Midweek Musings

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, decluttering, home stuff, library, minimalism, Uncategorized by

Another shout-out to a supporter who made a donation. I am truly humbled by the kindness shown here. Thank you!

Well, yesterday I went down to the Roseville gym and did weights and the treadmill. I was going to walk the trail, but by the time I was done, it was already warm, and I didn’t have my hat. After that, I went to the library, which is next door to the gym, and got my 2 holds.

I got up to Costco around 10 and got the dishwasher pods( on sale), my vitamins, and protein bars that my daughter likes to take to work, also on sale, and AAA batteries I needed. I didn’t linger too long. I paid with some cash and put the small balance on the Costco CC.

I’ve been checking my SP02 every day, and the oximeter needed batteries. The daytime readings are fine for the most part, but there’s still a dip at night. Of course, that will be the primary discussion at my appointment, I’m sure. And that I will not do an in-lab titration test. My anxiety and my semi-claustrophobia would be too much for me. When I was first diagnosed, it was with a home test, but apparently, this test can fine-tune the CPAP machine. But as GEmini AI has pointed out, the SD card is giving him titration info every night. So???

Anyway, today is a home day, and I need to finish up some things. I want to get the recycling bags ready to go, put the thrift store stuff in the car, and tidy up some papers that are lying around.

I was playing around with Chat GPT with pictures of B’s office. And it came up with some nice minimalist images. I find taking pictures of areas that need some attention is a great visual aid. I’m a very visual person, so that worked, and I immediately removed a few things and rearranged some others. My printer is on the desk, and that’s one thing I’d like to find a different place for. But for now, that’s where it lives.

Of course, I don’t have a bookcase like that, but I do have the Billy shelves, and the desk is the Heywood Wakefield. The picture on the left is before I tidied it up. It’s a small area, but that’s where Barclay worked from home all those years. His desk was different, and the chair was an office chair. Well, it’s fun to do, and it gave me some good ideas.

Stuff

Posted in California, decluttering, home stuff, minimalism, Myeloma by

First, I want to thank a blog reader who made a donation on Buy me a coffee. It’s always such a pleasant surprise to have that happen. So thank you for that. Writing my blog since 2012, so 14 years have been good for me. It keeps me focused, and I can look back at when things did happen. When I started, my main focus was offering information that I found useful concerning Multiple Myeloma. Since I still have Myeloma and am in active treatment, that is still a focus, but not the only one.

Minimalism has played a huge part of my journey and now that “I’m older than that now, ” I can see how much it supports me. I still use Flylady as my weekly focus but really, each zone only takes a small amount of time. Even the kitchen, which is my biggest time factor, I can get through in 30 minutes. I’m still decluttering, and I know I’m close to that sweet spot of having only what is beautiful or useful in the house.

Here’s a good example: I have had the same linen sheets for about 4 years. They are on my bed 7 days a week. When I wash them once a week, they go right back on because I only have the one set. But I also have a linen comforter cover I bought for Rubi, the trailer. But it’s been stuffed in a drawer since I cleaned out the trailer. I kept thinking oh, I can use this for something but really it’s bulky, and I’m not the kind of person to wrestle putting on a cover on a queen-size quilt. So it’s now it’s way to the Goodwill. I don’t want stuff just in case!!

I also write about living a simple life and my love of cooking and reading. Those are so much a part of me. With the biggest part of me, my husband, now gone, I’m still working on living a simple life, but alone. So much of my life, really my whole life since I was married at 18 and left home, has been with him. Now at 73, here I am. I’m slower, and my body is stiffer, that’s for sure, but I still do those things I love. I imagine a time will come when I won’t drive to Roseville to swim, or go to the big gym, or even go much down the hill unless someone is taking me. But that is not this day, and I am very grateful for that.

This week is the bedroom zone, and once again, it’s my nemesis, the closet, that I will straighten out. Otherwise, this zone really takes care of itself since there’s not a lot in there. I think I’ll pull out the steam mop and do the floors. I need to put up the blackout curtains as the sun is now coming directly into that room in the afternoon. It does make a difference.

Well, I’ve rambled on enough. I’m still stressed about my upcoming sleep doctor appointment, but I guess, like everything, I’ll take one day at a time.

Menu Monday

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I did well last week with most of my food planning. So this week, I’ll look at what food items need to be used up.

I took some ravioli and the sauce out of the freezer. I think we’ll do that tonight.

I have some pulled pork I froze from last time, so I’ll take that out to use tomorrow. I have beans frozen as well. The refrigerator freezer is looking better.

I still have quite a few tomatoes from Costco, so BLTs might be on the menu board again. Plus, I do have romaine lettuce to use.

I plan on making some brown rice and will grill up some tofu and make a bit of a rice bowl with whatever I can find: green onions, cucumbers, and radishes.

I have a turkey roast in the freezer, and I’m thinking of doing that in the crock pot. I’d like to get that out of the chest freezer. I have some frozen peas and instant potatoes I can use with it. It would be easy.

