Texas AgriLife Extension Service-Lubbock County * PO Box 10536 * Lubbock, TX 79408
916 Main, Suite 201 Lubbock, TX 79401* 775-1680 * Fax 775-1658 * http://lubbock-tx.tamu.edu
June / July 2008
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Say “No” to time stealers such as the telephone, television
Get enough sleep – most people need at least 8 hours
You can do it all; you just can’t do it all at once.
Source: Constance Kratzer, PhD., NM Family Resource Management
Extension Specialist and Connie Moyers, Roosevelt County
Extension Home Economist, Portales, NM
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PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE SUN
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Summer is finally here,
and more than ten million
children and young adults
pl a n mo s t s umme r
activities for outdoors.
Children should wear sunprotective clothing, UVprotective sunglasses and
a wide-brimmed hat to protect their face, neck and ears.
Also, sunscreen is the key to protecting your skin from
most forms of skin cancer and aging.
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The higher the SPF the longer the sunscreen will protect
your skin. Most summer activities are held during the day
when the sun is most intense; 10 am to 4 pm. Ideally, most
summer activities should be scheduled for early morning
or late afternoon.
Remember to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration
and apply sunscreen regularly to prevent sunburn.
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Source: http://www.kidshealth.org
Educational programs of Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.
The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating
CDC CHANGES RECOMMENDATION FOR
SHINGLES VACCINE
On May 15, 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) revised its guidelines regarding Herpes
zoster, more commonly known as Shingles, vaccination.
The new recommendation states:
A single dose of zoster vaccine is recommended for adults
aged 60 years and over regardless of whether they report a
prior episode of herpes zoster. Persons with chronic
medical conditions may be vaccinated unless a
contraindication or precaution exists for their condition.
This means that persons aged 60 and older, even those who
have previously had Shingles, are advised to get vaccinated
unless another medical condition exists. Medical conditions
that may warrant not getting vaccinated include, but are not
limited to, pregnancy and some conditions resulting in a
weakened immune system.
Currently, Medicare does NOT pay for the Shingles vaccine
but that may change when the new Medicare guidelines are
released in October. Medicare currently pays for the flu
vaccine, pneumonia vaccine and Hepatitis B vaccine.
For additional information or to see a full schedule of
vaccination recommendations for persons of any age, visit
the CDC’s vaccination page: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines
Source: Andrew B. Crocker, Extension Program SpecialistGerontology Health, Texas AgriLife Extension Service
THE FINE ART OF THE GROCERY STOCKPILE
There is a perfectly legal and ethical
way to regularly pay half price or
less for groceries – and to do it
consistently – week after week after
week.
This particular shopping method is
from Teri Gault, founder of The
Grocery Game. Generally there are two rules: 1) Only buy
food items when they are on sale and 2) Buy enough to last
until they go on sale again.
Here’s how it works: Using the supermarket’s weekly ads
flyer, figure out what is on sale this week. (really on sale,
not one of those deals where they raise the price on Monday
and then put it “on sale” on Tuesday at its regular price.)
Next dig through your coupons to find ones that match up
with those already great sale prices, and off you go to buy
only what is on sale.
Before you figure that is just too much trouble, Teri Gault
and her organization do all the work for you. Members of
The Grocery Game select their supermarket of choice (not
available in all 50 states) and log on to the website each
week. All of the sales and all the coupons you will
need—plus where to find them—are right on Teri’s List.
You can chop at least 50 percent off of your grocery tab
every week.
The extra sale items you bought because they were on sale
go into your stockpile. It’s creating a tiny grocery store
you keep in your pantry, spare room, or broom closet.
It takes about 12 weeks to build a respectable stockpile if
you play The Grocery Game and trust the list. There is a
nominal fee to have access to Teri’s List, and it works out
to about $1.25 per week. If you are a first-time player, you
can get four weeks for just $1. To learn more go to
http://wwwthegrocerygame.com Teri and her crew have
added Whole Foods Market in many communities to their
list of supermarkets.
Source: Mary Hunt, Everyday Cheapskate
DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES
OFFERS PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID DOG BITES
As warmer weather and vacations
take people outdoors more often,
Texas Department of State Health
Services (DSHS) officials remind
people that they can reduce the
chances that they, their children or
others will be bitten by a dog.
“An estimated 400,000 dog bites occur in Texas each
year,” said veterinarian Tom Sidwa, head of the DSHS
zoonosis control. “About 40 percent of severe bite victims
are children under age 11, and 20 percent of the people
who die from dog bites are over 70.” DSHS offers these
suggestions:
Spray or neuter a dog to reduce aggression but not
protectiveness.
Spend time with a dog before buying or adopting it.
Use caution when bringing a dog into the home of an
infant or toddler.
A dog with a history of aggression is not appropriate
in a household with children.
Train and socialize a puppy early in its life. Do not
tolerate or encourage aggressive behavior.
Never leave infants and young children unsupervised
around any dog, even the family pet.
If you see a pack of dogs running loose or any animal
behaving strangely, go inside and call local animal
control.
healthy. The good news is that lowering your stress can
help your body maintain both your physical and your
emotional health.
