Tag Archives: Lake tahoe

Friday things

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, camping, Lake tahoe by

I tallied up the groceries for the month, and the total was slightly over $500, which includes a lot of long-term food, both in the freezer and pantry. Overall, I’m pleased. I think for January, I’ll do a no spend/low-spend month and plan menus accordingly.

All the bills except our water bill are out now, so that’s good.

The rain is starting to come in and it looks like rainy weather for a full week. With Christmas next week, I’ll have to think about what days I want to go to Roseville. Probably, at least once.

I am looking forward to the new year. It’s 6 months to the day that Barclay died. Sometimes it seems surreal that it’s true. I miss the everyday things and sharing little things. That’s part of the hard part, I guess.

I went and looked at reservations for Tahoe, and of course, anything that was open is booked. So I’ll need to get on the website at 7am when I can to get something at the end of June already. I hate that part. But I did decide that no matter what, I’m going to go up (if I can get a spot), even if it’s with a tent. If we can’t buy something before that, I will make a list and plan accordingly, such as porta potty, a cover for the table, a cot, etc. I just feel I need to go, of course, all that depends on my cancer numbers and other mitigating factors (weather).

Well, I need to go figure out what else I’m doing for the day. What about you? Are you looking forward to 2026?

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cooking, Lake tahoe, Uncategorized, Walking by

I’ve had a few days of nice walks in the early morning. I’ve been the only one there when I get there, and then by the time I’m leaving, a few people are showing up. It’s cool, though, at 44 degrees this morning. We’re in for much cooler and rainy weather starting tomorrow. I do plan on going to the pool tomorrow, so hopefully the rain holds off till I’m home.

I sat outside yesterday and enjoyed the sunshine, and later had a fire in the firepit before dinner. It’s a nice way to wind down the day. I made a spinach Boursin quiche for dinner. It was quite good. I think I’ll make some chili for the week today if I get the stuff out of the freezer to defrost.

I plan on going to the Auburn gym this morning. Then, after I get home, my daughter and I are going to go back out to do some errands and get lunch out. ( we think). Both of us can be indecisive at times about going out to eat.

A blogger I follow has been doing another sweep through their house, decluttering. She mentioned, exactly what I’ve found to be true, that as time goes on, certain things that seemed important before no longer are. So with that in mind, I think I’ll start another round of going through each room. I’ve let some of my FlyLady routines lapse some so I want to get back into that too. Most stuff is automatic like the in the kitchen, counters are clear and no dishes in the sink( well maybe a spoon occasionally.) But I’ve not been doing as deep a clean in some zones. So I’ll see how much I gather up.

Me at Meeks Bay, Tahoe.

Friday things

Posted in California, Lake tahoe, swimming, Uncategorized by

Well, the week is almost over and I’m very glad. It was a busy week with appointments. Not one swim in or gym workout because of it.:(

The highlight was driving up to Tahoe for the day with my daughter. It was a beautiful day.

The ride up was uneventful, but be aware that if you’re traveling to Tahoe on 80 eastbound, there are tons of construction, and that was the only real pain. Westbound going home seemed fine.

In Truckee, we went to B’s and my favorite place, and Heidi’s, to buy some of the pine cone glasses. Heidi loved those and bought a huge amount the time we were there. B always likes to get a little thing as well.

From there, we went down towards Tahoe City to go to Tahoe House. That was one of the last places B went out before things went south. We bought some of their famous coffee and a sandwich to take to the beach. From there, we decided to go to Meeks Bay, which was our old camping place before we discovered Nevada Beach. But Meeks is closer, so that’s what we did. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring any of B’s ashes, so that was disappointing. But I’ll be back, and my daughter actually suggested the Truckee River, too, which I thought was a good idea. It’ll probably end up next year, but that’s ok.

I talked with Dr. Laptalo, and we cut my Dex in half, so I’ll see how that goes. My concern is whether it’s helping the Velcade then ??? I guess we’ll see. I’m not overly worried if it goes up again because I know we’ll figure out a plan.

