Friday, December 31, 2021

Happy New Year!


 My wish is for a year of good health, happiness, peace and more positives than negatives!

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Stress Free Holiday


What's done...

*Tree and wreath up.  Decorations out on display.  Have paired down quite a bit on the decorations in      the house.  There are items that come from family that are a must every Christmas.  I have a thing for    Christmas tradition.  There are the sleigh bells from my father-in-law's sleigh, a ceramic Christmas       tree from my mother-in-law, the angels candle choir from my mom, the Christmas tree topper that         was a favorite of my dad's through out my childhood until his death, a large wooden handmade creche   from my husband's family, and My Christmas village which my husband adds to every year as a gift.

*Gift ordering done.

*Dinner menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day done. Along with all food purchased and   schedule for cooking times written.

Still need to do...

*Baking

*Gift wrapping

*Holiday dishes washed and set aside for the big days

My family finds it terribly amusing how organized I have become but, to me, with organization comes a stress free holiday.
 

And a stress free holiday means more time to enjoy Christmas movies, Christmas music and time spent with the most important people in my life...my family.
 

Friday, December 10, 2021

Christmas Memories


Last Saturday, B and I met up with our son and dil to do one of our holiday traditions which is to get Christmas trees together.  We met up at a nearby tree farm and had a fun time picking out our trees and wreaths.  After we got ours home and up and decorated, we enjoyed some hot chocolate and then did another of our traditions which was to share a Christmas memory.  I thought you might enjoy hearing a few.

My memory is one that happened when I was a little girl (we don't discuss age here). My parents, sister and I were having dinner one night about a week before Christmas.  My dad said he had been talking to Santa and that Santa asked him a favor.  It seems that Santa gets so many milk and cookies on Christmas Eve that sometimes he would like something different.  Dad said Santa would like a salami sandwich and a hot cup of coffee instead of milk and cookies from us.  So for a number of years after that, we always put out a salami sandwich and a hot cup of coffee for Santa on Christmas Eve.

B's memory was about how his whole family got together to make homemade sausage for the holiday.  It was a large project with different kinds of meat and spices that had to be cooked.  They then had to use a hand cranked sausage stuffer to get the meat into the casings.  A number of times the crank slipped and sausage grease ended up on the kitchen walls and floor.  But he said it was always the highlight of their holiday dinners.

My son said his memory was about the year he asked for his own little Christmas tree for his bedroom.  So when we went to the tree farm we found a very small tree.  He said he loved decorating it with his own homemade ornaments and that he put a present for the Baby Jesus under it.

My dil spoke about the first time she went to the Christmas service in her church when she was a little girl.  The choir sang so beautifully, she thought it was a chorus of angels in the choir loft.

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday night in December.

Friday, November 26, 2021

It's Officially the Christmas Season for me


The Friday after Thanksgiving is usually a day of shopping in the middle of crazy crowds, endless lines at the checkouts and items on sale that mysteriously run out within an hour of the store opening.  For others, it is a day of rest and relaxation to recuperate from Thanksgiving dinner and an extremely poor showing by your football team.  For me, the day after Thanksgiving has always been the start of the Christmas season.  Up until now, I have refrained from listening to Christmas music, looking at Christmas decorations on store shelves since September and watching Christmas movies playing every night on the tv.  It is irritating to me that the holidays seem to start earlier and earlier every year. I refuse to celebrate Christmas before Halloween and Thanksgiving.

As I said, today is the start of Christmas for me. Today I will begin decorating the house and listening to Christmas music. Since I do 90% of my shopping online, I am finished with that.  The coming days will include baking for the holidays, getting the Christmas tree (a real one) and a wreath for the front picture window.  I will wrap gifts and write holiday letters to friends near and far.  I will watch a variety of Christmas movies and specials on the tv.

This Sunday is the beginning of Advent in the Catholic faith and I will begin making my Advent offering. Each year I get an item for each of the 24 days of Advent to donate to my local pet shelter.  I will also be praying a rosary a day, which is my personal Advent gift, asking that God instill in the people of the world the gifts of kindness, love, patience, and generosity in order to move away from the violence, hatred, meanness and lack of humanity we seem to be experiencing now.

