B.H. MEMORY PART DEAUX

Remember when I mentioned that phenomenal kid of mine? We were talking about this Blog on Thanksgiving evening and she reminded me of when she was 11.
By 1973, as fate would have it, we lived 3 blocks above the Bethany Home instead of across the street. She came home one day and asked if she could invite her new friend Nancy to Tea. I said she could. She set the day about 3 days out. On the appointed day, she helped me set out the tea tray and left to go get Nancy. I was picturing an afternoon of giggling girls enjoying the 'grown up' tea.
I was on the porch when I saw Terri come up the hill and turn down our street. I didn't see Nancy at first. She was behind Terri and moving much, much slower because she was at least, a hundred years old!!! She had on a fantastic, red Chanel suit. It even had the gold chain belt. Every silver hair was in place. She was walking slowly because of her advanced age and the high heels she was wearing. Naturally, Terri got to the house first so, I had time to ask her who Nancy was. "She's a lady I visit every day when I go down to Bethany Home."
I asked if she had told anyone Nancy was leaving. She said she hadn't. Panic set in but I helped Nancy up the stairs to the house and welcomed her to tea at our home. Nancy was so sweet. One could tell she was a little fuzzy but so cute. She knew her last name when I asked. She was so pleased to be having tea with her little friend. I sat them down with tea and scones. I excused myself to make a phone call. I called The Bethany Home and told them if they were looking for Nancy she was at my house and explained the situation.
As soon as I said my daughter Terri had invited her, the woman on the other end told me they all loved her down at the Bethany Home. (I didn't even know she went to the home!!) They said they'd come up and get Nancy right away.
I looked in the living room and saw the two of them having such a charming time. I asked if it was okay for them to postpone picking Nancy up for about an hour. They were so nice about it. They came an hour later and acted as if they knew all along where Nancy had been.
Terri rode home with her and walked back. When she got back, she told me she walked down to the home almost every day and visited certain people. There was the bedridden lady with no family, a tall man that stood in his doorway paying passersby dollar bills to listen to him sing ("I don't take the dollar bills Mom.") and Nancy among others. She said she didn't think Nancy got any visitors either.
The Bethany Home people called in the next few days to thank me for calling them and alerting them to how easy it was for someone to leave without notice. They encouraged me not to blame Terri and said she was always welcome.
She's going to be 47 next week and she is still a sucker for us old people.

B.H. MEMORY

I was re-reading Penni's thoughts on Bethany Home tonight and it brought back memories.
When I was first divorced and poor as a church mouse I rented a big, drafty barn of a house right across the street from Bethany Home.
My friends 'Clunk' (long story...name stuck...), Danny and I would 'scrape together some Jingle' as we called it and go across to the store Penni mentions and buy a few beers. Then we'd sit and talk. Some of my favorite memories of those two are in that shabby living room, sitting on the only piece of furniture, a couch that had bad hinges and kept making into a bed if it moved away from the wall.
We even picked our rooms in Bethany Home from that house. Clunk & Danny in the left tower and me in the room below. Funny how that potential move seemed to be HUNDREDS of years off.
That was 1962!!! Forty Eight Years ago! I was 19 and Wow,how things changed in the following years. I raised a fantastic human being that doesn't let anything stop her from what she wants. I met the best friend I will ever have. (Okay...the circumstances of our introduction are another entirely different story...) I ended up with the best cadre of friends a person could have.
We had a ball being single for the next 6 years. We all married and kept in touch as much as possible.
We were visiting Penni and her ex in Tucson, in 1990. We drove up to Phoenix and went to Sizzler before going on to Cottonwood (..where it was so cold, my video camera FROZE in it's track....!). As we left Phoenix we ended up going down a street called (I KID you Not...) Bethany Home Road!!
Over the years Clunk retired and moved to Lolo, Montana. We haven't seen Danny in years. A few years back Bethany home was sold to a Medical Clinic and parts that included 'our rooms' were torn down.
Last Thanksgiving Clunk called in a panic. Apparently, he had come over here to Washington for Thanksgiving. I said, "Hello" and he hollered, "Carole!! Bethany Home is gone!! What are we going to do???" Hence..My Bethany Home memories.

WOW, what a deal. Fresh produce.....

