October 18, 2024

REMINDER: YOUR SUBMISSIONS ARE ENCOURAGED

Overview for this week.

1. Halloween is right around the corner and is a theme of this week's newsletter. I'm starting off with how the tradition of trick-or-treating came to be.

2. In Poetry, I have the classic poem, Song of the Witches, from William Shakespear's Macbeth.

3. Reid Park Zoo's annual Halloween celebration, Boo at the Zoo, has kicked off. I highly recommend this event if you have a chance to get there.

4. The Tucson Botanical Gardens has a lecture on bats coming up on the 25th that looks very interesting. I think I might attend this one.

5. I have a friend, Dr. Divya Shroff, who was recently interviewed on a NPR program about how to navigate our health care system. She’s so impressive that I had to brag about her in my Bragging Rights section.

6. In Reaching High, another climbing record has been set in the Himalayas. Nima Rinji Sherpa has become the youngest person to summit all 14 8,000m peaks.

7. In Wellness, I have some post Halloween advice to help you resist all the candy that you may have left over at your home.

8. Fern has gotten into the Halloween spirit and stopped by for a visit in the Pet's Corner.

Now, to this week's Flock.

Tap to view past issues.

Halloween is coming up in less than two weeks. Last year, I looked at the history of Halloween, and how it originated with the Celtic festival of Samhain. In 2022 I featured Halloween party games and why witches ride brooms. This year, I've got some information on how the tradition of trick-or-treating came to be. I wish you all a safe and happy Halloween!

The practice can be traced to the ancient Celts, early Roman Catholics and 17th-century British politics.

From: History.com, September 27, 2024

Trick-or-treating—setting off on Halloween night in costume and ringing doorbells to demand treats—has been a tradition in the United States and other countries for more than a century. Its origins remain murky but traces can be identified in ancient Celtic festivals, early Roman Catholic holidays, medieval practices—and even British politics.

Ancient Origins of Trick-or-Treating

Halloween has its roots in the ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, believed that the dead returned to earth on Samhain. On the sacred night, people gathered to light bonfires, offer sacrifices and pay homage to the dead.

During some Celtic celebrations of Samhain, villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away phantom visitors; banquet tables were prepared and food was left out to placate unwelcome spirits. 

In later centuries, people began dressing as ghosts, demons and other malevolent creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This custom, known as mumming, dates back to the Middle Ages and is thought to be an antecedent of trick-or-treating.

From: Poetry Foundation

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the caldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon's blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

Friday, October 18, 2024 — Sunday, October 27, 2024

6:00 pm — 8:30 pm

From: Reid Park Zoo

Enjoy A Bewitching Evening!

Dig up your zombies and grab your ghouls! Show off your boo-tiful costumes at Reid Park Zoo for a delightful, not too frightful, family friendly evening at Boo at the Zoo, presented by OneAZ Credit Union. You’ll have an enchanting time with the whole family at this Tucson Halloween tradition. Proceeds benefit Zoo animal care, operations, and education programs.

• Say “Cheese!” during meet and greets with your favorite characters from princesses and pirates to superheroes and movie and storybook figures!
• Cackle with the whole family through silly skeleton scenes.
• Giggle with ghoulish games throughout the Fall Festival Zone.
• Wind your way through spooky scenes.
• Explore Alien Alley: Is it Alien or Animal?
• Visit with the Witch Sisters
• Kids, trick or treat your way through the Zoo by visiting the candy tables.
• Wear your costume and strike a pose in the Pumpkin Patch, sponsored by Apple Annie’s, with pumpkins galore!

The Tucson Botanical gardens offer community classes ranging from ecology and gardening to arts and crafts. In line with this week's Halloween theme, I recommend their upcoming in-person and online lecture on bats. 

October 25 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

From: Tucson Botanical Garden

Bats, the world’s only flying mammals, are truly wondrous, going about their lives under the cloak of darkness, hidden from view. There are over 1,400 species of bat on Earth, second only to rodents in diversity. Arizona has more bat species than any other state, except Texas. In this class, we explore the world of bats, including echolocation, migration, breeding, diet, and conservation. Join us for a nocturnal exploration into the amazing world of bats.

I'm going to exercise my right as publisher to brag about a talented and very accomplished family friend this week, Dr. Divya Shroff. Divya is the daughter of my close friend Bindu, a long-time Flock reader and my advisor on all things India. Regular Flock readers may remember Divya's brother, Dr. Punet Shroff, who's Eskie Zeus (aka Baby Truffle) was featured in the August 25, 2023, Pet's Corner. Divya was recently interviewed on an episode of "This is Nashville" on Nashville NPR station WPLN to share her expertise in healthcare. Follow the link below to listen to the program.

Your Turn To Talk: Navigating our health care system

From WPLN News, October 10, 2024

Navigating our health care system is rarely easy, but it’s especially difficult when you don’t know who to go to with questions.