Christmas is the season of peace and love.  I hope that all of you experience that at this time of year.  Don't let the pressures of the holiday overwhelm you.  Remember everything you need to celebrate is right in front of you.  You only need to really focus and you will see it.

Monday, November 22, 2021

Grateful

In this season of Thanksgiving, with all the negatives going on around us, it can be hard to find what we should be grateful for.  The world seems to be in such a bad place these days...the pandemic, natural disasters, hate-filled people, etc.  It is sometimes so hard to find something good to hold onto .  Something that helps us to believe that it will get better if we just hang on.

There is nothing I can do to change the state of the world we live in but there is something I can do about the small part that I live in.  So I look to what is good in my small world, what I am grateful for and that which I will keep close to my heart as I wait for the rest of the world to catch up, if ever.

I am grateful for...

The steadfast love and unending support of my God, no matter what kind of person I have been on any given day.  Knowing He has a plan for me and even though I do not know what that plan is, I am confident He will do what is best for me.

Close to 50 years with a man who can still make me laugh, surprise me, comfort me and fill my heart with the same passionate love from that first date so many years ago.  

A 70 years life filled with memories both good and bad.  Good memories to remember and share.  Bad memories to learn from and not repeat, if possible.

Seeing my sons become the men I knew they would be. With kind and loving hearts, courage to chase their dreams, strength to stand up for what is right and the knowledge that the world does not revolve around them but in what they do for others.

My sons having good women in their lives who love them almost as much as their mother does.  Women who have become my daughters not by blood but by love.

Parents who taught me about romantic love between soul mates, the strength of a unified family who can get through any adversity and the belief that it is what is inside a person that is most important.  Although I miss both of them very much, I am grateful for the years I had with them.

For the small things in life--hearing the coo of the morning doves who roost in my lilac bush, watching the mares (or "the girls" as I call them) graze in the field, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the taste of hot orange tea in my nanny's teacup on a rainy morning, the touch of my husband's hand when we are out for a walk, the purr of my cat as he snuggles on my lap.

Good food on the table, a roof over our heads, a comfortable secure retirement life even in this year of high prices and supply shortages.

Time to pursue those things we enjoy without worrying about work schedules, projects, etc.

Books that you hold in your hands, turn the pages and appreciate the beauty of how they look; music of all genres that lift you up or calms you down and art in all mediums that makes you wish you had just a small percentage of the talent the artists have.

Being a cat mom and a dog & cat grandma.  I may not have human grandchildren but I can still be a doting grandma to the fur babies.

Being able to appreciate the positives in life and a continued belief in the goodness of people.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Veterans' Day

1967


 
2017
 

Veterans' Day (reprinted from 11-09-2017 on this blog)

Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

War is never a good thing and when men and women go to war to fight and sometimes die, that is a sad and terrible thing.  But as much as we don't want to admit, there have been times when some people have seen going to war as a good and noble effort.  World War I and World War II were wars that were described by authors and poets as a grand adventure (not my opinion).  Then came Korea which everyone kept saying was not a war but a "police action" (war by another name, in my opinion).  Vietnam became a war not only in Asia but here at home.  Those boys who went to war were not looked at grandly but were labeled as "baby killers" (among other words).  Vietnam veterans didn't come home to parades and pats on the back, they were told not to wear their uniforms when landing in the US because it could mean trouble.  Vietnam veterans were told to be quiet about their experiences and for the longest time they were (some are still silent).  At present, there is no draft, so men and women go to war because they believe they want to serve their country in the most noblest of causes.

In the last few years, we have started to thank our veterans for everything they did or are doing for us.  We honor them at parades, concerts, dinners, programs, etc.  We show our gratefulness thru our contributions to organizations that help the wounded warriors of the present and the forgotten of the past.

