51°f/10.5°C, cloudy most of the day but nice and cool, with a high of about 73.
A little fall color is beginning to show at last.
A report on NPR yesterday caught my attention: the number of senior citizens living in poverty is rising. And many struggle to buy enough food for a month.
According to Investopedia, 15.4% of US seniors have incomes below the poverty level, and seniors comprise the largest age group living in poverty. And if that's not shocking enough, the NPR report included comments from an AARP spokesperson who said that 40% of people between 50 and 64 said that they ran out of money for food before the end of the month.
I was thinking about all this as I was shopping today. We are fortunate, I know; food is not a worry for us. Even so I shop carefully, trying to save as much as I can while still being able to eat well. Today I bought a 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters for $7.99, and 2 packs of chicken beasts marked half price to $3.75 each because the expire date is tomorrow--- but there was a "buy one get one free" sale on that brand, so I got both packs for $3.75. I repackaged the 10 pounds into 6 separate bags, and put all the chicken into the freezer.
I also picked up 2 packages of mushrooms also marked 50% off. These I sautéed in butter and popped into the freezer too, except for the ones I was using for the soup I was making Other savings included a half price loaf of organic bread, a few bottles of wine on clearance for 30% off, and grapes on sale for $1.99 a pound.
I am lucky though. I have a freezer, I know how to put up food and have the space to do so, and I know how to cook from scratch and improvise as needed. And maybe just as important, I am healthy enough to do these things. I cannot imagine living in an inner city rental, having to pay for water, natural gas, rent, and groceries on our income. We'd be struggling, that's for sure.
It makes me angry, though, that in this "rich" first-world country our seniors are not better cared for
and so many are still working just to make the ends meet. The lady cashier at the store today was 76, and can't afford to retire. Another said she has 2 jobs, and she's 70. Sadly, I don't see any change in the foreseeable future. We seem to be the disposable generation.
Well, enough of that rant! Larry and I were busy all day Saturday, just cleaning up, and getting the rest of the Fall and Halloween decorations out. I made a big pot of chili, cornbread and peanut cookies.
Granddaughter Haley and her wife came over for firepit time that evening, bringing some friends along. It was such a nice visit; Haley is in the National Guard full-time so doesn't get down this way too often. Sunday Larry and i went out to breakfast, then came home to cut some pork loins into chops for the freezer, clean out the fridge, and
do a few other jobs, then we lit the firepit again because it was such a lovely evening.
Monday we were outside, mowing, weedeating, and stringtrimming. Then I canned the leftover chili (i made a lot!), as well as 10 quarts of pinto beans, 4 quarts of diced tomatoes and 8 pints of fruit cocktail---a friend gad gicmven us gallon cans of the beans, tomatoes, and fruit so I needed to divide these large amounts into usable portions.
Today we took it easy-- went into town to pick up our milk, bought the groceries, then I dealt with the chicken and stuff and Larry went to pick up some firewood given to us by a neighbor.
I also made Italian wedding soup, or at least my variation of it. (Click here for the recipe ) I used turkey sausage for the meatballs, barley instead of orzo, and added mushrooms. Absolutely delicious.
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