Technology

What a world we live in. I am in bed with a bad cough; should be doing laundry and various things on this Monday, but thanks to technology, I can work on my laptop, read on my Sony Reader, text on my cell phone and stay connected with instant messenger on my computer. For an old lady, I guess that isn't too bad.

It is almost the end of the year 2009 and it has been a year of 'drought' financially. I laugh at the Xmas letters we receive; all the prosperous times people have had; and I always want to write a 'reality' year end letter from us. Don't get me wrong. I love to read updates on people we know, but I have this cynical streak that would like to write a 'real life' letter of what it has been like from our corner of the world.

My husband's work (carpentry/contract building) has all but dried up. Very little building is being done. I will say that we are fortunate in that we have some 'retirement' income, which isn't really retirement income because it is social security, but we have paid into it for years and years. So being our age isn't all bad in this economy. We also have a small pittance coming in from when he worked for IBM and I have my little home business. So we are not 'hopeless' yet. Thankful for that!

However, as stated before on this blog, we will soon be giving up our home that we built and moved into almost 8 years ago. It is mostly all we ever hoped for in a house, but too large for us; however we planned to sell it and live the rest of our days on the proceeds. Not so now! The value is less than half what it was 2 years ago and we can't afford it any more. So soon we will be looking for a small abode; just hoping we can find one to rent.

Packing for 'days on end' is in my near future.....but I look forward to sorting and discarding mounds of things. I am one of those people who loves to throw out things, so this is the time to do that.

We always knew we'd need to downsize, but didn't dream it would be under duress.........

Merry and Happy Xmas and Holidays

Here's wishing you and yours all the best for Xmas 2009 and for the coming

year! May it be all you hope it will be!

Mood Foods.......... Part 14

I don't know how 'they' come up with these 'fact,' but supposedly this is what we eat when we are angry or stressed out: Potato chips, corn chips or nuts. Why? Apparently crunching hard foods releases aggression and tension in the jaw. Now what could we do to change that pattern? Chew sugarless gum, pretzels, carrots or low-fat crackers.

If we are sad, broken hearted or depressed we eat: Chocolate, ice cream, or cheese. Why? The smooth consistency soothes us. Chemically, chocolate contains a mood-elevating substance that acts like an antidepressant. What could we eat for a better alternative? Nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt, hot chocolate or vegetable soup.

Now what if we are happy? We tend to eat: Pizza, chips with dip or cake. Why? Traditionally, we associate such foods with celebrations. Of course vegetarian pizza (without cheese), shrimp cocktail or watermelon would be better choices.

I still think all the things eaten because of a mood could be eaten in small portions, but the danger of this is when we are in one of these moods, it is hard to stop at a small portion. Takes some real work and commitment......

Trivia

If you sell things on eBay or if you are packing to move, here is a tip for packing things. We all have old bills, newspapers and magazines, etc. laying around (most of us do, anyway), so if you don't have a little shredding machine, go buy one; they are very cheap. Then shred these old bills, papers, things you'd normally throw in the garbage or put in a recycle bin. Make this your own recycle endeavor. Shred these all up, put them in a plastic bag until you are ready to mail something or pack a box; then put your items in a box and surround them with these shredded papers to cushion the items. This is a great way to 'kill two birds with one stone' so-to-speak; make good use of your throw-away papers and save on packing papers because you are using what you already have on hand.

My New Coat

Here is a 'dark' picture of my new furry black winter coat. Not very often in California do you need to buy a serious coat but I decided it was time. I bought my last
serious winter coat in the winter of 1984, so guess it is time
for another one.

Coffee Trivia

Getting a regular jolt of java may actually be better for your health than abstaining. "People assume that coffee intake is bad, but that's not true at all," says David Liebeskind, M.D. associate neurology director of the UCLA Stroke Center. His research shows that drinking three or more cups of coffee a day reduces stroke risk by 48 percent. Another stat worth remembering: A new study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that people who drank three to five cups of coffee a day had a 65 percent lower risk of developing dementia than those who drank little or none. Research also shows that coffee may help prevent Parkinson's disease, type-2 diabetes, liver cancer and gallstones. What's so magical about java? "It could be the caffeine or some other component in coffee, or it could be how the caffeine interacts with the other components," Dr. Liebeskind says.

* If you are pregnant, the less caffeine you consume the better . (From the LHJ magazine.)

More Thanksgiving pics

Some Thanksgiving 'guests'

Lots of activity today and tomorrow centered around these few square feet of our house. It is a wonder I haven't worn out the floor boards in this part of the house. : )

Cranberry Relish

What would Thanksgiving dinner be like without cranberry relish?

I like the fresh, non-cooked kind, but I also like to cook the berries and add the orange peel. Sometimes fresh ginger is added as in this one to the right. This calls for one orange (only the peel) chopped in a food processor and 4 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries (thawed), 2/3 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup chopped pecans and 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. When chopping the cranberries, process just until they are coarsely chopped.

