Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 135, Number 3, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 21 January 2016 — Page 4

Advance News • Thursday, January 21, 2016

Page A4

Winter driving and selective amnesia

It's been a while since winter officially began, but it has only been in recent weeks that the season has come into swing. And, with the

white stuff finally falling to earth and temperatures dropping to the freeze point, drivers in Indiana are again suffering from a form of selective amnesia. Or, better put, they are simply forgetting how to drive. I don't mean that drivers are forgetting everything they know. Of course we can all remember how to start a car, put it in drive and take off down the road, but everytning else about driving seems to go rights out the window, so to speak, when winter blasts the landscape with snow and ice. We all know the scene: A winterv day of heavy snow and driving winds is decorated with cars and trucks run off into ditches, smashed into mailboxes and stuck spinning tires on steep inclines. But I wonder why. What is it about winter that makes drivers completely forget that they've ever seen, nay, ever heard of snow before, let alone driven in it? Really, this is northern Indiana we get snow here. In fact, we get LOTS of snow here. Every winter we have at least one major winter weather event, and on the whole we spend a majority of the winter months covered in a thick layer of snow. So why is that people don't slow down when the going gets rough? Why do drivers refuse to exercise more caution when merging into traffic or coming to a stop at an intersection? Well, I have a theory on the matter, and it has more to do with the human nature than it does with individual driver's skillsets. Flat out, people just don't want to. I don't believe that drivers in winter climates forget how to drive on snow and ice. I don't think that we aren't skilled enough behind the wheel to safely traverse the winter landscape. I maintain that people are creatures that do what they feel is necessary to them at any given time, and people don't like to go slow or play safe. Actually, some don't go slow, play safe or even fully scrape their windows free of frost, and that's a terrifying thing to see. Rather, we like to get to where we are going as fast as we can, with or without clear windows. Sure, we could cut the speed back to a reasonable pace and give other drivers a wider berth when the weather is foul, but why should we? No, in our respective minds that responsibility falls to everyone else on the road. Essentially, most drivers think that, if everyone else is going slow and driving safely, there shouldn't be too great a need for us to do it, [too. Vm Borry to~»fly it,-but like to pass*«f responsibility as often as we can. And in the event that it doesn't go to 1 plan, we pass of blame, too. But there is obviously a flaw in that logic. If everyone or, at very least, some of us drive a bit recklessly in winter weather in the hopes that the other drivers are being responsible, doesn't that mean that, in theory, everyone could have the same plan? I don't know about you, but it frightens me to think that all of the other drivers on the road with me at 8 a.m. in whiteout conditions are looking to me to be the responsible one so that they can do their usual 55 in a 30. The answer to this problem is as simple as it is obvious, however: We all should be responsible. As adults who have the ability to reason, we should be more than aware that, in winter conditions, we simply cannot drive the way we are accustomed to driving in the other seasons. We know full well that winter makes driving more treacherous, and we should take it upon ourselves to be more careful. Begin slowing down sooner at stop lights and signs. Give other cars more room. Generally, be mindful of the conditions and act accordingly. After all, this is Indiana and we know that we have winters, so isn't it about time that we started driving like it? And for the love of everything sacred, please scrape off your windows before setting out.

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The Rear View Mirror By David Palmer

Opinion

Back to the Future I recently got a glimpse of the future, without even needing a Time Machine, and you know, it wasn't all that bad. It begins with bananas. I like bananas. My wife Jennie like bananas. My long-suffering wife Jennie likes bananas when they're still hard as rocks, and green as Christmas. I like bananas when they a bright yellow, like the Man in the Bright Yellow Hat who is the foil for Curious George. Either way, we both like bananas. So when I go to the grocery store or she goes to the grocery store, and the one of us asks the other of us if there's anything else we need, the answer is usually, "You might as well get some bananas while you're out" After all, even though there are some bananas on the counter in the kitchen, they'll be gone before you know it. And since they sell them pretty green, even Jennie has to wait a few days before she can scrape the peel off and they're not so hard they don't break her teeth. Which brings me back to the future. You see, the other day I didn't ask Jennie if we needed anything. I grabbed a few items at the store, and

Okay we had a few days of real winter which to me meant comfort food. Today is cool and rainy and feels more like autumn or spring, not winter. Regardless, now is a great time to cook with winter squash. As I share programs in the community I often teach MyPlate and food safety. I encourage participants to eat a variety of foods and in the process also a rainbow of

foods. Many of our locally grown vegetables are the rainbow foods. Everywhere you read and hear that we all need to eat more vegetables. I know you are aware that you should be eating more vegetables and fruits, but you have to plan for it to make it happen. I know too, that it is much easier to eat the fruits than the vegetables. To eat 2-1/2 cups of vegetables you have to have a plan and work at the plan. I think what happens is that we let our vegetable choices get monotonous. Now is the time to try all the different kinds of squash. Squash are relatives of the pumpkin; they are inexpensive, they are nutritious, and are easy to.prepare. So now you may be asking why you should eat squash. All varieties of winter squash are good sources of beta-car-otene, a substance your body converts to vitamin A. Studies have shown that diets high in beta-carotene may provide protection from certain types of cancer. Winter squash is relatively low in calories, on the average, 80 to 140 calories a cup. Like most vegetables, you can prepare them without added fat and they contain no cholesterol. Winter squash is naturally low in sodium and is a good source of dietary fiber. A one-cup serving provides about one-third of an adult's recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C. When buying and storing winter squash, use the following information. The hard, outer rind of most varieties of winter squash covers a firm, yellow or orange flesh. Look for a squash with no soft spots on the rind. When you have squash at home that have developed a bad spot simply trim