If you are on a fixed income it is often challenging to make ends meet and to eat healthy, fresh produce at today's prices.
Our complex's management company has found a way to help us in this. This past Tuesday they started a Farmer's Market.
The week before they passed out sheets with lists of produce and suggested we mark what we like and might purchase. They purchased it at wholesale prices and sold it to us at the price they paid for it.
What a great idea to help Seniors buy fresh food at a reasonable price. There is even a way to help out with this wonderful idea and that is to show up early and help bag up the things that need bagging ahead of time.
There were even eggs at $1.69 a dozen and they also sold them by the half dozen.

After hearing someone complain about the price of an apple (Fuji .40 each) I decided to do a comparison shop with Safeway.

I had purchased:
1 bunch green onions
1 pint grape tomatoes
7 fat asparagus in a small bunch
1 pound red grapes
1 large banana
2 avocados
2 yams
1 pound green beans (the really dark green small sized ones)
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 huge red pepper
1 # baby carrots
1 large head cabbage
and 2 Fuji apples

My total bill came to $12.10* and filled up a Trader Joe's paper shopping bag to the top.
When I compared my list, item for item, the total came to $27.53. And the apples were .75 each at Safeway.
I know I have purchased apples cheaper than that at Grocery Outlet but I had to buy a whole bag and they were a little wrinkled as a lot of their produce is what is called seconds. The apples from our Farmer's Market were large and very fresh and juicy and crisp.
So here's to the people in the management office that did all of this for us and let's make sure we show up each week to shop.
Oh, and what happened to the produce that didn't sell......it went to a charitable organization that feeds people. What a win, win situation.
*I may become a vegetarian at this rate.

And Then It's Winter..For All My Pals

And it's winter before we know it....
You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all...
And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... But, here it is..the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I remember well.. seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like... But, here it is...my friends are retired and really getting gray...they move slower and I see an older person now. Lots are in better shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant... but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore...it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will...I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over...its over....Yes , I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done ,,,,,things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime....

So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!'

Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

' LIVE IT WELL!!----ENJOY TODAY!!!!-----DO SOMETHING FUN!!!----BE HAPPY!!!----BE THANKFUL!!!!!

Count down to Thanksgiving.....

The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club

I'm not much of a movie buff but I just rented and throughly enjoyed the movie, The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club. Maybe it's my age, maybe it was the fact it is revolving around a Senior community.

A romantic comedy about our amazing capacity to rebound and fall in love at any age. Lois, Harry, Marilyn ,Sandy and Jack live in an "Active Adult" community in Boynton Beach, Florida. Their lives intersect when they meet at a local Bereavement Club where they go to find emotional support after the loss of a loved one.

For anyone who thinks that new love and romance ends long before retirement, they're in for a reality check. No one sees themselves as becoming old, and the residents of Boynton Beach aren't about to start. But sometimes we all need a little reminder that life is worth living and sharing.

If I have roused your curiosity a little, here is a link to the trailer for it,
but it in no way does it justice.

You may have to copy, cut and paste to see trailer
http://en.dtrailer.com/movies/watch/the-boynton-beach-bereavement-club


Back in 1935 Congress enacted the Social Security Act; at that time the average life expectancy was only 59.9 years for a man and 63.9 years for a woman. Most people were not going to live long enough to collect their benefits. Today when so many of us are passing 80 years and on, a new phase of life begins at 65 or sooner.

We plan and dream for a life of leisure in the sunshine, but as the poet Robert Burns noted, "the best laid schemes of mice o' men, gang-aft-a-gley". Sooner or later, most of us will be in this situation. The need for companionship, someone to care for us, the fear of being alone and yes, even sex.

Director Susan Seidelman took one of her 75 year old mother's short stories ( Florence Seidelman) and adapted it to the screen. The result is
a comedy-drama that is both entertaining and at times poignant.
Tighter writing could have brought out much more of the drama and bigger laughs. Even with these flaws, Boynton Beach is an enjoyable diversion.

Their stories are portrayed by an excellent cast of veterans including: Joe Bologna, Dyan Cannon, Sally Kellerman, Mal Z. Lawrence, Michael Nouri, Renee Taylor and Brenda Vaccaro. It is a little unnerving to see these folks after not viewing them for some years. I was taken aback by Dyan Cannon's collagen-infused new lips. Len Cariou and Joe Bologna steal the film. After this movie, younger folks will be looking at those who live in an active-adult community with a new sense of discovery.

My morning, or why I sometimes over eat.

