Monday and the week ahead.

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, meal planning, seasonal things by

A very pretty sunrise with lots of pinks and golds in the clouds. One more day until we have a Blue Wave!! Let’s hope it’s magnificent.

Last night we had chicken fried rice with the extra chicken that I had in the freezer. I ate around 5:45 so that was really 6:45. A little late for me but each day forward I’ll keep adjusting my dinner time.

Tonight, I think I’ll pull some black beans from the freezer and use an Amys enchilada on the side. Then I”ll plan some other meals:

  • Eggs of some sort, as I have a lot in the fridge. Maybe a frittata or quiche.
  • I have some orange chicken from Costco that is in the freezer and I can make some rice to go with that.
  • I have some french onion soup to use up. They have been in the chest freezer a while. I think I’ll use them all(3) and put them in a deep dish and bake. I have some gruyere I can add to the top.
  • I’ll pull a pack of chicken out of the freezer for the week.
  • I bought a veggie stir fry pack at BelAir yesterday and didnt use it so I’ll do something with that.*

Today is Day of the Dead so I put a picture of Barclay out with a beeswax candle. That’s one of my favorite pictures.

Thursday, I have my doctor appt in Sacramento, so the Santa Fe need sto be done as my daughter works that day. It’s early yet this morning so I hope I hear after 8am. I’ll update when I hear something.

Simple Sunday and Samhain!

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It’s cross quarter again. I’ll try and have a fire in the outdoor firepit this afternoon.

I didn’t hear back on the Santa Fe, so I was a bit annoyed. I wanted to get down to the pool on Saturday, but that didn’t happen. If I don’t hear back by 10 on Monday, I’ll call him, as I need a timeline. Monday, my daughter doesn’t work so that would be best to go get the car. What a PITA. This coming week I have my doctor appt in Sacramento, so I need the car done and working.

I tell ya, if I had money, I’d be out there buying a new used car.

Anyway, it ended up a nice day to be home and chill. I started the new Ann Patchett book, Whistler. So far I like it.

Today, is November 1st, hurray!! It’s also the end of DLS and it’s always a weird adjustment. For me, it takes about a week to get use to it. I plan on walking this morning and see how it is at the park. I also plan to take buggie into the Auburn gym. Other than that, no other plans. I think I’ll make some sort of soup for dinner and then because of the time change we can eat when we feel like it. I’ll probably eat earlier than my daughter. I’ll check the freezer and see what soup stuff I have. I know I have some rotisserie chicken in there so I’ll start there.

I ordered a used copy of a bread book called ‘The Village Baker’. It’s written by the original baker at Gayles in Capitola, which is my favorite place in the world. Such amazing food and bread. Anyway, this is his bread book. It’s a bit complicated for a home baker but there a few I want to try. It’s fun reading about his journey with bread making that goes all the way back to the 1970s.

I put away my vintage Halloween stuff but left out the pumpkins. They will fit in till Thanksgiving. Then I’ll start putting out a few Christmas things.

I started watching the Gilded Age on HBO and it is a great show. The costumes are amazing. My son signed me into to HBO on his account so I can watch it. If you have HBO, check it out otherwise if you love period pieces this is a great one.

Friday Things

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We’re expecting rain today and tomorrow. We need it so not complaining. I think it’s suppose to rain off and on all weekend.

I didn’t hear back on the car so I’m guessing I will this morning. Hopefully not some big surprise of a fix. It sure has messed up the last 2 weeks, that’s for sure.

Today, I plan on going into town for lunch with my son. I’ll drive the VW. If the car is done before my daughter goes to work she could drop me off but I doubt that it’s done. Usually he calls with an update.

Yesterday, I went into Safeway for a few things. I was after the Di Fara pizza but they didn’t have it. I must have bought it at Bel Air and thought it was Safeway. So I might swing into Belair for that. Actually, I think it might have been Target. Anyway, it’s a very good frozen pizza. Going into Safeway though was strange. I rarely shop there anymore as it’s all Winco TJ’s or Costco. I was pretty shocked at regular prices. I did get a few pieces of their fried chicken from the deli and it was ok.

Instead of the park walk yesterday, I walked around our driveway which is circular although the RV is parked in part of that. So I did a loop but used my walking stick as it is quite uneven. We have never really used it as a circular driveway though only when something needed moving. But it’s nice to walk around and look down in the woods. Barclay had all kinds of trails down there but I’m not able to do that as my balance is not what it was. My daughter did put a bench overlooking the bottom part of the property and some of B’s ashes are there, so I like to sit there and talk to him.

