Dancing With Fruitcake

Category: Uncategorized

  • One Year of Retirement

    A woman standing on a balcony overlooking a vineyard, holding a glass of white wine and smiling, with rolling hills and a serene river in the background.

    Today marks one full year of retirement — and I still can hardly believe it. The time has flown by in the most surprising way.

    When I first retired, I was carrying an extra 100 pounds and felt absolutely terrible. My knees hurt so badly that I dreaded getting out of my chair. Some mornings I could barely find the will to get out of bed. I felt old, worn down, and honestly wondered if my best days were behind me.The first few weeks were mostly about sleep — deep, restorative sleep I hadn’t realized I so desperately needed.

    Once I was rested, I started making small but consistent changes: eating better, moving more gently, and showing up for AquaFit classes at the pool. I’ve now lost 50 pounds. My knees still get stiff and sore sometimes, but I’m moving so much better than before. I go to the gym pool three times a week and to a painting class once a week. Since I started eating more fermented foods, my mind feels clearer and I’m genuinely happier most days.

    I also challenged myself by taking a genealogy course at Boston University. It wasn’t the smoothest experience, but I did learn a lot — enough to trace one family line all the way back to the 1200s. Now I’m excited to keep filling in the details and stories.

    I’ve been enjoying a subscription to Texas Monthly. The writing is excellent (which is rarer than it should be these days), the reporting is deep and thoughtful, and I especially look forward to their true crime pieces.

    I’ll admit there are still occasional moments when I feel a little bored, but they pass. What I don’t feel is any regret about leaving work behind. Retirement, even with its quiet rhythms, has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m healthier, lighter, more curious, and finally getting to live life on my own terms.Here’s to year two.

  • Fermented Foods

    A plate of various side dishes including kimchi, pickled cabbage, green olives in a small bowl, pickles, and a slice of bread, accompanied by a dollop of sour cream.

    Recently, I read an article about what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eats in a typical day. He looks great, and I want to look great too. The main things that stood out were steak, plenty of fermented foods, and the fact that he sometimes eats just one meal. I’m definitely not a one-meal-a-day person, but the fermented foods part intrigued me enough to give it a try.

    I ordered a 6-pack variety mix from Olive My Pickle that included dill pickles, garlic dill pickles, butter olives, mixed Mediterranean olives, carrot and dill sauerkraut, and kimchi. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical at first — fermented foods contain live bacteria, and I’ve always been used to the standard vinegar pickles you find in most stores.

    My first bite was the butter olives, and they were absolutely delicious. That quickly led to trying the garlic dill pickles, which tasted just like the pickles I remembered from the 1960s. It made me realize how flat and one-dimensional today’s vinegar pickles have become. I saved the kimchi for last because I’d never tried it before and have sometimes been underwhelmed by certain international foods. Once everything else was gone, I finally gave it a chance — and to my surprise, it was genuinely delicious. I ended up ordering another 6-pack right away.

    After that, I dove into the research on fermented foods and was impressed by the potential benefits. For the past three to four weeks, I’ve been eating 4–6 servings a day. Almost immediately, I noticed I felt more awake and alert — which is a big deal for someone who’s usually pretty lazy by nature. I’m still hoping the anti-inflammatory effects will eventually help with my achy knees, but I know that kind of improvement can take time, so I’m being patient.

    Here’s a typical day of eating for me now:

    Breakfast:
    Two slices of toasted sourdough bread, three eggs, and about ¼ cup of sauerkraut.

    Lunch:
    Greek yogurt

    Dinner:
    Chicken thighs (or sometimes tuna, burger, or salmon), a vegetable side, and two more slices of toasted sourdough.

    Snacks:
    A pickle or a few olives throughout the day.

    I’ve been able to hit my six servings of fermented foods daily while still staying within a reasonable salt range. So far, I’ve lost 45 pounds eating this way (over a year) and I genuinely feel much better overall. I’ve also been minimizing processed foods as much as possible — especially after learning about things like arsenic in chocolate and how many store-bought products seem designed to work against us.

    If you’re even a little curious, I highly recommend giving real fermented foods a try. Just be sure to check the label — look for “fermented” or “live cultures,” not just “pickled.”

    Happy eating!

  • One of Those People

    A group of older women exercising in a pool, using dumbbells for water aerobics, smiling and enjoying the workout.

    In the past, I’ve made fun of those people who start a new diet on January 1st and start going to the gym. They overrun the gyms and annoy the regulars just by being there. Well, guess what…I’ve decided to be on those people this year. That’s right. I made a plan and everything.

    Starting January 1, 2026, I’m going to the AquaFit class at the gym. I’m already a member, but my attendance has long remained dormant. I’m going to do AquaFit four times a week and weights three times a week. I’m also starting back on Weight Watchers. I have my menu made up and everything.

    I did WW last year and lost 30 lbs. I’ve kept most of it off. The thing is, I’ve only been a half-hearted participant. I dial into the virtual workshops, leave my camera off, and fail to participate. I don’t participate in the Connect Community or listen to the audio coaching. I don’t journal. I cheat, and I don’t exercise. There has been no real commitment.

    I’ve decided that this year I’m going to put on my camera and participate in the workshops. I’m going to post in the Community and exercise. I even have a journal. My son gave me The Hero’s Journal, and I’ve already started filling it in.

    The WW coaches ask us to define what is our why? I never really had a why. This time I do. My knees hurt, and that keeps me from living my best life. I bought a vibration plate and started icing my knees, and that has helped a lot.

