Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Reader's Digest

I NEVER PLANNED to be a plant guy. It all started with a half-dead jade plant left behind in a small store my wife and I took over many years ago. I brought home what was left of the plant, put it on my desk and obsessed over it as if it were a baby bird. The jade plant grew big and healthy and turned me into our family’s plant person. Now I’m in charge of all plants inside and outside our home. I don’t mind. I recommend everyone (especially my own kids) foster hobbies that don’t include screens— hiking, biking, gardening. Anything that gets you outdoors is good. The added benefit of being outside is that it has helped me meet more people in our new neighborhood than I…

A Marine's New Mission Steve Jimenez felt adrift after leaving the regimented life of the Marine Corps. Then a friend told him about bees. They were in worse shape than he was. Since 2011, 40% of America’s bee colonies have been lost to pesticides, pests and climate change. Marines need a mission, and Jimenez, now a businessman, had found his—helping Mother Nature’s pollinators survive. “You’re taking care of something bigger than yourself,” he told Texas Monthly. Seeing how the work helped him, in 2018 he founded Hives for Heroes, a Houston-based nonprofit that has taught more than 1,200 troubled veterans to tend their own hives. “You actually have responsibility over it,” Jimenez says. “And you’re like, 'Man, I’d rather do that than go to the bar.’” A Clean Start Each…

1 COOKING Repurpose Your Pizza Cutter A pizza cutter is perfect for cutting herbs in all directions. Bunch them up on the cutting board and wheel back and forth until you’ve sliced and diced to your desired consistency. It’s much quicker and more precise than a kitchen knife—you no longer need your biggest blade for your tiniest ingredients. SOURCE: TASTEOFHOME.COM 2 HEALTH Break a Nail-Biting Habit You've tried everything— keeping them short, applying nail polish, quitting cold turkey—but old habits die hard. Snuff it out for good with a behavioral approach. First, clock when you typically bite your nails: your mood, surroundings, etc. Then you can anticipate the urge and do something else (like clasp your hands or pinch your fingers together). Catching and replacing the behavior will rewire your brain's reward…

1 SPRING IS prime time for poetry, and not just because writers have long been inspired by April’s sweet showers or the darling buds of May. UNESCO's annual World Poetry Day is March 21, and April is National Poetry Month in the United States and Canada. But you can celebrate poetry in any season; the largest poetry event in North America, the Dodge Poetry Festival, is held every other fall in New Jersey. 2 POETRY IS an ancient art form— in fact, it predates prose and literacy itself. Even before we could read or write, people were reciting and singing verses to preserve and pass down history, genealogy and law. Early agricultural societies also likely chanted spells or prayers for bountiful harvests. 3 THE WORLD’S oldest surviving printed poem is…

RESEARCH HAS REVEALED many benefits to being in the presence of nature, whether that’s walking in a forest, having a small garden or keeping a few household plants. “One study showed that patients at a hospital who had plants in their rooms reported less pain, lower blood pressure, less fatigue and less anxiety than patients without plants in their rooms,” says Jenny Seham, PhD, founder and director of AIM (Arts and Integrated Medicine) at Montefiore Health Systems in Bronx, New York. She explains: “Cortisol, the stress hormone, has been shown to lower with plant interaction, lowering fatigue, irritability and blood pressure. Gardening and caring for plants can help turn people away from negative thoughts or emotions.” Houseplant collections have become a popular social media trend. Jamie Keaton Jones, PhD, a…

LET'S TALK ABOUT GIFTS, and I don’t mean Christmas. Santa Claus, Schmanta Claus. Tooth Fairy? Easter Bunny? I scoff. Brrroiyt! That’s the sound of me lightly trumpeting an insouciant nether-toot in their general direction, because they are rank amateurs. You want the gifts that keep on giving, year-round? Straight up largesse? Talk to Mother Nature. Hers is the bag that holds the bounty to be harvested from the circle of life itself, every day of the year! When you can unplug from the modern, consumerist distraction channels to be found pretty much anywhere “on the grid” 24/7 and immerse yourself in the quietude of a hike, spelunk, dive or paddle, the riches that become available to you are quite tasty, indeed. Let’s take the Great Lakes for starters. You can…

