Monthly Archives: July 2023

Simple Sunday

Posted in bread, California, cancer, cooking, home improvement, home stuff, Uncategorized by

A very nice walk in the park with no one there which is very unusual. It was cool and quiet. I guess there was an incident about a dog(huskie)the other afternoon where the dog was not on a leash and chased the geese and killed one. People were very upset. I hope they track him down. The person who reported it did take a photo of their license plate so I hope that helps. Why?? is all I have to say. oh and Fuck that!

I made 2 loaves of sourdough sandwich bread but I’m not happy with the results. They are nice and soft but they just are not quite what I’m after. These will be good for toast in the morning or grilled cheese/tomato sandwiches. I think I’m going to try tweaking the King Arthur loaf which uses the baker’s dry milk. I think I’ll add vital gluten too.

I’m going to take a social media break and not do Facebook, Instagram(which I don’t do often and have never posted, I just read other people’s updates), and YouTube. I’ll still use YT for recipes because I do look them up often but I don’t need to watch the millionth video on minimalism. Everyone’s on the band wagon and it really gets old. I’ll probably keep blogging but maybe less often. I’m kind of done with reading lots of blogs unless they are especially interesting to me. Any blog with religion or Jesus or prayers goes straight to delete. I have zero tolerance ( I know sad)for religious zealots who think they’re prayers are being heard by God/Jesus but somehow the others are not? or ignored? or what? UPDATE: I do really enjoy The Frugal Girl’s blog and she is a born-again, but she generally never mentions religion and is one of the most honest bloggers I read.

B got the wall/windows out of his office area and is now getting ready to frame up the opening. These windows came from a library in SF and were given to us by our friend Ed. Ed helped remodel this house and did most of the plumbing. He died a few years ago from prostate cancer. It was totally curable but he wouldn’t do radiation. Sad, really. He was a good guy.

That’s it for now. I hope all is well in your world.

Five on Friday

Posted in Blood test, California, cooking, freezer cooking, Pantry, seasonal things, simple foods, Uncategorized, Walking by
  1. The washer is all installed and I’ve done 3 loads of laundry already. Yay for a laundry machine. It’s definitely been upgraded from the model we had and seems to have a larger bin capacity.
  2. Last night B and both kids went to see Oppenheimer so I had the house to myself, a real rarity these days. I didn’t do anything different than normal but it was nice to be here alone. They said the movie was outstanding so if you’re into going to movies add this one in.
  3. This morning the park path was like a freeway. Ugh, at least the AH seems to be on sabbatical again. Still, when there are 12-15 people at 6am, I’m wondering ‘WHY????’ I guess it’s summer but also there really isn’t anyplace else in this area with a paved path. There is one other park ( there might be 2)in Auburn that has a paved path but I’m not sure if it’s a loop or not, since I haven’t been there. We have tons of dirt paths especially along the American River but that’s not, to me , for daily walking. When we first moved here I walked all the back trails alone. In hindsight, with mountain lions around, that may not have been the smartest thing to do although I did eventually get an alert whistle and spray to carry.
  4. This morning I made zucchini bread, banana bread, ratatouille and, pickled jalapenos.
  5. I’m not going back to the pool till next week probably Tuesday. Monday I have a fasting blood test for my PCP to check thyroid and lipids.

Yesterday I also made turkey chili to freeze. I was going to can it but I didn’t have the amount needed( like 3lbs) so I just froze it. It was delicious though. I ordered more freezer containers in the 16 ounce size. This is very convenient way to stockpile food.

There is something amazing about growing your own food and preserving it. The ratatouille was all either grown by us or from the farm.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, California, Gratitude, husband, Uncategorized by

First, our washer broke. Well, I’m not thankful for that but I am thankful we can afford to buy a new one and have B put it in. B went and got the right parts but that didn’t solve the problem and it all was too complicated for a relatively inexpensive washer. So I went online to Lowes and the same one we have was on sale so I got that. It’s been a good washer used daily for at least 5 years. Both kids use the washer with their laundry almost daily too. I wanted the Samsung, which was on sale too although more, but it wasn’t in stock and we’d have to wait, so that wasn’t an option. It’s ok, just that it seems it’s always something. I did tell both kids to fork over something to pay for the washer since they use it too. Otherwise, try going to a laundromat. We never had a washer until 1985 after S was born so that’s 15 years of laundromats. So I am thankful for washing machines.

