Thanksgiving 2013

What a difference a year makes, one year ago today, I was sitting here at Orchard Hills Big House typing a similar blog entry.  Today I am sitting in my office, after spending a good part of the day decorating the outside for Christmas.

This year we had a traditional family gathering here at Orchard Hills. Paul had his kids and their mother up for the holiday. Dad and sister were here as well. We cooked like we were preparing for the troops from Ft. Campbell.    The only thing missing is our loved ones that have passed and our Florida Family.  

Growing up it in Southeast Missouri, Thanksgiving was always a family event, I am fortunate enough to remember everyone meeting at our Great Grandparents house for the day. The Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins all gathering for a day of home cooking, games and just being together as a family.

Those were special times; the extended family unit was together as one clan. As our society moved forward, it seems to have lost this one important aspect of the family.  The family unit is more nuclear in nature today than in the past.  We move further from the family to pursue careers and then everyone becomes so involved with their own lives that taking the time to be with extended family does not seem as important.

This happen to our family clan, as the great and grandparents passed on, my generation was the one that moved further away from the homestead. We were the ones that pursued those careers and just never seem to have any time to make it home for the holidays. I, for one, realized this but only after the passing of my Mother.

Thanksgiving was always a special holiday for her. She called it her mid holiday.  Halloween was the first because of my birth, then Thanksgiving and ending with Christmas. She always wanted the family together for the holiday and for so many years it was just never possible for all of us to be in on location for this weekend.

Okay, I admit, my sister and I were too involved in our own lives at the time to think it to be a big deal.  You always think next year, I will take time off to be with family and next year you say okay next year.  We made the decision a year ago to move so we could be closer to family and it has been the best decision.

This past year has been the most rewarding and heartbreaking that I have experienced since my Mother passed.   We have lost so many special friends and family this year and the holidays just don’t seem the same without them. Although I know they are all with us in spirit and would want us to continue on with our lives and our traditions. 

Keep dancin’ Larry B.

 

Ice for your Headache?

Do you have a problem with headaches?  There is something that you may be able to do which can give you almost immediate relief for even the most severe headache that you are experiencing.  Whenever people use this for the first time they are often shocked with how quickly the effects will take place.  What I'm talking about is putting ice on the area that is affected and if you have the ability to do so quickly you can often head off a headache that is mounting before it actually has time to really develop.   

Most of us who have headaches regularly are familiar with the fact that using a cold compress on our forehead can often help to alleviate the pain.  The ice that is put directly on the pain however will work much faster.  Not only does it help to numb the area giving you almost immediate relief but it also helps the circulation within that specific area along with relieving some of the tension that maybe build up and can remove the headache for the long term.                                      

Interestingly enough heat is also something that may be able to help with certain types of headaches.  This is especially true whenever you're either dealing with a sinus or a tension headache.  One of the first things that I do whenever I feel one of these headaches mounting is to get into the shower and to stand underneath the water allowing it to hit me in the back of the neck.  I make the water as absolutely hot as I possibly can without damaging my skin in the process.  The hot water has the effect of relaxing the tense muscles which are causing the headache in the first place.  The steam that is produced from the hot water can help to relieve some of the pressure in my sinuses taking care of that headache as well.                                

There may also be times when you find that a combination of these two things will work very well for you.  This is especially the case if you are dealing with a sinus headache as you can use the steam therapy in order to loosen things up and then the ice therapy quickly afterwards in order to alleviate some of the pain that you are feeling.  It's a 1-2 punch that has a benefit for you and can remove a headache quickly.             

Keep Dancin’  Larry B     

Easy Anytime Rollups

I was asked this week to resend a friend a recipe I wrote about couple of years ago so Here it is..

Country Meat Roll-ups

I love creating recipes that are quick and easy to prepare during the work week and even for group gatherings. This is a very simple ground meat recipe.  It does not matter what type of ground meat used.  I have made this recipe with beef, pork, veal, lamb and venison.  The following recipe is basic for 4 servings, you can adjust accordingly to accommodate 4 to 40 or more. Country Meat Rollups   1.5 pound ground meat 1 medium size onion (chopped) 1 can of  sliced mushrooms 2 cloves of garlic(minced) 1 cup of sour cream 1 egg (beaten) 1 egg separated (make egg wash with white and add egg yolk to the beaten egg)  1 package of Crescent Rolls 1 can cream of mushroom soup Brown the ground meat, onions, mushrooms and garlic till meat is no longer pink. Set aside to cool. Take the Crescent Rolls, pull the rolls apart and then roll each one out as large as you can. Once the meat mixture has cooled, add 1/2 cup of sour cream and the beaten egg, Mix well. Now take a scoop of the meat mixture(approximately large egg in size) place this in center of each rolled out Crescent Roll.  Once this is complete take each Crescent Roll and roll it around the meat mixture, complete seal the meat inside the roll. Place rolls on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Take the egg wash and brush over each roll.  Bake at 350 for approximately 15 -20 minutes rolls should be nice and brown. While the rolls are baking, take the can of Cream of Mushroom soup and mix with remaining 1/2 cup of sour cream. Heat the soup mixture and serve as a sauce on the rolls. Variations for this recipe: I have also taken French Onion Soup and Golden Mushroom soup together to create a sauce.  I have also used Ready to Bake Bread dough for a large rollup for a group of 8-10. I let the dough thaw over night in frig. I then roll out the bread dough to the size of a cookie sheet. Place the meat mixture in the center of the dough and rollup. Bake this for 30-40 minutes. I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. I have gotten so many compliments over the years.  Enjoy and Bon Appetite!

