Olga (22 page)

Cream sauce for pyrogies

1 onion, medium, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 lb fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom
soup

Fry the onion until transparent. Add and sautée mushrooms. Dilute the soup with a little bit of milk and stir into the onion and mushroom mixture. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. I have had rave reviews about this
sauce.

I serve pyrogies with sour cream, but some people also add crisp, crumbled bacon and fried
onions.

Pyrogies may be cooked and then pan-fried in butter until golden
brown.

Raw pyrogies may be arranged on trays, covered with a tea towel and frozen, and then placed in freezer bags to freezer. When you are hungry and ready to enjoy eating pyrogies, boil them as instructed above. This method will take longer because the boiling water will cool off until it starts to boil again.

Be patient. Be careful. Have lots of fried onions ready. Have a healthy
appetite.

Vitamins & Natural Remedies

Eating natural and wholesome food is necessary to maintain good health. The following powerful vitamins and minerals are found in a variety of healthy
foods:

Omega 3
fats:

These heart-friendly fats may lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. They can be found in salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, and
herring.

Calcium & Vitamin
D:

Vital for strong bones. Milk is a good source of the mineral calcium and best consumed with Vitamin D that helps the body absorb calcium. Vitamin D can help reduce the risk of some cancers including colorectal cancer. Salmon, yogurt, cheese, and egg yolks are excellent sources of Vitamin D, and so is the
sun.

Vitamin C and
Vitamin
E:

Vitamin C is ascorbic acid that helps your body form collagen needed to make skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. It is essential for healing wounds and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth. Vitamin C and vitamin E are known as antioxidants, substances that block some of the damage caused by free radicals created when your body transforms food into energy. Antioxidants may also help prevent cancer and heart
disease.

Sources for vitamin C: oranges, apples, kiwi, strawberries, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes. Sources for vitamin E: vegetable oils, wheat germ, nuts, sunflower seeds, leafy greens, papayas, avocadoes. Remember to eat 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day to get your recommended daily dosages of vitamin C (500 mgs) and vitamin E (2
IU).

Magnesium:

Magnesium works with other minerals to relax nerves and relieve tension. It aids digestion and adds alkalinity to body fluids. It promotes sleep and is vital for solid teeth and bones and aids in the metabolism of calcium and vitamin C. Magnesium plays an important part in neuromuscular
contractions.

The benefits and whole food sources of vitamins and minerals is health insurance. It is important to supplement our food to ensure our bodies have the proper nutrition to remain healthy. Here is my list of daily supplements to make up any deficiencies in my
diet:

1 ASA Aspirin 81 mg
1 Vitamin E 200 IU
1 Vitamin D 600 - 800 IU
1 Vitamin C 500 mg (in winter season)
Calcium 1200 mg
3 Glucosamine 500 mg
No prescription medication = no health
problems.

One more
thing:

Kick-a-Poo Juice (Blood Purifier)

3 lemons
3 whole heads garlic,
peeled

Puree peel, rind and seeds of whole lemons and the garlic Bring to boil in 3 cups of water. Remove from stove and add ½ cup honey, enough to your taste. Chill. Keep it refrigerated. Take 2 tablespoons before or after a meal. This tasty elixir will keep for several weeks. It will enhance blood and energy
circulation.

Your homework
assignment:

Choose healthy foods that you enjoy eating. Plan your grocery list and avoid buying overly processed junk food. Grow some of your
food.

“If you tickle the
earth with a hoe,
she laughs with a harvest.”
—
Douglas William
Jarrold

Be mindful of what you put in your mouth and into your body. Feed your mind and your body with positive thoughts and healthy foods. Moderation is the key. Watch your calorie intake to maintain your optimal weight. Stay away from fad
diets.

Discover healthy food choices in your ancestral cuisine. Eat foods that your grandmother would recognize. If you have a multi-cultural background, you have more foods from which to choose. I believe everyone can assemble a good number of the favorite recipes that nourished and nurtured you and your families before you. Make these recipes part of your culinary
repertoire.

Eat several small meals a day, every two to three hours. Breakfast is important and eating lunch prevents a lag in energy and a craving for sweets. If you eat only a large meal at night, beware. As a wise Chinese saying goes, “When you eat dinner you feed your
enemy.”

We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the seniors’ special was two eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast for
$1.99.

“Sounds good,” said my wife. “But I don’t want the
eggs.”

“Then I’ll have to charge you two dollars and forty-nine cents because you’re ordering a la carte,” the waitress warned
her.

“You mean I’d have to pay more for not taking the eggs?” my wife asked incredulously. “Yes,” replied the
waitress.

“Then I’ll take the special,” my wife
said.

“How do you want your eggs?” the waitress
asked.

