Monthly Archives: May 2018

Camping at Donner State Park

Posted in camping, Lake tahoe, Uncategorized by

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The Donner State Park is located in Truckee, Ca.  There is a quite large campground with 3 loops. Two are closed right now as the season hasn’t really started.  We are in a lovely spot and there is almost no one here camping. The bathrooms are new and the showers look nice. We have another night here and then home. But except the fact that you can hear I -80 it is really nice.  I probably wouldn’t want to be here in the high season but still the camp spots are really spaced nicely.

B is actually working and seeing some accounts, so that’s kinda cool. We are in Tahoe City right now and then need to hit the grocery store for some dinner stuff. Also B had traded out for a new propane tank but last night we went to turn on the heater and there was nothing. So we need to stop and have it checked or buy a new one. It’s going to quite chilly tomorrow morning and so we will need some heat.

We also brought the bikes, soI’m going to bike around some this afternoon.  We’re heading down to another account in King’s Beach and then going to get some lunch ( I think). We might stop at one of the Lake Tahoe beaches for pebbles. There’s one I remember that had black ones but can’t quite remember where it was.

We leave tomorrow but another day would have been nice to as tomorrow suppose to be 71 degrees.

Happy Birthday to my darling girl…

Posted in Blood test, camping, travel, Uncategorized by

My sweet daughter, Sachiko, is 33 YO today. Wow, where do the years go? I was her age when I had her so that’s weird. But being a mom to her and my son has been my greatest joy in this lifetime. I loved being a mom thru pregnancy, infancy all the way to now. I’m lucky as both my children are incredibly talented, smart and easy going and we all get along and actually always have even thru the teenage years.

So happy birthday!!

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In the garden!! Our yard is full of beautiful flowers all due to her hard work.

Today is a gym day and then we’re going to Safeway to pick up a square of cake. They sell pieces and since we don’t eat a lot of cake, it’ll be just right.

I finished the LR zone and just need to do another vacuum tomorrow.

Tomorrow we’re taking the tent trailer up to the Truckee area to try camping at Donner Lake. We’ve actually never stayed there so I guess we’ll see. I only booked it because there is NOTHING else anywhere.  But it should be okay at least to check out. B will work his stores up there and then come back to camp with me. We’ll probably go over to Lake Tahoe Thursday which is a 15-minute drive from Truckee.  I’m not planning any Lodge meals, just going to wing it. There is a Safeway in Truckee so that may be where dinner comes from.

Still haven’t gotten my lab results in paper form but I’ll e-message again tomorrow if I don’t get a message. Since I know the results, I’m not worried but I do keep a paper copy of my labs to compare.

Well, off to do something.

 

 

Simple Sunday

Posted in minimalism, plants, simplicity, Uncategorized by

A sunny day after yesterdays clouds and some rain. Quite nice. Temperatures are going to be around 80 so that’s pretty nice too!!!

This week is the living room zone and then the entry ways as June 1st is Friday.

Both zones are really easy for me as I have little to dust and little to do. I wash the inside windows in each zone. I do the outside windows about 4 times a year and they are due.

I’m moving a few plant friends around as the sun is coming in directly to the east in the morning and the south side of the house gets full sun in the afternoon. I moved the big palm plant to the sun porch but I’m not sure I’ll keep it there as that space gets very hot in the summer. Although, I think a palm would like that heat.

The entryways have red geraniums so they look pretty.  B swept the one patio in front of the sunroom and it looks much better than before with gravel all over that the chickens kicked up.

We went to the gym and it was empty, I guess everyone’s off on Memorial day activities. Then we hit up Target so I could get a few things. I needed some ice cube trays.  I wanted to get the stainless steel ones off Amazon but the price tag of $30 kept me from doing that. So I got plastic ones for $2.99.

I also picked up some Dr. Scholls inserts. I’ve mentioned before having feet trouble and it has gotten a bit worse in my left ankle and side of that foot.  My orthotics are 4 years old and I think this maybe a contributing factor. So I bought some $15 ones to see if that helps. Some of it is probably osteoarthritis, and some is kinda a mystery.  Then I picked up 2 bras that I needed as I only had one and that was going quickly. I’ll see how they are.

Also, some black contractor bags as B is removing ALL the insulation under the house so we can start over. With our ongoing varmint problem, we need it all down. The sonic thing does seem to be helping and I’d like to get 2 Barn cats eventually but not now. Plus the chicken food is a big attractor that we just have to live with. But we have noticed a difference since we’re not taking out any compost to them but putting that directly into the compost bin.

I read the book ‘New Minimalism’ again, 

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I will say I enjoyed the physical copy quite a bit more than the ebook. when I reviewed the e-book I didn’t give it a positive review. But holding it and looking thru it I thought it was a well-done book. I still think the idea of “new” sorta ridiculous but still, it was a good read.

