Category Archives: books

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California, camping, cash envelopes, husband, travel by

Yesterday, I went to the gym and the library for my holds. I wanted to get that chair Pilates Yoga book again and start a small routine. I’ll probably end up buying the book, but for now I can use the library’s. I wanted to get an IN and Out burger but it was too early so I came home and had homemade sourdough bread with left over chicken.

I also checked DVDs in the Friends of the Library area and found 2 Blu-rays to replace the regular DVDs, so that was a win at $6.00.

I used up the rest of the Costco chicken. I made 4 Souper Cubes of stuffing and chicken, and put some gravy on top. They’re in the freezer, and later today I’ll pop them out and put them in Ziploc bags. So that’s 4 future meals for us.

I returned the sweat pants to Costco and then went in and spent $180, but $45 of that was our favorite wine, Kendall-Jackson Reserve. And I got the Kombucha for my daughter, so the food was probably closer to $125. Oh, and I had picked up the rotisserie chicken.

Today, I need to go get cat food in Auburn, so I’m not sure if I’ll go down to Roseville or not. If I don’t go, that saves gas for next week. I don’t need any groceries( I think). I should probably check the salad stuff. The Chef Preserve is working well for veggies, as long as I remember to use them. 🙂 Refrigerator blindness is real!

I’m starting taxes and still need one bank thing. Our taxes are pretty straightforward, and I always use TurboTax. When I started it a bit ago, I had to figure out how to change it so I would be the primary taxpayer, as Barclay had always been before. Fortunately, TurboTax told me exactly how to change it, so that’s all set. I just need the final numbers from the bank and SS. I hope by next week I can wrap it up.

The VW insurance came in, and I need to pay my daughter for that. The VW is in her name, so she pays it, and then I reimburse her. I had a cash envelope for it, but never put $ in it as I had too many other bills to take care of. I guess if we keep it for another year, it’s worth it for now. I only drive the VW to Auburn for errands, so technically I could get rid of it. But as long as it’s working, I think we’ll keep it, but I need to get that envelope going for next year.

I was reading another blog I like, ( My Tireless Retirement), and she was talking about buying a van to go camping in. One that the seats go flat, that she could put a mattress in there and sleep in it. I got to thinking that maybe we could do that. Get like a Honda Odyssey. Our Santa Fe is getting up there in miles, so that could be something to think about. Gee, I loved our Dodge Caravan. It was the best thing we did back then, along with our tent trailer. We took the kids out camping all the time. And we traveled in the Caravan to Canada and lots of places. It was a game-changer, not to mention ferrying homeschooled kids everywhere.

So maybe I should go look at one to see if that would work for me. It’s not like I’m looking to travel the country; I just want to do some of the things Barclay and I did together. So back to the drawing board. 🙂

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, bread, California, camping, Gratitude, Uncategorized by

I’m thankful to be walking, even if it’s not what I used to do. I guess age catches up to us in spite of all that we do to stay healthy and active. I’ve always exercised and eaten mostly vegetarian my whole life, and still, things creep in. Until I get moving in the morning, I am pretty stiff but then my joints loosen up after walking around.

I am thankful that adjusting to my CPAP was so easy. As resistant as I was, it is a good thing. I’ve had zero sleep disturbances, so I guess it’s doing what it is supposed to do. I still need to buy a battery pack if I camp.( questionable at this point).

I’m grateful for the beautiful weather we’ve had with mild temperatures. Also, it’s getting light early again, and sunset is later; there’s a lot more light. These are the times I miss Barclay when we would start to sit out in the afternoon with our wine and talk about the day, or camping, or whatever. 😦

Today, I plan on going to the library and the gym for a short workout. I want to get home and bake the sourdough loaf I have in the fridge.

