Masae Toller: Feb 2 1939 - Jan 10 2025

 

Song:  Melody For A New Dawn

Artist:  Yuki Saori

My mother passed away on January 10 2025.

She was born on February 2 1939 in Chamus, Manchuria

(During the Japanese Occupation - she was 100% Japanese).

I had last seen her in the middle of September 2024...

just before departing to my new home in Colorado.

I knew when I left, that in all likelihood...

 it would be my final goodbye to her.

She had suffered from dementia for many years...

and I had seen her degrade in mental and physical capabilities over the years.

However...

those last years were precious to her...

as I took care of her by cooking for her and taking her places

once she moved to Reno, Nevada in 2015. where I lived.

Before that...

my younger sister looked after her at her home in San Jose, California...

and my elder sister also stopped in to care for her as well...

as both lived in the immediate area.

(my father died in March of 2011).

Once my mother moved up to my neighborhood in Reno, Nevada...

I went to her home and cooked supper for her and made leftovers for the next day.

However...

as she continued to degrade...

I saw the necessity to move in with her to care for her on a permanent basis.

During this time...

I continued to get her to exercise, eat a healthful diet...

and to engage in beautiful experiences so as to enjoy life.

Of course...

I had researched as much as I could about her condition.

I knew the basic timeline associated with her affliction...

and of the symptoms which would present themselves along the way.

A little while later...

after my sisters retired...

they moved to Reno, Nevada

to share in my mother's caring.

This made my mother happy...

as she had her family near her.

My elder sister's husband, James...

was also a big help in caring for my mother.

She knew him as "walking man" as he was the one who helped her walk around

their home and when we transferred her to the car from her home.

We would ultimately care for my mother in each of their respective homes...

as to stimulate her mind and to give each of us well needed breaks...

as she required almost constant attention to ensure her safety.

As my sisters and I were retired...

we could be there for her in her time of need.

My mother's final years were filled with happiness...

and except for the near end...

she often laughed and enjoyed food.

By the time I left almost four months ago...

my mother did not recognize me.

As I kissed her forehead just before departing to Colorado...

I saw she felt a little embarrassed and confused...

as if to inwardly wonder why a stranger had kissed her.

I was at home in Colorado when my sisters contacted me that my mother

seemed to be shutting down.

We all knew that it was near the end.

As it was snowing throughout the over thousand miles I would have had to have driven...

it would have been too dangerous for me to drive that distance.

And so...

my sisters arranged for hospice to visit to ensure she was kept hydrated

and comfortable as she continued to shut down.

Just a few days after...

my mother had passed peacefully in my elder sister's bed.

Both of my sisters were in attendance...

and for several days until the final moment...

my sisters read to her and played soft music for her to listen to.

It was actually a serene and merciful death for her.

Near the end...

she was comfortable and surrounded with love.

She was neither scared...

nor was she in pain.

Some of the music my sisters played for my mother as she rested in bed...

was the music of Yuki Saori.

This was one of my mother's favorite music in the late 1960s...

and she often played her albums at home.

---------------

As for me...

I have had many years of knowing the eventual end.

My sisters and I have been slowly grieving all this time.

It was especially sad to see her go through phases of confusion...

of not recognizing us at times...and of it becoming more and more frequent.

During the last couple of years...

she would mostly be operating at a toddler age...

and then at the stage of an infant.

So...

in essence...

we had not only lost a mother...

but that of a daughter.

I am only glad that we had the chance to care for her

throughout her transition.

She never felt alone or scared during her last ten years of her life...

especially as her mental state declined.

I know that not all are in the position in life to do 

what my sisters and I had done for her...

but if at all possible...

the spending of time with your loved ones is the most valuable of times.

There is such a thing as too late in life.

Merely showing up at a funeral is not demonstrative of love or respect.

Being there with them in life is.

--------------

This is a video compilation of my mother enjoying her home.

I had asked her what she wanted most in life when she first moved to Reno.

She had said she wanted her dream home.

I made sure she got it...

and it was where she lived most of her last years...

in comfort and in happiness.

This was of my mother just a year ago.

-------------

And so...

this article is the last for this blog.

All of the articles I had written in this blog still hold value

for all senior citizens.

In fact...

it was because of the basic way of living that my mother could enjoy 

so many more years of happiness than she otherwise would have.

She had lived far longer...

especially in a state of relative physical and mental health...

until the final few months...

than she would have in any facility.

Again...

I do understand that most are simply not in the position of freedom

to care for their aging parents...

and so...

I am not talking from afar and above.

Just know that the healthful way of living I had chronicled 

in this blog had worked wonders for my mother...

and so...

is a valid way of living for all senior citizens...

and is especially valuable to prevent an early degradation

of body and mind for all.

-------------

We all must die.

Our ultimate goal is to die as healthy as possible...

to have as much quality of life until the end...

and to experience as many magical memories in life as possible before then.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

 

Song:  Scarborough Fair

Artist:  Rachel Hardy

Salt and Pepper Shrimp is a frequent offering at most Chinese restaurants.

It is easy to make at home...

and as such...

I do so every so often.

You will need to get uncooked shrimp.

Just half a white onion will do...

and sliced.

I use two types of sesame oil...

roasted sesame oil...

and chili sesame oil...

to give it a chili kick.

I defrost and then peel the shrimp before I cook them.

In most places...

they cook the shrimp with the shell on.

I find that...

not only messy to eat...

as you then have to peel each shrimp before you eat them...

and the seasoning is left behind on the shell.

You are then forced to lick your fingers after each bite

to get the spices which should have been on the shrimp.

I defrost the shrimp in a hot water shower from the sink.

