Category Archives: Political things

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cooking, Flylady, home improvement, home stuff, Political things, Uncategorized, Walking by

A nice Sunday walk to wake up the old body!!!!. We get up fairly early 5am or so usually 5:15 and have coffee. Then we go to the park and do 2-4 rounds. Today it was just us and that is always a treat. The Canada Goose families were there too!! The babies are all growing.

Supposedly the kitchen pipe is getting fixed today so that’s a good thing. The next issue is the wood on the foundation is pretty rotted and will need to be replaced. That could be a bigger job than just the pipe. So maybe it’s a good thing the pipe was leaking as we would never have pulled off that siding.

After tidying up I went to the Auburn gym and did weights and treadmill. I was going to go to Safeway as they have corn on sale again but I didn’t feel like it after the gym. Maybe tomorrow. After getting home, I put a chicken in the oven to roast for dinner. I made some coleslaw too.

The yogurt was put in a colander and drained off the whey. So what were 2 quarts of yogurt after draining the whey was one full quart. This method is pretty great and I feel I’ll keep making yogurt this way once a week. I figured out the cost factor to be @ $2.00 for an organic probiotic yogurt quart. The Nancy’s probiotic yogurt I’m using as the starter was $6. So a significant savings.

I moved a few house plants around for summer and probably will need to move some out of the sun room as it gets too hot for them. But since it’s still cooler out, for now their fine.

I’m glad something is happening with the debt ceiling crap but who knows? I’d like to see any of them deal with having to rely on SS to live and then see how fast they do something to change the system. Every Senator and Congress person should be required to live for one month(or more) with $$ xx for one month and see what it’s like. And it should be what the average senior gets which I can’t remember but I think it’s only $1500 or less.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, camping, covid-19, Gratitude, Political things, Uncategorized by

Wow, I’m thankful I feel better today after the booster shot knocked me out. It was the Moderna booster whichI hadn’t had before and it felt like the flu or chemo, take your choice. Since I know both, I’m just glad it’s over. One day is plenty. Today I feel back to normal.

I’m thankful to go to the pool today but will take it easy and not overdo my muscles. since we’ll be in New Brighton next week it’ll be another week of not swimming:( We are planning to find an Anytime gym ( which we have the free membership to) and use it twice. It’s in Santa Cruz so it’ll be a good excuse to go walk the Lighthouse trail and find a coffee.

I’m grateful that the truck’s AC will be fixed but it won’t be done till we’re back so driving thru the valley will be hot probably. It is very weird that this is the 2nd time this same issue with the truck has come up. Supposedly they changed the compressor last time but why would it go out in 2 years( usually they don’t go out) that quick. Then the guy said it would take a week to get the part and I’m thinking from where? China? Slow boat?. Who can’t get parts overnight these days? It’s a dealership?? Oh well, I’m grateful it SHOULD be covered in our warranty.

I’m thankful that’s been some justice done to tRump. It probably doesn’t change his base any but at least it’s something. And also that Santos has been indicted. What a dick. Claiming unemployment while paying himself from his Ponzi scheme. What a low life.

I’m grateful the weather is so beautiful right now and next week looks even warmer. Capitola should be lovely.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, Gratitude, Political things, Uncategorized by

I’m thankful I had the money to order the right Dyson vacuum part the other day since all 4 knock-off filters were defective and actually went flying off the top of my V 8 vacuum. The Dyson filter was $30 and only one as opposed to the knockoffs that were 4 in the package. Oh well, I can use Bender( the robotic vacuum) until it shows up.

I’m very thankful that our daughter is such a help around the yard and does most of the gardening. She’s a librarian and the author of many supernatural books involving gay werewolves and vampires. She’s always been one to make up stories even as a child. Now she’s paid, and pretty handsomely too, to write stories.

I’m grateful that our barn kitties are doing well in the house. They do get to go out to their yard which is fenced and protected from predators. My daughter totally spoils them and even bought a catio for them which attaches to her bedroom window. I also am grateful that Chester found his way here from( we think) the hoarder neighbor’s house. He’s a funny cat and has a big personality.

I’m thankful spring is here and everything is turning green and growing!! We would still like to drive up to Tahoe and see the snow pack but the timing just hasn’t been there. I’m guessing that snow will be around for a while. What a winter!!

