Friends and relatives often ask me how I like being retired. Well, it's OK...it's different...it's been a good thing with Jack's surgeries and being able to spend time with my sister. I would love to say I've done a ton of home projects but really this winter I've been feeling lazy. I'm used to a schedule jammed packed with work and home and "adventures" as Jack and I call them. I will say that I haven't been bored and I seem to find the day gets filled quickly! With Covid the photography classes I thought I would enjoy haven't happened and I was going to work PRN at the hospital but they have been slow and the budget won't allow any hires at this time. So I'm doing what the day lends itself too...keeping warm, shopping, snow shoveling, mini adventures, and still taking pics. Here's a few of my lazy, hazy, winter doings:
I enjoy baking and making bread is pretty fun and satisfying.
Those lovely, puffy, yeasty delights go from this to this to:
Pretty as a picture! Now, I don't want you to think we sit around and eat all this every day! Jack isn't a huge bread eater. I would love to be and could be but that wouldn't be too healthy. So we enjoy a bit and then I love making some "YaYa deliveries" to friends and family.
Here's drop off package to my BFF Donna who's at home alone for now while her hubby is recouping in a rehab facility. Some banana bread along with the homemade loaf and some homemade honey butter to add to a warm piece of toast. Growing up I remember Mom buying honey butter and putting that on her homemade bread all warm from the oven...good memories! I decided I could make my own and the taste is pretty close to my memories. A small project that needed attention was my microwave.
Have you ever ventured into the interior of your microwave? I hadn't either and probably never would have if the darn lightbulb hadn't burned out. I put up with a dark microwave until I went on You Tube and found out how to change it. How many people does it take to change a lightbulb? Well, I started the project..Jack joined in to give some good advice and help lift... and the folks at 3 different stores who couldn't get the right lightbulb also joined in. Good old Amazon Prime came to the rescue with the correct bulb...actually I got two in the package..and delivered in 2 days.
It works! Let there be light! So that's been the last few days of fun and adventure. I'll throw this last pic in of poor Arnie. Yes, more surgery for the little dude. He had a growth on his front paw and a few other growths that needed attention along with teeth cleaning and extraction. It's hard being an older dog!
The cone is ridiculous but necessary. When he had his back leg fixed in the Fall he couldn't reach it to bother it. But he can easily reach his front paw and I feel bad he has to wear this contraption for a few weeks. We do take it off here and there so he can eat. He had it on last night when he went out for his final "to be sure" potty run. When he put his head down he ended up scooping a bunch of snow in it! I did laugh but took it off before he went to bed. He's a trouper and hopefully won't need any more surgery! So as the snow continues to fall off and on, and the cold continues to chill, I'll just continue to try and enjoy these lazy, hazy days of Winter and look for some more projects to actually get done!
9 comments:
Wow, those bread loaves look so good! As you might know, my husband has Celiac disease and must eat gluten free. It's possible to make gluten free bread but there is nothing like wheat. Nothing! Hoping you will have more adventures!!😊Take care!
Oh Yaya, your homemade bread makes my mouth water. Nothing better than a fresh slice of homemade bread.
Good for you for initiating changing the lightbulb in your microwave. There's a lot of information on youtube for Do-it-yourselfers.
How sweet of you to drop off some freshly baked goodies to Donna. I've been thinking about her lately. I was checking some old blog posts the other day and came upon some comments she left on my blog. It was so nice reading her comments. I do miss her. I always thought the world of her and I wish her well.
Poor little Arnie, he'll just have to wear the collar of shame a little longer. Speedy recovery to him
Hugs, Julia
Your bread looks delicious and lucky Donna to get a care package.
Poor Arnie hope he is better soon.
They are training everyone on how to give the covid vaccine here not sure if that is something you would be interested in.
We have used youtube several times to fix things here mostly our blinds.
I am glad you are enjoying your retirement but I know you had bigger plans hopefully covid will be under control and you can get back to your photography classes.
