The UCB
Buzz
A publication of
Utah Council
of the Blind
March
2020
For the latest news
updates call the Utah Connection 801-299-0670 or 1‑800-273-4569. (You may
also leave a message at the end of the announcement.)
Check out the
website at utahcounciloftheblind.org
Mail
correspondence to: UCB, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415. E-mail us at ucb.board@gmail.com.
The UCB Buzz is available in large print, Braille,
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If you would prefer to receive your newsletter in a different format, please
call the Utah Connection or send an e-mail to ucb.board@gmail.com and let us know.
In
This Issue
President’s
Message.................................................................................. 3
Upcoming
Activity Updates......................................................................... 4
Annual Easter Egg Hunt............................................................................. 6
Thanksgiving Point Activity......................................................................... 7
Victor Reader
Tip: Use Your Wishlist......................................................... 8
Sleep is One
of the Pillars of Health......................................................... 11
11 Amazing Benefits of Sleep................. 11
Do You Need Sleep?.............................. 12
11 Amazing Health Benefits of Sleep...... 13
Conclusion.............................................. 19
In the
Kitchen........................................................................................... 20
Candoables.............................................................................................. 20
Tips for
Freezing Homemade Pies........................................................... 21
Chicken Bacon
Ranch Tater Tot Casserole............................................. 24
Saint
Patrick’s Day Mint Brownies............................................................ 26
General UCB Information......................................................................... 29
Board of Directors................................... 30
Upcoming Board Meetings...................... 31
Disclaimer
Articles and announcements included in this publication are presented for your information and interest. They reflect the opinions of the respective authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the UCB.
Many of you know that the last several months have been a challenge in our home. Rick has been going through chemotherapy and then immunotherapy. There have been side-effects from the chemo including vision changes. This makes us thankful for the knowledge that we have gained over the last several years. It has also been a good reminder to not take things for granted. I have been sharing the things that I have been brushing up on as far as paying bills, shopping, and so on.
One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to make and freeze meals. I have been experimenting with different ways of marking. Braille does not work very well in the freezer. Audio labels have become my friend. If I have been working and then cooking, it is easy for me to say, "I will remember what this is." A month or two later I find that my memory isn't as good as I thought. I would love to hear if any of you have any creative ideas on marking your dishes for the freezer.
Thanks,
Tina
By Monica Youngdell
Hello everyone. Here is an update on the activities coming up this year. We are planning to have fun with families, friends, and neighbors, young and old, at the DSBVI, 250 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, Multipurpose Room on Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We will be playing games, having pizza or, for those who have a special diet, we will be providing salad/veggie tray and water for those who cannot have soda. Plates will be $3 a person. Please reserve by no later than March 28 with the number of people in your party, your phone number, and whether you have special dietary needs and please let us know whether you will be paying with cash, credit card, or check. Please call Tina at 801-245-9264 or Monica at 801-364-2311, and if we don’t answer right away, please leave a message. We hope to see you there.
Saturday June 6, we will be meeting at the DSBVI, 250 North 1950 West in Salt Lake City to go to Thanksgiving Point and see the gardens, with lunch provided on your own. Please let us know by calling either of the numbers listed above if you are interested. Please provide your name, telephone number, if you will need transportation or if you will be traveling there on your own, and how many people in your group, and we will inform you of the price in a future article.
July 18 will be an Alpine Slide activity. Watch for more information.
The Tandem Bicycle Ride is scheduled for August 1.
The State Fair Family Night will be held in September, with the exact date and more information to follow in future articles.
Unless otherwise noted, the activities will begin at DSBVI (Division of Services for the Blind), 250 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, and we will be letting you know of the prices in future articles.
The sooner we hear from you about your reservation, the sooner we will be able to get a head count so the activities will go smoother and be less stressful for all involved as these take time and a joint effort on all involved to ensure there is enough food, volunteer help if needed and places that fill up fast. Thank you for your consideration and we hope to hear from you soon.
