​How do you get up in the morning these days? I have to admit I’m a bit weird since the Covid came down upon us.
 
So much can make you paranoid. The slightest sniffle and you wonder. Your throat scratches or itches just the tiniest bit and you think you should call your doctor. We’re all infected to a certain extent with being scared or worried.
 
That’s why it amuses me to no end how much I appreciate the virus. It’s gotten me to SMELL again!
 
What do I mean by that? It means I fully inhale air and breathe deeply in all the aromas of my daily life on a daily basis now, and am invigorated by what my senses perceive.

This is a huge benefit of the virus. You detect the aroma of your wife’s perfume and it amazes you how much it makes you feel good and smile at her.
 
You whiff the dogs’ smelly fur from rolling around outside and running through bushes. It’s a dog smell, but still it reminds you of the joy of a dog’s life.
 
An open can of beer fizzing up brings barley bubbles to your nostrils and preps you for the gulp to come. MMMMMMM, tasty.
 
You sizzle some steaks on the grill. The smokey aroma reaches your nose through the back screen door, activating your salivary glands and getting you psyched to slice open a tender piece to savor on your tongue.
 
When I wake up now in the morning, I breathe deeply through my nose. “NOPE, no Covid today,” I say to myself, because the onslaught of the mundane smell of clothes, towels, toothpaste, cat food and other items in our bedroom and bathroom rise up to greet me. I know I’m alive and healthy.
 
This reminds me of how often we choose not to sniff around. We block out smells, and quite frankly, it’s not the only sense we limit. We don’t pause to really look at things, we don’t taste our food. We fly through our days, not pausing to breathe, taste or see. Perhaps it takes the virus to get us to reflect and fully use all our senses.

We’re better off for that. God gave us all these abilities. It’s astounding when you think about the joys of smelling.
 
Flowers. Fresh cut grass. The forest after a rainstorm. The smell of the ocean when you get close to it. Chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. A freshly baked cake. How great is that?
 
Even the bad stuff – car exhaust, a dog’s fart, stale clothes – remind you distinctly what’s going on around you. Your nose keeps you prepped and aware. That’s good. We have a nose for that very reason, and the virus is getting us to more fully use its force.
 
Sniff. Take a whiff. Breathe deeply. Inhale. Do this every day. Do it to start your morning after you slam your alarm clock button off. You’ll know you’re alive and another day is ready for your senses.
 
It shouldn’t take a virus to get us to really smell. We should be inspecting our surroundings with our noses and enjoying the scents all the time. Be like a dog. Get your head out the window, look ahead and breathe that world around you.

​Though I’ve never lost my trust in the people who live in the United States, my trust gets tested at times. Then something happens that restores it. Last week was an example.
 
It doesn’t take much. It can be a small private incident or something major that occurs in public life. Regardless, when the situation occurs or someone stands up for what’s right, I think to myself, “That’s what this country is all about.”
 
This most recent case occurred last Friday after I finished a morning swim at out fitness facility. I came back to my locker. No one was around. On the bench next to me were a wallet, keys, five sandwiches, a smart phone, protein powder. Some guy left it all out in the open while he showered.
 
An evil person would have pilfered something or all of what lay there. But this guy TRUSTED the rest of us in the locker room. He had faith in us. It made me beam because I feel the same way.
 
At times though, you forget and start to think worse of people. His action, which I’m sure he never even remotely considered would affect someone else’s attitude for that day (and for MANY days afterwards), DID affect someone. It was me, but not only me, because another guy entered the locker room area a few minutes after I arrived.
 
He didn’t glance once at what lay there. I remarked, “This guy sure trusts everyone, doesn’t he?,” indicating the pile of his stuff on the bench.
 
The other man smiled and agreed. We talked about believing in other people to do the right thing, and our lives were enriched through that short conversation.
 
We never did see the man who left his clothes, possessions and food lying out. There was one other man in the shower area, a younger gentleman, so all the materials were likely his. And this enriched me further.

Because for an older codger like me, it was important to see the younger generation having that base of trust in his fellow human beings. We’ve lost too much of that recently, it seems to me. We don’t believe and trust in each other perhaps the way we did years ago.
I remember our family living in Nebraska in the late-1990s. After we left, whenever someone steered a conversation in the direction of fear for their possessions (someone breaking into their car or house, for example), I would say to them, “It’s not true everywhere.”
 