Who's on First? Trying to keep my Little Leaguers settled in the dugout was quite the task. I explained that the next batter up is called “on deck.” The batter after that is “in the hole.” If they weren’t on deck or in the hole, they had to sit down. One player kept asking what the batter after “in the hole” is called. I kept saying there was no name for that. He called those batters “IN THE WAY!” It was so funny, and that’s what we called it for the rest of the season. —CHERYL STETZ BAMERT Parsippany, NJ A Swing and a Miss I played on a softball team with many rookies who’d never played before. One of my teammates hit a hard line drive. As she rounded…

Perhaps the mark of a true rock star is having an insect named after you: Desis bobmarleyi is a spider named in honor of the song "High Tide or Low Tide" by Bob Marley and the Wailers, because it lives in the intertidal zone. Selenacentrus wallacei is a type of insect known as a treehopper that lives in southern Texas, where Selena was born. Agromyza princei is a fly first spotted on the leaf of a raspberry plant, named for Prince's song "Raspberry Beret." Petroperla mickjaggeri, Lapisperla keithrichardsi, Electroneuria ronwoodi, Largusoperla charliewattsi, L. brianjonesi, L. micktaylori and L. billwymani are collectively referred to as the rolling stoneflies. SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE…

1. troubadour n. ('troo-buh-dor) A ode to a king B poet-musician C French verse form 2. allusion n. (uh-'loo-zhun) A brief reference B dreamworld C main theme 3. refrain n. (rih-'frayn) A introduction B repeated phrase C conclusion 4. idyllic adj. (eye-'dih-lik) A exaggerated B perfect C picturesque 5. metaphor n. (’meh-tuh-fohr) A bragging chant B word order C direct comparison 6. muse n. (myooz) A final stanza B source of inspiration C anonymous author 7. caesura n. (sih-’zyer-uh) A pause B lullaby C near rhyme 8. personify v. (per-’sah-nih-fy) A narrate B compliment C present as human 9. madrigal n. ('mad-rih-guhl) A short medieval poem B main theme C anthology 10. canon n. ('kan-uhn) A literary prize B inkwell C body of work 11. onomatopoeia n. (ah-nuh-mah-tuh-'pee-uh) A line break B word that echoes sound C ancient Greek drama 12. canto n. (’kan-toh) A poem section B courtly love C illustrated manuscript 13.…

BRAIN GAMES (pages 107-108) Quick Crossword ACROSS 1. ANTHONY 4. CURIE 5. BARTON 7. YOUSAFZAI 8. PARKS 9. LAMARR DOWN 1. ANGELOU 2. FRANK 3. SACAGAWEA 6. EARHART Order Up From oldest to youngest: John, Anne, Emily, Kali. From tallest to shortest: John, Emily, Anne, Kali. From fastest to slowest: Emily, John, Kali, Anne. On the Dot 10. The amount of dots is calculated by adding the first two numbers in each set and then subtracting the third number. Hidden Spreads I'm a young (mayo); Shanghai. Olivia (aioli); was a bit (wasabi); quarrel is hardly (relish); but terribly (butter); ho-hum. Must (hummus); deem us tardy (mustard); and Allegra, vying (gravy). Block Letters SPECIAL OFFER Stories That Inspire, Amuse and Entertain Get ready to lose track of time while poring over our (aptly named) new collection. The Best of…

THERE’S NO NEED to make a reservation at Rosie’s Cafe. Just walk up to this eatery in Norwich, Connecticut, look for one of six outdoor picnic tables, and watch the clientele enjoy some nuts and fruit. It serves a limited menu, targeting its best customers: squirrels and chipmunks. The tiny restaurant is the brainchild of amateur photographer Kristen Flagg, who was looking to create something upbeat during the pandemic. Her husband built the tables in their backyard, she supplies the food, and the animals bring the cute.…

