I am thankful my kappa light chains at least went down a little, 2 points. So that does show the Dex had some influence. At least there’s no increase, so I’ll take it.
I’m thankful for a day to be home and do some more reorganizing. I’ve made some progress. I’m also going to see an estate planner today to find out what needs to be done for the trust. She is not an attorney, but a legal aide( or something). Still I hope to get what I need to file the trust with just my name on it.
I’m thankful to see the new baby geese at the park. they must have just hatched.
There are way fewer pairs of geese this year, so it makes me wonder if the park is doing something to keep them away?
I am relieved and thankful that the AAA house insurance and Fair plan got figured out, and now have me as the insured. What a PITA>:(
In the whole political arena, it is such a shit show with the orange idiot saying he’s going to wipe out an entire civilization. Why doesn’t someone do something about him? It’s a disgrace for our country. Well, there’s nothing I’m thankful for there, that’s for sure.
I started watching a fun show my son recommended called Resident Alien. It’s on Netflix and really is quite funny. If you’re looking for something new, that could be it. I need a break from the intense ones like Dark Winds, which I adored.
I went to the gym on Sunday and then did some decluttering when I got home. I have a bag of books to take to the pet bookstore and a bag of odds and ends to go to Goodwill.
Monday, I continued decluttering out in the garden shed and a utensil drawer in the kitchen. I looked at things I’m not using, as I prefer to not have single-use things. I wrote out the menu ideas for the week too.
Mostly, using things I have in the freezer /pantry, which included using up the turkey chili, a box of cornbread mix, a jar of home-canned kidney beans, and some ends of cheese( cheddar and comte) to make a baked macaroni. Today I plan to prep what veggies I have and put them in glass containers. I have broccoli, beets, spinach, some lettuce, and carrots. I’m sure I’ve missed a few. My plan is to wash and put them in containers so I can see what I need to use. Too often, things in those new produce bags just get pushed behind things, and I don’t see them ( refrigerator blindness). To help, I ordered some containers from Amazon. They’re the brilliance Rubbermaid. Costco has these occasionally, but not right now.
We also had leftover Easter tofu, potato salad, and deli ham. I didn’t buy a ham since that would be too much for us, so I got some sliced ham, and it worked fine as a side dish. ( We mostly want the southern fried tofu with tartar sauce.)
Rest of the Week menu ideas:
BBQ chicken
One freezer meal
Bean burritos with toppings. This will use a can of refried beans in the pantry, and some of the toppings will use things up, too.
a pizza night
Orange chicken with rice and broccoli
TBD
After my labs on Monday, I went and got the Santa Fe smogged, so that’s done.
Tuesday, I headed to the pool, and it was quite mellow. I stopped and got some cash from the teller, as I want to give my son a few dollars to help offset the cost of the weed eater and the motorcycle class. I also stopped at Winco for spinach, broccoli, bananas, and a few other things. It was less than $40.
I haven’t gotten my kappa light chains back yet, but my other labs are all about the same. We’ll see:)
Update: just got them and they did go down 2 points. Not a lot and I hoped for more, but I’ll take it.
Today, I plan on getting the thrift stuff organized and put in the back of the car. Then I’ll go to town and drop some stuff off. I do have a big bag of books to go also.
I got the notice of the Fair Plan being changed, so that was good news. But paying for the new auto insurance added to my credit card balance, so be it for now. I just don’t have the income to pay it from my regular accounts. I think the only other annual bills coming up are DMV for Rubi and the truck in June. That’ll give me some time to concentrate on paying more of the CC stuff over a few months. sigh:( Still, I’m thrilled the auto insurance was reduced from the Allstate quote.
The rest of the week is open, so I’ll figure out whether I’ll do another swim or go to the gym. Because of gas prices, I’ll pick one or the other.
These are roses from the back yard area and the California poppies are in the front of the house.
For those who celebrate, happy Easter. For me, it’s more about celebrating spring! Our lilacs are in full bloom and lovely. The daffodils are all done, and most of the wisteria is too. But everything is growing like crazy. My daughter is weed-eating every day. All the lavender plants are buzzing with bees.
My son did get a gas-powered weed eater on Marketplace, so that will help when he can get here to do it. I told him I’d pay half of it. This weekend, he’s doing the community college motorcycle class, which is very intensive. But if he’s going to drive the Triumph, he needs all the safety stuff. But it’s a 3 day class so he’s finishing that today.
