Category Archives: covid-19

Anything new?

Posted in California, cooking, covid-19, prepper pantry, Uncategorized by

No, not really. It’s just same ole same old.

On Monday we went down to Winco, which is @ a 25-minute drive. We went early like at 6:15 am. It was fairly empty and we got everything I was after for the prepper pantry. Extra pasta, salsas, instant potatoes, and lots of other stuff to put out in the barn where the prepper pantry lives. We have stainless steel restaurant shelves out there and I’m using bins to put things in. The bins are to keep things clean and to keep bugs or other things out. We haven’t had any problems out there in a while but better to err on the side of caution. Some things I don’t keep in bins like the canned goods. Plus we will need to be rotating stuff into the house so some stuff I want to be able to see. I have labeled most everything. There’s a little more to do but mostly it’s done.

In the house, I have my closet pantry and then in the kitchen, I have some wine crates dedicated to canned goods as well. Overall, I’m happy with what I’ve done. I think if I planned meals, I have at least 3 months worth at this point.

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I’m still spending ALOT on food but as it is prepper pantry stuff, I feel okay about it. I have a very bad feeling about what the second wave of Covid-19 will bring. People are going a little crazy going out and so many are not wearing masks. Go figure.

Tomorrow I will go to my eye doctor’s appt. I’m planning on wearing a mask. This is my annual eye exam and my macular pucker scan. I probably should do the surgery but honestly, I don’t want to deal with it. I can’t really see out of my right eye but my left compensates so I guess for the time being ( unless it’s worse) I live with it.

It’s really hot here for the next few days so the coolers are in the windows. By Saturday though the temperatures are expected to drop again. last year at this time I was driving to Sacramento every day and it was also a heatwave. By the time I was in the RV it was sweltering.  So I guess its par for the course.

I made a chocolate cake last week.

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It was very chocolatey… I ended up freezing half as we weren’t eating it all.

Our daughter’s birthday is Friday. Wow, 35 years ago!!! We were so happy!! And had waited a long time for her. We’d been married 15 years so, a pretty long time to wait for a kiddo!!

 

Frugal Friday

Posted in cooking, covid-19, Uncategorized by

We didn’t walk this morning. I just didn’t feel like getting up and going right out.  Kinda weird. and definitely not me. Oh well, it’s good to mix it up some.

I had applied for the Covid-19 LLS grant of $250. I received the Visa card and used that for groceries so that was a huge saving.

I am getting my first Instacart order today. I’m supposed to keep my phone with me so I guess I’ll turn on the ringer so I can hear if the shopper calls me. I’ll update once I get the order and let you know how it is or was. It definitely was NOT frugal and there is a tip which I hope was enough. I’m guessing they get paid to shop and gas so the tip is on top?? Anybody have an idea about the tip? I did 10%which was hefty.

Our county( Placer) is opening up certain things soon. I’m against opening anything too soon and won’t be going out to stores. I canceled my gym membership as I can’t see myself going back before next year or whenever there is a vaccine.  I’m not a shopper so except for Target, Home Depot, and the store I don’t really go into stores. So I’ll keep doing curbside pickup.

I made a yummy pasta salad for dinner last night with grilled chicken, bowtie pasta, artichoke hearts, olives, and a salad mixed in. It was good. I always leave the chicken on the side so B doesn’t get it in his. Tonight is supposed to be pizza night but I’m going to use stuff from the freezer. I have one frozen pizza and maybe do some bruschetta with tomato on the side. I’m trying a different No-Knead bread recipe today. It’s the NYT one. So far I’ve done the King Arthur one and the original Jim Leahey’s. They’re all basically the same but a little variation.

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The Cecil Brunners are amazing this year. They always come out for Mother’s Day.

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Another view.

 

Beltane, May 1st.

Posted in Blood test, California, cancer, cooking, covid-19, husband, meal planning, minimalism, Uncategorized by

We always try and have a Beltane fire on or near May 1st. In cross-quarter on the Celtic Calendar, it’s the beginning of summer. Burning away the old and planting for the new. It is between the Spring Equinix and the Summer Solciste. We had a fire the night before so that was good enough. We might have one tonight if we sit out.

This week I finished reading Jane Austin’s ‘Emma’. 500 pages of Jane Austin and it was astonishingly good. We have all the JA’s in Easton Press editions. I also reread a couple of e-books. I like the author Meg Wolfe. She used to have a great minimalist blog that I really enjoyed but I guess having written 5 books in this series took all her time. The first is the ‘Uncollected Death’. Charlotte Anthony is downsizing and is commissioned to write the memoir of a woman who then is murdered. There are 4 other books in the series which I’ve read but this one is my favorite.

