Nebraska Farmer
www.FarmProgress.com – October 2015
79
Country Life
10 things to quit putting off — right now
T
HE days, months and years roll by
without us really noticing. Sometimes we have to stop and think of
the things that we really have to quit putting off. Here are 10 of them to get you
started:
1. Writing a will. We were at a fundraiser recently, and one of the items donated to the silent auction was from a local
lawyer offering to write a will for the bid
winner. I entered my bid number and what
I thought was a reasonable price to pay for
our last will and testament. I must have underestimated how much it really costs, because I didn’t win the bid. That’s no reason
for us not to have our will updated. That’s
one thing we’ve got to quit putting off.
2. Looking up our genealogy. Actually,
this isn’t that big of deal any more when
you can look up your ancestry on various
websites that have a lot of information
already gathered for you. I don’t want to
do this back to the Revolutionary War
days or anything (most of our relatives
were living in Germany at the time, so they
probably weren’t that concerned about
the Revolutionary War anyway.) Still, our
kids should at least know who their greatgreat grandparents were on both sides of
the family. Times flies by, and some of the
people who might have some good stories to tell about your family history aren’t
going to be around forever. Don’t put off
YOUR PLACE
AND OURS
BY DIANE BECKER
learning a little more about your family
genealogy.
3. Forgiving someone. If you walk and
talk and have been on this earth for more
than five years, then you’ve probably had
someone who wronged you. It might have
been something they said or did 40 years
ago — or last week. It’s been proven over
and over that holding a grudge hurts no
one but yourself. There’s a reason the Bible
says not to keep track of wrongs. It keeps
our brain from thinking about far more important things. Don’t think you can keep
putting this off. Forgive someone today.
4. Learning a new skill. Ever want to
learn to play the piano? Restore a tractor?
Make jerky? We’ve got some months
coming up here that will give you plenty
of time to learn and practice a new skill.
I’ve always wanted to learn more Latin
words — OK, not the most useful skill in
the world. Luckily the skill doesn’t have to
be valuable. We just need to start learning
new skills for our own enjoyment.
5. Saying “I love you” to someone
who matters. We were at a wedding dance
lately where all the married couples were
asked to get on the dance floor. The DJ
then told each couple to kiss and tell each
other “I love you,” right in front of 200
of our closest friends. A little awkward,
but still effective. I wondered how many
people hadn’t said those words for years.
Don’t wait for a random DJ request and a
bunch of wedding guests staring at you to
tell someone those three little words.
6. Losing weight. Eek, we’re all getting
fat. When there’s a piece of pumpkin pie
and whipped cream in front of you, it’s
easy not to think about your stomach that
is rubbing against the edge of the table.
Join a YMCA or an online weight loss
group, download a calorie app. Just don’t
put off taking care of yourself, which probably means losing a few pounds.
7. Calling your mom. My mom passed
away 27 years ago and I miss her dearly.
There are so many things I’d like to share
with her about our kids, who are now becoming adults. As a mom, I now see how
she must have felt when one of us six kids
called her. There’s nothing I like more than
having one of our kids call me out of the
blue. Call your mom for no reason at all
and make her day.
8. Praying. Stop what you’re doing once
a day and say a prayer. It doesn’t have to be
asking for something. Just saying a prayer
of thanks clears the soul. Talking to God
about your hopes and dreams and plans is
what it’s all about. You might think you’re
going to pray sometime and don’t get
around to it. You know prayer is important.
There just doesn’t seem time for it. Make it
a habit. Stop and pray. Quit putting it off.
9. Laughing. Tom and I love a good
laugh. Sometimes we need to make a better
effort to laugh especially when markets and
world news aren’t that funny. Still, laughter
is a great medicine, and we’re only a funny
Netflix movie or YouTube video away from
having a good laugh. Don’t let another day
go by without a hearty chuckle.
10. Relaxing. Why is it so hard to relax?
There’s a lot of work to be done. There
will always be a lot of work to do. There
was a reason we were given a Sabbath day
— to rest from our labors. A lot of us are
having a hard time taking just an hour or
so off once a week to chill and relax. We
may think we will when the work is done,
except the work never does get done. It’s a
good time to plan a vacation. Make way for
a little relaxation on your schedule.
There are probably things you are
thinking could be on this list that you’ve
been putting off. Time isn’t slowing down
any. I like the saying “Time flies by if you’re
having fun, or not.” If it happens to be
making out a will or laughing with a friend,
quit putting it off and do it!
Becker writes from Madison.
and caramel topping for about 1 minute,
or until spreadable. Spoon apple-caramel
mixture over top of cheesecake and
spread evenly.
Decorate edge of cake with pecan
halves and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves
12 to 16.
Take-along treats
for any gathering
A
NY time is a good time for dessert, but this time of year, with the
holiday season about to begin, is
especially full of opportunities to make
delicious sweet treats.
Add extra cheer to this year’s celebrations with this festive dessert. This quick
and simple classic cheesecake with a seasonal twist allows you to impress your
guests and still have time to enjoy all the
activities the season has to offer.
Find more flavor-filled recipes to
brighten your holiday at luckyleaf.com.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake
1 can (21 ounces) apple fruit filling
1 9-inch graham cracker crust
2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese,
softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup caramel topping
12 pecan halves
2 tablespoons pecans,
s,
chopped
Heat oven to 350 degrees
es F.
Reserve 3/4 cup of fruit
uit filling; set
aside. Spoon remaining filling
ing into crust.
Beat together cream cheese,
eese, sugar and
vanilla until smooth; add eggs and mix
well. Pour over fruit filling. Bake
B k for
f 35 mini
utes, or until the center of the cake is set.
Cool cake to room temperature. In a
small saucepan, heat reserved fruit filling