I made it through most of my Dex stuff and was ok. My blood pressure is always a little high on Dex, but that’s normal, and it should go back to my general range today.
I didn’t drive yesterday except to the park to walk and then the market for some things for our little feast today. It’s only S and me, but I’ll do the southern fried tofu, and I made the potato salad yesterday.
There’s always the firsts after someone dies, and this is the first Easter without Barclay. Our local community center is selling bricks with names on them, so I bought one that says in memory of. I’m not sure when they’ll come in, but it will be a nice remembrance.
Tomorrow I have labs, and it’s a double whammy as it’s also the labs for my PCP. Those are my lipid tests and thyroid. It’ll be quite a few vials, I imagine. After that, I’ll decide either to come home or head down to the gym/pool. With gas prices so outrageous, I do need to be aware of how much I can get there. Even Costco gas is near $6 a gallon, so that’s steep.
I also need to get the Santa Fe smogged, so I have to plan what day I’m going to do that. I could do that after my labs. I’ll have to check what time they open. That’s an extra expense, and so are the DMV fees. Hopefully, I can get caught up by the end of April. 🙁
Last week, I gave away another 2 boxes of canning jars, and I think I’m going to relist my canner and see if I can sell that. Last time I tried, I had zero interest. But it’s spring now, and canning season will start soon. I’ve thought about getting the electric pressure canner, but I just don’t see that as cost-effective for just the two of us. I do love canning, but there is the cost, and then storing the jars, etc. So, I think I’m at peace with letting it go. If it doesn’t sell, it can just sit on the shelf.
Another orchid, but this is one I just bought at Trader Joe’s. i have at least 3 more I’m hoping will rebloom. TJ’s and Costco are the best places to buy orchids. I love them because they last forever.
Yesterday was quite busy but productive. I had my labs and then went upstairs at the facility I go to and had my annual wellness appt with my PCP. It all went well. I asked about my blood pressure being inconsistent, and he said we could up my Lisinopril a bit. So I’ll think about that.
From there, I decided to get a Starbucks using a gift card and then drove down to the gym. I was on the fence about going, but decided to do it. I had a few books to drop off at the library, so that motivated me. After that, I went into Winco for some veggies and odds and ends.
When I got home, I unloaded( my daughter was still home, so she did this for me) everything and chilled for a bit. After I recouped, I set out to do the kitchen zone and got that done.
Today, I have my eye scan with Dr. Dan. I’ll specifically ask not to be dilated, which should be fine as this is a retinal scan, not for glaucoma. I get this scan every 6 months to check the macular pucker.
After that, I plan on getting the VW smogged, but will wait to see how I feel after my appt. I have time yet, so it’s not urgent. I also need to go to the bank for my printout for LLS. My grant is almost depleted, so I’ll have to wait to reapply in July, but it’ll run out of money by May. You can’t apply till the grant year is over.
I used the BBQ yesterday afternoon and need to clean it up today. Plus, I need to start pruning the wisteria a bit. It already has some buds, but I can work around most of them to remove the dead branches.
I write a basic menu, mostly to keep me focused and to try and use up things that need using.
Last night was simple: beans and weenies with sauerkraut.
Monday- I think I’ll do something with tofu as I have 2 packages in the fridge.
Tuesday- I’m going to pull a souper cube of chili out of the freezer.
Wednesday- Chicken of some sort, maybe chicken pot pie?
Thursday- With the weather so nice, maybe I’ll get the BBQ out. I have some potatoes, so I could make a potato salad.
Friday- It might be a pizza night, as we didn’t do that last week. I might do homemade since pizza is expensive out, but I’d need to check what I have to make it. I think I’d need to get some mozzarella.
Saturday- TBD
I know I need some veggies and salad stuff, which I’ll get at Winco. I have some bell peppers in the freezer to use.
Today, I’m going to get the car washed and then go for a walk with my daughter down at Sierra College. There are lots of trails there, so we thought we’d give it a try. We’re planning on some sort of lunch out.
I also do sheets on Monday, so there’s that plus regular daily chores.
My son is coming over after work too, so that’ll be nice.
I am off about timing this morning. With clocks going forward an hour, I got up at my regular time, although the clock said 6:30am. Then I went for a walk, and it was closer to 8am. So now I’m trying to figure out about going to the gym. I still need to take a shower so… we’ll see I guess.