Oh, let’s not forget, I am so grateful tRump is indicted and that DA Bragg is a brave man.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgets, California, Political things, Uncategorized by

This week has been relatively frugal since it’s the end of the month and all the bills are done and I didn’t need anything from the store.

I have next month’s budget done and there are some extras on there like more garden soil. Since we have the truck now, we can get a yard of garden soil and it’s way cheaper than getting bags. The weather looks really nice for the next couple of weeks so I’m sure my daughter will want to start getting garden beds ready. She already has lots of tomato starts in the greenhouse.

Today, I’m going to skip the gym and go to Costco. I want to get salad stuff, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, etc. I don’t have a big list but I’m sure it’ll add up. I might add on a few pantry items but I’ll have to see what I need. Then after Costco, we’re going to get an early lunch of some sort. Panera is always a good choice for us and I do love their broccoli cheddar soup.

I’m thrilled that trump has been indicted no matter where it ends up.Finally, something to show he’s not above the law. But regardless, I plan on doing a media break in April. Not a complete break, but very limited like reading the WP for 15 minutes in the morning and that’s it. I feel like I’m somewhat out of balance with something and feel like it might be a good place to start in limiting news, and other media things. I don’t do much with Facebook or Instagram but I still do some and I’ll cut that out too. Maybe it’s I feel out of control with what’s going on in this country, with AR, killing of children, teachers, the insane GOP esp. people like Boebart and Greene. Of course, I know I personally can’t do anything to change what’s going on but I know I am definitely affected by all this tragedy. All the Shit with trans rights, and LGBTQ stuff, book bans just sort of freaks me out. Where as a country are we headed? I know this stuff affects way more than it should so maybe stepping away from reading about will help me gain some perspective. I guess it’s worth trying.

I may also consider not blogging during that time too. April marks my 11th year blogging Tahoe Girl.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cooking, Flylady, home stuff, meal planning, Political things, Uncategorized, Walking by

Another beautiful walk this morning although chilly at 37 degrees. No one at the park but us. It’s always a thrill ( okay that may be an exaggeration)to get there and walk by ourselves. The trees are lovely fall colors and the geese have been around too.

The pie came out really terrific. I might tweak the recipe some and use heavy cream instead of evaporated milk but overall it was delicious. It was soft but after refrigerating it firmed up nicely. I think I will make another next week or maybe pumpkin cheesecake.

This week we are in the Bathroom zone and 1 other room so I’ll probably tidy my office area.

We had one of our dead snags fall over the neighbor’s fence down in the woods so B has been chainsawing that up. We have 2 other dead snags that we’ll need someone to drop. We hadn’t planned on that as they are down on the very lower edge of the property but the neighbor indicated he’d like them down. As long as it is very little $, I’ll do it. If it’s more than $100 no, they can just fall. These trees have been dead for about 7 years from bark beetle so it’s natural that they would eventually fall. Our other 2 neighbors have lost about 12 large trees and supposedly PGE will take them but who knows when? PGE is so backed up with keeping lines clear of trees that it could be a while. These trees are not near any lines so I’m surprised PGE said they’d do it.

I’m not planning any extra cooking today. I’ve pulled a bunch of things from the freezer for the week. Some chicken, frozen lentil soup, spaghetti sauce, and frozen eggs. So I’ll plan some dinners from that.

Tomorrow I plan to go to the gym and Tuesday I have a dental appt. That’s it for this week with probably a swim day Thursday.

Here’s Friday’s pizza. I’m using Tony Gemignani 00 flour and it’s a game-changer for pizza dough. Plus I’m making 1 large batch and dividing it into 4 balls and then freezing it. It’s working great.

Good news for Democrats holding the Senate. At least something positive is happening.

Less anxiety about the elections but still…

Posted in California, cooking, Political things by

Well, at least it was somewhat better than expected but if the GOP controls both House and Senate, I think we’re screwed. sigh^^

I made 2 versions of Tortilla Soup on Tuesday. One with chicken and now vegetarian. What was so great was I made most of it with our own pantry supplies. I used our own onions, garlic, corn from the freezer, my canned tomato sauce, and one jar of the pressure canned black beans. Wow was it good! I used a vegetarian bullion to give the broth a little more depth. Then I fried up some corn tortillas to make crispy strips on top. It was delicious.

