Category Archives: reading

Book review: ‘Still Here’by Lara Vapnyar

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http://www.bloggingforbooks.com/books/view/9781101905524

‘Still here’ by Lara Vapnyar is about 4 Russian friends who all immigrate to NYC to start new lives. I liked the characters in their own way but the story just didn’t really grab  me.

Vica is married to Sergey and have a troubled marriage. She’s a radiological tech and he’s in finance but can’t hold a job.  He ‘s trying to create this app ‘Virtual Grave’ so as to keep the digital stuff a person did in life ‘alive’. Really he wants to just make a lot of money, as creating apps do that if they’re in the market. The other  friends are Regina, and Vadi. Regina is married to a hugely successful man who happens to develop Apps. Vadik is a computer programmer who works there.

It weaves in and out of their lives and their issues.

I would call the book fair. It’s not very compelling and the plot is just the problems in their lives and how they deal with them.

If you like social media issues and the relationship issues, you’ll like this book.

This book was given to me by bloggingfor books.com in exchange for my honest opinion!

 

Dutch oven camp cooking

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Lodge camp dutch ovenlodge-camp-dutch-oven-deep.jpg

 

So after reading the cute Frannie Shoemaker series,where they camp in an RV and cook with a dutch oven, I’ve gotten it in my head to cook with a dutch oven when we go to Tahoe in August. So I ordered one on sale from William Sonoma. It’s quite heavy and I have lots of recipes to try. I still need to get the lid lifter, tongs for the charcoal, and gloves.  I want to try some at home first and test it out. It looks like a lot of fun. Plus, I like to have my dinner prep done by 4pm or so and this way I can get stuff in the dutch oven and let it cook. Most of the recipes are for meat but I will try and shift some to vegetarian. I think like, enchiladas, rice veggie casserole, maybe cheesy potatoes.  I will do chicken and beef too but will need a veggie dish as well. Breakfast can be hash brown casserole and then I can do bacon on the side.

I went back to Costco yesterday for a few more things, organic beef, lettuce, OXO, and ?? spent too much overall, but I won’t need to go back for a while. I love  getting the coupon stuff as it makes the price even cheaper than the already less price. Sor some people buying the larger quantity is not worth it but I love not having to think about toothpaste for 6 months or knowing I have 6 cans of black olives. It just makes my life simpler.  As I’ve mentioned before, as far back as 1975 we were buying in bulk from the local co-op and a store named Mother Truckers in North San Juan, CA. It still exists today and is still going strong. We even use to buy are shampoo in bulk. I don’t do that anymore but I do buy the large shampoo and rinse at Costco especially when it’s on coupon. So all in all same concept.

I’m reading a historical fiction about Anton Chekhov called‘The Summer Guest’by Alison Anderson.    So far , interesting.

Dinner is ??? I’ll either get the dutch oven set up if I can get the lid lifter today or put something in the crock pot. I have a chicken I can cook plus a salad. I may go to our local CSA farm as I saw they had tomatoes. I look forward to our tomatoes but theyre not quite ready.

Monday morning

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We are having lovely cool weather at least for a few more days, then back to the high 90’s. But it’s been very nice. this morning everyone’s’ off working so I blanched 8 ears of corn and then cut off the cob and froze. We don’t eat a lot of corn but I do like to add it to soups and stews.  Then I made organic long grain white rice for dinner tonight. Using the rice maker is a game changer. If you don’t have one run to Costco and get one. It makes perfect rice every time ,white, brown etc. Tonight I’m making fried rice with veggies and left over pork kabobs ( tofu for the veggie).

I’ve been looking up dutch oven camping recipes and I think it’s going to be fun to cook with a dutch oven. It’s sorta a slow cooker for camping. I sure I’ll burn a few meals, but I’ll try not to. So far, I know I’ll do a breakfast one, chili, a chicken one and  biscuits.  I hope the Lodge dutch oven shows up today. I ordered from Williams Sonoma and quite unhappy with their delivery. No tracking even though it says track your order. Nothing comes up. I sent them an email saying WTF, it’s the 21st century , surely you can track a package to a PO box.  Anyway…

The doggies are adjusting well but one of them still isn’t getting the no peeing at night .These are older dogs and should be completely trained  but now if they keep this up no coming in the house when it gets cold. For now, they’re on the sun porch but in winter that’s not insulated so either they figure it out or that’s where they’ll be.  I’m not having dog pee or poo in the house.