The
annual Easter egg hunt for blind children and adults is scheduled this year for
April 4 at the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 250
North 1950 West, Salt Lake City. This event, sponsored each year by Legacy
Pioneers, begins at 10:00 a.m. and will run until approximately 2:00 p.m. Come
out and enjoy food and fun for the whole family.
By
TerriLynn Pomeroy
On
June 6, 2020, we are planning a visit to the Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving
Point. We will be visiting two gardens. The first will be the Light of the
World garden which holds a number of Biblical statues. This will be a hands-on
tour so that you can look at all of the statues by touch. We are hoping to have
sculptor Angela Johnson there to talk about her work.
The
second garden is a fragrance garden and would be of interest to people who like
garden fragrances.
We
are working to get golf carts to give people rides to the gardens, and we will
have volunteers to help anyone who needs guidance to the various displays. And,
if plans work out, we may also have a picnic lunch.
The
cost should be around $15 per person.
What
we are needing from you is a show of interest so that we will be able to know
how many golf carts and how many volunteers would be needed. So please call and
let us know if you think you would come.
Leave
your name, phone number, and if you will be coming with a group of people, how
many people are coming in your group.
Call
Monica Youngdell 801-364-2311 or Tina Terry at 801-245-9264.
By Tom Mitchell
People every now and then ask us for tips on using their Victor Reader Streams more effectively. But this month’s tip is as much of a tip on NLS-BARD as it is on your Victor.
Have you ever thought “Now there’s a book I’d like to read someday, but not right now” because maybe your SD card’s too full, and you don’t want to have to store it on your internal memory? Or maybe they’re both full. That means you read a lot. Or maybe, like me, you like Christmas books. NLS sometimes puts in a new Christmas book in the middle of the year, and though I like Christmas, I don’t like to read about it on Memorial Day Weekend. Now, you could download the book and leave it stored on your Victor somewhere until the Christmas season, but there’s a better way. Use your Wishlist.
How does it work? Let’s say you come across a book you want to read, someday. So if you’ve read the book description, which I usually do, and you want to put the book in your Wishlist, instead of pressing the confirm/pound key, press the bookmark key, located above the 3. Victor will say “Book added to Wishlist.” You may then get a couple of “Please wait’s, and then it will say “Book added.” The beauty of using the Wishlist is that the book is marked on BARD, and is not taking up space in your memory. But it’s marked for your future reading.
To get the book from your Wishlist, when you go into “Search NLS BARD books”, instead of pressing confirm on “Most Recent Books”, or “most recent Magazines” or some such, arrow up or down with the 2 or 8 keys till you hear “Browse my Wishlist”, then press the confirm/pound key. You will probably get some more “Please wait’s, then “Results found.” You can then see the books you’ve stored in your Wishlist, just as you would in any of the other categories of books BARD offers. Find the book you want to download and press the confirm key. Victor will say “Added to download” just as it does with the other categories, and the download will proceed until the book is downloaded. It is then removed from your Wishlist. You can have as many books or magazines as you want on your Wishlist and download them anytime you want. It’s that simple.
In fact, maybe I’ll go right now and see what books I can find by Jules Verne. I haven’t read anything new from him for a long time. I’ve got some other stuff I want to read right now, but I’ll save them on my Wishlist.
By Kelly Nelson
Sleep is such an important part of our health. I just recently listened to this book, "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker, PhD. I thought it was a good book about the science of sleep and why sleep is so important.
You can get the book on BARD or Audible.
Also, here is an article I found that includes the benefits of sleep.
By Brandi Marcene October 2, 2019
Sleep health benefits includes promoting longevity, improving memory, sharpening attentive span, reducing stress, reducing risk of depression, assisting in weight maintenance, promoting muscle building, promoting heart health, reducing inflammation, improving sex drive, and keep you youthful.
When it comes to our health one thing that is often underestimated is the amount of sleep we need. Sure, maybe you eat right and exercise but you may quickly notice your health deteriorating if you do not sleep at least 8 hours a night.