My father fought in WWII and came home to parades in his hometown.  My husband was in the Vietnam War and he came back to no cheering, just silence and a request that he not wear his uniform.

Two months ago, my husband went on the Honor Flight.  It was an experience he still speaks about.  But I will never forget what he said to me after landing at the airport and seeing the crowds of people welcoming them home, shaking his hand, thanking him for his service.  With tears in his eyes, he said to me, "This was the best part of the trip...my country welcomed me home".

Friday, November 5, 2021

Vegetarian Recipes Hunter

My new dil is a vegetarian.  There is nothing wrong with that but for a family of meat eaters, it has been an adjustment.  My recipes include meat 99% of the time.  So finding meal ideas that don't include meat has been an ongoing task.  For B and myself, the choices are difficult since we do not particularly like a lot of seafood but B does like some types of fish and I do love shrimp.  But the same every meal can be very boring.  So I am always on the lookout these days for recipes without meat, which are easy and delicious sounding.  B is my taste tester..a job he sometimes like but most often is wary of.  Although I am the cook in the family, I don't like anything that takes forever to prepare.  I like to get in and out of the kitchen as quickly as I can so any recipe that uses a slo cooker or is quick and easy works for me.  The following dishes are just that.  If anyone is interested in the recipes, let me know in comments and I will post them.  

15 minute garlic butter mushroom spaghetti
chinese vegetables w/shrimp
delicious carrots
vegetable frittata
Italian style fish and vegetables-this is in the slow cooker

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Catching Up


 Last week, we took our last mini-vacation before the season of winter.  We usually do this as in winter we pretty much stay close to home unless special circumstances happen.  We went on a mini trip to shop and get away from it all.  We had a great time.  Shopping went well although we were disappointed that so many of our favorite stores were still closed because of covid or had gone out of business for the same reason.  I did get new winter boots which was one of the items on my list but most of the stores I shop in did not have winter coats or jackets out yet.  Many of them told me that the slow supply chain because of covid was holding up shipments.  Because of that, I hope to get a new winter coat online.  I went to my "happy place" (as my sons call it) Barnes and Noble Bookstore.  I am a sucker for bookstores, libraries, etc.  anyplace that has books.  But I consider B&N my happy place. In my mind's eye, it has everything.  It has comfy couches, books, clean bathrooms, books, music, books, vanilla cappuccinos, books...you are seeing a pattern here, I hope.  I spend the first 30 minutes there wandering the aisles looking at book titles, anticipating which books will theoretically jump out at me as if to say, "read me".  The rest of my time, after a rather large purchase of books (my addiction of choice) is spent sitting in the cafe, sipping my vanilla cappuccino, people watching, perusing my purchases while trying to decide which one to start reading first.  It makes for a lovely afternoon.  I told B that it's a good thing we do not have a B&N near our house or my time would all be spent there as well as spending way too much money.  After such a wonderful, relaxing three days, we have returned home to face our "getting ready for winter" chores.

This week, we are:    

 *putting in the window winter insulation on all the bedroom windows

*putting away the last of the outdoor furniture and decorations

 *putting down the outdoor carpet runner on the front deck so as not to fall when the snow comes

*making sure that there is wood for the downstairs fireplace

 *getting our winter emergency box prepared for the car.  The items in this box will be somewhat of a help if we ever get stuck in the car during the winter. The box will contain 2 blankets, bottled water, food/snacks, emergency flares, extra flashlights and batteries, matches, extra gloves, socks & winter hats, an extra car phone charger and a first aid kit.                                

*covering bushes and plants that need the added protection in the cold temperatures


It seems a lot to do but I like to be prepared and not leave these chores to the last minute (been there, done that).

Monday, October 18, 2021

The Downside of Autumn

There is a downside to Autumn.  It reminds me that my least favorite season is around the corner.
I believe that Winter has its good points as well as its bad points.  Good points include, at least for me, figure skating on tv.  I enjoy watching the competitions on Sundays.  I love the sight of freshly fallen snow before cars make their messy tracks in it.  I love to listen to the sounds of the trees crackling in the cold as the wind moves them and of course, Christmas isn't Christmas without snow.  But that's where the good stuff ends for me.  After Christmas, I wish the snow would go away.  I dislike the freezing cold, snow shoveling, fear of falling just going out to get the mail and the feeling of being trapped in the house until April.  I am not into winter sports and my days of playing in the snow ended with retirement.

