Monthly Archives: March 2025

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, California, cancer, canning tomato salsa, meal planning by

We woke up to rain so no walking today. I’m going to the Auburn gym later, so I’ll use the treadmill there.

I did all the canning yesterday and ended up with 9 pints of tomato sauce and 6 pints of chicken broth. One of the chicken broth didn’t seal which is very rare for me, but I think I had wiped the rim with the vinegar solution and left too much on.

It looks like there was some siphoning as well. As long as their sealed it’s fine.

I had both canners going on the stove, so that was new to me. but tomatoes only take 25 minutes in the water bath and chicken broth only 20 in the pressure canner. That cleared out quite a bit of space in the freezer, so I’m happy about that. My goal for the last month or so has been to use down the freezer items, and this certainly helped.

I don’t plan on making any jams this year. We just don’t eat enough jam to warrant it. I can buy a quality Bonne maman, and that will last a few months in the fridge. I do love canning, but it has to be something I’m going to use.

I don’t have a lot of house chores today. Mostly dust, and do another quick vacuum.

I’m planning soup for dinner. I have chicken tortilla soup and vegetable barley. I’ll do some homemade tortilla strips on the side. The rest of the week I’ll have to figure out.

I have my labs tomorrow and will see Dr. L on Thursday this week, so that will change up my swimming and other gym plans.

Saturday

Posted in California, camping, cancer, canning tomato salsa, freezer cooking, peritoneal mesothelomia by

Frugal Friday got sidestepped by other things.

But I did go to Winco once after swimming and spent $58, although $15 of that was a bottle of wine. So $43 for food. I also got gas at Costco, which is always a savings. Other than that, nothing was spent.

Today, I have to take Barclay down to Infusion in Rocklin. I was going to do a Trader Joe’s stop, but nothing is urgent, so I think I’ll wait. This will take about 4 1/2 hours, so my daughter will go down to get him at 2:30 or so.

The video visit with Dr. Neal was a waste of time. He really didn’t say anything of importance except that the one spot on his spleen was concerning. But I’ve read on the Facebook group that people will have their spleen removed during the surgery if it’s impacted. So now we wait again till we hear from Lee. Honestly, at this point, I think it should be our call. He’s the one taking the risk, and if this can remove tumors, then that’s what we want. So I think I’m going to be hopeful that it will go forward.

After I get home, I plan on processing the rest of the tomatoes from last summer I froze. So I have 3 bags to do. I think I’ll cook them down, then run them through the food mill and can them tomorrow. I also am planning to make chicken broth but will pressure can that. Does anyone use the Presto pressure canner that’s automated? Lots of people swear by it because there’s no waiting for the All-American to come up to pressure, then juggle at the right time, etc. I’ve looked at them on Amazon, and they run around $350, so a big investment.

We’ve booked a spot in Tahoe for September, so that’s exciting. Belived me that’s like winning the lottery to get a spot. It took us 6 tries to get a spot, so if you’re trying to do anything in Tahoe, beware of how long it can take and plan accordingly.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, peritoneal mesothelomia by

I’m thankful to be flexible about getting up and going walking. This morning I have to leave at 7:45 to get my velcade shot at 8:30 so I’m skipping walking.

After the shot, I plan to go to the gym, which I’m grateful for as well. It’s a lovely gym, and the library is next door. I have a book on hold, and I’ll check the new books, too.

I’m thankful that B’s oncologist DID call right away yesterday. The news is not great. The tumors are all growing again. The liver was fine, though. Weird. She will consult with Stanford but my guess is Dr. Lee is not going to do the surgery. Here we are, 2 weeks from it, and this shit happens. She also said after seeing his labs that he needs 2 bags of blood. So we’re back in it. He got an appointment for Saturday, so I’ll take him and my daughter will go get him. Some people in the Peritoneal Facebook group did say they have had surgery with the tumors present, and they are then taken out during surgery. I just don’t think that’s Dr. Lee’s approach, but we’ll see. B has a video visit on Friday afternoon, so we’ll know then. The video visit is with Dr. Neal, but he is Lee’s right hand person, so I’m sure he’ll know what the next step is going to be.

Also, I don’t want him back on chemo but to do the immunotherapy. Again, a number of people in the Facebook group said it’s much easier to handle than chemo. I guess we’re sort of back to square one. It’s all pretty fucked up.

I’m thankful that my kids can support their Dad and are there for him.

Paint ???

