Making

Living Organically

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

Cardiac disease, type II diabetes, irritable bowel, inflammatory disease, anxiety and some cancers. What do they all have in common? They are often a result of living in our modern world: food choices, stress and the environment we live in. By the time we are retired, we have lived long enough to expose ourselves to numerous toxins in our food and environment. I know that I have eaten way too many slices of greasy pizza and McDonald’s hamburgers in my lifetime. I don’t know about you, but as I get older, these types of foods do not settle as well with me. I feel sluggish when I eat them. So, I am seeking out healthier, fresher, more organic choices in my everyday life. Not just with my diet, but also my home environment and how I manage stress. We can’t change how we lived in the past, but we can make improvements now. Small changes add up.

At the beginning of 2024, I chose “the upcycled life” as my word(s) of the year (WOTY). I chose it, not just for the traditional sense, but also because the very essence of upcycling is creating something that is of higher quality and a better version than the original one. So, this year I am seeking out ways to create a higher quality of life and a better version of myself. Not only am I trying to eat more organically, but I want to live a healthier, more organic lifestyle.

A more organic diet

It is about eating fresh with less processed, sugary foods. I have come a long way from those years of eating salads with iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing. Matter of fact, I have become the queen of salads. They are not necessarily low calorie, but they are fresh and packed with nutrients. I love poppy seed or ranch dressing, but they are loaded with unhealthy fats and calories. Now I use a simple olive oil dressing that I can throw together quickly. I have modified a few recipes to come up with my own version. I thought I would share it with you since I get asked for the recipe a lot.

Salad Dressing Recipe

2 Tbs. good quality olive oil

1 Tbs. white peach balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. honey

cracked black pepper

You can change this recipe in several ways.  A lot of times I will use regular balsamic vinegar and add 1 tsp. Dijon mustard.  Or use lemon juice instead of vinegar, which makes a great salad with fish.  Try using real maple syrup instead of honey.  I like to add fresh fruits, nuts and avocados to my salads, but the options are endless. Experiment and enjoy a healthy and delicious salad!

The Blue Zones

I am not a big believer in fad diets. They are not usually sustainable. The one diet that most physicians recommend and that has withstood the test of time is the Mediterranean diet. It focuses on eating mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and healthy fats that come from nuts, seeds, olive oil and fish. The recommended foods in this diet are high in antioxidants and help prevent inflammation and obesity. Bonus that it includes red wine in moderation. Three of the five Blue Zone areas eat similar to the Mediterranean diet.

The Blue Zones, first identified in 2000, are areas in the world that have a much lower incidence of our modern maladies such as heart disease, diabetes, depression and cancer. Consequently, people live healthier and much longer in these areas. The five Blue Zone communities are Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Cost Rica; Icaria, Greece and Loma Linda, California. While diet is a known common denominator among the Blue Zones, there are other characteristics that these areas have in common, such as a strong social network, a sense of purpose, and being physically active throughout their entire lives. There has been a plethora of research into these communities and their secrets to longevity. Their diet and lifestyle are a great example of living a long, heathy, organic life that we can learn from and incorporate into our own lives.

Eating local

Local farmer’s markets are a wonderful way to get fresh off the vine foods and they have the benefit of providing a delightful aesthetic experience. Walking along the rows of colorful vegetables while listening to someone strumming their guitar is a feast for the senses. Of course, the very best option for organic food is to forage from nature or eat from your own garden. It doesn’t get any fresher than that.

Mr. U grows a beautiful garden every year and I get to enjoy going out and picking fresh vegetables and colorful flowers from it. There isn’t anything better than stepping outside in the morning, still in your robe, to pick some bright red raspberries for breakfast. Or stepping out your door to gather a few vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil for dinner. I use the abundance of basil in the garden to make homemade pesto.

Mr. U’s greenhouse (he built) and garden. I love the weathered wood and rusty corrugated metal he used to give it a time worn appearance. We have to keep a six-foot fence around the garden to keep the deer out.

I am not a big believer in buying “organic” labeled food for a few reasons. First, Mr. U grew up on a farm, so I understand the significance of pest control. Also, I am not convinced that it isn’t just a marketing tactic for many of the foods that are labeled “organic.” (GMO foods and meat may be an exception.) Lastly, my little brother has a master’s degree in biochemistry, and he runs a lab in California that does research on pesticides and chemicals in our environment and foods. He assures me that the amount of chemicals in our fruits and vegetables is minuscule and that it would take much, much more than that to be harmful to us, even over our lifetime. So, I trust him, (even though he is my little bro that used to wear a colander on his head as a helmet), because he is super smart. I still wash my fruits and vegetables really well.