Of course this is all my own preferences.  There are many people who love winter and wait for it all year.  I give them a lot of credit.  They see joy in the winter weather where I do not.  To me, winter is a bridge we must cross to get to the good stuff...spring, summer and fall.

So I will patiently wait to cross the bridge and see the first signs of spring.

Friday, October 8, 2021

AAACCCKKKK! I am 70! How did that happen?



I cannot believe I have turned 70 years old.  I don't feel 70.  I don't look 70 (on most days) and truth be told, I don't act 70 (this comes from my youngest child who has a penchant for telling the blunt truth).

When I was 16 (back in the olden days) anyone over 21 years old was out of it.  I was the 60s flower child who was going to be young forever.  When I was 21, I was getting married.  I was 5'5"  (I have now shrunk to 5'2"), wore a size 12 wedding dress (not a size 12 anymore), had natural dark brown hair (now have natural silver gray hair), had 20/20 eyesight (can't see anything w/o glasses these days) and could squat, jump, cartwheel and have energy all day long even to the point of staying up all night (no way that happens now).

The upside is that I am retired and can pretty much do what I want.  I get up in the morning when I want to and can move as slow or as fast as I choose. I love that I have not heard my alarm go off in 7 years. I can get dressed or spend most of the morning in my pajamas.There are days when I go out whether to shop or walk or whatever and there are some days when I choose to just stay home, read books, play with my cat or watch mindless tv.  I put makeup on only when leaving the house and then only enough so I don't look like the walking dead.  I go to bed usually after the 11 o'clock news but sometimes I choose to read in bed and have been known to wake up with the open book on my chest and my glasses still on.  Financially, I am doing just fine in retirement...house is paid for and I have enough to pay my bills and travel and play.  Medically, I take more pills now than when I was younger but on the whole I am doing okay.

Although I am more than willing to acknowledge my age when it is necessary for certain official documents, I refuse to use the "s" numbers when asked my age by anyone else.  I have informed my children that if anyone wants to know, their mother is in her 50s.  Of course, as they get older that statement doesn't fly anymore.  I have been told that I should celebrate that I have reached such a milestone.  I can think of many milestones to celebrate...being married to the same man for 48 years, 2 sons that I am especially proud of...but reaching the age of 70....I don't think so!

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

My Favorite inventions (so far)


There have been many things invented in the world over the years that I like very much and there are some that I scratch my head and say, "What was the purpose of inventing that?" However, these are my very favorite inventions and I thought I would share those with you.

1.  Sticky Notes.   These are a super invention.  When I was teaching, these were an important item on my school supply list.  They identified papers, were mini notes to myself and others, became part of lessons and activities, super organizational tools and so much more.  At home, they are great for attaching notes for husband, sons and myself onto mirrors, tv screens, refrigerator doors, telephones and the occasional backpack and/or child.

2.  Caller ID.  This is such a simple but great invention.  No more answering the phone thinking its friend or family but instead finding out it's a telemarketer (and yes, I am on the "do not call" list but still get calls).

3.  Mute Button on TV Remote.  I love this button.  Press it and the most annoying commercials (which are most of them) become just a picture of moving mouths, and politicians become automated robots that are easier to look at without hearing all the empty promises.

4.  Slo Cookers.  This is one of my favorite kitchen appliances.  Put the ingredients in the slo cooker in the morning and by dinner time you have a meal.  This is an especially great alternative to turning on the oven in the summer and turning the kitchen into a sauna.

