kids

Consider Teaching Your Kids How To Cook

It started over a decade ago, and I’m so glad it did. Before that, Julie and I had more traditional roles, but not for the reasons you may think, it was out of necessity.

When Julie was pregnant with Grace, we did the math. Julie was working part-time as a psychologist in my office, and when we contrasted her earnings with the cost of private childcare for two kids, it became evident that we would only be ahead by a few thousand dollars. That calculation didn’t account for the other costs that one incurs to survive working while raising a child. Of course, Julie could have gone full-time, but that had drawbacks.

We mutually decided that she would take a hiatus from work and focus on the family. In turn, I would become the sole breadwinner as I had more significant earning potential. I took that responsibility seriously and worked a ridiculous number of hours. Julie shouldered parenting and made a point to serve the kids a home-cooked meal most nights. This action plan continued for over a decade and was the right decision for our family.

Eventually, Julie returned to the workplace, and meals became slabs of Stouffer’s diners and boxes of frozen pizza. The kids were unhappy with this change, so they let us know. They wanted home cooking again. Julie was at her limit, but my schedule had opened up a bit. I have always been a confident cook, but I had released that role when I married Julie. It was now time for me to don my apron. 

I do  few things casually. If I were to resume meal prep, it would have to have a purpose other than filling bellies. I admit that at least one of my motivations was selfish. I’ll tell you about that reason next.

One of the issues that happens when you work 60-70 hours per week is that you are home less than you would like. I always came home right after work, but it would be late in the evening, and I would be emotionally spent. My family was a solid unit, but in many ways, it was as if I was standing outside the house and looking through a window at them. I wanted to forge a better connection with my kids, and cooking together could be the answer. Additionally, I knew that learning to cook would offer them many skills beyond poaching eggs. It is a complex discipline that has a plethora of learning opportunities.

I started “Cooking with Dad Thursdays.” If you were home on Thursday night, you would mix and chop right along with me.  

I wanted to teach my kids basic cooking skills and give them the confidence to tackle any recipe without fear. We focused on everything from adequately grilling a hamburger to making a smooth white sauce. In the process, I emphasized flexibility. We could omit or substitute something else if we didn’t have one ingredient. I also emphasized organization and “cleaning as you go.” Nothing deters cooking more than having to face a mountain of dishes post-meal. I wanted to teach them the benefits of making things from basic ingredients that could be fashioned into thousands of recipes. A cake mix can make a cake, but flour can make many things. I pushed for balance and frugality. One of our occasional indulgences is the humble Costco roasted chicken. You can’t beat its $5 price point. We would have one meal with the chicken, but I would save the carcass and make a cream of chicken soup a few days later. The kids preferred the soup to the chicken!

The kids prefer our homemade cream of chicken soup.

Along with meal prep, we made sure that we put the leftovers away, washed the dishes, and cleaned the table.

Over the years, we started cooking more days than just Thursday, and meal prep became a time that we looked forward to. As the kids became more proficient, it became easy to direct them, and at times, they directed me. We worked together as a team, an invaluable skill to have in life. We not only enjoyed making a meal, but we also loved sitting at the table as we ate, talked about our day, and laughed. 

The kids working with Julie to make me my birthday dinner. They have the skills to work independently
We have a thing in our house for sculpted butter turkeys on Thanksgiving. My daughter thought it would be funny to “sculpt” some butter for my birthday!

Eighteen months ago, Julie became ill, and I went from cooking several days a week to making meals every day. I was capable of this responsibility, but it was a drag. Eventually, Julie took over Monday meal-making, but more needed to be done. The kids still helped me when I cooked, but it was time to turn over Wednesday nights completely to them. The three had to plan a menu, execute it, and clean up afterward. Would all of my efforts be in vain? 

If they wanted me to buy ingredients, I would do so. However, the vast majority of the time, they created meals from what we had on hand. Recently, I was especially impressed. Our larder was bare as I needed to go shopping. They assessed the situation and came up with a solution. We had the ingredients to make Dutch apple pancakes. However, we had never made them before; in fact, none of us had eaten a Dutch apple pancake. They read the ingredients, knew that the dinner would work, and proceeded ahead. Their efforts turned out great.

The kids were ingenious and came up with a dinner, Dutch apple pancakes, despite the fact that our larder was bare.

Lastly, it is not uncommon for them to pack leftovers for lunch while their peers spend their cash on going out to eat. Another frugal life skill!

So, why is teaching your kids how to cook a good idea?

  1. It gives them a skill that they can use throughout their life.
  2. It teaches frugality.
  3. It teaches resourcefulness. 
  4. It encourages confidence.
  5. It teaches problem-solving.
  6. It teaches organization.
  7. It teaches teamwork.
  8. It can create strong bonds and wonderful memories.

How can you beat that?  

Spend time with your kids. Teach them what you know. Use your teaching to expand their knowledge beyond the task at hand. Celebrate the simple things in life; they are the richest. 

Mike

We were gifted the ham bone from our greater family’s Easter celebration. What to do? We made some 15 bean soup with it. Spices can turn something bland into something delicious!
A delicious chicken coconut curry. Simple to make, but impressive.
A recipe from my past. Chicken and stuffing casserole. Comfort food at its best.
Another of my childhood favorites that the kids now claim as one of their favorites, potato pancakes. Yes, I know more bacon… what are you going to do?
We also bake. Grace found this recipe and wondered if we could make it. Why not!
We had fun making this cake. Yes, I like crazy colors. The kids are now more proficient bakers than I am.

Addendum: I’m sure some of you may feel that we should be cooking healthier or using more organic ingredients. If that is the case, I respectfully would like to say that you are missing the point of this post. However, you do you, and I accept you for who you are.

Uncategorized

Your Battery Bank Is Lying To You!

A few weeks back I took my son on a school tour.  We planned to stay at a hotel for two nights, but I wanted to pack light.  I had just done a review on a small power bank that seemed perfect to use as my phone’s temporary charging system. I had tested all of its many features and they seemed to work well.  The unit was small, and claimed an impressive 20,000 mAh of power. I felt that this should be enough to fully recharge my phone from zero more than four times.  

My phone was at a 50% charge when I plugged it into the fully charged power bank.  The next morning my phone was only at 84% charge, and the power bank was at 21%.  Clearly, it did not have a 20,000 mAh battery. In fact, it likely didn’t even have a 5000 mAh battery. Yet, the print on its case clearly stated 20,000 mAh. I was upset.  However, my motto is “Don’t get mad, confirm or reject your suspicions with hard data.”  

Battery banks (AKA power banks) seem pretty straightforward.  Bigger mAh units should be able to charge a phone more times.  However, my research has shown me that there is no real regulation on battery banks, and that it is necessary to go to extraordinary lengths to figure out the true capacity of any unit. These banks are sealed and you often have to destroy them to get a peek at their actual battery. Battery banks can be branded with bizarre sounding names.  The seller can silk screen anything that they want to on the case. If a product gets bad reviews it is easy to rebrand the next batch that they are selling. Additionally, the industry itself gives out confusing information making it difficult to know what you are buying even when a company is reputable.  Because I review products I had a number of battery banks that were nearly new for testing.  I decided to learn more about the ins and outs about these common products; by the end of my research I was not only disappointed, I was shocked.  

Some terminology

Ports:  Most battery banks have a complement of both USB A and USB C ports.  Many (but not all) USB C ports are bi-directional.  You can charge the bank through them and they can also output a charge.  Some older models may require you to use a micro USB cord to charge, which can be a bit of a hassle as these cords are now less common. 

Metering:  Most battery banks have some method to tell you how charged they are.  Some will have a 4 LED display, while others will give you a more precise digital readout. 

Size:  Battery banks come in many sizes.  Typically, the bigger the bank the bigger the capacity.  However, this is not always the case.  Make sure that the size that you pick is compatible with your needs.  When traveling abroad I had a small battery bank that I could easily slip in my pocket.  I was dependent on Google Maps (which consumes a lot of battery energy).  I would have been lost without that power bank, which was so lightweight that I barely knew that I was carrying it. 

Recharge times:  Some battery banks can recharge faster than others.  Sometimes that difference can be dramatic. 

Watts:  Some battery banks will list watts, for instance 15 Watts or 20 Watts on the front of their case.  This indicates the maximum watts that certain ports, or a combination of ports can deliver to a device like a phone.  Some phones can accept higher watts and will charge faster.  Larger devices, like tablets, may require higher watts to trigger their charging circuitry. I tested the power (watts) output of a few banks and their maximum output was lower than what was listed on the case.

Volts Out: Volts refer to the force of the electrical current. Here is a water analogy:  If you are trying to fill a bucket it will fill faster if the flow rate is faster (more pressure). Likewise, a battery will fill faster if the voltage is higher. The standard power output of a USB port is 5 volts.  However, some phones are capable of accepting higher voltages. and will tell the battery bank to send it. Note that some battery banks can only deliver 5 volts, so that is what the phone will get.  Higher voltage output yields faster charging. As an example, an USB C Power Delivery port can (potentially) deliver up to 48 volts.  Note, both your phone and the power bank have to be compatible with the same protocol for fast charging to kick in.  

Amps Out: Another electrical parameter. This refers to how much charge is moving through the circuit. Using the water analogy, if you filling a bucket it will fill faster if the diameter of your hose is wider.  More amps means faster charging. Your phone will limit the amount of amps that it will accept. An old iPhone AC charger will deliver around 1 amp of power, but newer iPhones can accept up to 2.4 amps so an advanced AC charger will charge a phone faster. Some battery banks can provide higher amps, others can’t. A battery bank will usually list the maximum amps that any given port will provide on its case. Here too, I found exaggerations on several banks. 