Posted in Uncategorized by

Well, after someone commented about seeing the high gloss paint on line in some stores in California, I got to thinking about it. So I went online to Home Depot, and it DOES say there is a quart of High gloss Behr there. So… today when I go out, I’m going to stop in and check. I’ll give an update later.

UPDATE:

Well, I was wrong apparently or told misinformation. The high gloss is not banned as far as the one employee at home Depot said.

It’s kind of hard to see but this is the semi gloss Benjamin Moore Simple White. All the rooms in our house are painted that except the bathroom.

So thanks to Celie for looking that up and giving me the heads up about it.

and here’s a cute Chester picture-

The donation basket is empty!!

Menu Monday

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

Another week another menu. I guess the good thing is it keeps me accountable for what I have in the fridge and freezer/pantry.

Last night we had yummy artichokes, B had the TJ’s quiche and we had a pasta carbonara from TJ’s. The pasta was fair, I wouldn’t buy it again. I do like their frozen fettuccine alfredo though.

Monday- I have leftover rotisserie chicken. I might make chicken enchiladas or freeze the leftover chicken. I pulled some beans out of the freezer so that’s a possibility.

Tuesday- This normally would be taco Tuesday but if I do the enchiladas on Monday then this would be the day I use the BBQ. I have chicken burgers and bean burgers and some fries I can cook up.

Wednesday- I have some quinoa to use so I think I’ll do that with salmon.

Thursday- brown rice and? I could use a bag of chicken Kung Poa or maybe a tofu.

Friday- Another pizza night. I do have a coupon for a free pizza so I’ll either do that or use my frozen dough. I also have one frozen Costco pizza and I would like to use that up. Decisions, decisions,,,,

Saturday- TBD

Because we only have the Santa Fe now to use( the truck we don’t use very often and I don’t drive the truck at all), I’ll stay home while B goes to Sacramento for his scan. Too bad it wasn’t scheduled in Rocklin. That’s about half the time and distance.

I plan on doing my Monday house reset and then painting some window sills. Did you know they don’t sell high gloss paint in California anymore? At least that’s what the Ace hardware guy said when I went in to get a quart. I got semi-gloss but I’m sure that’s going to be somewhat different from the high gloss I’m used to.

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, home stuff, Uncategorized, Walking by

A clear morning walk with the waning moon above. No one was around but us and the new hire for the park. We don’t know what happened to the other guy but it’s been around 4 months since they had a regular maintenance person there.

We drove the Santa Fe down to the park because the VW’s flywheel went the other day. This is what the mechanic, who fixed the starter, said would eventually happen. I guess we figured it would be a bit down the road. Unfortunately, we don’t have the money to fix her right now so buggie will just have to sit until we’re done with Stanford. After it’s fixed I guess we’ll need to decide to keep her or sell. Maybe it’s just time to let it go. I wouldn’t want to decide till after it’s fixed.

Today I am not going into the Auburn gym. I think my daughter and I are going to the nursery for some soil and maybe a few flowers.

Today is going to be sunny and the first real day of almost 70 degrees. I plan on getting the Weber out so this week I can BBQ at least once. I have some chicken burgers and Boca burgers too. Tuesday is supposed to be the warmest day.

This week is B’s CT and I have Velcade on Thursday. My appt is at 8:30 so I should be out of there by 9am and I’ll go over to the gym and library. Then Friday with Dex will be a home day.

There haven’t been any changes with my sleep apnea app on my Apple watch. It’s generally right above the elevated line. In April I see the sleep dr so I guess that’s when I’ll know more. I’m pretty sure I would not use a CPAC machine but who knows. Never say never, right??

Next week starts our new budget and I have most everything in. I still need to check my Allstate bill and find the due date. I think that’s the only bill not on auto-pay since I’m paying a different amount each time.

Well, off to start the day! What’s new in your world? anything? I think the reason blogs are so interesting to read is other people’s lives are different than mine and I do enjoy peeking into them.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, frugalism by

I spent $88 at Trader Joe’s, which included some of their wine( Charles Shaw, which is no longer 2 buck Chuck). I went in to get their brand of chili powder, but they didn’t have any, which I thought odd. So, I’ll need to go to Winco to get some next week.

I got gas at Costco and it’s down to $4.43 a gallon so that was a savings.

I was planning to go to Costco today but B has a video appt with the nutritionist so either I go alone or wait. I’ll think about it. We need a case of water and some miscellaneous things. Mostly I need help lifting the case of water. The other stuff I can handle like the TP.

