Monthly Archives: June 2024

Thankful Thursday

Posted in Blood test, California, camping, Gratitude, Lake tahoe, Myeloma, travel by

So thankful we can enjoy our RV and be at Lake Tahoe. It’s like winning the lottery to get a spot. I checked for the whole rest of the season and there’s nada, zip nothing available. I am really surprised at the amount of people though, probably it’s because it’s so warm and the lake is inviting. Probably, though it’s just there are too many people. I just read, while here, that Sand Point will only be available by reservation. I’m glad really as it will curtail some people. The problem is people parking on the road making it very dangerous to drive.

I’m thankful for the beautiful weather here. We’ve had a campfire every night and haven’t even sat in the trailer in the evening.

I’m thankful that my doctor always answers when I e-message as I did after my labs came in. He said it was a small increase and essentially not to worry. I value that he respects my input. Of course, I’ll still worry and see what the next round brings.

I’m very grateful my daughter is off work for the summer and can be home to take care of things. Especially when it’s this hot at home the gardens need water every day. And the kitties need someone there too.

I’m grateful we have the lifetime senior pass and it allows us to camp here( US Forest Service) for 1/2 price. The California State beaches and parks don’t use that pass so it’s more to camp there.

Lake Tahoe

Posted in Blood test, books, California, camping, cancer, Lake tahoe, Myeloma by

This is around 8 am. Calm lake.

The difference in 10 days is quite noticeable. Lots more people at the beach and more kids in the campground. The camp hosts are very friendly and keep a tight ship. Very clean bathrooms and they keep the trash off the beach.

It’s nice here with a high of 77 which is very pleasant. We’ve had a fire each night and also BBQ stuff. Tonight I have leftovers from last night so I’ll see what I put together.

In other Myeloma news, my kappa did go up 7 pts. So I’m a little upset but I knew something probably was going to be different without the dex. Next week I have Velcade and then labs the following week. It’s a short time between labs so I guess I’m leaning towards not taking it and seeing the results. Dr. L’s take was that it was a very small increase. But it still was a jump in my book.

I’m enjoying the new Longmire, First Frost. Excellent!!

Sunset.

Another Heat Wave

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, California, camping, home improvement, home stuff, meal planning, travel by

We had a few days of milder temperatures, but tomorrow and the next day we’re back under the heat dome. It doesn’t look like it make it to 100 but close. After that, it actually looks like nice weather in the 80’s. We’ll be in Tahoe so the temperatures won’t be too hot. Generally, it’s 20 degrees cooler. I’m sure the beaches will be packed though. Nevada Beach is very popular as is Sand Harbor.

This time I’ve packed quite a bit of food so I don’t think we’ll need to go to the store unless it’s some random item. I’m planning a few BBQ nights with Webi and then some regular rotations of mac and cheese, a rice dish, veggies, and maybe a ramen bowl night. Plus, burritos of some sort.

Our son came up yesterday and put up the shower rod thing. It seems to work nicely. He’s going to come back this weekend to help move the electrical outlet so the cabinet fits better. So it’s moving along but still, I think we’re 2 weeks out from it being done. That includes painting and flooring. My daughter mopped the floor in there and it was very grimy from the grout stuff. She also is working on washing the tiles as the grout leaves a film. I’m sure glad they’re doing it and not me.

On our way up to Tahoe, we’ll stop at Zephyr Cove to use the dump station. Since we’ve had to use Rubi’s bathroom all week we need to be sure it’s empty for camping. It costs $10 to use. B has had Rubi parked by the sunroom and it’s been VERY convenient to use. Plus there’s water right there and electricity from the studio. It’s worked out well.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, camping, home improvement, home stuff, Myeloma, travel, Walking by

Finally a walk in the park at 5:30. Very nice and cool. All the Canada Geese babies have grown up except one family and they were the last ones born. They grow up so quick. We did 1.5 miles so I felt good about that.

Today we’re going to Costco so that will add more steps to the day. We don’t need a whole lot but it adds up, Toilet paper is 20, coffee 15, etc. Adds up pretty quickly. We also need to gas up the Chevy and get cash from the teller.

