Learn More - Do Things

 

Part of my personal elder care plan is to do everything I can to stave off the onset of dementia as I age.  After doing a fair bit of research and discussing it with medical professionals I know that staying active, both mentally and physically, is the most important thing I can do.  Along with good nutrition, plenty of sleep and daily healthy habits I have a much better chance of aging without dementia than I do if I am not proactive.

 

I know I have to keep learning and doing things.  That is a big reason I choose to work a part time job in retirement.  By working I am constantly stimulated and learning new things.  By expanding my role at my job I am also physically moving and challenging myself to do new things and have new experiences I otherwise might not.

 

Last year I added the challenge of using public transportation to get me to and from my job, especially as free bus rides are a benefit from my employer.  Not only am I getting my daily walks in by going to and from my home to the bus stop as well as the bus station to work and back again, but I’m saving a lot of money I’d otherwise spend on fuel.  I am also stimulated to learn bus routes, speak to people I encounter, help people that may need assistance, etc.  Win-win!

 

Senior centers offer us the opportunity to take classes, including technology classes so we can stay up on how to better use our cell phones and laptops as well as to not to become victims of scams.  Various exercise classes can be found such as gentle yoga, Fit & Fall Proof, Tai Chi and longevity stick, stretch & tone and cardio.  They offer all kinds of classes to keep us productive and creative too.  Activities to go explore and do things like hiking, going to hot springs, day camping, visiting museums and other historical hotspots are quite common.  Most have libraries where you can get books and other reading materials.  Ours also offers puzzles.  Most importantly, senior centers give you the opportunity to socialize which is very important as we age.

 

Many seniors enroll in classes.  Many colleges and universities allow seniors to audit classes for free in order to keep learning.  Libraries offer a lot of classes and ways to socialize as well.  Volunteering is another great way to help your community while you learn new skills, stay active and socialize with others all at the same time.

 

Keeping a daily journal is another way I keep my mind active.  I write down how my day went as well as how I am feeling and what I’ve had on my mind lately.  I feel like it helps me to clear my mind and make room for new thoughts and stimulating activities.  The act of writing is good for our hands and dexterity while it forces us to remember how to write and spell words.  The act of writing is very good for us in more ways than one.

 

I encourage you to stay active in mind, body and spirit and to seek out ways to keep yourself stimulated.  Get outside, regardless of the weather, to move and breathe in fresh air.  Enjoy the seasons.  Go to the library, a concert or a movie. Travel. Spend time with friends.  Spend time with strangers.  Learn new things.  Do stuff.  Our brains depend on it.

 

Vintage Cookery - My Grandma's Christmas Fruitcake

 

My grandmother’s fruitcakes were legendary.  She always made them the day after Thanksgiving so they would have plenty of time to soak up enough rum and be at their best in time for Christmas.  I remember always looking forward to her Christmas package arriving because you could smell the fruitcake before you even opened the box!  My mother would brew a fresh pot of coffee and we would unwrap that fruitcake right away and enjoy a slice along with that cup of coffee.  Good memories!

 

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 137

 

I worked all day on Friday, which is my usual schedule, and I rode the bus to and from work.  I had a great day with my fellow employees and the people that patronize the senior center.  When I got home I took out one of the frozen par baked pizza crusts and made myself a pizza which I “baked” in my electric skillet.  It turned out perfectly and was so tasty.

 

I also worked a half day on Saturday to take a group of seniors to a veteran’s breakfast at the Warhawk Air Museum two cities over.  We were each handed a raffle ticket as we entered the museum and then got in line for breakfast.  Just as I was about to get my breakfast they called out the raffle ticket numbers and when they called the last one I said “No way!” and they replied “I believe we have a winner!”  You will not believe what I won.

 

Wow! 😲

A Styrofoam cooler filled with grass fed locally raised beef.  Oh my gosh!  I was absolutely thrilled and could not believe I’d actually won.  My group was so thrilled for me and then I had to think fast how in the world I would get this home on the bus!  I was able to divide it up between my backpack and my Trader Joe’s shopping bag I keep in my backpack and it was no problem.  I gave a package of the ground beef to one of my coworkers and she was thrilled.  Fortunately it was frozen so hard that it did not defrost at all on the way home until I could get it into my deep freezer.  Wow!  What a true blessing this is for me.

 

With Sunday and Monday off I got busy in the kitchen doing some meal prepping and canning.  First thing was to cut up a pile of apples and get them into my large and medium sized slow cookers to make into applesauce.  Next was to make up a batch of vanilla yogurt and then make up a double batch of granola.  Since I already had the oven on I also did some additional baking.

 

The next day I filled up the slow cookers again to make and can more applesauce and then I was off to Fred Meyer stopping to top off the gas tank on my truck at their pumps first and then into the store to pick up a few items on sale.  I wanted to get some organic whole milk, however they were completely out so on the way home I stopped at Albertson’s and got some.  Once back home I got the applesauce finished up and into the canner.

 

I worked all day on Tuesday and a half day on Wednesday.  I spent all day on Thursday canning apple butter and taco meat using a large three pound package of lean Angus beef I had bought on clearance during the summer.  I’m super happy about having some more jars of taco meat on the shelves again.  It is super handy to have it to make a quick meal with.  My “new” canner got a good workout this week after processing all of that applesauce and apple butter.

 

Thursday the tree guy had to come back out to finish grinding the stump.
I think the maple tree must've fought back a little because they ended up
burning up the belt on the grinder last week when they were here.

Meals I Prepared: 

This week I must’ve been in the mood for diner food.  But I prepared healthier and much less expensive versions of diner food at home.  I baked biscuits, made sausage gravy and scrambled eggs which kept me fed for two days.  I cooked a couple burger patties from the freezer, thawed a couple of buns, sliced a tomato and made hamburgers on two days.  A BLT helped me finish the sliced tomatoes and half of a leftover avocado.  That was super tasty!