I did a fun ChatGPT on getting my little office nook to look better. I ordered a small rug to go under my chair to help break the space up and took down some things on the wall. The pictures Chat generated were fun and helpful. Have you tried ChatGPT? I’ve used it for a number of things and it has been helpful.
I made a quiche Lorraine for dinner last night. I used the bacon crumbles from Costco. I was surprised at how good they were. I did cook them a bit to crisp up. Not sure what I’m doing for dinner tonight. I’m sure I’ll figure something out. It’s going to be another adjustment tonight. I usually always eat dinner around 6:15, so that’ll be by the clock 7:15, so not sure how I will adjust. I think I’ll plan dinner around 6:45-7, then adjust if I have to. I don’t like eating later than 7pm.
I have a busy week with 2 doctor appts and my labs. I won’t be able to get to the pool till Thursday, probably. These are just regular appts. The eye doctor is to scan my retina and see if there are any changes. That’s at 9:30, so no pool or gym by the time I’m out of there.
I need to write up some sort of menu for the week and see what I can use up. I’d like to empty the freezer a little more.
That’s about it here. The weather is beautiful, 71 degrees today.
Since I didn’t walk yesterday, I decided to go out this morning, and I’m so glad I did. It was a nice walk, with no one around except the people who use the community center stairs for a workout. There was a crescent moon, which is my favorite.
Yesterday was a nightmare driving to Sacramento. Apparently, there was a terrible accident, and it was stop-and-go from Roseville all the way down to the I-80 split, which is quite a ways. I barely had time to check in for my appointment. And of course, my blood pressure was high. Even after waiting a bit, it was still higher than my normal. UGH, I guess I’ll talk to my PCP when I see him for my annual wellness appointment. I’ll start tracking again, which I do as a record for him to see.
Dr. Laptalo suggested I go off DEX because it could be contributing to weight gain. It could be, but I think I’m just not as active as I was with both knees having torn meniscus and my left a torn ACL. I forgot to mention any of that, but going off DEX will certainly be nice. I guess I’ll just have to take my chances with my numbers going up. Most people on maintenance don’t do dex, so that’s a positive.
After the doctor’s appointment, I went to Costco. For a moment, I thought of skipping it as I was pretty stressed out, but then I thought, no, it’ll be good to get that done, and walking around Costco would help. It did help to calm me down. So I picked up the non-food stuff, including TP, allergy pills, dishwasher pods, Lysol wipes, and a few other things. Most of that was on a coupon, so that was nice. Food-wise, I bought coffee, eggs, and their new Hawaiian ready meal. We had some for dinner, and it was tasty, but I don’t think I’d get it again. It’s a large serving, and there’s quite a bit left over, so I’m not sure how well that will freeze.
Today, I plan on cleaning the kitchen and doing my Flylady stuff there. That includes wiping all the shelves and the stove hood. Plus, using the stainless steel wipes on the appliances.
We’re heading into rain on Sunday, and the temperatures are going to get cold. We still need rain, and the ski areas really do need snow, so it’s ok. If it’s too awful out, I won’t go anywhere.
I am so thankful that there is more sunlight everyday and it makes me happy. This morning it was light at 6:20 and then sunrise was 6:58 so that is quite wonderful. Sunset is 5:38 pm so again it’s so nice to have evenings light again.
I didn’t walk this morning as I have to get ready to leave for Sacramento soon. After my doctor visit, I plan to go to Costco. I’m appreciative that the new Costco is closer to home. I mostly need coffee and a bunch of non-food things, but I’m sure other things will jump in the cart.
I am very thankful my kappa light chains only went up 1 point. So now I’m sitting at 26.3. So that’s 7 points above high normal. So I feel comfortable with those numbers, and there was no big spike.
I’m grateful that the Imodium I’ve been taking (half a pill) is totally working on bowel issues. Dr. L suggested I try that instead of a prescription for the bile malabsorption medication. So that’s very positive for me. Bile malabsorption usually occurs with some chemotherapies, and I do believe that my spat with it was a recurrence of that. So I feel very thankful that it seems to be under control.
I’m thankful we did not owe any taxes. Of course, we didn’t have anything taken out because it’s SS.
It’s a little hard to see, but that’s the flowering cherry tree with some pops of pink. In the background, you can see the ‘new’ neighbor’s garage and see that brown dirt to the right? He has had many loads of dirt brought in to fill in the gully and make a more level space. I am not too thrilled at him changing the whole hillside’s natural inclination, but it’s his property. He did put in a huge drainage pipe for runoff, but still 🙁 City people trying to live in the country??