Once we’re back home my son will help B put up the shower curtain holder on the ceiling. The one contractor we had come check it out said his bathroom was just as small and he put in the hotel-type rod on the ceiling. So it’s a band that then has the hooks attached. Think of the hospital-type curtains in the ER or in a room. I ordered the extra long curtain so it should go all the way to the shower pan.

Here’s my well-loved claw foot tub. It took 3 people to move it out. I’m still very sad to not have it in there anymore but I know it’s for the best. I just wish there had been a way to keep the bathroom the way it was and add a shower somewhere else. But alas, that was not to be. Our future selves will thank us, I guess.

It’s been a rough week with norovirus and the handyman doing the bathroom, part one. As with most things, there were some snafus and it took a whole day longer. The grout has to now dry for a few days. We will still need him to install grab bars(they will need to be installed with a special drill because of the tile) and we’re not sure if he’ll do the flooring or B and my son will tackle it. The floor should be an easy project but we can’t do anything till we’re back. We still need to look at painting in there too. I think I have some of the original color left but not sure how much. I think I’d like to go to a very light grey as the grout between the white subway tiles is gray.

Since we’re gone all next week we can think about it. My daughter has some appts next week but otherwise, she’ll be here most of the time. She’s been working on cleaning up the chicken yard. Of course, Big Brownie is still using the coop but doesn’t go very far. Like I said, chickens are flock animals and I’m guessing she’ll go in a few months or less. We’re in for another few days of excessive heat next week, and that might do her in. Chickens don’t do well in the heat.

So yesterday, I drove to Roseville to pick up my holds so I’d have them for Tahoe. I’m excited about the new Longmire book. I didn’t go to the gym even though I wanted to. I still don’t feel quite up to working out. I stopped at Noah’s for bagels to bring with us and for here.

Things are still chaos in the living room that is now housing all the bathroom things. I really hate disorder so it’s been challenging. I guess I just need to get over it for now. I haven’t even done Flylady this week partly because I was sick and the contractor kid here( Well, he’s not a contractor per se, just a licensed handyman). It’s ok, it’ll all still be here to get done.

We’re back home from going to the new Costco in Rocklin. Wow, it’s really nice. It’ll be such an easy on, easy off from the freeway. I can see going more frequently and doing smaller shops.

Last night we had a BBQ and it was nice enough outside to sit outside. The temperature had dropped quite a bit to the mid-80s. I’m not sure what’s on the menu for tonight but probably I’ll BBQ some burgers and tofu.

Friday Things

Posted in Blood test, books, California, camping, cancer, home improvement, Myeloma, travel by

I’m feeling almost back to normal. Still slightly off but definitely better and I ate something yesterday. My daughter thinks I may have picked it up at In and Out Burger but she( a science nerd) says it can really be on any surface. So probably we’ll never know.

So today I was lucky to get a lab appt at 9am. A little later than I like with fasting but I’ll make it. I’m really anxious to know what my numbers are doing. Even if there has been an increase, I’ll go another month without Dex just to see. Sometimes, living with cancer is very tiring. With Myeloma, it just doesn’t go away or get ‘cured’, well I think if you have an allo it does. Oh well, I’ve made it this far.

The positive news is we’ve had a young man working on the bathroom. He’s only 30( my son’s age) but seems to know what he’s doing and is doing a great job so far. We need the shower at least functioning for my daughter next week because we’ll be in Tahoe. If it’s not, then I’m not sure what the alternative is. Hotel? outside shower? We’ve been using Rubi for bathroom stuff and B bought a new shower head which is divine. The one the trailer came with was pretty lame so this is a nice improvement.

We’re not going to have it all done before we leave as I don’t think the flooring will get done so B won’t be able to put in the Ikea vanity but that’s ok it’s mostly the shower. I’m not sure what we’ll do if there are leaks while we’re gone. I guess call and have him come over when my daughter is here? Well, it is progress and on such a small budget I think we’ve done ok. If we had lots of money I guess it would be a no brainer to have someone come in and redo the whole thing and build a second bathroom but alas that isn’t our destiny.

B has been going in and out to Home Depot and all over getting little bits of things and has been very busy. It helps he is organized that way.

