End Of Life Planning & Preparations

 

At some point we all have to face the inevitable fact that one day we will die.  It happens to all of us, no one gets a free pass.  I personally do not fear my own demise.  I am a Believer and I know deep down in my soul that there is a heaven and my loved ones that have gone before me are waiting for me there.  I miss them and I very much look forward to being with them again.  For me, death is the reward for a well lived life.

 

This past summer I made it a priority to get ALL of my affairs in order.  My first task was to update my will as the current one was geared toward the fact that I had minor children.  I definitely do not have minor children anymore so I got busy and rewrote my will.  I then printed it out, went to my bank, got it witnessed and notarized and then I got it filed.  DONE!  And it was a huge load off of my mind to have that completed and checked off the list.

 

That same day I also filled out, signed and got my Advanced Medical Directive registered with the State of Idaho.  Now, if I’m ever in a state where I will not be recovering and my death is imminent, medical professionals will know exactly how I want my medical care directed.  I personally want no heroic measures, but unless I had put that in writing, how would anyone know this?  Now my wishes for end of life care are official.

 

I made out a very short property list of certain personal items I want to go to each of my children and it is attached to my will.  I have nothing of high value, these are just things that mean something to me and I truly believe will mean something to them, primarily just some family jewelry and a collection of photo albums with family historical notes.  I am very realistic that I own nothing else that they want and I am completely fine with that.

 

Disposal of my dead body was next on the list and not only is it a part of my will, but I have also separately made out more detailed instructions and included the contact information for the funeral home that I want to take care of things.  Funds are already set aside to take care of this process and pay the expenses.  Most importantly, my children will not be burdened with this or have any responsibility for making the arrangements, including the financial aspects.  It will all be taken care of.

 

Next I wanted to make sure that my executor is going to be able to easily take care of all of their responsibilities.  Executorship is not an easy position to be in sometimes and I don’t want this to be the case for mine.  In order for it to be as smooth a process as possible I have detailed written instructions for how to pay the bills and any final expenses incurred until my estate is settled.  I have listed who to contact to cancel insurance policies, credit cards, internet service, etc.  This is one of those documents that I will need to be diligent about updating as things change, but my goal is to make sure my executor has everything they need to handle my estate.

 

Along with all of this is my plan to continue Swedish Death Cleaning and minimizing my own possessions as I age.  I don’t need to be burdened and weighed down with an over abundance of stuff any more than anyone else does so I am finding a lot of peace in getting rid of the things I no longer want, need or use.  My hope is by the time I leave this earth my home will be whittled down enough that my children and my executor can easily clear my home of its contents.

 

While I was in the midst of working on all of this last summer, one of my co-workers suddenly died.  She was one of the fitness instructors at the Community Center and she taught our senior Stretch & Tone class.  She was away visiting her sister and while at her home she suddenly died of cardiac arrest.  Knowing how healthy and fit she was I was reminded that we all have an expiration date and we don’t necessarily know how or when we will go.  Despite our best efforts, when it is our time to go, it is simply our time to go.

 

That particular event of my co-worker’s sudden death was enough to reassure me that I was definitely on the right path and I needed to keep on doing what I was doing.  Now that I have I am greatly relieved to have my affairs in order.  I no longer have that weighing on me and I have the peace of mind that I am going to make my departure so much better for the ones I leave behind.

 

 

Preparations For The Upcoming Winter

 

Fortunately I don’t have a lot to do this year to get ready for the upcoming winter.  I had a short list of things to restock in the pantry, deep freezer and linen closet to keep me going should the weather get icky and I decide I don’t want to drive anywhere.  If feels very good to have a handle on that.

 

Linen closet is well stocked

In the garage I have been working over the summer months to restock my pet food and supplies area with plenty of feed for the chickens, hay and other supplies for the bunny as well as food for the kitties.  I had figured out what to buy and how much, putting a few things away at a time so I didn’t have to spend a whole lot of money each month and blow the budget.

 

As I’ve mentioned before, I like to make sure I have plenty of pet food on hand so I don’t have to go to the feed store in the snow or rain and try to wrangle heavy 50# bags of wet feed into the garage, especially if the driveway may be slippery.  No good comes from that practice and you risk not only falling and hurting yourself, but your feed can get ruined and turn moldy by the exposure to the elements.  I just try to avoid all of that.

