Food basket

Isn’t it a food basket that the economists measure to determine if we have inflation? I think that’s the term. I’ve been pondering food lately.

This weekend I went to Aldi’s, Giant Eagle, and Heinens to buy food for the house. If you don’t know, Aldi’s is a German-owned discount grocery chain, Giant Eagle is a Pittsburgh-based grocery store chain, and Heinen’s is a high-end small local grocery store chain in the Cleveland area.

Aldi’s has lots of canned goods and some produce that I bought. Then I trotted off to Giant Eagle.

Giant Eagle has just about everything that I didn’t get at Aldi’s but didn’t have coconut creamer or Good bars (problem with a Pittsburgh-based store in Ohio: doesn’t sell Ohio based snack bars) so I had to go to Heinen’s.

Heinen’s has beautiful produce and I always end up buying some vegetable or fruit there. I also bought the coconut creamer for my coffee and the Good bars, which my friend Karen got me hooked on.

Here’s the thing. I don’t shop much anymore in grocery stores and when I do, I tend to buy produce, dog food, beer and wine, and household items like detergent. There’s very little in the stores that I eat.

When did eating become so difficult? I want to buy meat but I want the grass-fed kind. Aldi’s has some but I looked at it and it comes from three different countries and then is combined in the US. That creeped me out so I passed on that. Then I looked at Giant Eagle’s meat. The chicken lists all of the things not used (antibiotics and cages mainly) but it says the chickens were on a vegetarian diet. Well, chickens aren’t vegetarians so I stood there debating what to do. Finally I reluctantly picked out a package.

At Heinen’s, I always wait until some meat is on sale before I buy anything but I checked the bison and the grass fed beef just to be safe. No sale this week.

I buy my eggs at the Trapp Family Farm and I often buy meat at Brunty’s Farm and I buy produce at the Hudson Farmer’s Market during the summer. Winter time, I’m back to the grocery store.

I felt very out of place in Giant Eagle because I eat so little of what’s there. There is a new Giant Eagle in a neighboring town that is going after the Whole Foods market. I like shopping there because they have really good seafood.

I’m not sure what my point is but since I only have to shop for me, I can have these quirky eating habits. If I had to cook for someone else, I bet I’d revert to a more traditional shopping and eating pattern. In case you’re wondering, I’ve quit eating most prepared foods, most grain-based foods (like bread), food with added sugar, and most dairy products. They occasionally make their way into my food basket but not often.

 

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Stuck in the Corner

I found this blog post recently: Time to cast the line: Dating as a Widow and thought it was good, though it doesn’t quite address the big problem which is how to FIND someone to date.

It’s been over three years since Dave died and I think it’s time to start dating again. I find that to be easier said than done. I tried the online dating sites for a little while and went on a couple of dates with a man. That was pleasant but not earth shattering and at some point I realized I wasn’t hearing from him again and decided that it was no big deal.

I talked to a one man on the phone who I decided was not a good fit–if you’re going to complain about the women you’ve met on a dating site, the odds are good that you’ll complain about me too. I too probably have rolls of fat and look like a mother. I am indeed a mother. And really, this is what you discuss with a potential date?

A lot of the men on the online dating sites look like they’ve spent the last 30 years in a recliner and now, for some reason, they’ve been forced out of that chair, and are trying desperately to find someone to let them get back to reclining. Those are not for me.

Then there are some who are obviously very active and fit and are looking for younger, very active and fit women. They frighten me and I eliminate them from the list too.

And then there are the sad cases where of course my first instinct is to try to fix things for them and then realize down that path lies a lot of pointless work. What I also realized is that there are women who will go down that path happily so I should leave them to it.

People told me to join groups where I could meet men so I joined a hiking group and sure enough I met a man who I then went out with a couple of times. He very quickly veered into crazy land by criticizing my “lack of hormones” because apparently I wasn’t passionate enough while at the same time talking about the “L word.” I was sorry that one didn’t work out any better because I really thought that having met the person first was a better way to go.

I love my friends but I find that widowhood sort of consigns you to the women’s corner. Actually I love the women’s corner but wouldn’t it be nice to explore other parts of the room too?

I’m sharing one of my hiking photos because it’s a LEDGE, which seems appropriate, though, of course, I used a room metaphor so this isn’t quite the right theme. Still, enjoy the picture.

 

CVNP Kendall Ledges

CVNP Kendall Ledges

 

 

Running

Since I just reported on my Ultimate Fitness Challenge, I might as well report on my running too. I ran the Race to the Taste 5K on Labor Day. The race is part of the Taste of Hudson. I ran it last year too. I improved my speed by about 30 seconds per mile and this year came in third place in my category (women over 50). It’s the first time I’ve ever won anything for something sports related! The picture here is me getting my winning t-shirt.

In less than two weeks, I’m running the fifth leg for a relay team in the Akron Marathon. I’m nervous about this one. It’s 5.6 miles which is the furthest I’ve ever run. I’ve been training but I never feel like I really know what I’m doing.

race to the taste winner

 

Ultimate Fitness Challenge

I’m happy to say that I completed the Ultimate Fitness Challenge in 13:14 (minutes:seconds) last week at the Summa Wellness Institute. I did this in May in 16:33. That was a 20% improvement in time! It just goes to show what training for something does.

Challenge is the right word to describe this event. It starts with the rowing machine, includes push ups, burpees, tire flips, and more and then concludes with pushing a loaded prowler cart a long way!

Here’s a photo of me at the finish line.finish line

 

Three Words

I’ve been picking three words as a theme for the year for several years now. Well, I’ve picked three words each year but sometimes only one or two words really come through for me. One year I chose the word reduce as one of my three words and that’s the year that I got rid of a lot of things in my house by having the estate sale and was the year that I really started to lose weight. This year my three words are:

  • pull-up:  I like pull-up because I’ve set a goal at the gym (Summa Wellness Institute in Hudson) to do one pull up. That is an unbelievably difficult goal for me but I’m working on it. I also like the whole “bootstrap” thing. So, the multiple meanings work well for me.
  • income: I could not think of a multi-meaning word that really got to the point for me on this so I went with the word that means what is important for me. I really need to focus on generating income now that I’m self-employed
  • consolidate: I want to consolidate my possessions and actions so that I’m living a more efficient life and in a less cluttered environment.

If you’re not familiar withe the idea of choosing three words for the year over setting resolutions, read Chris Brogran’s blog about it. He started this in 2006 and has been using it ever since and encouraging the rest of the world to follow suit.

Three Words 2015: Pull-Up, Consolidate, Income

Three Words 2015