A phone may tell a battery bank to provide more amps; it may also tell a battery bank to provide less amps than the bank is capable of delivering.  Exceeding a phone’s charging recommendation can lead to early phone battery failure, and can even cause a battery to explode. 

Lastly, a battery providing 2000 mAh at 2 Amps will deplete faster than one providing 2000 mAh at 1 amp. Higher draws have a negative impact on a battery. That is just the way battery chemistry works.

Watts Law: At this point you may be thinking, “What gives, Mike?  First you said that higher volts will charge a device faster, and then you said it was higher amps!  Which one is it?”  The answer is both, as they work together to calculate power, which in this case we are calling watts.  

Check out this equation: 

volts x amps = watts (power).  

When you increase volts or amps (or both) you will supply more power from your power bank to your device.  More power means the unit will charge faster.

mAh (milliamp/hour): A unit that indicates overall capacity of a battery bank. One milliamp is equivalent to 1/1000 of an amp.  To use the water analogy, think of a battery as a tank.  A bigger tank can hold more water and a bigger battery can hold more charge.   Common battery bank sizes are 5,000 mAh, 10,000 mAh, and 20,000 mAh.  

Depending on the phone, a typical phone battery can store from 2,500 to 4,000 mAh with some phones having batteries that are as large as 5,000 mAh.  

A common misperception is that it is simple to calculate how many times a power bank could recharge a phone by doing simple math.  For instance, you think that a 5,000 mAh power bank should be  able to recharge a 2, 500 mAh battery twice (5,000/2,500 = 2) . To understand why this is not the case we need to get into the weeds a bit. 

If you want skip the sciency stuff then go directly to “The Bottom Line”

Most power banks output around 5 volts (some can deliver higher voltages on demand).  However, the lithium battery inside the power bank is only 3.7 volts. The mAh listed on the case uses 3.7 volts in its calculation which gives a higher mAh number.

Here is a practical example for a 5,000 milliamp power bank

Volts x amps = watts (Watt’s law again)

3.7 volts x 5,000 mA = 18.5 watts

However, at 5 volts

watts/volts = amps (Watt’s law rearranged)

18.5 watts/5 volts =  only 3,700 mA 

Note that the overall power (watts) is the same in both equations, but both the volts and amps have changed. 

The 5 volt value is (approximately) 75% of what the 3.7 volt value is.  This is the case for all power banks. Because of this confusion I think that it is better to compare Wh (watt hours) of a battery bank when trying to figure out its capacity. A typical 5,000 mAh battery will deliver around 18.5 Wh of power.  Some well designed batteries may actually give you a bit more power, but still list 5,000 mAh on their case.  Other battery banks go in the opposite direction and overestimate their capacity, sometimes to the extreme.

A decent battery bank should list its mAh, (mili-amp hours) as well as Wh (watt hours) on its on its case. However, some manufacturers greatly exaggerate these numbers.

Many Factors Impact A Battery: Let’s assume that we are going to test a quality power bank. There are losses to consider.  The power bank has to convert the 3.7 volts of its battery to 5 volts or higher for the USB port.  This results in power loss.  The receiving device may also have to do some sort of voltage conversion.  That could lead to more power loss.  Some cheap gas station charging cables have more resistance than branded ones, and you can have a loss there.  Most lithium batteries have a BMS (battery management system) circuit. The BMS circuit can do many things.  Two of its most important functions are to regulate the voltage used to charge the power bank (too high of a charging voltage can cause a power bank to explode), and to prevent the battery from discharging completely. Completely discharging a lithium battery will dramatically shorten its life. Therefore, the BMS will prevent further discharging once the battery is at 10-20% of its capacity (depending on the programming of the BMS). That last bit of power is not available to the user.  Other factors that reduce the power of a battery include the ambient temperature, and the way that the charger is being utilized. Devices that demand a higher amperage to charge will deplete a battery faster, even if it is providing the same mAh as a unit delivering power at a lower amperage.

The Bottom Line

Unless a power pack is over rated it is acceptable to expect that it will only perform at 60-80% of its rated Wh capacity.  

Therefore, a typical 5,000 mAh battery that is rated at 18.5 Wh will only deliver 11.1 Wh-14.8 Wh in real life.  If a battery has a tested capacity of at least 60% of its listed capacity it is delivering its stated Wh capacity.  If it is lower than 60% the seller is telling a fib. 

The Test

I needed to come up with a way to drain and monitor a battery bank in a standardized fashion.  Luckily, I’m a nerdy guy who has a bunch of electronic tools lying around the house.  I came up with two methods.  The first method was more sophisticated, and a bit more accurate.  However, some of the no name banks could not recognize the first method and would turn off prematurely.  The second method was more crude and was slightly less accurate, but it worked for the majority of the battery banks.  That was the one that I used. Remember, your results may vary.

My fancier setup. This USB multi-meter uses a separate power source for its operations which leads to a more accurate final reading (by a bit). However, some of the battery banks that I tested would not recognize it enough to fully discharge the battery bank.
Here you can see my better system (top) which didn’t work for all cases, and my cruder system (bottom) which did work. The bottom system should still give enough information to determine the good from the bad.

The test was simple, I fully charged each battery bank and then completely discharged them using my gadget. I compared the actual power output of a power bank with its stated capacity.  If the actual output was at least 60% of the stated output the unit passed.  Some packs did very well, others were abysmally bad.  

Here are the battery banks that I tested.

The results

Battery #1 JRT-Japan (however it is made in China) 5,000 mAh pack. This is an exceptionally thin battery that is sexy as far as batteries are concerned.  I have had this battery for a year or two, but only use it rarely.  It probably has been charged less than 10 times.  It claims an output of 18.5 Wh, but only tested at 7.8 Wh, which is 42% of its stated power.  Verdict: FAIL

Battery #2 Dilibird.5,000 mAh pack.   I could not test this battery using either of my gizmos due to the Dilibird’s  limitations.  For a crude test I used the battery bank to charge my phone which was at around 60% charge.  Even in this situation the pack would randomly shut off and I would have to re-initialize it. Despite all of my efforts my phone only charged to 97% and the Dilibird went from 4 full bars of power to 1 bar.  Verdict: FAIL on multiple levels.

#3 Metecsmartme 5,000 mAh pack.  The case on this unit is a nice size.  It is very pocketable and fairly thin and light.  It claims an output of 18.5 Wh and delivered 14.4 Wh which is 78% of stated capacity.  Verdict: PASS

#4 4 Meyin Miusc (no that is not a typo) 20,000 mAh pack. This unit impressed me when I did an initial review.  However, it is also the unit that performed poorly when I used it at the hotel. It is the reason that I developed this test. The pack is loaded with features, which include a digital power level, wireless charging pad, and multiple built-in power cords.  Additionally, it claims 20,000 mAh of power.  It did not list Wh (which battery banks are required to do), but a 20,000 mAh battery calculates to 72 Wh of power.  In testing the unit it only provided 8.2 Wh of power, which is an abysmal 12% of stated capacity.  Verdict:  Despite a lot of bells and whistles it falters in its most important property, battery capacity. FAIL

This battery bank had all sorts of bells and whistles including built in power cords. Impressive on the surface, but garbage in use.

#5 Anker 10,000 mAh pack.  This is a fairly slim unit that is easily pocketable.  It has outlets for USB C, USB A, as well as a built-in USB C power cord.  The USB C outlet is bidirectional. It features a digital power meter.  It states that its capacity is 36 Wh of power. In testing it delivered 24 Wh of power, for 67% capacity.  Verdict: PASS

#6 6 Veektomix 10,000 mAh power bank.  I found this unit in my drawer and added it at the end of my tests (sorry, no photo). This unit is about the same size as the nice Metscmartme, but a bit thicker and heavier.  It has a digital display.  Ports include a micro USB for charging, USB C which is bidirectional (you can charge here too), and USB A. The small size made me think that this unit overstated its capacity.  It claims 38 Wh of power, and delivered 32 Wh, which is an awesome 82% of stated capacity.  Best in class.  Verdict: PASS

Conclusions

When it comes to power banks it is the Wild West.  There is no regulation, and it seems that sellers silk screen whatever values that they want to.  Many of the names are bizarre to English hearing ears.  It is likely that these brand names come and go so there is little reason for some to establish a quality product.

Expect 60-80% true capacity when buying a decent power bank.  However, in my test of 6 units 3 couldn’t even make that level of performance. 

Look for a bank with many favorable reviews.  Although these can be scammed, it is likely that  a well regarded unit with hundreds or even thousands of reviews is legit.  Shopping brand names can also help as a company’s future sales can be dependent on present reviews. The Anker unit that I tested passed and is a safe bet, however two lesser known brands performed better. I was especially impressed by the Veektomix.  It delivered 82% of its rated power and it did this in an incredibly sleek and compact case.  

Lastly, make sure the unit that you buy has the features that you need, including the type of ports as well as the power delivery capability.  If you are charging a device that can utilize a higher Amp or voltage output make sure that your unit can deliver it.  I think the best units have a bi-direction USB C as well as a USB A port. This combo gives you the most flexibility.  If you want a unit for on-the-go use a power bank with a rating of 5,000 to 10,000 mAh should do the trick.  Better brands may have better batteries that could offer more charging cycles before they degrade.  

Please note that this post is my personal opinion.  Testing was done with my available equipment which is not laboratory certified. 

Battery Bank and Power Bank refer to the same thing.

