I’m excited, I have a bid on the rare star note. So we’ll see how it goes. This was my brother’s, so whatever I get minus eBay fees, he gets half. But a few extra dollars will be nice.
I am very grateful it’s sunny again, and no rain is forecast. We do need things to dry up. I went for a walk after I tried again to get a spot in Tahoe. Either more people are vying for spots, or the algorithm is not working for me. 😦 In all the years of booking Tahoe, I have never had such a difficult time as this.
I’m planning on checking daily for cancellations. I’m also going to make a list of what we need for a basic camping trip without Rubi. It’s a big unknown how all this will play out.
I’ve been enjoying watching a YouTuber who talks about Japanese concepts. His videos are quite beautiful. The latest one I watched was on Kakebo, or Japanese budgeting. I liked it enough that I bought a book from Amazon called Kakebo, and it has weekly sheets to fill in. Now I do a daily budget and write my daily lists in a notebook, but I always like a new twist on things to keep it interesting.
Today is a home day, and I’m doing a number of things. I made my favorite spinach soup, cooked up some burgers for lunch, and prepped some chicken for grilling either later or tomorrow. I still have a bunch of mushrooms to cut up and am thinking of a mushroom soup. I tidied the house, and all I have left is to put the Robo vacuum on.
Today, I have my labs, so we’ll see what they come back as. Always a bit unsettling, but we shall see. Today is not my normal lab day, so I won’t get them till Friday.
I slept better last night now that Dex is out of me. I swam yesterday, and it was very nice, but I was very exhausted from the swim. Probably because with Christmas and NY’s I haven’t been going enough. I was planning on going to the gym today, but we have an electrician coming to check on some outlets that keep popping.
Let me just say, I hate doing this stuff. This was Barclays’ area, not mine, and I absolutely hate having to deal with this stuff. But my daughter agreed that the outlet needs looking at, so I put it on Next door neighbor and got quite a few responses. So someone is coming out this morning, so that changes my plans. Plus, I barely have enough money to deal with an electrician. I’ll just have to work around something else. sigh:(
Menu wise:
We had breaded cod last night with a huge salad and some air fryer fries.
Tonight I’m planning on crunchy tacos with salad stuff on top.
Wednesday, I have some chicken defrosting, so I’m not sure what exactly. I’m trying to up my protein intake so I want to have some proteins ready for lunches etc.
Thursday, not sure. I think I’ll make some fried rice and baked tofu with some Costco dumplings.
At Costco, I had bought the giant salad mix and spinach, so I need to see if we can get through that. I’ve been adding spinach to my morning eggs, so I’m using some up.
Not sure if we’ll do a pizza this week. I’ll wait and see what we feel like.
We finally have a sunny morning. It’s bright blue skies.
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.
I went down to the pool yesterday only to find it closed. Apparently, when they had an open swim that included kids, some kid mistook the pool for a bathroom. So they have to chlorinate it to a very high level. That’s ok, it’s closed today as well. I’d rather they get it clear to be able to swim without any risk.
I came home straight away, although if I had extra gym clothes, I could have gone to the gym. But I was in my swimming suit.
I finished dusting most everything yesterday and also went down to Holiday to get a few last things.
We had some pretty intense wind overnight and rain, but right now things are calm till the next wave, which is this afternoon. Hopefully, it won’t be too bad. I do hate the wind.
Tomorrow, Christmas looks just as bad, so I told my son and brother not to come up if it’s treacherous. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I can cook dinner on the weekend if that’s the case.
Still raining, and there’s some flooding in the area. Not so much where I am, but the Yuba River is flooding, and there’s some flooding near Yuba Gap. i hope the rain lets up.
I again decided not to go out. Just not feeling it for some reason. I’m trying to go with how I feel daily, so that’s where it is today. I do need to get to the bank, so maybe I’ll do that later.
I’m working my way through all our Christmas movies, Die Hard, It’s a Wonderful Life, etc. I still have Muppet Christmas and Chevy Chase.
Menu:
Last night we had Asian salad and TJ’s orange chicken
Tuesday- turkey chili from the freezer
Wed-Christmas Eve- Our tradition is always Fondue with baguette, veggies, apples, and whatever else.
Thursday- Christmas Day- Cheese lasagna, Steak (for the meat eaters), baked potatoes, brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, and dessert?
Friday- I’ll probably do a pizza
Saturday- soup of some sort
What kind of dinner do you all make for Christmas? Is there a tradition? Curious minds want to know.
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 🙂
For the sun shining after a few rainy days. The rain is due to come back tomorrow, so the sun is great to warm things up and let things dry out some.
A nice swim at the pool, and I had a lane to myself again. I think because of Christmas stuff, the pool has fewer people swimming.
Also, I did a nice walk at 6:30 am. It was very misty down at the park, and that made it seem mysterious. I was the only one there till just as I was leaving, and someone showed up.
For feeling, overall, pretty good these days. My foot seems ok. I wear my shoes in the house and only take them off if I’m on the couch, and that definitely has helped.
I’m back in the cooking mode, so I feel grateful for that. I look forward to menu planning and cooking. For a while, after B died, I just didn’t care much either way, so it’s nice to feel motivated again.
