Another really nice sunrise. So pretty. The park was empty when I got there, but people started coming in quickly by 7am. I was almost done, so it didn’t bother me.

My labs came back good. My kappa light chains went down one point, so that’s a win for me. I was very happy with that. It feels like every month is a crapshoot, but at least it’s keeping the myeloma down. No news on getting my LLS grant. It’s been close to 6 months since there has been funding, so I’m sure I’m not the only one waiting for it to open up. It would really help my budget, that’s for sure.

The other good news was that the prescription for Meibo was approved, and I think it’s showing up today. It’ll be interesting to see if it improves my eyes. I certainly hope so, but at least I can give it a go for the month. Hopefully, I’ll know if it’s working within a week. I think it’s one drop daily but I’ll need to check the instructions. They went me a short video on how to use the drops as the bottle is tricky and you need to prime it. Hopefully I won’t mess it up.

The rest of the day is open, so I’m not sure what I’ll get up to. I’ve made a chicken pot pie for dinner, and I have some whole wheat sandwich bread rising. That’s all the cooking I’ll probably do today. I only did the pot pie because I had leftover chicken, and I didn’t want to freeze a small amount.

I do need to dust the whole house and check when my friend can come to clean.

It’s been a quiet week, mostly being home. My daughter is still testing positive, and hopefully today she won’t. It’s been a week, so I hope that’s the case. Since she was vaccinated, her symptoms were very mild except for losing her sense of smell and taste. I guess that’s one way to lose weight. I’m going to get test today to see if there’s any change. Right now I feel fine except for sneezing and some allergy stuff.

Since I tested negative yesterday, I went to the pool, and I’m so glad I did. It was really nice, and the water was perfect. I came straight home though, as I didn’t need any groceries. I did fill up the car at Costco, and it was $5.89 per gallon, a big hike from just last week.

My son’s friend was supposed to come and do a house cleaning for me, but we cancelled due to COVID. He’s a wonderful person and does a great job. I’d like to reschedule for next week once my daughter tests negative. It’s been over a week, so I hope it’s soon.

Today, I need to go pick up my glasses and make sure the transition lines are right. I’ve only had to take glasses back once because they weren’t done right, so I hope these are okay.

Our weather today is supposed to be mid 70’s so really nice. This fall has been nice. I’ll probably have a twinkly fire outside.

Today is the first of fall, and it’s Barclays ‘ 76th birthday. I’m sad he’s not here to enjoy this beautiful day. We both love fall best, and our birthdays are within a week of each other. So I’ll let myself be sad for a while. I bought a slice of chocolate cake for him, and I planned to go to Tahoe but there has been a series of unfortunate events. Mainly, my daughter has come down with COVID, so I’m waiting for it to get me. I’m actually scheduled for my shot next week so I’ll have to wait and see what happens. I planned to go to Costco to buy some covid test kits but they do not have any which I thought odd.

This picture was September 21 2021 at Nevada Beach.

I had to rearrange my dentist appointment again, as it is tomorrow. I’ll also skip the pool until I know what’s up.

My new budget starts next week, so I’m working on that, and it looks ok. I will have a shortfall for the firewood, but I’ll have to figure it out. All the important bills, like the mortgage, are covered. So I’ll see how I can adjust things for the firewood.

I’m back to almost normal sleep from Dex, so that’s a good thing. Today I’m going to get some COVID test kits at CVS, I think, and return one of the jeans that didn’t fit. It’s too bad because they are the ones I wanted to fit. They were Levi’s high-waisted. If I have time, I’ll see if there are any others to check out. They don’t do cash back, just credit.

Well, that’s all for today.

I felt good enough to go for a walk this morning. The sunrise was pretty. I need to adjust my attitude about walking a little later, as by 6:30 it was just crossing into day from dawn. When I got there, no one had shown up, but quickly there were 3-4 people coming in. I guess the ‘old days’ of when it was just the 2 of us are gone now. Still, it was nice, and I appreciate the walk always.

I feel okay today and slept ok after 2 very difficult nights. I still feel a little wiped out by dex but it should get better as the day goes on.

Last night we had some brown rice with raisins and pecans and some soy sauce. Then we had some air fryer veggie rolls to go alongside. Tonight I was going to do some chicken, but I don’t have it out of the freezer, so I’ll see what else I can find to cook.

After the gym, I went into Goodwill and found a couple of pairs of jeans. They don’t let you try anything on anymore, so you have to take them home and see how they fit. I’ll check later. I also found some Willow Ware dishes made in Japan. Since my son and his partner are going to Japan in October, I thought this would be a fun Christmas present.

After that, I intended to go into Safeway, but my energy was maxed out, so I came home. After my labs tomorrow, if I don’t go down to Roseville, I can go over there then. Mondays are iffy. Sometimes they’re ok and sometimes there’s the dex crash, so regardless, I need my labs, so there’s that.

My flylady zone is the bedroom, but I did that already, so I may just keep going and do the LR zone and vacuum.

All the coolers are out of the windows, so our PGE bill should go down. My big expense for September will be firewood. I figure $400 is probably the best I can get.