Good Luck

Peace

Mike

Addendum: For those interested, I did go try to modify my Amazon review of the Meyin Miusc power bank (#4).  I initially gave it a good review as I was impressed by all of its bells and whistles and used it to top off my phone a few times  (which worked fine).  However, I became aware of its low capacity when I used it in the hotel scenario that I talked about in the first paragraph of this post.  When I went back to modify my review the product had been discontinued and was removed from Amazon and so it was not possible to change my evaluation.  

camping, Total solar eclipse

Eclipse!

My fantasies of adventure started months ago when Julie asked me if I wanted to go camping. Naturally, I said yes, despite some trepidation, as the last time we went camping, Julie broke her foot. However, this would be the chance of a lifetime.

Also, it would be a great way to test out the new all-electric camper kitchen that Tom and I built and installed last summer. That kitchen started as a simple redesign but turned into much more with my friend Tom’s creative mind. The old kitchen was dominated by a sink and two internal 8-gallon tanks; for the uninformed, I had to contend with 64 pounds of fresh water and 64 pounds of gross gray water. Over the years that I have owned Violet the camper van I have found much more efficient ways to keep my dishes and myself clean on the road. The sink and its system had become obsolete, wasting valuable space in my tiny home on wheels where every square centimeter of storage was essential.

Violet’s new all-solar all-electric kitchen.

My initial plan was to remove the sink and replace the kitchen countertop with a laminate surface. We could easily cut the laminate and install an induction burner. However,  Tom’s idea was to completely rebuild the kitchen, which would be considerably more work but add practicality and storage space. We went with plan B, which involved weekends of cutting, gluing, and screwing. This would also permit us to make a custom countertop from wood we had harvested from fallen trees. Years prior, Tom arranged a deal with the Morton Arboretum to purchase fallen trunks, which we sawed and cured into wood planks. He had used the planks for his home remodel, but there was enough scrap wood to make a one-of-a-kind kitchen countertop for Violet.  

I had played around with my new solar-powered kitchen, but you never know how something will work until you test it in the field. This trip would be the kitchen’s first field test.

I remember seeing my first solar eclipse in the 1960s. I was in grade school, and I recall the warnings to “Not look directly at the Sun.” I made a pinhole projection box to view the Sun as the moon bit progressive chunks out of it. I’m uncertain if that eclipse reached totality, but it impressed me enough to have vivid memories of the event decades later. I remember standing on our front lawn, adjusting my makeshift device while noting all the others standing on their cramped patches of front yard in my South Side Chicago neighborhood.

In 2017, we took our kids to Southern Illinois for that eclipse. We visited St. Louis to check out Washington University as a potential college for my daughter and then drove east to the eclipse. Every place was crowded, but we eventually found our way to a county fairground and witnessed totality with hundreds of random watchers. It was an incredible experience.

This time around, it would just be Julie, me, and Violet, the camper van. Julie had called around for lodging. Bargain hotels, like Motel 8, were being booked at almost $1000 per night. Campgrounds were starting at $250. Yikes! She found a makeshift offering in Marion, Illinois, which was directly in the path of totality. Fifty dollars gave us the privilege to park in a field that belonged to a church. We were happy to get it.  

We traveled to Marion, Illinois to witness over 4 minutes of totality.

We built Violet to be self-contained. We carry water (and water purification), generate electricity via solar panels, and possess simple toilet facilities. We would be fine.  All we needed was reasonably level ground to park on.  

The total eclipse would be on Monday, but we drove to Southern Illinois on Sunday. We initially planned on leaving Chicagoland on Saturday to explore the region, but we wanted to attend a friend’s 65th birthday celebration that day.

Being my compulsive self, I had already gone shopping for camp supplies. The dry goods were already packed in the camper and the refrigerated items were placed in a bag in our home fridge. That way I wouldn’t forget to bring anything. All I had to do was unload the bag into Violet’s chest fridge on the day of the adventure.  

Since we were only going overnight, packing was as simple as tossing a few items of clothing in a backpack. As far as Julie was concerned, all she needed to bring were her personal  items, as I would be taking care of the rest.

With Violet fully fueled and her larder overflowing, we set off on our adventure. The trip to Marion was calculated at around 5 hours, but terrific winds and rain extended the trip to over six. Julie wanted to stop at Carbondale, as that was the epicenter of eclipse activities, but I was already spent and couldn’t imagine the additional hour of drive time. As Violet’s pilot, I made the executive decision to give it a pass.

The field location was obscure, so we used GPS coordinates instead of standard street directions. However, finding the place turned out to be a breeze, as well as a surprise. The Christian church was situated on acres of a neatly cut grass field. The place had it all, a massive fire pit, a pavilion with picnic tables, and…BATHROOMS!! The setting was as lovely as a dedicated campground. Best of all, we had ample space, and our fellow campers were chill and respectful. Fantastic! And did I say, BATHROOMS! When you are a camper used to camping on BLM land, bathrooms are a BIG deal.

Sunday and pre-eclipse Monday were spent quietly. Talking, reading, and a little YouTube watching. My initial test of the kitchen was simple: grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. I challenged the system more on Monday morning as I made coffee in an electric coffee pot and homemade breakfast burritos using both the induction hob and the microwave. Everything worked flawlessly. Despite running my fridge, using the lights, heating the cabin with the Webasto heater, and cooking, I only used 19% of my battery’s capacity. Additionally, the 400 watts of solar on Violet’s roof had my batteries back at 100% capacity by early afternoon—a total success for a total eclipse day.

We had a perfect spot to camp.
The field was large enough so that everyone had enough space.
We spent much of our time talking and reading. Note that the passenger’s seat can rotate into the cabin for more space.
First test, making some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for Sunday dinner.
Then coffee for two the next morning.
Making the burrito filling.
How about some breakfast burritos using both the induction burner and the microwave? No problem!

By 1:30 PM, we had our lawn chairs in position as we saw the moon slowly eclipse the Sun through our heavily tinted eclipse glasses. I took a few shots on my phone by covering its lens with the glasses with fair results. At that point I regretted not bringing along one of my professional camera rigs with me. Alas, you win some, and you lose some.

The first thing that I noticed was that it suddenly became cooler. However, the Sun had to be almost completely covered before the light changed from day to dusk. At 1:59:44 PM, totality occurred and lasted 4 minutes and 7 seconds. We went from dusk to night; the wind stilled, and the birds stopped singing. More spectacularly, the Sun turned into a black disk surrounded by a most amazing coronal ring. It was awe-inspiring and almost spiritual. When totality occurred, there was an audible gasp throughout the campground, which then went quiet. We viewed totality in respectful silence. Minutes passed, and then a tiny crescent of light emerged, then more. In about 30 minutes, the moon had broken its bond with the Sun, and life in Southern Illinois returned to normal.

With most of the Sun blocked it was cooler but still very bright outside.
With only a tiny sliver of Sun remaining the sky turned to dusk.
Then it was suddenly dark!
I put my solar glasses over my iPhone’s camera lens to capture the moon starting its progression. Darn, I wished I brought one of my pro-cameras!
Another iPhone shot, this time of totality. Super cool!

We had cleaned up Violet so all we had to do was to collapse and load our chairs back into her garage. Then, the trip back home.

I have to admit that driving back to Chicago was a nightmare. The 5-hour trip turned into 7 hours and 40 minutes of stop-and-go traffic. This was no surprise, but it still sucked. We arrived home at 10:40 PM. I decided to unpack the camper in the morning, showered, and went promptly to bed.

Was seeing 4 minutes of eclipse worth driving twelve and a half hours? Absolutely!

family, Family relationships, family traditions, spending time with family

Easter, Family, And Love

Easter Saturday morning finds me in the kitchen making heaping quantities of cheesy chivy potatoes for our extended family Easter party. They have been an Easter tradition in our family for over 40 years. I was tasked with making them over 30 years ago and have done so ever since. The recipe is simple… make mashed potatoes and add cheese and chives. I usually spice them up with some hot sauce and garlic but don’t tell anyone, as those are my secret additions. The biggest issue with making this Midwestern food is the mess and pots. I have to pull out my 12-quart stock pot,  my Kitchen Aid mixer, and many utensils, all of which get covered with a sticky potato goo.

This year, my daughter Grace and I also made some CPS (Chicago Public Schools) sugar cookies (see my last post), and Julie made her famous Heath Bar cookies for the party.  

Over the years, Easter has been hosted by different family members: first my parents, then my sister Carol, then my sister Nancy, and now my sister-in-law Kathy. Easter is a communal affair where everyone brings a dish to the party. From sweet potatoes to Jello molds (we are in the Midwest, after all), to lamb cakes, it is quite the feast. A party filled with my siblings, nieces and nephews, and their kids is always a good time.

Our extended relatives drifted away many years prior. We were one of those ethnic families who celebrated every holiday, communion, and confirmation en masse. However, that changed in the early 1970s. More recently, my cousin, Ken, asked me what happened to cause this separation. Honestly, nothing happened. All I recall is that as our families grew in size via marriages and children, it became impractical to host everyone, and the all-inclusive parties of the past ended. However, this was not the case with all, as many of my cousins continued to celebrate events together.

My mother passed away in the 1970s, and my father in the early 1990s. At my dad’s funeral, my sister mentioned to my cousin Ken that it would be nice to have a family reunion picnic. That summer, my sister secured a permit for a park in her town, and the KRF (Kuna Family Reunion) was born. I remember my cousin Ken bringing all sorts of things to that first event, including melting popsicles for all! From the KFR came the Kuna Kampout, the Droby Fest Christmas Party (Droby is a traditional Slovak sausage), and other get-togethers. Ken became the organizer of most of these events.

Over time, Ken’s sister Kris and her husband Bob took over more and more of the responsibilities of these parties. How fortunate I am to have responsible and organized cousins. How grateful I am that they have kept these get-togethers alive.  

