Monthly Archives: June 2018

A little trip to South Lake Tahoe

Posted in Lake tahoe, Uncategorized by

I decided to go with B up to South Lake while he worked at Grass Roots Community store.

The official summer season start s July 4 so this was the calm before the storm. But it was still quite busy.  The roads weren’t backed up yet but the hotel we stay at (Lakeland) was booked solid.  Plus we went out for a glass of wine and the place was packed.  But the weather was spectacular and Lake Tahoe is the fullest I think I ever remember it being. It’s just in the summer there is way too many people and everything is congested.  On the main boulevard, it can take an hour to get from the Nevada border to the Y which is where Hwy 50 comes in.IMG_1066

We drove home the Emerald Bay side and that’s always lovely.

With me not being able to do any walking it was tough to just sit around.  But until I get an ‘official’ prognosis of my stress fracture and what to do about it, I don’t want to walk unnecessarily.  Really tough for me:(

It was a nice mini get away.

 

Dinner is an order out pizza!!

 

Is it stockpiling or hoarding??

Posted in cooking, Uncategorized by

I think a well-stocked pantry is essential for meal planning and in case of emergencies. I try and keep basics plus TP and other nonfood items. But over the last year I’ve read some interesting blogs on minimalism and food storage. The idea that space is valuable in your house and why fill it up with more stuff than you can reasonably use. Or fill your garage or another room in your house with shelves of STUFF!

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Ha Ha, this picture says it all.

Just because you can use triple coupons to get 6 candy bars, should you?? I do think there’s a balance between stockpiling and hoarding.  If you’re just out for the mega deals and loading up on hamburger helper boxes or Kraft macaroni( both which don’t count as healthy eating) then I think it is hoarding of a sort.

Back in 1975, right after we moved to California, a member of the firefighting crew that my husband was on introduced me to a better way of eating and buying in bulk. Shelley was an unusual woman for the time. She was strong and one of a few women fire fighters at the time. This is USFS firefighters. But she and I would drive an hour and a half to a tiny co-op like store to buy bulk oats, rice, beans, honey, shampoo, rinse,( we even brought our own bottles.)  I would go around to restaurants and ask for their empty gallon pickle or mayonnaise jars so I could use them for storage.  That kind of stockpiling is okay and really, in my opinion, a good thing.

 

When you have bulk beans or rice you can always whip up dinner. Plus, now with a freezer, I try and freeze tomatoes and sauce in the summer for winter use.

In trying to streamline our pantry, I’m looking at less condiment type things and just the basics of beans, rice, pasta, canned tomatoes and beans.  But I don’t need a case of canned chili or whatever case deal could be bought.

I guess it’s a balance and finding out what your family uses.

Some of my essentials are

  • Lundberg organic rice
  • organic pintos
  • organic black beans
  • organic canned tomatoes
  • oats( not always organic)
  • sugar/honey
  • a jar or two of salsa
  • canned fire roasted chiles
  • tuna

That’s about it.

 

PS

I had written about 2 more paragraphs but the blog gremlins made them disappear and I can’t find the original post, so this is the modified one. If I think of what I was saying I’ll add it later.

PPS

Here’s a picture of some of my Ball Jars

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Simple Sunday

Posted in cooking, Uncategorized by

Summer is officially here and the temperatures prove it. Almost 100 degrees. For those in the Southwest, that’s probably not too hot. I remember living in Tucson and we actually were out a lot. Maybe cause we were young and in love and it didn’t matter or perhaps it was just foolish youth.  Anyway, now I don’t do well in the heat and try and do all my chores early and I never go to town in the afternoon.

We went to the gym and then stopped t the market for Pico de Gallo for black beans tonight. Last night I made a cold Borscht Soup with beets from the farmers market. It was really delicious.

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At the farmers market we got beets, radishes, apricots, nectarines, cucumbers, broccoli, and a few other things I can’t remember but it was good. The market was busy even at 8:10 am and it had just opened at 8am. This farmers market doesn’t ring a bell to open at 8 like the Santa Cruz one. That one you can’t buy anything till the bell is rung.

We’ve been watering a lot and I’m sure our water bill will reflect that. Oh, well, in the winter it’s PGE, in the summer it’s the Water company.

We’re in the Living room zone this week and I just finished that up. I’ve decided to empty one of the Heywoods and put some of my Fiesta ware in the bottom area. I’ll see if that works or not.

This week I’m going to South Lake Tahoe with B for work. It’s only an overnight but should be fun. I was thinking of going out for dinner at this place at Richardsons Resort, but I’ll need to check their online menu for prices.

Dinner is Black beans with sour cream and salsa and avocado.

