Pharmacy cooking
The best way to stop a rumor is to tell the truth up front. So, if you have heard the rumor that I am moving, it is sort of true but let me explain.
My husband, Steve, is an airline pilot. The FAA requires that all pilots retire when they are 60. So we are looking ahead to when Steve turns 60 in 2009. I am not a fan of Kansas weather, and we loved our time we lived in Washington state.
We have been looking at different areas of western Washington on trips for the last few years. We eliminated the Seattle/Tacoma area because of the traffic. We eliminated the peninsula because of the distance to an airport. We settled on the Bellingham area near the Canada border. After we picked that area, several national magazines rated it the best area to retire.
We visited several small towns in the area and picked out the town of Lynden whose symbol is the Dutch windmill. After working across the street from the Friesen mill since it was built, I guess the windmills just made me feel at home. We have been watching the real estate on the Internet in that area, and it is going up in pricing steadily.
When we visited Bellingham the first time about five years ago, we attended Steve Schroeder's church because he was related to our friends, the Dave Kroekers. There we met a couple who took us out for lunch. They were both realtors, and we have kept in touch with them over the years. He found some houses for us to look at last October, but we didn't see one we liked. Then two weeks ago, he emailed about a house and faxed us the plans.
We liked what we saw, flew out during the Chicago snowstorm, and bought the house. If the closing goes as expected, we will be Washington state homeowners by the middle of March. We have hired a rental company to rent it out until we are ready to move. At this time, we are looking at 2009.
I love Whatcom County. When we were there in February, the primroses and pansies were blooming and everything was green. It is an agriculture area, growing 65 percent of all the raspberries produced in the US. They also grow blueberries, strawberries, sweet corn, asparagus, and hazelnuts. There are many small dairy farms and two dairy plants in Lynden.
The closest airport is about 40 miles away in Vancouver, Canada. Lynden is about five miles into the U.S. It is close to Abbotsford, British Columbia, so there are some Mennonites in the area if we want to find some Friesens, Funks or Unruhs.
I am looking forward to cooking more during retirement. It is fun for me to plan as I work around my kitchen about what I want to take and what I want to get rid of here. The kitchen will need a few adjustments. The kitchen opens into a family room with a nice brick fireplace and has hardwood floors. French doors open onto the patio and the beautifully landscaped back yard. I can already see parties taking place.
Meanwhile, back with a reality check, I have been using the crockpot a lot because I can get a meal on the table quickly, and with my feet still healing, I don't have to stand as much. I happened upon a tasty recipe that was extra easy. I added some mashed potatoes and opened a can of fruit and we called it supper!
Just think, in five years, I can add fresh berries for suppers. I love company and hope we get a lot of visitors from Kansas. That way I can have them bring frozen sausage in return for free room and board.
CROCK POT BEEF BUNDLES
1 1/2 pounds round or sirloin steak, 3/8 inch thick
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1 can (10 ounces) beef gravy
Trim fat off steak and discard. Cut steak into four pieces. Place 1 slice of bacon on each piece of steak. Combine vegetables. Place about 1/4 cup of vegetable mixture on each steak. Roll up meat and secure with a toothpick. (They don't have to be perfect.) Place in a crockpot. Pour gravy over top. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Skim off fat before serving with mashed potatoes or rice.