    I retired this year and have the time to commit and focus on myself and getting healthier. There are no excuses. Of course I’m sitting here right now eating my last-ish chocolate toffee bar…but Thursday is a new day!!

  • A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape From Christian Patriarchy

    A woman with long blonde hair smiling at the camera, with the book cover of 'A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape From Christian Patriarchy' by Tia Levings displayed next to her.

    Tia Levings’ A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape From Christian Patriarchy is a book you won’t want to put down; however, it should come with a major trigger warning. The book details Tia’s life in and escape from the Fundamentalist lifestyle and a husband with mental illness.

    The book is well-written and evokes feelings of being a part of Tia’s experience. I had a panic attack and two weeks of nightmares while reading it. I’m a slow reader. I know what it’s like to escape a similar horror with the ensuing decades of recovery. That was the cause of my panic attack. It brought back the feelings I experienced when living in a truly bad situation for 25 years.

    Still, I give the book – and Tia – five stars. I’ve heard so many people ask why someone would spend so many years living a nightmare. It’s because you know the horror you are living with, but trying to escape takes you into the realm of the unknown. Things escalate rapidly when you try to escape. Escape can mean death.

    One thing I didn’t realize is how all of this fundamental lifestyle can begin in a First Baptist church. Everyone interprets the Bible differently, and I know a lot of Baptists who do not go in the Fundamentalist direction. I personally have experience with fundamentalists, and this book helped me to see things I’ve always known with fresh eyes. The book is not for the faint of heart, but I wholeheartedly recommend it.

  • Two-Ingredient Crockpot Chicken and Salsa

    A close-up view of a tortilla wrap filled with diced vegetables, shredded cheese, and garnished with herbs, presented on a colorful decorative plate.

    As you’ve seen with my other recipes, I like to eat good food but I don’t want to spend much time cooking. This is an amazing recipe that I thought would just be “a meal,” but I was surprised to find it’s an “amazing meal.”

    Slow Cooker Chicken & Salsa

    Serving Size:
    Time:
    Difficulty:

    Ingredients

    • Chicken thighs or breasts – I use frozen
    • Salsa, 1 jar of your favorite – I use Mrs. Renfro’s Peach Salsa

    Directions

    1. Put frozen chicken pieces into the crockpot.
    2. Add entire jar of salsa.
    3. Cook on high four hours.
    4. Shred chicken.
    5. Pile it onto a hot tortilla and add cheese, cilantro, and anything else you like.

    Notes: I’ve also cooked pork like this.

    This dish is delicious with a side of rice and beans.

  • Little Girl in Flower Garden

    A young girl in a pink dress and a large white hat bends down to admire flowers in a garden, surrounded by a wooden fence and lush greenery.

    The Little Girl in the Garden Painting was my fourth painting. So far, this is my favorite. I was a bit intimated by this one in the beginning. I didn’t thinik the trees would come out right or the little girl, but it was much easier than I anticipated. My paintings are still hit and miss. I never know which ones will look right. I hung this one in the dining room.

  • Flamingos

    Three pink flamingos standing near water, with a dark background and hints of greenery.

    These flamingos were my second painting in my acrylic painting class. I really like flamingos and am slowly adding touches of pink to my gray and purple bedroom. I also had a Giclee printing made of this painting and put it in a matted frame to set on my nightstand. My son and daughter-in-law gave me several organizing containers that are pink with white polka dots. They add a cute whimsy feel to the room.

    I love flamingos because they are awkward and goofy, and perhaps I identify with that. When they walk in a group, they look a little like paranoid private investigators, peaking around corners and pattering around. They’re so weird and cute and wonderful!

  • Limitless Expanded Edition

    By Jim Kwik

    Limitless Expanded Edition by Jim Kwik

    Yesterday, I was browsing Facebook when an ad from Jim Kwik popped up. He was advertising the various programs he has available for purchase on his website. I watched the video in the ad and was amazed at what I was hearing. Jim is a dynamic speaker who grabs your attention right away. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to a full program at this time, so I headed over to Amazon and looked up his books. Sure enough, Limitless Expanded Edition came up, and I bought the Kindle version.

    I started flipping through the pages, looking for a summary or list of things I could do to increase my memory and brain power. Jim’s own story is quite powerful from what I saw in the video, but I wanted to get right to the points that might help me.

    • There was an exercise for taking a list of 10 words, looking at the list for no more than 30 seconds, and then—without looking at the list—repeating the words in order. The first time I did the exercise, I remembered six words, which didn’t seem too bad.
    • Then, Jim explained his method for remembering a list, so I did the exercise again. This time, I remembered nine words.
    • Next, he demonstrated how to recall the words in reverse order. I didn’t have much faith yet, but surprisingly, I remembered all 10 words in reverse order. I was fascinated and decided to finish skimming the book and then re-read it slowly, noting the main points.

    I’m a recent retiree. Everything is still in working order, but there’s always room for improvement. My aunt has Alzheimer’s, and that is a heartbreaking condition. I feel optimistic that Jim’s book can help anyone who wants to improve their brain and memory. It may or may not keep me from getting Alzheimer’s, but it might help me in learning a new language. He also has tips for remembering more to deliver better presentations and speaking engagements. He also has workbooks available to go along with this book. I intend to read more of Jim’s books and maybe even take one of his courses.

    I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!