5.  Coffeemaker.  I adore coffee.  My day starts with coffee and keeps going thru the day and into the evening with coffee.  I love being able to set the timer and wake to the sensual smell of coffee first thing in the morning.  I love how I can make a new pot of coffee in less than 15 minutes.  Growing up my mom had one of those coffee pots you used on the stove.  Many a time, it was forgotten and then there was boiled over coffee all over the stove.  However, this can still happen when I forget to slide the carafe all the way in.

6.  Live Streaming.  I love this!  I wasn't sure I was going to like this invention but circumstances changed my mind.  Example:  my oldest son was getting his doctorate and he lives on the other side of the country.  We couldn't afford to go to the ceremony but with live streaming, we were able to watch the whole ceremony as it happened on our computer.  What a great way to share those special, important events that in the past we would have missed.

Your  inventions might be entirely different from mine and that's ok.  Sometimes progress brings good things in the midst of all the negatives.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

The First Day of Autumn


Autumn is once again upon us and yes, it can be a beautiful season.  The trees will explode with leaves of gold and red and yellow.  The air will be crisp and bring thoughts of apple cider, homemade soup and warm quilts. However, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Autumn is not always the way you see it on a picture in a calendar.  For instance, this year the leaves are all green although some are trying to burst out into Autumn colors.  The temperatures are bouncing around from low 50s to over 80.  It's as if Summer wants to stay and is giving the new season a fight to remain.  Yes, Autumn is a beautiful season but in this point I am on the side of the season of Summer.  I am rooting for it to hang on as long as possible for I know what is coming after Autumn and I don't like it.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Gratitude Day 2021

 

I am Grateful for...                                                   

the unconditional love of my God.  No matter what kind of person I have been on any given day, I know He is beside me good or bad.  I have no fear for I know He will take care of me and those I love.

the beauty of the earth in all its forms.  My hope is that we be the caretakers God intended us to be.

over 40 years with a man who can still make me laugh, surprise me and fill my heart with the same passionate love from that first date.

the continued good health in body, mind and spirit of my family especially in the midst of this seemingly unending pandemic.

memories of a 60+ years life to remember and share.

being able to watch my sons become the adults I knew they would be with good, kind, loving hearts and the courage to pursue their dreams even when I do not understand them at times.

seeing that my sons have strong, independent women in their lives who love them almost as much as their mother does.

parents who taught me about romantic love between soul mates, the strength of a unified family who can get through any adversity and the belief that it is what is inside a person that is most important.

continuing to hope that those I have been separated from over the years for whatever reason will reach out so we can reconnect.

the appreciation of the small things in life--hearing the coo of the morning doves, watching mares graze in the field, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the taste of hot orange tea in my nanny's teacup on a rainy morning, the touch of my husband's hand when we are out for a walk, the cuddles and purrs from my cat on a down day.

good food on the table, a roof over our heads, a comfortable secure retirement life.

time to pursue pasttimes, travel with my husband and just enjoy day to day living without the rush of time.

books that you hold in your hands, turn the pages and appreciate the beauty of how they look; music of all genres that lift you up or calm you down and art in all mediums that makes you wish you had just a small percentage of the talent the artists have.

being a cat mom and a dog & cat grandma.

the ability to appreciate the positives in my life especially on days when there seems to be more negatives. 


Saturday, September 11, 2021

Where were you...


 On September 11, 2001, I was teaching in my second grade classroom unaware of what was happening in New York and in Arlington, Virginia. The school secretary called me over the intercom telling me I had a phone call in the office.  When I answered the call, it was my husband.  He told me that he was watching the tv and that planes had crashed into the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia.  The newscasters were saying that it was a terrorist attack.  I hung up and told my principal and the secretary what my husband had said.  They immediately turned on the news in the office.  I walked back to my classroom stunned at what I had just heard.  Within the hour, the principal came to each classroom and told the teachers to just continue with our day as if nothing was happening and that we would all meet after school to discuss the next plan of action.  It was difficult keeping my mind on the lessons that day knowing what I knew.

After school, we met in the lunchroom and the principal told us that we would not discuss this in class as our students' mental well being was our main concern.  If parents wanted to discuss it with their children...fine, but we would not in school.  At the time, our school was DK thru 4th grade.