Midweek Musings

Posted in books, bread, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, reading, velcade by

I started reading Clavell’s Noble House. I read this back in the 80’s, but he is such a good writer, I wanted to reread it. The books are hard to find(any by Clavell is), but my son, who frequents thrift stores, found a first edition for me. Whereas Shogun takes place in ancient Japan, this is set in Hong Kong. I have a library book to pick up, and it’s one that’s been on hold for quite a while, Dan Brown’s Secret of Secrets. Have you read it? I’m curious about it and whether I’ll like it. I did like the action in his other books, so we’ll see.

I’ve had a flare-up of my IBS, so I haven’t been to the pool or down to the Roseville gym. I have walked and done the Auburn gym, but I want to keep track of what foods may be triggering this( pizza? dairy?). I checked with Dr. Laptalo, and he thought it might be connected to my Velcade. (Remember my chronic diarrhea started way back with Revlimid, like in 2010. Most of that is over with, but occasionally I get a period where it seems to flare up. He suggested some OTC Imodium, so I’ll check that out. I do have Lomotil, which I take when needed, and that was an absolute game-changer for me, so I could go out to eat, travel, etc. But these flare-ups make it hard to go out. Todays Wednesday, and I’ve been fine the last few days, so I’ll see how it goes for the rest of the week. This is a common side effect of chemo, but with Velcade, I haven’t noticed much. On the other had I didn’t develop IBS with Revlimid for 3 years, and then the last 2 when I was on it were truly awful.

So, as such, I haven’t decided if I want to get my book or not. I plan on making another sourdough loaf as I fed my starter. The whole wheat loaf didn’t have a very good rise, so I think my starter was too weak. I did get some organic flour to use as opposed to the whole wheat I had used. Whole wheat is great for a yeasted bread, but much harder with a sourdough starter.

I need to work on next month’s budget, too. I have Allstate as an extra expense and part of the house insurance, too. I need to check if there’s something else too. Property taxes are coming due, so I need to figure that out.

That about sums it up!

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, bread, California, camping, home stuff, Walking by

A night of not sleeping well got me off to a slow start. I’ll see how I feel in an hour or so. I started my sheets in the laundry and watched a clip on YouTube on how to revive your sourdough starter. I got my starter out of the fridge and did the measurements. She suggested 15 grams of each, but I had 18 come out of the jar, so I used that. But I did follow through with all 3 measurements the same. So water, flour, and starter all were all 18 grams. I’ll see how that works when I go to feed it later this afternoon.

I’m heading out to the gym, and I’ll use the treadmill since I didn’t walk in the park. Mostly, I want to keep to my regular Sunday schedule, which is the Auburn gym.

Update: back from the gym. It was really empty, weird. I did use the treadmill for .5 mile and then my regular weights.

From there, I went into BelAir for some salad dressing, bread, and wine. After that, I went to the Auto Zone store for antifreeze for the VW. So now I’m home and finishing this up before I get going on other stuff.

My son is off camping on the coast as he has MLK Day off from work. It should be nice over there. He wanted to get out his camping stuff and see how it all is, so this was a good opportunity. He has a big canvas tent, but I’m not sure that’s what I want to sleep in when we have our camping trip( if I ever get a reservation). I was able to get a spot at New Brighton, but it’s still iffy whether he can come with me on that.

I mostly need to do a sweep around the house and tidy things. The kitchen needs some attention, too. After that, I’ll probably read and maybe take a nap! I plan to stay home tomorrow.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, books, California, home stuff, Uncategorized by

Our mornings have been very chilly, like 34 degrees. Afternoons are nicer but still chilly. This coming week, though, we should have a nice warm-up and no rain. I finally finished the last LOTR, The Return of the King, extended version. Just a mere 4 hours that took me 5 nights to get through. 😦

I started watching the new Agatha Christie on Netflix (I think that’s where it is) and so far, I’m not impressed. Have you watched it?

Yesterday we went to the pet bookstore. I found a cookbook (America’s Test Kitchen) and a few others. I’m still trying to find Shogun, but no luck. After that, we went to Round Table to use my free pizza coupon. It was good, but the wait was way too long. We had spinach soup and left over pizza for dinner.

