Warm nights, lightning bugs, the croaks of a nearby bullfrog, soft rain through a screened porch window, the smell of river water mixed with sunscreen, sand between my toes, and delicious, quick to fix, summer food (salads, corn, roasted veggies, and hot dogs). I’m always reminded of my growing years–bike rides in the heat, kool-aid, marshmallows, fresh peaches, mac salads, and quick meals. Oh the many afternoons I spent laying on my back on our lawn looking up at the sky. Listening to the lowing of our dairy cows, cicadas in the tall grass, and the songs of the the Song Sparrow w/ the distant whippoorwill and buzzing bee.
Standing still and bidding farewell to April. May is, after all, my favorite of all months. One thing is for sure: time is not standing still. I need to take a minute here in my life and just breathe. One of the things that is on my mind as we close out the 1st month of the 2nd quarter of 2025 is, “How do I prepare for the unexpected better?” In the year 2020, I was reading news about what we would eventually deal with from 2020 to 2023, long before mainstream news picked up the story. I read news regularly from parts all over the world. We started to slowly prepare, and even though I would never know just how bad the situation would become all over the world, what we personally prepared ourselves for worked. We never ran out of anything and, because of our continued commitment to our health, stayed healthy. It was a lot.
Now, regardless of your politics, by now you’ve heard that retailers are refusing to pay the tariffs for goods. There have been preorders made for items generally sold in big box stores through August. Nothing that is being reported is entirely 100% accurate because people/news just don’t know. What has been said by people in the retail industry is by June, if not sooner, shelves will clear with panic, and supply will not be available for restocking. Christmas goods, usually shipped early summer, may wait at ports until someone decides to pay tariffs or the tariffs disappear. Fake trees, bulbs, decor, etc., all come from China. Toys, home decor, furniture, and holiday goods do too.
I’ve asked someone that is more organized than I feel that I am what to do. I was told to do this, if nothing else. Go room to room and ask yourself, “How many of these do I use or need for 1 year’s time?” I started in the medicine cabinet (OTC meds), then spices, any food stuffs that would be in an “international” aisle in the grocery store, electronics (back-up tablets?), toiletry items that could go up in price exponentially (makeup, shavers, toothpaste, deodorant, lotions), garbage bags, counter-top appliances, and easy to buy and store car parts for future work (we need a suspension issue fixed and front brakes; $225+tax for the parts now). We’re doing well in the clothing and shoe department. So, that’s a start. We’re thinking about $400.00 out of savings should get us these things, and then as far as these items go, we’ll be good for a year. That’s all we can do, and for right now it’s all we can afford. The worst outcome from buying these things is that we’ll be out $400.00 early on, and the best thing is that when and if prices go up or stock goes out, we have a backup or two of some very necessary items.
Let me know if you’re preparing in any way. In the meantime, I’m going to go back to taking it easy, keeping my head on straight, and preparing to move into my favorite month. I’m going to continue to enjoy the birdsong every morning, the different shades of pink at sunrise, the anticipation of fresh produce at the farmstand soon available, and the thrill that I will get when my tiny apartment garden is planted mid-May.
This was my most asked for recipe in both 2023 and 2024.
1-1/2 lbs. fresh tomatoes ( I grow Amish paste/can them, buy Roma, and you can use cherry too) I cook very quickly the fresh tomatoes in order to take the skins off, and then I go ahead and chop up the 1-1/2 lbs. of fresh tomatoes.
2-3 medium sized carrots washed, peeled, quartered, and then chopped in food processor or diced by hand
1 large yellow onion peeled, quartered, and then chopped in food processor or diced by hand
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBSP of olive oil
1 qt. chicken or beef stock
28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
1 TBSP of tomato paste
Fresh or dried 1 TBSP finely chopped oregano and basil, and 1/4-1/2 c. finely chopped parsley (if dry measure out dried ingredients.
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Start by growing or buying Amish Paste, Roma, store bought Roma, or sweet heirloom cherry tomatoes.
Bring to a boil 6 cups of water and add 1 and 1/2 lbs. of fresh or store bought tomatoes to it, simmer 2-3 minutes, take out of water, place tomatoes in cold water with ice, or cold water if you don’t have ice and slip the skins right off. Chop the tomatoes and then set aside.