I am thankful to have had Leo as our neighbor all these years. He died last week after being confined to his house for the last 4 years. He was always a good neighbor, quiet and helpful. We’re definitely concerned as to when it sells and who will move in. We are planning another privacy fence along the property line but not sure how soon we’ll get to it. After seeing all the people for the services over there and kids and cars, I shudder to think about new neighbors.

I’m thankful our weather is not overly hot. We’re still in the 90s but it’s ok and we’ve even sat outside on the patio for a while.

I’m thankful we are getting tomatoes!! Yay!! I made the first round of salsa the other day. I’m going to open one jar to test it out. The tomatoes are the first round so I’m sure as we get more Romas the flavor will improve. I used the water bath canner and boy does that take a lot of water. I’m thinking of looking at the Amish steam bath canner( also used for things like tomatoes, sauce, salsas,) and it is designed differently. It only takes a few inches of water and there is a bigger lid that comes down to seal it.

I am thankful I can go to the gym and get a good workout in with weights. It’s so important to keep muscle mass as you age.

Lastly, I’m grateful for the library right next to the gym. Perfect.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cooking, Death, Walking by

It is so humid. The temperature isn’t all that bad but the cloud cover is making it very humid. ugh….

We had a good walk this morning but again somewhat busy. I suppose they will fall away by fall. ( ha!!! pun!!) No really, most people don’t keep going past summer. AH wasn’t there again so that’s kinda weird.

Tomorrow, Monday is the day I don’t walk or usually do any exercise. I just need a break. I still wake up early (5am) but lay there looking out the window.

I went to the Anytime gym this morning and it was not too busy. After that, I went over to Target to pick up a couple of tank tops to sleep in. It’s so hot but I still need something to hold the jugs in. Whew,….TMI…

So I came home and made zucchini bread with the farm zucchini.

I still have 3 more so I may make one tomorrow to freeze. Tonight I’m defrosting a cheese lasagna and I’ll make a farm salad. It’s so hard to cook right now in this heat. We’ve been eating sandwiches and salads. Hopefully, it’ll be better this week.

I think the Martha Stewart recipe is better.

My brother came over to visit. His birthday is this week. He’ll be 60 and still works a very physically demanding job but really looks great. He takes really good care of himself. Unlike me ,who loves wine, he doesn’t drink very often because he’s diabetic. Still ,it’s only him and me now. I dont’ count the half sister as she only let herself be known a few years ago after the adoption papers were unsealed. This is a very touchy subject with me since my mother did not want the adoption known but NJ laws allowed it to be released 50 years later. This period of our lives was so awful. My mother was pregnant ( and told me, it was a tumor, really, how stupid do she think I was)??. She was a relapsed Catholic and never got over the guilt. Then 1 month to the day Philip was killed in VietNam. ( January 7 ,1968. She never really recovered and died 10 years later. So I have a lot of baggage attached to this. Still, she is quite weird. I personally don’t want anything to do with her but my brother feels, I think, obligated. Oh well, I don’t want to say more.

Here are some flowers from the garden.

Here’s how the pantry looks with the newly added vegetable soup.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, home stuff by

Overall, a good week spending-wise. I went into Costco after the gym and bought berries, avocados, bagels, and other misc stuff. I like going a little later after they open and not having an overflowing cart. It was busy but not overwhelming.

I didn’t need to get gas this week but will need to next week so that’s good. Next week I plan to only go down to the gym and the pool one time each. I want to make next week a lighter workout week.

All the monthly bills are done but I still need to get next month’s budget done. Basically, it’s the same every month but we do have to add in project money or misc spending like clothes. August’s project is B’s office windows. We bought the windows back in May, so that cost is done but we’ll need the wood to frame it out.