The Oregon sparrows are migrating and are flocking in the bamboo. They are fun to watch. We turn the sprinklers on the bamboo and they love to drink the droplets. Often they hang upside down and are cute. We call them popcorn birds because they pop so quickly around.

The heat has been oppressive. I think today we’re about 10 degrees cooler so that should help some. We’re back to watering daily and the water bill just went over $100 and will definitely go higher. B filled the pool and that takes 10,000 gallons I think. This will be the last year of the pool. We’ve gotten our money’s worth that’s for sure but I can’t see investing in another pool next year. This is probably year 7 and think we paid around $1000 for it so I’m sure it is way more than that now. Plus there’s all the maintenance to take care of it and that cost. B is the only one that uses it daily. I go in once in a while to float and that’s about it.

I’ve been hanging out in the trailer all day and it’s been nice. I turned the AC on and it worked fine one day and the second day it blew the fuse so when it gets too hot I go out to the studio( my son’s room) and hang out there. He’s got a cooler and I’ve had that on. His studio is almost cleared out and sometime this summer we’ll paint in there. He’ll still come up to work in the barn and sleep over so I want to keep a bed out there. Also, he built a beautiful desk and bookcase out of birch plywood so that will stay too. His move has gone well and I’m happy for him. It’s very nice area very near the American River trail and lots of green space.

This week is a total wash with swimming or the gym but tomorrow I plan on going to the library as my holds are in. That’ll give me something to read in Tahoe.

On a sad note, our big black lady chicken, big mama, died yesterday. She was quite old for a chicken, maybe 10, and the heat was too much for her. So now there’s only big Brownie and I’m guessing she’ll be gone too soon. they were from the same batch and have lived an extraordinarily long lives. Maybe’s it’s the water? this is the end of an era of over 25 years of having chickens and with these gone, that’s it. The coup will come down and the area cleaned up. Rhonda over at Down to Earth talked about how she finally gave up chickens when her husband was ill and dying. She talked about how important it is to really check in where you are in life and what you’re capable of. We could keep having chickens as my daughter does live here but then it’s just one more thing to have to deal with, buying food, checking water, etc. So I’ll buy farm eggs when I can. There are tons of people around here who raise chickens.

On that note, she also talked about physical limitations as we age. She has a non malignant brain tumor which affects her balance so she doesn’t bend over. Because of that, she bought a steam mop so she could mop standing instead of with a bucket on the floor. Because of my macular pucker in my right eye, my balance is off sometimes so I just bought a very cheap steam mop for $59. I’ll try it out for a while if I really like it I’ll buy a more expensive model. This one just steams and there’s no on /off so I’ll give it few months

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, home improvement, Myeloma, swimming, Walking by

Today is our town’s annual Pioneer Day. There’s a parade and lots of booths in the park. We live in town so we always walked down with the kids when they were young. Back then the firetrucks threw candy to the kids. They don’t do that anymore. It should be a nice day for everyone, not too hot.

Our heat wave starts Tuesday with temperatures about 100. Yikes. All our window coolers are in so we should be good to go.

Friday, my labs were canceled by Quest due to a glitch closing down the lab. I had to reschedule and the earliest was Wednesday. So I won’t know my kappa numbers till probably next Monday. Kind of a bummer when I’m anxious to know how not taking Dex affected my numbers.

We’ve lined up a handyman to come and put the plumbing in the wall for the shower. Hopefully, it’ll all be good. We will need to have the water off for a few days so we will use Rubi’s shower and bathroom. I might even sleep out there.

After swimming yesterday, I went over to the Paris Bakery and bought a mini strawberry cake for my daughter’s birthday.

Wow, it was delicious.

Not too much on the docket for today. I plan on going to the Auburn gym and then to the store to have my other knives sharpened. The butcher will only sharpen 3 at a time. Plus I wanted some cottage cheese and wine for the week.

I need to go into the new Costco this week to get coffee. We always buy Starbucks ground for camping then bring the rest home. That bag is just about gone so that needs to get done. I need to check my list and see what else we need but right now I can’t think of things, maybe some English muffins or?? Fruit?