Monthly Archives: April 2017

Labs in and other stuff.

Posted in Blood test, Myeloma, Uncategorized by

My CBC was great. All good there except the hemoglobin was still .5 above normal.  He had wanted me to drink 8 glasses of water a day. I did pretty good but not 8 glasses. Maybe got to 5-6 a day plus tea. I guess hemoglobin has to do with the oxygen in your blood. So he thought maybe I wasn’t hydrating enough.  I’m not worried at only .5 over normal. but I’ll see what he says in June.  In other good news, my kappa light chains still normal but it went up 2 points. So from 12.6 to 14.2.  So here’s that trend of going up. I know I’ll come out of the normal range at some point but for now, it’s still in the normal range even with the 2 point increase.  My Lambda went up too from 10.9 to 11.5 so another increase. And the ratio went up to from 1.16 to 1.23 . In myeloma numbers, the ratio is most important so still an increase. These are all in values of mg/L for those that want that .  I can’t say I’m not a bit disappointed because I am just a little but hey this is month 10 going into month 11 of no drugs andI’m still within normal ranges. Oh, the good news too, was no detectable M-protein. So that’s the great news. the light chain tests though are more sensitive to myeloma cell, so the increase does show a trend. But, for now, I will celebrate LIFE!! I feel good well except for the aches and pains of normal stuff.  My one year of stopping Velcade is June 23. June is never a good emotional month for me as I was officially diagnosed on June 15 of 2005. Funny how we remember some things exactly.  Oh well, I’m grateful for modern medicine and my doctor and park and the ducks and the everything. ( That’s supposed to be funny).

It’s been windy here and we haven’t sat out at dinner even though the temperature is nice. The allergies are kicking in when that wind blows. I’m hoping to BBQ tonight if the wind is gone.

Here’s a picture of Hobbles the duck. yesterday we couldn’t find him at the park but he was back today. Whew…IMG_0700he’s called hobbles because about 2 years ago he got injured somehow and was not using his one leg. Now he uses it but just hobbles. He’s our buddy in the morning.

To Fitbit or to not Fitbit, that is the question.

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So around a month ago, my fit bit broke. The actual sensor in the back fell out. My fit bit was @ 3 years old. Not sure if this is common, but anyway, I tried to glue it back in and well that didn’t work. So I’ve been debating getting another.  I’ve enjoyed not being tied to the Fitbit plus I walk generally the same amount daily and it doesn’t really motivate me to do more. Sad, I know but it doesn’t. What I do like is it keeps track of all my steps in a day and then I use that as a monthly total. So, right now I’m estimating based on previous months and what I tally in my head @ 100-120miles a month. That doesn’t include the gym treadmill or bike because the Fitbit doesn’t seem to calculate them when I’m on them. So that would add 3-5more miles more every week.

So I’m not sure I want to buy a new one. Although both my husband and daughter have the newer Alta. I like that it’s much thinner than the one I had.  I guess I’ll just keep thinking about it.

Today, I’m off to Trader Joes and then Costco. I wanted to stop too at the Loft near there but generally, after those 2 things, I’m done with the box store shopping. But there’s a pair of pants i want to try on before I buy them, so I just might. I’m trying to upgrade my clothes to a couple of well-made pieces. I don’t even have 33 items of clothing so it’s just trying to get a few things that are classic and better made than Old navy.  So, another I’ll see.  After spending money for food I generally don’t want to go spend more money. I checked the thrift store the other day and found a J Jill swim cover up ( at least I think that’s what it is), so you can find good deals but you do need to check regularly.

Dinner is a question mark, although I’m thinking Costco pizza. Hmmm not sure.

Labs today and other musings

Posted in Blood test, just keep walking project, Myeloma, Uncategorized, Walking by

Today is cloudy and it was sprinkling this morning as we walked. At the end of this month, we will only have 2 months left till we hit year 5 of walking every day. I’m thinking going into year 5, I probably won’t be as OC about having to walk as I just need to keep walking.  I need to for a number of reasons. It feels good to get my blood circulating first thing in the morning but more important, I feel like arthritis is starting to impact me. I’m pretty stiff til I get going but even thru out the day I notice I’m stiffer getting up and moving. Not a good thing, and I may go see my PC doctor and ask if that’s what this is.

So today I went and got my blood tests. It’s been 6 weeks, so we’ll see hoe things are.  It’s hard to say in terms of how I feel because I generally feel excellent. My doctor was watching my hematocrit numbers as they were just slightly high. He wanted me to hydrate more but I pointed out that started after I was in cycle 2 of Velcade so???

I had a great introvert day.  I did have to call the insurance as they said I had a balance on my last labs.  But I’ve never had a co-pay on my labs. so 45 minutes later the nice lady did resolve it for me. Other than that it’s just me and the quiet today.  I did my FlyLady zone( the living room) and since there’s not a lot to do there it’s done.