For Rosh Hashanah, I’m going to make some baked apples. Rosh H ends tonight, with Yom Kippur starting, but I will also make a round challah bread, just because. Of course, traditionally, Yom Kippur is fasting for 24 hours, but I’m not Jewish. But it is about starting the new year with a fresh slate, which I love the idea.

Shanah tovah!

There’s a blogger I follow who just sold her house and downsized to a 398 sq foot tiny house. She is a huge canner and had a huge LTFS and gave it all away, plus sold almost everything. She even gave her chickens away. I really admire her courage. It takes courage and conviction to change the course of your life. Of course, she is single with no adult children nearby so she has maybe more freedom/flexibility to do this but still this is a leap of faith. It does have me thinking about further decluttering things I don’t need anymore. I got rid of my IP a while ago because I only used it for chicken broth. I do that now in my crock pot. I’ve always made my beans in the crockpot as they taste better than then IP. so next I think I’ll get rid of my small bread maker. I have my sourdough stuff and I also knead my bread in my kitchen aid so really the breadmaker is redundant. Plus it takes up a huge amount of space in my closet. This is why I love reading other bloggers because something just strikes you when they say something or do something and you can relate. So this person, has me seriously thinking of more decluttering. Of course, I’m not moving and this is my home and besides I love California.

As usual, not the best night’s sleep, or rather, not sleeping, with dex, but I got through. I’ll just take a nap later.

The chimney sweep went well and cost $225, but it was worth it. I was going to pay with Apple Pay, but he didn’t take cards, so I paid in cash from my home money. That was fine, but I used one of my very crisp $100 bills, and they are hard to get at my bank. I’ll try next week to see if I can replace it.

My son is coming over after work. He’s back in the office one extra day a week, as the State is mandating a return to the office. He’s not thrilled about it, as he lives 40 minutes from the office and he’s driving the truck. Anyway, he’s going to get a pizza and come visit for a bit.

After seeing the eye doctor, he put in a prescription for an eye drop for my dry eye syndrome. It’s VERY expensive, so I checked with AI and there’s a prescription place called Blink RX and apparently they will try to get the lowest cost. When I checked, it was $300 a month, so I can’t do that, but AI seemed to indicate I should be able to get it for about 1/2 that. If it is, I will try it for a month. I should know by next week. My eyes are definitely a problem with watering( which is dry eye syndrome) even though it sounds the opposite. I have to always carry a hankie and wipe my eyes, so if this works I’d be thrilled. Yes, I’ve tried Systane Ultra and it doesn’t really help.

Next week is packed with appts too, including the dentist. Not thrilled but that’s what it is. It’s also the fall equinox and Barclay’s birthday. He’d have been 76. I’m thinking of driving up to Tahoe, but there’s been so much road construction, and there’s a huge fire that’s close to I-80 at the Nevada line. So it may not be the best time. If not, I’ll do something to celebrate his BD. I’m still trying to find a hotel to stay one night but so far nothing has ticked off the boxes I want. Or if they do it’s $500 a night which is not in my reality.

Anyway, I don’t really have anything on my agenda today. I’ll look around and see what needs attention.

Well, I’m back from my Velcade shot, and it all went well. So I am thankful that those oncology nurses at infusion are just so nice. I was going to do a bit of shopping at Nugget but decided not to.

After swimming yesterday, I went over to TJ’s and got a few things, so I’m set for now. Also, I just didn’t feel like stopping anywhere. I’m thankful that I am listening to my body and, if I don’t feel like doing something, not doing it.

So I’ll take my dex later and chill out.

Update: did some random chores like hanging my daughter’s tool belt up and getting a piece of bamboo and making a new stake for my ficus tree, which has grown a lot. I guess one thing to be thankful for with Dex is those little annoying things you keep looking at and don’t do anything about, get fixed.:)

I’m thankful to have little fires outside in my new fire pit. It’s small but works for me.

What a sad day for America. All those innocent lives lost. I’m glad tRump wasn’t at ground zero. He’d probably say some assinine thing about himself.

It’s also my sister’s birthday. Happy birthday, Heidi. Even though she’s not here, it’s still worth remembering. She’d be 78.

The heat wave we’ve had should end today. Then we’re back into the 80’s and 70’s. Nice fall weather.

I went down to the pool yesterday, and it was mellow. The Coast Guard was there, but they only used 2 lanes. I got a lane to myself for a bit before someone joined me. I came straight home.

Today, I have to do a bit of tidying, and I’d like to get the floors mopped. My son might come over after work, as he wants to spend the night in Rubi and then get an early start in the barn. I’ll probably use a frozen pizza for dinner unless he wants something else.

I had a rough couple of nights on my CPAP machine, and last night I recorded 1 event per hour. Very unusual, as it’s usually .3 or less. I’m not sure if my mask was not fitting right or what. But I’ve been on this almost a year now and have never had that AHI score. I’ll check my mask this evening and see if it’s leaking. That’s one reason for a higher AHI. But I do feel tired this morning, so?