Saturday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, home stuff, Walking by

Well, I’m sitting here at 6: 30, and it still seems too dark to go for a walk. I’ll wait another 10 minutes or so. I’m not into getting there in the dark anymore. At one time, walking in the dark was one of my favorite things. Now, though, the path has lots of uneven places and holes, so for safety, I’ll wait. Update:/ I got there at 6:45 and it was fine.

Our weather has turned and it’s going to be cool and maybe even some rain. I think we’re ready. My daughter got all the wood stacked which was a big job. Since my son left the truck here while he’s gone we are planning at least one trip to the dump. Mostly it’s leftover junk wood that I’d like out of here. Frankly, I ‘m amazed at the crap still here that wasn’t taken care of. So my goalis, all of it gone by mid November.

I decided to go to TJ’s yesterday as it had more things I wanted on my list. It was busy for some reason. Maybe because it was Friday? I checked whether they had the fall mini bags but they are long gone. I did pick up the french fries and their has browns that we like because they are unseasoned. I also got some frozen meals of chicken chow mein and their fried rice for a easy dinner. TJ’s is so great for getting interesting things. I want to plan a trip when I have some extra money to get some Christmas things like chocolates and cookies. But not now.

A couple of my vintage Halloween things. Plus pumpkin boy and apple girl.

I’ve been doing some Sashiko on some linen blend napkins. I got the designs off Etsy and they stick to the fabric so it makes it easy to do them. I need to get more thread though. The sashiko thread is a bit silkier than embroidery thread. I’m planning on giving these to my son for christmas, at least that’s the thought now.

I have a few house things to do today and then I’d like to get back out to the garden shed. I had decluttered some but it’s a mess again so that’ll be my first priority today. Now that it’s cooler I get a bit more ambitious.

OMG, IT’S A VERY BIG BEAR!

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T180

Well, that solves who’s dumping over the garbage. He also got into a Chewy box that had cat food in it and dragged it over to our neighbors. We had it delivered on Wednesday so it was sitting on the sunrooms steps outside. It’s kind of cool but still I hope he moves on. And of course, I hope he doesn’t get hit by a car. Sadly, there have been quite a few bears in Tahoe getting hit by cars this summer. People drive too fast everywhere.

So UPDATE; No RSV shot. I got there yesterday only to have the pharmacist come out and tell me it was out of stock. I’m thinking to myself” what kind of pharmacy is this to run out of a vaccine”? Anyway, I was secretly thrilled and so today I get to go swim.

He said check in a few days to see if it’s come in.

I’ll probably go over to Winco or TJ’s for a few things. I have to look at my list and see which is better to shop at since I get certain things at each store. I also need gas so I’ll do that at Costco before I swim.

We got our ballots in the mail so I want to get that done this weekend and dropped off. I certainly hope it’s a blue wave. The nut job in the white house would at least be tamed some.

Not much new with the budget. Frustrating for sure!! The last big annual bill ( I also have property tax, but I’ll do that closer to when it’s considered late in December),is the AAA rider and that’s on auto pay for the end of the month. Racking up this much on my CC is unnerving $$$$. But I have a plan to get it down but it’ll take a few months or even to Jan 2027. Before these big bills came in, I had the CC down to a small amount so that’s at least encouraging that I could get that done. There’s only so much to go around. I think I’m going to write up an outline for 2027 especially with these October annual bills are the ones that are overwhelming. So next year, I want to be more prepared. My son does owe me for the truck insurance so that will take a big chunk off the cc. It will help. Also if LLS gets funded that will be a huge help. It’s been almost 6 months so I wonder if it’ll get funded this year even. I do check everyday as I’m sure do others.

Thankful Thursday

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Well. I’m not too thankful that the bear came and knocked over the very full garbage pail this morning. He did it last week too. So I got up at 6am and decided to go look with the flashlight, and sure enough, it was strewn everywhere. We don’t have bear proof garbage pails here and besides it’s garbage day so it’s out on the driveway. Not sure if there’s a solution to this except maybe a bungee cord and then go get it when I get up?? I don’t think a bungee cord is going to keep a 500 lb bear out of the garbage.

Well, I am thankful I got out there before the truck showed up because if they see it strewn around they won’t stop. These new trucks are all automatic lifts so the guy doesn’t get out of his truck at all.