A good indicator of if you’re sleeping enough? How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? If you never feel quite refreshed and instead suffer from a lack of energy throughout the day, chances are you need more sleep.
But of course sleep is important for much more than that, as it helps in the maintenance of body processes used every single day of our existence. Not sure of some of the other important functions of sleep? Read on to find out more.
1. Promotes Longevity
Study after study has found that people who sleep less are much more likely to die at a younger age. This could be due to the increased likelihood of picking up infections as your immune system is suppressed, or a host of many other factors at Play. Sufficient sleep helps ensure the immune system function optimally all the time and also promotes healthy cellular turn over which in turn will promote your longevity.
2. Improves Your Memory
Many people don’t realize that while you’re sleeping your mind is actually working hard to string together the day’s events and making them into long term memory. This brain technique is known as consolidation, and is important to our retention over time. This is why after a hard day of school if you do not sleep enough you are unlikely to retain any of the knowledge you learn. Do yourself a favor; the harder your brain works during the day sleep more at night.
3. Sharpens Attentive Span
If you’ve ever had to go to work or school after a night not having enough sleep then you know how your performance is impaired. You find it difficult to stay attentive in class or anything that is said goes straight over your head. Worse yet. your short-term memory is also impaired as you’re likely to forget what you were supposed to be doing in the first place. Studies have found that children who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night are much more likely to develop symptoms of ADHD while adults May develop some form of anxiety disorder.
4. Helps Reduce Stress
Stress is a killer even though many people do not understand what this statement means. The fact is that stress keeps us alive, but as with everything else in life too much quickly becomes a bad thing. The stress hormone is what gets us out of bed in the morning as well as making it possible for us to deal with the everyday obstacles life may throw at us. However, chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone not only impair numerous body systems, but also cause of rapid deterioration of Health.
Luckily sleep is one of the best natural ways to reduce the impact of stress due partially to Natural elevations of growth hormone and melatonin that occur as we sleep. Insomnia or chronic sleep deprivation only worsens the impact of stress on our bodies, but luckily after a few nights of consecutive good sleep is normally enough to help reset the cortisol balance.
5. Reduces Depression Risk
While there may be genetic differences that cause an individual to have a higher depression risk, it can still happen to anyone, especially when you do not get enough sleep. This is because insufficient sleep can upset the delicate balance of neurochemicals in the brain, among them being dopamine and serotonin, two very important chemicals involved in the maintenance of mood.
Prescription medication may artificially prevent the breakdown of Serotonin, but they only work for a short-term and usually have a lot of side effects. Getting adequate sleep can actually prevent this in the first place, as sleep helps in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin and coupled with the suppression of cortisol, will help ensure your mood is balanced
6. Assists In Weight Maintenance
Lack of sufficient sleep can result in a host of complications, one of them being weight gain. But why is this so? You can thank the hormone cortisol for this. Cortisol promotes fluid retention as well as inhibited fat burning, making the perfect cocktail for weight gain. Luckily, sleep can help to offset this. During sleep, levels of growth hormone spike; growth hormone being a very potent lipolytic hormone. Growth hormone promotes the usage of fat for fuel oil and prevents new storage of fat. When it comes to weight loss, sleep is your friend
7. Promotes Muscle Building
Contrary to what most people believe, muscle growth doesn’t happen in the gym, but rather while you sleep. While the gym does provide the stimulus necessary for muscle growth, this actual rebuilding process happens as you sleep, and requires changes to protein synthesis at the genetic level. DNA signals for increased muscle protein synthesis and slows down the rate of muscle loss to catabolism. In like manner you brain also signals to increase testosterone and growth hormone production to facilitate the growth of muscle cells. If you work out hard and eat right and yet find yourself not making the muscle gains you would like, it’s time to take a hard look at your sleep pattern and decide if you are getting enough.