I’ve read some good books lately, I have to get the titles since I don’t pay attention to them to much. oh wait, one was ‘‘Britt-Marie was here’.  an interesting book about a woman,63, who finds herself ‘divorced ‘and forced to find work. Plus she’s OCD and some of it’s pretty funny.  There was another one, but the title eludes me.

I haven’t felt super great since off Velcade but I feel good and my eyes are or seem to be getting better. We have been walking 30 minutes so that’s better. Still ,feel a need to lay down around 1 or 2pm. Maybe it’ll get better. And I still have some GI issues that seem to happen . not sure what to do about that since it’s often without rhyme or reason.  One day I’ll be fine , poof the next dayI ‘m in the bathroom  3-4times. I am concerned about camping next month so I might check on getting that prescription some people use for diarrhea . I use Immodium but sometimes that makes me feel bloated and then it doesn’t always work completely.  Oh well, it’s so nice to be off Dex ,I think that’s the biggest thing no swinging up and then back down.

Well, off to the day.

 

 

Thursday Budget stuff

Posted in budgeting, budgets, cooking, reading, Uncategorized by

IMG_0009Before June budget stuff here’s a picture of Donner Lake.IMG_0014And here’s another. It’s very warm here in Northern California with not a lot of change over the next week. Tomorrow and Saturday are even hotter. So we will need to put in our window air conditioners. This will raise our electric bill but it’s too hot not too use them.

Yesterday’s doctor visit was quite good. We decided not to do a maintenance of every 2 weeks for now. Also, I won’t see him for 2 months but will get monthly labs to see what’s going on.  I’m sure this is a gamble but I think if I have the chance to be drug-free for a short while it will be worth it. I still have 3 Velcade shots so not till July. I’m feeling positive about my decision though. My numbers have never increased radically and hopefully this  will stay the same so future relapse will show it self early on.

Onward to the budget. June is still starting out at a deficit so I will need to transfer a little money to cover a few things. But overall our June budget should show that we need $700 less due to a few things.  I’m hoping the numbers even out by B’s first paycheck of the month. Electric has gone down, but we’re on the balance pay program so it’s balanced based on the year so it’s still at $200. But that should drop once it gets recalibrated.

Also, school money won’t be going out and a few other things will drop too. July will even be better when the Harp refi takes effect ( I hope).  this was of course, a tough decision but with the increased % by October under the previous modification we really don’t have a choice. After much thinking and discussion, the way I have come to see this: we don’t want to move, we will never pay off the mortgage in retirement, so we need to look at getting the mortgage to be an amount that is like a ‘rent’. This refi will do that so I’m pleased with that. When one of us goes to the great beyond then that other person can decide to sell or stay. Unfortunately with my diagnosis, I can’t get life insurance, but many years ago B had me get life insurance ( a small amount ) thru his work. But it would be enough to help. One thing I am concerned about and maybe someone knows the answer to this.. Is when B retires from this company would my life insurance policy just stop? Or would we be able to keep it and keep paying on it?? does anyone know the answer to this?

Well, dinner is crockpot Thursday chicken. Since I’m on dex today, that’s a good thing as I don’t feel much like cooking.

Speaking of cooking, I’m reading the new Ruth Reichel’s book,My Kitchen year  it is so great. I’d highly recommend it.  Of course, I don’t think she would consider crockpot chicken, but then again she’s not on dexamethasone.

‘The More 0f Less’

Posted in books, minimalism, reading, simplicity, Uncategorized by

‘The More  of Less’ by Joshua Becker

This book by Joshua Becker was just released. He is one of the leading advocates of minimalism and living a simple life. He starts off describing how his journey into minimalism started with emptying his garage. He states up front that he uses Christian and Bible referances.  I wasn’t too sure about this to start  since I’m a non-believer as such, but I didn’t find them over powering to the message of simplifying your life and minimizing. I like he was honest about this and very open to all faiths or non-faith.

