Well, it was another grand week of retirement.
The library was closed for the MLK holiday. I had a vision of all the librarians whooping it up on a yacht somewhere. On Tuesday, the library reopened, and I procured new reading. I showed up at the house with books in hand and Dale said, “Oh, they’re back from the party barge?”
Winter makes me want to curl up inside the house, but I’m forcing myself to continue with walking and golf. It’s funny – swimming has turned out to be one of my favorite cold-weather sports. The pool at my fitness club is 85 degrees, and it’s like swimming in the Caribbean. I am amazed by those who continue to swim laps in the cold pool, which is 78 degrees.
Dale and I both developed unnecessary habits right after Halloween. We had a bunch of candy leftover and started to take a little bowl to bed every night. They’re miniature! They don’t even count! Dale calls it “Night Food.” We both had to stop that nonsense.
All so we can continue to eat well! There is nothing like the comfort of good food. The main reason I tolerate cooler weather is because I love the seasonal switch to hearty dishes. Dale is from Maine and makes baked beans with an heirloom bean from Northern Maine. Marafax. We usually get a pound in our Christmas package from his sister.
Dale bakes them (unsoaked) for a few hours in the oven with some water, salt pork and dry mustard. Then he makes yeast rolls and what he calls cabbage salad. It’s just coleslaw – grated white cabbage with a little bit of diced onion, mayonnaise and celery seeds. Something yummy about those celery seeds. I think of it as a reasonably healthy meal, if you don’t count the butter slathered on those rolls.
We started eating more salads, mostly with a light drizzle of the pink stuff. In fact, tonight I’m making crispy chicken thighs with mushroom sauce and a spinach salad with the very same dressing. Have you tried it yet? My friend Carole made a batch of the pink stuff and is now a convert.
I baked a batch of raspberry scones, my take on a recipe from Linda at Retired Introvert. I try to keep either blueberry or raspberry in the freezer at all times!
It seems I wrote the post about raspberry scones in August, when I was on another baking frenzy. That was when I said I wasn’t born to work but instead born to retire. As I begin my third year of retirement, I can only confirm what has already been said.
The baking frenzy continues. I started a batch of no-knead baguettes today, but the dough rises for at least 18 hours, so the baguettes will get baked tomorrow. We’ll probably have them for dinner Sunday with soft ripe cheese, Spanish ham and good olive oil.
In heartbreaking news, my favorite pair of tongs broke. They are more than 40 years old. The brand is Foley, which I don’t think exists anymore. I like them for making my dad’s tacos, which are gently fried in oil. These tongs grab the tortilla without tearing or poking.
I sent my sister a picture of the tongs and asked if she knew whether they were a special kind. She didn’t know but said she had two pairs of the exact same tongs and would bring one when she comes to visit us in March.
Nothing stumps her. It’s like oh, those tongs from 1970, why, here they are!
I gotta run. The afternoon is winding up, and I need to get in a round of Wii golf before happy hour.
How’s your retirement going? As you can see, my days are packed.
Dear Donna, agreed, food and drink are important – you are what you eat (and drink). MLK Holiday? Well, as a non-American I had that figured pretty quick but I have a connection. In my airforce flying days I had my first jet solo flight on the exact day the Bill of Rights was enacted. It was also my 18th birthday! Here we do not do MLK but Burns Night comes 5 nights later. As a bit Scottish and liker of (some) poetry that is key too. I have been retired since I left school. I do some every day, now pretty much all day, although I have this notion about earning money (would that be working?) from ‘creative’ writing, but time is running out for that! Alan
I looked up Burns Night, and I love it! We need something like that in the U.S. Maybe Frost Night? Ferlinghetti Night? As for creative writing, I’ve been cursed with that itch since I was a child. Nothing has come of it so far. I’m just grateful I don’t have to make any money at it.
Donna, I’m with you when it comes to eating well. I’ve lived alone for decades and people often comment about how I cook for myself. What? I’m supposed to eat popcorn every day for 29 years?! That from a friend who left her 4 kids at home with their dad one day. She reminded him that they needed to be fed while she was gone. She asked him what he fed the kids in her absence and he replied – popcorn. I am aware of the seasonal differences in the menu. Winter brings lots of slow cooking and comfort food. I just finished a delicious mac ‘n’ cheese using up all the ends of the holiday cheeses. Yum.
I can’t understand people who eat bad food and lots of it. My husband taught me a lot about cooking. He learned it from his mother. My mom wasn’t much of a cook. Dale has promised me mac’n’cheese soon. Trying to use up some freezer food first.
Thanks for the shout out.