DSHS also advises teaching children these basic safety
precautions:
The immune system is the body’s defense against
infectious organisms and other invaders. When problems
occur with the network of cells, tissues and organs that
work together to protect the body, the result can be illness
and infection.
Don’t go near strange dogs.
Don’t surprise or tease a dog that is sleeping, eating,
playing with a toy or caring for puppies.
When you first come near a dog, let the animal see and
sniff you. Walk up to the dog from the side, not from
the back or directly from the front.
If a dog acts as if it might bite, stand still. Don’t scream
or run.
If a dog attacks, protect yourself with anything you
have – backpack, purse, jacket or bicycle. If you are
knocked down, try to lie face down or curl up in a ball
with your hands over your ears. Be still and quiet until
the dog goes away.
“If a bite occurs, identify the animal, “ Sidwa said.
Immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and
water and apply an antiseptic. Contact a physician for care
and advice and report the bite to the local animal control
agency. “Responsible pet ownership also is an important
part of dog bite prevention,” Sidwa said. Lillian’s Law,
House Bill 1355 that took effective September 1, 2007,
increased penalties for dog owners who fail to reasonably
secure their dogs, resulting in an unprovoked attack on a
person causing serious injury or death. The owner of a dog
who injures someone can be charged with a third-degree
felony punishable by two to ten years in prison. The charge
becomes a second-degree felony punishable by two to
twenty years in prison when the injury results in death. The
law was named for Lillian Stiles, an East Texas woman
killed in her front yard by a pack of dogs. “People also need
to be sure that their animals are up to date on required
shots,” Sidwa said. “State law requires pet owners to
vaccinate their dogs and cats against rabies by the time they
are 4 months old.”
LOWERING STRESS CAN STRENGTHEN
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Relax. It may be an important
part of helping the immune
system defend against infectious
organisms and other invaders.
The top recommendation for
keeping a strong immune system
is reducing stress. Stress and what happens in your body
during stress may negatively impact your ability to remain
Humans have three types of immunity:
Innate immunity, which is a general protection
everyone is born with and includes the external
barriers of the body, like the skin and mucous
membranes, which are the first line of defense in
preventing diseases.
Adaptive immunity, which involves the lymphocytes
and develops over time with exposure to diseases or
through vaccination.
Passive immunity, which is “borrowed” from another
source and lasts for a short time, such as antibodies in
a mother’s breast milk provide temporary immunity to
diseases to which the mother has been exposed.
The cells that are part of this defense system are white
blood cells, or leukocytes. They come in two basic types
which combine to seek out and destroy the organisms or
substances that cause disease. Leukocytes are produced
and stored in locations throughout the body, including the
thymus gland, spleen and bone marrow.
The leukocytes circulate through the body between the
organs and nodes by means of the lymphatic vessels and
blood vessels. In this way, the immune system works to
monitor the body for germs or substances that might cause
problems.
The two basic types of leukocytes are: phagocytes, which
eat invading organisms; and lymphocytes, which allow the
body to remember previous invaders and destroy them.
The most common phagocyte is the neutrophil, which
primarily fights bacteria.
If your health provider is worried about a bacterial
infection, she or he might order a blood test to see if you
have an increased number of neutrophils triggered by the
infection.
There are two kinds of lymphocytes: B cells and T cells.
Antigens, or foreign substances that invade the body,
trigger the B cells to produce antibodies, which are
specialized proteins that lock onto specific antigens.
Antibodies and antigens fit together like a key and a lock.
Once the B cells have produced antibodies, these antibodies
stay in your body so that if the same antigen is presented
again, the antibodies are already there to do their job.
This is why if someone gets sick with a certain disease, that
person typically does not get sick from it again. This is also
why we use immunizations to prevent getting certain
diseases.
Although antibodies can recognize an antigen and lock onto
it, they are not capable of destroying it without help. That
is where the T cells come in. The T cells are part of the
system that destroys antigens that have been tagged by
antibodies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends vaccines against pneumonia and the flu for
older adults, in addition to routine boosters, like having a
tetanus update every 10 years.
For more information on vaccines, talk to a health provider
or visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines .
Too, because your body may be constantly battling poor
health habits, there are some other considerations, besides
vaccinations, that may help keep your immune system
strong.
In addition to reducing stress and taking vaccines, other
factors that may help improve the immune system are:
Sleep. Prolonged sleep deprivation wears down immune
protection but getting adequate rest can help boost
defenses. Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
Exercise. Moderate exercise, like a brisk 30-minute walk,
most days each week, has been shown to increase immunity
to disease. However, exercising too much may actually run
down the immune system and make a person more
susceptible to illness.
Diet. A diet low in red meat and high in fish, fruits and
vegetables may be beneficial to the immune system as well
as overall health.
For more information, visit the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of
Health, at http://www.niaid.nih.gov .
Source: Andrew Crocker, AgriLife Extension
Gerontology Specialist, Amarillo, TX
FIVE THINGS YOU NEVER
KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE
COULD DO
There are a few things that can be
done in times of grave emergencies.