That night, like so many others, my family watched the coverage on tv.  I remember crying as I watched people running out of the buildings and down the streets, as first responders went into the damaged buildings looking for survivors and how some of those responders never came back out and the news that a plane which had been headed for the White House had gone down in a field in Pennsylvania due to the courageous actions of the passengers and crew.  I felt pride at how we all came together to show that America could not be beaten and that we would find who had attacked us.

"Where were you when the world stopped turning..." by Alan Jackson

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

For The Season

This is my favorite Bible verse for this time of year.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every
matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down,
and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away
stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and
a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace."
                                       Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

September is...

 the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall

leaves changing from green to reds, golds, yellows and oranges

putting away the summer outdoor furniture for another year

comfy quilts and flannel sheets on the bed

soft sweaters and warm slippers

drinking hot tea while wrapped in a warm hand-crocheted afghan

homemade soups and stews with big slices of homemade bread

apple trees hanging heavy with their bountiful red fruit

football and bbq wings

evenings spent reading a good murder mystery in front of a crackling fire in the fireplace

hoodies, boots and jeans

afternoon walks in the woods enjoying the sights and sounds of Fall

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Bad Luck Comes in Threes or So They Say

I never believed in that saying but it seems that yesterday (Saturday) proved it right to me for once.

Yesterday started out as a pretty good day.  Weather was sunny and warm for a change and B and I were looking forward to getting some yardwork done.

BAD LUCK #1!

In the middle of mowing the lawn the wheel fell off the riding lawnmower.  It took both of us to push it into the garage.  B spent the next hour trying to get the wheel back on.  The result being that it wouldn't go back on and we would either have to find someone to repair it (which has never been an easy thing to do) or buy a new one.

BAD LUCK #2!

Went into the freezer to get dinner going only to find the freezer light out.  Of course, being Saturday night, there was no way to get a replacement and had to use a flashlight to see into the freezer.

BAD LUCK #3!

In the middle of a movie B and I were watching last night, the television went black.  We had sound but no picture.  After checking the tv in the bedroom and seeing it was working fine, we checked over the one we had been watching.  Everything was as it should be except no picture.  So now we have to go out on Sunday and get a new tv.  Then because we have our tv through a satellite system, we have to call the satellite company on Monday and see how soon we can get someone out here to install the tv onto the system.

And as if to add one more point to bad luck, the weather went from 84 degrees Saturday to 45 degrees today.
 

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

SPRING!!


*Opened all the windows to let in the fresh air.  My cat, Al, was having a wonderful time going from window to window enjoying them open after being closed all winter.

*Started planning landscaping ideas as well as the garden.

*Excited to see a squirrel and 2 chipmunks visit the bird feeders.

*Stood on the front deck and enjoyed seeing the green of spring return and the white of winter leave.

*Put the snowboots away...Yay!

*B got out his riding lawnmower just to clean it up and see what needed to be done to it to prepare for the coming months.

*A snowstorm came in on 3/27 and lasted until 3/28 and dumped 6 inches of wet, sloppy snow on everything.  Such is Spring in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Thursday, March 11, 2021

A Thought: One year after the start of the Pandemic


 Covid cases going down, vaccines given going up, businesses reopening slowly, kids going back to school....light at the end of the tunnel.

Sunday, February 14, 2021

FEBRUARY SO FAR...

To celebrate National Homemade Soup Day, B made his famous (at least in our family) homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner while oldest son made bean and turkey soup
   
A former student's mother passed away-donated to Upaws (animal shelter) in her name

Saw something I have never seen before (and no, not talking politics).  People ice skating on Lake Superior.  I have lived here 50 years and have never seen it cold enough to safely ice skate on the lake.
 
Fixed garage door opener--B said he could have figured it out but I beat him to it.  Uh huh, right.
 
Straightened out tel. bill snafu--happy days, it was their fault not ours.
 
