Smoking Policy

No the Cedar View "Smoking Policy" has not changed even though the weather certainly is. So what does that mean for the residents that smoke and choose not to quit inspite of the county's position that smoking is bad for your health. I have news for the Administrators of Lehigh County government; you can not legistrate people's habits or desires.

Placing a smoking area on the side of a road where smokers are exposed to all kinds of weather is inhumane. The No-Smoking policy isd most likely unconstitutional and should have been challenged at the very ealiest opportunity. It may not be too late to mount a challenge.

In the meantime, the fancy pavillion that stands just west of the main building sits vacant and forelorne, having been shut down for the winter. So why couldn't smokers take refuge under the pavillion when it is not in use? Good question? Stapling a little plastic along a small stretch of the pavillion would not only put a roof over the smoker's heads, but would provide a wind break as well.

It is not like the county could do better, they could, but they wont.

And so it goes...

Viewer Comments on various postings

An anonymous comment was made to a post about the new caterer which was posted on August 10, 2009. I normally do not allow anonymous comments, but decided to allow this one to make the point that people that hide behind anonymity will not be heard. You can read the comment and my response by going to the original August 10th post.

One other anonymous comment was made recently. This one was in reference to the deplorable situation with the "N0-Smoking" Policy. The reader made the point that Cedar View has a pavilion which provides some modicum of protection from the elements and the Pavilion only gets occasional use and mostly in the summer months. The reader suggested that a small portion of the pavilion be utilized for residents that smoke. This seems to me to be a reasonable compromise between the tenants that smoke and the 7th street bureaucracy,

The current treatment of smoker's is absolutely inhumane and the County administrators should be ashamed of themselves. What ever happened to empathy and concern for one's fellow man?

We should have challenged the new "No-Smoking" policy when it was first enacted; make that, when it was shoved down our throats.

When I hit the lottery I am going to make challenging the legality and constitutionality of the policy one of my first actions. Problem is; I have never in my life purchased a lottery ticket and I am not going to start now.

Maybe the ALCU would be interesting in pursuing action on behalf of the smoking residents. Something to think about.

And so it goes...

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Revisiting Bag Suppers

You may recall that this is an issue that came up before when the administrators made an attempt at cutting back on the number of bag suppers that the Senior Center at Cedar View receives. For some time 10 bag suppers have been delivered with the hot lunch, which allowed those that did not have a way to get to a grocery or could not afford groceries to have a sandwich and snack before retiring. The county wanted to reduce the meals to five without regard to need. After the Seniors protested loudly, the county backed down.

When we were receiving 10 bag supers the average turnout was twenty-five or less. Yesterday we ordered 47 hot lunches, today the number of meals ordered is 52. We have doubled in the number of participants, yet we are still restricted to 10 bag suppers. When an attempt was made to increase the number of bag suppers to 15, the answer was a very hasty NO! The county claims they don't have the money. Yes, we all know that times are tough and that our representatives at the State level have not passed a budget but...the system is arbitrary and the number of bag supers, now set at ten has nothing to do with need. It never did. Ten bag supers on a first come first served basis; you have got to be kidding me!

The county made a feeble attempt last year to determine actual need. They lied to the Seniors as to the purpose of the survey, afraid the results might be swayed if the elderly citizens knew why the survey was taken. They had hoped to prove that only 5 bag supers was adequate, but apparently the surveyed failed to back up their desires so we never heard about it again.

A true unbiased survey is needed desperately. With more than fifty participants in the meal program, the county needs to determine by name who is entitled and who is not. Then they need to deliver the proper number of bag suppers on a day to day basis.

As it is now, some that are needy of a bag super go home without while a perfectly healthy, mobile individual eats a bag super. Are the Senior Centers getting any help with this? NO!

But whether we determine the proper number and know who should get a bag super, is immaterial if the county is going to cry poor-mouth. The administrators need to think in terms of their own Mother's or Grandmothers...would they want their Mother or Grandmother to go to bed hungry every night? If it were your Mother, would you stand by and let her go to bed crying from hunger?

We are dealing with elderly people here. Many have no close relatives, no transportation, and do not cook. Some tenants stoves have been disconnected because it would be hazardous for them to attempt to operate them.

This is not the same as missing bread plates. That is a minor issue. Refusing to provide food to the elderly that are in need is criminal. Wake up people, this is serious.

Apparently it is time for me to visit the Lehigh County Commissioners. When is the next meeting?

And so it goes...

Final Post for New Caterer

Unless something bizarre happens this will be my final post regarding our new caterer, Meals on Wheels of Northampton County, Inc.

The Yankee pot roast on Wednesday was to die for. I did not believe that they could top it, but on Thursday came pork chops. The pork chops were exquisite.

