Monthly Archives: April 2018

Simple Sunday​

Posted in cooking, decluttering, Flylady, minimalism, Uncategorized by

Tell-me-what-is-it-you-plan-to-do-with-your-one-wild-and-precious-life.jpg

It is a lovely day. Sunny and pleasant. Not really warm but that’s okay.

This morning I made almond butter in my new Cuisinart. The first batch didn’t work too well as the almonds were stale, I think. I picked up another pound and then toasted them first then put them in the food processor. Viola!!! almond butter.  It does take a while to get to the final stage but I will do it again because it’s nice to just make a mall amount. We never get thru a whole jar so that’s kinda neat.

Then I made polenta. Some for dinner I’ll grill and then some for later in the week. I have brown rice cooking with some added wild rice.  Then I think I’ll just grill some tofu on the side.

I went to the gym and did an okay workout. I’m not feeling too inspired but I imagine it will pass.

This week is the Kitchen zone in Flylady so I’ll do that tomorrow morning.  Some stuff I already did ( wiped all the stainless steel appliances) but I’ll probably have to do it again.

Next week we’re heading to New Brighton State beach to camp. The weather looks ok. there is supposed to be some showers Sunday but the rest of the week looks nice.  Our favorite bakery ‘Gayles’ is there so that’s a win-win. Plus I’m looking forward to Lodge cooking again.

We are already into April and this year I’ve had almost nothing to drop off at Goodwill. I guess my balance with minimalism is darn good at this point. I just bought a new gooseneck electric teapot and the old one will go to Goodwill but really there’s not much left to declutter.  Perhaps down the road with different needs or criteria, it will change.

Things do change and each season in life brings new things.

 

 

Take Time…

Posted in Death, Uncategorized by

Take time to be quiet,

Take time to walk in nature.

Take time to be with your loved ones,

Take time to be kind….

My neighbor died the other day. She was very brave thru out her 5 years with stage 4 Ovarian cancer.  In January her blood transfusions weren’t working any longer so she knew it was time.  She did have hospice come in and I’m sure they were a big help to her husband. Leslye was only 67. She had been an avid horsewoman, a health food nut, hiker, and probably a lot more things than I know. In fact, we weren’t really close but we had known them(her and her husband) since the 70’s and when we moved here 23 years ago they became our neighbors.  It’s been somewhat depressing even though I am philosophical about it, none the less the reality of her going is still raw.

It’s raining today and it feels right. Kinda gloomy and dark. Matches how I feel.  I know she did so many things in these last 5 years. They went to Hawaii twice, traveled and much more. She also did the ‘death decluttering’ getting rid of her kyacks, horse, Johnny, bikes, clothes and made amends with her 2 children.  She really died in a dignified way and conscious right to the end.

Well, I will let myself feel sad and then it’ll be another day.

Just keep walking update and Yoga…

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

So we are the last 60 days of this years walking goal. June 1st will be 5 years of walking every.single.day!!

So if today is the 4th then we have 56 more days to the 5-year mark. Honestly, I love getting up and walking right away( well with 20 minutes or so). I think it’s what has kept us so healthy for this last 5 years.  Well, apart from me having cancer but really I’m very healthy otherwise. Being in remission this last 2 years has been nothing short of extraordinary.  I get labs in a few days so I’ll know next week what my numbers are.

I’ve been doing yoga again and it’s been a month. I think I can bend a little farther but mostly it feels good to stretch. It’s not very long maybe 13 minutes at the most. I’ll probably try and make it 15 minutes starting this week.

My daughter suggested watching the new Anne (with an E) Netflix series and it really quite good. The pilot was well done and I think the series will be fun. I always loved the books and the first Anne of Green Gables series I think was on PBS. That was a great series too.

I’m off to the dentist for a dental hygiene cleaning.  Then I may go into Goodwill.

Dinner is spaghetti and sauce with salad. water-2045469_1920

I just love this picture!!

