Footle and Grok

Are sugar-free brownies worth eating?

I bought a box of Pillsbury sugar-free brownie mix last year but never used it because when I made brownies, I was serving it to people besides my hubby. But yesterday, I had a friend visit who was on a special diet, so I pulled out the box and made my first batch of sugar-free brownies.

I was pleased with the batter’s consistency and the number of brownies it made. Unlike a normal box of brownies that fills a 9×13 inch pan, the sugar-free brownie mix barely covers the bottom of an 8×8 inch pan. Since I didn’t want any leftovers, I was glad it made a small amount.

It baked perfectly and came out of the pan without sticking. I cut nine normal-sized brownies and set them on a pretty dish.

Now for the big question – did they taste good? I think they tasted like brownies. Not the best brownies ever, but by no means the worst. Hubby wasn’t fond of them, but our friend liked them okay.

I would make them again if I had to serve a sugar-free dessert. I thought they were soft and fudgy. However, I’d continue to make regular brownies for most situations, or since I like it better, cake.

Happy Winnie the Pooh Day!

Winnie the Pooh is one of my all-time favorite characters. I probably liked the silly old bear and his friends before I was born since my mother took me to see him while I was still in the womb. 

In honor of this important holiday, I want to share some quotes that will hopefully make your day better. Winnie the Pooh may be a bear of very little brain, but he sees the positive in all situations, and I think that is a good attitude to have.

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“A hug is always the right size.

Winnie the Pooh

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“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like, ‘What about lunch?’”

Winnie the Pooh

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 “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

Winnie the Pooh

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“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

Winnie the Pooh

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 “When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.”

Winnie the Pooh

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“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”

Winnie the Pooh

I shared this comic before, but I’ve been thinking about the future a lot, so I thought I would share it again.

At the beginning of each year, I find a meme that speaks to me and hang it on the wall above my computer. This time I chose this comic. I had heard of doing things for your future self before, but I never embraced the idea. It’s easier to do what Current-Me wants to do. However, this year, I have some big plans that won’t happen if Current-Me gets her way all the time.

It’s not easy to do what will make Future-Me happy. Current-Me is very persuasive. But if I want to PR in my first half marathon in June or find a new career or home, I need to focus on Future-Me’s needs. Thus I have this comic to remind me.

We all have big goals that seem so far in the future that we don’t think we have to deal with them today. But the thing we often forget is that in order to have the future we desire, we have to do certain things now, things that might be uncomfortable or challenging. 

So let Current-You have fun, but occasionally do what will make Future-You happy. The new Current-You will be glad you did.

I have mentioned this podcast before, and I am serious!!! If you like smart, fun, short podcasts that answer curious questions about various science topics, this podcast is for you. Everyone should listen. I mean it!!!

What podcast am I talking about?

Tai Asks Why!

Tai is a thirteen year old Canadian and Tai Asks Why has just started its third season. I discovered this podcast as we were driving through the Yukon Territory in 2019. I couldn’t get internet service at the time, but when I heard Tai on the CBC, I wrote down his name and swore I would look him up on iTunes. I’ve been enjoying his show ever since, and it’s the highlight of my podcast listening week.

I was shocked at how much his voice changed between seasons 2 and 3. He’s only thirteen. It also surprised him, so his first episode is about how teenage brains change. It is funny, educational, and totally relatable.

(I was not a teenage boy, but I have several nephews and friends whose brains are changing right now, and it’s nice to know what’s going on when they act so out-of-character.)

I listen to about forty podcasts a week, but Tai Asks Why is my absolute favorite. I’m so glad he is back in my earbuds. I hope he can be in yours too.

According to IFL Science, the EU just approved mealworms for human consumption. It’s commonly known that insects are a good source of protein and can be grown in great quantities. The question is, will anyone eat them.

I assume these mealworms will be in processed form and not look like something we’d buy at the pet store. Does that matter to you? When insects come to grocery stores in the U.S., will you be buying?

I have to say no, but not because I wouldn’t eat it. I’d eat insect meal or flour; it probably tastes fine. I just don’t cook with any weird ingredients. There’s no coconut oil, almond flour, or gourmet products in my pantry. Cooking isn’t my favorite thing to do, so I fix the same simple dishes over and over.

That said, if the future includes insects and I learn an easy recipe, I’d add them to my staples.

