We had a fun visitor in the yard yesterday. Big Bird!!
Mr Peacock lives down the hill from us but spent the day here in the front yard.
Today I plan on going to the gym and then home to do some house stuff. Tomorrow I have labs, so I’ll be leaving early and won’t have a chance to do my Monday reset. Hopefully, Dex will have done its magic and keep my numbers stable.
My son was over Friday night and spent most of Saturday doing stuff around here. He mowed and cleaned out the barn some more. He also took a load(another one) to the dump, and then he went up to his friends to get a truck full of firewood. Whew, I hope he didn’t overdo it. My daughter also did a bunch of mowing and weed-eating. This time of year, it’s hard to keep up with the grass growing. He’s a great thrift store shopper and found me a lovely Japanese print framed for $5.00. I’ll have my daughter hang it and then take a picture.
I went out and got gas in the VW. It was $5.15 a gallon in Auburn. Then I hit up the thrift store to use my credit and found ( I hope) an ice cream maker that works for 12.99. I actually tested it in the store, and it turned on so we’ll see. I plan on doing a simple vanilla to check it out. It’ll be fun if it works to do seasonal flavors like peach and strawberry.
We’ve been eating some rice and beans and pulled pork for the last few days, plus salad stuff. Tonight I’ll do a big salad and something from the freezer souper cubes. I need to work on a menu plan or at least an outline for the week. I know tofu will be on the menu as I have a few packs.
I woke up to rain and did not walk. I may use the treadmill later just to get some steps in.
Yesterday, though, was really nice and sunny for most of the day. My son took the day off and came up to weed eat, and he also did a bunch of tidying up in our driveway. Later, we got sandwiches at the store and had a nice chat. He’s a great person. He said his work schedule will be busy with a trip to San Diego and then his annual board meeting. He’s so lucky to have a job he loves as is my daughter.
My daughter wrote a novella for a contest with Wattpad. She let me read it, and wow, it was great. It’s a historical fiction set in 1926 in Philadelphia and is about a young gay artist. I encouraged her to, at some point, expand on it and self-publish or try to find a publisher, as it is that good.
Today, I’m staying home, unless I go to town to get some $ for my envelopes for the week. I need to get gas in the VW, too, so I could do that as well. I’ll see how the morning goes.
I got the new tag for the Santa Fe yesterday, and then I realized I hadn’t gotten the tags for the VW. I went back and double-checked that I paid it and what date that was. So it was March 12. We can only assume either it got lost in the mail or was stolen from our box. Our mailbox is on the street and accessible if someone wants to do that. Most of my mail comes to the PO Box, but the DMV is in her name, and she gets her mail at the street box. So I got online and ordered a replacement. I was pissed I had to pay $28 for it. My daughter suggested we get a locking mailbox for the street, so I think I’ll check Amazon for that. She’s also had 2 things recently that she ordered that said delivered, but weren’t in the box. So either the post office is screwing up, or someone is taking mail out.
I might switch out my meal plan tonight for beet soup. I had bought some beets at Winco and haven’t used them, so since it’s raining, it might be a good soup night. I grew up eating borscht and have memories of my great-grandmother BaBa eating borscht in her apartment in the Lower East Side of NYC.
I probably will start another sourdough loaf today, too. The cranberry pecan is now my favorite!!
That’s mostly due to the cost of having the trust redone in my name. It’s actually reasonable at $300 plus county recorder fees. It should be done late next week. I’m not sure it was all that necessary but I feel better knowing it’s done.
We had incredible thunder and lightning last night and a huge amount of rain. It’s over for now, and only a sprinkle is happening.
Update: it’s pouring down rain.!!!
I decided to go to the pool and not the gym. I really would like to up my swimming. I popped over to Winco and spent $60, but $10 was on wine. I’m not sure where my grocery total is, but I think it’s low. I just did a rough tally, and I’m at $300 with another week or so to go. Some of that was Costco and long-term food items, so that evens out the costs.
I was able to throw a few extra dollars on the cc, so that felt good. Probably by the time I catch up, the next round of annual bills will show up. sigh:( Oh well, such is life at this point.
I’ve been using the new Rubbermaid containers, and I really like them. I can see what is inside each one. I did a bunch of food prep yesterday and used them. What I haven’t been using is the Chef Preserve that I bought. It’s like a hand-held vacuum sealer. I’ll probably see if I can sell it on Marketplace. The idea is great, but the usage is not so much. That’s ok, I’m all about trying new things when it seems like it will help. It wasn’t expensive, costing about $60. still …
That’s about it on the frugal side of things. How is your frugal life going? Where do you save money?
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.
The park was nice this morning. I was the only one. I’ve been getting there at 6:30, so it’s not dark at all, but light enough to walk without a flashlight. Sunrise is 6:51 am, so very light.
Yesterday was a busy day. My daughter took down the shelf in the closet( our only closet) and repositioned it, and raised up my clothes bar.
It’s much more accessible now, and there’s plenty of room under my clothes for some banker’s boxes. The other side still needs some reorganizing. I keep my canning jars there, Christmas stuff, and 4 baskets that hold my clothes( undies, socks, workout pants. I’d like to get all the Ball jars together and put them on my Ikea shelves, which serve as my pantry, but I’d have to rearrange to make that happen.
