After my big spiel about staying safe in the heat, it got beastly hot, and I played a rough 18 holes of golf. I got away with it, mostly because I used all my gear, including a solar umbrella, a battery-operated fan, a spray bottle of water, a cool towel and tons of fluids. That said, I felt weak and dizzy, and I should have stopped.
I spent the next day resting and guzzling more fluids, and I felt OK after that. I vowed to be more careful going forward. Theoretically, I should be getting smarter about this stuff.
Shortly after, I went to Santa Cruz for a few days of golf with the girls. Quite the opposite weather on the coast. Dag, it was cold! But I was prepared. My knit cap and windbreaker were coveted by many. I did my best to keep up with my exercises but some require resistance bands and weights, and that just seemed like a bridge too far.
We played golf three days in a row, which is unusual for me. I wasn’t sure how my body would hold up, but I didn’t experience any pain at all and am pretty happy about that. I do think the strengthening exercises are helping in lots of different ways.
I’ve never been a big fan of cherries, but one of the women brought a bag for the trip, and they were delicious. I bought more at the farmers market today and made a smoothie with almond milk, cherries and almond butter. Yum. The tomatoes aren’t ready yet, but we can’t wait. That’s a whole season’s worth of happiness.
On the reading front, I highly recommend Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy. It’s a short novel about a lonely old woman who befriends a mouse. Just a great little story that will leave you feeling good.
The mouse in the book is very sweet, and he inspired me to have a talk with our cat about his demeanor. Riley was a rescue, but he’s been with us for, gosh, I don’t know, eight years? He still acts like we’re trying to kill him.
I asked Riley to be a little more loving. He won’t get on the bed to say hi, but I guess that’s not all bad. He’ll get in Dale’s lap once in a blue moon but not mine ever. He’s longhaired, and I groom him, and he doesn’t make a fuss. All in all, Riley is a good boy, and he’ll let me pick him up and smooch him. Uses his box. Doesn’t scratch stuff. Pukes now and again, but who doesn’t?
The book also made me think about vegetarianism. If you have an animal companion and wouldn’t think of eating him, why is your little friend more special than other animals you gladly consume? I enjoy meat, but I could see life without it. However, I wouldn’t give up cheese unless it was a life-or-death situation.
Dale and I frequently throw that out for discussion – which would you rather give up? Meat or cheese? Easy for me. Meat. He’s a cheesehead like me but more of a carnivore and definitely on the fence.
We drive each other crazy much of the time, but Dale is still my favorite person, and he says I’m still his. However, I believe breaks are good for relationships, and we haven’t had many of those since I retired. Togetherness can be too much of a good thing. This time, I was gone four nights, and it was a nice vacation from each other.
As your official retirement confidant, I would definitely recommend retired couples periodically schedule solo trips.
I had a great time in Santa Cruz, but I’m glad to be home hanging out with Dale. It might be my imagination, but I think Riley is happy the family is back together again. Maybe that little talk we had did some good.
Brace yourself. Our current cat didn`t let us pick her up or smooch her until she was 17. She is 18 now, will be 19 in August, and I am packing it in for as long as I still get. I got this rescue at 4 months old and thought, “This is the first one I will get to raise completely from the start. It`s gonna be great.” But she is the toughest nut either my husband (the all-animal whisperer) or I have ever had to crack. Until four years ago, there was always another cat in the house so we could get our fix. Now, she has had to step up as an only child and we smooch her all the time, which she seems to like, and we say see what you could have had for the first 17 years?!
Wow, this was definitely a heads up. And I thought Riley was a tough nut to crack. I’m glad you’re getting smooches. So important!
I think that so much togetherness is a big challenge in retirement, even for the best of couples. (What couples don’t drive each other nuts sometimes?) We have found that some time apart (even during the day) is healthy and gives us something to bring back to the conversation.
Just for the record (in case you are doing a poll) – I could live without meat, but I could NEVER live without cheese either. 😊
I’ll just say I’m glad I have golf. Dale doesn’t play.
Glad to know there’s another cheesehead out there.
I am in full support of couples having some separate time away from each other. Donna, that was great you had some girl time away. Retirement can be stressful if couples spend every waking moment together! We had to find a rhythm of time spent together with breaks during the day to do our own interests.
Regarding the meat vs. cheese poll…we gave up a carnivore diet several years ago, when we began a plant-based diet. We eat cheese on occasion, but not often.
The other thing I like is when he goes somewhere, and I have the house to myself. It doesn’t happen very often.
Wow, hardly any cheese … that would be tough for me. I’m sure you are enjoying the health benefits, so hats off!
I started a Whole Foods plant-based diet several months ago as part of a Kaiser study about people with multiple childhood traumatic items and their health outcomes and how some of the health outcomes might be slowed or reversed by removing processed foods from their diet. So I’m not one to give up cheese either so I’m still eating a bit of dairy but I have to say that I feel better than ever as far as my health goes( except for my back surgery of course) and also my brain cognition seems to be improved. I am not searching for Words as much and I’m remembering some names that I never can seem to remember during Jeopardy.
I don’t see Dale going for it and you two have so many established dishes you like to revisit but I hadn’t been eating much meat anyway. I’m really having a lot of fun discovering all sorts of new ways of making dishes out of stuff that I didn’t eat enough of like chickpeas and lentils and nuts and tofu. I am making my own cashew milk in my Vitamix and I have to say it’s really delicious cuz I always hated those just watered down so-called nut milks. But cashew milk made in the Vitamix at home is really creamy.
Good luck
I also eat very little processed food, and thank the great planner most cheese isn’t processed. I was surprised to learn cream cheese is processed. Your new food plan sounds great. I’m glad it’s helping you.
You are right about Dale probably not going along with it. But when it’s my turn to cook, I look for recipes with lentils, nuts, etc. I love chana masala. He’ll eat anything and enjoy it, but if I suddenly announced a new way to eat, he’d freak. Love the idea of homemade cashew milk. While I don’t have a Vitamix (yet), I do have a high-end juicer, and I believe I can make nut milks in it. You’ve inspired me to try!
This summer coming will be the second one when Himself and I won’t be spending time out & about in fields at military events on multiple weekends. I’ve started to burn more easily and wearing sun cream makes me feel even hotter and pour with sweat, so we’re now giving it a miss. Most of our friends who used to participate have moved on, so there’s less draw anyway. And as to the after effects of dehydration… they’re no joke.
My daughter (and her husband) were vegetarian, and still only eat meat occasionally. When Himself and I first got together, he thought I was an avid carnivore, whereas I thought he was. I would find life without dairy to be hard – I even started to dream about yoghurt when I tried to give it up! I could go vegetarian, if not vegan, but I would always miss bacon.
I like sun-protective clothing better than globbing myself up with sunscreen.
Bacon is a tough one to give up.