I think I have found the reason that I sometimes over eat. When I was younger, I got up in the morning, went to the kitchen, made myself a "cuppa", fixed some breakfast, and sat down to eat.

This morning I got up, headed to the kitchen, took my breakfast items out of the fridge, placed them on the counter next to the stove and started to prepare my breakfast. I had purchased a large plastic container of citrus fruits and a can of crushed pineapple. Mixed those together and put back in the fridge. (A small dish of this is so yummy, ice cold, first thing in the morning.) Threw the containers in the sink to rinse for recycle.

Saw the pumpkin puree that I had taken out of the fridge to bring to room temperature and said to myself, "better get that into the crock pot now (making pumpkin butter) as it has been out since the middle of the night." Moved the breakfast items to the side and made the pumpkin butter mix and put it into the crock pot. Putting the ingredients away I realized that I had nothing to put the open bag of sugar in....(still buying too large of a size...and will I ever remember that I'm just one now?). Stuck it up in the cupboard and decided next time I'm at the Dollar Store I would purchase a storage container. Moved the breakfast items closer to the stove and while I was cleaning up after myself I picked up and moved a pound of butter that I had purchased last night and left sitting on the counter to also bring to room temperature. (I whip real butter with healthy oil to make whipped butter.) Realized it was soft and warm and said to my self, "better get that into the bowl and get it whipped up and refrigerated since it has been out all night". Moved the breakfast items to the side and whipped up a fresh batch of butter.

Went to put on the water for tea. (Found a new-to-me tea yesterday, Nutcracker Sweet, that I had heard someone on a blog rave about) "Oh no," while I was putting the pumpkin mixture I had splashed it on a good portion of the back corner of the stove and the heat from the burner might make it harder to remove. (brand new appliances have made me so fussy about cleanups) So I went to the sink to get the dish rag hot and soapy and realized I had a sink full of dishes.....see where I'm going with this.
"Better put the dishes in the pan with some hot water so they will be easier to wash", I said to myself. Took the things I had put into the sink to rinse and recycle and looked at the big plastic container that the citrus fruit salad had come in. "Hmmmm, now wouldn't that make a great container to hold that extra sugar that I bought." So I got busy, did up the dishes, but had to put yesterday's clean ones away first. Of course. When I came to the plastic container I just tossed it into the hot remaining dish water to soak the label off.

Finally, moved the afore mentioned breakfast items over to the counter by the stove, again, and started to put on the water for tea when I realized I STILL hadn't cleaned up the pumpkin splatters. Actually got it done and put the water on for tea.

As I was standing at the stove, my bare foot landed in something sticky and I said to myself, "better get that wiped up before you track it into the living room on the new carpet." So I did the floor. Water is now boiling and I actually made the tea but had too much water in the tea kettle so poured it into the dishpan with the plastic container, put the kettle back on the turned off, but still hot burner. (I do this to dry out my tea kettle so I don't ever have to buy another one.)

Was curious about how hot the water was and if that would help the label to loosen. Hmmmm, almost loose. "Better take that off now while the water is still hot and the glue is still soft." Label came off great but all the glue remained and was it sticky.
I decided to heck with it all and I was, by now, absolutely starving. Put the little egg skillet on with a dab of my recently whipped butter, set the toast in the toaster oven and fried up two perfect eggs.

Now remember, I said toaster oven and mine is rather large since I purchased it when I lived in the RV and used it instead of the oven. It takes quite a long time to make toast. I decided while I was waiting, to see if I could get the glue off of the container. "Oh, didn't I have some Goo-Gone somewhere? Maybe it's down under the completely stuffed full cupboard under the sink." After some searching I found it and drizzled some onto the container lid to test. "Darn, there goes the toast", I said out loud this time. Nora looks at me like "what". "Oh, it will only take a few minutes", so I think. I worked and worked on it and now, naturally, the toast is cold and hard as a brick but I have a new, perfectly good container for free.

I dished up the eggs on top of the toast, hoping to have the heat and the runny yolk soften it. But by now the yolks have firmed up completely from sitting and waiting for me. So I had breakfast....hard toast, hard eggs, cold tea and it is two and one half hours later than I had originally started out to have breakfast. But I have a new container, pumpkin butter cooking and perfuming the house, whipped butter chilling in the fridge, and that will taste wonderful on the many slices of pumpkin bread I am going to go into my kitchen and consume because it's now lunch time.......see, this is precisely why I over eat. How about you?