We’re still dancing around the Thanksgiving thing but I think we’re closer to do a buffet with cheeses,crackers, dips etc and then have a turkey breast on the side with a few extras. That’s where it is as of now.

Thankful Thursday

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Our beautiful fall weather!! I love sitting out in the yard, taking in the colors and the sky. I went for a short walk, and it was nice. There were, though, lots of people and moms with baby carriages. Anyway, I may try again perhaps at a slightly different time.

That maybe the Santa Fe will get fixed and I won’t have to worry about driving it. Hopefully it’s like ChatGPT said and is an air bubble.

I’m thankful for a warm house and having the firewood done. I’ve been having a fire every morning as it’s been chilly. Today the temperature is 46 out, so a bit chilly.

I’m thankful for both my kids and how much they help out. My daughter has gotten the yard really cleaned up for fall and winter. It looks really good. Since my son has been traveling, he hasn’t been up too much but I’ll see him for lunch tomorrow and mention getting another load of junk to the dump. This is mostly the old wood and some old fencing. I think we’re down to maybe 2 dump loads left.

As I said yesterday, I’m really glad to see the end of October.

Plodding on…

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, Credit cards, LLS, swimming by

Well, I made an appointment to take the Santa Fe back in, as the heater is not working. I was freezing while driving down to the library/gym the other day. So I’ll bring it in tomorrow. According to ChatGPT, it could be an air pocket in the coolant system, which would make sense since that’s what they worked on, or the thermostat they put in isn’t registering. Anyway, it needs to be done. So with that, I decided not to drive to the pool today as I’m a little nervous about it. It has been working fine( the coolant has stayed at the right level) but with the heater being an issue, I’m not sure if that could trigger something. So I’ll be patient about getting in extra swims for now.

I may take the VW into Auburn as I do need a few groceries but I’ll decide that later as there’s no rush to get out like there is getting to the pool. The lap swim ends at 9:15am so it’s get up and go pretty much.

As usual in my morning routine, I checked LLS and still no funding. Maybe by the first of the year. It does make a huge difference. But I’m sure many people are waiting for the funding. I write in my notebook every morning a list of what I want to do and my budget stuff. Right now I’m using a thrift store notebook that I got for 1.99. I also write how I slept and my stats from the CPAP machine,Apple health and Ring Conn. So today’s list isn’t too involved. Do a bigger vacuum and mop the floors, maybe the store in town, and plan some meals from the freezer. The other day I did a turkey breast I got from Trader Joe’s and it came out really good. It’s the Empire kosher brand. I have some meat sauce to use so I may do spaghetti or use the ravioli I have in the freezer. Regardless, I need to plan some meals so I can use stuff up.

I will be really glad to see October end. It has been a huge money drain and most of it on CCs. So that will be my priority for November and December, trying to get them paid as much as possible. We’ll see.

Thanksgiving is still being planned. My son said he’d do some cooking here, but my daughter isn’t too thrilled at the idea of any big Thanksgiving dinner. So, it’ll be simple whatever it is. I’ll probably order the turkey breast and at least have it if that’s what we do. My daughter thought maybe just a few bits like dips and veggies and maybe a cheese tray. I’m sure we’ll figure something out. I did check a premade meal pack but it seemed very expensive for what you get.

What do you do for Thanksgiving? Is it the traditional or something else?

Simple Sunday

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We are having such pretty fall days. The leaves are turning golden with a hint of red occasionally. Mostly, the light is golden in the afternoon, coming through the trees. So pretty.

I did an ok walk. I felt a bit tired but got it done and it was nice. I’ll walk on the treadmill at the gym later too. I plan on doing weights and maybe dropping off the Goodwill stuff. I’ll see how it goes after I get changed and eat breakfast. I might take the Santa Fe and see how the temperature is. I think I should probably drive it as much as I can locally so if something happens, I near home. I usually take the VW to Auburn so it gets used but as I said I think I’ll do the SF.

Happily, next week no appts, so maybe I can get to the pool a couple of times. That would be really great. Plus, I still need to get my library books by Wednesday so I can plan a morning at the Mahany gym and library. Of course, with gas prices so high I do need to plan on how many times is reasonable and now with the car acting up it feels all a bit iffy. But I’m going to forge ahead and see how it goes.