 

As the weather turns colder I’ll be checking to see if I need to do any regular maintenance around here to button up the house, but so far all looks well.  The garden hoses will need to be drained, rolled up and stored away for the season here in the coming month or so and I’ll be cleaning out and gathering up all of the flowerpots after the first hard frost.  I may have a small amount of tree pruning to do, but nothing on the scale of last year.

 

As far as the garden beds go, I didn’t plant a garden this year, but I will still do the usual and keep adding compost to them so that if I choose to plant a garden next year I’ll have the added nutrients and amended soil that I will need to make it successful.  Over the winter I will continue to add the bunny’s litter bin to the beds as well, the same for my flowerbeds in order to maintain healthy soil for my perennial plants as well.

 

Old battery - old & a bit crusty 😬

New battery

I couldn't just leave that battery hold down all rusty 😟
I had to rejuvenate it so it lasts longer and make it pretty too 😁

I’ll be topping up both vehicles with fuel, checking the fluids again and making sure they are clean and tidy, inside and out.  The tires are good and I replaced the battery in the Subaru as it was quite old (2018) and I definitely did not want to get stranded somewhere with a dead battery so that was on the list to get done this summer.  I’ll also be picking up an extra set of wiper blades to keep in the garage in case one fails so I can easily replace it.

 

I have plenty of alternate light sources, my solar generators are fully charged and there is plenty of kerosene for the lamps, BBQ supplies and fuel for the camp stove in case of a prolonged power outage.  I have a warming blanket as well to keep me and the kitties nice and toasty.

 

As far as clothing goes I am good to go with winter appropriate shoes, coats, hats, socks and attire.  I will be in the market for a new pair of gloves however, as mine are getting pretty worn out.  With that taken care of we should pretty much be all set regardless of what Mother Nature should send our way.  How about you?  What kind of preparations do you make?

 

Vintage Cookery - No Crust Pumpkin Pie

 

My grandmother found this particular pie recipe in a magazine many, many years ago back in the 1970s.  It was an advertisement for Bisquick Impossible Pumpkin Pie and she was kind enough to pass it along tome saying it was one of the easiest and best pumpkin pies she had ever made.  I find that to be very true and it has become one of my favorite go-to recipes as well, often gracing my Thanksgiving table as will be the case this year.

 

No-Crust Pumpkin Pie 

3/4 cup sugar                                                    2 Tbs. butter, melted

1/2 cup Bisquick                                               2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice                          2 eggs, beaten

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree                           1 13oz. can evaporated milk 

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix well at low speed with your mixer or by hand with a sturdy whisk.  Pour into a lightly greased 9” pie plate.  Bake at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes until center is set.  Allow to cool and place in refrigerator overnight.  Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

 

I’ve made it with regular pancake mix or self rising flour and get the same results.  You can swap out the sugar for the equivalent of low carb sweetener, which I have often done.  For me this pie has the perfect amount of spice and I love the texture of it.  And with some freshly whipped cream it takes it right over the top.  As it bakes it forms its own crust along the bottom and sides.  Give it a try! 😋

 

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 179

 

Hello!  How is everybody doing on this fine September day?  Have the days started to cool down yet where you live?  There has definitely been a change here.  We are having warm days that hover around 90° for the high and nice cool nights dipping down to the low 60s.  It has been a nice reprieve from the super hot temperatures.  

 

I picked up some items on sale at Fred Meyer & Grocery Outlet

This past Friday I worked all day and I can say it was a much, much better day for me than the previous one.  It was hectic and busy, but the mood was much calmer and happier.  Then I took the rest of the week off in celebration of the long Labor Day weekend and my upcoming birthday that Tuesday.  I am now 61 years old folks and I will be filing for Social Security next summer in anticipation of my next birthday.  Unbelievable!  My BFF has also threatened to buy me a lifetime National Parks pass for my birthday next year.  Oh boy, I hope he does!

 

Frozen veggies on sale at Albertsons

Throughout the week my BFF and I had multiple discussions and did research on different things we can do in the upcoming years as part of my plan to move along.  It has taken on various twists and turns as there are so many options and all of it is very exciting.  Plans are also in the works for some fun in 2026.  I can hardly wait!