Cathy
I could almost smell the bread cooking. WHAT a pleasant scent. Also retirement is very good if you have things to do. You seem to be filling the void pretty darn well.
The best to you and your Jack. And it is also good the retirement came when it allowed special time when needed.
Love from a rainy North Carolina, but at least not freezing.
Be safe
Sherry & jack
Hi, YaYa!
It's great to see an update from you, dear friend! As I think back upon your life since you went into retirement, I am dismayed at how differently it has turned out from the way you envisioned it. You've been dealt one blow after another, and now the virus and its variants have us slowing down to a crawl under the amber caution light. As we head into year #2 of COVID reality, it makes sense to elevate any and all things you can still enjoy doing to the status of an adventure.
Jack might not be much of a bread eater, but Shady is!!! I ask that you immediately ship me 50 loaves of your delicious homemade bread. It's the yeast you can do. :) Mrs. Shady occasionally makes bread, rolls, biscuits, corn muffins, etc. Oven fresh and hot, they add so much to a meal, especially in winter. Please say hello to my old friend Donna, one of the first people I met through your blog. She used to laugh at my jokes. :) Tell her I'm sorry to hear that her hubby is in rehab. I admire you for making homemade honey butter to remind yourself of your mom's love every time you eat homemade bread.
It's cool that you figured out how to change the burned out light inside your microwave. It doesn't surprise me that you needed to search around until you found the correct size, shape and wattage.
I'm sad to see my buddy Arnie wearing the clear plastic cone dreaded by animals great and small. In her later years, our Toto seemed to be wearing hers more often than not. Yessum, those medical problems do keep cropping up in older animals. We all wish they could live 100 years, but that simply isn't nature's plan. It's funny that Annie used his cone to shovel snow when he went out to pee.
Yessum, just keep checking off the chores, projects and crafts that you complete and derive satisfaction from those accomplishments aka "adventures." Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend YaYa!
Oh no the cone of shame. Hope he is better now. LOVE LOVE homemade bread. Growing up our next door neighbor always brought us a loaf when she made some. Janice
Well huge kudos to you for tackling that light business in your microwave. Ours went out and I decided to redo the kitchen so I didn't have to change it LOL. Seriously...I can't believe they can't come up with a better solution. Yikes. And that bread looks incredible!!!! I wish I were on your Yaya drop list LOL. We used to make bread growing up at least once a week (and MANY loaves at once....our family was huge bread eaters...and some of us still are). On bread baking days, sometimes we would just have warm bread and butter and homemade hot chocolate. One of my favorite meals ever. I have not made bread really since my childhood. Yes, I love to bake, but yeast breads don't rise well when it's cold here it seems. I've put the dough in the oven that has been heated and turned off, used the hot floursack method, etc., but it is hit and miss and mostly miss. But to me, there are few pleasures as comforting as the smell of a yeast bread baking or the taste of homemade bread and a bowl of homemade soup. Chicken noodle is on the radar for tomorrow.... Can you pretty please send some bread over LOL??? Poor Arnie... I had to laugh at the cone shoveling. I remember once when our little Shih Tzu Gazoo had a cone... He went out for his final business and didn't come back for the longest time. I called and called.... Finally I heard him.... Here his cone got caught on the farmers barbed wire fence. Yikes. ~Robin~
I understand about retirement. It took awhile to adjust. I still find days I truly miss my classroom. I "must" stay busy...always need a project to do..and somehow most days I find something to keep me focused till it's time to fix supper and then relax with hubby before bedtime. How awesome that you bake bread. I haven't done that in many, many years although I do often make banana bread. And your poor doggie...I hate those cone things. I feel so bad for the dogs that have to wear them, but looks like your furbaby has adjusted well. Life is full of trials...even for the animals:)
I am so glad that your hubby is up and about and helping you.
I wish him and you and your kids and kiddos the best of health and happiness and love.
I have so many things that I want to read and write.
I am my husbands care giver and needs me almost every ten mts.
One of these days I will start writing even late night .LOL
Take care of yourself. Stay safe .
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