This year my sister-in-law Kathy hosted our family Easter party on Easter Saturday. As a twist, she extended the invitation to our cousins, and many accepted. Yet, another connection to our extended family.

The party was a great success, with everyone bringing a dish to pass, more desserts than even a foodie like myself could sample, and a tremendous amount of goodwill and joyful spirits. We don’t talk about politics or other divisive topics. We share stories about our lives, kids, and grandkids. Many of us are now retired and have transitioned from complicated work lives to ones of simple pleasures.

This year’s party was punctuated by a new twist: a DJ with a Karaoke machine. Few have singing voices, but that didn’t stop us from going up to the mic and belting out a song or two. Our efforts were met with rousing applause from the audience. Clearly, sympathy applause, but we will take what we can get!

Easter symbolizes many things, but for me, it represents a rebirth. Thirty years ago, our family reconnected with our extended family. Our mighty clan was reborn, and we have been moving forward ever since.  

My cousins are good, kind people, and catching up with their lives is always a pleasure. The same can be said of my siblings and their prodigy. Naturally, I’m pretty fond of my family too.

Kuna Klan, I sincerely want to tell everyone that I love you! Cousins, thank you for welcoming me back into your lives. Knowing you has made my life richer. I am so proud to be part of our group and pleased that you accepted me back into the fold.  

Happy Easter, readers. Be reborn today.

Peace, Mike

A good time to catch up.
Here I am trying to look Eastery.
Doing our best to sing “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.
The more singers that you have the better your sound.
Even the little kids got into it.
If you come from an Eastern European family you always talk about “the spread.” Here, two of my cousins are starting to assemble our Easter feast. Trust me, it was much larger than what you see.
We all gathered in a circle to pray. My sister-in-law surprised me by asking me to say grace. Yikes! I did my best.
My sister-in-law did a fantastic job putting together our party.
Many brought dessert.
It has been a tradition to take a photo of our kids on stairs every Easter. Well, our kids aren’t kids anymore!
And now a photo of the “old folks.”
Uncategorized

CPS Butter Cookies!

As I have aged my memories from the past have faded.  This is especially true when it comes to memories of my very early years.  Yet, some of those times remain present in my mind.

I attended a CPS (Chicago Public Schools) grade school for Kindergarten and part or all of my first grade.  I know that the second part of that sentence makes little sense, so let me explain.  It was expected that my parents would send me to our local parochial grade school, St Clare.  However, that school didn’t have a kindergarten, so I was sent to the public school for that.  I have very distinct memories of attending first grade at the public school, as well as memories of attending first grade at the Catholic school.  I’m not sure how all of that happened, but it did happen. Did I have to repeat the first grade?  Did they transfer me mid-semester?  I graduated grammar school at the appropriate age, so I don’t think I had to repeat the year.  It is possible that my parents transferred me mid-year due to their moral convictions or due to peer pressure to “do the right thing.”

It is interesting what I  remember from those early experiences.  I remember feeling calm as I stood in line at the start of my first day of kindergarten.  Suddenly, the boy in front of me started to hysterically cry.  After a minute or two I felt the need to cry, as if this was a social expectation.  I wasn’t alone and soon the entire line of kids were sobbing in unison.  I remember that my kindergarten teacher had a thing for Jergens hand lotion.  She kept a bottle in a cupboard with a glass door and would constantly smear the goop on her hands.  I recall its almond/cherry fragrance.  My mother never used hand lotion, and so I thought that the Jergens was the height of class and sophistication. Who wouldn’t like a teacher who smelled of almonds and cherries? At Christmas time our teacher gave each of us a transparent blue plastic peacock ornament.  I proudly hung that ornament on our tree for years, and I still am sad that it has been lost to time.

First grade had its memories.  I remember being taken out of the class to be tested.  The middle-aged tester was a prim and proper no-nonsense woman.  One test involved a series of pictures in rows.  Simple objects like a tree or a dog.  On one line the first picture was a sled.  I knew what it was, but I couldn’t recall the name so I took a logical step.  On that line I identified objects backwards, starting from the end of the line and working my way up to the beginning.  I felt that giving myself a few extra seconds would allow me adequate recall time.  This did not please the tester who scolded me with the racial slur, “What are you, Chinese!”  I had never seen an Asian person, so I was perplexed.  “No, I’m Slovak,” I replied earnestly.  She gave me a harrumph and in a disgusted tone told me that Chinese read from right to left.  This was a revelation to me so I explained that I was just extending my time so I could remember the name of…the name of… the sled!  The word came to me.  We moved on.  I am not sure why I was tested, possibly because I was dyslexic or perhaps it was just standard practice.  I never heard its purpose, and I never received any additional help, so go figure.  

If you know me you will completely understand the next sentence.  I have vivid memories of CPS cafeteria food.  Mid-morning we were allowed to go down to the school’s cafeteria to buy milk and a snack.  In those days food was prepared from scratch by “lunch ladies.”  Much of the stuff available was subsidized by the government, so it was very inexpensive to buy. You could get a carton of white milk for two cents, or upgrade to chocolate for three.  Naturally, I went the chocolate milk route.  You could also buy an unhealthy but delicious snack for a few pennies more.  These snacks would rotate and I clearly remember eating half peanut butter sandwiches, crumb streusel coffee cake, peanut butter cookies, and butter cookies.  I have very fond memories of those snacks, which I thought were beyond delicious.  

My sister, Carol also has memories of those delicacies, but for a different reason.  She is 15 years my senior so when I was in first grade she was a college student studying elementary education.  She became a teacher for CPS and enjoyed CPS cookies at her respective school.  Carol, is now in her 80s, but still loves the buttery and sweet CPS butter cookies as much as I do.

Today, my family and I will travel to my sister-in-law’s place for an Easter Saturday family party.  We are all assigned a dish to bring, mine being cheesy chivy potatoes (mashed potatoes with cheese and chives added).  Yesterday, my daughter asked me if I wanted to bake something with her to bring to the party as a bonus.  She had found a recipe for decorated mini-cupcakes, but I wanted to bake something different.  I knew that my sister would be excited if I brought some humble CPS sugar cookies, so that is what we made.  

These cookies are extremely simple but delicious.  They are firm, but they give way when you bite into them. Your senses are immediately flooded with the creamy luxury of butter, the sweetness of sugar, and the fragrance of vanilla.  They evoke happy memories in me, so I thought I would share this easy recipe with you. We doubled the recipe for 70 average-sized cookies.  The ones that I remembered from grade school were about twice the size of the ones that we made. Yum!

CPS Sugar Cookies

Oven at 350F

2 sticks butter

⅔ cups granulated sugar

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour (scoop the flour into your measuring cup, don’t dip the cup).

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch salt

-Cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

-Add the vanilla extract.

-Add the flour one cup at a time until incorporated.

-Distribute dough onto a cookie sheet and flatten with a finger (two fingers for large cookies).

-Bake until the edge of the cookies is golden brown. Don’t overbake, the top of the cookies won’t brown. Bake between 11-15 minutes, check the cookies so you don’t burn them.

-Allow cookies to rest on the cookie sheet until they are partially cool, and then transfer them to an appropriate container.  Great with coffee, tea, or milk!

Note: the dough will be very stiff.  We used a mixer, which is what I would recommend.  

See the photos below for step-by-step instructions.

Cream softened butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and mix it in.
Do the same with a pinch of salt.
Add flour and mix to incorporate. I did this one cup at a time. Note, the batter will be very stiff.
Add dough balls to a cookie sheet and flatten with a finger. With larger, more traditional cookies, use two fingers. My daughter dipped her finger in sugar for this process, that is a nice but unnecessary step.
Bake until the cookie is set and the bottom and the edges are a golden brown. Don’t over bake. We were surprised that we had to bake for the full 15 minutes for these small cookies. However, ovens vary so keep your eyes on the cookies. They were delicious!

Peace and Happy Easter,

Mike

Uncategorized

A Walk In The Woods

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

Today started like many of my days.  The alarm went off and I stumbled into the bathroom to clean up.  Then downstairs to grind beans for the family’s morning coffee.  As usual, I measured the amount of grounds by eye, then reconsidered and spooned off a teaspoon or two. I know from past experience that overfilling the coffee maker’s basket results in a countertop flooded with grounds and hot water.

I looked out of my little study’s window to check the weather to determine if I could still wear my slippers outside, as I needed to move one of our cars off the driveway.  I wondered if the neighbors saw me doing this in my bedroom attire. Then a task here and another there, and my morning was over.

I expected to visit my friend, Tom after lunch, but he had to cancel so I move to “Plan B,”  but I ran into another roadblock, and that option had to be abandoned.  Desperate times call for desperate measures-it was time to freestyle!

The day before I dug out my 10-year-old Fujifilm X100 camera. I hadn’t used it for years, yet it is one of those cameras that I would never consider selling.  The X100 was created during a time when cameras were becoming ever more sophisticated and automatic.  This camera’s designers took the opposite stance and it was deliberately modeled to mimic 35 mm film cameras from the 1950s.  It is a beautiful device that has a fixed lens and a slew of manual dials. Photographers love it or hate it, depending on their sensibilities. I love it, and I always wonder why I leave it to languish on a shelf.

I am fortunate that I have many local forest preserves that give me endless joy.  Today, I wanted to try a place that was just a bit different and so I decided to drive to the southern part of my town to a large preserve with multiple winding paths.  These paths are usually filled with bikers and horses during the summer months, but I knew that they would be empty on this cold November day.  I grabbed my X100 and hopped into Violet the camper van for the 10-minute ride. My goal was simple, I was going to do a little hike and take some photos.  Prior to going I researched the preserve and decided to take its Kestrel path.  I added an additional side path to turn my hike into a 5-mile walk. The paths at this preserve are both wide and flat making such a trek “a walk in the park.”