The book is well written and I liked his breakdown of how to start decluttering, and then going into a lot of the psychology behind letting go of things and the benefits from living with less.

He gives lots of practical advice.

I think this is an excellent book on minimalism for both beginners and those more advanced in their journey to own less.41pkwq-8CJL._SX351_BO1,204,203,200_

 

This book was provided by ‘bloggingforbooks’ in return for my opinion.!!!

 

If a tree falls…

Posted in Gardening, minimalism, reading, Uncategorized by

I cannot believe it. We’re on the patio getting ready to grill our beautiful organic steak I purchased from organic meats. And all of a sudden we hear a huge crack and see our neighbours’ tree fall hitting two other trees. There was NO WIND or anything. Boom! it just went. I totally freaked. I can not believe this could happen when there was not even a breeze. Fortunately, the tree fell away from our neighbor’s house. He is quite elderly, lives alone and has poor hearing. But he managed to come outside and check it out. We were already over there looking. This was not even a dead tree. Still green.  Now I’m seriously thinking we’d better start budgeting for the next set of trees we want out. There’s about 3 that still are leaning in so….. Too crazy.

Yesterday was still a dex day but I went to town and then to the Koffee Klatch to catch up with everyone. It’s nice to get to socialize a little. I’m quite an introvert so, normally I don’t do things like this, but I’ve come to enjoy this group.

I also started a new level of minimalizing. I’m reading ‘The More with Less’ by Joshua Becker which I will review at a later time. But he does point out some things that spurred me into getting rid of old earrings and little stuff I never use. More stuff to goodwill. Plus getting rid of the whole set of dishes has opened shelves for pantry stuff to be more organized. I also got rid of some very old books(1940’s) that had been bought at a library sale and obviously no has cracked open.  Plato? well, maybe in college, but certainly not now.  So good. I can really see the results. I’m going to write a whole blog or series on this process soon.

Today, my daughter and I are going to a new nursery to get tomato plants and some other things. Should be fun. We’re eating lovely lettuce and peas from the garden right now.

Sunday night chit chat

Posted in budgeting, cooking, freezer cooking, frugalism, minimalism, reading, simplicity by

halfdozendaily.typepad.com

  • Reading? The new Jack Reacher”A Wanted Man” , very good.
  • Listening to? We were listening to the wind.
  • Watching?later, Castle.
  • Cooking/Baking? Made the stuffed shells ,from the freezer cookbook, a big salad with blue cheese dressing.
  • Happy you accomplished this week?alot with my new freezer cookbook.
  • Looking forward to next week? I have next Saturday off, so I’ll go to the farmers market!
  • Thankful for today? My 2 great kids, my cancer is stable, and my husband.
  • *Bonus Question* Do you like your name? Would you change it if you could?
  • I’ve always liked Anne or Annie.

Head in the sand!

Posted in cooking, Myeloma, reading by

I remember that first six months vividly ,as when I didn’t really go out, talk a lot to people,or do much. I think just had my head in the sand and that was how I coped. Of course, I read a lot as I stll do, but mostly I just laid around and tried not to obsess. Of course, if you are trying not to obsess then you really start to obsess. I didn’t want to know much about multiple myeloma, I just wanted it to all go away.

So I have come along ways, after my first relapse, June 2010, is honestly when I started asking lots of questions, joined the myeloma list serve, the beacon and anything else. I no longer worry obsessively, okay maybe a little. I handle my cancer better now and am very informed about treatments and what is new in the myeloma research area. I ask questions and I even answer questions because now 7 years from diagnosis I do know something about this and am glad to share.

Just finished Gideons corpse by Preston and child , pretty good read. The main character hasan incurable illness called AVM.
Then finished Bonnie in the Eve Duncan series. Frankly, I thought she came up with a lame conclusion.
Also, just got from the library the new Pioneer woman cooks cookbook, so lookout here come some great recipes.