I’ll spend some time today organizing that. I’m planning on giving away another case of quart ball jars. I might get out the paint( Benjamin Moore Simple White) and touch up the walls.
I also took down one of the velvet curtains and put up the summery ones. I had to iron them first and only got one pair done, so today I’ll iron the other one.
I made up a cabbage salad from Ella Mills new cookbook. We didn’t have it last night, but we will tonight. She’s a vegan but her recipes are quite good and I got some good ideas from it.
I’ll take some after photos if I remember.
I plan on going to the Auburn gym this morning and then dropping off a load at Goodwill. These days, I don’t have huge amounts, as most of my decluttering is done. But there’s always something.
This coming week is my Velcade and, of course, back on Dex. I guess we’ll see if it drops my kappa number, and then we’ll know that dex is important in my treatment plan. I’ll just have to relax with the dex and not go anywhere. 🙁
I think I’ll try to at least get a swim in. After Velcade, I could go to the gym to do weights, but I’ll wait and see how I feel. Other than that, it’s a normal week.
We are in the midst of absolutely beautiful weather. Temperatures in the 70’s and next week will be even warmer. Global warming is certainly upon us. I don’t know if I remember such an early spring or these temperatures.
I checked on my eye drop prescription, and it was going to be $200, so I cancelled it and asked ChatGPT about alternatives, and there is one for about $40. So I will need to call the doctor’s office tomorrow and see if they can put an order in for me. There is no way I can afford $200 for a prescription.
I had a nice walk with my son yesterday. We went to the ‘rich’ people’s development that has walking trails that are open to the public. It’s much hillier than the park, but I did a bit. These houses are 2 million and up, and they’re part of a golf course community. Not my style, but the trails are paved and nice.
I started watching Scarpetta on Prime. So far, I like it. It stars Nicole Kidman. It’s based on the books.
As usual, I haven’t decided if I’m going to the gym this morning. I was out in town yesterday, so I may just stay home and chill. Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment, so I know I’ll be out and about. Sometimes that decides it for me, as I don’t like going out every day.
For next week, I plan to swim at least once and then go to the Mahany gym at least once. I have books at the library on hold, too. I also plan to shop at Costco for a few things that are on my list: flour, Dawn Power Wash, and some misc. I wanted to get a bottle of champagne to take with us to Capitola. There is a Costco in Santa Cruz, but I’d rather not go there if I can help it, so we’ll just bring it with us.
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’m thankful my shot went quickly and easily. I was out of there by 8:50. I was joking with the nurses about not having to take Dex. It is going to be interesting to see how I feel without it and then how my numbers react. I’ll be prepared that they might go up without the Dex.
I went to Costco and got a few things, and then cashed out the rest of my rewards money. Not a lot, but it’s nice to have cash in my wallet. I really like using the Costco credit card and getting this cash reward.
I’m pretty thankful I was able to figure out the whole insurance thing on the Triumph. Since I’m not ready to sell, I still need it covered for theft or fire, and Geico was cancelling my insurance due to the fact that I’m not a rider. So I asked AI Gemini, and I got good advice to check with Progressive, and sure enough, they were able to write me a policy as a non-rider. Even better, it was only 75 dollars for the whole year. Of course, that’s because I’m not a rider, so if my son decides to take the motorcycle class and I put him on, it’ll be way higher. But first things first.
I’m thankful it’s sunny out, even if it is cold. There is a brisk wind, so it’s making it feel colder.
Yesterday, I went to the gym and the library. I got a couple of books to read. I haven’t started them yet, so I can’t say yet, but I’ll give them a try. Then I went over to Winco and did a small shop. I wanted some navy beans and molasses to make some Maine Beans from a cookbook I have. I also got some salad mix and a few other salad things.
Then I came straight home. Today, I’m staying home since tomorrow I need to go to Roseville for infusion. I want to wash the cat blankets and do a few odds and ends of tidying. Plus, I need to mop the floors. I’ve been using the iRobot vacuum almost daily, and it does a great job. But I still need to mop. So that’s on the agenda.
Tomorrow, after infusion, I plan to go to Costco, mostly to get a few things but to cash my rewards. It’s not a lot, but it’s something, and then I don’t need to go get extra cash. I still need to fill some envelopes, but I generally don’t have too much extra to do that. Some envelopes are more important than others, such as fun vs auto maintenance. So I’ll keep adding what I can to the important ones.
I had a nice visit with my son yesterday as he came up after work. He has a regional meeting in Chico today and tomorrow, so he’ll be gone. He expressed some interest in taking the motorcycle class at Sierra College, and then he could use the Triumph. In reality, he could just have it, and I’d sign it over. Although the insurance would probably be higher. So it’s something to consider. Although I’d worry about accidents because with motorcycles, 99% of the time, it is other drivers.
We did chat about the whole camping thing. He doesn’t see the van idea working, and probably he’s right. I think after my daughter and I go down to Santa Cruz at the end of the month and I get to go to New Brighton Beach, I’ll be able to judge whether hotels may be what I do 3-4 times a year. I would like to plan some longer trips that Barclay and I never got to, and one was going over to the Oregon coast. So if we do hotels, in a way that would be easier than trailering. I guess I still miss the whole experience of sleeping in my own bed, cooking my own food, etc. Plus, waking up at a campground is very different than waking up in a hotel. Adjustments, changes, and being open are probably what I need to focus on.