A more difficult issue was what to photograph.  This particular preserve is mostly trees and fields and doesn’t have notable features even in the summer.  Now, the trees would be barren and the grasses would have already gone to seed making the site less photogenic.  My plan was to go and to see what inspired me.  Indeed, I was surprised by what I eventually discovered.

I did photograph the twisted branches of leafless trees, and the golden deadness of grasses that had lost both their chlorophyll and vitality.  However, I was more struck by the preserve’s close proximity to high-tension power lines.  Giant towers crisscrossed the paths, and when you walked under them you could hear the buzzing and cracking sounds of thousands of volts coursing through the tower’s copper veins.  I decided to shoot a number of them as a contrast to the peaceful, yet lifeless forest below.  Compose, focus, snap…compose, focus, snap…compose, focus, snap…and so it went. 

I continued my walk and saw a toppled tree. I then saw another, and another, and then a whole field where the tops of many trees were gone as if they had been ripped off by some giant hand. An uncomfortable feeling settled inside me as it seemed as if some monster literally drove down a path destroying dozens, if not hundreds of trees, and everything else along the way.

Suddenly, the realization hit me that I was looking at the remnants of the path of a tornado. In fact, it was likely that I was visiting the path of the tornado that devastated Naperville last June. Our neighborhoods have been cleaned up, but this forest remained in its post-apocalyptic state. Witnessing the devastation made me feel small and insignificant.   

If I looked ahead I saw a forest preserve in its peaceful winter slumber.  If I looked above I saw the mighty human-built towers that carry the electricity that allows me to use this computer, make my morning coffee, and sit cozily and warmly in my study’s overstuffed chair.  If I looked to the side I saw toppled trees from several seconds of nature’s fury.  How strange to be standing in a place where it seems that we are conquering nature, only to witness nature conquering us. 

I remember commercials and other advertisements from my childhood that touted our superiority over the planet.  “Better living through chemistry,” one of them proclaimed.  Now we have oceans choking on plastic, aquifers poisoned with pesticides, and the devastation of rising global temperatures.  We are such short-sighted little creatures.  So full of ourselves, and so self-centered. We want to believe that we are powerful, but it only takes a few seconds for nature to put us back in our place.

I thought I would share with you some of the photos that I took today in three parts.  The first part consists of the pleasant and quiet path that I walked on.  The second set of photos are powerlines-I think that they look alien for some reason, and the third group shows some of the devastation left from Naperville’s June 20th tornado. Come along and keep me company, won’t you?

Peace

Mike

Uncategorized

College Kids

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

Time passes strangely.  When I was in my work life waiting for a vacation could feel like an eternity.   When that trip finally arrived the first few days appeared to last forever, and then suddenly the vacation was over, almost like it never existed.  For me, time is not constant, it seems to move at different rates depending on a multitude of factors.

When I had my daughter Anne 38 years ago I had a life-changing awareness.  I discovered that liked being a dad.  I know that is a strange thing to say, but it is true.  I not only like kids, but I like spending time with them, and I like teaching them things.  If you follow me on Facebook you already know that, but you are seeing Version 2.0 of me, a version that has been in the making for almost 40 years.

When Julie and I got married we knew that we wanted to have children, but we delayed our plans because of her Ph. D. studies.  As she approached graduation we felt that it was time. We had a certain hubris.  Anne was an accidental surprise, so I assumed all was good with me, and Julie came from amazingly healthy Swedish stock.  We were certain that she would be pregnant within the week, but we were very wrong. After months of unsuccessful trying, we started to adopt all of those folklore things that people do to become pregnant.  None of them worked and our hubris quickly dissolved into frantic desperation. 

Then it was time for the fertility clinic. Tests, probes, pills, shots, mood swings…no fun.  After exhausting less invasive options we advanced to IUI or intrauterine insemination.  IUI is a long process that involves shots, pills, and lots of ultrasounds.  When it is time for the procedure the male provides a “sample” which is then concentrated and mechanically placed.  Yeah, exactly.  

We went through the weeks of prep and a sample was provided.  However, the doctor felt that the sample was not good enough and advised that we forgo the procedure.  The reality was that we had just gone through hell getting to that point and so we told them to do it anyway.  Two days later our car was loaded and our pop-up camper was attached to it.  With Anne in tow we were heading on a long-anticipated vacation, but with heavy hearts. We had gone through so much to have a baby and once again we were winding up with the short end of the stick. We drove towards Arkansas stressed and depressed.  While driving through Missouri our problems compounded as our Ford Explorer started to make a strange noise.  We were about 50 miles from anywhere, and we needed to keep driving.  When we reached West Plains, Missouri we stopped, and I was relieved that the small town had a Ford dealership.  We found a cheap hotel and had the car towed the next morning. Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good and we were told that we had to replace the entire engine, a process that would take at least a week.  We were stuck in West Plains.

We tried to make the best of it, but there wasn’t much to do in West Plains.  One day we decided to go to the local movie theater to see a show.  We had already seen the movie in Naperville, but we had to get out of our tiny space.  Oddly, Julie stayed behind and only Anne and I went.  Julie was feeling sick which was very unusual for her, so I assumed that it was the result of the stress from the last weeks.  By the evening she was feeling better, but her nausea returned the next morning, and so it went for the remainder of the trip.  I quipped, “Well maybe you are pregnant.”  We both laughed as the doctor felt that the chances of the IUI procedure being successful was slim to none.

On our return, we confirmed that Julie was pregnant with Kathryn.  Two years later we did IUI again and had Gracie.  Two years later we didn’t do any procedure and we had William. Our family was complete. 

I was 48 when William was born and I remember doing mental calculations.  “When he will be 10 I’ll be 58, when he graduates college I’ll be 70.”  It all seemed surreal and a million years away…but here I am at 68 and my two youngest in college. 

When you are a dad there is a certain pride that you feel when you step onto your child’s college campus.  It’s difficult to explain.  On one level there is a rush of memories from your own college days, but there is also an unfamiliarity that comes from remembering events from decades earlier.

When your kids have been away at college they gain expertise that you no longer have in that situation.  They know the campus, the restaurants, and the attractions.  You go from the leader of the family to a subordinate.  It is an odd feeling, but one that I like.  It’s a subtle sign that Julie and I did the right parenting things.  

We traveled in Violet the camper van to Ohio, a long trip made worse by endless road construction, and arrived at Grace’s campus.  Tired from our travels, our evening consisted of going out to dinner with Grace, and we then headed to our campground, a primitive place that we were able to book on short notice.  The next day we were fully rested and set out on many adventures.  Her roommate was hosting a fundraiser for Parkinson’s disease, so we stopped by there.  Then Grace took us on a tour of campus.  I have been on campus many times and have gone on several tours, but this time we took our time and explored every nook and cranny.  Now a senior, Grace spoke with authority about campus superstitions and folklore.  It was a lovely time made even more pleasant by beautiful weather.  Grace had scoped out other activities and next on our agenda was the Cincinnati Riverwalk.  Another great experience.  It felt awesome to have one of my kids orchestrate a series of activities that she felt would be enjoyable for all parties.  My Grace had grown up!

Two weeks later we headed to central Illinois to see William at this school.  Like Grace he greeted us warmly and had an agenda for our visit.  We would only be on campus for the day, so he kept us local.  William is an RA on campus and it appears that everyone knows him.  This is surprising as the school has over 20,000 students.  However, everywhere that we went people waved to him and called out, “Hi, Will!”  Will took us around campus, which we saw from a different angle than past tours.  Earlier he wrote for and received a research grant and was given lab space to conduct experiments on crickets.  He showed us his lab, his crickets, and his work procedure. At the lab, he took the time to introduce us to a colleague who does bee research and William facilitated a nice conversation between all of us.  On the way back he talked about his aspirations and dreams.  Like Grace, he took charge and made a clear effort to not only plan activities but to plan events that he knew Julie and I would be interested in. Will was acting like a considerate adult.  It felt good.

My Kathryn was in Africa serving in the Peace Corps when COVID hit.  She was at the start of a 2 ½ year tour and was evacuated back to the states after only 6 months..  Kathryn and I always got along, but she was distant towards me.  Now retired, I was the one cleaning the house and doing the grocery shopping. Kathryn and I were in forced contact with each other, which turned out to be a wonderful thing as we became truly close. We talk and make dinner together.  She has become a huge help to me over these last few years as she responsibly does her share to keep our house afloat. 

Lastly, I would like to mention my oldest daughter, Anne.  Now a mother of two children she resides about 3 hours south.  Anne has become a wonderful adult, excellent mother, and good daughter.  She makes an effort to keep in contact with me in a way that let’s me know that she loves me and has a kind heart.

During the early stages of the pandemic, my three youngest kids were at home and isolated from their friends.  Our family life returned to an era from the past.  A time when almost all of their activities involved family.  We cooked together, played games together, watched TV shows together, and went on walks together.  It was a wonderful experience for me as I got to re-experience a much-loved time.

Now my kids are back in the real world.  Anne has resumed seeing her psychotherapy clients in person. Kathryn is doing IT for our school district, and Grace and William are back at university.  I now get to enjoy them all in different ways. My pride explodes not only with their life accomplishments but also with their empathy and kindness. To see them become good, loving, and caring adults makes me misty-eyed, and very happy.