One of the key factors in healthy eating is portion control. As we all know, here in the good ole USA, we have lost our awareness of what a normal portion is. Oversize portions lead to oversize bodies. Once we get in the habit of eating a larger amount of food, we begin to think that is our normal and do not feel satisfied unless we have that amount. Hum…ask me how I know. So, I am working on portion control and being attune with my body and recognizing when it is full and satisfied.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Michael, Pollan

Stay tuned next week for ideas on how to create a more organic, healthy, and less stressful environment.

Retirement Life

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

If you had told me a few years ago, before I retired myself, that retirement life could be so busy that you don’t have enough time, I would have scoffed and mumbled under my breath, “right, you just don’t manage your time well.” Now that I am retired, I realize that the beauty of it is… I don’t have to manage my time well. Such as it has been these past couple weeks. When I started this blog, I committed to publish a post every week. I love to write. It helps me breathe. However, these past couple weeks have left me with little extra time to write a blog post. What could keep this retired person so busy? Well, quite a lot really.

Spring cleaning and decorating

The sunshine shows all of the dust and smudge prints that have accumulated over the long, dark winter, so it was time to do a little spring cleaning. Chores do not go away once you are retired, unless you hire out to have them done, which I have a hard time doing because, well…I am retired after all. Besides, it always feels good to take down the winter decorations and freshen the house up a bit for spring.

I found the beehive last year and decided to it was worth a little roadsidea decorating.

Grandkids

It is wonderful to have relaxed time to be a grandparent. When we were raising our own kids, it felt like I was always rushing or multitasking. Now I can enjoy uninterrupted time with my grands. I have been watching our new grandbaby for a few hours every week while my DIL returns to work. Precious time where I just focus on her.

Just a fun bundle of cuddles and play.

My other granddaughter turned eight last week. We celebrated with a grandma nana date. I took her out for a high tea. We both dressed up and enjoyed tea with cream and sugar, little tea sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and jam. We learned a little bit about the history of high tea. Precious uninterrupted time together.

Of course, we had to try on every hat at the tearoom but settled on the ones we brought with us. We practiced drinking tea with our pinkie finger extended.

We have been able to attend several of my grandson’s wrestling matches, which can be all-day events. I am glad we have the time to do this – we missed too many when we spent the month of February in Florida. It is so fun to watch him enjoy and compete at the same sport his dad excelled at.

He is a beast on the wrestling mat but has a heart of gold and still gives hugs to grandma.

Travel

The weather has been sketchy at home and Scottsdale promised to be sunny and in the 80’s last week. We are retired, so why not make a quick trip down there to enjoy the sunshine? On a last-minute whim we packed up and made the short 2 1/2-hour flight. So glad we did. We have been hiking, riding bikes, enjoying the sunshine and pool all week. I spent a few hours in a bookstore, just nosing around the stacks without an agenda. This is a pretty cheap trip for us because we stayed at my son’s condo, since it was available for the week, and we used our free fly miles to travel back and forth. Our biggest expense was a car rental, which we got for a surprising $18.00/day.

This hike nearly killed us, but it was worth the view.

“Once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed how much more life she had time for.”

Filling the Jars

So, there you have it. Life has been too chock full of fun stuff to write a real blog post this week. I had to settle for this quick recap of the last few weeks in the life of a retiree. I hope that you are able to NOT manage some of your time this week as well. It opens doors for the fun stuff.

The Upcycled Life

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

In keeping with my word(s) of the year, “the upcycled life.” I decided to share some of my favorite upcycled items I have created.  In my household decorating, I prefer a mix of new, upcycled and do it yourself (DIY) items.  When done well, it can be a perfect combination.  I think that the key is knowing your style.  Knowing what brings you pleasure to look at and makes you feel comfortable and at home.   If you only choose things that you love, they will typically work well together. 