 

 

 

Meal Planning and budgets

Posted in budgeting, budgets, cooking, simple foods, Uncategorized by

I like having a meal plan if only for the simplicity of it. I know what the week will bring and then it’s just simpler.

This week we’ll be having:

Monday: is usually fish or pasta / so we’re having cod from Costco, asparagus and spinach with a sprinkling of goat cheese

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday but we’re having Amy’s cheese enchiladas with beans or rice

Wednesday: pasta night so I think we’ll do spaghetti with sauce and a salad

Thursday: Crockpot Thursday, so I’m thinking a nice soup in the crock pot maybe lentil.

Friday: Friday night pizza, I’ll either do homemade or perhaps we’ll order. It depends on the mood. Usually, I prefer my pizza plus the price of ordering is fairly steep but sometimes it’s a nice change.

Saturday: I thought of grilling something as B got the gas grill ready to go, but I think it’s supposed to rain. Maybe some grilled chicken then or I still have a few cornish hens in the freezer and B bought a lentil loaf from a natural foods store he services in Nevada City.  I guess we’ll see how it goes.

B is gone most of the week traveling for work up to Eureka so he won’t be here. Dinner will just be my daughter and me. My son is at school late so doesn’t eat dinner with us.

Generally eating vegetarian and B has been one for over 50 years, we eat lower on the food chain. I think it’s healthier overall. I’m fairly skeptical of food fads like Paleo, keto, Vegan, whatever. Back in our youth, it was macrobiotics. I remember going to a cooking class in Macrobiotics back then… interesting… but later he died of some sort of cancer fairly young ( 40ish) so that didn’t help much.  I think all things in moderation.

I do like Michael Pollan’s take on using meat as a side, organic and harvested ethically.  I generally always buy organic meat( chicken, beef,) but sometimes bacon slips by and it’s not organic.  Well, I guess if one is trying.

Budget wise, food is still our biggest variable.  Although, total with animal food, Costco, nonfood, wine, we’re still averaging @ $800 for 4 people so I don’t think that’s too bad.

I finished the entryway zones and even washed the front door.

We went to the gym and it was nice to get back to the rhythm. It was closed yesterday for Easter.

 

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, Flylady, reading, Uncategorized by

For Christians, it’s Easter Sunday.  For the rest of us, just a beautiful day without religious embellishment.  Our walk was lovely despite the sunrise Christians out to worship some long ago person who supposedly came out from behind a rock and rose from the dead.

I’m taking a wild educated guess, that there was undoubtedly a scientific reason for it, or maybe it was just a story that kept going and getting more outrageous.  The first Gospels weren’t even written until 70 A.D., so that’s an awfully long time to embellish the story!! The first gospel was written by Mark but some scholars believe Matthew may have written his earlier than 80-90 AD.  Anyway, one simply must put into context this was over 2000 years ago and there certainly was no internet. Science was a mere blip. The earth was flat and religion was a good way to have something to believe in. Oh well, enough of my meanderings.

No gym today as it is closed. I’m going to work on a few projects. The laundry room is tidied but I still need to wash the floor.  I did paint the shelves so they are clean and bright now.  I’m going to cook some southern fried tofu with a potato bake and some strawberries for desert.

FLylady zone is the entryways and dining room. I will wash the sunroom windows and front door. We moved all the geraniums outside so that brightens it up. Everything is growing wildly.  Mowing will be a weekly event.

Next  week does bring some rain on Friday but it shouldnt be too bad and we could use it.

I need to call down to the cancer center and see when my doctor ordered my labs. He’s away this week, and I cant remember if he said he’d order them for this week or next. Since I see him next week I’d like to get them done sooner. This week I have a dentist appt for a dental cleaning and then a birthday lunch on Friday. So my week is open.

I’m reading an excellent book by Barbara Ehrenreich ” Living with a Wild God”. So far it is compelling.