Tonight, I think I’ll use up all the veggies I’ve sliced with the mandoline I got for free. It took a while to figure it out( my daughter had to show me how to change the blades). I have cucumbers, carrots, and radishes. I need to get some lettuce though.

I’m planning on the gym, but I’ll see how I am at 8:30. Today is a sheet day, so I need to get that going. And I need to clean up the patio.

I can hardly read any news right now. Where has any humanity gone with these people? They murdered an innocent woman, and they are saying it’s her fault? WTF??? I hope there is a special place in hell for those people.

Oh, my labs came back up some 25.3 Kappa Light chains. So once again, not too terrible in the bigger picture, but that still leaves me in uncertainty again on the next one. sigh, … I just need to get on with it.

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, budgets, California, cooking, home stuff, simplicity by

A very rainy morning. Like downpours and roads flooding! I managed to get to the gym, but it was tough going.

Afterwards, I went and picked up a ‘pay it forward’ free item. It was a mandoline that I’ve wanted for some time. It’s an OXO and doesn’t look used. I’ll test it out on some radishes. I do have no-cut safety gloves, so I’ll wear those.

Last night we had baked salmon, a huge salad, and some brown rice. I’m trying to up my protein intake and veggie intake, so I did pretty well. I have leftovers either for lunch or another dinner. I’ll check with my daughter what she prefers.

I didn’t sleep well again last night, probably a residual of Dex. But I don’t feel too tired,yet.

This is Miss Cherry, who always has a frown on her face.

My brother found a rare star note, $10 bill. I plan on listing it on eBay and maybe making a few hundred dollars. Of course, it depends on who’s buying right now, but I’ll list it and see how it goes. I had Chat GPT write up a listing for me to look at and use some of it. For things like that, AI is great.

I don’t have any cooking lined up for today, so I may just tidy up some and then read.

Friday Things

Posted in Uncategorized, frugalism, books, California by

I’m off to get my Velcade shot this morning. Then to the library to return books. I’m not planning on going to the gym, even though I should. Well, maybe I’ll wait till I’m there and then decide.

Updated: I dropped off books, but the library was closed, so I didn’t go in.

My shot went well. Vicki, one of the nurses, is retiring, so I said I’d miss her. She’s a great nurse.

Then I need to go to Winco for veggies and a few things. I also need to stop in Costco for coffee, so I’ll see how far I get.

Updated: Skipped Winco and just went to Costco. I wanted to get there when it’s only open to Executive members, so that worked out perfectly.

I bought a lot of veggies as one of my intentions for 2026 is to eat more veggies, fruit, and fish. I also got the coffee, some wine, eggs and bagels, and a few other things.

I’m just finishing up and putting things away in the freezer. I have the iRobot vacuum going, and that will clean the floors. I do need to mop still though.

I did manage to get rid of the desk and chair. The person came right on time, so that was nice. I have a load to go to the thrift store, but didn’t get there today. I’ll try for Sunday after the gym.

Last night I made homemade pizza. It was ok, not great. I also shredded Brussels sprouts and sauteed them with mushrooms. That was quite good.

Winter Solstice

Posted in books, budgeting, California, camping, cooking, home stuff, Lake tahoe, reading, Uncategorized by

Rain, rain, and more rain. No walking this morning as it is really raining. We’re supposed to get about 3 inches, which is a lot of rain. Still, daylight will eventually start getting longer, although it takes a few weeks for it to turn around. At least it’s not a cold rain. It’s about 53 out. I’m guessing that means there’s no snow in Tahoe.

I was on the Reserve for camping, but no luck. I’ll try again tomorrow. It’s a tough place to get a spot. But you just have to keep at it. I will continue to check for cancellations, but that’s unlikely to happen. sigh:(

I think I’m staying home today and not going to the Auburn gym. I’ll wait till it’s light out to decide. If I don’t go today, I’ll go to Maheny sometime this week. I’d like to get one swim in before Christmas, too. We’ll see how it goes.

