We Need a Reboot

What I would like to see change about elections and politicians running:

•  Stop with the rallies where the candidate gets to stand and talk at the crowd. Instead, do more Q & A sessions. 

Have the candidates (from both parties) sit down to talk about specifics. In a session about the economy, invite economists from across the political spectrum to ask the questions and moderate the session. When discussing civil rights, invite moderators with experience in civil rights law and activism. Invite qualified medical doctors and other healthcare professionals in for discussions on that spectrum.

The whole point of these directed and focused sessions would be to hold every candidate accountable for being clear and knowledgeable about the issues and for actually having a plan.

• Have public news stations do nightly takes on each currently hot issue. Have journalists from across the political spectrum represented. Highlight currently relevant topics that the candidates are featuring in their platforms. Invite in experts in whatever field of topic and have civil discussions that are informative, truthful, and useful to viewers. 

This will be an alternative to the news put out based on political bias. If at no other time than during the election cycles, we need an alternative to the liberal (MSNBC-type) and conservative (FoxNews-type) noise that outshouts common, clear, and understandable information about the candidates and parties and their plans for the citizens.

• Start doing more educational outreach. When candidates are talking about healthcare reform, put out unbiased information about the basics. There is no excuse that there were people not understanding that Obamacare is the ACA. There is no excuse, with all the news being broadcast around the clock, that some of us didn't understand how tariffs affect the consumer.

We can't backtrack and re-educate multiple generations of citizens in civic, history, and government studies. We can (at least during election cycles) clarify what candidates are saying and proposing.

Now, all of those are things I am suggesting for politicians, parties, and news providers. As for citizens, we need to start holding ourselves accountable for being familiar (or getting familiar) with current issues. (And, by the way, as I point fingers, one is pointing right back at me!)

• We (citizens) need to stop getting our news from biased sources. We know for a fact that we will hear one version of a talking point on one channel while another channel is going in the opposite direction with their opinions.
• We need to stop letting news celebrities/news personalities, podcasters, influencers, etc; direct our opinions. Those people don't live your life, they don't live like "regular" folk, and they don't understand the day to day concerns of anyone not in their orbit. If I don't let my neighbor influence my important decisions, why would I let some of those other people do so. Remember how your parents would ask if you would ~insert activity here~ just because all your friends did?
• We need to start asking more questions and listening to responses from more than one source. Voting is not like religion. I can follow more than one news source even though I follow only one God.
• We need to start thinking more about our day to day life before we start choosing sides in a political forum. When that candidate said what they would do for us as far as the economy, jobs, infrastructure, etc., we need to be able to access how well those promises stood up. 
• Last of all, we need to stop being so selfish. If I don't have problems with housing costs - or jobs, or healthcare or whatever it is - that doesn't mean I should not be concerned for my fellow citizens.

I have come to the conclusion that we cannot count on our politicians to get it together until we push for that. So let's start pushing. Let's start being Americans - not Democrat, Liberal, Republican, MAGA, and so on. We all have to breathe clean air, have good food and water, and live. There are no dividing lines when it comes to just living our lives.

Peace

--Free

P.S: Forgive me for any grammatical errors or lack of clarification. I have an illness that affects my cognition at times. However, I am sure most people can understand what I have said.

Manuka Honey Is the TRUTH **UPDATE**

**UPDATE** (Added a postscript with links at the end of the post)

 Let me repeat that with some emphasis: Manuka honey is the cha-ruth!

I have been hit with this whatever-the-recent-crud-is that's gone around Iowa. I had a new cough (after finally recovering from the other never-ending one earlier this year) that is still hanging on. Apparently, I have something called a mucus plug (which I thought was only for pregnant women!) and a viral situation. So... 

With all the coughing and spitting out disgusting mucus, I was absolutely worn out - rung out, is more like it. There were days I could only get up long enough to say my prayers, take my meds with a bit of food and have some coffee. The coughing kept me awake most of time so I was mostly napping instead of getting any stretch of time asleep.

I'm whining but a couple of my neighbors were dealing with the same thing.

Anyway.

I still have the cough but it seems to be dying down. For the last few weeks, I have been on a steady rotation of Mucinex DM and Dayquil/Nyquil. Finally, I remembered that I had a little bit of Manuka honey left. There was maybe a teaspoon and a half to be scraped from the 15+ jar and a tablespoon from the 10+ jar.

Now, here is where I prove what I've said about Manuka being expensive but worth it. I got the 15+ in May 2021. It is a $36 7.9oz jar. The 10+, which I got in April 2018 was $25 (I'm sure it was a lightening deal). 

The honey is so old that, I swear, it was a job just to get the lids off!

I have used both jars to fill up little lip tubes like these...

I add in a little stingless bee honey

...to have in my purse. I use the honey to stop a cold sore from starting (applied at the first itch, I will never have to deal with the blister) and to treat minor cuts and burns. I sometimes add the honey to tea when I feel beat up by my weekly injection. And you see how much I have left. It does not take much to deal with most things.

So when I remembered I had a bit of honey left, I raided the pantry. I put a dollop of both types in my mouth and let it melt down with some lukewarm tea. You might want to think I am lying when I say that my throat felt a little better (from all the coughing) within an hour. I am still coughing but, still.

In light of the recent election and the talk of raising tariffs (which I don't think will be restricted to China), I checked Amazon for the current price of Steen's. I saw that it's currently almost $50 for a 7.9oz jar of 20+. And that is with a deal... 

The nieces and nephews had already started asking what I'd want for Christmas. I told one niece that I had the Steen's in my cart and she got it for me. 

You can bet I will be taking a little bit of Manuka every day as soon as I get it. As I said, the first doses made my throat feel better and so much less irritated. I might be delusional, but I swear the coughing is better. 

