不聽老人言／莊峻華

 不聽老人言／莊峻華

在台灣學中國文化，常見一句曰不聽老人言，吃虧在眼前，我算是身體健康，在那貧窮時代，健康身體，是一好條件，可以專心學校課業，不受病苦折磨，平時家長也再三強調經驗，我一直當作祖傳秘方看待，最近，愛美牙疼，一時找不到專科牙醫，我就建議她喝綠豆湯，這是吾家秘方，把綠豆煮沸，淅出熱湯，加些鹽於熱湯中飲用，綠豆湯有退火作用，我們沒有牙險，看牙醫很貴，我一直喝熱綠豆湯，大概掉下十顆牙齒，愛美無耐，只好聽從我建議，暫時止痛，等到週一看專科牙醫，牙醫詳細清洗牙齦蛀掉中空處，然後兩週後，再回一般牙醫做牙套，就是金嘴齒，如此可以暫時保住該牙，我就讓它自行脫落，然後再做假牙，我現在有假牙十一顆，不太方便吃牛排。

昨天清晨開始咳嗽，我已久病成醫，立即煮沸開水置於檸檬汁蜂蜜中，第一口經過喉嚨，立即感覺去痰，然後再掏一湯匙京都川貝枇杷膏，已是萬全，如是效果不佳，我就需要買葡萄柚汁補充，這是先岳母大人秘方，我甚至傳給郵輪上之愛女，她們也會感冒，而且郵輪自助餐廳有材料，若嚴重，只好求助抗生素，這是醫生開處方。

這是一般家庭衞生常識，我感冒是因為天氣轉涼，我又鐵齒下水游泳，老身已不若當年，感冒是應該的，還好我已打武肺疫苗三劑，天天戴口罩，勤肥皂洗手，否則淪落到有體溫，上牙醫診所洗牙，量體溫後，真是百口莫辯。

The morning walk to a soccer field/Carlos Pueblo

 The morning walk to a soccer field/Carlos Pueblo

Other than a regular morning tennis schedule, I recently have developed the morning walk to a soccer field to meet a pair of new found pet dog friend, Dixie and Brinkley, at Walnut Bend subdivision. The lovely green lawn field is on the southern end of the recreation center by the swimming pools and the playground for children. There is also an office club house in the front. Our three tennis courts are separated in the front. Some times, I need to use the toilet by the pools and notice the big soccer field and always love to walk on it.

I was the morning before yesterday, Dixie stopped and looked at me on a street corner outside of the fence with her companion and their owner. She is little black dog while Brinkley is a white one. I whistled all the way to exit the gate and she waited for me. After my regular sweet talk to all my pet friends, the owner told me their names and I asked to see them on the next morning. Yesterday, I was 30 minutes early and missed them and I did try again again this morning and I was in luck. I have seen many lovely pet dogs who know their prospect human friends like me. I tell their owner about two stories in Czech Republic and Japan, of course, many at my own subdivision. It is why I call myself a dog whisperer and I have had more than 40 pet dog friends whom I can call their first names.

The morning walk to a soccer field reminds me my memory of my infantry training in Taiwan. I had been sent to an Infantry Army Training Center near by Taichung in the central west part of the Island. I was very un-lucky to have the training twice, once before the freshman year for 3 months and another one right after college graduation to the same training center. There was a grass field inside the center and we couldn't march on the green lawn due to the difficulty to maintain the field. People keep on telling me that walking on a lawn is much better than walking on the street. Of course, grass lawn courts like Wimbledon are much better than the regular hard courts for our knees.

散步草皮中／莊峻華

 散步草皮中／莊峻華

今晨起來，安排球局，僅來五人，剛好一場雙打，我當領導，自動退出，散步草皮中，這草皮在活動中心南端，大於一足球場，舖蓋美麗草皮，維護極佳，今年雨量充足，而且平時有自動噴水設備，碧綠如茵，帶給我許多人生美憶，我年紀越大，過去人生履歷，均甚感觸。先說我為何不打球？昨天游泳，好像感冒，清晨連忙喝熱檸檬汁蜂蜜去痰，再一匙京都川貝枇杷膏，找藉口等待愛犬新友，走近活動中心。

兩日前，我在草皮場散步，巧遇這黑色愛犬，她在街上等我，主人帶走，她又回我口哨，堅持等候，於是我開始甜言蜜語，我經常有此經驗，我的愛犬知己，遠多於人類，凡人類我都爭辯不已。這位黑色愛犬名曰迪克西，就是美國南部各州之別稱，她的夥伴更大方曰布林克力，和琳兒一愛犬同名，相識後我和男主人道別，相約明日見，昨日稍早，未見彼等路過，就被調回球場，今日再試，果不願違，主人告知此愛犬為人所棄養，於是我再陪走一段，相約明晨再見。

散步草皮中，有益於膝蓋，蓋草皮軟也，我當兵時，新兵訓練中心，不准踏草皮，蓋草皮維護不易，倫敦之皇家公園草皮，也有許多步徑可穿越，剛好我住在美國，沒有太多閒人，散步草皮中，夏天已過，我把散步當游泳，踏潮濕之球鞋，可以回家曬乾。

Make the beef noodle for Arthur Sunday/Carlos Pueblo

 Make the beef noodle for Arthur Sunday/Carlos Pueblo

Every Sunday afternoon, I make the beef noodle for my son Arthur as his dinner before he goes to work. He will finish the most of the pot on the next morning. I have learned and practiced this cooking for quite some time. The beef noodle is one of the Chinese cuisines which I love the most. I had it when I was about 16 years old when I was at the senior high school in the capital city of Taipei. This was a Chinese menu while we Taiwanese didn't dare to eat beef due to the farm work that the water buffalo shared with our farmers. The aromatic fragrant of the beef noodle soup has attracted many noodle lovers in the world. 

