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.
I’m happy and grateful that daylight is finally getting longer. Currently, sunrise is at 7:21 am, and sunset is at 5:06 pm. It’s very noticeable, especially in the evening. We have some daffodils coming up, and the yard is full of birds, many of which are migrating birds.
I’m thankful to still feel motivated to drive to the gym and do my strength training. It is a bit of a drive, but the gym is so nice and the equipment excellent. Plus, the library is next door, which for me is a win -win.
I’m thankful as always for the small things in life that bring joy; seeing the ‘priestess moon this morning, noticing the green green grass growing, which makes everything look like Oz, seeing the goldfish come to the surface of our little pond because it’s getting warmer, and many other things that I notice in a day.
I’m thankful for our woodstove, which keeps the house warm. And for my daughter, who is taking care of all the firewood duties that used to be her Dad’s job.
Thankful for home cooking and enjoying the food. Last night we had a roast chicken and a big salad. It was good food. Tonight will be some sort of leftovers.
I’m also thankful to our garbage guy who comes and takes our bin weekly. 🙂
Today is a home day, and I want to get the couch covers washed. The Ikea couch we’ve had for over 10 years is coming to the end of its life. The underpart is all torn up, and the side areas are starting to rip, so I see a trip to Ikea in my future. What I may do is bring in the small loveseat that Barclay and I bought from Marketplace a few years ago. It’s the right color grey, but it’s not a full couch. But it would work temporarily if the Ikea one starts to rip more.
I also want to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.
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.
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’m thankful that what I had wasn’t a cold since I felt a lot better yesterday and today. I think it’s sinus because I still feel a bit of a sinus headache. Yesterday I only took an allergy pill no cold medicene so fingers crossed that’s all it is.
I am thankful I got a beautiful early walk, and I was the only one there. I saw the full moon briefly, but it was already on its way down.
I’m thankful all the bills are accounted for, although, again, there’s not much wiggle room. As long as things are accounted for, I’m ok. I’m still working on paying off the one cc that I had to put some of the big bills on, but I’m getting there. I do hate having a balance, but since I don’t have any backup, that’s what I need to do. I do hope next year I can swing doing cash envelopes for most stuff. I did have the property tax paid from an envelope, and most of the house insurance. So next year, that’s a real priority.
I’m thankful for a warm house. Our wood stove does a nice job, along with some space heaters. We don’t have central heating, so that’s what needs to happen. My daughter bought an oil space heater that looks like a radiator, and we’re experimenting with how well a job it does.
I’m thankful my car is still going great despite it being a 2014. I do hope I can keep it going for a while longer, since I’m not too sure how I’d buy a new( to me) car.
Well, that’s all from mi casa. What things are you grateful for? I’m always interested in peeking into other people’s lives.
I’m thankful for a break in the rain. I woke up to it raining and now at 12noon it finally has stopped. It’s still overcast but not cold.
I thankful my foot isn’t any worse and it feels slightly better.There’s not a lot of pain walking so that’s good. But I still will keep walking to a minimum till I get the Merrills Moab. I do plan on swimming/and the gym but I think that should be ok.
I’m thankful to feel good enough to go to Costco and do the pre Thanksgiving shopping. I got the pie to freeze and the potatoes. It wasn’t a big shop so that was nice. I did pick up a small Lego set for my son’s partner. They love Legos so that’s a good gift.
I’m thankful for all the small things that make up life. Early mornings, walks, coffee, good food, jazz in the afternoon( that was B and my go to every day.) I do miss going out for coffee together and of course taking Rubi out. But I’m grateful we had the time that we did with the trailer. The very first year 2021 ,this time of year, November, we headed down to Santa Barbara. Unbeknownst to us the spot I reserved was the BEST spot in the entire campground as it faced the ocean and was steps from the beach. Good times, and I miss them.
I’m grateful our house is warm and dry. Our neighbors, who are in their 90s, have tarps all over their roof. Just to be clear, they have children and grandchildren that live right near by to help but don’t except to put tarps up. sigh:((
The government has reopened, and hopefully, the services people need will happen quickly!! What a joke for trump, though. Let’s hope this comes back to bite him where it hurts with the LONGEST shutdown ever. Plus the damning Epstein reports. Will it bring him down? Probably not, unfortunately. sigh….
