An 80-something reader asked me to write about what I eat to stay healthy.  Well, what I eat has changed dramatically since my red-meat-loving husband Peter passed away.

To begin with, I can bring avocados (which he hated) into the house, a healthy and delicious addition to my diet.  For protein, it’s usually fish or chicken, with a variety of beans in the cupboard when I need a change.  I eat walnuts by the handful; I hear they are very good for our guts.  Because I can’t eat gluten and gluten-free bread products are, shall we say, less good, I tend to eat a salad for lunch with peppers, carrots, tomatoes and humus taking the starring roles.

Of course, there is my much written-about love for irresistible Trader Joe’s premium coffee ice cream.

Nobody’s perfect.

Tea at my place with two friends, always a delight.  And on a gloomy day, even better.  Especially lovely that we could agree on a time to meet because it’s so hard to coordinate our schedules. 

Normally when we get together, we try to solve the world’s problems.  But this time, we just gabbed, perhaps because we don’t have the solution to today’s world problems.

When they left, I felt a little sad, knowing that they were going home to husbands who would ask them about their day.

Missing Peter never goes away…

By the time one lives as long as most readers of this blog, it takes something pretty extraordinary to knock us for a loop. But a recent newspaper article that I read shocked me, and I can’t get it out of my mind.

It seems, according to Debby Herbenick, director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, that there has been a rapid rise of “rough sex” among college students, particularly sexual strangulation.

In her research Dr. Herbenick found that nearly two-thirds of women in her most recent campus-representative survey of 5,000 students at an anonymized “major Midwestern university” said a partner had choked them during sex (one-third in their most recent encounter).  nyti.ms/3Q7QKtI

That’s just plain sad.

It’s a walk I do frequently—this time I was out of cash and headed for my bank branch.  I passed an older woman going the other way.  Seconds later, I heard “Judy?”  Turns out this woman remembered me from the learning in retirement organization I belonged to for several years.  In fact, she really knew Peter much better.  She reminded me of what a star teacher he had been and how much she had enjoyed classes with him.  That brief encounter was a happy one, and at the same time, sad.

Minutes later I saw a familiar face—a young man walking in the opposite direction.  He said, “Hi Judy.”  Embarrassed I told him he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him.  Sure enough, he was a teaching assistant in the undergraduate class that I loved auditing last semester. 

Two random events—they made my day.

As one of a fast-disappearing-read-the-paper-as-a-newspaper holdouts, I can’t help but notice the skinny-ness of my daily paper delivery.  I believe that the decline in size is due primarily to advertisers having moved online, and I see enough ads online to back up that claim. 

However, since my morning coffee ritual requires a newspaper, I carry on.

I know that newspapers thrive on disquieting news.  But right now, there is a bit too much that is worrisome.  So, I find myself reading faster and reading less.  I know there is good news out there.

It just doesn't sell newspapers.

I love dogs.  Especially if they belong to other people.  I think about owning one of my own, but I remind myself of cold winter mornings with slippery sidewalks, and I remain dog-less.

Lately, I have been watching a golden retriever progress from pure puppydom to teen-age puppydom.  His owner knows I’m a fan, and when we meet on the street, we always stop to chat while I get my petting in.

65.1 million U.S. households own a dog. 

I will continue to resist.

Of the many complicated things over which I have no control and not much knowledge, artificial intelligence (AI) may be number one.  From what I read, I am in awe of its power and frightened of its capabilities.

As usual, not knowing much about a subject doesn’t keep me from having opinions.  Therefore, take the following with several grains of salt.

Are jobs at risk?  Yes and no say experts.  Jobs will change for sure.

Can AI do harm?  Yes.  One example, a clothed photo of a teenager was doctored and became a nude photo online.  Misinformation in general can become rampant.

Is the U.S. behind in AI?  If so, what do we do about it?  I will leave that to the experts.

Some subjects are beyond consideration by The 80-something Blog.

This is one of them.

Five years ago, I learned that I had early-stage breast cancer. After exploring my options, my treatment of choice was radiation therapy.  Since then, the results of my annual mammogram have been reported to me at the end of each procedure, and I have met immediately after with my surgeon who has confirmed that all is well.

Now, at five years, with my mammogram last week clear of concern, I am considered “cured.”  No further post-procedure meetings with the doctor.

It’s a good feeling.