 

One of the tasks on my ever shrinking “to-do” list was to get the carpet in the living room and hallway cleaned and we worked on that over the weekend taking it in sections so we could move furniture around without upsetting the entire house in the process.  We set up box fans to help the carpet dry faster.  I also washed the cover on my recliner before setting the chair back in place.  It turned out lovely and it feels better knowing that the carpet as well as the furniture is nice and clean.  We finished up the living room and got the hallway done a few days later.  I am happy to get that check off!

 

All fresh & clean! 😃

Costco haul!

With my pantry challenge ended it was very nice to get out and get some groceries.  I stopped in at Grocery Outlet as I hadn’t been there in ages and was curious to see what they had.  I found diced tomatoes for 50¢ a can so I picked up four of those and a package of uncured pepperoni slices (total oops! Forgot I’m not buying meat this month) to try as well.  Then we were headed to Costco.

 

I had a list and because they are updating the store they had scaled back on some of their inventory so I wasn’t able to get everything I was planning to buy, however I got the most important things and then we scooted on out of there.  That place is always crazy, regardless of when you go, but especially with parts of it under construction.  I was happy to be able to make fresh salads once again with that big tub of greens I got.

 

I batch cooked some waffles for the freezer using the mini waffle maker that I keep in the motor home.  It worked perfectly to make ten gorgeous fluffy waffles that I allowed to cool completely before placing two in a sandwich bag and tucking four of those packages into the freezer.  I can reheat them in the toaster to eat with an egg and slice of ham or a couple slices of bacon for a yummy brunch or supper.  These would also be good with a smear of peanut butter for when I’m not particularly hungry, but could use a good snack.  Now I have a jumpstart on a quick snack or easy brunch or breakfast for dinner meal times ten!

 

I loaded up the Subaru on Sunday evening and on Monday morning packed the cooler and we were off to the mountains for an overnight campout.  After all of the repairs and upgrades I really wanted to test out the car with a full on road trip complete with dirt roads and also see how it was to camp with it.  I can tell you it is comfortable for one, cozy for two and completely doable.  I am anxious to get out and do it again!  I had so much fun, especially as I was able to wake up on my 61^st birthday to trees and crisp 45° temperatures on Tuesday morning.

 

When we got home I immediately put on the slow cooker with the beef bones and veggie scraps I had been saving plus the rib eye steak bones I brought home from our camp trip and let it go for nearly twenty four hours to make some delicious beef broth.  I also added a whole head of my homegrown garlic to the pot.  My house smelled amazing.  After straining the broth I poured it into some freezer containers and put them away in the freezer.

 

After Labor Day we pulled the A/C unit out of the guest room window and put it away as it wasn’t being used.  I will likely pull the other one in my bedroom in a week or two.  The change of seasons is getting real.  I brought the Fall/Halloween bin back in from the garage and started to decorate the house.  I did it very simply and minimally this year.  Love it!  I also made a point of really enjoying my hummingbirds because in a couple of weeks they will most likely have moved on for the season.

 

More sales items!

I took a very full bag of donations and dropped them off at the thrift store and on the way home I brought the glass recycling I had collected over the summer to the drop-off site as well.  At home I did the paper shredding and dumped the contents of the shredder into one of my garden beds to compost.  The earthworms love the paper.  I also set out a very full blue recycling wheelie bin at the curb for pick up on trash day.  I am making a conscious effort to stay on top of these tasks, keeping things neat and tidy so nothing has the chance to pile up.  And you’ll be happy to know I’ve not kept any cardboard boxes or mailers (“just in case”).  Junk mail doesn’t even make it into the house.  Yay me!

 

I divided up the vegetables to vacuum seal and put away in the deep freeze

It was a fun and productive week and I enjoyed my time off and my time away.  I am very much looking forward to my next road trip which will be a solo one.  I am even more grateful to have the opportunity to have such a nice car to make into my “new” adventure mobile.  I hope you all had a wonderful week as well.  How did you spend your holiday weekend?

 

My Future With Pets

 

Over the past six months or so I have been putting a lot of thought into my future with pets and I’ve come to the conclusion, for a variety of reasons that, I’d like to try going it alone at some point.  I’m not sure how this will play out exactly as I’ve not really known much time in my life where I didn’t have at least one pet, but I’d like to give it a try.

