Friday Things

Posted in budgets, California, camping, cooking, Death, swimming, travel by

I have most of my budget ready for April. Some DMV items (Santa Fe)need to be paid for, and I need to do a smog on the Santa Fe. Also, the next installment for Allstate will come due in April. I ordered a replacement battery for my Dyson 8 from Amazon. I haven’t ordered too much over the last few months, so I’m pleased with that. Amazon is almost a necessity for things like that. I also need to order the porta-potty for camping when we go up to Tahoe because we’ll be in my son’s tent for that trip. There are very nice bathrooms at Nevada Beach, but that doesn’t help me at night 🙁

I plan on doing a freezer challenge to lower food costs. Last month(end of Feb and March through the 25th), came in right under $400. That includes a Costco shop, which usually (always) includes some stock-up items. So overall, I’m pleased.

The send Dad off in New Brighton ended up being a little spendy, but not bad considering the room didn’t have a microwave to heat food up. I used Starbucks GC when I could, and that saved some money. My daughter also paid for a few things. The biggest expense is a hotel room, of course. That’s one reason I loved Rubi because over the course of the time we traveled, staying in Rubi covered the cost of the RV vs hotels. Well, sadly, that is not my life now. Of course, I still need to sell Rubi and just haven’t bothered yet, especially since my son stays out there when he is here.

I’m already checking on hotels in Napa for a one-nighter. I wish I could stay at the Fairgrounds campground that B and I loved so much, but it’s not possible. I found a very nice room for around $200, and it does have a mini kitchen and a seating area, which is the one thing I would have liked in the other room. My daughter works T-F, so it has to be a Sunday night. I’ll have to see whether I can swing it even with it going on a card with the other things I have this month.

We have a change in the weather coming next week, cooler and rain. This has been such an early spring.

I plan on going to the pool this morning if I can get going. Since lap swimming ends at 9:15, I need to be there earlier. I’ll see how I feel by 7:30. Yesterday, I washed sheets and pulled out my summer curtains to iron. I also made up some chicken enchiladas with green chile sauce. That used up some frozen chicken. Then I pulled some black beans that had been frozen in the Souper cubes and heated them up. Very tasty.

My daughter has been weed-eating as everything is growing so fast. Last year, with Barclay in hospice, the weeds took over, and I had to hire someone to come and do it because they were out of control. This year, she’s keeping up on it. She also planted the 2 lavender plants I got at Costco. I don’t do much in the yard these days, but I love sitting out every day looking around at how beautiful the yard is and how fortunate we are to live here.

There’s Chester checking things out and the wisteria.

Hello Ocean!

Posted in California, camping, cancer, Death, husband, travel by

We had a great trip to Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Aptos. Since we left on Sunday, traffic was light and reasonable even through San Jose.

We did get there almost exactly as I planned at 12. From there, we went straight to Gayles for sandwiches and then down to New Brighton State Park. It was crazy busy, but we expected that as it was Sunday. After a few hours, we checked into the hotel, which was in Aptos. Quite nice, although a few things could have been better, but that’s nitpicking a little. The beds were comfortable and the location great. I rested up for a bit, and then we went to a Mexican restaurant in Aptos. That too was busy, but we were seated right away and had delicious food. The servings were huge, and since we couldn’t reheat them, we had to leave the leftovers. Before we went to the restaurant, we went to Sunset State Beach, and there were benches that I could sit on, and my daughter went down the stairs to the beach and walked. The third picture is the view from the upper parking lot where the benches were.

The next morning, we went back to New Brighton, and Dad had his Bon Voyage. My daughter took him out to a tide pool, and he washed away with the waves. I think he would have liked that.

We got coffee and breakfast next back at Gayles. I love Gayles. It is the primo cafe with the absolutely best food and pastries.

After we finished, we went to Santa Cruz and filled up with gas at the Costco. Then we went out to the lighthouse and walked the trail some.

The road in front of the lighthouse goes on to meet Natural Bridges State Park. It’s maybe a 3-mile stretch that goes along the coastline. We parked and took our camp chairs down to the ocean and chilled for a few hours.