Dear Blog, Keeping You Posted

After Thanksgiving, on my list of things to do, is the beginning of packing. I will have pictures and 'how to pack' a 4100 square foot house when you have to sell it or give it up. I have decided to start in the kitchen on the 'high shelves' since we do not use those things.

The other day, I felt some nostalgia when I thought of removing things and putting them in a box, but I got a grip on things and decided if the objects are on the top shelves, obviously I haven't used them for a long time and why not get them out of the way first.

So this is just a 'heads up' of what is to come........

Carrots and Turkeys...

So here is what Thursday this week will be all about. The experts say we should never stuff a turkey because of bacteria. Interesting that our mothers and grandmothers have done that for decades. That being said, I will likely try something different this year; crockpot dressing. Several ladies have told me how good and moist dressing is when it is cooked in a crockpot. Then to be sure it is browned nicely on top, just put it in the oven for a few minutes or under the broiler for a minute or two.

The carrots should be a nice addition as one of our dishes. You will find this recipe in the Sunset recipes section. This one is a side dish of tender carrots and crunchy pecans tossed in a sweet brown sugar and ginger glaze.

This is just a start for the food section for this week!!

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

My poor husband has the swine flu, so I am hoping that I won't get it as I am the main cook for next Thursday. But we have no control over those things, so I am charging ahead with cooking plans. Today I bought the bulk of my groceries.

An interesting question was answered for me by a friend when I asked her which she prefers: A frozen turkey or a fresh one for Thanksgiving (or any time, of course). She is a gourmet cook, so I figured she was a good one to ask. She said that a couple years ago, Consumer Report published the answer to that after their research. One would think fresh is always best, but not so in this case. Frozen turkeys will be your best bet and the reason is right after they are slaughtered (what a thought, eh?), they are 'flash frozen' and then put in deep freezers. The fresh turkeys can lay around awhile before packaged for sale and actually, in the store they are stored at 32 degree temperatures so they have to be thawed to a certain degree also.

I made my pie crusts this evening and put them in the freezer, thanks to The Pioneer Woman's friend, Sylvia, I hope to have perfect pie crusts this year. Click on the green words (pie crusts) and you can see the recipe. This recipe has also been used in my in-laws' family for years and I know it is very good!

So groceries bought and pie crusts ready to roll out is enough today for Thanksgiving. Four days until I really need to get seriously cooking.

Plan

I called the 'Resolution' department again today for our home loan. They actually are part of Bank of America who holds our mortgage. The letter didn't say that at all so it is interesting what you find out.
The lady said that our home is past the time for a resale. What that means is anybody's guess. I just realized too that we have been in foreclosure a long time. Amazing. And we just got the registered letter yesterday. She said that if a home goes up for a foreclosure sale, then we have between 30 days and 90 days to move.
The assistant also told me to try B of A for a modification and I was reminded that I had only tried for a modification with a fraud outfit who won't return our money. And B of A won't charge anything.
Now, that all sounds like good news, but even though we will make a profit and loss statement and talk to B of A to try (again) for a modification, I am sure it will be tossed out the window as soon as they quit laughing. However, our plan is that that will just 'buy' us more time to stay here.
The way we figure, since the letter was dated 11/9/2009, we may have 90 days from that date. So we are planning on being out of here on Feb. 9, 2010. I must start packing things that we don't use anyway and get my mind wrapped around the idea that we do have to move, like it or not.

A Woman's Domain

I guess her home is a woman's palace, be it humble or extravagant. This is where we move about privately and safe from the outside world. Something about 'going home' just gives one a warm, cozy feeling. So when that is being 'shaken' it just leaves a very unsettled feeling. Especially when we don't even know what our next 'landing' space will look like or where it will be. The older I get, the more of a 'homebody' I become and in the past I have said home is where our stuff is. That is still true to some extent, but home is where we have been, too, for a long time whether in good experiences or bad, and when we have lots of memories, it is hard to tear ourselves away.

It has begun

So today, there were 4 registered pieces of mail (all the same thing) that is telling us our home is in default and when it goes to a foreclosure sale, we will be notified and told how many days we have to get out. Now if we come up with all the defaulted amount due, we can stay and pay exorbitant payments. and taxes.... and we can't pay any of it.

I am looking around at my 'old' friend here, our house where we have been sheltered for almost eight years. I am trying to be brave and rational and seriously hoping to keep from crawling into bed in the fetal position and never getting up again.

Usually, when we have moved, it has been to a better situation. I can think of a couple times that wasn't so, but usually....... Since this house was our 23rd move, it isn't about the exhausting job that moving is about. That is a whole other story. And yes, we didn't build this to stay here forever. It was to be an 'investment' and someday it would reward us with equity that we could live on when we retired. That was the general idea, but like all good ideas, they don't always work.

So I will use this 'journal' to post my feelings now and then and try to keep my sanity....