Temu Shirts and Spring Flowers

I’m so done with winter. I was absolutely excited to walk into a store and see spring flowers for a change. At this point real or silk blooms will work for me. I need to breathe the colors and greenery to kick my seasonal melancholy out of the window of my soul. I’m not sure it accomplished that but it certainly didn’t make it worse. Who doesn’t like flowers? Flowers for me signify happiness, life, and give me good vibes.

My kitchen table over winter has become the new junk drawer. When we walk in it seems to catch bits of our daily drops. Clothing, snack food packages, there’s even bread and fresh veggies surrounding a lone coffee maker. This time of year looks like hoard mode with three adults coming and going in our limited space. 

 

Although we all work I am the one who does everything at home including meals and I tend to get behind. It will be so nice to be able to expand our living space outside with warm weather. I feel a deep spring cleaning urge coming in the near future with numerous trips out to the dumpster. Clutter sparks my anxiety. 

Today is my catch up at home day. It’s a combination of cleaning, laundry, and whatever else needs doing (a broken outdoor dryer vent trumped the day later). My husband opted for a Greek Gyro sandwich kit instead of a cooked dinner. Simple and low-key. We rarely eat out or order fast food. Partly because we are saving our pennies, but more because the fake food is full of sodium and unhealthy. 

The last time I ate a McDonald's burger was in 2019, and it made me ill. Two years ago we dined at an Applebees restaurant and I got food poisoning within the hour. I also noticed with age both our gastro systems have changed the last few years which throws another wrench into the party. There are things about adult health we don’t learn in school nor hear of until we arrive at it ourselves. I had no idea my grandmother experienced any of this until I became her age. 

Since we stopped eating out and started gathering recipes to make our own versions of what we like it’s been a learning experience and fun.  It’s not difficult to recreate your favorite foods at home. I shop at local Asian or Indian markets for favorite ingredients and have amassed a library of recipes and cookbooks in the process. When we buy shelf items at the food store I always read the package to see what additives there are. For the most part we eat similar to the Mediterranean diet. 

The Gyros were simple enough. The cooked meat is sliced seasoned lamb on flat bread, add tomato, onions, pickled banana peppers and a sauce of choice. Although I’m not big on food in general it smelled good so I indulged in one. It doesn’t look like much but was light and very tasty. The flat bread came with the kit, but I recently started learning to make my own Naan bread. We prefer it to regular bread.

Do you use an automatic dishwasher? I had one when my kids were little and I wasn’t a big fan. I’d have to rinse and scrub dishes prior to loading it, sometimes re-wash or dry after the cycle. It got ridiculous and was more work. For me it’s speedier the old fashioned way. It saves cabinet space, water, and I get the dishes clean the first go around.

These days I’ve added rubber gloves to the kitchen. Nature isn’t kind to human skin with age. Thinning skin damages and bruises easily. The first time I noticed an “old person bruise” on my arm it freaked me out. Working in a warehouse I started getting plenty of damage on my arms so I found and purchased arm protectors on Amazon. Now I know I need to pay attention and be more cautious.

My husband discovered Temu months ago and had to have this shirt, it was only 4 dollars USD. He wore it to work and it made people giggle, so much so he purchased more shirts with other snarky quotes for the same purpose. The shirts are made of a nylon material and he orders one size up for a good fit, they also wash and dry well. 

His birthday isn't far off and its arrival will nudge him into the category of one of two oldest warehouse employees (I’m right behind them). He has fun owning his age (to a point) most days and loves it gives his work mates a laugh. 

Remember the Apple Watch hard fall fail? Hello (old) Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. This watch detected my stumble and fall at work immediately. For now my Apple Watch will reside on a charger until I decide what to do with it. The fact my husband’s watch SE didn’t detect him falling at work months ago leaves no room for error. We’ll have to get him a different device. No we do not usually nose dive often, winter ice brought the whole subject to the forefront this year. 

Speaking of falls, don’t be me. There was a large chunk of snow in the driveway left by the plow that needed moving, so I kicked it. Much to my dismay it was actually a chunk of ice covered in snow and guess who ended up back at the doctor office. This is what happens when you’re a kid at heart playing outside and “do a stupid.” It looks worse than it is. 

 

Bouncing back from life’s physical speed bumps takes a bit more time than 25 years ago, but doesn’t deter me from my impulsive playfulness. I refuse to become a quiet boring old lady, life is meant for living. 

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