Last night we had cheese enchiladas and home canned pintos. It was good and easy to put together. I have a salad pack to use today so I’ll see what I can pair with that.

updated: I’m back from town and the heater wasn’t working again, it’s a 10 minute drive). Then it seemed to kick in on the way home. So I think what I’ll do is call and check with the garage as the heater should have been fixed. But I’ll wait a few days and see how it goes on the way to Roseville which is about 25 minutes.

At least the temperature gauge seems to be fine and therefore the coolant must be ok.Such a pain.

I did drop the Goodwill off so that’s ticked off my list. Well, not sure what else I’ll get up today but I’m going to go sit outside for awhile.

Well…..

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So my heater did not work yesterday when I went to my appointment. So I freaked out a bit. I did check the coolant and kept watching the temperature gauge, and it stayed in the normal range, so that was reassuring. After my appt, which was really a Medicare compliance thing, I had planned to do a bunch of things but, of course, did not. I called up to the garage and told them I’d stop by. I also called my son who happens to be in the office on Fridays so he was near by if I needed to get picked up. But then just as I got to Auburn , the heater kicked in. I still went to the garage and he checked it and said it looked good and to just monitor the temperature. So, I guess it’s really just wait and see time. It really did take the wind out of my sails for the day though. I did stop at the Holiday and picked up the milk and few other things we needed so at least that got done.

Last night I slept terrible probably upset at the car but I managed to at least go for a walk this morning. I went out at 7am and it was light enough. I’m not sure what the day will bring as I still have those errands to do. I have laundry to do and it’s sheet day too.

I tallied up most of Octobers food receipts and it came in right around $400. It might have been less with LTSF from Costco which averages out over a number of months but still I think keeping it around $400 is a good mark. It’s definitely a learning curve with this food business because we just are eating differently. I’m still making some mistakes and buying some stuff from Costco that we are not getting to and end up in the freezer. (Those new biscuits are an example). But I think more frequent trips to Trader Joe’s or Winco will help me buy in smaller quantities. Last night we had the TJ’s fried rice with some of their wontons and spring rolls. All in all the amounts were perfect and we are using the food up. So I think going forward this next month that’s what I’ll do.

Well, off to do laundry and and see what else can get done.

Friday Things

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The rain was so nice, and it seemed to help the fire season. I had a little fire going in the woodstove and it was pleasant.

Today, I’m off to the NP for the sleep doctor, who is actually a neurologist. I don’t really have any issues at this point so it should be quick. After that ,the library and maybe the gym. It just depends on how I feel. I need to stop at Winco for some milk and a few things. But I may just do that here in town. Sometimes the extra stops are a bit much for me. And of course, I’m still a bit nervous about the car.

My son is back from his Japan trip and it seemed it was a great time for all. I’m glad he got to do it. He’s coming over next week to show pictures.

I did some rearranging yesterday too. I was looking at Facebook and there’s tons of decluttering ideas but there are also ideas that an older person should consider in their house. One was not to keep things on higher shelves. Probably because of the risk of falling off a step ladder. So I had some christmas boxes on the top shelf of my one and only closet. I took them down and put them on the other side of thee closet where the shelf is lower and more reachable. Then I had a high shelf of books in the small built in bookcase outside the bedroom. So I moved them all down to a lower shelf and kept the top shelf empty. I didn’t declutter any because those books are nostalgic. Some are Barclay’s Bob Dylan Books and the others go back to when we first married. I have my original Laurel’s Kitchen and the Little Prince that Barclay got me. So nothing decluttered but made more accessible.

I do have another load to go to the Goodwill though of just random things. Honestly, where does it come from??? I will do that today and get it out of the car.

Last night I ended up having some soup for dinner. I didn’t feel like much else. Tonight, my daughter suggested a pizza but I’ll wait and see if that’s what she wants to do after work. I really haven’t been doing meal planning as such as. Maybe with the fall weather, I’ll feel like setting out a menu again for the week like soups, chilis etc.

Right now it’s almost 7am and it’s still quite dark out. Tomorrow, my walk day, I’ll need to gauge when to get down to the park. But the following weekend, this will be 6am as we fall behind. That’ll be ok in the morning but the afternoon will feel like I should go to bed at 7pm. ugh!!!