I’m not sure what I’m making for dinner. I have left – over brown rice so maybe that. It’s not exactly what I feel like but then I don’t know what I feel like and that’s always the problem. So I’ll just wing it till it’s closer to dinner time. My daughter doesn’t get home till 7 pm so we’ll see. My husband is in San Diego working so…???

 

Frugal Friday things

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I made homemade bread yesterday in the Zojirushi bread maker. I wanted to make half wholewheat and half organic white but thought I didn’t have the WW flour. I found it afterwards in the pantry. Still it came out very yummy.

We took the load and more to Goodwill. Not really frugal except it’s stuff gone and clears space both physically and mentally.

I’m making homemade pizza tonight instead of ordering out which I kinda wanted to do.

Not frugal but the FOL decided to pay for the mistake of $99 for the website I bought but wasnt the right foremat. That was nice of them as I was going to just donate the mistake and not have them pay. But since they have a large donation that was a bequest to the FOL they budgeted $ for the website.  Also, they offered a $ gift to my daughter for actually doing all the website work.  It would have cost them hundreds to have someone else design it so it worked out well.

Not much else going on. Next week I get my bloodwork done and I’m a little anxious about it but overall not too worried about. It’s just once a cancer patient always a cancer patient in your mind.

This will be a no spend weekend since the budget is used up till next payday  😦

 

 

More stuff loaded for Goodwill

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We put 2 office chairs in the van and I did a few more magazines. If I can get my daughter to help unload, I’ll do that tomorrow. Goodwill won’t take stuff out of your vehicle. I guess it’s some kinda liability thing.

It’s nice out today although now it’s clouded over. But it’s warmish. I went and got new Invisalign trays and it went quickly since he had an emergency come in.

We’re working on getting some farm gates for our 2 driveways as it seems security is on my mind lately.

I had fun today sewing a linen tote bag.  I’m obsessed with linen fabric and found a good youtube to watch on how to sew a tote.  It came out okay. I need to work on sewing my lines straighter. I used it at the grocery store and it was nice. I bought this fabric for new curtains in the tent trailer so I wanted to try some out.

I’m going to grill some chicken tonight and make a salad.

Rainy again

Posted in budgeting, cooking, minimalism, Uncategorized by

It’s a rainy Monday. We walked in the park and it was just misting.  Yesterday, there was an Easter service that we walked by. And there were 3 sets of new baby goslings.  Unfortunately today we saw a Canada goose had been gotten by a coyote or mountain lion and feathers were everywhere. And there were only 2 sets of parents.  Canada Geese are extraordinarily fierce with their young so it must have really tried to protect the babies. WE did count the babies and I got to 19 so maybe some of the ones of killed goose went over to the other parents. I hope so.

We had southern fried tofu for Easter dinner. Of course, we don’t celebrate Easter as such, just as a renewal of a new cycle of life. Not based on Jesus. So I made a potato salad and we had some deviled eggs. I didn’t fry the tofu but baked and you’d think the end of the world had come. I guess I’m not doing that again.  It was pretty good just not quite as tasty as when I fry them.

This week is not too busy. I have an Invisalign appt, and that’s it. Plus I’ll go to the Koffee Klatch on Thursday.  I have a good size load of Life magazines to go the Humane Society Thrift store.  There are some great ones from the 40’s going but it’s just the way it needs to be. Plus the van is full of Foodbank boxes so I’ll do that tomorrow on the way to the gym.

Next week are my labs so that’ll be interesting. At some point, my light chains will begin to increase and then who know. For now, I live each day as if it is a gift.  Life is precious, non-essential live it as fully as you can.

 

One thing about minimalism is that as you clear the nonessential, you really begin to experience things differently. DEfinetely clearer and more in touch with what is around you. It’s a process for sure.  I have to say, every time declutter or look at what is it I want around me, I’m surprised at what the answer to that is. I want my house to be clean, clear of stuff and just a simple place to live, cook and be. It’s getting there.

They’ll be a lot of no spend days this week as the budget is used up. We have a DMV to pay and that’s about it. So, freezer meals and pantry plus what I bought at Costco. Lots of salads.

Tonight is pasta night. I’m thinking an alfredo with a big salad.

 

 

Starting a website is not as easy…

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it seems.  I’ve been a Friend of the Library for a number of years now. This year I’m VP but I told them I can only do this as long as my health stays good.  So our county library system is in trouble and is running a huge deficit each year. The Budget just isn’t supporting all the branch libraries and they are considering closing 2 more branches, Applegate included.

So I’ve taken it upon myself to start an FB page for the Friends of the Library and now a website so we can post some of the news about what we are doing to bring public awareness to this problem. Ultimately, it’s the BOS that decides but if we can voice our opinions about to increase funding to the library, it helps our cause.