Another appt today, and I’ll be thankful when it’s over. But with this shot I’ll have to expect tomorrow the side effects won’t let me go to the pool or gym if it’s like last week. Fortunately, I did feel better by Saturday so hopefully this will be the same. My schedule has been very messed up with these shots and then side effects. I’ll be glad to get out of October. I have Velcade next week so that’s 3 days out. UGH!!!!

I made sole meuniere last night with some cheese raviolis on the side cooked with cherry tomatoes and olive oil, it was good. The raviolis were from the freezer and that’s one more thing out of there. I have one more serving in the freezer to use. I think from now on I’ll get the TJ’s pack and not Costco. Easier to get through.

The big freezer is emptying out nicely. I’m going to defrost it once it’s a little more cleaned out. I like having the chest freezer for extra things but not when it’s crammed full and there’s only two of us. I need to go get some chicken to defrost, so I’ll check on what else can get used. The raviolis were near the bottom and that’s why I used them. It’s been a challenging process learning to cook for basically just me and my daughter. We don’t eat all that much especially at dinner time. ( ok, then why am I overweight?? ha ha!!!) Well, for one, I am definitely not as active as I was even a year ago. I’m not walking as much and even with swimming, I dont get there as much as I’d like especially when there’s these appts. Plus, right now with gas over $6 a gallon, it’s hard to justify moe than 2 trips a week. Oh well, age catches up to us all.

Midweek things

Posted in books, California, decluttering, home stuff, plants by

I had a good dentist appt yesterday. Still, OOP was expensive, but I don’t have dental insurance, and Medicare doesn’t cover dental things except, I think, surgeries and stuff. Oh well, it had to be done, but at least it all was good- no cavities, etc. She did recommend I go back to the electric toothbrush. I had an Oral B somewhere but when I got home I couldn’t find it so I ordered a Sonicare. It was on sale for Prime so I got a good deal.

Before the dentist, I went over to the pet bookstore and dropped off 3 bags of books. Some were cookbooks that I bought there but really haven’t used. It’s cheap entertainment for me to read cookbooks.

Monday I did a house rest and got through the kitchen zone. That always feels good as it is my biggest zone to do.

Today, I plan on tidying things up and I need to find some different places for my sunroom plants. I have a very large fiddle leaf fig ( over 5 ft) but it’s not liking the sunroom going from very warm to cool at night. So I need to rethink where to put that plant and 2 others. I don’t have a lot of space in the house which is why they were in the sunroom. I’ll google or AI what fiddle leafs like. The spider plants can really tolerate temperature changes so I’ll leave them out there.

Other than that, a day at home. I think this our last hot day too. Fortunately, as I mentioned, with the angle of the sun this time of year, our house is not getting direct overhead sun but more south eastern, so the house is staying cool as long as I close the windows.

Simple Sunday

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What a nice day we had yesterday. My son and his partner brought bagels and lox and some lovely flowers. It was nice to visit, and I’ll miss seeing him for almost 3 weeks while he’s in Japan.

The wood guy showed up and the wood looked very nice. He brought his 2 young daughters who were very cute.//Anyway I’m set for wood for the winter.

I plan on going to do weights this morning. Not sure if I’ll do anything else in town but I’ll see how I feel. I do like to go the thrift store Sunday am as nobody or very few people are there. I’ll just see how I feel when I’m done.

Other than that, I don’t have much I need to do. I’ll probably do a once around the house and then look at what the week brings. I have dentist appt and my other shot so that’s two days of something planned. I’ll black out Friday for after RSV shot day.

Birthday flowers, Tasha Tudor, looking out B’s office window, and a crazy looking raccoon!! That’s out by the wildlife pond that they like to splash around in.

Saturday and got through the Flu/Covid shot side effects!!

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Well, I had one shot in the left arm and one shot in the right arm. I did ok most of the day, and even that night was ok. But then I woke up the next morning with the usual fever very slight) and a bit achy. I went back to bed for a few hours and then when I got up started to feel ok. So overall, not bad, and now it’s done. Next week is the RSV shot, so I guess it’ll be the same thing.

My arms are just a bit sore but not awful.

Today I am getting the wood delivered and tfor the price, it better be good. the guy seems very nice and has been very communicative about when he was available.

My son and his partner are coming up too and we’re having a bit of a birthday brunch. He’s bringing Noah’s bagels. He’s not staying too long as he’s getting ready to leave for Japan.