I never even think about giving medical advice (and you'd be stupid to take any from me!), but I love being able to use a honey for some things. There is proven (and documented) evidence of Manuka being a "medicinal honey" This is a nice write-up to peruse.

Anyway, this is the first time in a long minute that I've had the energy to write a new post instead of digging up one from my stash! Hopefully, I will be back to post more soon.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I forgot to add links to other posts I've made about Manuka and healing honeys:

• This was about stingless bee honey
• This was about Manuka & alternatives
• This is one about fermenting things in honey
• This is about the onion & honey tea

Check The Sidebar for Recipes & Tips

 Times are hard for a lot of us (and might be getting harder yet!) so I thought I would make better use of this blog's sidebar.

I have added a couple of spots where I can post easy recipes or money-saving tips and hacks. Whether we vote Red, Blue, Green, or other, we need to stand together in tough times.

The first 2 recipes I put up are pretty affordable meals. The stew and the cornbread can fill the bellies of a small family, or sustain a single for a while. 

If you add additional sugar (brown or white) or honey to the cornbread, it can almost be a dessert substitute. To give more heft to the stew, you can add veggies (or even substitute them for the meat or beans). 

Both those recipes are filling and not too bad as far as sugar and salt. I hope it helps.

Peace

--Free

A Crappy $9 Bag I've Come to Love

 Last month, I saw a cute-looking ("looking" is the key here) bag on the Walmart site. I have recently developed a love of backpack purses (or convertibles). When I saw this one priced at under $10, I laughed. Then I looked again and realized I could return it for free. I ordered it. 

Thin & wrinkled/bent

When the bag arrived, I laughed. Hard. I immediately started writing a scathing review saying that the bag was overpriced and belonged in the clearance bin at an "Under $0.99" store. I ranted about the paper-thin material that I was sure might not even be real plastic. I made jokes about the toy-like straps and handle. I basically had a field day ragging on this bag. My review had a mean "are-you-kidding-me" vibe. (I am not proud of myself.) 

It came in a package
as flat as an envelope

I intended to return it but, first, I wanted to get photos. Then, for better photos, I filled the little purse up with things from my "good" purse. I thought I should get a photo of my actually using the bag - with the pitiful straps on my shoulder or holding the bag by the crappy handle. 

Even cheaper-looking inside.
Shiny nylon?

A funny thing happened while I was handling the purse. I started to like it. It's still made of cheap, can-you-even-call-it-genuine plastic. It still has a thin handle and strap. The thing is, though, I started loving how roomy it is without looking bulky. I liked all the little inner pockets. 

Looks BETTER when filled!

Basically, I have fallen in love with this cheap,  "raggely" (that's West Texan for "raggedy") bag. If only I could find a purse just like this one but made with better materials... 

Side pockets, back pocket, front & interior pockets.
So many pockets.

It's hard to convey the cheapness of this bag in photos. It's highly photogenic (which is how the seller duped me!). The color (black) helps disguise the low quality of materials, and it has a matte texture that looks expensive (or at least not cheap). You cannot tell how cheap the bag is just by looking. 

The bottom line is, I have come to love this bag. Now I just need to find the same bag made with halfway decent materials. I'm not sure this one is going to hold up to much use. I'll be lucky if a strap doesn't come loose while I'm holding it...

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I have since seen several similar designs & some of them are actually made of a better grade of plastic! LOL

P.S. P.S.: Keep me in your prayers. I'm still struggling with whatever is going around the state. I have 1 good day, then 2 days of coughing and being bedridden fatigued. At least 4 of my neighbors have the same thing going on Lord have mercy.

**REVIEW** Bamboo Queen Microfiber Baby Washcloths

 First off, know that these are not like every other microfiber cloth (dishrag, makeup rag, duster, etc.) I have seen and used.

I love using microfiber cloths for the kitchen dishes and for cleaning around the house. What I love about them is that they are soft and durable and get the job done. They are especially good for drying dishes and counters. They are awesome for face washing because they are so soft and gentle.

What I do not like about the microfiber cloths I've used in the past is that, once they get a bit of use, they start to get slimy when wet. I can wash them at this point but they only work for another day or so before they get that icky texture again. This is when I usually use them to clean my trash can then toss the rag.

When I got these cloths, I thought I was just getting a great "lightening deal" on a giant pack (32) of the usual. It would still be a good bargain but I expected to deal with the "ick" factor at some point. But, I could tell almost right away that these from Bamboo Queen are different.

These were $9.50 for a day...

When these get wet and I ring these out, they get very dry. Also, they feel stronger when wet than the others I've used. The best part is that, after using these for a few days, I made my usual mistake and left one in puddle of sink water for several hours. That usual ruins the other brands. If they are new, I can probably rescue them from the early "ickiness" but sometimes not. With this Bamboo Queen brand, once I rinsed the rag and wrung it out, it was good as new.

This might not seem like a big deal but it is to me. For one thing, that slimy texture of the other cloths makes me think "bacteria". When I first noticed the problem, I would try soaking the cloths in really hot water with some Listerine or vinegar and baking soda. Nothing worked. And I forgot to mention the smell. Ugh!

So, yeah, I am really into this brand of microfiber cloth. I would probably never have tried them if not for the temporary deal price. Judging from my orders' history, I've been using microfiber cloths for over 4 years now. Just imagine what I'd have saved by getting more use from each pack of them!

At any rate, if you like microfiber, make sure to find some that don't get icky or hold odors.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: BTW, when I looked up why some microfiber towels are better than others, it comes down to the obvious reason: quality. Do a quick search and you will probably see the same reason shown.