When we were ready for lunch, we walked back up to the picnic tables and ate there. We wanted to go to the gift shop there, so we did, and I bought some cute Monarch Butterfly pins. Natural Bridges is one of the migratory stops for the Monarchs. We didn’t see any outside, as it might have been just a bit late for them. All in all a great day.

The hotel had a lovely outside dining area with a koi pond, so we had a light dinner there. Back in the room, I watched some Young Sherlock on my MacBook Air.

The next morning, we checked out and then got coffees and breakfast things from Starbucks and went back to Sunset Beach and ate there. This time, we drove down to the lower area and parked. The ocean is right there in the lower area. This is a very popular beach because it is quite flat and goes on forever, so people can walk quite far. The one picture above is the old ship that has been there a long time.

We had a good drive home without any delays. Traffic going in the opposite direction was insane, with stop-and-go for miles. We were glad we were going in our direction.

So, thankful we could do this and send B off. I still need to tally up what we spent on food and misc. After doing this trip, I feel pretty sure I don’t want to pull anything, even a tent trailer, so that makes things a little clearer. I’m still processing, but that seems to be the direction I’m going in. Obviously, if I had money, I’d buy a used Sprinter van, but right now that’s not affordable for me. So the process keeps going on.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, travel by

I had a good walk this morning. No one around so that was a treat!

My son is over and will stay here overnight and then on Monday as well. The kitties are very neurotic and probably will hide the whole time. The catio will be closed as one of them is an escape artist and can get out of anything.

I just need to pack up my CPAP machine and my meds, and I’ll be almost ready. My plan is to get there around noon or so and go to the New Brighton State Beach and hang out. We’ll pick up some sort of sandwiches beforehand. The weather looks perfect.

I post a picture or 2 when I can.

Happy Spring!

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

Spring is officially here, and it sure is where I live. Northern California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is a wonderful place to live. All around the oak trees are blooming, daffodils are up, my wisteria is just starting to break out.

I’ve had a productive couple of days. I did go to the pool yesterday, and it was nice. I shared a lane, but the pool was not overly busy, which is always a plus.

From there, I went back to Costco to get more lavender plants, alas, they were all sold out. I stood there for a minute, wondering how they sold out in 2 days. So, I went and picked a few bottles of Sauvignon, a pair of workout leggings, and some salsa and hummus. I was back home by 10, so that was good. After I rested up, I tidied the house and then decided to tackle the outside windows.

I am very fussy about clean windows. maybe a little OC, really. I wash the inside windows in every zone when it comes up. So the outside ones are harder for me to do. I use Windex Outdoor Spray, which you attach to a hose, and it has a clean, rinse, and off setting. It’s quite easy once you get the hose untangled and ready to use. So I got them all done. I had to switch hoses 3 times, and that is probably the most time involved. I didn’t do my daughter’s room as her windows were open and she has the catio open to one of her windows. I’ll let her know she needs to close it up and do them next week. I felt really good about getting that crossed off my list.

Aftre regrouping I made some pizza dough using my tried and true recipe.

I made half the recipe for 2 dough balls. It comes out perfect every time. I’ll put the other one in the freezer unless my son wants it for tomorrow night. He’ll be staying here to take care of the kitties. Thankfully, they are all over their colds.

Today, I plan on getting the camp chairs in the car and getting B’s Mac Air in a travel bag to take with me. My MacBook died a while back, but this is newer and nicer. I don’t use it at home, though, since I have the new Mac my daughter bought me. I plan on leaving by 9am, and traveling on Sunday is always my preference since there is usually less traffic.

I’ll pack up my meds, clothes, and CPAP tomorrow and then be ready to go.

Next week, my daughter is on Spring break from the college, so I’m hoping we can go check out the tent trailer rental and see if it’s something we’re interested in. I don’t think we’ll know till we see it. I don’t think that place does trade-ins, but where we bought Rubi does, so we may try to fit that in as well. That’s farther down near Sacramento.