Always a TBD, based on what I feel like.

I’ve been going down the rabbit hole trying to figure out my CPAP and SP 02. It’s still dipping at night below 90, and it needs to get sorted. Reddit has a dedicated CPAP group, and it’s been helpful to read there. I see the sleep doctor in a few weeks, so I want as much information as possible to present to him. I’m still waiting to hear about the overnight test. sigh:( It’s definitely stressing me out.

It’s always something.

Simple Sunday

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A cool morning. Temperatures dropped quite a bit and it’s only 63 out right now. There is also a delta breeze which makes it feel cooler.

I went to the Auburn gym, stopped at Goodwill to look around, and then came home.

Most things are tidy around the house, so not a lot to do, which is nice. I might do some ‘extra things’ I don’t normally get to, like dusting baseboards.

Last night I made spanakopita, but modified it to use cream cheese mixed with the feta cheese. I’m still trying to recreate a spinach pie my mother made. I’m pretty sure it had cream cheese mixed in with the spinach. Anyway, this one came out excellent. I also used frozen spinach and I don’t normally do that, so that may have made a difference in the texture as well.

My daughter has been mowing ‘the south forty today’. There’s still a lot to do. Hopefully, my son can pitch in and do some weed eating.

WE might do a day trip again tomorrow, but I think I want to wake up and see how I feel. I still want to get up to Donner Lake and walk that trail, so I might do that. Once my daughter finishes the semester, she’ll have more days when we can go do things.

Other than that, not much is going on.

Friday Things

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, swimming by

A good furgal week overall.

I got gas at Costco, which was $5.65 a gallon, so it ended up at $40.( I usually fill up at half a tank).

On Monday, we took a fun day trip to Empire State Mine to walk the grounds. I wanted to use my Poppy Pass, but since it is a historical mine, they didn’t take that. So it was $5 for each of us to get in, and worth it. We stopped at Taco Tree for lunch, and that ended up $18. It wasn’t very good this time. Taco Tree is definitely a hit or miss.

Tuesday, I went down to Holiday Market here for romaine as I planned a grilled chicken Caesar salad. I also got some ham for sandwiches and sliced cheese. I spent $36, I think. I also went to the pet bookstore as I had books to donate. Then I found some books and a Poirot(DVD) set unopened. Total was $23.

I went down to the pool on Wednesday and then straight home.

Yesterday was a no spend/no drive day.

Today, I’m undecided if I’ll go to the pool. It’s only 6:30 right now, so I’ll think about it.

So, I’m pleased with the low spend week overall.

These are some pictures from the Empire Mine. This is the mansion; the mine area is in a different area. There is the shaft opening you can see, and the equipment. It’s amazing to see it and think men went down there to work. A bit of a dichotomy between the mansion life and where the miners were working.

The rose campion is in our yard.

Thankful Thursday

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I’m very glad the temperatures are lower than last week. High 80’s is crazy for this time of year. We’re back in the 70s and low 80’s for a while. My daughter put in the LR cooler just so we have it when needed. But our PGE bill has been so great, I hate to start using coolers.

I’m grateful for my daughter who does so much around here and actually likes doing all that stuff.

I’m grateful for the beautiful flowers in our yard. The poppies are so colorful and I love how they’ve spread. The rose campion is spreading everywhere too.

I’m grateful for my CPAP machine that has virtually cured my sleep apnea. Unfortunately, I still have some blood oxygen issues. The BO is still hitting a low in the 80’s, probably during REM sleep, from what I’ve read. So that is going to need to be addressed. sigh???

I’m actually grateful to AI Gemini for giving me some really valuable information about the blood oxygen levels and the appropriate tests to ask for.

I’m grateful as always for the pool and being able to swim. With gas prices so high, I am adjusting how often I go down to Roseville, but still, I love it when I’m there.

Today is a home day. I went for a walk and have baked a sourdough loaf. I need to mop the floors at some point.

Menu Monday

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Part of a bouquet of flowers my son got for me. I separated it into 3 vases.

I hope all you moms of either humans or fur babies had a great day. My day was very nice. I went to the gym and did weights and some treadmill. Then popped over to Goodwill and actually found some stuff. Three dot notebooks,2 picture frames, a Starbucks mug, and a sweatshirt for my daughter. When I got home, my daughter made up a brunch for us, and we sat outside on the patio.

For dinner last night, I tried a new recipe for ramen. First, you blend up the veggies (carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and 1/2 apple in the food processor. Stir fry that till it’s soft and then start adding miso, broth, ginger, tofu, and some water. It was quite good, but it seemed to be a lot of work for ramen. I added 1/2 pack of ramen noodles, and we had some white rice on the side. There’s some left over, so I may have that for dinner again.

The rest of the week in no particular order:

I have some hot dogs from Costco I want to use. I’ll do them on the BBQ and have beans and sauerkraut too.

I think I’ll do a BLT night. We’ll see how that goes. I bought some nice tomatoes from Costco that are slicers, hence the BLT.