We haven’t had any takeout or gone out for any meals in quite a while. I guess since I put a lot of effort into grocery shopping and cooking I really don’t like to spend for food out. I think I will plan a coffee date with B though.

There wasn’t any Amazon spending or misc spending this week. Overall, a low spend week. August doesn’t have any big bills but by October annual bills will start coming in. I’m a little concerned about our house insurance and how much it might go up. We have our insurance with the Ca Fair plan attached to AAA since Allstate left California. Hopefully, it’s not a shock.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, California, cooking, home stuff, meal planning by

The weather is supposed to be a little cooler, in the 90s, so that will be nice. I’ve been able to wait to turn on coolers till around 10am.

A new cookbook that I’ve been making loads of stuff from. It’s Melissa Clark’s,” Dinner in One”. The other night we made the miso maple salmon and veggies. I used farm zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Yumm. I’d highly recommend it. I have it out from the library but am planning to buy it.

We are starting to get tomatoes and I’ll be able to can some salsa soon. Yesterday I pressure canned chicken broth. That was pretty easy as I had made it in the instant pot the day before. Saturday I plan on pressure canning vegetable soup. That one is more labor intensive as it is a lot of vegetable chopping.

The new shelf is up and is a nice improvement.

As always, I’m thankful for my family and that everyone is healthy and happy.

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, bread, California, cooking, Flylady, home improvement, home stuff, kitchen remodel, Uncategorized, Walking by

I’m trying out some new sourdough recipes for burger buns. This is the second recipe. It has an egg and milk so it’s a soft dough. Not a lot of rise so I may try one that just uses instant yeast. Last night we had tofu burgers with the ones I did yesterday. They had excellent flavor but were on the smallish side.

Whoa, Nellie!! It is hot!!! Today is supposed to be the hottest at 106. I hope it doesn’t get that hot.

I just finished closing all the windows and the thermo curtains. These are the ones I bought from Amazon. I originally bought them for the entry way windows as they get full afternoon sun. They do a great job so I ordered a set for one of the bedroom windows and then 2 sets for my office windows that get full morning sun. They are affordable and do the job. I wanted to get the natural colored ones for myoffice but they were double what the grey ones were so that won out.

The window coolers are doing a good job keeping things cool enough. I have them set on the lowest setting and the 2 that are digital I keep at 78-80 and they come on automatically. Last night I turned them all off at 8 and opened windows.

We had a nice walk this morning and it was cool enough. Lots more people out early though to walk before the heat kicks in.

We took one side of the kitchen cabinets down yesterday.

We’re going to put up one 2×12 shelf using the hand forged brackets from Signature Hardware. B will paint it today and then get the shelf up. Then all the shelves will match except the other side which we’ll take down next week. I don’t have the brackets for that side yet. They are pricey but I love the look. Originally I was going to do Elfa shelving from the ceiling down but I don’t need that much shelving and plus I wouldn’t be able to reach anything. One shelf will be enough. I keep my bread up there and my basket of vitamins/prescriptions. There will be a few cups as well.

After I bake the burger rolls I’m going to the gym and do some weights. I plan on cooking a chicken while I’m gone so the oven can be off after 10 am. My oven is very efficient though and does not heat up the kitchen. Still, it’s on and there probably is some heat residual.

FlyLady this week is the bedroom but I’ve already done that so I’ll just do a quick once around and tidy some areas that need it.

I just finished Rhonda Hetzel’s book’ Down to Earth’. It’s a very fine book and worth buying. I got my copy off ebay. I doubt you would find it at a used book store. There weren’t a lot to choose from. It’s nothing all that new to me, but I like her perspective. Her husband, Hanno, died last year and it’s been a hard time for her. She actually closed her blog just recently. She has kept up all the posts and they are worth taking a read.