I’ve moved most of my house plants( and there’s a lot), out to the sun porch. I’m going to see how they summer over out there. It does get hot out there so I’ll have to see whether this is a good option.Then I moved all the LP’s under the Heywood Wakefield so they are near the turntable. I’ll see how this works too.  That freed up a wood crate I had so I may use that somewhere else. Mostly, I’m trying to reduce visual clutter in my office room/space.  I have the one wall with Grateful Dead LP covers framed, and our Woodstock original Life magazines framed, B’s Bob Dylan poster and my favorite Star trek poster. It’s all colorful and pleasing to the eye but I wouldn’t want to add to it.

We’re doing really well food /pantry wise. I finally was able to get Costco to deliver toilet paper here although they are 14 days out for delivery. We have enough though. Plus the other big thing is coffee. We all drink coffee so we go thru  a lot. So I ordered 2 Starbucks French roast as it is on sale. It’s still cheaper to go in to the store( Costco) to get it but that would mean going into the store. So it’s worth it for now to pay the extra $5.00.

I haven’t been too creative with cooking. Mostly just cooking to get by. We even didn’t do Friday night pizza because no one wanted pizza. So we had the frozen manacotti I did a week ago. It was good. I did try making a sourdough focaccia and it was ok. Not great but I think I will try a different recipe and see how that goes.

Speaking of Costco, I checked Instacart/Costco and it looks like I can get delivery here so I may try that when I need the next round of stuff. But for now we’re good.

This morning after our walk I went into the Holiday Market an got enough fresh stuff for the week and they had tofu so that was exciting.

Next week Barclay has to go down to UCD med center to see the doctor because he needs his port flushed and another IVG infusion. I’ll just sit in the car and read although this time I may go for a walk.Last time I didn’t but I think it should be ok.

I also had my Zoom video appt with my doctor and it was quick and easy. We’re in agreement that starting treatment while the pandemic is going on is not a good idea. But we did agree when my kappa light chains get to @ 500 then that will be a good place to start. It really depends on how quickly the cancer cells start to activate. This last time it only went up 18 points so  that was quite a bit less than the time before. Really it’s just a waiting game. I’m not happy about but WTF. Not much you can do. So we shall see. it’s out there in the future somewhere.

A few pictures from around the yard

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This time of year in May everything is nice and green and so pretty. My daughter does an amazing job as gardener!

Friday Stuff, not Frugal

Posted in Blood test, budgets, cooking, covid-19, Uncategorized by

We have baby chicks. They just showed up this morning. We ordered 10 Leghorns. I wanted Bardrock but they weren’t sexted. If you get them non -sexted you will end up with some roosters. Roosters are kind of a PITA really.  Anyway, since we’ve decided to not do the camping trips at least till August, I figured we would be here at home and we might as well get chickens. I really like chickens and they are interesting birds. Plus they do keep bugs at bay and also snakes. Of course, you don’t get eggs for 4-5 months but that’s ok.

Then, let’s see, yesterday was Barclay’s IVG infusion. We got there by 10:30 and the parking lot was pretty empty and the freeways were not too bad at all. I waited in the car reading on my iPad, looking at the news, sending a few texts and trying to nap. He was done by 2 pm so long but not bad. We were home by 3 pm.

My son cooked us a nice dinner of homemade mac and cheese and roasted asparagus. It was nice not to cook. Tonight is pizza night and the dough is in the fridge doing a sow rise.

I ordered 25 lbs of flour and it should be delivered today. This is Central Milling which I usually get at Costco but they are out and I’m not going there anyway for quite a while.

I’ve had yeast in the freezer and when I went to use it it didn’t really puff up so I may have to track down some fresh yeast but in the meantime, the pizza dough was doing an ok rise.  The yeast is supposed to be good for a year in the freezer so maybe it’s just been in there a little too long.

I have spent A LOT OF MONEY on supplies. I’m just going to call this emergency food stores.  Since March 3 when I went to Winco/Costco I’ve spent over $1000 in bulk foods, pantry foods, regular store stuff and more. Most of it will last a long time as it can be used over the coming months but still, it’s a little frightening to see what I’ve spent.  Next week I will go early to our local store for milk and some fresh stuff and wine if we need it.   I did check out some of the wine delivery services but it’s more expensive than I want.  I also was checking out Instacart for delivery but so far I wasn’t that impressed.  Maybe I look at it next week. For now we at set.

 Next week starts almost a month of being home and honestly, I don’t see it changing up soon. I’m certainly not going out to just be out.  I have my labs next week and then both my dental appts are postponed and my eye exam. I haven’t canceled my oncology appt yet and that’s not till he end of April but if my labs aren’t shocking and it’s still just going up I’ll message him and say how bout next month.

Be safe and stay home!