SAY HELLO TO your new condiment crush: hot honey. The elements are simple—honey infused with fresh or dried chile peppers—but the resulting liquid gold has an irresistible warmth and dimensional sweetness. Plus it’s surprisingly versatile. Just a kiss of hot honey instantly levels up basic dishes: plain pizza, bagels with cream cheese, even freshly dressed salad greens. But part of the fun for experimental home cooks, not to mention mixologists, is how easily hot honey can shift from down-home to uptown. Bloody Marys at weekend brunch will never be the same after you start coating the bacon slices in hot honey before cooking and candying them in the oven. (Just don’t forget to flip them over midway!) Try hot honey dolloped on warm buttered biscuits or cornbread, drizzled on crackly-crisp…

A relative of mine, a minister, once performed a wedding ceremony in a car. The pair were too old and frail to get out, so he got on his knees in the front seat and turned to them in the back. After declaring them husband and wife, he told the groom, “At this time, it’s customary to kiss the bride.” The weary groom responded, “Go ahead.” —PEGGY LEWIS Greenville, SC I'm an EMT. I once responded to a man complaining of an insect crawling into his right ear. But more bothersome was the burning sensation in his left ear. That’s when we noticed his wife holding a bottle of insect spray. Turns out, she had sprayed insecticide into his left ear thinking it would “flush” the insect out of his…

A couple of years ago, at 32, I took up the hobby of aerial circus arts after a friend invited me to join her for a flying trapeze class. I never expected what came next. Everyone's nerves are on fire the first time they climb up to the flying trapeze platform, but by the end of that class I felt an incredible sense of excitement and ambition. I was reignited. After an intensely deep sleep and even deeper stretching of sore muscles, I craved more. A year later, I'm in the best physical and mental shape of my life. If anyone ever tries to wrangle you into a trapeze class, it's a leap worth taking!…

Teens just don't hustle their way through Saturday nights on $20, a delivery pizza and a promise of a ride home the way they used to. Do you have a babysitting memory, as the sitter or the sat, that has stayed with you? Maybe your babysitter was a modern-day Mary Poppins or a daffy but dear Mrs. Doubtfire. Perhaps you once took your eyes off the kids for one second to find they'd colored you a lovely rainbow—all overthe living room wall. Quirky bedtime rituals, major mishaps, fond memories—we want to hear them all. See terms and share your story at rd.com/babysitting.…

FROM THE WASHINGTON POST MY WIFE, Hannah, and I don’t usually keep houseplants. Anything in pots gets either overwatered or underwatered. But after my diagnosis with glioblastoma, a terminal brain cancer, with a prognosis of little more than a year to live, I loved the idea of having something new and green around. My friend Mitch gave me what he said was a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl with three pencil-size stalks braided together. We placed the plant in the living room window across from the couch where I spent much of the day. I smiled when I looked at it over the rim of the mug of coffee Hannah brought me each morning. I told Hannah I wanted to care for the plant myself. When it…

If you’re happy, you’re wealthy. If rich humans could buy happiness, they would. —Naomi Osaka, TENNIS PLAYER, ON TWITTER Capitalism isn’t just “Everybody should make as much money as they can.” Capitalism is about finding solutions to problems. —Mark Cuban, ENTREPRENEUR, IN TIME When you reach for your phone first thing in the morning, it’s like having 100 people in your bedroom screaming at you. —Robin Roberts, NEWS ANCHOR, IN PEOPLE Nothing in the future exists yet. But anything is possible right now. Including the thing you think you cannot do. —Laura McKowen, AUTHOR, IN THE BOOK WE ARE THE LUCKIEST: THE SURPRISING MAGIC OF A SOBER LIFE If you build castles, everyone that approaches is an enemy. But if you’re amongst the people, everybody’s an ally. —Jonathan Majors, ACTOR,…