 

Friday Five

Posted in budgets, decluttering, reading, simple foods, Uncategorized by
  • Yesterday my daughter and I took a huge load to Goodwill that was mostly my son’s stuff. Hurray!!!! Maybe the decluttering is sinking in for him. ( Probably not, but it was a good start).  Plus it was two Kirkland dog beds that the border collies just don’t use. The books I saved out of the drop to take to the pet bookstore as I’d rather support them.
  • Did the budget with B’s check and we’re on track to finish the credit card that we put Z’s spring tuition on by July.  Also, I finally paid the last of my Invisalign costs. So that was exciting. After the CC is done, I’m determined to finish the Santa Fe. It’s 2014 so, that’s 4 years of payments and I want it gone. If I did that by the end of the year I’d be happy.  I don’t see us getting another car for B’s work. Even though the company does do a stipend it would mean another car loan and right now, I don’t want that.
  • Retirement is looming for B so we need to be as debt free except the mortgage as possible.
  • My daughter and I went to the gym and then after the thrift store drop headed over for some tostadas. Yummy.
  • For dinner, I made baked tofu and then made a really yummy coconut curry vegetable stew. It was delicious. Plus I made a peanut sriracha sauce for the tofu.

Today it’s hot. So I might just hang out at home and read. My son lent me another graphic novel, TheWatchman, so I’m curious about it. He said it is the # 1 graphic novel of all time.

I might wash the outside windows with the Windex outdoor product. It actually works very well and you don’t need to wipe them when done although it does help.

Tonight is pizza night.

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Cheese and pepperoni pizza with basil.

 

 

 

What is this country coming to?

Posted in Political things, Uncategorized by

It is unbelievable to me how we have devolved into madness in this country.

Where is common sense? Where is decency??? When do people like Trump stop blatantly lying? This is the president???? He’s the one who put forth the zero tolerance in the immigration situation, not the Democrats.  Both President Bush and President Obama never did that.

When do people like Sessions and others stop lying and using absolutely ridiculous defenses like quoting a bible verse.?

It seems like insanity to me.

And the children??? We are no better than the Nazis at the beginning of the Holocaust. That’s how it all started. Lies, controlling the media, and separating children from their families.

Good grief Charlie Brown, can I immigrate to Canada, NOW!! Actually many years ago we did try but we didn’t have the skills they wanted and not enough money. 😦

Still waiting!

Posted in Uncategorized, Walking by

It’s now almost 2 weeks since I learned of my foot stress fracture and still no call from the podiatrist I was referred to. WTF? I’ve tried calling and even left a snarky voice mail last Thursday.  I even call Sutter and told them to give me a different referral but no one has called back.

Fortunately, my foot is feeling a lot better from not walking on it daily and I have a boot someone lent me.  I ordered the big black full boot and when it showed up yesterday and I put it on, it was an immediate, NOPE! This is never going to work.  Way to bulky and threw my other leg off. I think I’ll just wait till I see the doctor( if that ever happens now) and then go from there.

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Today is a gym day. I’m only doing weights but it’s still good to do.

My daughter has off today so we may go get some lunch. There’s a new salad place I’d like to try.

Our weather has been really lovely. Not too hot yet.

Dinner is taco Tuesday something.  I might try rice bowls or a taco salad.

 

Cancer 2005

Posted in cancer, Multiple myeloma, Myeloma, Uncategorized by

It was June 15, 2005, that I got the ‘official’ diagnosis over the phone. We knew, really before that, but it had to be official. The bone biopsy was done by a neurologist surgeon since it was on the spine. It was a pretty horrid experience. I didn’t feel anything but was conscious and I could feel the pressure.  Well, anyway, 13 years ago and here I am doing pretty great( apart from the stress fracture in my foot) which is doing better in the boot thing.

Time gives one perspective on most things, and this is no different.  I’m older, wiser, more informed than I was then. As I’ve said before, I didn’t really want to know much except what do we do now. It was later that I started getting all the info I could. Still, even the Myeloma Beacon didn’t come into being till 2009 maybe???  I learned so much from other Myeloma people and their experiences. Sadly, many of them are no longer here with us.

Life moves on no matter what. Death, sickness, political craziness(hopefully)will all change and move on to something else. It’s as it should be. It doesn’t make it easier or the pain any less, just different.

So, I lift a glass of sparkly and toast to me!!

 

Midweek Musings

Posted in cooking, plants, Uncategorized, Walking by

Still no call from the podiatrist office. I’ve called a dozen times and it’s always an answering machine. WTF???? Today is day 7 of not walking every day. Still, a bummer for me but my foot does feel a smidge better though. Plus today they’re closed, so that leaves tomorrow and then their closed Friday.  I think I’m going to call for a different referral down the hill.  Which for us is toward Sacramento!

