Saturday, October 11, 2014

Do you soak your feet?

Don't you dare discuss among yourselves! Share it with us!

While I'm gratified that anyone reads this blog (and many do), I don't seem to be stirring up many of you to comment. I'm not sure why, but that's your business.

So I thought I'd try something different. Something mundane, like:

Do you soak your feet?

I soaked mine today, first time in I don't know how long. Reason? I've had a callous or corn or whatever you call it that's been bothering me. So my mother's voice in my head said, "Epsom salts." (By the way, do you know what else people use them for? It involves ingesting them. I had no idea.)

The trouble with soaking your feet is where and when. I didn't want just to sit with my feet in hot water, doing nothing else. So I had the bright idea of setting it up under my computer, while I did some reading online. (Only later did I think the close proximity of many electrical devices, plugged into the wall, might be a problem.)

What temperature do you keep your heat set to at home -- and why?

I have mine set at 63 currently. A little chilly, but I'm wearing a cassock; and I don't like it to be too warm upstairs.

Are you an adventurous eater? How adventurous?

Last night I had the ushers and their spouses over for snacks and drinks, after some time for prayer in church. One of the folks mentioned a competition where a relative had to down a chocolate covered cricket. Would you eat that? What's the most adventurous thing you've eaten? And is it something you'd eat again?

I described how reluctant I was to eat a raw oyster the first time. But I love them now. I'm glad I didn't think too much about what bleu cheese is, before I ate that. Same for lobsters and related creatures I love to eat.

11 comments:

Jennifer said...

I do soak my feet! After having had three children, my feet went up a full shoe size, and sometimes they hurt a bit after a day of tottering around in high heels. My feet used to be so tiny for someone my size! That's a good thing for a woman, to have small feet. But my feet will never be tiny again! :(

They have little pads in the drugstores for corns and callouses. Hueneraugenpflaster is what they are called in German. Just look in the foot section.

I do know about Epsom salts for ingestion. For horses, too, no less. But I use a lavender-scented mix of salts for soaking my feet in very hot water.

I keep my house cold during the winter. A little mortification is a good thing, and it saves money on utilities.

Adventurous eating is fun. It seems you like to eat, Father! But I honestly prefer my old favorites. The most adventurous thing I eat is a krab tostada at a local catering truck that is usually parked outside of the old Los Angeles County Jail. It's kind of a bad area, and the truck doesn't look new or particularly clean.

For my kids, I like them to try new and different things, like lightly braised radicchio with a balsamic reduction and either bleu cheese or goat cheese. They are not interested. But I keep trying.

Trooper York said...

I soak my feet all the time with Epson Salts.

It is necessary because I am on my feet all day and my dogs start barking as soon as I get home.

Trooper York said...

On the other hand people are always telling me to go soak my head.

What's up with that?

Trooper York said...

It is pretty difficult to get large numbers of comments on a consistent basis. Mostly because people who come to your site usually agree with you and there is not much to say when you are in agreement with the blog host.

The only way to gin up large numbers is to troll your own readers. Which works but is really unpleasant. Just look at TOP.

I get fewer and fewer comments at my closed blog but that is fine with me. I blog to express myself and to get things off of my chest.

ndspinelli said...

Food is always a good topic. I was a teacher for several years. I was good @ engaging discussions. But sometimes, w/ a new class, I would tell them we had a tradition in our family. When it's your birthday, you get to eat whatever you want. Then we would go around the room and have everyone talk about their birthday meal. Worked every time.

I'm very adventuresome w/ food. Most Italians are.

Being diabetic, I should take better care of my feet. I should soak and then lotion. But, I don't. I focus on exercise to keep up good circulation. just walked 10 miles today.

truthfinder2 said...

Trooper York has a point; most people who read your blog DO agree with you. Perhaps you could ask an open-ended question at the end of each post? I have some lovely sea-salts with a seashell as a scoop to use for foot-soaking. A good friend made them for me. We keep our thermostat on the cool side; 65 degrees or so in the winter. I like to bake, so it gets too hot otherwise, and cool is better for sleeping. Most adventurous food? When we lived on the island of Okinawa in 1968-69, I tried the local "noodle casserole" called "yakisoba". It had a little bit of everything; dried fish, pork, chicken, beef, veggies, and buckwheat noodles. After having been to an outdoor market, the lack of sanitary conditions for the meat and fish gave me great misgivings about eating in a restaurant owned by the locals. However, it was very good and I didn't get sick. When I read your blogs I think, "This is SO good, who needs to read MY two cents worth?" So I don't comment. ~ Rosemary A.

ndspinelli said...

Engaging in comments is also helpful in the discussion. When I taught, my goal would be to get the discussion started. But, every class has its own dynamic. Some you were always having to motivate. Some needed no motivation, but had to be guided to stay on the topic. This small group I've seen need engagement. They want to converse w/ you. You are one of the best commenters I've encountered in Al Gore's wonderful internet. I miss your comments here and elsewhere.

Fr Martin Fox said...

Ndspinelli:

Thanks for the kind words. I haven't commented much at Lem's, only because the topics lately haven't inspired anything in me. And you know why I'm not at TOP, I think.

Back to the topic here.

My most adventurous food choice would probably be the lamb entrails in Rome. It was actually quite good. I can't recall the name.

I think if I spent enough time in Rome, I'd eat almost anything there, as long as Italians prepared it. I just love Italian food.

Fr Martin Fox said...

Jennifer:

Thanks for the suggestions. I never buy any of those feet-care things, because I am very skeptical. The foot-soaking helped a lot, I'll do it again.

ndspinelli said...

Padre, My family owned an Italian restaurant in Bristol, Ct. It was started by my immigrant grandfather. He came to the US from Bari as a teenager, alone and penniless. He worked in the local GM factory and hated it. But, he heard the men always complaining about the cafeteria food. So, he started a sandwich cart that he would stop @ the factory all 3 shifts. He then started a produce stand and parleyed both into a restaurant.

The rule was simple in our house. You didn't have to eat everything, but you had to try it, REALLY try it. The eclectic and diverse Italian cuisine is a metaphor for Italians. I believe the eating of the entire animal, eating virtually everything from the sea, makes you a more open and welcoming person. And, having spent time in Italy, you know there are no people more gracious.

Two of my more out of the box loves are tripe[trippa] and eel. The latter as sweet as rabbit. When I'm in San Diego for the winter I always have menudo, tripe soup. I'm one of the few gringo's who eat it.

Jonathan Turley is currently in Sicily w/ his wife. He started his travelogue on his blog in Rome last week. It's been like your great travelogues from Italy. He's like Trooper York, ancestry wise. Irish father and Italian[Sicilian] mother.

ndspinelli said...

I do indeed know why you're not @ TOP.