Poets frequently ponder death, and some even write their own epitaphs. Emily Dickinson's reads simply "Called back." Dorothy Parker's ashes are buried under an epitaph she'd once jokingly tossed off in Vanity Fair: "Excuse my dust." And Conrad Aiken's final resting place has multiple inscriptions. Its bench shape speaks loudest—according to legend, he hoped well-wishers would sit and enjoy a drink in his honor. Word Power ANSWERS 1. troubadour (B) poet-musician A modern-day troubadour, Bob Dylan has penned more than 600 songs. 2. allusion (A) brief reference After the CEO's allusion to the Titanic in her quarterly update, the company's stock plunged. 3. refrain (B) repeated phrase The raven uttered its eerie refrain: "Nevermore." 4. idyllic (c) picturesque Gwendolyn rented an idyllic lakeside cabin for the weekend. 5. metaphor (c) direct comparison "All the world's…

THE RIGHT REV. Jim Curry lights the furnace of his portable blacksmith’s shop in the parking lot of Christ Episcopal Church in Guilford, Connecticut. The furnace glows orange and lets off a low roar. It’ll get up to 2,000 degrees, hot enough to soften the metal of a tray of disassembled shotgun parts so they can be hammered against an anvil and remolded. A crowd is watching, and Curry picks out a 9-year-old named Oliver to help him. “This is really magic,” Curry says. “Right before your very eyes, you’re gonna see Oliver transform this gun, this instrument of potential harm, into something that could never be a gun ever again. It’s gonna be a trowel." Curry lines a sawed-off portion of a shotgun barrel against the anvil and hands…

A buddy and I were discussing where to go camping when a man nearby interrupted. “Guys,” he said, “I was in the Army for 26 years. The last thing I’d want to do with my weekend is go camping! I have a boat that I take out on a lake and relax.” My pal said, “I was in the Navy for 30 years. The last thing I’d want to do is be on the water!” “I can relate,” I said with a self-deprecating smile. “After 20 years as an Air Force officer, the last thing I’d want to do with my weekends is be on a golf course.” —CHRIS MORTENSON Colorado Springs, CO My nephew told his teacher that his mom is on parole. Actually, she’s on patrol, serving in…

Netflix—Account Manager Apr 2009-Present ✦ Responsible for managing (and paying for) account shared by five globally distributed family members. ✦ Exceeded market benchmarks by typing password using Roku remote with 48% accuracy or greater. ✦ Multiyear recipient of suggestions for movies I've already watched. Amazon—Prime Member Feb 2008-Present ✦ Increased order volume by 823% over seven years. ✦ Regularly reported on product quality using review portal. Apple—Uncertified Genius Nov 2003-Present ✦ Led remote tech support for older family members throughout the country. ✦ Once put off a software update for over eight months.…

"First, you have to believe that you'll find one and trust that they're there," says Professor Leslie Hirst of the Rhode Island School of Design. Look for ruptures in pattern instead of counting leaves: Three-leafers appear triangular, four-leafers square. Sunlight flattens clovers into a green blob, so look in the shade. Four-leafers are the product of genetics and environment, so if you're unsuccessful in one patch, move to greener pastures. Good luck! NYTIMES.COM…

Some of the newest additions to the official Scrabble dictionary might have you scratching your head … DUMPSTER (a large container of trash): Until recently, the term was trademarked. EMBIGGEN (to enlarge): The variants EMBIGGENED and EMBIGGENING are also acceptable. VERBING (to use as a verb): That's right—the word verb is now itself a verb. ZONKEY (a hybrid between a zebra and a donkey): It's also called a ZEEDONK, which you may also play. MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM…

Fact or Fiction? MEDIUM Determine whether each statement is fact or fiction. To reveal the solution to the bonus question at the bottom, write the letters indicated by your responses in the corresponding numbered blanks. Turn the page upside down for the answers. 1. Easter Island is its own country. FACT: H FICTION: X 2. Chicago's Wrigley Field is the oldest Major League Baseball park in use today. FACT: Y FICTION: E 3. Humans are the only animals with chins. FACT: R FICTION: D 4. President Kennedy started the Easter egg roll on the White House lawn. FACT: R FICTION: I 5. Nothing of note happened on April 18, 1930. FACT: S FICTION: A 6. The Bible has been translated into Elvish and Klingon. FACT: C FICTION: U 7. April…