Snow and Rain, oh my!!

The rain this past week has been unbelievable even for Oregon! With rain measuring over 7 inches in one week, our ground is sodden, wet and squishy if there ever was such a word.

Starting the week, we had quite a bit of snow and I enjoyed watching the falling snow create a winter wonderland. Once the snow ended, the rain began and didn't stop until today when there was a bit of sun showing; but that didn't last long either because when I was outside, I felt raindrops again.

Mike and I were fortunate because our power did not go out and we were able to stay warm and dry. Learning how to live without power can be trying and hard on those who don't know how to cope with it. Living on the farm growing up, my family lost their power on a regular basis - sometimes living without power for several days. One time when we lost power, my mother had homemade rolls rising and a pot of soup on the stove. When I got home from school, she had the camp stove out finishing up the soup but had to throw away the rolls. We bundled up and stayed dry with a fire in the fireplace. After supper, we all sat around the table bundled up with a lantern playing card and board games to. pass the time away

Hearing of the power losses in both Oregon and Washington reminded me I should have some type of emergency kit ready in case our power went out. Here's the recipe for a simple but important reminder to keep things, "In Case of Emergency."

Emergency Kit

First Aid Kit
Bottled water
Sleeping bags
Camp stove
canned food in the Pantry that needs little or no heating
Powdered milk
Flashlights for every member of the family
Extra toilet paper
Games to play to pass the time away
Books to read by light of the flashlight

Replace the food on a regular basis so you have fresh non-outdated food. I'm sure I forgot something on the list, but you can build your kit specifically for your family. My daughter's family lost their power in Washington and she did a great job coping and adapting to the difficult time until the power came back on.

First taste of snow!

The appearance of snow outside my window this morning brought back so many memories of growing up on the farm. The winter months would bring their excitement of snow, riding on the tractor while my Dad would clear the snow or building the biggest snowmen of all time. My bother and sister would make snow forts too so we could throw snowballs at each other. Or even walking with my brother in the snow trying to trip each other so we'd end up in the snow either face down or face up.

My mother would bundle us up with our farm boots, woolen gloves, and baggies. Yes, I said baggies. My mother was a genious when it came to improvising!! She would let us put on the gloves and boots, but then we would add the baggies to our gloves held in place by rubberbands and also the boots were covered in plastic bags held in place with rubber bands. Who knew back then you'd be able to find tools like rubber bands and baggies doubling as winter wear gear....Yep, she was a genious, and yes, our hands got cold but they stayed dry. Same for the feet.

After playing outside until our hands were frozen (at least we thought so), we'd end up standing or sitting next to the fireplace warming our hands and feet with a cup of hot cocoa. What warm and cozy memories of the snow. Even to this day, I get excited about the snow and didn't get much sleep last night anticipating the first sight of the snow this morning.

My mother would also make ice cream snow so this is the recipe for this post. If you do make this, be sure to get your snow from a clean source (most snow now isn't as clean as it used to be). Growing up, making the ice cream snow was almost as much fun as playing in it.

Ice cream snow

2 cups of snow
1/2 cup of cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons of sugar

Keep the snow cold while mixing your other ingredients together. Then pour the cream mixture over the snow and scoop the snow into either a cone or dish. Enjoy.

What is Retirement?

During my 40's, I had it all...a new college education, a wonderful brand new home for myself and my daughter, a new career and of course a new husband who came with 8 children and bunches of grandchildren. Finding a new career was an exciting time in my life - about 15 years later than most career minded people but I got there with the help of my folks and other family members.

Thinking of retiring wasn't in my volcabulary back then and "somewhere down the road" I was going to retire, maybe when I was 65, hahaha. I don't think I ever wanted to retired. Sometimes peoples' plans don't coincide with God's plan for their lives and in this case, my life. I got laid off from the new career but God gave me another job and in this new job, I met a family who became life-long friends. Career-wise it wasn't the most demanding job, but I did enjoy it until God decided I should make another career move.

At 50 my husband and I made a decision maybe I needed more education so I took an accelerated Master's course and got an MBA. Who in their right mind would take a 2 year course in 18 months? Yep, ME!!! It wasn't easy but I graduated in a class starting out with 11 people and ending up with only 5 graduating on time. Those were crazy times but through this I got the job of my dreams in 2006. This job was demanding, but rewarding in its own way and soon I was part of an association where I sat on a Board of Directors and was considered a "high powered executive". The job also demanded I commute to Portland adding another layer of stress.

In 2009, only 3 years after receiving my dream job, I lost the job and was looking again for a new position utilizing my education and skills. Now honestly, who would hire someone in their 60's in an executive position? Not many people and, I found I would interview for a great position, but as soon as someone saw me, I would not get the job due to my age or disability (bad knees).

I started praying and asking, "God, if you want me to work, find me a job. If not, I guess I'll be retired." The job never came to fruition but applying for Social Security Disability was one outlet. I thought if I can't work, I'll see if I qualify for benefits. No one gets SSDI on their first try....that is except me. God was definitely telling me something about time to retire. I guess at that point, I needed an attitude adjustment regarding retirement.

So after all this, what is retirement? I've heard on the news there are approximately 2,000 baby boomers retiring every day. Is retirement all play, staying at home doing nothing, or just letting life slip by? I've come to the conclusion retirement is a new and exciting career change. I get to sleep in (don't have to be on the road to Portland by 5:30 every morning and don't have to plan meetings, be in charge of meetings, etc.), make anything I want for supper (doesn't matter how long it takes to cook - I have time), learning new hobbies to keep me busy, write a book, or even volunteering a few days a week.

I've learning to accept my limitations and embracing retirement albeit in a different sort of way. I volunteer at a home twice a week babysitting a wonderful baby, I'm learning to use a new sewing/embroidery machine and I'm working on my book, "Shelter from the Storm" which I hope to finish in 2012 (Lord willing). Maybe I'll even start a new book after the one I'm working on is finished. Who knows. But the main thing is I'm learning to be retired and not fighting it.

Now for the recipe from this "retired" person. I've acquired a taste for croissants from Williams Sonoma. These don't take any time except they do cost so here's the recipe.

Go to the Williamssonoma.com website and hunt for food. Order one of the boxes of croissants. Follow the directions on the label and enjoy. Serve warm or use them as sandwich bread. These items were one of Oprah's favorite things she gave away every year on her show. Now that's taking it easy with being retired and cooking!! Have fun Baby Boomers retiring!!