Your mobile phone can actually be a
life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the
things that you can do with it:
First – Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If
you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile
network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the
mobile will search any existing network to establish the
emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number
112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
Second - Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come
in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If
you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at
home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your
cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your
car door and have the person at your home press the
unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their
end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to
drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could
be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone
who has the other ‘remote’ for your car, you can unlock
the doors (or the trunk).
Third - Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press
the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this
reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in
battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge
your cell phone next time.
Fourth – How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the
following digits on your phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code
will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your
handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
When your phone is stolen, you can phone your service
provider and give them this code. They will then be able
to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM
card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably
won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that
whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. If everybody does
this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile
phones.
Fifth – Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging $1.00 to $1.75 or more
for 411 information calls when they don’t have to. Most of
us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which
makes this situation even more of a problem. When you
need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800)
FREE411 or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge
at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
Source: Food for Thought Newsletter, Volume 7, Issue 2, June 2008
GRILLING
For healthy eating, grilling is a
cooking method that adds flavor
without adding fat and extra
calories. Choose either a gas or a
charcoal grill. A charcoal grill is
less expensive, but messier
because of the briquettes. A gas
grill is easier to start, but may
deliver less flavor. Electric grills
are available in some places.
Follow manufacturer directions and safety precautions.
Set cooking temperature carefully. Charcoal grills are
usually ready after 25-30 minutes. Gas grills have their own
temperature controls. If your grill has lava rocks, they need
about 15 minutes to heat.
Vegetables can be marinated for 1-2 hours. Many
vegetables can be grilled. Bell peppers, eggplant,
mushrooms, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, and
asparagus are some vegetables to try on the grill.
WELCOME SUMMER INTERN
Welcome to Nancy Pugh, Texas AgriLife Extension
Service Summer Intern in District 2 and Lubbock
County. Nancy is a student at Texas Tech majoring
in Family and Consumer Sciences and a former
Hockley County 4-H’er. She will be working with
Kay and Susie in FCS Youth and Adult programs
and with Ronda Alexander and Erin Lowe in the
4-H and Youth Program this summer before
returning to Tech in the fall. She will graduate in
May 2009.
Sincerely,
Before cooking brush the grill with oil or spray with
cooking spray. This will keep food from sticking to the
grill.
E. Kay Davis, M.S., L.D., C.F.C.S
County Extension Agent
Family and Consumer Science
Lubbock County
Buy long handled equipment. Get a basting brush, spatula
and tongs. Get long oven mitts to protect yourself from the
heat of the fire. Also get extra long matches and just in
case, have a fire extinguisher available. Never use gasoline
to start a charcoal grill and never add lighter fluid to an
existing fire.
Susie Breitling, M.Ed.
County Extension Agent
Family and Consumer Science
Lubbock County
Marinating is the easiest way to add flavor to food that will
be grilled. Liquid marinades can be made from juices,
wines, vinegar, broth, or bottled salad dressing (Italian
dressing works well). Marinate food in the refrigerator, not
on the counter. Meat and poultry should soak in a marinade
for at least 1-2 hours. Meat and poultry can be marinated in
the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Fish should only be
marinated 1-2 hours. If marinated longer, it becomes dry as
it grills. Discard the marinade that is used to soak meats,
poultry and fish. This is very important to prevent the
spread of salmonella and E. coli bacteria. Prepare extra
marinade to brush on foods as they grill.
Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service or
accommodation in order to participate in Extension sponsored meetings
are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office at 775-1680 to
determine how reasonable accommodations can be made. The
information given herein is for educational purposes only. References
to commercial products or trade names is made with understanding that
no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas AgriLife
Extension Service is implied.
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Lubbock County
P.O. Box 10536
Lubbock TX 79408
Recipe Corner
Summer Vegetable Kabobs
1 8-inch yellow squash
1 8-inch zucchini
1 small firm eggplant
8 small white onions
1 sweet red bell pepper, cut into squares
8 mushrooms
8 cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon marjoram
1 small bay leaf, crumpled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
Cut squash and zucchini into 16 slices each.
Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Peel the onions. In a
large container with a cover, combine oil, 5 tablespoons of
cold water, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, basil, thyme,
marjoram, bay leaf, garlic and parsley. Add the vegetables.
Stir to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 2
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Lubbock TX
Permit #118
hours or overnight. Stir occasionally. To grill, remove
vegetables from marinade and thread onto skewers. Make
an extra recipe of the marinade to use for basting. Never
use marinade for basting that the raw food was marinated
in. Place on heated grill. Brush with and extra recipe of
marinade, turning often until vegetables are tender-crisp,
about 10-12 minutes.
Each serving contains 66 calories, 2 grams of total fat,
trace of saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 0 cholesterol, 10 grams
of total carbohydrate, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of
protein, and 24 mg. of sodium.
Source: Karen Halderson, Extension Diabetes Coordinator, and
Connie Moyers, Roosevelt Co. NM Extension Home Economist,
Portales, NM.