“Raw and in the shell,” my wife replied. She took the two eggs home. Don’t mess with
seniors!

NINE
Secrets of My Success

Lesson:
Getting old is not for sissies
.
You have to make up your
mind if you want to stay healthy. You have to
make the right decisions if you want to be OK as
you age. What I do to stay healthy and active has
worked for me, and I am sure many of these things may
be good for you too. Everyone is different and has
a variety of things that energize them. The most important thing to
remember is maintaining balance: physical, mental, and emotional. And have
fun! Having fun is
fundamental.

“We don’t stop playing because we
grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing.”
—
George Bernard
Shaw

Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400.00 in your private account for your use. However, this prize had rules, just as any game has certain rules. The first set of rules would be: Everything that you didn’t spend during each day would be taken away from
you.

1.
You may not simply transfer money into some other account.

2.
You may only spend it.

3.
Each morning upon awakening the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day. The second set of rules:

4.
The bank can end the game without warning, at any time it can say, “It’s over, the game is over!”

5.
It can close the account, and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do? You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right? Not only for yourself but for all people you love, right? Even for people you don’t know, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every cent, and use it all up,
right?

Actually this game is
Reality.

Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can’t seem to see it. The magical bank is
Time.

Each awakening morning we receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life. And when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is not credited to us. What we haven’t lived up that day is forever lost. Yesterday is forever gone. Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time . . . without
warning.

Well, what will you do with your 86,400 seconds? Aren’t they worth so much more than the same amount in dollars? Think about that and always think of this: Enjoy every second of your life because time races by so much quicker than you think. Take care of yourself and enjoy
life!

W
hen I first read this unusual, inspiring story its message resonated with me. Time is precious. As you come to the end of my book, you now have a good idea how I spend my daily 86,400 seconds: Exercising, travelling, competing, worshipping, singing, creating, gardening, cooking and volunteering. I recently passed my annual medical exam, and I was able to renew my driver’s license. Nowadays, I drive only in the daytime, and I love the independence to drive myself and my friends to our various
activities.

And, of course, I love to laugh. When someone asked me the secret to my athletic success I told them, “I don’t wear a diaper.” Then we both started to laugh. People say I have a healthy sense of humour, and I don’t like to disappoint anyone. I hope the jokes that I included in my book brought a smile to your face and tickled your funny bone. Remember, you don’t stop laughing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop laughing. Laughter is the best
medicine.

Seriously, I do believe the reason I am able to take part in jumping competitions at this advanced age is due to the fact that I have strong muscles and internal organs that are still firmly in place. Our skeletal muscles—the fibres anchored to our bones and tendons that enable both motion and force—are essential to how we function. If we don’t take care of these muscles, which can start to deteriorate as young as 25, we are at risk of injury as well as a range of problems from incontinence to weak bones to increased risk for falls—one of the main reasons for reducing lifespan in those over
65.

On November 7, 2012 my strong bones and muscles would be put to an unusual test during my yearly dinner date with my former Glenwood School grade 1 students. What started out as our usually jovial and memorable annual event nearly ended in
disaster.

I had anticipated a lovely dinner with Allen Wong and his wife Karen, Cappie Soames, Linda Kelley, Alena Leong, and Marilyn McLennan. As in past years, I knew that there would be lots of laughter and camaraderie as we shared those early childhood memories and adventures. Each of my students had enjoyed different and fulfilling careers, and most of them were now retired. They shared stories of their latest travels, cruise trips, and the exploits of their children and
grandchildren.

Dinner, as usual, was delicious. Little did I know that I would be providing the evening’s entertainment, the icing on the cake. After collecting our things and arranging my transportation home we proceeded to leave the restaurant. As I prepared to descend the 11 or 12 ceramic steps leading to the front door, I suddenly felt myself start to slip, fall and begin to slide headfirst down the stairs. I was aware I was moving downward, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to catch myself or stop at any point. It didn’t take long to get to the bottom. As I glanced up, I could see the look of horror on my students’ faces. My audience was appalled and astonished to see my outstretched body on the floor below. I had a smile on my face, and I was talking all the time, as much to calm them as to reassure myself that I was
OK.

Cappie was the first one down the stairs. She was trained in First Aid and she made sure I was comfortable and immediately requested an ambulance. She was my Guardian Angel. She noticed a small bump on the right side of my forehead and a bruise, the size of an egg on my left elbow. She secured my neck so that it was stable. In a few minutes the paramedics arrived. They checked my reflexes and awareness, and they escorted me to the Vancouver General
Emergency.

What a great, wonderful and competent bunch of medical experts! The emergency doctors checked me over from head to toe with X-rays and scans. To their amazement they determined there were no broken bones. In a few hours, I was able to walk out of the hospital on my own steam, and my son-in-law Richard brought me home at 1:30 a.m. After three Tylenols and my evening prayers I slept until 7:30 a.m. I enjoyed a good breakfast, and only then did I begin to take a good look at my bruised and battered body. No
blood.

