I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s funny and witty. Anne Tyler is a very fine writer and although the story is fairly simple it’s done really well. It’s a take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew but Tyler makes it contemporary and modern. Vinegar Girl is a fun summer read. Great to take to the beach!!
I was given this book by bloggingforbooks in exchange for my honest opinion.
Quincy Ca is a nice town in the Sierras. This Thursday starts the High Sierra Festival which thousands of people descend to the town for the music. It’s a great boost to the economy which this town really needs. It’s quite a depressed economy but a lovely place to live.
There’s lots of retirees, throwbacks of the 60’s, survivalists(probably ) and whoever else likes to be somewhat isolated. We had thought of moving here but it’s too isolated for me and medical needs would be too far away. Anyway, we are leaving so we’ll miss the hordes of people and germs.
Ada’s of Quincy is a wonderful place to stay with little cottages. We were in Hopsings and it was beautiful. We cooked a nice dinner( salmon, couscous, and fresh corn on the cob. Yummy and nice. Breakfast was homemade yogurt and granola with peaches. My yogurt had great flavor but was just a little watery. I like the crockpot method but I think the temperature needed to be a little warmer. I will make some more maybe today.
Normally this would be my week off Velcade but now it’s the beginning of being off for a while. My first labs (CBC,CMP) have come back great. So I’m very pleased. I should get my Light chains today or tomorrow. We shall see.
Then we’re heading down to Truckee for B to work and check out 2 rescue dogs my daughter is interested in adopting. They are older border collies. I ‘m not too sure and would rather not have dogs at this point, but they’d be hers,not mine. The story is sad and compelling that these we’re working border collies and the rancher was going to shoot them since they’d gotten too old. So a neighbor rescued them. And they are at a no-kill shelter at least. So we will stop and look. Then home by @ 2pm since it’s still hovering around a 100 degrees.
The rest of the week is open not sure what I’ll do. I do need to work on our schedule for our Tahoe camping trip as someone needs to be home to deal with chickens and cats and the 2 cockatiels.
Quincy has a very nice coop that my husband sees as one of his regular accounts. It’s about 2 hours from here so a perfect trip for me to tag along and enjoy slightly cooler weather. We will only spend one night but it’s a really cool B& B , well, actually there is no breakfast, so maybe it’s just a B. Anyway, it’s a nice place with individual cottages with kitchens. I’m bringing dinner to make so we can just relax and not have to go get dinner although that would be nice too. On the way, I want to check out camping at Donne sTAte park. We’ve never actually camped there so I thought we’d do a drive thru. Then I want to go to the really cool hardware store in Truckee and check out getting a Lodge dutch oven for camping. In this fun series I’m reading, Frannie Shoemaker Campground series, she has fun recipes using a cast iron dutch oven. So I thought I’d check it out.
Then I want to check the campground in Quincy out. It seems it’s more for big RV’s but I’d like to check it out. Then check out the library(always). There’s a great walking trail but it’ll be too hot in the afternoon so that will have to be for our walk Wednesday morning.
Our toaster died the other day so I decided to replace it with a toaster oven. Our broiler in the oven doesn’t work because the heat sensor needs replacing, so with a toaster oven we can have toasted cheese sandwiches and even cook a pizza. I’d like to take out our old microwave too but we do use that for popcorn. But it’s easy to make popcorn on the stove too.
I’ve been following Courtney Carver’s 21-day decluttering challenge. It’s ok, maybe a little basic. But I liked her idea of eating the same thing for certain meals. I think it’s like having a minimalistic wardrobe where you basically eat the same thing and it simplifies your life. We do this with breakfast which is either our own eggs in assorted ways with homemade toast. Or homemade granola with yogurt, and/or a bagel. Well, the bagels are more what my son eats. Lunches are always whatever. Maybe leftovers or just a sandwich. So with dinners I have Taco Tuesday, Pizza night Friday, Pasta Monday, Bbq Saturday, the rest just get filled in. So I thought I’d do rice and beans in various ways for a week. So maybe tacos, maybe burritos, or just bean rice bowls. I’ll add some protein in like chicken for who ever wants that. I don’t think I could do this dinner is the same all the time but I think it could simplify menus to have consistent types of dinners. So I’m going to work on this a little more this week as I plan Menus for July.