8. Promotes Heart Health
Research has consistently shown that people that sleep the recommended minimum of 8 hours per night are much less likely to experience heart attacks or strokes. Sleep helps ensure that blood pressure is kept in the normal range, and also helps to reduce the amount of work the heart has to do to pump blood. The stress hormone cortisol has an adverse effect on the heart, increasing blood pressure causing blood vessels to constrict. Sleep prevents these adverse changes and keeps her heart healthy for years to come.
9. Reduces Inflammation
Sleep is actually one of the strongest anti-inflammatory tools we have at our disposal. Many diseases and body disorders are associated by an increase in inflammatory responses, such as diabetes, heart disease arthritis and premature aging. Research has shown that sleep helps to reduce levels of inflammatory proteins in blood, specifically one by the name of C-reactive protein. People that sleep less than 6 hours per night have elevated levels of this protein and higher risk of developing inflammatory conditions, and when coupled with elevated levels of the hormone cortisol, the effects can be catastrophic
10. Keeps You Younger
One of the first visible signs of insufficient sleep is accelerated aging, especially on the skin. This is manifested by poor looking skin and development of wrinkles and fine lines on the face, in addition to possibly premature greying of the hair. Sleep helps ensure healthy turnover of cells and can prevent premature hair greying as well.
11. Improves Sex Drive
The hormone responsible for dictating your sex drive, testosterone, is produced during sleep and it’s higher in people that sleep 8 hours routinely. If you think your libido is lower than it should be, the first thing you can do is analyze your sleep patterns; then if you discover you’re getting less than 8 hours try to improve that and see if it works. Only if this fails should you consider using prescription medication.
Hopefully you now see the importance of getting quality sleep, as its benefits are numerous and trickle-down to various aspects of our health. Don’t ever regard it as being a waste of time as sleep is what ensures your survival and longevity.
By Tina Terry
I was recently listening to a podcast and heard about a new product called Candoables. I spoke with Lisa at Candoables and was sent a sample pack. I was very impressed by the concept and durability of the product. Candoables look like bracelets with an open back. They can be placed around a can. The outside contains a braille label, such as Cream of Mushroom soup. On the inside of the Candoable, the label is engraved print. This will allow someone who is sighted to also tell what the label is. They can be purchased in packs of two for $6.00. Labels for a 12-pack of soda can also be purchased for $30. Products that are not purchased often, such as olives, are $3.00. I like these because they are totally reusable and stay well on the cans. The braille is good quality.
Lisa also let me know that they are working on labels that can be used on boxes and bags as well. They are being tested and will hopefully be released later this spring. This is a creative way to label and can be used for things such as outdoor barbeques or camping. You can look at a product list at https://candoable.co.
The phone number is 855-226-3641.
By Sandi England
Freezing homemade pies is easy and saves time later when you need a delectable dessert.
Homemade pies are a delicious dessert that can be prepared ahead of time, frozen, and then baked when you want a very special dessert.
It is much better to freeze pumpkin and fruit pies before baking rather than after. The texture of pies suffers substantially if frozen after baking. If you freeze pies after baking them, thaw them at room temperature for about three hours and then crisp them in a 450-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 20 minutes.
How to freeze only the fruit pie filling to be placed in a crust later:
1. Prepare the filling as usual but add 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch or 1-2 tablespoons of flour for each pie.
2. Line the pie pan with foil with the foil reaching out over the pan, and pour the filling into the pan.
3. Place the pie pan of filling into the freezer until it is firm.
4. Lift the filling out of the pan and seal it in foil or some other airtight wrap.
5. Label and freeze to be used in a pie within 4 months.
When making fruit pies to freeze later:
1. Add 1/2 extra tablespoon of cornstarch or 1-2 tablespoons of flour to the filling.
2. Put a small amount of cornstarch or flour in the bottom of the pie shell before adding the filling.
3. Place the pies on a tray and freeze until firm, and then wrap them in aluminum foil or any type of airtight wrapping, label and freeze for up to 4 months.
When baking frozen pies:
1. Bake the pie frozen – do not thaw.
2. Place a cookie sheet in your oven and preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
3. Place the pie on the cookie sheet. The cookie sheet helps to cook the bottom pie crust so it isn’t soggy, which can be a problem with foil pans.