I have made way too many decorating mistakes by picking something because it was the latest style, or I was in a hurry and did not want to look any further, or I was trying to save money and bought something I did not really love.  I can’t unsee that pink floral couch and loveseat that I bought years ago.  Ugh. The cover photo is a cabinet that we inherited over 30 years ago. I painted it white and sanded the edges afterwards to give it a distressed look, long before I even knew what chalk paint was. It has been my craft cabinet ever since. Mr. U added the dowel so I could hang rolls of ribbon on it. Unfortunately, I do not have before pics to show you.

I thrifted the old coat hanger and painted over the dated oak. Perfect for bathroom towels. I found the shelf at a garage sale years ago. It was a dark, ugly mess, but I loved the towel holder that hung below it, so I picked it up for $2.00. After a little sanding and giving it a coat of paint, it was as good as new. It has hung in my bathrooms ever since.

Upcycling takes a discarded object that may end up in the landfill and gives it new life. It is a reinvention of sorts. It requires a vision and creativity to upcycle something and give it a second existence. But why upcycle and DIY when it so much easier and quicker to buy an item readymade?

  • It is typically less expensive. We all know that the cost of things has gone up exponentially, particularly in the past couple of years. A few cans of paint and sheets of sandpaper are a whole lot cheaper than buying a new piece of furniture.
  • It is satisfying to complete a project yourself. It is satisfying to know that you revived something that would go to the landfill or gave beauty to something that was an eyesore.
  • It builds confidence and independence. Maybe it goes back to the frontier days when people had to get creative and make do with what they had. Think of all the women that picked up a needle and thread to make beautiful, one-of-a-kind quilts out of old worn-out shirts and dresses.
  • It is more unique and can be tailored to your specific colors and style. Amazon and Walmart have made us into cookie cutter consumers. Shopping online with a simple click of a button lacks imagination and creativity. Don’t get me wrong. I love the convenience of online shopping and I do my share to feed the pig. But when you upcycle something, no one else is going to have the exact same thing. It puts your own unique stamp on it.
  • It is good for the environment. This one goes without saying. According to Environment America the average American throws out 4.9 pounds of trash per day. That is almost 1,800 pounds of material/year. Well above our body weight! Of course, a lot of this waste is organic material, but it still gives us pause to consider how we can help decrease this waste in our little corner of the world.
  • I can’t really put my finger on it, but it just feels cozier. More homey. It brings me joy to use and look at items I have upcycled. It contributes to my unique style. It can be something I thrifted or something I did myself. Either way, it just feels good and cozier to surround yourself with a few of these items.

How you upcycle may depend on what is available to you. Most people have unique opportunities for upcycling, based on where they live or people they know. We are very fortunate in that son #2 is part owner of a wood mill. He supplies us with left over wood ends that we use for projects, or as firewood. Every year we also get a couple bags of sawdust from his mill to put around our rose bushes to protect them the winter freeze. Mr. U has upcycled the wood ends in multiple ways.

Mr. U made the rotating cutting board and the red Adirondack chairs mostly from left over scrap wood.

Upcycling does not necessarily require remaking something, it can simply be reusing items in a new, creative, and different way. An old teapot becomes a planter. Tattered maps or sheet music can be framed, made into cards or used as wrapping paper. I have used the light tissue that old sewing patterns are stamped on as tissue for a gift basket instead of store bought. It makes a fun, unique way to wrap items, particularly if the gift is for someone else that sews. My sister-in-law gets old candles from the thrift store and melts them down. Then she pours them into cardboard egg cartons to use as fire starters. I think of Roadsidea as a form of upcycling. You are using objects from nature in new, creative ways. And don’t forget all of that leftover food sitting in your fridge that can be upcycled into a soup, salad or stir fry.

Thrifting as a form of upcycling

Thrifting (aka: buying something at a secondhand store) is a great way to reuse items that may eventually be discarded. When I see beautiful items that someone has thrifted and/or upcycled it stirs my creative juices. It is infectious, in a good way. We feed off of each other’s creativity. I am inspired every time I eat at Sorella’s restaurant. The young owner thrifted frames and gave them all a coat of bronze paint. Then she scoured secondhand and vintage shops for unique Italian pictures to put in them and they became the gallery wall that you see as soon as you enter the restaurant. She also thrifted mismatched pieces of china, serving dishes and glassware to use at the tables. Who says thrifting can’t be beautiful and elegant.

The gallery wall and upcycled wine glasses (left) and serving dishes used at Sorella’s Restaurant.