Like an episode of ‘Survivors’

Posted in California, covid-19, Flylady, home stuff, Uncategorized by

If you’ve never seen the BBC show ‘Survivors,’ you should. It’s a group of people that find each other after a pandemic that has wiped out almost everyone. They are all very different and the story is interesting.  But this morning the one scene I’m remembering is when some of them go out to find any grocery store to get stuff. Well, my son and daughter drove out to go to Grocery Outlet this morning. It was weird. I said be careful, wear your mask, don’t talk to anyone….. slightly paranoid right?  I hope they make it back.  ( Just kidding):)

We did a nice walk and no one was there this morning. I have to say reading the WP about people going to NParks and the beaches just totally gets me upset. What is wrong with people? This is a pandemic, not a time to invade coastal towns so you can walk on the beach.

This week Flylady has 2 zones the Living room, and then the entryway. Both are relatively easy for me and I’ll do the LR zone this morning. I did get my beeswax candle order. Yes, it is a necessity as I light these every night. The order is 4 pairs for $40. I also got a Thai soup order( sort of like ramen). My daughter and I both like ramen for breakfast so this will be nice.

I think my Costco order for laundry soap is supposed to show up tomorrow. Definitely not 2-day shipping but more like 7 days out. Still, I will need laundry soap so we’ll be set.

Barclay is outside doing a burn pile of leaves and twigs so that should keep him busy for a while. Plus it is nice to get those outside chores done.

Keeping on…

Posted in California, cooking, covid-19, Myeloma, prepper pantry, Uncategorized by

Things are still in lockdown in California, for which I am grateful. Gov. Newsome is doing a great job of keeping ahead of things with basically shutting everything down. I honestly don’t get the Trumpers hating him so much when all he is doing is trying to take care of California. The negative comments on the local the newsfeed on Facebook are nuts.  Crazy!!

Since I’m an introvert and don’t go out to movies or things often it hasn’t bothered me to be home except maybe going out for coffee.

The park has posted signs to walk 6 feet apart and the playground is now taped off. I’m guessing the park is getting overwhelmed with people trying to just get outside. Since we walk early there is only the new dog walker guy and he walks very fast and not near us. He’s been coming for about a month now. Many people over the 8 years I’ve walked there have come and go. It changes with the seasons too. Lots more people as the weather gets nice. So we always start backing it up and going earlier. In summer even 5am is not too early.

I made some more oatmeal chocolate chip cookies yesterday and they are almost gone today. Humm…rationing  next??  We had fun individual pizzas last night although my son said each person was supposed to top their own. I did it because nobody was coming in to do it.

Tonight I’m making some chicken tenders with pasta on the side. I  think I even have some Quorn chicken tenders for B. I don’t have any salad stuff but I do have chard in the garden I can use.  Oh, BTW, Amazon prime has Julia Child’s the French cook original on and it is so fun to watch. It’s in black and white which is too bad since you can’t’ see the browning and sauteing she describes. I’ve actually learned a thing or two and I wonder how much I saw originally as her style of cooking is similar to mine although she is maybe a little more strict. Anyway, check it out as it’s fun.

I haven’t really started any projects except working on notes for a “prepper” pantry. I was trying to move away from stockpiling but now, no way.  If anything I’m going full throttle. Yesterday, I ordered from Mountain house which does freeze-dried stuff.  They didn’t have the #10 cans I wanted( all sold out) but they did have some servings of 2-3 available. I bought some to try and of course, they really last forever probably.  I’ll give an update when they arrive. Also, I’ve ordered from Costco, but they are sold out on most things and some they are not shipping to my zip code right now. I wanted a case of Rosarita’s beans but that’s not available as of yet. I’ll do a write up down the road when I get it together.

I need to schedule my labs for next week or maybe the following week. I don’t see Dr. Laptalo till the end of April and even then if things are only the same( my numbers going up but still not starting treatment), I’ll ask to just pass on seeing him physically.

BTW, Finnie seems to be doing better and eating a little more. I’m still not sure how long he will last but at least there has been an improvement.

Oh, and I think we are going to get some chicks as we know we’re not going traveling anytime soon so we will be home to take care of them.  I may order online so as to avoid the feed store though.

Well, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

 

What we’ve been up to.

Posted in camping, cooking, covid-19, Uncategorized by

Fortunately, my son Zephyr is able to work at home. It’s a bit of a challenge as he does video production but he’s managing.  Sachi is able to also do the library stuff online too which is mostly ‘chatting’ with students about research stuff.

I’ve read 4 ebooks in the last week. It’s a new author and character I really like.

Here’s the link. 

 The character Emma is an FBI agent who’s really good at what she does. The books are paced well and the mystery is good.  Now what?? I’ll have to see what else I can download.

The weather hasn’t been good enough to work in the yard but maybe in a few days. Everyone is getting a bit of cabin fever I think.