Insects active indoors when temperature rises

The mid-January thaw we experienced last week brought some unwanted visitors to local homes. By far the most calls were from people who bum firewood. As wood warms, the critters that feed on decaying wood or the creatures that feed on those insects can wake up from their winter slumber and begin moving about. If that firewood is indoors, the insects can become nuisance pests. There are several different types of insects that are commonly found on firewood. Wood boring beetles such as the flat headed borer, long hom beetles and bark beetles are the most frequently reported. None of these insects will attack finished or dried wood within a home. Spiders, pill bugs, and even a few predatory wasps have been known to hitchhike on firewood. I even had a few people report Emerald Ash borer adults in tneir homes, apparently emerging from ash trees now being used for firewood. The insects mat raise the most concern when brought indoors are ter-

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3 Banana Mania

while 1 was there I brought back some bananas. Only to discover that Jennie had bought a big bag of bananas at another store. Then I went to the store a day later to get coffee and while I was there I bought some more bananas, forgetting that I'd just bought some bananas and Jennie had bought the big bag of bananas besides. A day later I was back in the store to buy some tortillas, and since I was there I bought some bananas, forgetting that I'd just bought some bananas after having forgotten I'd already bought bananas, and not only that, there was that big bag of bananas that Jennie bought I'd forgotten about too. That's when I realized I was living the future, twenty years from now, when I will sit in a tiny apartment surrounded by bananas. Every day I will

Enjoy winter squash

mites and carpenter ants. Bringing carpenter ants into the home through firewood will generally not cause an infestation. They feed on wood that is higher than normal in moisture content, so unless there is leaky plumbing or roof, there is little chance of a problem caused by bringing the wood indoors. Termites accidentally brought indoors with firewood will also not infest structural wood. They need contact with the soil to remain alive. However, this does indicate there are termites feeding in the woodpile, and if that pile is near a home or bam, it's time to have a professional do an inspection. It is best not to stack fire-

County Road Seven I By Frank Ramirez

Food and Nutrition By Mary Ann Lienhart Cross

and ranges from solid dark green, to green and orange. Buttercup squash is dark green and has silvery stripes. The brightly colored turban squash has rounded knobs at one end. Butternut squash is shaped like an elongated light bulb and is creamy tan. Hubbard squash, one of the largest varieties, is bumpy and may be multicolored green, gray, yellow, or red orange. The smooth, yellow outside of a spaghetti squash gives no clue of the strands of flesh inside. Winter squash stores well for three to six months in a cool, dry place. Do not refrigerate winter squash unless it has been cut. Squash is basically a "make it from scratch" fpod. The preparation doesn't have to be long or complicated. Season cooked squash with a small amount of margarine such as one teaspoon per serving. Add brown sugar, nuts, orange rind' orange juice concentrate or orange juice, raisins, or chopped apples. For additional flavor, sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger. To prepare the butternut and acorn varieties, cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. To bake, place squash halves in a shallow pan and add about one-fourth inch of water. Bake in a 375-degree F oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until fork tender. To microwave, wrap squash halves in plastic wrap or arrange cut pieces in a baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Because microwave ovens vary in power, cooking times vary, so check the instructions for your appliance. You can bake or microwave whole squash. Pierce the skin with a knife several times before cooking. Until next time, here is to real cooking and healthy eating.

Extension lips By Jeffßurbrink

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dodder down to the store and people will nudge each other and say, "Here comes that guy with the funny hat and the bow tie, buying bananas again. He probably forgot that he bought bananas yesterday and the day before." Which will be fine, because I won't know the difference. As far as I can tell, the future is a happy place. I buy bananas. I don't do anyone any harm. And there will always be enough bananas around the house. By the way, don't assume I think my wife Jennie is going to die before me. She's got pretty good genes on both sides of her family and I expect her to be around a good long time after I've shuffled off this mortal coil. I just think she'll have consulted with our kids and they'll all agree that our house isn't really big enough to hold all those bananas, which will lead to them getting me a nice little room in a friendly nursing home, which will be my home base for all the trips to the store. But no worries. As long as I'm happy. And have bananas. trank Ramirez is the Senior Pastor of the Union Center Church of the Brethren.

the bad spot away. If the squash is very hard, which it should be, poke it several times with a fork, wrap in plastic wrap and steam for at least five minutes. This softens the skin so that you then can cut through it and remove the seeds and membrane for baking. So here is a quick squash review. Acorn squash is shaped like an acorn

wood up against a house or inside a garage. You should not apply insecticides to firewood. There is a risk of harmful fumes being created when the wood is burned. There is no practical and safe way to control insects living inside the logs. Flying insects can be knocked down with "flying insect killer" insecticides which typically contain pyrethrins. Otherwise, the best policy is to bring the firewood indoors only as it is needed. I also had reports of ladybugs and stinkbugs in homes last week. These critters invaded your home last fall, and have been hibernating in the walls. Again, there is no practical way to eliminate them entirely from your home. Hand picking the insects is the most advisable way to handle the situation. I hesitate to recommend insecticides indoors, especially in the winter, when homes tend to be closed up. If need be, insecticides with pyretnrins would be the best indoor alternative.