We are a throw away society. Just stop in at a secondhand store and you will find all kinds of treasures, waiting to be given new life. My good friend rummages through thrift shops for quality wool and leather clothes that she transforms into one-of-a-kind bags. She recently opened an Etsy shop, LoLo Upcycled, to sell her beautiful, unique bags. If you want some thrifting inspo, check out Liz Marie Galvan’s IG page or her recent book, Create Your Own Cozy. She has curated a lovely home with upcycled and thrifted items.

A bag made from a men’s wool shirt and pumpkins made from thrifted sweaters.

While I enjoy upcycling, I am not a purist. I do it when I see a fun and interesting project I want to try, or when I don’t want to spend the money on something new. It is a great creative outlet and is satisfying to see something transform by the work of your own hands. Have you upcycled anything lately?

A Handmade Christmas

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

There is just something about the Christmas season that brings out the urge to hunker down and create something by hand.  The holidays make me want to heat up the oven, pull out the sewing machine and fire up the knitting needles. Maybe it is from reading too many Laura Ingalls Wilder books when I was a kid. Or maybe it takes me back to my roots when my mom instilled in me an appreciation for gifts made with loving hands. Or perhaps it stems from the earlier years when we had very little extra income and we handcrafted gifts to save money.  But whatever the reason, my heart or my muse, I want to spend the Christmas season creating profuse. (A very poor and loosely translated quote from Dr. Suess’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”) Despite my very pathetic rhyme, the gift of a homemade item definitely feels cozier and more thoughtful than store bought.  It speaks of thought, time, effort and love.

The problem is that I typically get this urge just a mere five or six weeks before Christmas. After all, it is difficult to get inspired to make Christmas gifts in July. This delayed inspiration does not leave a lot of time to complete projects prior to Christmas. Matter of fact, it usually puts me in a frantic tailspin to get it completed and wrapped in time and then I fail to enjoy the process or the season. For several years, I deliberately chose not to make any gifts because I wanted to avoid the last-minute rush and stress.

But about a month ago, I broke my resolve when my friend and I went to an evening Outdoor European Christmas Market. It is based on the traditional, festive open-air markets that spring up in Germany and Austria during the Advent season. There are pop up tents with sparkling white lights, gas fire pits, food trucks and vendors selling homemade candy, pastries and craft items. As we were strolling through the market, sipping hot spiced wine, she casually mentioned that she needed a Christmas tree skirt. This is the same friend that takes the time and effort to knit me a beautiful pair of wool socks every year. How could I NOT make her a tree skirt? Besides, I am retired and have the time now, right?

The vendor booths at the night market were decorated in the festive spirit.
My friend warming up by the fire before we see the rest of the market.

Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, as the tree skirt ended up being a much more time-consuming project than I expected. It started out great, as I enthusiastically perused the bolts of Christmas fabric at the quilt store to find a little more material to compliment what I already had in my fabric stash. I spent some luxurious days in my office/craft room with a fir scented candle burning and Christmas music playing while I stitched the afternoon away. The snow was gently falling while I was tucked away inside sewing.

Having a little fun with the holly and berries before I appliqued them on
(while I was still relaxed and enjoying the process).

But then life got in the way, and my project was set aside. Honestly, I thought I would create more handmade items once I retired, but time seems to get taken up with other things.  I don’t know if any other retirees feel this way, but many of the things I thought I would do in retirement, I don’t seem to make time for after all.   But that is another post for another time. Meanwhile, the dust collected, the wash piled up and fast food became the norm, while I pushed to finish the project in time.

My friend and I share early December birthdays and we always spend a day together celebrating “us” and being healthy and alive for another year. I planned to give her gift to her when we got together on December 8th. The tree skirt would be part of her birthday/Christmas gift basket I was putting together. The time crunch was on. While creating by hand is enjoyable when you are not rushed, it becomes agony when you are on a short timeline and need to use every available minute to get it completed in time.

The morning of December 7th, I found myself stitching the binding on by hand and cussing every time I pricked my finger with the needle. Which is more often than not, when you are in a hurry. Not very holiday spiritish. But I got it finished that evening and safely tucked it into her gift basket to give her the next day. Nothing like rising to the occasion at the very last minute. It was well worth every stitch and finger prick when she opened it up and gently fingered it with eyes shining in appreciation. Some people just “get” what all goes into a homemade gift. BTW, I loved my hand knitted pair of comfy wool socks too.

