It was a relatively frugal week. B went into Costco again to get more coffee and a few other things. ( some salmon, sandwich bread, milk, and ???) Other than that I went down to our Holiday Market and got some deli chicken slices, lettuce and chips, and ?? That was around $50.
Today I’ll go over to the farm and pick up some produce. Usually that runs around $30.
We’ve harvested all the garlic and I started on the onions. Both are good crops and probably will be all we can use in a reasonable amount of time.
I’m going to Auburn to return some Old Navy things I bought online. I didn’t like any of it. I probably should know by now that unless I know the item, like Bombas T-shirts, I shouldn’t bother. I wanted a white linen shirt but this one was only part linen so I didn’t want that. It’s ok but I’d rather get something I really like. Maybe I’ll check eBay for one.
The pool wasn’t open for lap swimming due to swim meets. It was very busy the other day and I guess that was why. Usually I have no trouble getting a lane but I had to start out by sharing and then other people were circle swimming which I will not do.
We had a nice walk although it was busier than usual for a Sunday. We’re usually the only ones there. I think it’s because of the heat.
I cleaned the bathroom and sent Bender( robotic vacuum) around in the bedroom and living room.
I went to the Auburn gym for an hour and just got home. I did a quick kitchen zone tidy/clean. I’d done it not so long ago so it didn’t need much.
Yesterday my daughter and I went to the local nursery and got some lovely plants. I got another birdbath and 2 geraniums. It was fun. Before we left I finished baking the 2 sourdough batards. They came out beautiful. I’ve been adding about 100 kg of ww flour and that adds a nice flavor.
After settling in after getting home I started in on my pressure canning beans. I wanted to do garbanzos and black beans in pints. I think pints will overall work better for us as a side dish or addition to soups/curries. It all went brilliantly and now I have 8 pints of shelf-stable beans.
It’s too hot to go outside at least for me so I may just read or knit.
I ordered a 10″ Lodge cast iron skillet because the antique one had developed a crack. I traded for this cast iron in the late 1970s. The woman was an antique dealer and this pan was probably early 1900s. I was sad it cracked and FYI, once there is a crack it’s not safe to really cook in it. I checked eBay for a Wagner but wasn’t willing to pay the price. Lodge does a great cast iron so I’m sure it’ll fit right in. I still have the 12″ antique one she also gave me and that one is fine.
Tomorrow I plan on going to the pool. I’m hoping all the 4th of July travelers are where they want to be and not on the road. I’ll probably try and swim one other day this week.
On the political scene, what a sad day for America. Letting the Christian woman deny services to LGBQT+ people, the ending of affirmative action, and blocking student loan forgiveness. It’s bullshit. The SCOTUS is totally out of sync with what the American people want. Yes, there are the nay-sayers, helping people with student loans but there are millions of people even older people who are still stradled with brutal loans. Why not help out people who need it. So what the fuck they willingly signed those papers. We’ve all done stupid things so give them a break. then the Christian stuff totally unglues me. It is out-and-out discrimination. What’s next ?
This country is going back 50 years and it’s getting worse.
Another week has gone by. The weather is warm today but then when we’re in Tahoe there’s quite a change for the week. It’ll be cool and even thunderstorms. That’s ok, we can still walk in the morning, read, and cook meals inside if we have to. We don’t have specific plans as we’ve been to Tahoe so many times, but we will hit the gym up there twice at least. We may drive down to the Y and head up to Pope Beach. We’ll see.
I swam at the Roseville Aquatics yesterday in what’s called the recreation pool. There are 5 lap lanes in the middle of what’s really a big kiddie pool. On one side is a huge water slide and then on the other it’s very shallow for young kids. Fortunately, I got a lane to myself for about half my swim and then shared for the rest. It was ok. Now that I’ve been there, I think any of the serious swimmers won’t swim there because there’s no way to flip turn as it’s too shallow on the one end and it’s short. Perfect for old people like me. I won’t be back till next week but when I checked the schedule the early morning time will continue to be in this pool and then at 12:45, lap swimming opens at the Olympic pool. I just don’t see myself driving to Roseville in the summer at 1 pm. It just doesn’t work for me.
We’re loading up Rubi today and I went to Safeway and picked a few things so we won’t have to go to the store for a few days. Then I went to Starbucks for a bag of ground coffee to take with us. We always buy a bag so we don’t have to grind it beforehand. We have a Hario ceramic cone and a Hario glass carafe. It makes excellent coffee. We do have a press too but we don’t use that too often now.
I have my labs tomorrow so after I get home we’ll finish loading and probably be on our way by 10. Nevada Beach is only 2 hours or less away so you don’t want to get there too early. 12-12:30 is about right.
I’ve been on a reading marathon of Louise Penny books. What a good writer. So many charming details.
The rest of my day is open. I need to water a few plants and tidy up a bit. The kids will be here all week so they can keep things going.
A good week overall. Sachi’s birthday was nice. I made a yellow cake with chocolate icing.
For a box mix, it was tasty.
I’m thankful for my daughter and all her talents. A published author, gardener extraordinaire, research librarian, and cat lover.