This morning I cut up the giant pumpkin I bought at Apple Hill and have that baking. I’m going to puree it and freeze it for pies and pumpkin bread. It’s a very large pumpkin but I’m not sure once it’s baked and pureed how much it will make. Next, I’m cooking the last of the russet potatoes for mashed potatoes which I’ll freeze. Yesterday I made double-stuffed potatoes I baked 14 potatoes and ended up with 14 halves. I mound the potatoes with the filling and that’s why I only end up with 14 halves.

Today is a home day and tomorrow I’ll swim. My son is taking the Santa Fe for the weekend so I won’t go down to the pool on Saturday.

A couple of the Youtubers I watch had just put in Azure orders and showed what they got. Azure is like a buying club that you order from and it’s brought to a drop off place and then you show up and help unload the truck and get your order. I’ve wanted to try it for a few years now so it seemed timely to do it. I prefer always to buy in bulk because 1. I hate stores, and 2. I hate thinking about what I need and would rather have 10 lbs of oats or whatever so I don’t need to think about it for 6 months. So I’ll see how the drop off goes. Any readers out there that use Azure?

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgets, California, cooking, Gardening, Political things, Uncategorized by

It’s been a hot week and it looks like the next 10 days are hot too. I do ok with the heat in the low -mid-nineties but the upper 90s and 100s are hard for me. I don’t want to be outside; even being in the pool isn’t all that great as the air is still stifling. I do all my chores early and then read or do some handwork in the afternoon. This afternoon I’m going to the Farm for a few veggies. I saw they had corn coming in.

I haven’t been to the store this week but B went to Costco after his hearing test and got some things. That ended up $245. Some pantry stuff and then just groceries. Food is costly and I guess will probably stay high for a while. He filled up the truck at Costco gas and that saved some as Costco gas is the cheapest around. All our monthly bills are done and I’ve done a preliminary budget for August.

Oh, I did stop at Walmart after the gym and bought a few capri yoga pants. For some weird reason, Walmart’s cotton leggings always fit my body. Anyway, I needed something that fit and I could use at the gym.

This morning I made a batch of maple granola, and 2 little 4 ounce jars of pesto

for the freezer. If the farm has basil I’ll pick up some and make a few more jars. We don’t use lots of pesto but it is nice in the winter to have. As a matter of fact, we’re having pesto pasta salad for dinner. We considered getting take out but it’s just too expensive for us to buy. I can’t remember the last time we ate out?? hmmm, maybe last spring??

Wednesday I spray washed all the outside windows with the outdoor Windex product. It works really well and there’s no going back to use a squeegee although in the past I did do that. We also have been harvesting the onions and I have some nice looking ones. Onions are hard to grow here but the one bed my daughter did, they grew to a good size. We think the reason was the cardboard that she put down before adding more soil to the bed. There are some more to get in a few other beds but they are quite small and I’m not sure they’re going to grow anymore. We have lots of tomatoes but their still all green.

We watched most of the hearing last night and I’m so over anyone ever supporting trump for anything. He almost destroyed our democracy and is STILL trying to with his ongoing lies that the election was stolen. I loved them showing Josh Hawley running like a scared rabbit in the hallway even though he had fist pumped the armed rioters. Ha, I hope he’s eating s#*t this morning.

Well, off to do whatever is left to do.

Friday things

Posted in budgets, cooking, home stuff, meal planning, Myeloma, Political things, seasonal things by

It’s been a quiet week and also an off week. With the 4th of July on Monday, I didn’t go to the gym and then I didn’t swim Tuesday because I didn’t want to get stuck in the traffic on I-80 with everyone traveling after the holiday. So I went to the gym Wednesday and now it’s Friday and I’ll swim tomorrow. But next week is also messed up because Monday I have my annual eye exam and I’ll get my eyes dilated so I need to drive straight home as my pupils stay dilated for hours. Then Thursday I have Dr. Laptalo, so no gym that day unless I went afterward. It’s always a crap shoot if he’s on time (almost never) or really late ( almost always). So if I don’t leave there till 11, I probably will not want to go to the gym at noon. Some weeks are just like that but I don’t have this happen that often.