Although we have not yet sampled all of the meals in the five week rotation, there is no reason to believe that the meals will be less than excellent, as they have been to date.

Most of the minor logistics problems have been worked out. The caterer has been very cooperative and has made an effort to meet our needs. So, all in all, things are going well.

There are only two issues remaining and apparently neither is going to change for the forseeable future. The first unsolvable issue is the delivery of milk in 1/2 gallon jugs. We are informed that State regulations allow for the delivery of milk in this fashion. While that may be true, because they can does not neceesarily mean they should. Can it really be cheaper to send 1/2 gallon jusgs plus 40 extra coffee cups each day than to deliver milk in 1/2 pint containers. It is not like they didn't have milk in 1/2 pint containers; they deliver our bag suppers which contain 1/2 pints of milk. All of the in home deliveries include milk in 1/2 pint containers. So what is the big deal?

The other issue is the County Administrators determined if they did not provide bread plates it would cut cost. I appreciate that cost containment in todays economic enviornment is important, but eliminating bread plates is a token effort at best. No doubt each department had to show they were cutting cost and for the Senior Center, The administrators chose bread plates. It is all for show and nothing substantial has been accomplished.

And so it goes...

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New Caterer - Day 7

Day 7 started out okay, or at least it seemed that way.

The menu called for garlic bread, but what we got was dinner rolls. However, since we had ordered 36 meals, it seemed odd that we got only 32 rolls. We didn't fare nearly as well with the butter; only 21 servings of butter.

After speaking with the driver on Monday, the caterer began labeling the food containers, which was a big help.

Milk continues to be delivered in 1/2 gallon containers. They sent five oz juice cups yesterday, perhaps after reading this blog. Sent those cups back today as the requirement is that 8 oz of milk be served to every participant. So we are using coffee cups. Guess that is the way the caterer wants it. Not sure why? It is not like they didn't have access to pint containers of milk. All of the Meals on Wheels participants get there milk in pint containers. What is the big deal?

We complained earlier about the flimsy plates they sent us and shortly thereafter they sent sturdier, larger plates. Today, they sent the old flimsy plates once again. Why would they accommodate a request in response to a complaint and then reverse themselves?

They continue to allow us to keep one cooler overnight, but they stopped putting ice packs in the cooler. Again, why respond to a request if it doesn't last more than a day?

Makes one think that someone new is preparing our delivery each day. I doubt that is the case, but the one consistent thing so far is inconsistency.

And so it goes...

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New Caterer - Day 6

Food was very good. Everyone enjoyed the chicken and bread stuffing with spinich.

However, Milk still comes in half gallon jugs. They did send a package of 5 oz juice cups marked use for milk. The problem of course is that the Portion Control sheets call for 8 oz of milk, so the cups are useless. If they don't provide cold cups we will continue to use coffee cups.

They also sent two loaves of bread as called for, but failed to send butter.

They did agree to leave one of the coolers with us overnight, so now we can keep the bag suppers (take home meal) in the cooler until after lunch. At one time they were including ice packs in the cooler but that stopped. Not sure why?

Still no bread plates. The County Administrators are going to fight for this savings. Guess we will have to supply our own bread plates and possibly a glass for our milk, just like we supply silverware.

And so it goes...

New Caterer = Day 5

Well here it is the end of the first week with the new caterer. For the most part things have gone well.

The food has been good and, no doubt healthy. Just one problem has developed. The delivery driver is coming so early in the morning that the food is drying out in the steam warmers. He usually arrives at 9:30 p.m. or shortly thereafter. That means that the food is on the steam warmers for more than two hours. Some foods are over cooking or drying out. A later delivery would be helpful, if possible.

The caterer has apparently worked out the problem with the coolers. They leave the one that contains the bag suppers and deliver non perishables in a box. The last several days they have left one cooler and taken one with them.

We are still getting milk in 1/2 gallon jugs. Not sure why! They haven't yet acknowledged that if they send milk in jugs they must supply cold cups. We need cold cups or we need to have the milk in 1/2 pint cartons. I am sure that the jugs are considered a cost saver, but they fail to take into consideration that must provide a vessel to drink out of. Surely they don't expect us to pass the jug like one would pass a jug of moon shine.

It should be noted that the new caterer is serving fish every Friday as a concession to the Catholics, which is find with those of other denominations as fish is good for you. The challenge is have different fish each Friday and not the same old white fish. Time will tell.

And so it goes...

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New Caterer - Day 4

Thursday, Day 4 for the new Caterer.

Earlier in the week I made a suggestion that the caterer give us some indication of what is in each pan. Apparently they do not read my blog as the pans are placed in the steamers helter-skelter. We have to open a small hole in the foil covering each pan in order to determine its contents. Invariably this requires the shifting of the pans so that the meat is on the left, the sauce or gravy in the center and the veggies on the right.