When our children were younger there is a joy in their dependence on us. They look to us with awe as we help them navigate their early lives.  However, it is our ultimate job is to provide them with the tools to become independent adults.  If we don’t do this we fail at our most basic parenting task. I understand that there are some circumstances where this process is impossible or greatly delayed.  In those cases, it is the parents’ job to do their best to help their children to become as independent and adult-like as reasonable. 

People often say that it is easy to make a baby, but it takes work to raise a child.  In our case both took effort-an effort that was well worth it. 

Peace

Mike

Uncategorized

Egg Dish

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

Growing up food was always a central part of any celebration, and that tradition has continued with my family.  It isn’t that we require elaborate or exotic fare on holidays. Rather, certain dishes have been associated with certain events, sometimes without rhyme or reason.

We always dine on carry-out Chinese on Halloween, several of my kids expect that I’ll make my “Rainbow Cake” for their birthdays, and no Thanksgiving would be complete without sweet potato casserole. 

Sometimes we celebrate our family Christmas on December 24, and sometimes we will celebrate it the week before or after Christmas day.  We travel to Minnesota every year to be with Julie’s family for Christmas, but we typically open our immediate family’s gifts at home in Illinois. 

On the day that we celebrate our immediate family’s Christmas, we have a mid-morning brunch with items that bake in the oven.  We can smell the food’s tantalizing aromas as we ooh and aww over our presents.  

The foods that we eat have no particular continuity, but they have become our Christmas brunch tradition.  There is always coffee, tea, and orange juice.  In addition, we have crackers accompanied by cheeses and sausage-type meats. Both Julie’s and my ethnic cultures eat pickled herring, and that will also be on the menu, as well as freshly baked cinnamon rolls.  However, the star of the show is a breakfast casserole that we call, “Egg Dish,” which is what many people would call strata or a layered casserole in the style of savory bread pudding. 

I recall this being a “new” recipe in the 70s or the 80s, and it was fashionable to make it for  Sunday brunch.  Apparently,  it was originally created in the early 1900s, although that dish was somewhat different from the overnight casserole that we associate with it today.  

Midwesterners love casseroles, and Julie’s mother, Avis made this egg dish for a brunch that she hosted for us during our wedding weekend. Egg dish has had an integral part in our lives from the beginning of our marriage!

Simple to assemble and easy to make, its only barrier is that you have to refrigerate it overnight before baking, as this allows the egg and bread mixture to properly co-mingle.  Once in the oven, it tends to puff up into a delicate creamy texture.  I think of it as a Midwestern souffle. Not fluffy or pretentious, but rather delicious, practical, and savory.  

This recipe makes a big 9 x 13 pan, so it is best for larger families or gatherings.  The leftovers microwave well the next day (in individual portions) and are acceptable to eat the day following that. After two days most of the charm has left the dish and any remnants are best left for the bin.

Julie’s Egg Souffle

  • White bread
  • Butter
  • 10 beaten eggs
  • ½ t dry mustard
  • 1 t salt
  • Splash hot sauce (we like Frank’s)
  • Pepper to taste
  • 2 ½ C milk
  • Shredded cheese
  • Ham chunks (can be omitted for vegetarians)
  • ½ package cream cheese cut or torn into bits
  • 2T chopped green onions

Lay bread slices in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13” pan, then butter and tear bread into chunks.

Sprinkle cream cheese bits and shredded cheese over bread.

Sprinkle on green onions.

Sprinkle on ham chunks (the size of diced carrots).

Pour over mixed liquids.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Bake at 350F 50-60 minutes or until lightly brown.

Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Mike Kuna

Uncategorized

Cameras

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

Lately, I have been graced by YouTube algorithms that have brought me videos on photography that have actually stimulated my creativity, rather than promoted a desire to buy the latest and greatest gear.  

A few years back I did a YouTube video where I stated that any intermediate or above camera made in the last 10 years was capable of doing professional work.  I would like to amend that stance to say that some cameras made almost 15 years ago are still capable of doing professional work as of December of 2021.  

Please note that I’m a photographer, not a videographer.  Clearly, newer cameras have become hybrid devices over this time span.  If you do video work your needs are best suited by cameras that are 5 years old or newer.

Camera manufacturers have improved their devices over time and a camera introduced in 2021 will have a host of features and improvements from those that were created even a few years prior.  Some of those improvements, like a tilting screen, may make your photography efforts a bit easier.  Some, like double card slots, appear to be a clever way to get photographers to upgrade to a more expensive camera body.  Other features, like high-megapixel sensors, not only urge the photographer to spend more money, they also increase the photogs emotional stress.

I live in a city with a very picturesque downtown that is a magnet for photoshoots.  In the spring and summer, its beautiful river walk is flooded with professional photographers shooting everything from bridal parties to graduation headshots. YouTube influencers would have you believe that professionals always have to have the latest and greatest camera, but the vast majority of these working professionals are using gear (often Canon and Nikon) that is generations old.  

Before COVID hit I attended two weddings.  One photographer was sporting a Canon 5D Mark III along with an original 5D.  At the other wedding, the photographer was using a Nikon D600.  Both photographers produced beautiful prints.  I specifically asked the Canon photographer if he was planning on updating his cameras, as there were new Canon offerings.  He replied that he was thinking about it, but his current gear was doing the job.  Why spend thousands of dollars when it is unlikely that you will have a significantly improved result? Professional photographers think of their gear as tools.  They know that a good image is based on composition and their ability to manipulate both the camera and the light. They only change their gear when absolutely necessary.

I have seen stunning professional wildlife pictures from a photographer using a 12 MP Nikon D300, and legendary photographs have been taken using cameras like the Nikon D3, and Canon’s 7D and 5D Mark II.  How is this possible?  It is possible because these are extremely capable cameras being used by extremely capable photographers.  

If these older cameras take great pictures, why is it that their images always look terrible when they are compared to newer cameras on YouTube? Influencers create unusual circumstances that illustrate the need to buy.  There is a reason that they have to magnify comparison images to illustrate their point. They promote the idea that a newer and more expensive camera will make you a better photographer.  I disagree with that point.

Influencers make their living by creating videos for YouTube; it is a full-time job.  They need access to the latest gear to stay relevant and to do so they need to have good relationships with camera manufacturers.  That is a fact.  It is unclear if they have additional fiduciary connections with these companies.  

Another phenomenon is what I call “Herd Think.” If a powerful influencer says you have to shoot in RAW, you need two card slots, or you must have an EVF instead of an OVF, other YouTubers start to parrot those statements.  To the viewer, these opinions become absolute truths. However, none of the above examples are absolute.  For instance, if SD cards were unreliable, all cameras would have a backup slot, but most don’t. So I researched the reliability of brand-name SD cards, which are highly reliable. Can a card fail?  Sure, but it is most likely that a failure will be caused by the photographer’s mishandling, overusing, or abusing the card. Good practices make it perfectly reasonable to use a camera with a single card slot. 

We are manipulated by unlikely what-if scenarios that urge us to buy expensive gear.  What if you have to shoot an event at the Olympics?  What if you need to print a wall-sized landscape image that will be viewed from 6 inches? What if you have to photograph a royal wedding in a very dark church?  These are situations that most professional photographers will never face. Additionally, those who did have to face similar challenges a decade ago were able to successfully do their job with the technology of the day; they used skill and planning.

Let’s look at the megapixel myth.  We are told that we need more and more megapixels, and we are often shown highly magnified images that demonstrate that need.  However, how many megapixels do you need?  A National Geographic level magazine cover needs around 6-8 MP; you can take a 12 MP image and crop 50% of it and still have a suitable file to print a magazine cover. A colossal billboard image needs around 2-6 MP (as you view it from afar). Many blog and webpage images are around 1-2 MP; big images take too long to load. Facebook compresses your uploaded images to around 2 MP. Images used for newspapers are also very low in their pixel count. They are often 75-150 dpi, so a typical photo would be less than 1 MP.  Before COVID I went to the movies and saw Apple ads that showed beautiful images taken from a 12 MP iPhone camera blown up on a giant movie screen. Around 15 years ago, I was part of a group photo of my wife’s extended family.  Each individual family received an 8” x 10” photo of the shoot, and her parents got an even larger print.  The photograph was beautiful, clear, and detailed.  At that time, the average professional camera had about 12 MP.  However, our photographer used a Nikon D40, a 6 MP camera. 

Just about any job can be done with a camera with 12-16 MP, as this is the typical resolution of 35 mm film.  In addition, the maximum resolution of most lenses is around 16 MP, often less.  People say that you need a high MP camera for landscape work.  Really?  Who views a wall-sized print at six inches? 

Yes, there are rare times when you need a greater pixel count, and those situations are best suited by a high MP camera and uber-expensive high-resolution lenses.  However, those situations are the exception for most rather than the rule. Of course, you can always rent a camera for once in a blue moon events.

How about dynamic range?  Newer sensors have a greater dynamic range than older ones.  However, those older sensors had a better dynamic range than 35 mm film.  Think about that.  

Burst rate?  Some new cameras can take images at a rate similar to what you would use when filming a movie.  They have also increased their focus accuracy.  However, older cameras like the Canon 7D Mark II were phenomenal nature and action cameras.  The Mark II was introduced in 2014 and could shoot at ten fps.  That hardly sounds impressive in 2021, but it did and still can get the job done.

I love photography, but most of the professional work has happened because people have seen my work and have asked me to do a job for them.  Therefore, I do professional photography similar to most professional photographers: portraits, corporate shots, events, photos for the web, and the like. I also do a lot of work for a construction/remodeling company. So what types of cameras do I use?