I’ve been watching some youtube channels using the All Amerian pressure canner. I’m still undecided. I’d like to be able to can low acid foods( you must pressure can), or just stick with the water bath canning which is what I’ve always done. The canner is quite expensive at @$400, so not a small investment. I guess I’ll keep thinking about it.

The herbs I’ve been drying have come out very nice and quite fragrant so I’ve enjoyed that. This morning I’m making some herbed butter to freeze. I mix the unsalted butter with thyme, parsley, and chives and then roll in a piece of parchment to make a log. It’s nice to have in the winter.

The second batch of bagels I made yesterday came out great.

This is after the overnight fermentation in the fridge.

So using the barley malt syrup is absolutely a game-changer. It gives the bagels a nice chewy texture and delicious flavor. I plan on making these once a week for a while. It is a two-day process with a rise in the refrigerator overnight.

I went to the farm stand yesterday and bought some produce for the week. Beautiful lettuce, spring mix, radishes, cabbage, zucchini, and cucumbers. We’re lucky it’s 5 minutes down the road. I’m hoping to find some peaches this weekend to make some peach jam and maybe a peach pie.

I didn’t do any grocery shopping this week but I may go to Winco tomorrow as we need milk and a few other things. I guess I’ll just see after my swim. So the week has bfarm standeen quite frugal.

Other than that same old same old. It’s still hard to see the news and the horribleness of the Highland Park shootings. It’s really just crazy. Just think, you’re out with your family for the 4th of July to celebrate, and see the parade and then the next minute you’re killed by a crazed murderer with an automatic weapon. When is it going to end and we ban assault rifles. How many more must die.?

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, Political things, simple foods, Uncategorized by

I’ve been really down about the Roe decision. Those states like Mississippi and Texas have so many poor women of color and that’s who’s going to suffer. So awful. There’s an excellent opinion piece in the NYT by Michelle Goodwin, I don’t know if this will copy and paste but basically, she lays out that Alioto is wrong about constitutional precedent on abortion. She herself was raped by HER FATHER, and had to endure his sexual predatory abuse for years. It’s worth reading.

The week other than that has been good except for the heat we’re still having. It’s been 98 now for a few days and looks like it’ll be that at least till Tuesday. We had just a Caprese salad for dinner last night with a piece of homemade sourdough toasted with cheese. Tonight I plan on zucchini fritters with stuffed peppers I have in the freezer I’ll put in the Instapot. The rest of the week, who knows. Maybe some take-out tacos.

I put all the garlic in our closet hanging on nails so it can cure some more. The garden shed was great to dry it but now is too hot to store it so the closet is the only cool dark place I have. Most of the onions I planted with the garlic haven’t done well but the ones in the front garden are doing fine. I hope to get a good harvest from them. No tomatoes yet though although the plants look good. I went out to the farm stand yesterday and picked up lettuce,zucchini,red onions, radishes, and, a bell pepper. We’re lucky to have this farm so close to us and they are doing a great job. It’s called Foothill Roots farm, in Meadow Vista if you want to google it.

I’m loving going to the pool and adding in the weights at the gym. But with gas prices so high, it’s adding to the expense of my $40 membership. I’m hoping gas goes down some. I do get almost 27 miles a gallon in the Santa Fe and my daughter did say I could use her Honda fit which gets almost 50mpg but still it is adding to the cost. So I guess I’ll have to weighhit out.( no pun intended):)

Next Monday is the 4th of July and honestly, I don’t think we have a lot to celebrate. Sad really.

There. Are. NO. Words.

Posted in Political things by

Well, actually, I have plenty of 4 letter words but the pain of seeing 19 children and 2 teachers murdered in a classroom is just too much. When will it end? How about when some politician’s child is murdered in a classroom or an NRA bastard gets his/her children blown away by an AK rifle. Maybe then. Probably NOT.

Our country is so fucked up. Just keep saying thoughts and prayers but don’t try and at least do something about our gun laws. NO ONE needs an assault rifle. NO. ONE.

So fucked up.