And, I would explain to them how in Nebraska we’d left our house unlocked, and people at work left their keys on the dashboard of their cars in the parking lot, with the doors unlocked. We trusted the community and the people who lived there.
 
It’s a good thing. We still have this in the United States. It’s not everywhere, that’s for sure. But, I think it’s important to remember we have implicit trust of our fellow citizens in many, many places, if not MOST of the country.

The examples of theft and break-ins are far too often the stories played on the media and incidents we may gossip about amongst ourselves. So those events stick with us and create fear. We don’t trust others.
 
I’m thankful for the younger gentleman who made my day. Maybe this column will help others a bit down their path.

​Our dad used to pat his pockets when he got up to go somewhere. It was to check for his keys and wallet. Make sure both were there. Then, it was okay to get up and go wherever he was headed.

Pretty simple process for a simpler time. Our lives have ratcheted up in intensity since them.

First came the ubiquitous smart phone, originally the cell phone. As the device grew in popularity, it of course started to become more of a necessity. When you left the house, you had to pat your pockets for your keys, wallet AND cell phone. As a woman, you checked your purse to see if they were all there before leaving the house.

And now we have the next “must have” item in our daily arsenal. One more thing to remember before you work out the door: The face mask.
 
Gotta have it. Don’t forget it. Pat your pockets before you leave to get in your car. Check your purse to make sure it’s in there.
 
This weekend, I watched a guy with no mask on almost enter our local supermarket. You suddenly saw him stop like he’d been hit by a stun gun. He spun around quickly and stalked back to his car with an angry look on his face. He’d forgotten his mask. I smiled amusedly as I placed mine in my face.
 
It’s easy to forget. What we put in our pockets or purse seem like simple things, daily reminders, and most of the time there are no issues. But all of us forget at times, and then become inconvenienced.

My favorite examples are of a close friend of mine forgetting (TWICE) his golf clubs when he played golf with me. The first time we got to the course early enough where he was able to drive maniacally home and back to get to the course on time and slice his stressed out first drive 130 yards off course.
 
The second time, he’d driven over an hour to the course and was unable to go home to retrieve them, so we alternated using my clubs. Typically, he keeps his club in his car, so his forgetfulness can be explained and understood. He thought they’d be in his trunk because that’s where he normally kept them, but he hadn’t checked to confirm before leaving home.

I guess that’s the lesson these days when you’re leaving the home front or your job. Pat your pockets or check through your purse as a confirmation process. Keys, wallet, smart phone, face mask. Okay, good to go.
 
It’s a bit more involved and until this become a routine, it’s easy to forget or overlook one item or another. Over time, we’ll get used to it.

Then we’ll reach the next stage of life where you won’t have to wear a mask, or it will become optional. Then your daily routine gets dicey.
 
Regardless of how the world turns next, we can count on something else coming along that requires us to pat our pockets to make sure we have everything before we step into the world for the day. My future-looking periscope hasn’t identified what that will be, but you can count on something new. It’s only a matter of time. Until then, remember you have 

Take a pause from TBT meaning Throwback Thursday. Now it stands for The Basketball Tournament, recently concluded with former players from Marquette University in Milwaukee taking home the honors and sharing the $1 million prize.

There were many interesting things that occurred as the tournament played out. First, it was held during the Time of Covid. Though sporting events had previously occurred and there were some special competitions that sports-crazed people could watch on TV, for the most part if was the first “live” set of games since the virus engulfed us.
 
No fans. Testing protocols. Various rules in place as the players bubbled, not leaving their enclosed spaces once the tournament got underway. Everyone survived.
 
Secondly, for those of you unfamiliar with TBT, the players are considered professionals because they are playing for that $1 million payout. What’s most interesting is that no other team wins any money. Second place gets nothing. So you better come to compete. In that sense, every game is like a final and the guys play hard. It’s evident. This makes for fun watching.
 
There are other changes, but the third item to consider is a rule change they utilize which brings excitement to the end of the game. If you happen to be a basketball fan of any degree, whether it’s pro, college or high school, you’re familiar with teams slowing down play and trying to milk the clock if they have a decent lead near the end of regulation time.
 