How do you establish care after moving to a new city? What do you do if you want a second opinion on a cancer diagnosis? Is there something you can say if you feel like your emergency room doctor isn’t listening to you? Dr. Divya Shroff hears these questions all the time. As the former chief medical officer of TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, she has an expert-level understanding of how our medical system works. Today, she’s live on This Is Nashville to answer your questions about navigating interactions with doctors.

Read Divya's Bio [PDF]

Last week I featured Tracee Metcalfe, who became the first US woman to achieve the incredible and dangerous accomplishment of climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks. This week, I want to share this story of a Nepali climber who just became the youngest person to ever complete this same extraordinary feat.

From: France 24, October 14, 2024

Nima Rinji Sherpa reached the summit of Tibet's 8,027-metre-high (26,335 feet) Shisha Pangma on October 9, completing his mission to stand on the world's highest peaks.

On Monday, he returned from China to Nepal's capital Kathmandu, where scores waited to see him.

"I am feeling very happy," he told AFP, draped in traditional Buddhist scarves and garlands of marigold flowers, as he emerged to loud cheers at the airport.

"Thank you so much everyone", he said to his supporters, beaming a wide grin.

Sherpa hugged his family while others rushed to offer him scarves and flowers. He later waved to the crowd out of a car sunroof, while proudly holding the national flag.

Nepal's climbing community also welcomed several others who returned after completing the summit of 14 peaks.

Once Halloween has passed, it is easy to find yourself with a glut of candy around the house. Whether the candy is left over from what you bought to hand out, or surplus from you children's haul, The following article will help you stay on a healthy diet and avoid the sweets.

From: Sharp HealthCare, By:The Health News Team, November 1, 2023

Halloween may be every child’s dream, but the days that follow can be a parent’s nightmare. Candy, in every shape and size, seems to linger for weeks — creating an echo of temptation from your kids’ not-so-secret stash.

“On one hand, parents want to limit their kids’ consumption of candy,” says Holly Moyer, a registered dietitian nutritionist and wellness education specialist for the Sharp Rees-Stealy Center for Health Management. “On the other hand, parents want to limit their own candy consumption. So overall, having that much sugar in the house can be problematic.”

If you tend to dig a little too deep into your kid’s Halloween candy hoard, Moyer offers the following tips to keep temptation at bay:

1.Consume enough protein and fiber.

Protein and fiber help keep us full. If we are not eating enough of these nutrients, we will often have cravings for sweets and processed foods.

If you have a strong craving for Halloween candy, consider how much protein and fiber you have eaten that day. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 20 to 30 grams of protein at meals, and 10 to 15 grams when snacking. The USDA recommends women consume 25 grams of fiber daily and men consume 38 grams.

If you suspect you are nowhere near these protein targets, you may want to opt for something different. Consider eating a hard-boiled egg and some berries rather than a chocolate bar.

2. Sort out the kids’ favorites.

Help your child pick their favorite candy from the total bounty they received. Keep their favorites and consider discarding, or donating, the rest. If it's out of sight, it's out of mind.

You can even freeze their favorites and allow them to have the candy after eating a balanced meal. This should include appropriate amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat for optimal blood sugar balance.

3. Pay attention to portion size.

Candy comes in all shapes and sizes. If you choose to indulge, avoid full-size candy bars, which can lead to overeating. One full-size candy bar can equal three to four servings. Opting for a mini or snack size is a better bet. In general, reducing portion size is key when eating high-calorie desserts.

4. Be a last-minute buyer.

Avoid buying candy or sweets in the weeks leading up to Halloween, as you are more likely to indulge in them. Try to buy candy closer to Oct. 31 and only buy what you think you will need. The same rule applies for other holidays or celebrations to help eliminate sweet tooth triggers around the house.

5. Time candy consumption around physical activity.

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of fuel for exercising. A small piece of candy — a chocolate “mini” or a few fruit chews — can be a carb-rich snack that digests easily when eaten within 30 minutes of a workout. Keep in mind that the workout should be a resistance, weight or high-intensity training workout as opposed to an easy walk around the block.

Consuming a small, high-sugar food before a workout helps the body metabolize it for fuel and energy. Consuming high-sugar foods without exercise can cause a drastic blood sugar spike and ultimately lead to a “crash.”

6. Plan ahead.

If you feel a sugar craving coming on, think about how candy will make you feel later in the day. Take a second and reflect on whether you have better options at hand.

Consider stocking your kitchen with healthy snacks, such as vegetables and hummus, cottage cheese and fruit, protein shakes, or small slices of cheese and some grapes, so you are less tempted to eat candy as a fuel source.

I think Fern deserves a treat for this.

Photo: Cita Scott

These Flock regulars are always here for you:

In coming weeks: we'll be sharing more investigative articles from our roving reporter William George, original writing from Flock favorite Dino DeConcini.

Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories!

I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our third year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

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