For portraits, headshots, completed home remodels, and events I use a DSLR.  I mostly use a Canon 5D Mark IV.  I certainly could use a lesser camera, but I like the Canon’s tank-like build. Also, I have all the accessories needed for just about any job. The 5D Mark IV has impressive battery life, and add-ons like speedlights shoot forever before I need to recharge them. An additional benefit is that the camera looks professional. This gives me a shooting edge as people are more likely to respect me and my requests when using it. A big camera gives me the authority to control my subjects, allowing me to produce better results for my clients. 

I also love the Canon for its easy-to-use control surfaces and some of its software features. I rely on the 5D Mark IV’s excellent internal HDR capabilities when doing real estate type shots. The camera has several HDR modes and also saves the original bracketed images.  In many cases, I can use the camera’s generated HDR image, but if I don’t like it, I can process the bracketed images in software to get the photo I want.  This one feature alone is a massive time saver as some jobs require dozens of HDR images.

I should note that I also have a 5D Mark III.  If I didn’t have the Mark IV, I could do everything I needed with the Mark III, which has a similar feature set. 

I also shoot images for a weekly construction blog.  A blog topic could be something like, “How to install a toilet.”  In these situations, I have to be invisible to the crew working in a very tight space.  Here I tend to use small cameras that I can easily pocket and maneuver. For over a year I used a tiny Panasonic GM series camera.  That is until its consumer-level lens fell apart.  Consumer-level cameras are simply not built for that level of use. However, the camera’s size and image quality were perfect for my needs.

I love to take street, nature, and landscape photography, and I often combine this interest with my love of walking and hiking.  In such situations, I must have a lightweight camera, and the one that I have been most recently using is the Canon M6 Mark II, which is easy to control, small, and lightweight.  I am fond of one of its more modern features, the tilt/touch screen.  With that said, I could undoubtedly take photos without it.

You may think that I’m an old curmudgeon who resists all new technology.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I believe that new cameras are excellent; in fact, I own several of them, including a Canon R6.  I’m just saying that in most instances, an older camera will serve you quite well, and you will save a ton of money.   Influences tell us that we need gear that exceeds $10,000 to be a pro. However, you can buy a used camera body and a couple of excellent used lenses for under $1500 and produce professional work. 

To illustrate this point, I would like to tell you an illustrative story.  Two neighbors both need new cars.  The first one buys a top-of-the-line, brand new Mercedes S-class for $110,000.00. The other neighbor opts for a 5-year-old, low mileage Toyota Corolla for $17,000.00.  

Both neighbors use their cars for the same tasks, traveling a short distance to work, driving the kids around, and doing household jobs, like grocery shopping. The Mercedes looks nicer, has better gadgetry, and has a cushier ride.  The Toyota Corolla wins when it comes to a monthly car payment, operating costs, and insurance premiums. In the above scenarios, both cars perform equally well.  They both get the job done, but the Mercedes cost over six times as much. This same analogy applies to having the best camera vs. one that does the job. In the end, the results will be similar as long as the photographer has taken care.

Enter the Fuji X100s

I have been viewing videos of people praising earlier versions of the Fuji X100 series.  I have an X100s  in my camera collection, and I decided to rediscover it. The X100 series has some clear limitations.  It has a fixed lens, and many early models were slow to focus (especially in low light).  However, the series is loved for its classic styling and hands-on controls.  Additionally, street photographers like it because it looks non-threatening.  I took the camera on several of my walks to see if I loved it or hated it.  

My initial impression was that I didn’t like it.  I disliked the fact that I couldn’t zoom in. In addition, I had to make a lot of manual adjustments to get the image that I wanted.  I had to think about what I was doing and why I was doing it. It felt different from the cameras that I had become used to.

It was clear that I wasn’t getting the most out of the camera, so I decided to watch some training videos on the camera and its controls.  I especially like one by “Billy, The Fuji Guy”  I recall mumbling to myself, “Oh, that’s cool” and “So, that’s how you do that,” while watching the video. I went on another walk with camera in hand with my new knowledge.  Something interesting happened; I started to engage with both my camera and the environment differently and much more enjoyable manner.  

I had to move in close to get the shot that I wanted.  Indeed, at times I needed to crouch down.  I felt like I was more connected to my subject.  “Oh, I can get it to focus better when I do this!”  “Hmm, it’s fun to use the split-screen to focus.”  “Wow, the built-in ND filter does come in handy.”… and so it went. In short order, I went from disappointment in the camera to enjoying the camera. I had to think about what I was doing, and I had to be deliberate in my actions.  I wasn’t just a robot taking “spraying and praying” shots. I took fewer images because I had to think more about my actions, but I liked the photos. The experience was fun.

Now, I’m not saying I would use this camera for sports photography.  However, this little camera can easily accomplish shooting street photography, vacation photos, nature images, and even landscapes. In fact,  its supposed weaknesses are really its strengths.

So is the opposite true?  Can a camera’s strengths really be its weaknesses?  Let’s do a little thought experiment. Take a modern camera with a high megapixel count, phenomenal auto-focus, and a blazing burst rate.  Add to this what influencers tell us what we need to be successful, things like many multi-thousand dollar lenses, a high-end camera bag, and the very best accessories.  Naturally, you are going to shoot in RAW because you have been told that real photographers always do this.

You decide to devote the following weekend to photography and drive to a nearby national park. Unfortunately, your camera plus all of those expensive lenses make a pretty heavy package.  You want to hike on some difficult trails, but you are afraid that you will damage your equipment if you drop it.  Further, your pack is so heavy that you can’t bring along necessary things like extra water or a first aid kit. 

Luckily, there are photo opportunities on the easy paths.  You take advantage of your camera’s burst rate when photographing animals and birds.  You return home exhausted but smug because you were sporting the most expensive camera in the park. Your back hurts.

Now the real fun begins.  On past trips with your older, slower, 16 MP camera, you would have a couple of hundred shots, but you have taken thousands with your new super-fast 50 MP camera.  The RAW files are enormous, and your computer slowly struggles to process them. You need to sort and rate the photos, but with a 30 fps burst rate, many look nearly identical, and there are so many shots to assess.  Oh, the images are in RAW, so you need to spend time adjusting all of them to make them look right. Many hours later, you finish processing the photos, and you need to take a couple of ibuprofen tablets to stop your pounding headache from all of the screen time. 

Yes, you have a lot of lovely photos, but what to do with them?  Post them on Facebook, of course. However, this time you are not going to post ten photos, as you did with your old camera; you will post over 100 photos.  You wonder why no one comments about them until someone tells you that they felt overwhelmed just looking at all of them.

The above example may be exaggerated, but not by much.  Spending money that you don’t have, carrying around expensive equipment that you don’t need, taking so many shots that editing them becomes a nightmare; all of these things are not only stressful, but they also remove some of the creative joy of photography.

I’m not telling you that you should avoid buying new and excellent equipment.  Instead, I’m telling you to think about what you are buying and to examine what you will be using the camera for.  Do you really need a three thousand dollar lens when you are mostly doing portraits?  It is likely that a lower resolution lens will be more flattering in those cases. For me having a smaller, lighter camera is more beneficial when I’m taking landscape shots than having a full-frame camera with a ton of megapixels. In fact, I’m not sure why you need massive megapixels for landscape work, to begin with. Why is pinpoint detail so important?  I think landscape photography is all about composition and lighting. Outside of a YouTube video, who will examine a wall-sized landscape at two inches?  About a year ago, I read an article from a professional photographer who traveled to a city to take some architectural shots for a magazine. He chose to use a Sony RX100 camera as he needed a tiny camera.  That camera has only a 1” sensor, but the resulting images printed in a glossy magazine were beautiful.  Stop listening to influencers; they are there to sell you stuff.

In conclusion, it is more important to know your equipment and practice your craft than having the latest and greatest kit on the block.  RAW files, thousands of images, super expensive equipment, and other things that we believe will make us better photographers can have the opposite impact. They can limit our vision, dull our skills, and strain our time and pocketbooks. Even more importantly, dealing with thousands of huge images can lead to unnecessary stress. Be realistic in your expectations and deliberate in your actions, and you will be a joyful photographer. Happy shooting!

Peace

Mike

The following shots were taken with the Fuji X100S, a camera that was introduced at the beginning of 2013.  This is a 16 MP camera.  The photos were shot as JPEGS and were processed in DxO PhotoLab.  Some of the images were cropped, in others, I applied filters. The shots are from two locations, the town that I live in and a local forest preserve.  These images were further reduced to around 2 MP so I could upload them to my WordPress website.

Uncategorized

Dentist

In February 2024 this website crashed for no apparent reason. Despite using professionals at GoDaddy.com it was impossible to restore anything after October 2021 (over 100 posts). I do have many of those post in draft form (no final edit or photos) and I have decided to repost them in that manner. I apologize for typos and other errors. How do I feel about losing all of my original work? Life goes on.

This post is dedicated to Ralph, my colleague, and friend of 30 years.

I laid at a forty-five-degree angle in Dr. Anne’s dental chair as she used what appeared to be a mini-ice pick to scrape along the gum line of my teeth.  The pick sounded like chalk on a chalkboard, and I physically shuttered with each pass.

“Am I hurting you?”  Dr. Anne asked. With a mouth full of objects, I could only grunt a “No.”  This is the way that conversations go when talking to a dentist.  The doctor leads the discussion, and the patient’s only means of communication are facial expressions and meaningful grunts.  It amazes me that such primitive methods can pass any information. Surprisingly, it is not only possible but also relatively efficient. If I were a paleolinguist, I would imagine that language started similarly.  However, in that case, both parties grunted.

Since I was being chaired for a routine cleaning, there were moments when I could respond to her questions in a more verbal fashion. Naturally, these intervals were short, as she was soon back in my mouth scaping and scrubbing. I have known Dr. Anne for 30 years; she is my dentist and friend. So naturally, we always have to catch up on our respective lives, even in such awkward interactions as a dental visit. 

