Tuesday, September 7, 2021

September... remembering Daddy

 Son 1(Hubby's) and Son 2 (Mine) turn 39. Their birthdays are 10 days apart. 

We have always said it was like raising two sets of twins as our girls (Daughter 3, Hubby's) and Daughter 4 (mine Hubby adopted when she was 9) are 9 1/2 months apart.

Daughter 1 hit her 15 yrs at Walmart .

Daughter 2 is pretty sure she has a new place to move to Oct 1st. She thinks she might even have other people to move her that doesn't require her 62 yr old parents to move heavy furniture. We are okay with using our truck and trailer if she can work around Hubby works schedule since he can't afford to take off now.

Daughter 3 is planning her wedding. They are eloping. They have not set the date... or at least have not told when. 

Daughter 4 starts work this week and gets her 2nd covid shot.

Hubby picked up a couple extra jobs to help pay for the brake job. Meant he worked Saturday and Labor Day. BUT the less he has to pull from his personal account to cover the business the better he will be.

I canned 14 pints of cole slaw, 4 pints of cole slaw dressing, 8 pints of ratatouille, 6 quarts of veggie soup and froze 2 more cups of peas. I harvested and pulled plants of black coco dry beans and small red beans. I still need to shell them.

We are running water from the pump house to the pond for 1 hour in the late evening. Pond is down to 3-4 feet instead of the 8 feet it is supposed to be. We watched E's horses walk across instead of swimming across the pond while they were over here. His pasture south of us is now connected (we removed fence with his blessing even though it was OUR fence) to the pond area. Saves E from carting water and we don't have to mow around the pond as the horses do a good job of "mowing" it. 

We are down to 46 % on propane tank, so we are on spot with not needing a fill for another month at least (fills are when tank is at 25-30 %). We usually only prepay winter heating season and summer fills are full price and cash. This year they allowed summer fill to be added to the prepay of winter season so I added it. If they get the fuel for less than the prepaid price we get the lower price BUT if it is more, we still get the lower price. It can go down but not up so we don't have to worry about if we have enough to pay for heat.

I cleaned all 3 refrigerators (which is why I canned ratatouille).  I pitched some out dated dairy. Last blood work showed we were low on calcium, doc was not happy with the comments of eating more ice cream (Hubby is trying to lose weight, he lost 8 lbs. in last 3 months but still is over by 38 lbs. Both his parents are over weight by 100 lbs. He doesn't want to follow that path). 

We spent last week talking out how bad our eating habits was (our go to snack... Reese cups anyone?) since we moved here. We used to eat healthy , rainbow diet of eating different colors daily, balanced carbs and protein, calcium...etc. 

What happened?

We bought this place and started working on it. With the drive we were 10 hrs. gone from home. We staggered when we left, drove separate so the dogs were not stuck inside that length of time. Bfast was McD's on the way here, lunch was Chinese or the local store that serves hot lunches but no veggies. Dinner was what ever sandwich or pizza we could pick up once we got home as the focus was to get the dogs out and give them play time. Do laundry etc. 

We did a brain dump of what meals we used to eat (think 1940s through 1970s because that is the food that is from our childhoods) and what salads we really like when we eat out, as salad at home isn't as well liked. Then we went to bfast which neither of us eat. Mine due to stomach issues and Hubby always ate supper for his bfast since he worked 3rd but he would be up a few hours before eating PLUS he doesn't like to eat much as outhouses are the only bathrooms available with his work. We even listed desserts for fruit and dairy.

He is now carrying more water  and cut back on the coffee (was a pot a day now to half pot like me) and has beef jerky and slim jims along with granola bars that he is putting in his old lunch box (small cooler) daily when he is working the full day on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

We decided to follow Daddy's eating pattern as he was a diabetic at age 60 and only took 1/2 metformin daily until he was 92. He was on insulin, lowest dosage for his final year of living. He was the healthiest of all of our parents.

Daddy ate bfast 2 hrs. after he got up. Bowl of raisin bran with extra raisins and 1/2 banana ( he wrapped the other half in saran wrap to eat the next day and washed the saran wrap to reuse), drank the 1 cup of milk he poured on it. YES HE MEASURED THE CEREAL AND MILK.  He rode his exercise bike the two hours before bfast while he drank his first 4 cups of coffee. He put a shelf on the bike so he could put his coffee cup on it. Watched the morning news while riding.

THEN he went for a 1 1/2 mile walk, rain, sleet, snow didn't matter.

Then he had his dessert... pie, cake, pudding. Sliver of pie about 2 inches wide at crust, 2 inch by 2 inch cake or brownie or 1 /2 cup of pudding. 

Then he did weight lifting for at least 30 minutes. He has free weights in the upstairs bedroom. 

At 11:30 he ate lunch. A slice of thin bologna sandwich with mustard (tomato if from garden) on whole wheat bread, 3 fig newtons, a small apple or 1/2 of large apple and another 2 cups of coffee. Then he walked 2 miles.

Snack was at 2 pm what ever dessert he had followed by 2 cups of coffee.

At 3-3:30 he took a nap of 20 minutes. I can't get to sleep in that time let alone take a nap. 

In winter time he would take 1 1/2 mile walk... when the sun was shining he would do it after dinner.

Drink more coffee

Dinner was at 5 pm but the menu was a floater until his final 2 years at home. Then it was navy bean soup with ham hock, fried golden potatoes, and corn bread. With  4-6 cups of coffee. Wasn't nothing for him to make 2-3 pots a day just for himself. It was how he was raised.

He was 90 when he couldn't take his walks any more. Bad knees even after surgery. He handed over the keys to the car without battle as he felt he wasn't safe for him to drive anymore. Balance was starting to go. When he burnt his brownies so bad he had to throw the pan away he stopped cooking and asked for help with meals. When he started having problems eating (he had throat cancer and the scar tissue from surgery was causing issues) . He went to the nursing home. Until he was 92, he was still active, walking his wheelchair, eating well, able to carry on conversation even with his dementia. The only time I ever saw my Daddy frown he was sleeping. He always had a smile. 

We want that life for our selves. I know how had my Daddy turned his life around at age 60 when his health started going down and he was 60 lbs. over weight. 

Right now it's "just talk" now we have to walk the walk. 

Neither of us watches the morning news. Hubby might watch noon news for weather if he is home. I only watch the evening news if that. I might start listening to our local new (which is actually our little town ) on the local radio station. I will check their website to see when that is broadcasted. 

We both know we have to change this NOW as Hubby's parents were doing silver sneakers at their YMCA right around the corner then decided to not go out when winter hit and it's been a downhill slide since. 

Are you changing anything to be healthier through your senior years?