First, I buy whole bunch of beef while it is on sale. Amy will get rid of the fat and bag them. She would give me a small portion each Sunday with two pieces of chicken legs. I would seal both meats on a hot pan to make sure to keep some juice inside when boil in a pot. Second, I would pan fry chopped onion and garlic, sliced ginger with a help of the star anise to get rid of the beef smell. The added boiled water only covers up to the meat level. I shall let the soup keep boil under a slow heat to the minimum for at least two and half hours. Tomato and spicy red pepper are often added as additional ingredients to enrich the flavor.

While the beef soup is making, I prepare both noodle and Chinese cabbage at a boiling pot. Arthur can mix them when he is ready to eat it. Both Amy and I both have some concerned reasons like vegetarian diet and high cholesterol to avoid eating beef noodle; however, we still don't like to see it wasted. I take some left over and the situation has been improved as long as my cooking improved. 

製作牛肉麵／莊峻華

 製作牛肉麵／莊峻華

在家製作牛肉麵，變成我的家務事，每週日下午，我就自動準備一鍋牛肉麵，給上班的元兒食用，平常他半夜回家，清晨起來食盡一切，我因喜愛素食，非不得已，我避免肉食，這是件憾事，我吃牛肉麵，是在台北市，投考台北聯考，在師大龍泉街，嚐試牛肉麵，吃了約八年，就是三家，老董山東麵，四川老頭，和一潮州汕頭沙茶麵，當年都是美味無比，後來我自學製作牛肉麵，逐漸改進，現在很有頭緒，剛好元兒喜愛此味，而且也甚捧場。

高中摯友，河南臨漳人鵬霄兄令尊堂大人，屢招待我親手製作牛肉麵，我請教她作法，她先將牛肉炒乾，加入麻油爆香，此火漆動作，美國人也有，就是將牛肉表皮燒焦，封死肉面，使肉內保持濕潤，我現在作完火漆後，開始爆香八角蔥姜蒜，然後加入肉塊爆炒，加入開水，火漆肉中加上雞腿兩塊，這是鄧毛毛之家食譜，開水僅蓋肉面，熬煮約兩三小時，其間我開始煮麵和山東白菜。

偶而愛美會購買餐廳牛肉麵和水餃，水餃是週六元兒食譜，我也盡量不吃，有一段時間，我也需要製作水餃饅頭，真像一老芋仔，就是這些中國老兵，在台灣開餐廳小吃，當然我的手藝簡單，但也做得出來，現在我也不吃肉，但還是喜歡觀看烹飪節目。

素食缺乏蛋白質，有時候會餓皮皮挫，於是我就找一藉口吃喝牛肉湯和吃雞腿，愛美將油脂剔除乾淨，這種牛肉湯，亦甚乏味。

Sleep through the night/Carlos Pueblo

 Sleep through the night/Carlos Pueblo

Ever since I have had the diabetes, I rarely can sleep through the night without a toilet break. It has been a change nowadays and I credit it to my regularly exercises in the morning. This is what my understanding that the morning exercises exhaust my excess sugar in the blood and release the heavy burden of my kidney to gather water from my body to expel the sugar flowing through by urination. Too much urination shall affect my kidney's function and shall be shown on a blood test. This is why my physician wants to see me again for an additional physical within three months and I believe that I have eaten too much watermelon in the summer.

A night before, I went to sleep at 8:15 pm and woke up at 5:15 am on the next morning with a grand total of 9 hours without a toilet break. It has been occurred lately and I am so proud of myself. I really am believing that I live in a paradise. I select what I want to live my own way. I organize a large group of tennis lovers to play tennis every morning and I swim every day except on Monday when the pool is closed for maintenance. I don't watch television, don't read newspaper, don't answer telephone calls. I cook my own meals and prepare pan cakes for Arthur for his breakfast and a beef noodle on Sunday afternoon. I mow the yard every Monday. That's it, ya esta.

I am in exile in my paradise. The other day, Singapore Air informs me their promotion fare from JFK to Frankfurt for $599 a round trip. I thought of it and put all the Pandemic into consideration. I shall pass it. I live more comfortable at home that I can sometime sleep through the night.

一覺到天亮／莊峻華

 一覺到天亮／莊峻華

一覺到天亮是件好事，表示身體健康，睡眠充足，昨夜早睡，清晨起床，手機是五點十五，真是意外滿意，我睡整九小時，其間未曾起床如廁，早上全程運動，已經發揮作用，最近常有如此經驗，平常睡四小時許，需要起來小便，現在有時可以，一覺到天亮，我已甚為滿足，雖不敢妄言，反老返童，但身體健康，確是事實。

十餘年前，一位工程師球友，患病癌症，勤於網球，他認為時日有限，不如忘記一切煩惱，善用珍貴之沒一日，而且他住洛杉磯附近，卻常在休市上班，也不煩惱拿不到社會福利金，有人找打球，他必答應，他說一位台灣來之醫生，亦有癌症，如此建議，就是天天打網球，我一直印象深刻。

武肺疫情爆發，一時無法世界旅行，於是我開始籌劃天天打網球，申請社區中心門卡，夏天加上游泳，如此經過一年半，現在我早上起床甚早，忙完晨操，約是十一點，非常規律之老年生活，我不看電視，不接電話，報紙也不看，這世界已無甚可眷戀，我相信糖尿病已有控制，年紀越來越大，也不知如何煩惱。

我看網誌解悶，有些節目，帶來一些美憶，然後我書寫在部落格，分享全球知己，谷歌幫我分析，有時候我可以調出舊文，自我陶醉一翻。