Dr. Anne comes from Eastern European stock, and because of this, we share a commonality in many of our motivations and values.  Specifically, we both believe that education combined with hard work offers the greatest likelihood for a successful and productive life. I agree that other equally valid constructs, such as ambition combined with skill or trade.  However, for the sake of this post, I will focus on the education/hard work option as it is the most germane to today’s discussion. 

If you believe the above premise and wish to have a successful life, you will become as educated as possible and combine that education with long hours of hard work.  Such dedication requires focus and a lot of sacrifices, and most who choose this path will use psychological ploys to deal with the grueling efforts necessary to move forward. This is especially true for individuals in the health care field.  We will convince ourselves that our actions benefit not only us but also those whom we treat.  It is essential for us to feel that we are making a difference. As we put more effort into our craft, it is easy to identity our personhood by what we do rather than who we are.

Dr. Anne is a compassionate and caring person, and since I have retired, one of her main lines of conversation is to inquire about how I am doing in my new life. It is difficult to adequately express this metamorphosis in the short intervals between tartar removal, and so I will ponder such things in today’s post.

I believe that many individuals wish for a better life.  Sometimes they base their desires on fantasy. Without effort, they think they will become famous actors or strike it rich.  Others, like myself, take a more pragmatic approach.  Two consistent themes that teachers told me were that I was smart and approached problems in a wholly unique way.  In other words, I was able to develop solutions by thinking outside of the box. Beyond these positives, I was also saddled with negative attributes; I was poorly coordinated, blind in one eye, and overweight. Those negative did impact my self-esteem, but I would not allow them to determine me.

As a practical person, I felt that it was necessary to assess my strengths and weaknesses honestly.  My strengths were wholly my academic abilities. I thought I would be much more successful as a university professor than a used car salesman.  As some of you know, that was precisely my plan which I eventually subverted by going to medical school.  As you can imagine, such goals required dedication, devotion, and a willingness to delay gratification.  My life became an exercise in production, and I consistently produced something from good grades to diplomas.  As I moved up the ranks, my identity seemed to center on what I was producing rather than who I was as a person.  I was the kid who broke the test curves, or the college graduate, or the medical student, or the chief resident, or the attending physician. People knew me for these things, but I was and am so much more complex than a title or position. 

Also, I grabbed onto these identities as they were accessible identifiers of my personage.  I would rather have someone know me as the kid who broke the exam test curves instead of that fat, crossed-eyed, clumsy boy.  However, there has always been some rebellion inside of me. I rarely initially identify myself as a doctor when I meet someone as I challenge them not to categorize me.  I want them to accept the real me instead of placing me in the “doctor box.” I want people in my life who have depth and who can see my soul and care about me because of who I am, not what I am.  I don’t need shallow people in my life. I would much rather have a handful of friends who accept and value me for who I am rather than a thousand acquaintances who like me for what I do.

I was never worried about retirement as I’m a person who has many interests.  However, as my retirement approached, I found myself creating structured activities similar to work jobs.  I had plans and goals.  Although this sounds logical, it was entirely wrong for me.  I needed to choose a different path. That path is complicated, and I feel incapable of adequately expressing it in writing.  However, I will do a generalized post on some aspects of it in the future.  Today, I will touch on a tiny part of my retirement adventure.  This is the response that I would have given Dr. Anne if dental tools and a suction tube did not burden my mouth.

My life seems to be directed by two opposing forces.  I plan, problem-solve, and move towards given goals. It would appear that this has been a very successful strategy, but that would be a lie. The most impactful things that I have done in my life have occurred by other forces that seem beyond me.  When I quiet myself and listen to them, I am moved in a direction very different from what logic would demand.  I could give you many examples, but today I will provide you with one germane to today’s topic.

As many of you know, I am extremely close to Tom.  It is not unusual for me to see him every day, and he is one of the very few people whose presence I never tire of.  We are two individuals who are highly similar yet entirely different.  If you are a long-time reader of this blog, you also know that I abandoned my usual protected and shielded stance to pursue his friendship. Over many years Tom has become an integral part of my daily life, and I believe that we are both better because of it. 

Recently, Tom has been both blessed and burdened by an excessive amount of work.  This has converted my usually affable, curious, and kind friend into someone who is more stressed, irritable, and abrupt.  He tries to control his stress by curating his time only to include productive activities.  Although he is willing to spend time with me, it is clear that those periods increase his time pressures while not giving him the emotional break they were intended to provide.  To state this more simply, Tom needs some space.

Since he has become such an integral part of my life, you may think that such a change would be devastating to me.  I wholly admit that I genuinely miss my daily meetings with him, and I look forward to the time when his obligations are settled enough that we can resume our adventures.  However, it would make little sense for me to sulk over this reality when there are so many other options in my life.  

Two of the biggest gifts of retirement are the gifts of time and introspection. So now that I have some extra time, the question is, what do I do with it?  Of course, there are many productive projects that I could tackle, but there are other things that I could do that would grow me as a person. 

One of the things that I have learned is that there is a world out there that most ignore.  It is a rich world available for free that is often rejected in lieu of costly experiences that advertise excitement.  We are happy to pay large amounts of money to see a foreign sunset, while we ignore similar ones that we can view outside our kitchen windows.

Over the last few weeks, I have made a concerted effort to metaphorically “look outside my window.”  I’m an avid walker and hiker, and I have walked over specific local paths hundreds of times.  What would it be like if I viewed those experiences differently and made an effort to observe what was around me differently?  In addition, I always walk the same paths, yet my town is replete with trails, some of which I have never walked on in the 30+ years that I have lived here. Why not explore some of those?

I decided that to accomplish my goals, I would need to bring along two of my “friends.”  Violet, the campervan, would assist me in reaching those paths that were slightly beyond my normal walking radius. I would also bring along my Fuji X100S camera who would serve as my creative assistant. This relic of a camera is very “old school” and would require me to be deliberate in my photography. I thought that using the Fuji would make me more thoughtful in my actions.

The paths that I walk on are replete with beauty during spring, summer, and fall.  However, they can be bleak during winter.  This is especially the case when it hasn’t snowed.  The Midwest is flat, and most of the path’s scenery would consist of leafless trees and brown prairies.  Could I find the beauty in these things? 

As a photographer, it was equally important for me to capture images in a way that would represent how I saw the scene in my mind’s eye.  I would need to go well beyond the automatic settings of the camera if I had any hope of conveying this vision.

It is easy to appreciate a walk on a lovely spring day, but what does a winter walk bring?  In reality, it brings an entirely new experience.  Winter walks are walks of solitude. The paths are barely used and near-silent.  One’s perspective is different, as wide leafless areas offer previously unseen vistas. With inspection, so many things that could be dismissed become objects of interest. 

In the past two weeks, I have hiked on seven different paths, two of them completely new to me.   At first blush, all of the trails look very similar; they are completely different with observational effort. My creative challenge was to try to convey what I was seeing to someone else. That required some photography effort. How far I could push the creative envelope?  Will anyone understand what I’m trying to convey? 

Now, back to Dr. Anne. Without metal implements in my mouth, I would tell her that I have discovered entirely new parts of my psyche by de-emphasizing being productive and emphasizing being creative.  I have connected in a much deeper way to who I am.  In essence, I have become more human.  My approach may be counter-intuitive, but it has been successful—one of my thinking outside-of-the-box solutions.

Many of us believe that our purpose in life is to produce.  We are here to make a better society and planet.  Naturally, there is truth in that statement, but such a premise also has a dark side. If we are determined by our professional lives, we live a lie.  Yes, I helped people, but if I wasn’t there, someone else would have taken on that role.  The reality is that most of my accomplishments will be forgotten, and my life’s work will fade away in short order.  

I don’t want to discount my life as a doctor.  I am proud of what I accomplished, and I genuinely feel that I did good in this world.  However, I know that this one aspect of me is not the total me, but how do I discover who I am?  Sometimes, by walking on a winter path, camera in hand, eyes open to see what I didn’t see before. I believe that we know what our growth path is.  However, we often ignore that information. Outside forces like influencers direct us; at other times we are moved by our own ambition and drive.

I would like to end with a story.  There was a man who loved chocolate cake.  One day he decided that this was the only food that he would eat, and he set out to eat chocolate cake for every meal.  Initially, he felt that he was in control of his destiny as he had made such a directed decision.  However, over time the chocolate cake seemed less special, and he felt empty and confused.  At night he would dream of vegetables, but in the morning, he would discount those dreams and continue along his cake-eating path.  Now, eating the cake became a chore, and it no longer gave him pleasure.  He was burnt out.   He decided to do some introspection by randomly writing things on a piece of paper.  “Cake, carrots, peas, lettuce, hamburger, cheese, brussel sprouts…” and so it went. He never thought much about those foods before; why was he thinking about them now?  Then, it became clear to him.  Those unimportant foods were really very important.  Together, they enriched his diet and made it more complete.  Yes, he loved chocolate cake, but it was just one of the things that he needed in his life.  He felt that it would be difficult to go back to a normal diet as he had made such a big deal about taking control of his food life.  However, what were his options?  He was missing out on a full life by doing the same thing over and over again.  He decided that he would have to admit that he was wrong to gain what he was missing.  In the end, he won on several fronts, he gained what he had lost, and he realized that he was the one in charge of his life.  It was OK to change course if his current path was no longer getting him to where he wanted to be. He is grateful to know that life is more than chocolate cake.

Peace,

Mike

Here are some “creative” photos from my recent walks.

Random thoughts and my philosophy of life.