My Tireless Retirement – Week 110

 

Boy oh boy did we ever get some stormy weather on this particular week.  They even said we might get some snow, but it never got cold enough for that to actually happen.  Thank goodness!  It rained so hard one night we lost power for only about a half an hour during the night.  We definitely need the moisture so I couldn’t complain, but it did hamper my original plans for gardening and planting some flowers.

 

It had been a good three weeks since I stepped into a grocery store and I was craving a fresh, crisp green salad.  My crisper drawer was looking pretty pitiful and I was getting low on cream (God forbid!) for my coffee so I decided it was time.  Due to the weather I decided to drive to work one day and made that trip count by stopping off at Winco on my way home to pick up groceries.  I made sure I got the heavy stuff that was on my list, such as flour and canned goods, since I had the truck to transport my groceries home.  I also scored a five pound bag of potatoes for only 98¢!

 

One of my projects this past week was to make myself a super comfortable sleeping pad to take camping with me this summer.  I want to get back into tent camping this year because I can go places you just can’t quite get to in a motorhome.  I ordered a cot sized mattress topper as well as a zippered washable cover from Amazon (my second order of 2024) and was able to use the foam I bought at Fred Meyer last year to make myself a nice little mattress.  I don’t care for the camp cots because they wiggle and creak too much for my liking.  I think I will be able to sleep quite well now even if I’m in a tent on the ground.  I’ll definitely let you know.

 

On Thursday I had invited friends over for supper.  I made a lasagna and a fresh green salad as well as a pan of fudge brownies.  I sent them home with half the pan of brownies and was left with two servings of the lasagna to enjoy the following week for quick suppers.  Spending time with friends is just the best!

 

Although I do not have any type of a travel budget this year I have been researching some travel options and making plans.  Since retiring I’ve yet to do any real traveling and I feel it is time for me to do something about that.  My biggest problem is that I have way too many travel options which makes it quite difficult for me to make a decision.  Poor me.

 

Meals I Prepared: 

With Cinco De Mayo last Sunday I used that as my excuse to prepare and enjoy a few delicious Mexican food meals.  Mexican food is definitely my favorite so I decided I’d start by making a big pot of homemade refried beans to have on the side as well as to use in making some freezer burritos for quick and easy meals in the future.  I also put away a couple containers of refried beans away in the freezer to use later on in recipes or as a side dish. 

Sopa Seca (literally translates as “dry soup”) was my soup meal last week.  I love that it is so flavorful and just the right amount of spicy.  My recipe makes quite a bit so I divided it in half and put one half away in the freezer and then enjoyed the other half throughout the week.  I paired chicken quesadillas with refried beans and a salad for three meals last week.  I also enjoyed a couple of the freezer burritos along with the Sopa Seca for a full week of delicious meals.

 

I do hope that all of you moms had a wonderful day yesterday and were showered with loads of love and appreciation.  I got to enjoy picking out flowers at the nursery, which has become a tradition for me, as well as some wonderful food.  It was truly a great day.  Feel free to share what you did on your special day in the comments. 

 

FYI - My retirement week runs from Friday through Thursday.