4. Bake at 425 degrees F for the first 15-20 minutes and then turn down to 350 degrees F until done. The total baking time will be at least 20 minutes longer than the directions indicate for an unfrozen pie.
5. Once baked, refrigerate all pies except fruit pies – you can refrigerate fruit pies, too, but it is not necessary.
Unbaked pumpkin and pecan pies freeze very well. Custard pies, meringue pies and cream pies do not freeze well. They will be watery and separate after thawing.
A baked pie can be frozen for 6 months, a longer freezing time than an unbaked pie. Loss of quality increases with the length of time in the freezer. Pies can be frozen longer than recommended here, but the quality greatly deteriorates with the extended freezer time.
By Tina Terry
I have made this recipe before, but last night was the first time Rick really got to enjoy it. It has the Rick seal of approval.
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 pkg. Ranch Dressing and Seasoning mix
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 bag, 32 ounces, tater tots
1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with Pam. In a medium bowl, stir condensed soup, sour cream, milk, 1 cup cheese, 2 Tbsps. dressing mix and black pepper until mixed well. Stir in chicken. Place half of the frozen potatoes in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon and spread chicken mixture on top of potatoes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the bacon on top. In a large resealable bag, add remaining potatoes with remaining dressing mix. Shake bag to coat. Arrange on top of the casserole. Bake 40 minutes. Top casserole with remaining bacon and cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and tater tots are light brown. Top with tomatoes if desired.
By Sandy England
Servings: 12-18
Brownies:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons honey
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
Mint Icing:
5 tablespoons butter
dash of salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
Chocolate Icing:
5 teaspoons butter
dash of salt
3 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
Instructions:
1. Melt butter and mix in cocoa.
2. Allow to cool.
3. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Mix well.
5. Add nuts.
6. Pour batter into a greased 9- by 13-inch pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
8. Cool.
9. Prepare mint icing.
10. Soften butter.
11. Add salt, corn syrup and powdered sugar.
12. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
13. Add mint extract and green food coloring.
14. Mix.
15. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
16. Spread mint icing over brownies.
17. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing.
18. Prepare chocolate icing.
19. Soften butter.
20. Add salt, corn syrup and powdered sugar.
21. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
22. Add cocoa.
23. Mix until smooth.
24. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a smooth texture.
Donni Mitchell, our vice president volunteers in the UCB Office at DSBVI, 250 N 1950 W, Salt Lake City, UT, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. If you are making a special trip to visit the office, we recommend you give her a call at 801-520-3766 to be sure she is there when you come to make purchases or conduct other business.
We are always looking for articles,
book reviews, or interesting tidbits of information from our readers or other
interested persons. The deadline for submitting items for publication is the 10th
of the month, e.g. the deadline for the December newsletter is November 10th.
You may e-mail any articles you wish to submit to tommit60@gmail.com or send
Braille, print, or audio to UCB Buzz, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415 or
drop them off to Donni at the office. Please allow extra time for processing
Braille, print, or audio.
If you have questions or concerns for any board member or to be placed on the agenda of a board meeting, e-mail ucb.board@gmail.com or leave a message on the Utah Connection, and you will receive a timely reply.
Members are invited and encouraged to
attend meetings of the Board of Directors. These are typically held the fourth Thursday
of each month at 4:45 p.m. at DSBVI in Conference Room R (in the north hallway),
except as noted.
Tina Terry, President
Donni Mitchell, Vice President
Tom Mitchell, Secretary
Vicki L Flake, Treasurer
Anna Jeffery, Past President
Aunilie Hathaway, Director
Cordie Weed, Director
Monica Youngdell, Director
Sandy England, Director
Sandy Ruconich, Director, Chief Executive Officer (interim)
Kathryn E Schofield, Chief Operating Officer (interim)
·
Thursday,
March 27, 2020
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Thursday,
April 23, 2020
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Thursday,
May 22, 2020
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Thursday,
June 25, 2020
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