The day got away from me yesterday. I was doing some house chores, baking a sourdough loaf( jalapeno cheddar), and sitting in the sun. It was a very nice day.
I had a nice walk in the morning. Sunrise is now 7am, so I’ve been getting to the park at 6:30. Since sunrise is going to keep getting earlier, I’ll have to decide what my cutoff is for getting out. In the past I’d jump out at 5:30 am but I’m feeling too old for that.
Last night we had a frozen pizza and watched some more of Stranger Things. This season(4) is really intense, and the episodes are quite long. Still it’s keeping my interest.
Tonight, I might make a chicken tortilla soup as I made broth the other day. I also have chips I can use on top along with avocado.
Tuesday- this is my daughter’s later night at work, so usually I do something easy. I might do a grilled cheese. I also have leftover curry from the other night, I froze.
Wednesday- I need to look in the freezer and check what should be used. I know some pot stickers could be used with rice. I also have some tilapia I can grill up.
Thursday- Spaghetti and meatballs,salad
Friday- I might get takeout, tacos?
Saturday- Something from the freezer. I think I have some other soups frozen, so I’ll go check that out, plus I have lots of Souper cubes frozen of beans, chili, etc.
My son was here on Saturday and built the railing for the stairs off the sunporch. He’s been working on making sure I have handrails and grab bars for safety. It looks good. I just need to have him buy a piece of lattice to make it more attractive, and I can plant a vine of some sort to make it even nicer.
I went to Ace and had them match the house trim paint as the one I had saved must have deteriorated, as the color was definitely off. I haven’t opened it yet to see, but from the color on the top, it looks like a match. It looks like we have rain coming in so painting will have to wait anyway.
I have my labs this morning, and then it’ll be too late to get to the pool, so I plan on going to the gym and then the library. I have a few books to drop off and a hold to pick up.
I also see Dr. L this week, so that will change my routine as to the pool. I think I’ll plan Costco after I see him on Thursday. As usual, it’s coffee that I’ll need, plus some non-food things like toilet paper, paper towels, etc. I might pick up a ready-made meal there.
Here’s the jalapeno loaf. It looks good. I haven’t cut it yet, but I will slice it up this morning.
I finished the taxes, and it all looked good, and we didn’t owe, so that’s a win.
This week is my Velcade shot. I got an extra week(5 weeks instead of 4), so I could get back to my normal Thursday appt. I’m still having some neuropathy in my feet, even after that length of time. Next time I see Dr. L, I’ll mention this. Then Friday will be my Dex day at home. I’m curious if my numbers go higher with the extra week. I guess I’ll find out.
The pool is closed for 2 days for maintenance, so I’m not sure if I’ll go down there today. Since I’m driving down tomorrow, I sort of hate to use extra gas. On the other hand, I just don’t seem to be getting ‘ahead’ in swimming. My weights I keep up on regularly, so that is all good. Maybe going forward means accepting what I can do and what I do. (sigh) Who knows, right? It seems as if this is a recurring theme for me at this stage of my life. But, hey, I’m very grateful for what I can do!!
Going forward, I’m working on trying new things. It’s hard to do some stuff alone, but I’m determined to try. I did go out by myself for a burger, so that was a tiny thing. I didn’t sit in the car either but went in, so again, a tiny thing, but…
I wrapped up my taxes and submitted. I guess it’s next year that my tax status will change. The year a spouse dies, it’s still married filing jointly, but then it changes the following year. Hopefully, it will stay easy.
Here’s a picture of the upper patio around 3 pm yesterday. And a picture of the firepit on around 4 pm.
The book is from the library, and I was very impressed. Barclay, of course, was hugely influenced by Dylan and had a radio show for 25 years(KVMR) specifically devoted to Dylan. He would have loved this book. His last show was called Jewels and Binoculars after the line in a song.
Yesterday I made the Rancho Gordo King City Pink beans in the crockpot and had them for dinner. I may just do another bean bowl tonight. There is quite a bit to freeze in the Souper Cups. Rancho Gordo just moved into a new building in Napa. I’m curious what it looks like. We always had fun going into the other store, even if it was a little hard to find.
Well, I guess I’d better figure out the day.
What about you? Do you ever feel you should be doing more? Sometimes just accomplishing the smallest thing feels huge. 🙂
