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A friend asked the other day how I was doing and I replied, OK. "OK?" he repeated, wide-eyed. "That doesn't sound good."
"Actually at my age, OK is pretty good," I responded. The truth is, I am getting to the age when I am starting to feel tired at times. I also have a long list of things I would like to do, but am getting too old to do and an even longer list of things I need to do and no longer want to do, which makes it hard to actually get anything done, let alone enjoy it.
Add in today's high-tech lifestyle of instant everything, constant contact with the world, 24-hour news and TVs in your home the size of an automobile with the capability of displaying six different football games at once, it is no wonder we are stressed out. If all of that is not enough, we have now added the scam phone call industry, which is on automatic dial 24/7 selling insurance, checking if your Medicare card is up to date, offers to change your electric service or extend your car warranty, etc., etc. It almost makes you wish for a good old-fashioned obscene phone call occasionally just for a chance to relax.
Another mystery is how every kitchen in the country is filled with the latest high-tech kitchen gadgets and you can't get a seat in any restaurant. If no one is eating at home, why are we buying all of the cooking gadgets? Speaking of kitchen gadgets, we just added another one to our kitchen arsenal, which is the topic of today's column and may actually be a bright light in our world of high-tech gadgets.
My wife and I enjoy homemade applesauce and of course, fall is apple time and that time is now. Normally, I am in charge of peeling the apples when it comes to applesauce or apple pies. I think my wife lets me do that so I feel helpful yet can't really screw anything up too badly. Reminds me a lot of butchering day when I was a kid and while the men did the actual butchering and cleaning, as a kid, I was always put in charge of cleaning the tail.
In any event, the other day, my wife brought home an apple peeler. Although there were very early versions of apple peelers dating back centuries, including a flat piece of board and a sharp rock, the basic apple peeler as we know it today was developed in the 18th century. Today, it comes in a brightly colored box -- shinier with a better paint job and a sharper knife -- but it is the same simple design.
With a background in mechanical design, I felt myself transported back two centuries to when the original inventor conceived this simplistic masterpiece. This guy was a genius and in many ways, the Elon Musk of his day. I placed an apple onto the forked shaft and with a few simple turns of the handle, peeled, cored and sliced the apple, allowing all parts to be easily and quickly separated and a new apple in its place. There was nothing to plug in, no motor, no timer or little bell ringing to tell me it was done and it was basically silent. Although I did not time the operation, my guess is from start to finish it took me less than 10 seconds to completely process an apple. I did a bushel of apples in literally no time with no stress. The process was so relaxing that I was actually disappointed when the task was finished.
I am sure I could have added an app to my cellphone that would have done the same thing, but I am sure it would not have been as relaxing and probably required at least three calls to the help desk to get the darn thing started.
If you feel overwhelmed in today's crazy world and stressed out at times, take my advice. Buy an old fashioned apple peeler, a bushel of apples, kick back and relax. It is cheaper than going to therapy and you will get something healthy to eat.
John Kasun writes from his home in Duncansville where things go smoother when you have fresh applesauce.