I quickly peeled the shrimp over the trash compactor.

With the preliminary work done...

I heated up the wok...

and then placed in the two oils...

and let them heat up.

I use high heat for this dish.

I always clean as I go when I cook.

With the onions plated...

all that is left to do is to plate the shrimp once they are done.

Be sure you flip the shrimp often to ensure an even sear...

and then add salt and pepper to your taste...

as it cooks.

Done...

and ready to eat.

Although it is often eaten with rice...

I felt just having miso soup and umeboshi.

This is a quick and tasty meal which satisfies.

Large Batch Cooking - Pickles

 

Song:  Love Reign O're Me

Group:  The Who

This was the first time I had made Ham Hocks and Beans

in my new home.

I have a 12 quart...

and a 24 quart stock pot.

For Ham Hocks and Beans (Bean Stew)...

I use the 24 quart stock pot 

(however, I only fill it to about the 20 quart level...

to prevent boil over...

and to make stirring easy).

(I first soak the beans for 24 hours...

frequently changing the water.

This eliminates the compounds in beans 

which make them difficult to digest)

I started at approximately 10 AM yesterday.

I just keep it on low simmer for approximately 13 - 14 hours

(barely any boiling).

In the meantime...

I made a batch of Rocky Red Hots.

I used Daikon...

but...

Korean Radish...

or Turnips may be used.

I cut the daikon into roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick semi circles.

The pickle solution is a mixture of white vinegar...

sugar...

Memmi...

and Korean chili pepper powder (coarse ground).

I then put in the daikon.

These are the pickles I have made.

The one on the left is HOCA (Habaneros, Onion, and Carrots).

The solution is...

White Vinegar, Sugar, and Habaneros.

The center container is Honey Fermented Garlic.

It is merely peeled garlic in pure honey.

The garlic will last many years in this manner...

and may be used in cooking...

or may be eaten straight...

as the fermentation process

mellows the garlic.

And, of course...

the Rocky Red Hots are to the right.

Hoca and Rocky Red Hots should be refrigerated...

but the fermented garlic should be at room temperature...

as this provides an ideal fermentation temperature.

You will need an actual fermentation vessel...

as they have an air lock which allows the natural gas produced...

to escape...

without allowing any outside air inside.

I just push the top garlic to the bottom each day...

and ensure the water level is up in the air lock.

I keep it in this storage cabinet...

the door of which keeps out light.

During the 13 - 14 hour cooking process...

be sure to stir the pot at least once every hour.

I used approximately 7 pounds of beans...

and three ham hocks to make about 20 quarts of bean stew.

I use ham hocks because they come on the bone.

The cartilage and marrow on and in the bone...

adds significantly to the nutritious nature of this stew.

The white object in the left most background is a humidifier.

As the altitude is just over 9,600 feet in elevation...

the air is very arid...

usually hovering around 20% humidity.

While I don't mind the air being that dry...

with this humidifier I may keep the humidity level around the 30 - 40% humidity level

(so long as I keep the windows closed)

just for health sake 

(it keeps the nasal passages from drying out...

which without, would make it easier to catch colds).

I had bought 240 lbs of pinto beans...

and I keep them stored in hermetically sealed containers in the kitchen pantry...

and in the storage closet just outside the kitchen.

These particular containers hold 60 lbs of dry goods each.

In another kitchen pantry...

I store Bandi's dog food in the left container...

and rice in the right container.

These have wheels so they roll out with ease...

and each holds over 50 lbs of dry goods.

This is the storage closet just outside of the kitchen.

I have more storage containers here to store the rest of the beans...

rice...

and dog food.

The top blue cooler I use when I go food shopping.

I carry the frozen or refrigerated food in it.

The wheels make transferring the food to the house a breeze.

I also have another cooler which has three times this volume...

but I only use that when I go on major shopping trips.

I used metal trash cans to prevent rodents or insects from snacking

 on my dry goods.

These are just my convenient storage areas.

I have a large storage room downstairs...

which with its concrete floor...

I may store...

quite literally...

many thousands of lbs of dry goods.

I have more metal trash cans there...

and I will have to buy more...

once the ones there get filled with more dry goods.

After I turned off the heat...

I had to let it cool for another three hours to ensure

the stew wouldn't melt the freezer containers.

I pulled out the individual meal sized freezer containers...

and began filling them

(they are reusable).

This one batch filled a total of 22 individual meal sized freezer containers...

and one pyrex refrigerator container...

so I may eat a good meal of this bean stew tonight.

As you can see...

this bean stew is very nutritious...

and delicious.

Its composition is very simple:

7 lbs of pinto beans presoaked for 24 hours.

3-4 ham hocks...

2-3 habaneros...

Simmer for 13 - 14 hours.

The containers are ready for freezing.

I had cleared one whole freezer section just for these containers.

They stacked 4 x 4 deep.

This left 6 containers...

of which I had placed in the washroom vertical deep freeze.

You may see the containers...

3 on the top door shelf...

and 3 on the bottom door shelf.

My deep freeze is now filled.

This is the cleanup.

As you never go above a low simmer...

the food does not burn...

and so...

does not stick.

The whole cleanup took about ten minutes...

including wiping down the counters.

I had finally finished the whole process at about 5 AM.

I will usually have at least one serving of bean stew a week.

I just take out one container from the freezer and let it defrost slowly in the fridge

over the following two days.

Then just pour the stew into a bowl and heat in the microwave

for a hot and delicious meal.

Freshly cut white onions and black pepper are my usual garnishments...

and hummus dipped tortillas are my usual accompaniments.

Bean stew is not only a delicious and nutritious meal...

it is easily made and stored in large frozen batches.