{"id":66,"date":"2015-01-04T15:07:46","date_gmt":"2015-01-04T15:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/onecrisisaway\/?p=66"},"modified":"2016-04-22T13:46:43","modified_gmt":"2016-04-22T13:46:43","slug":"staying-afloat-during-the-golden-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/onecrisisaway\/2015\/01\/04\/staying-afloat-during-the-golden-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying Afloat During The Golden Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preparing for retirement is daunting for anybody. Without an inheritance, a hefty pension or a 401K, it can be tough to get by.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Take Shirley Martin. She\u2019s 72, she lives in DeSoto and she\u2019s struggling to make ends meet. But instead of getting discouraged, Shirley\u2019s getting creative.<\/p>\n

When you walk into her cozy home, one thing is clear: In the kitchen, she\u2019s the master.<\/p>\n

For this meal, her daughter Anita is playing the role of sous-chef as Shirley bustles from sink to stove to oven. She\u2019s making baked chicken over seasoned spinach, and she sets the whole dish off with fluffy saffron rice and colorful vegetables.<\/p>\n

Shirley has been cooking since she was a teen — at first because she enjoyed it, and then professionally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started at Hockaday School in \u201963 and I started as a line server,” Shirley says. “So it came up that we needed a cook, so I tackle anything and I said, \u2018I want to take that head cook\u2019s position.\u2019 I did, and I just went by recipes, but I\u2019m always one to do my own thing. If you kind of put your touch into anything, it makes it better.”<\/p>\n

She left her job at the Dallas private school in her late 50s after suffering a brain aneurysm. Once she recovered, she took other cooking jobs, one at a church and another catering parties. Shirley, a breast cancer survivor, has hung up her professional apron, but still loves the kitchen.<\/p>\n

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