So to that end, it’s been quite the fiasco. First, I decide after googling the web hosting to go with the number one which is Blue host. So I’m thinking “how hard can this be”….. I sign up and the price seems good until you add the privacy, security and whatever.  Then I still need to find a theme and have to buy that and pay for installing. Hmmm, sounding a little more that I want. So finally, after charging 177 and another $100 for the theme, I am ready to go.  But, I spend 6 hours yesterday trying to get the theme to work for the FOL. No way, it looks like a blog. I don’t want it to be a blog.  So quite frustrated even after calling the company who was servicing the theme, i waited for my daughter to get home from work and look at it. “No, Mom, that won’t work, you picked the wrong theme” argh….plus a few other choice words.  So she says, we could just do word press and pay for a premium web site.  Thus this morning I’m on the phone and ultimately canceled Blue host but the MOJO service had already as they said been bought and installed.  So I’m out $98.  It’s okay really because I was not sure what the heck I was doing and should have waited to ask her or my son.

Success though. This morning she set up a nice website on WordPress and I am using with no problem and I’ll have it live in a few days. I still need our logo and a few other things.  I’ve been pretty stressed with it but now feel okay and accept I had a learning curve to go thru.

I’ll link to it once it’s done.

Continuing to minimalise

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We had someone come get the oak table from down at our corner so that was really cool. My husband was not about to lug it back in the van and home again. Ok, he would have but certainly with some grumbling. yeah, it’s gone.  The space out in barn where it lived and held junk on it is open now and looks good.  My goal is to have the shelves in the barn only have what we think is essential and practical.

I took the van to the thrift stores and dropped off 6 boxes of stuff to Goodwill including my almost new bread maker. Then over the Humane society thrift store and dropped a box of dishes that are part of a set but these were chipped slightly so I took them out. And then, to the bookstore and dropped a box of books off and two very old 1855 books. I checked on eBay and they were listed for @ 25 each. Nothing selling so I really don’t want musty old books I’ll certainly never read. Then a small handful of my vintage postcards I keep dwindling down.

Then after I came home and researched starting a web page for the FOAL, I went out to the barn and reorganized some and pull another 1/2 bin of magazines to go the thrift store. I’m actually going to go back our and see if I can get one bin emptied.  I also will bring in my kid’s Waldorf lesson books and they can go thru and keep some.  So it’s getting there.  I think now there’s 4 Christmas bins, 5 magazine bins, 1 of our memory things, and 1 bin of the kids LOTR cards. Gee, they must have every single one.  But that’s theirs, not mine. So I feel great progress and if the time comes to move, it’ll be whittled down to essentials.

I did find in an art portfolio my cutting mat I was looking for but its warped and not really usable so I’ll have to donate that and get a new one and a cutter.  It makes cutting edges quite easy and clean lines. I don’t need it yet but eventually.

Tomorrow is a gym day.  Wednesday I’m going to Costco.

Tonight is cheese ravioli with a garlic parmesan sauce, salad and maybe a piece of fish for my daughter when she gets home from work at 7pm.

Farmers market

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I went to the Farmers market and got 2 kinds of lettuce, lemons, organic strawberries, radishes, and leeks. $20. Kinda pricey but I wanted nice fresh lettuce.  Oh and some watercress which I’ll add to the salads. I’m putting my produce in the linen bags I made recently and still want to make a few more.

Since I bought my new Brother sewing machine which is a basic model but has what I need, I made 2 linen bags, 4 linen napkins, and a linen chef’s apron.  i love working with linen it’s a great fabric. I used up the 2 yards I ordered so I’m about to order and 4 yards. Some will be for new curtains in the tent trailer and then ?? It’s been fun. I use to sew a lot back in the’old hippie’days.  Yes, some of our clothes. I wouldn’t do that now since I have a minimalist wardrobe but things like bags, napkins, curtains etc are fun and quick.

After the farmers market, I went to the all Friends of Library meeting as we were discussing strategies for approaching the board of supervisors.  There is the possibility of 2 more libraries closing including Applegate( the one I worked at). So, it’ll be interesting to see where it all goes. If there is such a budget shortfall, it’s not a good thing for our small libraries that serve small populated areas.

My son and B went on down to San Francisco to the orientation at SFSU. I think it’s a good fit for my son and he will be going in as a senior. He will need student loans as we don’t have the resources to help him except for incidentals.

Tonight I’m not sure what’s on the menu. I’m feeling kinda blah so my it’ll be YOYO.

Tomorrow we’re going to haul the oak table to the corner and put for free on it as the people never got back to me which really irritated me but oh well, I want it gone.  If it’s not gone by 6 pm we’ll go back and haul it back up and drop off at Salvation army.

It’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow so that will be a nice change again from all the rain.