Hip Hip Hooray!!!!! My labs came back and went down!!!! not in the normal range but down 4.5 points to 21!!!! I’m over the moon. So. I get a reprieve for at least another month!!!!
I’ve adjusted quite well to my ResMed CPAP machine. Clearly, I had sleep apnea, and this seems to have relieved ALL the symptoms. As resistant as I was, now I’m glad I persevered. The one I have just has the pillows you put in your nose, so it is not claustrophobic. Overall, I’m pleased that it’s working. I haven’t noticed much difference during the day, though. Supposedly, you are supposed to feel less sleepy, which I didn’t have to begin with. Anyway, there’s an app to use to track sleep and use of the CPAP, and it’s fun to look at it.
Thankful for the pool as always. I went on Veteran’s Day, and holidays are hit or miss. This time was a hit, and I had a lane to myself. It was very nice.
Thankful for my kids helping when they can. I’m hoping my son comes up this weekend to do some stuff, but his partner just had surgery, so he’s been caretaking them. (non binary).
Thankful to be getting a little more organized. I redid my clothes in the closet, since most of B’s are not in there anymore. One side looks good, the other is still a mess. But I plan on working on that today.
I’m thankful that, even though it’s raining, I can use the treadmill to get some steps in. Rain is forecast for the whole day.
It’s been a while since I posted on Thursday, so I thought today would be a good day to do so.
I’m thankful this fall weather is so beautiful. Since I was born in the fall, I think fall is my favorite season. The colors around the yard and almost everywhere are full of yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. We haven’t gotten to planting the Chinese pistachio yet, but this weekend it’ll happen. I’m planning to put some of B’s ashes in the bottom of the hole since this is his memorial tree.
I’m thankful this week I’ve had a nice swim and a workout at the gym. I had to wait a bit for a lane, but then I got the lane nearest the stairs, which is my favorite lane.
I’m thankful, as always, for my two wonderful children. They help me out whenever they can. My daughter has become quite the handy person around here, fixing all kinds of things. The gutter she fixed now works well to drain the water in the right direction. My son comes over and does little things, too. He’s coming over on Saturday to take another load to the dump. This time it’s all the old scrap wood. So I appreciate he takes the time to help out here. I can understand now why people move to condos or just places with no or little maintenance. I know I probably couldn’t stay here if it was just me.
This weekend time changes, and I’m not thankful for that, but I’ll get used to it eventually. I guess it being light earlier will be nice, but dark at 5…(: 😦 It’s currently 6:30 and still dark. I’m going to wait a few more minutes to go for a walk.
I’m thankful that most of the things I’ve had to deal with, like changing me to primary, have been met with support and graciousness from the customer service people. Even changing the AARP was easy enough, and they even sent a sympathy card which was very sweet. Verizon was a challenge, and I didn’t end up changing much because it started to get way too complicated.
I still need to go to the bank to take him off the account, but I will make an appointment to do that. When I talked with them yesterday, the teller was very kind and told me what I needed to bring.
I’m sure there are a few outliers that still need to be dealt with, but that can come later.
I’m so thankful my LLS is back and I can give a sigh of relief that my UHC insurance will be covered. They increased my premium because it’s only me now.
The reality check is at our ages,72 and 74, there was no life insurance, no CDs to fall back on, no IRAs, no massive savings, just SS. The reality is we were never in a position to be able to have that kind of money. We really just got by. After my myeloma diagnosis in 2005, I couldn’t work at anything major, but when I got my little library job in 2007, that boosted my SS points, and that was the reason for doing that to some extent. Besides, I loved that job.
Fortunately, even with still having a mortgage, SS was enough to get by on. The reality of losing almost 1/3 of SS is tough, but I’ve mostly figured it out, and some bills are lower. This summer we’re watering way less and don’t have a vegetable garden( Barclay was starting to go downhill in the spring), and no one felt like gardening. So our water bill is less. Ditto with our Verizon bill because I cancelled his phone. Since my son is using the truck for now, he’s giving me money for that, which helps.
I've been married for nearly 20 years to a wonderful husband and I'm a mom to three great kids ages 17, 16 and 14. Oh, and I just happen to have cancer. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the blood that is currently incurable but IS considered highly treatable! My goal is to make people laugh, cry or feel a little less alone whether you are a mom, cancer patient or BOTH!
Tahoe Girl 