Since I don’t want to put the whole Ca fair plan on the CC, I decided to do the 3 payment option. Not what I want but needs must. The increase was close to $1K so a huge increase and that’s not even the AAA rider which comes as a separate bill. Oh well, I’ll get through 🙁

After those are carded, I’ll wait and do property tax the very beginning of December. That’ll give me time to figure out more budget stuff. Still having to charge is not my first choice or second or third, but it needs to be paid. Buying the firewood at $475 is about all the extra money I have right now. sigh 🙁

Our hot weather is back for a bit. The house gets closed up by 8 am and stays ok in the afternoon. The way the sun is angled this time of year the heat just isn’t the same as July. Still it’s too warm to have a twinkle fire outside. Maybe in a few days.

Well, I’d better get going and get ready.

Another year around the sun.

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Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 74.

I did what I love, and that is go swimming. The pool was a bit busy, but I had a lane to myself for most of it. Sweet! Then I shopped at Winco and Nugget. At Nugget which is a high end grocery store, their deli is top notch so I boght a few things, and then the real reason I went was to get something from their very beautiful bakery. I picked up a slice of tiramisu( my favorite) and chocolate cupcakes for when my son comes up.

My other choice was to go to Tahoe for the day but that didn’t really fit with the day so maybe soon. I do miss Tahoe in the fall.

It’s been a mixed year. Some good things and of course, sadness with Barclay not here to do these things with. It is a strange place to be in.

This coming year, I’d like to travel a bit more and figure out the camping stuff. I’d like to add in some ‘special’ things to do that I wouldn’t ordinarily do. Something like the Napa Valley wine train experience. I think I’d like to do a road trip with my daughter too. That though involves dealing with 6 cats so someone would need to house sit. We’ll see.

At least, I’ve dealt with the Triumph( which my son is taking over) and death related business stuff too. The truck is my son’s now too although I haven’t done the title part yet. The last part of this ‘what’s left’ will be the RV. I plan on selling it probably around May. Who knows though if there’s a market and I’m sure there won’t be a lot of profit. But I really want to move past it since it’s not being used except for when my son comes up to spend the night. I guess, I’d need to figure something out, maybe a sofa bed type thing. Although the studio( which is now my daughters office space) does have a bed. I guess time will tell.

Mostly, I want to keep doing the simple things that bring me joy, walking, swimming, reading, the library, cooking bread making and being present. Of course, in the mix of all this is managing my cancer and hoping the Velcade continues to keep things at bay. Life!!

Simple Sunday/Monday morning catch up.

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I decided not to go to the Auburn gym this morning. I’m feeling a bit tired and my stomach feels a bit off. I’ll just do some house things and declutter some areas that could use a look-through. Update: I didn’t find much to declutter, but I did add to my book pile to bring to the pet bookstore.

I did wash most of the inside windows yesterday, so all I have left is the sunroom. Update: Nope, didn’t get them done; maybe today.

That was yesterday. It was a mellow day and so pretty with bright blue skies and puffy clouds. It was a Tahoe-feeling sort of day.

Today I need to go to Costco to stock up. I need eggs, flour, coffee, and some non food items as well.

I wrote up a meal guide for the week and plan on spaghetti, burgers, some kind of soup, and a night of rice and spring rolls. The other nights, I’ll probably just come up with an easy something.

I called about the firewood, and I think he’ll deliver this coming Saturday. It’s crazy expensive at $475, but he mentioned that his delivery truck is diesel, and then I understood. Diesel here in N. Ca is almost or even over $8 a gallon, so I don’t begrudge him charging that at all. I just hope it’s nice wood. I’ll need to go get that cash sometime this week.

I made some whole wheat bread. This is just with the KitchenAid mixer, not the Zojirushi.

I froze one loaf and sliced the other up to use.

I’d like to get some rye flour and try rye again. Rye is difficult because it is a dense bread, but it’s worth trying.

I am going to get my flu/covid shot this week, so I need to work around that. I think I can get one swim in, but that’s it because I always have a down day after my shot. I’m also meeting my library friends for coffee this week. I have a bag of apples from our tree to give to one of them who still cans applesauce. We had an good crop this year but I still have applesauce from the apples I froze in the spring. If anything I’ll cut some up and freeze those for later use.

My daughter plans to go back to work this week. She still tested positive on Friday but didn’t test yesterday, so I’ll see if she does that today. I guess you can test positive for a while and you’re not contagious. I’ll probably do a test today as well, just to be sure.

Saturday

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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.

Friday Things

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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.