Dinner is unknown. Maybe sandwiches???

 

Five on Friday

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, Credit cards, decluttering, Lake tahoe, Myeloma, plants, Uncategorized by

Let’s see, my labs came in but I had to call the nurse to get the results. My doctor is on call for other doctors this week so he is slammed. My CBC is all the same and normal, Kappa light chains went up to 15.0, Lambda was the same at 11.1, the ratio went up just slightly to 1.30 ( from 1.27).  So not bad but I’d rather the ratio be a little lower. But still all in the normal range.  June marks 2 years of being off all chemo.  What a lovely time it has been and I am grateful every day.

We zipped down to Costco at 9am to get a few things. Mostly coffee. Last week I had to go buy a pound at Starbucks and that was a rude awakening. So off we went. We filled up the Santa Fe, and then got thru Costco fairly quickly. I didn’t need a whole lot so it went quick. We also paid our membership which was due June 1st.

Tonight is a pizza night and I gave my son cash to get a Round Table. I had a coupon for a speciality pizza for $19.99 and we love their gourmet veggie. So a good deal.

We were going to go to the nursery and get some pots for me to re-pot some of my house plant friends but it’s raining so we nixed that. I guess we saved money by not going but I’ll still need to get some at Home Depot in the next week or so.

Yesterday I went out to the barn and declutter more magazines, some kitchen things I had put in a box for my son when he was going to live at SFSU( which he didn’t do), and other misc. It’s the start of a small thrift store run.

I worked on the budget and June looks okay. Still working on finishing the CC that we put Z’s tuition on. I’m okay with that. I’d like to target end of July to have it done.

I think that’s all I can think of.

We did feel bad for all the campers heading up to Tahoe for Memorial day weekend. It was pouring down rain and I’m sure it’s worse up there.

 

 

 

Midweek Musings

Posted in Blood test, simple foods, simplicity, Uncategorized by

I still haven’t gotten my lab results so I’ll e-message my doctor today. My CBC and CMP should have been there yesterday and the light chains today. I can’t remember if this is when he was on vacation. But I’ll check in later.

It’s a cloudy sort of morning but no rain. It is supposed to rain on Friday but I guess we’ll see.  Our gardens would like the drink of water.

I’m just staying home today and doing some house chores and tidying. Yesterday I did more meal prep and made polenta to fry up and a black bean and corn salad. Both are our favorites. I’m cleaning out the freezer so there will be some interesting meals. Last night though we had chicken enchiladas I froze a few weeks ago.  I have a lot of bread that I’ll either give to the geese or do something with.  A fellow park walker gives us free loaves of Truckee Sourdough. So we end up with quite a bit frozen.

My daughter has always an extremely talented artist. From sculptor to watercolors to this cool rock art that everyone is wanting to buy from her.

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Well, off to start my morning routine.

 

 

 

Blogs that come and go…

Posted in minimalism, Myeloma, Uncategorized by

I used to read a lot of different blogs. Some about simplicity, some about minimalism, some about organizing, and lots just about life and peoples different experiences. Some were about Myeloma and others about nothing in particular and some about frugal living.

I use to read Andrea Dekker and liked her organizational skills. But she had a lot of blind spots in her life such as not seeing her 2nd child, a boy, had some developmental issues. I think later ,after he still had spoken when he was 2, I think they saw some kind of specialist. But she monetized her blog and it began to lose something for me. Also, as soon as she talked about the Jesus card, I was out of there.  Just not my thing.

Others included ‘A blue door ‘something I cant remember. I liked her attempts at meal prep and some other things.  But again, God and Jesus seemed to be helping her live a simple life so I let that one go.

They both still have a very large reader base so there’s an appeal somewhere. But clearly for me, when religion comes into it or somehow Jesus is saving them, then it just goes too far for me.

As an atheist, I  believe in the order of the universe as in things like gravity, evolution, science etc. all without the help of some man-made idea of a supreme being. I’m pretty sure that 5,000 years ago or even more when man looked up to the sky and saw strange things or there were famines, blights etc, man needed to create an external way to make sense of it all.  Enter, a supreme being.

Now it seems every other blog is monetizing and doing the ‘7 things to declutter’ or how I organized my kitchen cabinet.  Clearly, there’s something going on with this theme. A new blog I started following was Farmhouse on Boone and wow, it is clearly all about a certain audience and a certain message for that audience. First, she talks all about simplicity and yet is only in her early thirties(maybe) and just had her 5th kid. Believe me, I’m not sure having 5 kids fits into the genre of simplicity or minimalism.

Yes, I know this is very judgemental and I accept that fully. Everyone has the right to believe what they believe and to actually include it and write about it. It’s just not for me and it just seems somewhat ironic. Oh, yeah, Jesus helps in that one too. Maybe it’s about procreating. Seriously, in my 20’s it was all about zero population growth. Only have 2 children to replace yourself. Not 9 kids as another blogger has or 5.