Last night we had a marcella bean( white bean) and ham soup. It came out very tasty. I wrote out a list of freezer meals for my low spend challenge. Hopefully that’ll keep me on track. Plus, there’s a lot to use up. I also baked up a dozen potatoes and made double stuffed. After they are baked, I cut them in half, scoop out the potato, and then add some butter, sour cream, and cheddar. Then I mound it back in. I end up with 10 half potatoes.

My son went back up to Grass Valley for their Cornish Christmas and sent me these photos. It was rainy, but he said it was still nice. I don’t drive at night unless absolutely necessary, so I wouldn’t get up there to see this.

Not too much on the agenda for today. I have 2 more library books to read. I started one and wasn’t impressed, so I’ll just bring that back. Other than that, just the usual tidying, and I do need to dust. I ran out of swiffers(which I love), so I just got a new box from Costco. Not very exciting 🙂

menu for the week and misc.

Posted in Blood test, books, budgets, California, library, meal planning, Walking by

I finally got my early am walk with my new Merrills. They are definitely a stiff boot that keeps my foot from moving too much. I can see why Chat recommended them for a foot fracture. Overall, my foot is better, and I do wear my Hokas in the house all day, and I think that helped. I haven’t worn my Birkies in a while because I think they didn’t support my foot enough.

I did a menu plan for the week so i have a rough idea of what I want to make.

Last night I made chicken enchiladas with green (verde) sauce. We had a salad on the side.

Tuesday- I’m going to make tomato bisque soup( from Costco) and some cheese sliders.

Wednesday- I have some mac and cheese I want to use up. I might add some tuna for protein.

Thursday – I think I’ll make a tofu scramble with veggies and nuts.

Friday – I’m not sure we’ll do pizza, so I’ll wait and see what my daughter wants.

Saturday- ?? TBD. maybe a burger of some kinda and fries.

Yesterday, I dropped my books off at the library and recycled batteries there, too. The gym was busy, but I found my way around without any delays. From there, I went up to Costco, mostly for coffee and a few other things. I think the food part was @ 100. I paid cash.

Today is a home day, and my son is coming over after work to visit. I don’t have any big chores for him to do, so it’ll just be a catch-up on what’s going on. Although he could put the cardboard in the recycle bin for me. Since he has the truck, it would be easier for him to do.

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, budgets, cash envelopes, home stuff, reading, Walking by

We’re back in the rain again. All.Day. Oh well, I won’t walk but may still go to the gym. Since that’s only in Auburn, I don’t mind. (Auburn is about 7 miles, just for reference.)

Friday, we went and picked up the VW. He fixed the brake light and the low beam headlights that had been out for like forever. sigh… $300 out the window. I pulled cash from my envelopes to pay. So now I need to go back and refill them when I can.

I plan on washing the couch covers today. This Ikea couch has held up so well, but now it is starting to show wear. I am hoping to buy a new couch sometime after the first of the year. It’ll be Ikea. The one I have picked out is grey and mid-century looking. I’ve loved my white couch, which was the Ektorp. But they don’t make that one anymore, but replaced it with another that looks similar.

I will also put together a meal plan and see how the week shapes up. I have some library holds, so I know I’ll go to Mahany and do the gym and library. I’ll see when I want to go to the pool. I may switch it up this week and go on Tuesday.

I have my Diestel turkey breast being delivered this week. I have some other things like green beans, cranberry sauce, and stuffing already. I’ll make the nut loaf and freeze it this week, too. I’ll probably buy the Costco pumpkin pie and freeze it till Thanksgiving. We’re not big dessert eaters at all, so I don’t worry about having 3 different pies. As I’ve said, this year I want to keep things like they were when B was here and not change the routine. Next year, who knows? My daughter and I talked about going to the coast for Thanksgiving, but not this year. I guess I want the continuity.

I’ve been reading Shogun again. Such a great story. I’m looking for a copy at the thrift store, but no luck so far. The new reprint was released this year, so I borrowed it from the library. Funny, how much back in the 70s this book influenced me. I suppose it is the traditions and simplicity that spoke to me.