Other than that I didn’t spend $ on anything else. All of the bills are done for the month so that’s good. I have written up a tentative April budget. We are in limbo on Stanford till the CT comes in although we haven’t heard from them so I’m taking that as a good sign. Or it could be that UCD hasn’t communicated with them about what’s going on. Either way, we should know more next week.

With the hotel costs plus gas and food we need to not spend any extra because that’s going to be a fairly big CC bill. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

Today is a cloudy day but then by Sunday we’re going to be seeing mid-70s temperatures. Spring will really pop then:)

Here’s a couple of Gus pictures!! it’s a rough life!!

He has his own Poang chair.!!!

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, Gratitude, husband, Pantry, peritoneal mesothelomia, swimming, Walking by

Happy First day of Spring!!

I’m very thankful that B’s CT scan has been moved up to Monday. Really I wish it were yesterday but I’ll take it. I am preparing for the worst that there’s cancer in the liver and that’s causing his ALP to be rising. It’s hard to figure out why his ultrasound showed ‘unremarkable’ and here we are 3 weeks later. I don’t get it but I am getting ready for ‘bad news’.

I’m grateful for a lovely misty morning to walk and it was very pleasant.

I’m thankful for a nice swim yesterday and the fact that the pool wasn’t too busy. I had my own lane for half my swim so that was nice.

Today is a home day and I don’t have a lot on my list. I want to steam-mop the floors and tidy the wine box pantry. If you haven’t followed my blog, I use Far Niente wine boxes under my stainless steel island to keep my canned goods. These days the four I have are maybe half full. I just don’t keep that much since the end of the pandemic. I bought these off of eBay a long time ago when things like that were reasonable. The 3 under the counter have the tops which is a big plus. One I have doesn’t have a lid and I keep that under a different cabinet.

I’m thankful for some pretty Eucalyptus branches from Trader Joe’s. They are probably my favorite. I love the soft green color.

Menu Monday

Posted in Blood test, budgets, California, cancer, cooking, Flylady, meal planning by

Happy St. Patricks day!!

We don’t really do the corned beef and cabbage. I like cabbage but mostly as sauerkraut or cole slaw. Tonight I’m planning baked tofu with sauerkraut and something else.

Tuesday- Probably tacos of some sort. I have some taco meat I made last week and froze so I’ll pull that out and open a jar of my home canned pintos.

Wednesday- I want to start using up the fish I have so I’ll either do salmon or cod. I have a box of Near East rice mix so I’ll make that up too.

Thursday- soup of some sort. This is questionable as I’m not sure what I have. I do have lots of ramen packs so that’s probably what I’ll do and add an egg and veggies.

Friday- I still have frozen pizza but I’m feeling like making homemade. I have an unopened bag of 00 flour so I could use that. plus I have mozzarella and some other toppings.

Saturday- I have a Trader Joe’s mac and cheese I want to use up so that may be it.

I’m home today and plan on doing a Monday tidy-up and home blessing day( which is just a few extra chores). Usually I like to go and do a quick clean of each zone and then something extra.

This week is mellow and no appts. Yay!! But I do plan on going to the gym and the pool at least once. I also want to get a few things at TJ’s like chili powder and ancho if they have it.

Our water bill comes out this week and then that’s it for March’s bills. I’m working on April’s budget this week too. I’m also hoping B gets in for that CT. He’ll probably need to go to Sacramento but that’s ok as long as it gets done. The sooner he gets it the sooner we’ll know how serious it is. 😦

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cancer, husband, peritoneal mesothelomia, travel, Uncategorized by

A nice walk this morning with the moon shining through the clouds.

Today, I plan to go to the Auburn gym and do some weights. I went to the pool yesterday and was very lucky to get half a lane before the pool was overrun with college swim teams. I got my swim in and left but man, it was nutso.

I need to do up my menu plan using pantry items. So far for this week, I have baked ravioli( using leftover Costco ravioli and Rao’s sauce.) for tonight. I also have salad stuff to use. The rest I’ll write up later after I check the freezer/fridge.

Today, I need to dust again. With our woodstove going almost all the time, dust is a big issue. Plus, I need to water my plants.

I think I’ll end the blog here as there’s not much else new. Oh, we did add more days at the hotel when my son and I will go down. The one person from the Facebook group said her husband was in for 11 days and that’s considered very short. So that’s going to add up quickly but I feel like I want to be on the safe side with a room. If after we’re there it’s going to be longer then I could add more days. Right now we have Sunday through Friday. That Monday would be B’s 8th day so I really don’t think he’d be released. So one more thing to be stressed about.