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Last time I lifted weights was 1969.

When I got drafted, I left them behind in the apartment.

In basic I got my chance to lift weights.

We had to pick up a guy about our own size, throw them over our shoulder and run with them for I think 100 yards.

It was tough but even worse actually was being carried!

A rough ride it was.

Last time I lifted was yesterday. I'm 74. Carrying a heavy weight doesn't do the same job.

To get maximum benefit:

1. Use about 75% of the max weight you can lift.
2. Repeat the movement through the muscles full range of motion in a controlled motion.
3. Repeat the movement 10 to 12 times. That's a set.
4. Do 3 sets.
5. Don't hold your breath, breath steadily.
6. Try to exercise all the major muscle groups.
7. Work up to 12 repetitions, then increase the weight and start at 10 again.

Working out with weights can do amazing things to your health. I wish I had done more but I still have a pretty good build. Weight lifting can help most anyone. If you've neglected yourself, start slowly.

In college, I gave a speech on why we should eat more insects, especially termites.

You know, the sifting isn't just because of bugs. It's to get the lumps out of the flour. I do think you know that, but for the record.

About 10 days ago I bought some breaded roast chicken, already cut up, and it looked so good but it was a big disappointment. I ate most of it anyhow and thought I'd eaten all of it. Left it out of the fridge and the next day were larvae, pupas, something, 1000s of them , 2 mm long worms in the clamshell container with the clear top.

It sealed really well and they couldnt' get out so I decided to see what happened. After a day or two they stopped moving. I can only guess that they used up all O2. After another day or two, the individuals could not be seen separately anymore. There are empty areas but it's like one yellow/brown/orange paste.

Did you feel that way? Do you still?

This is the first time I've seen this mentioned. I think I tend to hold my breath, but I'm not sure. I can't do things and pay attention to my breath at the same time, but I know what sets the limit of my efforts is that I run out of breah first, before my muscles are tired.

How do I solve this?

Yes, good point, but as a kid, the bugs were far more interesting than the occasional lump.

Maggots?

I think a lot of the food we eat has insect eggs on the outside or under the skin, or possibly insects that have bored in, or if it's processed food it can have insect parts. The FDA specifies how many parts are allowed and AFAIK the answer is never zero in common foods.

There was recently a viral video about strawberries. They said you should always soak your strawberries in salt water for 10-15 minutes because some have bugs and the saltwater drives them out. The video showed the bugs crawling out and coming up for air. I think it may have been Snopes that said only about 2% of strawberries have bugs, so it's not really something to worry about. Besides, eating them isn't a problem.

I ate bugs as a kid, probably every boy has, but my speech topic was driven by an article I had read that said the world's population was increasing faster than the farmers could provide food, and that it was inevitable that the time would come when we can't produce enough. At the time, 6 billion was the looming line in the sand, but of course we've zipped past that by now, passing 7.5 billion.

Beef, especially, is problematic, because cows need an awful lot of feed, take a long time to get market ready, need a lot of space, and produce a lot of methane. Termites, on the other hand, are easy to feed, very quick to reach maturity, and are very high in protein and other minerals. They can be ground as flour, made into a paste, baked into other foods, etc. The only thing stopping us is the ick factor, but as I pointed out in my speech, as young kids we learn which foods will gross us out. In some Asian countries, certain insects are part of their diet and no one is grossed out. It's an interesting topic, but my speech instructor said that in 40 years of teaching, no one else had spoken on that subject.

They do make 45s

I read one of those novels about captives of the Japs in WWII and they pointed out the weevils in the rice might be their only source of protein. I guess once you get over the yuck factor, bugs are just food. I am sure we have all eaten our share of them in factory food.

I've seen bugs in Raspberries and blackberries -due to the way they are "constructed" - never seen them in strawberries - they are "built" differently

I get those Knorr Pasta Sides for cheap meals when camping. I've noticed that some of the older packets have little holes where the cabinet beetle have chewed their way out.

Some whole grains become breeding grounds too. I've never had a problem with rolled oat meal and I think it's because the oats are steamed prior to rolling.

Those of sensitive stomachs don't want to know about the legal limits for insect parts and rodent hairs in foods.

I took a walk Sunday and it was grasshoppers galore. I was thinking of the Indian trick of lighting the grass but there just was a grass fire lower down the mountain and they'd be upset with another. The idea works like a charm though. Fresh, crispy fried hoppers. The tickly little legs burn off and best of all you don't have to chase the damn things with a net.

Ecologically, burning off the grasslands isn't a bad idea in itself. The ash is more readily available fertilizer than waiting for the dead grass to decompose naturally.

Clare Snyder pretended :

Yes, they are not a true fruit, but an accessory fruit.

Fire is a natural part of the environment in a lot of places. Man has not done himself any favors by jumping to put out every fire right away. It just tends to build up fuel and make the fires they get, much worse.

Strawberries have their seeds on the outside!

The Forest Service here has been doing selective thinning in some of the popular areas, essentially putting the forest back into its natural state before fire suppression. That leaves hundreds of thousands of acres of fuel. There are areas where I do not leave the established trails. If you do it's very slow going crawling over and under decades of deadfall. Decay is very slow in a semi-arid climate, as is growth.

I suppose the doctrine was well intentioned, but that and other long term failures I've seen makes me suspicious of attempts to 'fix' the natural world.

Achenes, to be accurate...