Five on Friday

Posted in California, Gardening, swimming, Uncategorized by

It was a relatively frugal week. B went into Costco again to get more coffee and a few other things. ( some salmon, sandwich bread, milk, and ???) Other than that I went down to our Holiday Market and got some deli chicken slices, lettuce and chips, and ?? That was around $50.

Today I’ll go over to the farm and pick up some produce. Usually that runs around $30.

We’ve harvested all the garlic and I started on the onions. Both are good crops and probably will be all we can use in a reasonable amount of time.

I’m going to Auburn to return some Old Navy things I bought online. I didn’t like any of it. I probably should know by now that unless I know the item, like Bombas T-shirts, I shouldn’t bother. I wanted a white linen shirt but this one was only part linen so I didn’t want that. It’s ok but I’d rather get something I really like. Maybe I’ll check eBay for one.

The pool wasn’t open for lap swimming due to swim meets. It was very busy the other day and I guess that was why. Usually I have no trouble getting a lane but I had to start out by sharing and then other people were circle swimming which I will not do.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in Blood test, California, Gratitude, Uncategorized by

There’s always something to be thankful for even if you’re feeling grumpy( that would be me).

My labs came back 20 points up so, that’s a bummer. My Kappa light chains are now in the 70s. I have at least one more lab in August before seeing my doctor in September. Actually, it may be 2 as I think I see him @ September 10?? Not sure, I’ll have to check my calendar. I’m disappointed but not really surprised.

I am still grateful to be doing the things I love, like walking, swimming, and weights, and I don’t feel slowed down by the increasing cancer cells yet. I’m still guessing it’ll be sometime in the fall I’ll start treatment and then that’ll take me out for 3 days a week so I’ll need to adjust what I do.

I’m grateful that the heat hasn’t quite kicked in but it will by the weekend. The forecast is 107. Nothing like the temperatures in Phoenix and Tucson. I’m still able to open windows by 8pm and let the cooler air in.

I’m grateful to have a pantry with plenty of items. Lots of people, me included, are complaining about the cost of food. Yes, everything is more expensive. Is someone to blame? No, not really, I think it’s a combination of food supplies being affected by weather/global changes. Of course, there are always the people blaming Democrats/Biden for the food woes but it’s not really that at all. It’s a combination of so many things. Look at the rains/flooding in Vermont/NY. How do you think this will affect the prices of food grown there and the transportation of food/products. Still, I am grateful to walk into a grocery store or Costco and see the abundance that is there and then try and shop mindfully about cost and need.

I’m grateful we have clean water and water available to water our gardens. Our water bill gets pretty steep this time of year( $149) was our last bill but everything around the house is either flowers or food growing.

My daughter is the gardener and does an amazing job. It looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of tomatoes!!!

What things are you grateful for? I love to read about other people’s lives and what they find of value.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, bread, cooking, home stuff, minimalism, Myeloma, simplicity, Uncategorized, Walking by

Beautiful weather this morning , cool and refreshing. Our walk was nice except, once again, after 4 months the AH showed up. He doesn’t look at us just drags his dog beside him. Actually, my guess is he had some kind of breakdown as he’s gained a lot of weight and is definitely NOT manic like he was. Now he’s playing music on his phone sans headphones. What is with this guy?? Anyway, we just ignore him and go on our way. He’s left before and will probably leave again. We’ve been walking in the park since 2008 or thereabout, so we’ve seen lots of people come and go.

I’m going into the Anytime gym this morning and then to Target for some stainless steel wipes, hand soap, and bar keepers. I’m sure something else will jump out.

I’m not planning on any cooking today. Yesterday I did crockpot fiesta chicken, and made up meatballs for either sandwiches or spaghetti. I did just feed my sourdough starter so I’ll probably make that up this afternoon.

Tomorrow I have my labs. We’ll see how it goes. I was so thrilled last month to only have a one point increase but I don’t want to get too invested in it staying that way when I know it won’t. Still, it was pretty nice to have that happy feeling that my myeloma was somewhat stable.

After my labs, I might go down to Roseville to the Rec Center. I’ll wait till tomorrow and see how I feel.