Finished tree skirt.
Gift basket is ready.
Handmade wool socks.

Last year Mr. U and I made Christmas wreaths to hang on our front door and give as gifts to a few people. We prepared and started early so it was fun and relaxing to create them. In the next few weeks, I will be baking some cookies and making my traditional spiced pecans. The nuts are delicious, easy to do, and they make the house smell wonderful while they are baking. When you put them in decorative cellophane bags and tie with a colorful ribbon, they make great hostess gifts or stocking stuffers. But other than that, I will be doing a lot of sitting by the fire, soaking in the warmth of the season. I hope that you are taking the time to enjoy the Christmas season and not putting yourself under pressure to accomplish too much. Instead, let’s relax, enjoy our loved ones and celebrate the reason for the season!

Pizza Oven Bread & Cheap Sunshine

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

I don’t know about you, but the colder days prompt me to hunker down at home to nest and create things by hand.  Mr. U and I have always talked about trying to make a loaf of bread in our pizza oven. So, one cool autumn afternoon a few weeks ago, we decided it was the perfect day to give it a try.  We did a little google research to learn how hot to have the oven, where to place the bread and how long to let it bake. (How did we ever try our hand at anything new prior to google and YouTube?)   I threw together a vegetable beef stew to simmer in the crockpot for the day and then pulled out my old stained and tattered cookbook that we got as a wedding gift and found the french bread recipe.  There is something deep and soul satisfying about making bread, waiting for it to rise, punching it down, shaping it and letting it rise once again before baking. 

The bread rose beautifully & is ready to go in the pizza oven.

It turned out pretty darn good for our first try, other than the cuts on the top were not as aesthetic as I would have liked.  The research we did warned us that the biggest rookie mistake in baking bread in a pizza oven is not getting it fully cooked in the middle, so Mr. U was careful to cook it slowly and turn it frequently. Our loaf cooked through, but next time we will let it bake a little longer to crisp the outside more.   It tasted so good with garlic butter slathered on top.  A perfect complement to a bowl of soup on a crisp fall day.

The finished loaf.

Cheap sunshine

I absolutely love that, in retirement, our weeks can be as diverse as we want them to be. The day we made bread in the pizza oven was one of the last beautiful fall days we had. So glad we got outside and enjoyed it. Now the pizza oven is put to bed for the winter, and I am lighting candles and ordering Christmas presents online (before things are no longer available). We are already dreaming of warmer weather, so Mr. U and I made a quick cheap inexpensive get-a-way to enjoy some sunshine before the dark gray days of winter set in.

Some travels are the big macro trips that you save up for and plan months in advance. And others are wonderful, little last-minute delights that you do on a shoestring. Since we are retired, we can quickly throw our bags together on a weekday and make a run for the airport. No having to request time off weeks in advance. Son #4 has a condo in Scottsdale, and he had an opening last week, so we leveraged our parental rights and spent a week basking in the sunshine, laying by the pool, eating al fresco and riding cruiser bikes around. I have to admit that it was a little hard to come back to cloudy 30-degree weather. Still considering the snowbird thing…hum.

The diversity of weather and vegetation are a couple of the delights of travel.
Cheers to the Diamondbacks.

It just so happened that the World Series game was in Phoenix while we were there. We did not want to dish out the money for tickets. After all, this was supposed to be our low-cost trip. So, we decided just to head down to the stadium and enjoy the festivities and fans. The funny thing about sports is that it gives you a common bond with complete strangers. Well….that is, if you are rooting for the same team. We enjoyed watching the game outside the stadium with a couple we met that afternoon.

Travel doesn’t always have to be a big expense, if you are willing to look at your options. Over a year ago we decided to switch to the Southwest credit card and use it for almost all of our purchases. I am not a big fan of using credit and it was hard for me to see the credit card bill rack up over the month. But, as long as you pay it off on time, there really is no reason not to take advantage of the benefits. After using the card almost exclusively for a few months, we were eligible for the SW companion pass. If you time it right, for a year and a half you can travel anywhere Southwest flys and only pay for one person. Your designated companion travels for free. (Lucky for Mr. U that I chose him as my travel companion.) This has saved us a lot of money on flights. So, between the companion pass and staying at our son’s place, this was a pretty inexpensive trip.

And last, but most definitely not least, thank you to all of our veterans. We enjoy the privilege of living here because of what they gave.

Land of the free because of the brave.