.This morning the driver left one cooler with bag suppers. Most likely this was due to there not being anyone in the kitchen when he arrived. He had indicated yesterday that he was not allowed to put stuff in our refrigerator. Worked out great for us as we were able to serve the bag suppers right out of the cooler the way it should be. I indicated before that they need additional coolers so that the milk and bag suppers do not have to transferred to a refrigerator but can be served directly from the cooler.

We did receive on package o dinner plates and they were larger and more sturdy than the ones initially supplied. So they are listening.

We were suppose to have baked Ziti today, but the Chef mistakenly used the Rotini pasta we were suppose to get tomorrow. Not a big deal and we were all willing to let it slide.

In addition to Rotini noodles we were served two of the biggest meat balls I have ever seen. The side dish was steamed cauliflower and the meal was quite tasty and very filling.

For some reason they sent us 3 @ 1/2 gallon milk jugs and once again we did not have any cups to serve it in. Last time they sent jugs of milk we used coffee cups, but we didn't have enough coffee cups for coffee and milk. Seems the new caterer is a bit stingy with supplies. The cubboard is quite bear. I am at a loss to understand why they would send milk in 1/2 gallon containers, but if it persist then they are going to have to supply us with cold cups to serve it in.

Apparently the county has decided to take a stand on the bread plates. Seems kinda silly to me, but the county is claiming "hand to poor mouth". The Center Manager made a speech the other day about our not getting bread plates and that we were just going to have to make do. Things are tough all over, she said, mouthing the words provided by the administrators.

And so it goes...

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New Caterer - Day 3

Wednesday, August 5, 2009. Day 3 for the new caterer. Upon delivery, the driver brought two large pans of food and one small pan. They did not send a lid, so the third warmer was half open and steam was rising out of one end, hot enough to scald skin. Didn't they realize that there would be an open end? The problem was solved by placing an empty pan, left over from Tuesday, in the gap. The only reason we had an empty pan was the driver had failed to take them with him that morning; an oversight that saved us.

The cold stuff, milk desert, bread and butter were in one cooler and the bag suppers were in another. They are still using gel packs to cool the food. The driver waited while the coolers were unloaded into the refrigerator and left with the coolers. It would be so much easier if they had four coolers. That way they could leave two eliminating the necessity of unloading them only to serve them a short time later. The milk was delivered in 1/2 pint cartons much to our relief.

The menu today was roasted turkey breast, gravy, bread stuffing and Italian blend veggies. Desert was two chocolate chip cookies. There was virtually no gravy. Hints of gravy was in the turkey pan, but insufficient even for the turkey. The bread stuffing was dry and brittle at the edges and no gravy to put over it. While the meal was good, the absence of gravy spoiled it. Had they sent gravy in another small pan, it would have solved all our problems. We would have had gravy and a pan to fill the gap. Do you suppose they forgot the gravy?

Problems are being addressed, but we are still working out the obvious kinks.

And so it goes...

New Caterer - Day 2

Tuesday, August 4th, the second day with the new caterer. The meal was stuffed green peppers with corn and mixed vegetables. It was very good. It does not appear that the food is going to be an issue.

When the food delivery guy arrived with the hot food and the cold food, there was an immediate problem. He had three large pans and two small pans of hot food. The Center only has three steam warmers. There is a stove in the kitchen, however the Center staff is not suppose to use it. There didn't seem to be any choice for to leave it out at room temperature would leave no option but to throw it away and the someone would go hungry.

We then opened the two small coolers (they are almost too small to hold the food that needs to be kept cold) to learn that they had added small plastic cooling jugs in an attempt to keep the food cold. Several were leaking purple stuff all over the packaged food. Everything was in plastic bags so no real harm done.

But then the delivery guy stated we would have to empty the coolers so he could take them back with him. We have always left the cold food in the coolers until we serve it. There is a need for two coolers, preferably larger ones, so that we exchange coolers each day the same a we do with the pans.

Stuffing all of the bag lunches and milk into the fridge was a real chore. Oh, by the way, the milk was delivered in 1/2 pint cartons. The caterer also sent additional coffee cups to replace those used the day before.That is a good sign that the minor problems can and will be corrected.

The menu called for everyone to get two slices of bread, but they only sent two loaves for 35 people, not nearly enough to give everyone two slices. And of course, there would not have been sufficient butter either if everyone got two. Why would the dietitian order two slices of bread but not provide butter for each slice?

Rumor has it that the caterer has agreed to search for larger, more substantial dinner plates. Time will tell. Not surprisingly there is no word yet on bread plates. Appears the County Administrators are going to sit on their high horse and stonewall the issue.

And so it goes...

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