So, my own biases, as everyones does, plays out here.

There are some great other bloggers I do so enjoy, Reading my Tea Leaves is a truly beautiful blog. Yes, it is monetized but it’s not intrusive or blatant.

‘Minimally’ is another I so enjoy. Trish is the blogger who did the year of zero waste on another site. She is a funny and talented writer with a solid minimalist approach.

‘Spo’  is one of my favorite bloggers and writes wonderful and interesting blogs about his life.

So, for now, so blogs come, some blogs go….

And you know, there’s something for everyone out there!!

 

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, cooking, Flylady, plants, Uncategorized by

It looks to be a lovely day in Northern California.

Our yard looks amazing with roses and flowers all around. This is one of the prettiest springs I can remember. Of course, we’re only a month away from the start of summer.

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Today is a gym day and then just doing whatever. I really enjoyed my meal prep yesterday and our dinner was delicious. We heated up the lentil salad which was an excellent recipe from David Lebowitz’s ‘My Paris Kitchen’, and then had some of the wild salmon.

I go get my labs this coming week. I think this is the longest I’ve gone, almost 8 weeks, so I’m a little anxious but, heck, it’ll be whatever it’ll be with worry or not.

I’m in the bedroom zone this upcoming week. Pretty easy since we don’t have much stuff in there. What’s in your bedroom??? Try and kept it simple; a bed, dresser, maybe a plant or two. I do have a nightstand that I have to have to hold my pills I take at night and a glass of water.

Dinner will be the chickpea curry with rice.

a few more pictures I took…

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Just a few thoughts…

Posted in books, cooking, husband, just keep walking project, Uncategorized by

The Just Keep Walking project is winding down. May 31 st will mark the 5 year anniversary of WALKING EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!  That’s 1825 days. So, of course, I will keep walking with my husband B, but I may not mention it much. It seems 5 years is a good point to wrap it up. I still need to walk every day as I have been rarely sick and I think moving first thing in the morning ( ok, after 1 cup of coffee) has been so healthy for me.

My daughters birthday is May 29 and we got her Audible for a year. She loves listening to books and such while working in the garden. So a perfect idea, actually, it was her idea:)

B and Zephyr should be home late from Las Vegas. I guess the Elton John concert was great and then I saw he was at the Royal Wedding today. He must have jet lag:)

No new projects yet. I’ve looked around the house and there’s not much that needs doing by me. There are a few maintenance things that need to be done but that’s B’s job as I cant do them. ( like putting up another rail in the bathroom). So I guess that’s all good, although I do like a project.

This morning I meal prepped a number of meals for the week.

  • garbanzo curry with peas, this will go over brown rice
  • baked tofu to add to meals
  • French lentil salad with carrots and herbs
  • pasta salad with sundried tomatoes,herbs,kalamata olives and goat cheese.

I might make some salmon too but not right now.

I’m going to go to the gym and then straight home to finish washing the dog beds. and I might do a quick vacuum.

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so true, so true….

My life is quiet, simple, and intentional.

 

A rainy May day.

Posted in bread, simple foods, Uncategorized by

Unusual to have a rain in May like this but it’s quite nice as it’s watering the lawn and all the plants.

I’ve just stayed inside working on starting another leaven for a few loaves of Tartine bread and tidying up.

I tried making Peter Reinhart’s bread the other day, and it was a flop. It had a quite good taste but was too hard and didn’t brown up nicely. The main difference between the two is the dutch oven. With Tartine, you make the starter(leaven) and then lots of other steps, but the final dough is baked in the dutch oven not, just straight on the steel.

So I’m back to Tartines recipe which always looks beautiful.

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I’m caught up on laundry and mopped the kitchen floor.

My son finished his final for the semester and he and B are headed down to Las Vegas to see Elton John’s last performance on that piano.  This is his birthday present. The tickets were not cheap:(

But they should have a fun time of it as there are lots of museums to visit and LV has nice weather usually.

Tomorrow, I’ll hit the gym and then I have a number of errands to run like getting bird seed, a few groceries, Home Depot for some garden soil and who knows what else.

Dinner is double stuffed potatoes from the freezer and some breaded cod fillets. Maybe a salad if I’m inspired.

Happy Mothers Day

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To Mothers everywhere, here in physical form and all those who are gone from us, we remember your love and sacrifice.

None of us would be here without our mothers.

This is me and Sachi. 1986. I’m 34 yo. We waited quite a while to have our first child.Scan 6

 

 

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Then this is me and Zephyr in 1995. I’m 43. Whoa… where does the time go????

I’m going to the gym finally today. I feel good enough to go.