When Life Gives You Lemons, Be Happy! January 7, 2022

This was a good day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing bad or challenging. Just a day where everything went as planned. How often does that happen? Last night we took milk over to some friends and repaid us with lemons, grapefruit and oranges from Arizona where they had spent their Christmas Holiday with their family. It tastes like where I grew up. (I would say home, but that is not my home anymore.) Jim says he remembers riding a moped on the road between the citrus groves and he could feel the coolness of the grove. I always found it amazing that you could just go pick an orange off a tree. My grandma and grandpa had citrus trees of all types in their yard. Anyway it was not a “lemon” day in a bad way. It was a “lemon” day in everything is fresh and feels good.

With the amount of sadness in the world everyone could use a fresh “lemon” day. Today I visited a person who was just talking and broke down in tears three different times. Loneliness is a fearsome feeling and one that many seniors have. I love to sit with them and just talk and let them talk. They are so hungry for conversation and for someone to walk through their door and give their silence some sound. I am very limited on what I can do with all the regulations of Medicare and being their nurse. But I need to take those experiences to friends at church or in my neighborhood who might be lonely or burdened and just need to laugh and cry. There is great joy in sharing a moment with others without expecting anything in return.

For our Friday night date tonight, I made dinner and set up TV trays in our back room and we put a movie on and ate and watched together. We only watch PG and G movies now. I find many others who are doing that also. I was surprised at how many homes I go into where the Hallmark channel is on or people are watching the Walton’s or some show that makes them feel good in a world of chaos. Even people I could never expect to see something like that on their TV has Hallmark on. It brings the lemon sunshine into their homes.

Nutritional Information

When we were looking for land four years ago we stayed with my brother and his wife who happens to be a dear dear friend. He introduced me to lemon curd. I had heard of it but never seen it or tasted it. I was hooked. I knew it was processed and on the list of things I needed to enjoy sparingly. But the freshness of it captured my testbeds and there was something old-fashioned about it and I love old-fashion. I set out to find a recipe and made it myself.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and egg yolks. Stir in the lemon juice. It will look curdled at this point. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk continually until it reaches 175 degrees.
2. Pour into a container and refrigerate.

Healthier Ideas to use lemon curd

Layer plain homemade yogurt with a teaspoon of lemon curd and homemade granola. Layer in fresh fruit

Put a teaspoon on your whole grain toast

Spread on whole grain pancakes.

Remember to eat things like this in moderation. They are a special treat not an everyday occurance.