I’m very thankful the plumbing got fixed. Z helped his Dad and made the job much easier. Now the sill wood and beam need to be replaced because of the water damage but that will have to wait till we’re back from Tahoe.
I’m thankful that we live in California and not some horrible right-wing state like Florida. We live in a Red county but then you drive down to Roseville and Davis etc and it’s Blue!!!
I’m thankful that I have lived to be 70 and even though Myeloma is hanging over me, I’m hopeful my next course of treatment is successful. Despite having lived with cancer for almost 20 years, I’m fairly healthy.
I’m always thankful for the Roseville pool and even though it’s closed for 3 months, I can go over to the other pool. It’s an Olympic pool outside so I’m not sure how the temperature will be. It is heated though from what the lifeguards said. Most of the people I talked to like it a lot.
We got to the park earlier than normal to avoid the Easter sunrise Christians. :)Whew, we made it out just in time before the singing got going:)
The weather for the next week looks wonderful. Today should be around 70 and tomorrow 72. Napa looks just as nice. It’ll be interesting to a hotel after all this time since we got Rubi but I think it will be fun and there is a heated pool so I plan on doing maybe 20 minutes of swimming. B even bought a pair of googles to swim with.
Here’s what the pool looked like when I got there yesterday at 6:50am. By 7:45 when I was leaving people were waiting for any lanes as they were all doubled up. So I had a lovely swim.
There’s the new spring babies at the park.
I’m sure these had just hatched!! So cute.
Since we’re atheists, Easter doesn’t mean anything special to us but for lots of people, it is a significant religious thing. I do appreciate that Easter still follows the calendar of the first Sunday after the full moon after the spring equinox. At least I think it’s pagan. This was decreed in the council of Nicaea but the original Easter is Eostre, from the goddess of fertility.
We’re going to fire up the Weber for the first time and BBQ some veggie dogs, chicken and veggies too. We will probably eat out on the patio for the first time if it gets cleaned up.
Somehow Frugal Friday got away from me as I went down to the gym and when I got home other things needed doing.
I did a small Winco shop after swimming yesterday. $109 including some wine. It was salad stuff and some pantry/frozen items like hash browns. The pool was amazing again with lanes even open. Maybe some of the die-hard swimmers are doing their other exercises outside I it’s been pretty nice out. Anyway, I sure appreciate having my own lane.
This morning we had a nice walk and once again we seem to be the only predawn walkers right now. Yay!!! It was cold but nice.
Then I put the sourdough boule in the oven which I had preheated while we walked so it was ready to go. After the bread was done I headed into the Auburn gym. Again, there seemed to be fewer people than last week so maybe the nice weather has everybody going to Home Depot for gardening stuff?
Once I got home, I made up a batch of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies which are still baking. I froze two logs of cookie dough for later. I also am soaking some Rancho Gordo beans(Marcella), and a white bean as I plan to pressure can them tomorrow.
This coming week is just regular stuff. Next week I have both my labs and doctor appt. My eye scan showed my macular pucker about the same. I’m still on the fence about the surgery but when the time comes and I need cataract surgery, then I will need to get it done. I guess I’m just scared to do it.
Well, nothing new here. Oh, after a week of trying for camp spots in Tahoe, we finally got one for the end of September. Geez, such an ordeal to get spots.
Today was going to be our travel day. With the rain forecast and high wind warnings both here and in Capitola, I’m glad we decided to forego our trip down there. Now tomorrow looks quite nice but flooding just doesn’t recede overnight. In light of all this, I do think it was the right decision.
Today is a home day and I’m glad to be doing some home things. I plan on pressure canning pinto beans and that will take most of the morning. I want to reorganize my canned goods in the wine crate pantry and pull things that might be close to expiration so they can go to the food bank.
Now that I have the Ivar system for the canned goods complete, I can start to do more pressure canning. It’s great to be able to see what I have left and it’s all organized. I did use my raw silk curtain as a cover when I don’t necessarily want to see all the pantry items. I had B put up a small curtain rod on the top edge to hang a rod. Usually, I keep it open but I like the option of the visual of the raw silk. After this, I plan to pick one recipe to do like a ready meal. Probably a soup of some kind. I do have some split peas I need to use so maybe that will be first up.
I went to the gym yesterday and I plan on swimming tomorrow. The pool sent out an email that it will be closed for most of June and maybe July as they plan to resurface it. Their other pool is competition size and is used for swim lessons. I’ll need to check how they will do lap swimming and the times.
We are still getting clobbered. Right now it’s been raining here nonstop and there’s some wind. There are flood warnings everywhere for N Ca, specifically the Sierras and the Bay area. At this point, I’m guessing we’re canceling New Brighton because of the flood dangers in the Santa Cruz Mtns. Plus we’ll be right on the coast so I’m not too comfortable with the whole idea. Also, the day we leave it’s raining nonstop all day in Capitola. Reserving something in March is always a gamble, so we’ll be flexible. I do hate to give up the spot because it was an electric one. Oh well, that’s life.!!!