Oldest son had chest pains, had first ambulance ride, is well and home, called me long distance to tell me after it was all over
 
My vacation from 1) using my credit card, 2)  watching news programs a good portion of the day, 3) politics and anyone who wants to talk politics, 4) watching tv more than 4 hours a day, 5)  kitchen grazing in the evenings because of boredom more than hunger and 6) drinking too much soda daily is going pretty good so far.  I am proud of myself.
 
B and I got our second doses of the covid vaccine.  We feel better knowing that we are done and hope that the numbers we see mean that the pandemic is on the downslide. Both oldest son and dil have received theirs as they are educators.  Youngest son and dil will have to wait until their group comes up.
 
Ordered Puchkis for Fat Tuesday from our local bakery.  Not exactly healthy food but it's once a year and one cannot celebrate Fat Tuesday without homemade puchkis.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

VACCINES AT LAST!

 

Well, after two tries to get registered for the vaccines, B and I received ours on Friday.  We were surprised to even get registered as the slots were usually all filled within 10 minutes of posting them.  The vaccine clinic was set up at the university and we rode in silence in the car there.  I think both of us were a bit nervous of what to expect since this is a first for us as for many people. We were pleased to see how well organized everything was.  A number of people were on hand to move us along to where we needed to go.  The sign in took no time at all and then we were sent to tables that were set up individually for the shots.  I was expecting pain since I am a big chicken when it comes to shots but I didn't feel a thing.  The nurse said that the most common side effect was a sore arm.  Which, by the way, I have been feeling since last night.  Not painful just uncomfortable.  After the shot, we were directed to an adjoining room to sit for our 15 minutes of observation.  The university provided free snacks while you waited.  B took advantage of that.  After the 15 minutes, we checked out...setting up the second dose appt at that time.  All in all, it only took 30 minutes.  We received texts from children making sure we were ok.  Oldest son will receive his next week.  

B and I believe this is another indication of "light at the end of the tunnel". 

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Financial Figurings

Ways We "Try" To Save Money.

* When we were preparing for retirement, B and I thought of moving to a warmer year round climate (we both dislike winter).  We calculated how much we would have to put our house on the market for, how much the cost of moving would be, where we would move to, the housing prices there, etc.  In the end, we found that paying off our mortgage, staying where we are and traveling to warmer climates over the winter would be our best bet.  So that is the goal we set for ourselves.  2 years after we were both retired we were able to pay off our mortgage.  With the help of our sons, we are managing winter here and are able to travel more to see the son and dil who live in a warmer winter climate.

* When I retired, B and I decided we didn't need 2 cars.  The reason being the cost of gas, insurance and payments are not economical especially when two cars are not used on a daily basis now that we are both retired.  Plus, the fact that most of the time we go to the same places together so why use 2 cars.  This was one of the best decisions we made for retirement.

Because of the pandemic, we have not been using the car as much except to run essential errands and the occasional "ride around" when we start to get house crazy.  This has saved wear and tear on the car as well as gas purchases.  One of the few good things to come out of the pandemic.

* We grocery shop on Wednesdays for the simple reason that the grocery store gives discounts to seniors on Wednesdays.  With the senior discount and the coupons I clip, we manage to save an average of $30.00 a month.  This works for me.

I do have a rant about grocery shopping during the pandemic.  Our grocery store offers special shopping hours for senior citizens and disabled persons.  However, the hours are mostly very early in the morning.  I don't know about other senior citizens but getting up and functioning at 7am to grocery shop is not in the cards for me.  Good thing my grocery store is not at all crowded these days during thr pandemic so we can go in at 11am to shop.

* We have been downsizing for the past year.  Once a month I chose an area of the house to downsize.  It might be as large as a bedroom or small as a closet.  I set up 3 sections - keep, donate, trash.  We have been very ruthless with this system.  We don't keep anything unless we are using it or will be using it within the month.  I am pleased at how much space we have acquired with the downsizing as well as how it has helped me shop.  We don't purchase anything unless it is necessary we have it (such as a small chest freezer we need for shopping sales of groceries) and that it will be used on a regular basis (such as a new electric blanket w/dual controls for the winter).