Keep dancin' Larry B

Retirement, Are you Ready?

This is it the long haul! You are positive that you have lived a full life, the fullest that you ever can and you are ready to retire. But are you really ready?  You may think there is no imminent need for retirement planning but there actually is. You see there are a lot of things to consider before you do get on that platform and accept the retirement package your workplace is offering you. And retirement planning requires one to consider five things.                                                  

The first thing to consider when you’re mulling over retirement planning is the decision as to where you would be living. Let’s face it: you would not want to be a burden to your children especially if they already have families of their own. Sure visits and such are all right but living with them is a totally different story. Thus you should consider this thoroughly when you start your retirement planning. A lot of people prefer to go back to the house or the area where they were raised. And you can do this as well. You can also choose to go to that one place you’ve always wanted to go. Whatever catches your fancy is the goal of retirement planning here.                               

The second thing to consider is the financial aspect. Do you have enough money to support your plans? Is your pension plan enough to jive with the retirement planning that you have started conceptualizing? No correct answer can ever fit this question because this would totally depend on the goals you have laid out for yourself. Just make sure that you do have enough so that the purpose of retirement planning would not be defeated.                                 

The third thing to consider is whether or not you are indeed ready to retire. You may think this is not something to consider but it actually is. When you retire you will have a lot of free time on your hands. And you just might find too much time too daunting. So you should consider this carefully.     

The fourth thing is the concept of working after retirement. Now there are a lot of people out there who opt to continue working light jobs after retiring. And this is not something out of the ordinary. If this is something you are planning to do you won’t have that much difficulty at all. There are a lot of jobs still available for people after retirement.              

The fifth thing to consider is your health. Aside from funds for vacations and the like you also need to ready yourself regarding your health. This is indeed something you should consider when retirement planning. This way you won’t be a burden on your family and their families.       

 

Keep Dancin’. LB

Bittersweet Time of Year

 Yesterday was Halloween and the day of my birth, so of course, Halloween and October is my favorite time of the year. It is the change of season and the mornings are cool crisp.  The earth sheds its summer greens and the colors of fall pop everywhere.  Growing up with your birthday on Halloween was the best; back in the late sixties in a small rural farm town everyone made home treats that were the best candies and treats ever.

There were hay rides, pumpkin carving and haunted barns. Fall festivals, carnivals and rodeos were the social events.  Most important was home coming and fall break. It was the time of year that everyone took a deep breath and let them has a few days of relaxation after a hot busy summer.

So being a child of this time of year it has always been when I feel revitalized and closest to my inner self. This is the way it used to be for me during this month.

Then it changed forever in 2008, for that was the year my dear mother was diagnosed with cancer. In her true fashion of always being in control, mom had the last word. As we finished up our bed time routine, she looked at me and said "Happy Birthday son". It was the last thing my mother ever said to me.

My mother past 6 years ago today. It is very difficult to enjoy something when it becomes associated with the death of a loved one. It took time for me to work through accepting my mother would want me to continue my love of this part of the year and not dwell on her death. 

I have accepted but it does not stop me from having my moment of regret that she is not here for my birthday. I miss my cohort in Halloween fun which one time included her picking out hair dye that gave me a great shade of dark red. I take great comfort that she left us on All Saints Day. For to me, mom was a Saint she put up with all the crap I provided over the years being just like her made it worse. Granny warned her about having one child just like her was pay back.

Well Granny was right, I am my mother's son, more like her every day and damn proud of it. For Mom gave me her strength to stand up for others, take no crap for what I believe in and to speak my mind no matter what others think.

So even though his time of year is a bittersweet for me now, I hold on to all the wonderful memories my Mom gave me over the years. She will always be my guardian angel and I will continue to honor her by being her son.  For October, Halloween and All Saints Day have taken on a new meaning for me. A time of renewal, a time of death, a time to honor the most important woman in my life.

Thanks Mom and I will keep dancin'.  Larry B