One night, I think I’ll BBQ some chicken. I used up all the salad stuff I have, so I’ll need to get something. I’ll get some romaine, so I’m thinking a chicken Caesar salad.

We had pizza last week, so I won’t do pizza again, I don’t think. I’m sure something will pop up.

Today is home reset day. So no gym and no pool. I like to take Monday to completely go through the house and make sure it all looks good, and check if any areas need attention. I know I need to water the sunroom plants. I’ll probably dust too. With the windows open now, the pollen is coming in.

I need to look at the week and decide which day to go to the pool and the gym. I don’t have any appointments, which is so nice, so I can just pick when I want to go. With gas prices, I’m intending to go down to Roseville only twice this week.

Saturday Stuff

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I had a nice walk this morning, although the sun was already up and quite bright in the park. I have light sensitivity with my eyes and dry eyes( which means they tear up all the time). So I was there at 6:15 am. I may have to get out earlier or remember my hat.

My son is coming up today to celebrate Mother’s Day. He’s doing a game tomorrow at the gaming store, so he’ll be tied up all day. Actually, he’s running the game and the store is paying him, so a win-win for him.

I’ll see if he wants to do a lunch out or just eat here. I have plenty of stuff to use/make. Tomorrow, my daughter and I will do a brunch here at home and call it good. I think we’ll do waffles and eggs or something like that.

The weather is sure warming up. Looks like 85 on Monday, so warm!! We usually put the coolers in right around Memorial Day, so it seems we’re on target.

I did drop off the stuff at Goodwill yesterday, so that felt good. Honestly, where does it come from?

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, home stuff, Walking by

Mostly a frugal week since I didn’t go anywhere for 4 days due to feeling lousy. Then on Wednesday, I went to the pool. Before that, I got gas, and it had gone up quite a bit from my last fill-up. Costco gas is still the cheapest, but yikes, $5.69!!

After the pool, I went to Costco as I mentioned and spent a little over $200. I took out non-food and wine, so the food cost was around $100. Non food included batteries, an orchid, and I think something else. Wine was my favorite, Kendall Jackson, which is $9.59 at Costco. Oh, and I picked up that Rose for Mother’s Day and the most expensive thing was some steaks for Mother’s Day and for the freezer. I think the pack had 6 pieces of thinly sliced rib-eye. My daughter and I will likely just share a piece, and the other counts as LTF for the freezer.

My food total so far is running around $300, so not too bad. I don’t need anything, so it may just be a small Winco trip or something.

I ordered propane and put that on the CC. I’m slowly getting the card paid off, but then something like this happens, and I need to charge another $257. Oh well, I’ll get there. sigh:(

I haven’t really been doing active cash envelopes. Most of what I get, I just use for groceries. I guess I need to try to do better, especially for annual bills. It does help when I have the envelopes even a bit filled. Well, I have a few months with just a few annual bills. Next month is the truck DMV, but my son will pay for that as he’s the one using the truck, so it may give me a chance to fill some envelopes for fall. Having lost 1/3 of my income after B died is definitely a factor. sigh:(

Well, today I plan to go to the gym and the library. I have a book to return. I don’t have any holds, so I may just browse the new items. I want to keep up with my weights as I feel they really do help. I’d like to find a new walking path for when I’m down there, so I may look at RPR (Roseville Parks and Rec) trail maps to see what is close to the gym. Sadly, the only paved trail up here is the park I walk at. Auburn has another paved trail at a park, but it’s not in my normal route. The MV park is so well used by so many people, and they come from all over because it is paved. I’m at the stage of life where I’d be concerned for my stability on an unpaved path unless I used my walking sticks. I have been taking them with me even to this park because they give me an added sense of security. It’s tough getting older.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, decluttering, Gratitude, Uncategorized by

I’m very thankful to feel ok again. Whatever it was, I’d prefer it not to happen again. Next time, I will be sure to drink some electrolytes. AI seemed to think that the need for them was contributing to my overall yucky feeling.

My labs came in at 30.4, so up from 29.1, but not too bad. .7 increase, and my ratio came down to 2.65 from 2.95, so that was positive. Another month of just keeping on.

I’m thankful for a day with nothing planned. I don’t have any plans for the day, so I’ll see what I get up to. I’ve been decluttering a few random items that I’m not using and will take to Goodwill once I have a few bags.

Today, I plan on making a chicken salad with leftover Costco chicken. The rest I’ll just freeze. Plus, at some point, make some chicken broth. I think this time I’ll pressure can it, so I don’t take up so much room in the freezer. But that’s not today.

We had a dead deer in our upper yard near the pond. We’re not sure if it got hit by a car or what. My daughter called animal control, and usually, if it’s on private property, they won’t get it. But since we said we had no way to move it, they took it. Why couldn’t it die on our neighbor’s property? I’m thankful they took it, though, as a number of years ago we had a dead deer down in the woods, and it just decomposed and certainly smelled for a while. We think that one, though, was a mountain lion kill, as there were only pieces left. Anyway, it’s gone.