Well, off to get ready.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in Blood test, books, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, home stuff, medicare, Myeloma, swimming by

Yes, I am feeling thankful or at least hopeful the Santa Fe is doing ok. I went to the pool yesterday, and the temperature gauge stayed below half, where it should be. So I’m thankful and grateful, at least feeling a bit less stressed.

The pool was wonderful and not real busy. It’s so nice when it’s not crazy busy. I took my time as it had been over a week since I was there and didn’t want to overdo it. I really enjoyed it.

I’m thankful for another blog reader sending a Buy me a Coffee gift. Thank you for your kind gesture and support. Any donations I get I plan to use toward the car repair bill. So thank you kindly.

I researched the Medicare Part D plans and the one I’m on now will go up from $1 a month to $10. A big increase but still doable. It also seems to be the best for the drugs I take so I’ll keep it for next year. At least that’s done and out of the way. There’s not much choice but at least it’s done.

Today is just a home day and it has been drizzling. We really need the rain so it’s welcome. Tomorrow have the 6 month follow up with the Sleep NP in Roseville so that’ll be another drive to test if the car is doing ok. My CPAP is going well, overall. After I see her, I’m planning on going down to the library as I have a hold. I think it’s the Ann Patchett book, so I don’t want to miss that. Have you read that? I’m not sure what it is about.

My labs came back and my Kappa light chains went back up to 35.( 19.4 is high normal, for reference). So not really happy about that but what can you do. I see him in November but I’m sure he’ll just say, stable which it is and yet out of range. I’m disappointed but it is what it is. At least I feel ok. Well, I just won’t think about that today.

I’m not sure about dinner tonight. My daughter works late again, so I may just do quesadillas or scramble some eggs. I have some rotisserie chicken I can use too. I made some mac and cheese the other day and it came out so so. I cant seem to get the ratio quite right to have it not be so dry. Are any of you mac and cheese experts? I used the Costco aged cheddar so I know the cheese was a good one but it still seemed to fall short. Maybe I’ll just stick to a box or Stoffers. So thought the last time I had a Stouffer’s it wasn’t very good. Trader Joe’s one is ok not great. Oh well, we don’t eat mac and cheese all that often.

It’s almost the end of daylight savings time again. B and I used to joke about, how every year we are surprised by it and yet it happens every year. Go figure.

Well, I made it!

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So I drove down to the Mahany gym after my labs, and the temperature gauge stayed steady. I drove more slowly as I was on ‘red alert’. I asked AI about the MPG not registering correctly, and it said it could be that when the battery was disconnected, it switched off somehow. But I called the garage, and the manager said that it was fine to drive and the MPG is just read out. I’m too ‘fried’ with it all to go back in right now so I’ll just wait till my energy comes back.

The gym was nice and fairly empty. After that I went over to the library but didn’t find anything on the new shelf to get. I also dropped off our ballots at the drop box outside the library. After that I dropped off a big load of stuff to Goodwill which included my breadmaker. I decided( finally) it’s too bulky and heavy for me to be lifting and putting on the counter so off it went. I’m sure someone will be thrilled to find a Zojirushi bread maker.

Anyway, a thank you to a blog supporter who donated to Buy me A Coffee. I am in awe of support when it comes. I had thought of at one time doing a patreon blog, but I just don’t feel that’s the right direction for me. I also don’t do ads as I find them very annoying so. So with that. I do thank you for the donation.

I’ll plan to go back down tomorrow to the pool and that will be trip #2 so fingers crossed. I also need to hit up Costco for coffee and a few other things. I need some socks. In the past I’ve always supported Bombas as they donate one item to shelters for the one you buy. But I cannot afford Bombas socks right now, so Costco will do. If the car is working ok, I’ll stop tomorrow.

We are heading into a change of weather with rain on the way. We definitely need it. Also, much cooler. I’ll need to get some firewood ready to have inside.

I’m working on November’s budget and writing a small Christmas list for the kids. I probably will do gift cards and a small gift or two. This will be our second Christmas without Barclay and it’s really just not the same.

Before the whole car debacle, I had put in a pick up order at Ikea for a wood shelf for my daily notebooks I use. I use one to track my CPAP numbers and 02 and a budget one and a few other misc. So I wanted a shelf to put them on near my desk. Well, that order got cancelled since the car was in the shop, so I,may think about driving down there to get it. It’s actually a spice rack but is perfect for holding a few notebooks.

That’s a bit of a drive so, I’d need to be emotionally ready if the car broke down:(