 

Since I’m planning a big move at some point in my not too distant future this will be my last batch of peeps because I have no future plans to raise chickens when I get to where I am going.  In the meantime I will really enjoy the ones I have, but as for the future I do not intend to include any chickens.

 

As for a future with a dog, I am not really a dog person.  I’ve put a lot of thought into this one and because of all the upkeep and attention involved in caring for a dog I ruled this one out ages ago.  Kitties however, are a whole different thing.  I love cats, always have, and can’t imagine not having one in my life.  My plan initially will be to go it alone and see how it works for me.  Will I get a kitty once I’m settled?  To be perfectly honest, I really do not know.

 

I’d like to know the freedom of not being tied down to the house because I have a pet that needs me to take care of it.  I’d like to know what it is like to not have furniture or carpeting that has been clawed.  I’d like to know what it is like if someone says “hey, want to go away for the weekend?” the only thing I need to worry about is what to pack.  There is also the financial aspect of being a pet owner.  It’s expensive.

 

The other aspect of responsible pet parenting is my age when I get to my next home and am settled in.  At some point I know that as I get older the potential for my pets to outlive me is greater and I’ll have to make some type of accommodation for them.  I’m not sure I want to have to deal with that.  I’m also at a point in my life where I don’t want to have to say good-bye to anymore furbabies because it only gets harder.  Do I even want to go through it again?  Who does?

 

This boy is ridiculous!

Will I be lonely without a pet in my life?  Possibly.  I don’t know.  It is something I’m going to have to experience and work through.  Will I enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about a pet?  I’m sure I will.  Can I change my mind later if I choose to?  Absolutely!  But for now the plan moving forward will not include any new pets in my future.

 

Thoughtful & Minimalist Gift Giving

 

In this day and age I find myself making a lot of considerations when it comes to gift giving with the primary one being cost.  Things, stuff, crap, whatever you want to call it, is expensive and becoming even more so.  Another one is that most people in my circle are in similar positions, just like me.  We have all the things, stuff, crap, whatever you want to call it, we need or want and we are all working to downsize and clear the clutter in our own homes.  We are also all on limited incomes.

 

I like to give consumables.  They are easy, appreciated and they don’t hang around forever.  Food gifts are my favorite because I love to cook and create in my kitchen.  It is my number one favorite thing to do above all else.  So anything food related is a good gift option.  I also like to give wine, beer and liquor to my drinking friends.

 

Other consumables are things I know a specific person would like.  I have friends that like paper, not unlike myself, so I will give them a simple decorated notepad or journal I have made.  Add a pen, or not, and it is good to go.  They’ll use it up and they don’t take up a lot of space.  I have friends that love candles.  I have people that enjoy a nice scented soap.  We can all use a bottle of foaming hand soap to wash our hands with.  Things we will use on a daily basis and use up meet the criteria.

 

Gift cards are my other go-to gift item.  I like them because you can personalize it based on who you are giving it to and they fit nicely inside a greeting or Christmas card.  Easy peasy!  Most of the gift cards I give are to grocery stores, gas stations or a favorite restaurant, something useful to enhance their life a little bit.

 

I no longer need to shop for gifts to stockpile, wrap and send to people for their birthdays or at Christmas.  I no longer need to spend a bunch of money or need to have a particular budget set up for gift giving anymore either.  I just keep it modest and simple.  Not surprisingly, the gifts that are appreciated the most are the ones they can eat.

 

Not Buying Any Meat This Month

 

No matter how good the deal is I’m not going to be buying any meat this month.  Coming off of a two month pantry challenge I have plenty of protein options so instead of buying meat I’ll be focusing my grocery budget dollars on other things like a Costco produce stock up.

 

I am so blessed to have a deep freezer plus an entire shelf in my LTFS well stocked with a nice variety of beef, chicken, pork & fish/shrimp.  During my pantry challenge I realized that I’d like to have more space in the deep freezer devoted to frozen produce and in order to do that I need to clear a shelf.

 

With the size of the bags of produce that Costco sells I will definitely need more freezer space.  My plan is to divide those bags into meal size portions and then vacuum seal them, label and date each package and store in the deep freeze.  I am really excited about this because this girl loves her veggies and I eat a lot of them.

 

I'd prefer to have two shelves filled with veggies
so I need to make room for my miscellaneous items

What will you be focusing on this month at the grocery store?  Are you seeing any good sales in anticipation of the upcoming holidays yet?