Beautiful Donner Lake.
It is going to be hot, and then get hotter. I really dislike the heat. No, I really hate it. I’m okay with mid 90’s but this week we’re talking 100 – 103 ‘. Way to hot to go outside much. We did get the window coolers in so we’re set there, but still. now we’re also watering a lot every day to keep the garden and small patches of grass green. I guess there goes our water bill. In the summer our electric bill goes way down and water goes way up. Oh well, it’s always something. I’m hoping July sees the budget go down with the reductions we’ve made and that most of the annual bills are done till Oct- Nov. I have one last auto insurance payment and then that’s it. So, I’m really hoping that we see the budget improve. We also checked out changing our cell phone plan with Verizon but as it turns out it’s actually a good plan. Somydaughte will pay off her iPhone and that will drop the bill by $30a month,( she pays for this anyway with the monthly rent she gives us) but it ‘ll help my bottom line. Then I’m going to pay mine off in a month or 2. So the actual bill will come in quite a bit less. My son is getting B’s old iPhone 5 s, but he hasn’t been paying while he was in school so now he will starting like ….now.
Today, we are dropping off another load to Goodwill. This load has the little Ikea glass desk I bought after I got my MacBook last year. I thought it would work in a minimalistic space, but my forearms didn’t rest right on it . I’ve tried to repurpose it, but it’s really just in the way.
Then a quick stop at the store for cream, veggies, and some wine for the week.
Dinner tonight is black beans and brown rice, tortillas, and maybe a piece of steak? not sure with it being so hot what we will feel like.
Flylady zone is the living room and dining space( 2 zones as the July starts Friday). I’ll probably get started later.
Tomorrow I have my big labs, Kappa light chains, Lambda. No SPEP test this time. I’m not worried about this test. It should be fine. I’ll start worrying in a month or 2 when I’ve been off Velcade for that long.
Well, off to vacuum.:)
Well, this has been a good week. My last shot of Velcade, B got his bonus and I think the refi is happening. We haven’t heard on the timing but the subordination from Citimortgage has come in. I’m not sure why it took over 6 weeks but it did so now we can move forward. Yeah!! I want to move forward on my next set of money reducing goals of getting Citimortgage to refi their 2nd. Then We’re going to refi the Santa Fe once it’s under $20,000. we’re doing this because B’s coop territory is now going to include Southern Ca and he going to need a car like a Prius with incredible gas mileage. I’m planning on taking over the Santa Fe and I guess we will sell the old van.
Today, My daughter and I are going into town to get a few things at Target and then Verizon to see about switching plans. B’s company has dropped Verizon so hs employee discount is going away and that means a higher bill. So we need to switch something.
Tonight is Friday night pizza!
I spent 3-4 hours yesterday trashing emails so as to free up storage on my mac. Well , I wasn’t decluttering big batches but clicking on them one at a time hence the 3 hours. My husband told me how to use shift and then bunch them together. Worked brilliant. But my email still said I have 7,000 + emails even though I deleted them; Well I guess they’re there somewhere, so I googled what to do and brilliant took only 2 hours today to finish it. so the trick was to do the shift thingy and then hold the option key while clicking o the trash button. I’m not sure yet how to check the storage thing but I will figure it out. Mac users, any ideas???
So, off today to Sacramento. My shot went well and then it was up to Costco. It’s always so busy in there. But I got what I needed( and more). I haven’t been making bread lately as it’s been hot so, I bought some nice Alverado sprouted bread and bagels for the boy who thinks bagels are the only food in the world. Then I came home sorted stuff. I bought some beautiful Wild salmon so I cut that up in 6 pieces.I’d like to get one more pack as its seasonal and won’t be there after a short while. Also, baking supplies. There’s still a few more items I need I didn’t get as the price tag was high enough.