Today is a home day, but I don’t have a whole lot planned. Next week looks like a very rainy week, but I have no appointments except trying to get down to the pool.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, California, camping, cancer, cash envelopes, frugalism, Lake tahoe by

First off, I want to thank a reader, NW, for a very generous donation that took me by complete surprise. I do have my Paypal linked to my blog but haven’t thought about it in years. It was such a kind thing to do and will help most certainly with the trip to Stanford, gas, lodging, and food. So thank you again for such kindness. Honestly, I was blown away by your thoughtfulness.

My dentist appt was a cleaning and then x-rays. It was pricey and I had to put that on a CC as my cash envelope had been emptied when B went to the dentist. I hope by the next appt, I’ll have my envelope fully funded. Oh, I have a tiny cavity she(The dentist) wants to fill so I’ll do that in October. We need to get through these appts of B’s and see how that goes.

I went to Costco after I had my doctor appt in Sacramento. Yikes, the traffic going into Sacramento was awful and took over an hour. Usually it’s 45-50 minutes. So coming back out it went smoothly swung into Costco. I spent $188 total. $15 was nonfood, $20 was wine, and the rest was food. I used my cash envelope.

We filled up the VW this week and that was $45.

We went to the nursery and bought 2 bags of potting soil and 3 pots and that ended up $60.

After that was a stop at Panera, and that was $28. I had cash in my coffee date envelope but forgot to use it so I’ll need to move that to back to the bank. Although I haven’t put any money into dining out for this month so I could wait and deduct that. I usually only do $50 as we don’t really eat out that often.

Overall, a frugal week. I didn’t need gas in the Santa Fe so that was nice.

Today I do plan on swimming as I haven’t been all week and I can feel it. I don’t need to get gas or get anything from Winco( across the street from the pool).

Next week is open with no appts so we’re thinking of driving up to Tahoe which we had planned on doing for our anniversary. After Labor Day is the start of the off-season although September is still busy up there. We still have our Nevada Beach reservations for the end of September but the Stanford trip is right in the middle of that week, so I’m guessing we’re going to have to cancel. We could trailer up and stay 2nights, but then we’d have to come back down for Stanford 2 days, and I just don’t see us able to go back up for 2nights. We just don’t have that kind of energy. I don’t want to cancel yet in hopes we’ll get a cancellation at Stanford. I love it up there at the end of September. The air is so crisp and the lake so blue. Plus, we get the annual parks pass discount so where can you go on vacation in Tahoe for $150 for 6 nights. But if we don’t get into Stanford sooner then I’m not sure it’ll work.

Being in limbo with all this is pretty tough and I have to say my anxiety is fairly high. I guess since we can’t really control these things, I need to let it go some. Easier said than done.

Enough of that, I made a frittata last night to use up that spinach I had. Tonight is pizza night. I think I have one last dough ball in the freezer I can use.

Lake Tahoe

Posted in Blood test, books, California, camping, cancer, Lake tahoe, Myeloma by

This is around 8 am. Calm lake.

The difference in 10 days is quite noticeable. Lots more people at the beach and more kids in the campground. The camp hosts are very friendly and keep a tight ship. Very clean bathrooms and they keep the trash off the beach.

It’s nice here with a high of 77 which is very pleasant. We’ve had a fire each night and also BBQ stuff. Tonight I have leftovers from last night so I’ll see what I put together.

In other Myeloma news, my kappa did go up 7 pts. So I’m a little upset but I knew something probably was going to be different without the dex. Next week I have Velcade and then labs the following week. It’s a short time between labs so I guess I’m leaning towards not taking it and seeing the results. Dr. L’s take was that it was a very small increase. But it still was a jump in my book.

I’m enjoying the new Longmire, First Frost. Excellent!!

Sunset.

Another Heat Wave

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, California, camping, home improvement, home stuff, meal planning, travel by

We had a few days of milder temperatures, but tomorrow and the next day we’re back under the heat dome. It doesn’t look like it make it to 100 but close. After that, it actually looks like nice weather in the 80’s. We’ll be in Tahoe so the temperatures won’t be too hot. Generally, it’s 20 degrees cooler. I’m sure the beaches will be packed though. Nevada Beach is very popular as is Sand Harbor.

This time I’ve packed quite a bit of food so I don’t think we’ll need to go to the store unless it’s some random item. I’m planning a few BBQ nights with Webi and then some regular rotations of mac and cheese, a rice dish, veggies, and maybe a ramen bowl night. Plus, burritos of some sort.