How do you feel about insects as human food? Do you think it’s the future? Or does the idea bug you?

We had some high winds a couple of nights ago, and it caused power outages around my state. I slept through the whole thing, even though my hubby said it shook the house. I’m a deep sleeper.

This event made me wonder when and where the fasted wind was recorded. The answer surprised me.

Until 1996, the fastest wind speed recorded on Earth was on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire.  It was recorded on April 12, 1934, at 231 miles per hour. What is remarkable was that the Mount Washington Observatory staff recorded it, so they had to be on the mountain during that gale.

There is a great account on the Mount Washington Observatory website from the logbook on that day in 1934. The staff had to go outside to work the equipment. Crazy.

The current record was from a hurricane gust. Tropical Cyclone Olivia hit Barrow Island near Australia on April 10, 1996. An unmanned sensor recorded a wind speed of 254 miles per hour.

Compared to that, our wind was “just a mild spring zephyr*” as Owl would say. I’ll take that any day.

*A zephyr is a gentle breeze.

Happy National Take the Stairs Day.

I like taking the stairs. Escalators and elevators are fine, but I get a smug satisfaction when I use the stairs as if I sneaked some extra exercise in. I even take the stairs at the airport with my suitcase. It feels great when I reach the top ahead of the people on the escalator.

Stairs are great metaphors for success too. Perhaps one of these quotes will help you take the stairs more often.

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An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You should never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.

Mitch Hedberg

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The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs.

Vance Havner

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Never look backwards or you’ll fall down the stairs.

Rudyard Kipling

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I have a two-story house and a bad memory, so I’m up and down those stairs all the time. That’s my exercise.

Betty White

Today we are going to talk about bugs.

Not gross creepy-crawlies, but clutterbugs. ClutterBug is a fun organizing/decluttering Youtube channel and website. There are four types of clutterbugs, bees, ladybugs, crickets, and butterflies. This short video explains how each clutterbug is different. Once you know which one you are, you can use the right tools to organize your life.

I do recommend watching the video, but here is a brief explanation. There are four categories of organization types. Most of us either like stuff out where we can see it (visual) or out of sight when we aren’t using it (hidden). We also like either large groupings (macro) or small categories (micro). So here is what each bug is like:

• Bees – Visual/Micro
• Ladybugs – Hidden/Macro
• Crickets – Hidden/Micro
• Butterflies – Visual/Macro

It’s possible to be one bug in one area of your life and a different bug in another. I am 100% cricket. Of course, my hubby is 100% butterfly, the exact opposite of me. This explains so much about our household.

Check out the video, and find out which clutterbug you are. I found it eye-opening to learn which organizing containers (small and opaque) work best for me. Knowing your style might help you too.

I am running again.

My twenty-one-week running schedule starts today and hopefully ends with me running three half marathons in three consecutive weekends in June. I took ten days off when my 2020 running streak ended, and now I’m itching to get back into an exercise routine. Luckily, this one includes rest days.

It’s common to start new goals on January 1st, but I saw friends on that day, and we had a delayed New Year’s Eve party. I was in no mood to start eating right with all that good food around. Then it was the weekend, and then I got busy. And now it is the 11th.

I’m sure I’m not the only one with goals that seem to slip through our fingers even though the year has just started. I’m ready to start today and invite you to join me. The best day to begin is yesterday, but today is just as good. Let’s not wait until tomorrow.

I want to PR my first race outside Grand Tetons National Park, so I will train to the best of my ability. Find your reason why and you can have success too.

Today goes to the dogs!

There are a lot of famous dogs on Facebook. I imagine there’s one for every breed. I follow a couple, but my favorite is Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund. He lives in Canada with his sister, Daphne, and has the best videos of any animal I’ve ever seen.

Crusoe has a brother named Oakley, who’s a bit of a doofus, so of course, he’s my favorite of the brothers. Oakley visits Crusoe occasionally, and they make videos together. Oakley is rarely in a film by himself, but when he is, it’s always hilarious.

This newest video is probably Oakley’s best. He does his version of Home Alone, the funny Christmas movie about a kid being left home alone and thwarting burglars.

Oakley thwarts a “hamburgler” in ingenious doggy ways. He may not be the smartest of the dachshund brothers, but he is the funniest. Check out this video, and be prepared to laugh out loud. I laughed so loud that Hubby thought I was crying. Watching this made my day.