This makes the contest boring.  You yawn, wait for one coach to call a timeout, then the other, have to sit through commercials if you are watching on TV, and ultimately you lose interest as the team leading tries not to lose rather than continue competing to win and pushing the ball up the court.
 
I’ve voiced ideas on how to improve that end-of-game scenario, but TBT has taken one, implemented it, and demonstrated success. It goes like this: At the four-minute mark before the end of regulation, whoever is leading must score eight more points (eight points added to the lead and that’s the target for both teams; whoever hits if first wins). No more clock. It’s pickup basketball refined. Like “first one to 21 wins” for those of you who’ve spent years playing on the concrete and asphalt courts.
 
A quick example: If you’re team is up 79-71 at the four-minute mark, then first team to 87 wins. That motivates the losing team to pick it up, defend harder and score quickly. The leading team wants to light it up as fast as possible to prevent a comeback by their opponent. The frenzy begins.
 
It’s a spectacular addition to the rules of basketball and a bonanza for viewers and lovers of the game. It astounds me how much more fun it is the watch the game as it concludes. A total no-brainer for every level of basketball to pick up this innovation to improve the growth and enjoyment of the game.
 
Will that happen? Who the heck knows?
 
The powers that be at each level of basketball should take the lead from TBT and embrace change. It improves the sport, makes it more fun and exciting to watch. It’s that simple. Those in positions of leadership who can bring this about should take heed.

​It’s that time of year. Tomatoes coming out your ears.
 
If you’ve got a garden (or you know a friend who does), you’ll have your share of free, ripe red tomatoes. So many that you won’t know what to do with them.
 
This presents a dilemma. A good dilemma, but nevertheless you must find some way to consume, freeze, refrigerate or share all those extra plump, juicy, healthy pickings.
 
We faced this last week. A friend in northern Wisconsin dumped a bucket-load of tomatoes in the back of my car, along with banana and green peppers, cucumbers and pickles. I think my car tilted to the side with all the extra weight deposited.
 
The easiest and quickest way to use the tomatoes was to make salads. That took place day one.

Day two, we pulled together a summer treat for vine-ripened greatness: Basil and mozzarella mixed with sliced tomatoes. Yummy.
 
Slice up the fresh mozzarella and layer around tomato slices, place slices of fresh basil on top. Sprinkle some olive oil and a bit of pepper over it. You have a tasty, fresh, nutritious salad for dinner. Feel righteous.
 
Then there is the pizza without (or with) a crust that you can create on day three. Another simple dish. Slice the tomatoes, add any other ingredients you might like (sautéed mushrooms, green peppers, Italian sausage, etc.). Season with oregano and garlic. Coat with shredded mozzarella and Italian cheeses. Microwave or bake until the cheese is melted. It’s a unique pizza.

Salsa is another great invention for the farm fresh tomato. Dice up a handful of them. Add a diced onion, jalapeno pepper and bunch of fresh cilantro. Use the blender to sauce it up, but leave some chunks in it. Season with some lime juice and perhaps a touch of salt or sugar depending on your taste buds. Stick the chips in there and see how it tastes. Pretty good, isn’t it?
 
You usually get enough salsa to save some for later. It’s a great sauce to use on a meat. For example, you can take a chicken breast and ladle the salsa mixture over it. It’s a nice quick dish with a bang.
 
Tomato grilled cheese sandwiches are another favorite. Toast an English muffin, or brown a piece of bread in butter in the frying pan with the cheese on top. Cover the pan to melt the cheese. Add tomato slices. Close the English muffin or toasted bread up after adding the sliced tomato and you have a sweet sandwich to go with a cup of soup.
 
Everyone weighs in with recipes when you have fresh tomatoes. Gazpacho seems to be the favorite. Many appear to like it, though I’ve never tried making it from scratch. I’m not a super big cold soup person, but if you have some hot fresh bread with butter along with the cold gazpacho, I’m sure the combination would go down well.
 
Then there is that Greek-type salad that includes sliced green cucumbers, a red onion, tomatoes, chunks of feta cheese, blended with Italian or vinaigrette dressing. Toss it all together along with fresh parsely. Add olives if you like. Great for a meal or side dish.
 
There are still a few big red ones left. The soup is calling.
 
Now we’ve got to pull together some additional recipes for the cucumbers.