* I love to read books and have many which I am reluctant to get rid of.  But in the interest of downsizing, I went thru my bookshelves and made a give away pile.  Looking twice at the give away pile, I noticed that many of the books were in very good shape.  So I decided to put them on Amazon to sell and boy, did they sell.  I don't get the original price back I paid for them but I get on average at least 50%.  I have been doing this now for 3 years and the money I make goes into a special emergency fund in the bank.  Every little bit counts.

*AARP - We use this card all the time with discounts on travel, restaurants, services, etc.  It doesn't save huge amounts of money but every dime counts in this day and age.

*Chest freezer and Pantry - the upside of the pandemic put us in the position of expanding our pantry as well as our freezer.  We keep a running list of everything in both and it has helped us a lot especially in the winter months when it has been difficult to get out because of the weather besides the restrictions with the pandemic.

*Meatless meals - Having a member of the family who does not eat meat started out a bit difficult to plan family meals.  However, being quarantined in the house, I have been trying new meatless recipes and testing them on B.  Some have turned out quite good.  Besides cutting our meat bill in half, we are also eating healthier...double benefit!

labels: saving money, coupons, Amazon book seller, groceries, cars, mortgage, moving in retirement, aarp, meatless meals, pandemic
 

Saturday, January 2, 2021

2021


                                             MY WORDS FOR 2021...HOPE & OPTIMISM

Well now that 2020 is gone (good riddance), I can now look toward 2021.  The first thing I usually do in a new year is come up with the word I will be focusing on.  This year I am focusing on two words...HOPE and OPTIMISM.

I used the word "hope" a lot in the beginning of 2020.  Hope that the pandemic would not be as bad as the experts thought.  Hope that with the warm weather it would go away like the flu.  Hope that by following all the rules, it would stop.  Each time, my hopes were dashed.  Instead of getting better, it got worse.  The sad part was that it seemed to bring out not only the best in a lot of people but it also seem to bring out the worst.  I hate to admit it but I lost hope many times and drown myself in negativity.  In the warmer months, I was able to get out into my yard and at least commune with nature but when the weather changed and began to get colder, into the house I was sentenced.  I kept trying to find a bright side to all of the sadness, the deaths, the sickness, the hate and one night I found it.

One night in October, I was computer surfing, a past time I like to do, and I came across a quote someone had posted on their site.  It was a quote by Pope John Paul II, a man I much admired.

              "I plead with you--never give up on hope, never doubt, never tire,

                and never become discouraged. Be Not Afraid."

One of the reasons this quote caught my eye at first was that it has the title of a hymn in it that I think of many times when I am in need of solace..."Be Not Afraid".

At that moment I knew what I had to do.  My husband and I had planned to tone down the holidays because of the pandemic and the health of our children but I knew that now was the time to do it as we had always done while making adjustments for the pandemic.  I informed my husband that we were going to do Thanksgiving with all the trimmings even if it was only the two of us.  For Christmas, we would decorate the house just like always and carry on the traditions we could with modifications.  At first, he thought being sequestered in the house had finally driven me over the edge.  But as we talked, we began to think of the good things that we had in 2020.  Two healthy sons and dils, 6 fur babies, food on the table, warm house, good financial situation and each other.  That was a reason to celebrate and then to add to it, 2 vaccines that would make things better in the near future (knock on wood).

On New Years Eve, we said goodbye and good riddance to 2020 and looked forward to 2021 with Hope and Optimism that life would get back to some kind of normalcy. And with that Hope and Optimism, we began to plan 2021 that way.  We talked of vacations we would like to take this year especially ones to visit the children,  projects we want to do around the house, events we want to take part in, etc.  Of course, we will pay attention to what is happening in our community and nation as we go day by day.  But just doing the planning has raised our spirits.

So to all of you and the people who matter most to you, I wish for you to look at 2021 with Hope and Optimism because, I believe, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Happy New Year!