I’ve been reading some Agatha Christie books we got at the pet bookstore. She was such an amazing writer. I’m enjoying them and may pop out today to go see if there are any more there. Plus, I need some garden soil to repot some things. Yesterday at Costco, I tried to get the bag there, but it was way too heavy for me. Our nursery is right across the street from the bookstore. So convenient.

Thankful Thursday and a little sad.

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, camping, cancer by

Today marks 9 months since Barclay died. I miss him every day. When I look at my photos from Amazon, I get teary-eyed at how much fun we had and what a good life we had, traveling, doing stuff, etc. Well, I am thankful we had that time, and I am also grateful he didn’t have to suffer anymore.

I had an ok walk this morning. There was a class going on, which I thought was odd, but what do I know? It was still an ok walk.

Today I’m going into town to pick up my $75 dollar prescription, which I am not thankful that it is that expensive, but I can still afford it. I also plan to go to the bookstore as I have a bag of books to drop off.

I am thankful for our nice weather, although it is strange to be so warm so early. I’ve heard people wondering if the summer is going to be brutal. Who knows ??

I did manage Costco yesterday and even picked up 2 lavender plants for the front yard. Costco has the best prices on plants. I was tempted to get a hydrangea, but the cart was full of lavender plants. I did buy the champagne to celebrate Barclay’s life when we go to New Brighton. It was one of our favorite places, and I miss camping there. We won’t be camping, obviously, but we will go down to the beach area and bring our chairs to sit for a while.

Is there something in your life you can’t do anymore for one reason or another? How did you adjust?

Midweek Musings

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, Walking by

Another gorgeous day here in Northern CA. The pollens are coming out, though, and a lot of people are affected. I get some seasonal allergies but not a lot.

I plan on going down to the gym today and to the library. I don’t want to miss my holds. Then I’m going to Costco to get the champagne to bring with us and a few other things.

I haven’t walked in the park since Sunday morning. It’s now 6:40, and it’s getting light out. I plan on walking down at the gym on the outside trail some. Then plan on walking tomorrow morning, and I’ll plan for 6:30. Sunrise is 7:10, so people start showing up earlier. That’s ok, really.

My eye doctor did order the other steroid eye drop, but it’s still coming in at $75. I had checked before I had him order, and it said it would be $39, so I’m not sure what happened. I’ll pick it up either today or tomorrow.

I finished watching True Detective Season 4, and it was ok. Seeing Alaska, though, with the endless nights, was certainly strange. I can’t imagine living in that. I watched an episode of Scarpetta too.

Last night I didn’t make the nachos and ended up with an egg salad sandwich. I just didn’t feel like much. I cleaned out a few things from the freezer, though I knew we weren’t going to eat them, like some pieces of bell pepper I stuck in there and some mushrooms I froze. I don’t know why I think I’ll use them. At the time, it seemed like a good idea.

Things do get buried in the freezer drawer, that’s for sure. Do you find you freeze things thinking you’ll use them and then don’t?

Menu Monday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, camping, cooking, meal planning, travel by

Last night we had tofu burgers. Nothing fancy, just grilled tofu with condiments.

Tonight I have some asparagus to use up, so I’ll find something to pair with that. I don’t have anything defrosted for the week, so I’ll look in the freezer and see what to pull out. I decided on a pasta with lemony asparagus. That sounds springy!

Tuesday is usually Mexican-themed. I have beans I can defrost and corn chips, so I may make a platter of nachos. I have avocados and sour cream too.

Wednesday- If I defrost some chicken, I’ll do that on the BBQ grill and probably do enough for leftovers.

Thursday-leftover chicken. Maybe a cobb salad. I don’t have any bacon, but I can pick up some at the store.

Friday- Last week, I made a sourdough discard pizza dough for the pizza, and didn’t like it. We might get a takeout.

Saturday?? TBD

Then on Sunday, we’ll be heading down to Capitola, so that will involve eating out. Whenever Barclay and I went camping at New Brighton, we just went to the store and bought what we needed to make in camp. Since we’re not camping, we’ll need to figure out something.