A bruise the size of an egg on my left elbow meant that was the side on which I sashayed down those 12 hard steps. I was determined that I would be back to normal in a week if not sooner. This was one of the most memorable if horrible moments in my life, especially in front of my students. I hope we will still continue our annual dinners, but I imagine they will choose restaurants on the ground floor. I am so very proud of
them
.

Before Richard and I left the Vancouver General emergency ward, a doctor showed us an x-ray of my lungs. There was a shadow visible on my right lung. This is being monitored. In the meantime, I will continue to do my deep breathing exercises and reflexology. Who knows how long that shadow has been
there?

Two weeks after the nightmare fall, my left hamstring was a horrible dark blue, but my left arm from the wrist to the elbow took the brunt of the fall, and it too was a horrible dark blue. It was swollen and
painful.

Do you see the benefits of my daily exercise and stretching routines? Sashaying headfirst down 12 ceramic stairs could have been the end of this 93-year-old. It’s amazing, isn’t it? Each of us has that seemingly miraculous capacity for regaining health. It’s wonderful how the body can heal itself. The key is to be optimistic. This is my mantra: I am active and energetic. I am healthy. I do not get cramps in my legs. I continue to dress standing up. I wash my kitchen and bathroom floors on my hands and knees with a scrub brush. I walk upright with a good stride. No chicken steps or a cane for me, not yet. Thank
God.

The main secret I want to share with you is this: You need to think positively and not give in to that side of yourself that wants to mope and stay in bed. I’m so fortunate to be able to do what I love, to perform, and to reach out to so many people. Every day I say affirmations where I wish for good health and positive thinking to get my mind and spirit in the right place. It is important to remind yourself of all the good things in your life—your health, your children, your friends, and your good
fortune.

Yes, you will get old. In a culture that is fixated on youth, few people know how to be old. Let me share with you what I have learned over the course of 95
years:

Every day is a gift that we should
celebrate

As we age we only get
better

You can do anything you set your mind to if you
keep reasonable expectations and accept that
everything won’t go the way you want all the
time

Giving up is never an
option

Wishing for something won’t make it happen; you have to work for
it

Focus on the positive and feel good about
yourself every
day

It’s never too late to get
fit

Stay in peak physical
condition

Adhere to a regimen of a healthy
balanced diet and daily
exercise

Walk tall, head over shoulders, shoulders over
hips

Look ahead and
smile

In my experience, happiness and well-being go hand in hand. I applaud the work of our universities, and I have been happy to contribute to the study and research at McGill University and the Beckman Institute. Recently, I read that researchers at San Francisco University who are studying happiness came up with five characteristics of happy people. This is what they discovered: Happy people manage their money well. Happy people spend their money on life experiences rather than material goods. Happy people think fondly about the past and skip over the bad bits. Happy people are empathetic, sharing the happiness and sorrow of others. And lastly, happy people live in communities where they have a sense of belonging, freedom, and of being
valued.

The aging population is creating changes, and no doubt there will be challenges. As we face these challenges there will be plenty of reasons to be healthy and happy and celebrate life. One of the hardest things for people in this busy world is to make time for themselves and to put themselves first. Feel confident. Make time for yourself at any age. If you are active now, don’t stop even for a week. A basic law in physics states that a body in motion stays in motion. Cherish the 86,400 seconds deposited daily into your daily
account.

These days turning 60, 70, 80, and even 90 years of age will be nothing if you take care of yourself, for nothing is beyond a woman or man’s reach. Old age isn’t a disease any more than infancy. When it comes to health and wellness, seniors are not just part of the problem; we are actually part of the solution. We might even be worth more to the world alive than dead. As Margaret Wilboar, RN, 96 years young said, “Never lose sight of the fact that old age needs so little—but needs that little so much.” I see each new year as a gift that I was given to celebrate more time on this planet. We should all feel blessed to grow old. This is the gift of growing
older.

Extract and utilize your inner strength for a healthy body, mind, and spirit. Get well and stay well with a healthy mind-set. Mind and spirit are essential to compliment your physical health. Imagery is the language your mind uses to communicate with your body. Each day thousands of thoughts, images, and sensations flit through our brains as if they were real ones. Imagine and visualize yourself as the best you can be. Engage in the healing process and do your best to help your body heal and remain healthy. I always tell myself, it is never too late to feel good and healthy all
over.

Meditate, reflect and contemplate. Meditation has been shown to reduce high blood pressure, headaches, chronic pain, and boost the immune system. Practice meditation daily for 15-20 minutes in a quiet spot, sitting in a comfortable position, taking deep
breaths.