Our son came up yesterday and put up the shower rod thing. It seems to work nicely. He’s going to come back this weekend to help move the electrical outlet so the cabinet fits better. So it’s moving along but still, I think we’re 2 weeks out from it being done. That includes painting and flooring. My daughter mopped the floor in there and it was very grimy from the grout stuff. She also is working on washing the tiles as the grout leaves a film. I’m sure glad they’re doing it and not me.

On our way up to Tahoe, we’ll stop at Zephyr Cove to use the dump station. Since we’ve had to use Rubi’s bathroom all week we need to be sure it’s empty for camping. It costs $10 to use. B has had Rubi parked by the sunroom and it’s been VERY convenient to use. Plus there’s water right there and electricity from the studio. It’s worked out well.

Friday things

Posted in budgeting, California, camping, cancer, frugalism, home stuff, Lake tahoe, library, swimming, travel, Uncategorized by

Frugal-wise all pretty good. After infusion yesterday, I went to the nearby Noah’s Bagels and bought 6 plus a schmear. Most mornings we like a bagel but it’s usually Costco’s or Trader Joe’s. This was a nice treat.

I went to Trader Joe’s and spent close to $200. There was a case of wine in there and the rest was food. That’s a lot of meals. Since we’ll be gone next week there won’t be any shopping except at the Safeway in Tahoe in case we need something. I do need to buy coffee at Starbucks because I’m not going to go in to Costco before Memorial Day. Our new Costco just opened yesterday and I’m sure it was a mad house. We will be going to this new one from now on as it is closer to us so that’ll be nice.

My daughter asked for a Nutribullet for her birthday and Costo had the Ultra one on sale. She likes to do smoothies and this one does ice and veggies. We have a Vitamix but sometimes it’s just too bulky to get out. I don’t keep things like that on our counter so it’s in one of my Heywoods. On our counters I only keep the toaster oven, my kitchen aid mixer and, the Brita water pitcher. Maybe I’ll see if my son wants it for his new apartment.

I was planning on swimming this morning as it’s my first time off Dex(whoo hoo) after Velcade, but since I’ve been out 3 days in a row, I think I’ll skip it. That does mean no swimming till after we’re back so that’ll end up over a week. Sometimes, you just have to call it. I did go to the gym and library after Velcade so that took some time. I only did a 20 minute weight workout but that was good enough.

In Tahoe, we’ll go to the gym once and do at least that workout plus we walk a lot when we’re there.

Last night I BBQed that trip tip and it was good. We’re not big meat eaters but this was a nice small piece and the flavor was good. B had roasted veggies, beans, tofu and, coleslaw. Tonight is a pizza night, no take out just a Trader Joe’s dough and I’ll do some toppings.

Overall, not a spendy week and next week will also be low spend in Tahoe.

So far this morning I feel good and my blood pressure is good too. I just hope being off dex doesn’t negatively impact my numbers but for now, hurray for not feeling crazy this morning. Since I’m home this morning, I will do some tidying up and I need to dust. The pine pollen is everywhere! I’m not planning on any bread making or batch cooking. Just using up what we’ve got.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, camping, cooking, Lake tahoe, Myeloma, simple foods, Uncategorized by

I guess my daughter brought home a cold from work this week and now I have sniffles and a runny nose. It’s not terrible but still, my head feels like it has cotton in it. I’m not sure I’ll go to the Auburn gym then. I did walk this morning so at least I got some exercise in. This is probably the first time I’ve had a minor cold in maybe 3 years. I do get seasonal allergies which is what we all thought my daughter had but then by the next day you could tell it was more like a cold.

I want to swim tomorrow so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how I feel then. I have Velcade Thursday so I don’t want to push it.

Yesterday I started drying oregano in the dehydrator, which still needs at least another day. I plan on doing a few batches as I use quite a bit of oregano in cooking. Then I’ll move on to thyme. I wish there was a way to keep cilantro but it doesn’t dry with any flavor, I’m not sure why exactly. I just looked up drying cilantro and it says you can and it will keep its flavor so I think since we have so much I’ll do ie batch to test it out. I recall I dried it in the oven and not the dehydrator so maybe that was the problem.