Today is my dentist appt for a cleaning, and then I will do a few errands in town. I don’t plan on going to Roseville today, probably tomorrow.

simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, home stuff by

We are in the midst of absolutely beautiful weather. Temperatures in the 70’s and next week will be even warmer. Global warming is certainly upon us. I don’t know if I remember such an early spring or these temperatures.

I checked on my eye drop prescription, and it was going to be $200, so I cancelled it and asked ChatGPT about alternatives, and there is one for about $40. So I will need to call the doctor’s office tomorrow and see if they can put an order in for me. There is no way I can afford $200 for a prescription.

I had a nice walk with my son yesterday. We went to the ‘rich’ people’s development that has walking trails that are open to the public. It’s much hillier than the park, but I did a bit. These houses are 2 million and up, and they’re part of a golf course community. Not my style, but the trails are paved and nice.

I started watching Scarpetta on Prime. So far, I like it. It stars Nicole Kidman. It’s based on the books.

As usual, I haven’t decided if I’m going to the gym this morning. I was out in town yesterday, so I may just stay home and chill. Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment, so I know I’ll be out and about. Sometimes that decides it for me, as I don’t like going out every day.

For next week, I plan to swim at least once and then go to the Mahany gym at least once. I have books at the library on hold, too. I also plan to shop at Costco for a few things that are on my list: flour, Dawn Power Wash, and some misc. I wanted to get a bottle of champagne to take with us to Capitola. There is a Costco in Santa Cruz, but I’d rather not go there if I can help it, so we’ll just bring it with us.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, Gratitude by

I’m thankful all my appts are over for this week. Next week I still have the dentist for a cleaning, but that’s all then till my next Velcade.

I’m thankful, though, both appts went well. My retinal scan showed the same as before, so that was good. I mentioned again to him that I have very teary eyes, and so he tested my tear ducts and they were fine, so he’s going to try an eye drop( prescription and see if that helps.)Today

I’m enjoying this great weather by BBQing and just sitting outside for hours. I did get a bit of pruning of the wisteria done and will do a bit more today.

I’m thankful that my bills are paid for the month. Still not much left over, but I make do. Of course, with that said, I just got the renewal for car insurance that’s due in April, so it just keeps going. sigh:(

Today, I plan on staying home and then tomorrow swim. I miss the pool this week, but it just didn’t fit in at any other time.

All of our cats have had a virus that Mama cat brought in. They’ve been sneezing and sniffling. I’m hoping that it’s mostly over, but Chester seems like he’s been hit hard. They’re still eating and drinking, so that’s a good sign. My daughter is the one who would deal with the vet if necessary, but she said as long as they were eating, it was ok for now.

Well, that’s it for now. What things in your life are you grateful for? As we age, I think being thankful for good health( or as good as it can be) and mobility, and just being alive, is a good thing.

Midweek Musings

Posted in Blood test, books, budgets, California, cooking, home stuff, library by

Yesterday was quite busy but productive. I had my labs and then went upstairs at the facility I go to and had my annual wellness appt with my PCP. It all went well. I asked about my blood pressure being inconsistent, and he said we could up my Lisinopril a bit. So I’ll think about that.

From there, I decided to get a Starbucks using a gift card and then drove down to the gym. I was on the fence about going, but decided to do it. I had a few books to drop off at the library, so that motivated me. After that, I went into Winco for some veggies and odds and ends.

When I got home, I unloaded( my daughter was still home, so she did this for me) everything and chilled for a bit. After I recouped, I set out to do the kitchen zone and got that done.

Today, I have my eye scan with Dr. Dan. I’ll specifically ask not to be dilated, which should be fine as this is a retinal scan, not for glaucoma. I get this scan every 6 months to check the macular pucker.

After that, I plan on getting the VW smogged, but will wait to see how I feel after my appt. I have time yet, so it’s not urgent. I also need to go to the bank for my printout for LLS. My grant is almost depleted, so I’ll have to wait to reapply in July, but it’ll run out of money by May. You can’t apply till the grant year is over.

I used the BBQ yesterday afternoon and need to clean it up today. Plus, I need to start pruning the wisteria a bit. It already has some buds, but I can work around most of them to remove the dead branches.

Spring has sprung here. How is it where you live?