Frugal Girl has a good post on her blog to read. It’s about not comparing where you are in life to others, especially when we are all in different seasons of our lives. It helped me reframe some of where I am. Especially when it comes to traveling, money, and lots of other small things. I’d love to keep traveling like I did with Barclay in the RV, but I can’t trailer the RV. So, after I sell it this spring, how can I create a traveling vehicle? Also, I have a very small fixed income that got smaller after Barclay died( by 1/3 less). I am, though, very grateful that what I do get from SS pays the bills. So comparing myself to people still working and earning is a thief of joy and results in only negative thinking. It makes no sense to do those comparisons, as, like I said, we are all in different seasons of our lives. I will accept where I am and my limitations as well. I say limitations, as that is a fact of getting older. I can’t walk as far as I once did. I can’t do lots of things that even 5 years ago I could, such as getting down on the floor to clean corners or the floor. Nope, it’s not happening, and I accept that. ( maybe begrudgingly):)
I am only going to focus on what I can do as FG suggested. I am going to focus on my own internal process and do what I can to still live my best life. I can still do some traveling, it’s just how I can add that in and afford it. I can still do moderate walking, which is something I love, plus always reading and cooking. Those things don’t cost money and add joy to my life.
Yesterday, I went to the Roseville gym and library. I had about 5 books on hold that were due to come off the hold list. From there, I went to TJ’s to get a couple of gift cards to give my kids. I’ve been struggling with the whole gift-giving this year, especially with Barclay gone. I like giving my kids gifts and have always gone somewhat overboard. Nothing crazy, but still more than I can do now. So, in addition to the TJ’s card, I’m giving each some cash, for my son a dinner out with his partner, and my daughter to go and use at the nursery. It’s all a big adjustment, but necessary since money-wise, I can’t really do much more. I’m sure I will adjust and, in time, be ok with it. Since this is the first Christmas/Hanukkah without B, I’m quite emotional about it all. Time is a great healer, and I’m sure things will get easier as time goes by.
It’s finally raining here in N. California after a very beautiful fall break with lovely sun( at least here in the foothills, the valley has been socked in Tule fog). I’m not sure if I’m going down to the pool or waiting till tomorrow. It’s only 6:30, so I have time to get a sense of the day. I have some decluttering to do with some books and some of the Christmas things my son didn’t want.
My son took us to Grass Valley to see the Christmas decorations. It was lots of fun. He makes quite an effort to do things with me. There they are side by side. My lunch was delicious. A turkey green chili sandwich.
I seem to have a few really good nights sleeping and then a not-so-good one. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason, but I am thankful for the nights I do sleep well with minimal disturbances. Using the CPAP has been an interesting experience, and overall, I’m quite pleased with the results. There is no snoring with the machine at all. So that was solved. (That’s a sign of sleep apnea.) I’ve had almost no ‘disturbances’, which is how they calculate sleep apnea, and my blood oxygen has improved, although only slightly. I would still like to try Zepbound, but I’m not sure I could afford it. I know that my prescription plan doesn’t cover it, so it would have to be direct from the drug company. Well, I’m not there with that yet, maybe next year.
I am so thankful we live above the fog. It has been socked in in the valley and even through Auburn. As soon as you hit my exit, it clears to brilliant blue skies. And the temperature is at least 10 degrees warmer here. Unfortunately, I have to go to Sacramento today for my doctor visit, but hopefully that will go quickly. My labs just came in, and my kappa went to 23.9, so up a little, but the ratio came down to 1.85, so there’s some good with that. Overall, I’m pleased it didn’t jump higher.
I was able to get a swim in yesterday, and thankful I had a lane all to myself( a rarity). i do wish I were getting there more, but it seems there’s always something that happens, and I don’t want to drive that extra day. Like tomorrow, I know I’m going to want to stay home as I will have been out 2 days in a row. (sigh)
I am NOT thankful the cat threw up all over my Apple keyboard. 😦 bad cat!!!
I’m thankful for all the wonderful Christmas B, and I had both alone and then with kids. I remember our first Christmas together. So, I was a freshman at the University of Arizona, and he was a sophomore. I think we did a few gifts that were of the hippie variety, and then our Christmas Eve dinner was brown rice with nuts and raisins in teak bowls. My mother actually sent us those bowls. Then Christmas day, I used our neighbor’s oven to bake a lasagna. Our little apartment didn’t have an oven. That’s how the tradition of the lasagna started. Good memories.
Well, I made it through yesterday without the Ativan, but not last night. I decided before bed, I’d take one, and I slept well. Only a couple of wakeups and then back to sleep.
My Merrills finally showed up, so I’m going to wear them around the house and see how they feel. For the price of them, I need to know they fit perfectly.
It was foggy this morning, and apparently the valley is pretty socked in. That’s one advantage of living above the fog and below the snow. 🙂 Temperatures are still cool, though.
We had the polenta lasagna last night, and it was quite good. I have leftovers either for lunch or to freeze. I’ll probably pull some chicken from the freezer for the week and find some sort of recipe to use. Something I can get a few meals out of.
Frida, which Barclay bought last year, won the ugly ornament contest. I just added the green felted dinosaur in the middle of the picture on the right. I may look for some more. These were just Target brand.
My neighbor called and said they transferred him down to Antioch( Kaiser) in the cardio department. He said the tests were still inconclusive, but they were going to do an angiogram.
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Tahoe Girl 