So, now it’s dex afternoon. I’ll do a few tidying chores as it looks like nobody did anything while I was gone. But that’s it, plus just lay down. I don’t plan dinner tonight, just leftovers or YOYO.
It was the first week of July we were in Seatle last year to got to the Seattle Cancer Alliance Center. Hard to believe a year has gone by. I’m grateful every day to be here and that my Velcade treatments have put me in CR.
Well, off to lay down.
Today was my labs, so I’ll be going Wednesday to Sacramento for what will be my last Velcade shot of these 6 cycles. After this,I will get my labs monthly to check what my Kappa light chains and m protein are doing. I figure I need the time off chemo to let my body regroup. Of course, I’m hoping for a nice long break, but I’ll take what I can. I don’t even see my hem/onc till late August so that’ll be different for sure.
Today was the Flylady zone bedroom. Done pretty quickly. I also vacuumed and did some laundry( sheet day).
Tonight is spaghetti with sauce and some kinda of salad.
The rest of the week except Wednesday is open. I may go to the Koffee klatch onThursday but we’re expecting hotter weather as the week goes on so maybe not. I also need to go back to Costco since I didn’t get a bunch of things last week and do need them now.
All in all a slow but nice week.
happy Summer Solstice.
This week with B gone working and taking our daughter on the trip with him, I had a chance to be alone a lot. I enjoy my time alone. I read (a lot),cook simple foods like (quesadillas) and do small things. I’m never lonely and enjoy my own company. I keep to my fly lady schedule, tidy and work on small projects. My son was working late 2 nights so he wasn’t around for dinner but then Friday night he cooked a nice Bbq for us. So, I enjoy being alone and am never lonely. I suppose since I’m not a very social person that accounts for it. Actually, I’ve never been a social person and have never had many close friends. I use to worry about that, but now I’m content to just know that’s part of my psyche. And at 63, I’m perfectly happy with my small world.
Well, onward to the day …first up.. breakfast for the best Dad in the world to my kids….
Dinner is a bbq chicken, veggies, tofu, and ?? I may have someone go get a peach pie at our local fruit stand!! Yummm
To my husband and the best father 2 kids could have asked for. My husband was a completely involved father when they were young and still is. Just this past week he took our daughter with him on his work trip up the farthest point in California. Eureka. As a sales rep he gets to go to some great places, stay in nice hotels, eat out and see the areas he’s servicing. So when a chance arises that he can take one of us (and he pays the extra ,of course) then it’s like a mini-vacation for who ever goes. So have a geat Fathers Day!!!
Off to Sacramento this morning for my Velcade shot. After this, it’s T minus 1 and counting. I won’t be seeing my doctor till August but will keep getting monthly labs. I do hope I get a continued complete response. But, I guess time will tell.
After my shot,I’m stopping in Costco for a few items. Out budget is pretty thin right now so I only have $100 to spend there and most of that is non-food. Then home and take Dex.
Yesterday, I did go to the barn and started organizing. I also pulled a number of magazines to sell including the 1964 Cassius Clay. Will see, not too many interested even with a magazine like this. I pulled some 1941’s and they are pristine, soI’ll put those on eBay too.
well, I’m off…..
Day-to- Day
One woman's meanderings around gorgeousness, health and organised living.
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Minimalism: The art of making life easier.
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crafting a simple, sustainable and organised life
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To live is to battle with trolls in the vaults of heart and brain. To write; this is to sit in judgment over one's Self. Henrik Ibsen
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I've been married for nearly 15 years to a wonderful husband and I'm a mom to three great kids ages 12, 11 and 9. Oh, and I just happen to have cancer. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the blood that is currently incurable but IS considered highly treatable! My goal is to make people laugh, cry or feel a little less alone whether you are a mom, cancer patient or BOTH!
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phenomenally indecisive since 1972
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On the Road Since 2010, Traveling Across USA & Europe With Pets
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