 

A pizza made from one of the crust I had in the freezer along with a smattering of leftovers created another two meals to round out the week.  I also enjoyed granola and yogurt for a brunch as well as buttered toast, buttered biscuits with pear butter and a couple of leftover pumpkin muffins with my morning coffee for brunch.  It was a yummy week.

 

This is everything I canned in the past week 😁

It was a great week filled with good fortune and a lot of happy kitchen therapy and I loved every bit of it.  I am feeling so blessed.  I have much to be thankful for this holiday season and we are just getting started!

 

Investment Cooking - Canning Applesauce

 

Earlier this week I brought in two boxes of apples in from the garage to make and can some applesauce.  I like to make my applesauce in my slow cookers because it cooks low and slow and I don’t’ have to worry about scorching it.  Plus I have the added benefit of being able to do other things while the apples cook down.

 

After washing all of the apples in warm water I cored and cut them into small chunks (I personally do not feel the need to peel the apples) filling up my large and medium sized slow cookers.  I added a cup of water to the large one and a half cup to the medium slow cooker.  After setting them on high I let them cook for about three hours stirring occasionally.

 

Once the apples are soft and begin to break down I get out my immersion blender and puree the apples until they are fairly smooth and the consistency that I like.  I do like my sauce to have a bit of texture to it.  Then I taste the sauce to see if I need to add any sugar to sweeten it or I leave it plain if I plan to use it in baking.  If I sweeten it I just add a little bit of sugar at a time and taste it until I feel it is sweet enough.  I tend to lean toward less sweet.

 

I fill hot clean jars with sauce, some pints and some half pints since I don’t always want to eat a whole jar of applesauce myself.  Then I clean the rims, add the lids and rings and load the jars into my water bath canner to process in boiling water for twenty minutes.  Once out of the canner I let them sit on a towel overnight to cool before labeling and putting the applesauce away.

 

These blueberries had been hanging out in my freezer for a while

This year I did one batch of plain slightly sweetened applesauce and then I made up a batch of cinnamon applesauce and something I’ve not done before.  I added blueberries to a batch and made blueberry applesauce and it is fantastic!  I really like it and it is really nice to have three varieties of different applesauce flavors on the shelves in my LTFS.

 

Blueberry applesauce

I think it would be nice to add peaches, rhubarb or strawberries to a batch of applesauce too.  You could do all kinds of different fruit sauces.  Hmmm.  I think I may be doing just that in the future.  Yum!

 

BIG Tree Pruning & A Removal

 

The deed is done.  The big sycamore tree has been successfully pruned (it was systemically treated two weeks ago) and my beloved maple tree that died over the summer has been removed.

 

They used my tree to train a new employee
This was his first tree removal and he did a good job

If you’ve ever had to have work done on your trees by professionals you know it comes with a hefty price tag attached, but there are times when you have to bite the bullet and get it done.  Boise Tree Service came out early last Tuesday morning (Election Day) and spent a fair bit of time working on the task at hand.  They did a great job and when they were finished the cleanup was better than expected.

 

I had them grind down the stump from the maple tree below grade so the ground would be ready for a future tree to be planted.  And so I didn’t have a stump sitting in the middle of my flowerbed.  Next spring I will decide on what tree I will be planting.

 

Having the branches on the massive sycamore tree trimmed back from the house as well as my neighbor’s house and thinned out gives both of us peace of mind as we head into winter where we are predicted to have some heavier than usual snowfall.

 

While the tree guys worked I kept myself busy in the backyard with my latest garden related projects and some indoor ones as well.  Many boxes were ticked that day and although I am not thrilled at having to part with that much of my hard earned money I am very happy with the results so that makes it all worth it.

 

Then I asked the foreman if it was possible if I could have some of the wood chips from the maple tree and they happily dumped them onto a tarp I had spread on the driveway.  It was a huge pile so while they continued working and did the cleanup I spent that time moving wood chips to the backyard and into a couple of my flowerbeds.  Boy, oh boy, did I ever get my steps in!

 

It was a completely unplanned project and I was thrilled to have them as I was planning to buy mulch to spread out around my raised garden beds next spring.  This saves me not only having to do that job in the spring, but also the money it would’ve cost to buy all that mulch.  It also makes me feel better too that I got to keep my maple tree after all.

 

Although it pained me to have to have that maple tree removed I am quite pleased with the final results, the sycamore tree looks great and will continue to thrive and be happy.  Plus the bonus maple tree wood chips made it even better.  I am very happy to have this project done and behind me as it completes all of the items I had on my list this year.  Yippeeeee!

 

 

Unstuffed Bell Pepper Soup

This is a very flavorful and easy to prepare soup that goes together and can sit in your slow cooker all day.  Your house will smell amazing and your taste buds will be impressed.

 

Unstuffed Bell Pepper Soup 

1 large bell pepper, chopped

½ medium onion, diced

½ pound lean ground beef, browned and drained

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 can cut green beans, undrained

1 jar marinara sauce

2 cups beef broth

1 -2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried basil

Salt & pepper to taste

2 cups rice, cooked

½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

 

Place all ingredients, except rice and cheese into slow cooker.  Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.  When ready to serve place ¼ cup of rice in bottom of soup bowl and ladle hot soup over the top.  Top with grated cheese.  Serves 8.

 

I paired this soup with homemade dinner rolls and a fresh green salad.  Perfect to warm you up on a chilly fall or winter day and delicious too.  I love soups like this to put in my slow cooker and allow to cook all day when I am busy doing other things.  Very convenient.