I decided not to go to the gym since I don’t want to be blowing my nose and then using weights:( I really dislike seeing people do this so I don’t want to be one of those people.:)

Yesterday I made a pot of minestrone for dinner it was quite good except the reason I was making it was to use up the zucchini we had and of course, I forgot to put in the zucchini. So maybe I’ll make a zucchini bread. My son brought up a dozen Noah’s bagels and they are delicious. He lives right near one so that will be fun for him. ( and us).

Our cooler weather is moving in and today looks like temperatures in the 70’s so we won’t need to use coolers. I think it’s supposed to be like this for the next week or so. Tahoe may end up cooler than we thought but we’ll be fine. We have the heater in Rubi. This is a shorter trip than we’re used to, only 3 nights but it’s a start. Then in June, we’re there for a week.

Lake Tahoe in early April

Posted in Lake tahoe, travel by

We decided if we wanted to see Tahoe before all the snow melted we’d better get a move on. So off we went and it was really great.

We were not disappointed. Tahoe has a.lot.of .snow. still. It was very encouraging for the snowpack. We decided to head to Tahoe City to go to Tahoe House Bakery. They have the best coffee in the area. The pastries are delicious plus their breads and bagels and ready-made meals are quite nice. Pricey, but worth it. It was pretty empty as were the main roads. Tahoe, off-season is really a lovely place to be. I-80 was also pretty empty of traffic except for lots of semis. ( going too fast).

From there, we decided to go around the lake by way of Tahoe City, Carnelian Bay and basically, it’s the north side of the lake.

The story behind me standing with my Louie is many years ago we took this exact same picture with my old Louie. That’s the one that was stolen in the smash and grab. So for the insurance company to pay me for the loss, I had to have a picture of me with my LV and that was the one. So that’s why we were taking this picture.

From the lakeside, which is in Kings Beach, we headed down to Incline so B could go to Nuleaf for some gummy things. He picked up a tin of that. Again, hardly any traffic at all through Incline, which was pretty f*cking amazing. We thought of going down to Sand Harbor and then walking on the new lake trail but decided not to. Maybe next time.

I wanted to get a light lunch out so we headed back to Kings Beach to White Cap Pizza. It was busy with locals and a few tourists but not many. I had high hopes for the pizza and it fit some of my expectations. It was very thin crusted and the ratio of cheese to sauce was good. But the dough had no flavor as it seemed the cook had forgotten to add salt. A big no-no if you’re making pizza dough or even bread. Then the sauce was pretty flavorless too. The crust had been cooked a little too long and was slightly burnt , not charred which is totally acceptable, but more like burnt. So I’d only give it a 2 out 5. Still, we had a nice time there and I’m glad we went.

This was looking out at the patio seating.

We headed for home and unfortunately, a big rig had gone over one of the embankments so traffic was backed up. Trucks go too fast down these big inclines and lose control. We were not in a hurry so for us it was fine. After that traffic again was very light and at times, we had no one behind us or ahead. So amazing.

All in all a fun date day and well worth it.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, camping, cooking, swimming, Uncategorized by

We were both on Reserve America at 6:59 to get a spot in Tahoe. Barclay won the lottery and got spot 12 which has a nice view of Lake Tahoe!!! I didn’t get the one I wanted but since we got one, it’s all good. That takes care of June camping. We might still try for something else but not Tahoe. Tahoe in July and August is not where I want to be. Too many people!!!

My swim yesterday was really nice. The pool was surprisingly empty and I got the lane near the steps, which right now with my knee is good. The water was also really nice. I may have overdone it as I felt pretty wiped out when I got home. 😦

On the agenda for today is cooking up some baby potatoes I have(from Costco), baking a sweet potato, and making some brown rice for the week. I still plan on using pantry items this week. Last night we had one of the quarts of the lentil soup I pressure canned and it was delicious. I’m also thawing the Diestal turkey I have from last year and I will roast that in a few days. I wanted that out of the freezer and cooked. Dinners will be sliced turkey, leftovers, soup and then I’ll make some broth.

That’s ice on the fish pond!!

Gus looking cute for Christmas!! That’s Bean getting squished behind him.

Giant Gus is outside on a leash which is a little small for him!

Tomorrow I plan to go to the library and hit the gym too.