Our pantry is still well-stocked but I am waiting on an order from Costco for laundry soap and dishwasher soap. Both were supposed to be 2-day delivery but it’s now day 4 and it hasn’t shipped yet. We don’t really want to hit up Costo so I guess I wait and see.

I canceled our camping trip to New Brighton in April. I just don’t think everything will reopen by then and even so, it’s probably just too risky. Disappointing to say the least.

We had tacos last night and tonight is kinda freezer cleanout. I have some spanokopita to use up. I’ll make a salad with the last lettuce I have. I’ll probably need a store run for some fresh stuff by Monday.  Maybe I’ll go Sunday or Safeway has the senior time Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I could do that.

the sun is peaking out so that’s a good sign that it might end up a sunny day.

 

Simple Simple Sunday

Posted in cooking, covid-19, Uncategorized by

Well, life certainly has slowed down for most everyone. It’s such an interesting phenomenon that I’m sure sociologists will be studying this period of time for many decades to come.

We’ve been taking our morning walk and in the afternoon just walking around the property. I’m planning on walking down our hill to the mailbox or even the post office when I get up the gumption to tackle the hill coming back up. It’s about a 45degree angle so quite steep.

This week is the bedroom zone. I took down the velvet curtains and put up the light white ones from Ikea, washed the windows, dusted and watered the plant in there. I think I’m going to hang out the quilts in the sun today too.  It is supposed to rain again but today is sunny and nice.

Some meals I’ve been making:

  • turkey chili with white beans plus some cornbread and a big green salad
  •           pizza that was a sourdough crust(and quite good, I might add) with sausage, mushrooms, peppers, and pineapple
  •         buckwheat crepes with fruit
  •         penne pasta with chicken sausage,  spinach, and cheese.
  •         Next week:
  •         Brinner
  •         Grilled chicken with potatoes and a vegetable
  •         Tofu burgers
  •         ????

Well,  all in all, a nice day.

It’s all too much…

Posted in covid-19, ikea, Uncategorized by

Well, no Frugal Friday here. It’s more like  WTF Friday. Hey, that’s catchy!

Really, I ‘m not sleeping very well and actually took an Ativan to sleep the other night. I

rarely do that and I guess the stress is building.

We had a nice walk though, this morning and then I went into our Holiday Market. There was no bread( I didn’t need any anyway), no pasta, sauces, no flour, etc, no regular milk. But I actually got what I needed which was maple syrup, sliced cheese, applesauce, tortillas, organic milk, and some other stuff. I wore a mask in the store as well as gloves. The clerks were very with it and asked did I want them to use gloves and I said yes. So they are being very proactive.  That should be the last shop I need for at least the next 2-3 weeks.

Everywhere in California, there is a mandatory ‘shelter in place’. I think it’s a good thing at least for the next 2 weeks. It is scary though, to think about this in the larger picture.  We still have our reservations for New Brighton in April but we will cancel as the California park system is shut down anyway. That’s disappointing as we missed last year and now it looks like this year too. Oh well, can’t be helped.

I even saw Ikea is closed so that’s something.

Finnie is still doing poorly. My daughter did take him to the vet and he’s on antibiotics, but he’s not eating and I’m guessing he’s not long for this world. Really upsetting since we’ve lost all our pets in the last 8 months. They were old but still. I still hope Finnie can pull-thru.

I’ve been freshening my sourdough starter from the fridge and it looks good. I used some to make some dough for pizza tonight so we’ll see how it rises to the occasion.

I’m not sure when I’ll do another post. I feel deflated about everything.  But I’ll post when I get back in the mood.

 

This is all very weird.

Posted in covid-19, Flylady, Uncategorized, Walking by

So we are home and not going out. I guess since it rained all day yesterday and right now it’s snowing I guess that’s ok.

My son was told to work from home. And my daughter is a librarian at Sierra college so I’m assuming they will tell her today to work remotely.

Our last kitty, Finnie, is sick with what seems like a cold but we can’t take him to the vet as it’s too risky for us so I hope he can recover on his own.  It would almost be too much if he dies on us.

I emailed my sister in Connecticut who has lung disease and she’s on quarantine as it’s very dangerous for her. She sounded good though. Her family is huge so hopefully, the grandchildren aren’t coming over.

We walked yesterday a little and then it starting pouring so we cut it short. I really needed to get out and walk so that was too bad. I will try again today if it’s pouring or snowing or whatever.

B has labs tomorrow so he needs to call and make sure he can go in to do them. He’ll need to glove up and put a mask on though.

This week is the bathroom zone if you want to follow Flylady. I had B clean the air vent and that was needed. I also cleaned as best I could behind the clawfoot tub. I can’t really reach it so I rubber banded a washcloth to a Swiffer thing and that seemed to work.

Still raining right now so no walk yet.:(