In a sauce pan add 1 TBSP of olive oil
Dice your carrots by hand or in a processor, same with onions and add them to the olive oil
Soften the carrots and onions. Just before they are done add the minced garlic. Cook 1 -2 minutes and remove from heat.
In a big stock pan add the skinless and chopped tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, 1 qt of chicken or beef stock, and 1 TBSP of tomato paste. Bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes and then lower heat to a simmer. Add in fresh or dried herbs, pinch of sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 2 hours or more or until ready to serve. At any time after the initial 2 hours or more of simmer (to get just the right taste, color, and consistency) you can add fully cooked meat, or sauteed mushrooms, or additional veggies (par-cooked, or almost done). Serve over al dente noodles with freshly ground parmesan cheese.
Resolutions are “resolve to change, or resolve not to, or resolve to do something different than done before etc.”
I’m not much for resolutions and here’s why:
I tend to forget what I’m resolving not to do.
I almost always fail because my “resolve to” things tend to be borderline superfluous, if I’m totally honest.
I tended to make the same resolutions year after year.
So instead, I began to set intentional goals like:
My top personal goals for 2025 are:
Limit time on social media
My blogging goal is to create a minimum of 4 posts a month. I’m a writer part of the time in my life, that’s what I do. My blog and writing will always be a priority of mine.
Create a weekly, if not daily, routine of self-care.
Be more intentional with content creation.
We are moving in one year and I have so much to do this year. Instead of getting overwhelmed, I am planning out this year in stages and trying to meet timeline goals for each process. For instance, 23% moved by May, 40% moved by August and so on until all we have to move is our most needed and valuable items.
Make rest a priority. Take time to enjoy life. Create intentional moments/memories. Invest in self and self-care. Breathe.
Start planning for my retirement years- activities, volunteering, and gardening.
How & Why to Reset
Pretend in your mind to clear the counter. You know 0:00. It’s your second, third, fourth etc. chance to get things in order!
I think it’s better than resolutions that you just give up on if you falter and goals you may set that you are unable to achieve because
the timelines are not realistic. To reset is to refresh, move forward, and begin again.
Reset– observe, redo, start-over and reset
reset your obligations–prioritize responsibilities
reset diet, eating, meal-times
exercise routine
daily routine
weekend routine
quiet time–me time, self care
family time
events
schedule
hobbies–pick and choose old and new
Now that 2024 has come to an end, I am looking forward to implementing all my plans and goals for the new year.
If you like Ina Garten as much as I do, you might want to order her memoir Be Ready When The Luck Happens. I asked for her book for my birthday and was so excited to get it. Ina gave me the inspiration to go from career gal /throw something together for dinner, to career gal /roast a chicken and steam some asparagus. Her “how easy is that” attitude charmed me to no end. I’m really enjoying her memoir as much of her personal life has been kept personal for most of her professional life.Â
I won’t be trying this recipe until mid-November. I’ll be sure to stop back and update how it turned out. Right now I’m busy with fall birthdays and adding in a new recipe isn’t on my agenda. So, something to look forward to in November. 🍂
As it is often with most things, summer was so fleeting and many of the things that I wanted to experience, simply didn’t happen. I’ve noticed, as I get closer and closer to my fall birthday–turning 60!, that many of my feelings about things in life have changed.
Once upon a time, I didn’t like summer at all. I’ve always worked a lot and much of it on weekends and holidays. No vacations, heck, it took hubby and I many years before we could even take a trip away from home. Now, summer is so many things for me. It is spent working, yes, but no commuting any longer, or weekends, or holidays. The things summer once were–swimming, mountain biking, and impromptu trips here and there are no more, for now, and instead, bird watching, farmers markets, walks in nature, and fresh, healthy eating.Â
Where spring is the season of renewal, summer is the season of full bloom and fruit (+the fruit of our labors). A time to restock, replenish, and, of course, rest. I love the warmth, the sound of, the feel of, every single thing about the growth of, color, life, and light, of summer.
Summer is almost gone. Get out and enjoy the last little bit of the new life it brought with it. Soon, all the insects will tuck back into bed, the forest floor will begin to break down all those beautiful leaves, days will be shorter, longer nights, and then cold.
savoringmysixties 