads and desserts are half cup ser vings. Margarine is 1 teaspoon. Bread is one slice. Milk is a half pint. Casseroles are 8 oz. This program is operated by the SWIRCA and More Nu- trition Program at 16 W. Virginia St. and Evansville. The number to call for information or to order meal deliver is 812-464-7807. Note that the soup and sandwich is only for our congre- gate site clients. It is an alternative option to the hot meal. No special orders. Call 812-464-7807 to order at least one day ahead. Staying grounded in an ever-changing world By Lizzie Raben Youth First, Inc. youthfirstinc.org The last few years have brought new sources of un- certainty and unforeseen chal- lenges to ever yone's lives. As we've moved for ward from a global pandemic, we've all ad- justed to embrace new ways of living to accommodate the needs of our society. It takes time to adapt to change; however, there are simple habits each of us can employ to make it easier to stay grounded and reconnect with the people and activities that enrich our day-to-day lives. 1. Staying connected is cr ucial to preser ving impor t- ant relationships. It is more impor tant than ever to pur- posefully find ways to both reconnect and stay connect- ed with one another. Though many of us may associate vir- tual meeting spaces with the isolation we experienced ear- ly in the pandemic, don't dis- count the benefits of main- taining vir tual connections with our friends and families when we cannot gather in person. 2. Re-establish routines that work for you. Through- out the pandemic, many of us sacrificed par ts of our routines that enriched our mental and physical health. If daily trips to the gym went by the wayside during the pandemic, consider re-estab- lishing this healthy aspect of your routine if you feel comfor table doing so. Alter- natively, if you adopted new routines throughout the pan- demic such as going on daily walks or reading a chapter of a book each night, make an ef for t to keep those healthy habits in your routine. 3. Commit to finding a healthy balance. Although the pandemic brought ad- ditional stressors, it also al- lowed people the ability to slow down and reflect upon the good and bad aspects of their lifestyle. Now that the world has largely opened back up, don't feel obligated to accept ever y social invi- tation you receive if you'd rather take some time for self-care. 4. Forgive yourself and others. Within the new times we face, we've all had to ac- commodate new societal ex- pectations. It is important for us to continue granting oth- ers some grace, as ever yone adapts to change at their own pace. While we cannot con- trol the ever-changing world around us, we can control our reactions. By letting things go and forgiving, we can treat ourselves and others with the compassion each of us de- ser ve. Lizzie Raben, MSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at Fairlawn Elementary School in Vanderburgh County. Youth First, Inc., a nonprofit dedi- cated to strengthening youth and families, provides 78 Master's level social workers to 107 schools in 13 Indiana counties. Youth First My So Called Millennial Life By Stephanie Hayes O N L I N E • S M A RT P H O N E • TA B L E T sgstartimes.com/edition Web, Smartphone, Tablet Streamline the Headline! 812-753-3553 • 203 S. McCreary St. Fort Branch, IN • ads@sgstartimes.com