My brother flies out tomorrow to Conn. to visit our sister and her family. They are having a huge summer party and he decided to go now. The ‘new sister’ arranged his flight and Heidi paid for his hotel. So he should be set. He doesn’t have computer access so I think that’s why he did that. The sister keeps in close contact with him but not me. I guess I’m too stand offish. Oh well, just as fine.

Last nights dinner was a disaster. I haven’t had one of them in many years.  First, I had been to the Davis co-op and decided to buy skirt steak for tacos. I marinated it yesterday and put on the grill. Then toasted corn tortillas.  It was HORRIBLE and DISGUSTING. It had a weird texture and taste. Gross!!!! So I ran into the house and made some cheese quesadillas up for us. Then B had bought this nut loaf thing at another co-op a while ago and I had frozen that. WHOA, also gross.  So much for adventures in cooking.  I think I’ll stick to what I know how to cook.

Today is supposed to be warm @ 95 so I’ll turn the coolers on after a while.  I’m not going to town but  I will go down to the Holiday Market. ( which is at the bottom of our hill). I’d love to walk but can’t right now with the foot thing going on. I need some fruit and I wanted to get a few veggies. I found the exact spiralizer ( Paderno) at the thrift store yesterday for $4.00 .I was quite jazzed.  So I want to make some zoodles and then stir-fry them. ( Maybe not tonight).

My upcoming project is back to the black hole of the barn….(.scary music playing).   It’s really not that bad just it has stuff all over the floor on my son’s side and ALL of that is coming out to be put on tarps and then dealt with. He has the whole back wall of shelves that B built for him.  The rule was, his stuff had to fit on those shelves. So this summer it’s happening. It was a year ago I said and did the same thing and it just got put back in. 😦

The shelves in the middle of the barn which is our seasonal stuff, actually look good.  I’m down to 4 bins of Life magazines and 2 bins of Christmas, 1 bin of the kids Waldorf books and paintings and main lesson books, 1 bin of their LOTR playing cards, and 1 bin of our ‘history’ stuff.  So, it fits nicely and wouldn’t be that hard to move if we ever did move to condo or whatever.

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This is the south side of the house. You can see the window cooler and these plants are Rose Campion. They are an ‘old’ garden flower. They spread nicely and are a lovely rose pink color. They have spread all down our hill into other peoples yards too!!

 

 

 

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, budgets, Flylady, husband, Uncategorized, Walking by

It’s been an okay couple of days.

Not getting up to walk is definitely weird but I think till I see the podiatrist, smart thing to do.  I got a small foot brace from a friend that holds the foot but it’s not the boot that I’m hoping to get.  I walked around our driveway ring and there was slight pain but it does seem less. Who knows since this is what happened off and on for the last 4months. It would feel better one day and not so good the next. Now I know probably because I kept reinjuring the stress area.

Today, I’m going to the gym to do weights and that’s it. It’s hard not to jump on the treadmill. I don’t have any other chores so just that.

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads and my husband, who was and is the best Dad ever.(Ha ha, next Sunday is Fathers Day,)

I’m making blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs.

The bathroom zone is this week so I may do that later. Even though zone work is the whole week, I try and do it on Mondays. Sometimes Sunday.

I finally got the library copy of ‘Meet the Frugalwoods’ and most of the negative feedback was about her not really disclosing the high incomes they both had( him more than her, in the $200,000 range and more).  Also, she does quite often mention their ‘privileged’ life which is honest, just there’s not real transparency about them achieving financial independence not so much from penny-pinching but making huge amounts of money and saving as much as possible.  While it is commendable to be frugal and even extreme frugalness, but the fact remains about the income ratio to that.  It’s ironic and hypocritical on her blog to have reader cases reviewed which DO in Fact require the reader to fully disclose INCOME as well as EXPENSES.  When they do their own monthly accounting all it is their expenses. so while their expenses may be $4,000 a month their income is maybe $25,000. Or whatever 12 months divided by their annual income of over $300,000.

Anyway,  to each their own.

I went to Goodwill yesterday and picked up a few things. An OXO container for .69, a vintage Pyrex casserole dish for $4.00, a vintage milk glass vase that was $3.00 and a few pairs of jeans one being NYDJ which run $100 new. So that was a good score. Also 2 T-shirts but after trying them on at home they didn’t fit right for some reason, so I’ll give those back. Also, a sisal/grass rug for $12 that I put in the front room. It has a nice summery feel and was brand new.

Well, off to start those pancakes!!