This week was busy but not too bad. I swam on Wednesday and that was lovely. I went to the gym on Tuesday and the library. We went to Costco on Thursday( yesterday), and holy cow was it busy. We didn’t have a clue as to why. It seemed just a regular Thursday. Weird. Anyway, I got lots of things to bulk up the freezer and pantry. I plan on going back in soon to get a few things more that we need like AA batteries. I didn’t want to add them to the cart yesterday.
After Costco, we went to our favorite pizza place, Celestino’s which is the closest to a NY pizza I’ve ever had out here. Although I left NY in 1970, thankfully, NY pizza has always been near and dear to me since I grew up right next to Pepe and Eddies. Now that might seem strange since I grew up on Quaker Rd in Highland Mills which back then was VERY rural. But right up the road, actually, the end of the road was this Italian family who ran the restaurant. There was the grandmother, Nonnie, Eddie, Pepe, and 2 children, Barbara and Johnny. Johnny was a few years older than me and we did play together occasionally. Anyway, their pizza was the best, ever.
We also spent money at Ikea but I brought cash for that from my ‘home’ money. The Ivar shelf is absolutely fabulous. I wish I had room for a second one. Maybe if I look at the space closer, I may be able to fit it in but that would mean using most of the wall and I’m reluctant to do that. ( at least for right now).
I should have bought another shelf and actually when I did my calculations I had the extra shelf in there but Ikea sells the Ivar as separate pieces. I had figured the 5 shelves( as shown on the website were all together but they weren’t. I got 6 shelves instead of the 7 I had planned thinking that was all I’d need but I can see I need the extra one for pint jars and half pints. I love that I can see what I have left in the canned goods and what I need to do this summer.
This is such a clever system and the total was $115. So a fabulous deal.
Today is a home day and with the rain and wind, I’m glad to be home baking and tidying things up.
Overall, an expensive week but since it’s all stuff we don’t normally do, I’m ok with it.
My labs came in with another 6pt increase. 😦 so now I’m at 36.7mg/L for kappa Light chains. It’s a bummer but as I’ve said,” your blood is your blood and it is what it is”. I did go back and looked at the graph for my increases in 2019 and they really started doubling at about 55mg/L. So in one month they went from that to almost 100. And then the next month almost to 200mg/L. So that’s what I don’t want to happen this time. The Myeloma cells are clearly on the increase and why wait till I’m at 600mg/L to start treatment. We don’t even know if Velcade will be effective since this will be my 3rd time on it. Lots of unknowns.
Another rainy Sunday. We need all the rain/snow we can get but it does get old after a while. We were able to squeeze in a walk before it start really coming down. After that, I headed into the Auburn gym just to get some weights done. It was busy but I did my round and then left.
Tomorrow I have my monthly labs so I’ll see how much of an increase there is. It’s hard for me to tell if anything is different. The only thing is being slightly more tired. Well, I’ll know by Thursday or Friday.
Tonight we’re having one of the nut loaves I made with leftover brown rice. I have some small potatoes to use up so I’ll either bake them or mash them. Not sure which. Probably whatever is easier. I haven’t put together a menu for the week so I’ll look at what I have in the freezer and pantry. I will go to Winco whenever I swim again ( it’s just across the street from the pool). I thought Tuesday but now the weather is still saying winter storm warning. So I’ll just have to be flexible.{ sigh……}.
Nothing much on the calendar for this week. I have a thrift store load to drop off but can’t do that if it’s raining. Hopefully, we’ll get a few sunny days to do some outside things. 🙂
The Flylady zones are the Living room and the entry ways. It’s split because of the March starting on Wednesday.
another snow picture
That’s all the bamboo leaning over.
Here are a few of my new obsessions with Arhoj pottery
I just got back from swimming and the pool was busy when I got there and then emptied out by 8am. Maybe I’ll consider going at this time. It could be that all the people that work have left. It’s definitely busier at 7am. Traffic was very heavy heading to Tahoe( East bound) but I just went slower than the crazy Bay area people in their Audis ,Teslas, and Lexus’.
I have a few chores to do this morning but nothing too major. I started doing our taxes and got them mostly done. I just need the interest from the mortgage statement so I’ll print that out this weekend. We use the standard deduction so it doesn’t really matter but it asks for it so I’ll do that. Our taxes are pretty simple so it didn’t take long. It looks like we will owe a very small amount!
Tonight we plan on ordering a pizza so that’ll be nice( expensive but nice). It’s nice to take a break from cooking.
Yesterday my son took the day off from work and we went over to Folsom to the outlet stores. Well, it was just the Levi store. I only wear Levi’s and wanted a new high rise pair. I was actually trying to get the original 501s but I would have needed to get a men’s size in order to fit and the clerk said probably they wouldn’t fit right so I got a different pair that still had buttons in the front. We’ll see how I like them. I do have trouble finding jeans that fit right and that’s how I ended up with Levis. I did order a pair of Old Navy jeans that were on sale but I’m not sure I’ll keep them after they get here( next week).
I started reading ‘ Still Life’ and couldn’t get into it. I guess some people really love it but I didn’t like the narrative, plus it was written in a weird way. Oh well, I have a bunch of books on hold at the library but nothing has come in yet.
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 