Tag Archives: life

Simple Sunday

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It’s been a nice week with really glorious weather. We’ve eaten dinner out on the patio and it’s been great. The mosquitos are coming out though so that’s a pain. Just when it’s getting nice enough to sit out after dinner, wham, mosquitos buzzing. I guess I ‘ll try and find the bug spray today.

The chickies are growing and going outside in a new cage on the grass but still coming into the dog crate at night. They have t least another month of going back and forth and then they will still need to be separated from the big girls for a while. Getting chickens is actually a lot of work. But by September we will start getting some eggs so that’s nice.

This week I have my doctor’s appt and I will be doing a video appt. I’m not sure how they set it up yet but should know tomorrow( Monday).

I went down to our Holiday market the other day when they opened( 7 am). Spent a small fortune but got some extra things for the prepper pantry. Ever since we moved to this area in 1975, I have been a bulk buyer. Beans, rice, honey, oats, etc. We had a small co-op in Auburn at that time and we could order stuff. We also did a buying club with what is now UNFI( That Barclay just retired from after 25 years). It was Mountain Peoples Warehouse then and you could order bulk things even dairy like cheese. Then a group would get together and separate out orders.  I don’t think they allow buying clubs anymore but I could be wrong. Anyway, that’s what we did. Somewhere after embracing a minimalist house, I started backing off on having a prepper pantry. I still would buy Lundberg brown rice and a case of tomatoes from Costco but I had been trying to back off it. Then all this Shit hits with Covid-19 and yes, I am back in buying bulk in full swing.

A prepper pantry though just isn’t bulk rice but enough food that could last you anywhere from 3 – 12 months. Now I don’t want a bunker with guns and food but I do want to build up my pantry.

Some stuff I’m putting out in the barn on the restaurant shelves( stainless steel). Extra dish soap, laundry soap, canned goods are going out there. Some packaged goods are going in bins to store. I’m planning on buying a food preserver thing that seals the contents of the bag but I want to wait and see what Costco’s looks like before I commit to it.

So far my plan is to have a dozen boxes of Pasta, a case of kidney beans, a case of cannellini beans, a case of refried beans, a case of tomatoes, and other smaller quantities of condiments, sauces. Mostly stuff I know would eat normally. I did buy 8 freeze-dried meals but I’m not sure about doing that again as that is not something we would normally eat.  I’ve been meaning to try one just to see how it is. Also a couple of boxes of tea and sugar. I keep some extra coffee in the freezer but in a shut down that wouldn’t last long. Maybe I’ll check into instant or freeze-dried coffee as a backup.

Right now the freezer is being eaten down and I haven’t bought a lot to replace things till I get to Costco which I’m thinking will be mid-May.

Dinners have been uninspired like spaghetti and sauce, meatloaf( I bought as I don’t know how to make a good one), rice and beans, grilled chicken, salad, and just normal stuff.  Tonight I am grilling chicken outside and will make a potato salad I think. I made a nut loaf with brown rice yesterday so I will serve that to B.

Well, life goes on, or as the chaos theorist in Jurassic Park says” Life finds a way”.

Flylady has two zones this week. Living room zone and entryway zone. I did the living room already but still need to vacuum.

 

Car drama:(

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I wonder why things happen all at once sometimes. Is it the stars aligning or just WTF?

 

My daughter has a nice CRV Honda 2007.  When she drove in the other evening I thought I heard something from her engine. Then the next morning when she started it I said Whoaaaa….you can’t drive that.

So she took the Santa FE.  B and I drove into the Honda dealer and the news was grim.

Back a month ago when she took it to see what was up with the A/C, they said the whole system was shot. $5000 to fix. So she said no thank you. The guy said she could still drive the car no problem.

Well, Big problem as the pulley and belt are ready to come off and that would ruin the engine. So we were at a stand still because she still owes $5000.  So now this fix was what???

So when I went in this morning, he explained that the pulley and the air compressor ( not a Honda part) will be @ 1000. And then they would disconnect the electrical to the A/C.  I’m actually not sure why they didn’t do that before. Hummmm , maybe a mistake on their part. Anyway…..

We thought to bring it to another garage and have them do the whole AC for $3000, but now that he’s offered this, I think that’s the best way to go so I said go ahead.

At least this way she can still use the car , pay it off, and then next year trade in for something newer.   GEEez what an ordeal and so stressful.

I went to Grocery Outlet for some vitamins and a few items and now home. I think I can finally relax.

Well, she will still have to figure out driving Tuesday as B needs his car to go to San Francisco for work.

Yikes, what we do for our ADULT children…..

 

 

 

Midweek…..

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Monday ended up very traumatic but at least it ended on an up note. Ollie our 15-year-old cat has thyroid cancer and a large tumor. He is my daughters first love. 🙂

So Monday morning he had a breathing attack and we thought he was a goner. He wasn’t able to really breathe in as he had saliva in his throat.  It looked like he was going to kitty heaven. We called the mobile vet and said it was an emergency and we needed him euthanized.  She arrived in about 30 minutes. Ollie was breathing better and up an moving a little bit.  We then were unsure what to do. He seemed ok. Should we still put him down?? We just couldn’t decide. In the meanwhile the dogs needed their heartworm tests, so she did that. By that point, Ollie came outside although he was still wobbly.  so in the end, we decided NOT to do it.

I’m glad as it seems he’s back to eating and so forth. We know it’s going to happen at some point again but for now, it just wasn’t the right moment.

It was very traumatic though and we were crying. But for now, it’s good.

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This is Ollie and Rocky( the rescue Border Collie)!!!

Ollie came from the rescue place too. He was maybe 8 weeks old and a snotty little thing. He grew up to be almost 20 pounds. He’s part Maine coon. Now he’s pretty skinny but he’s still a love boy!!

Over the years, we have had many pets and have had to put down many pets. I have learned about love, healing, death, the circle of life and much more from our pets and I’m grateful to them for that.

I’m not sure I want any more pets at this point. But they do bring joy. I’m just not sure I want the heartache when they’re gone. I’ve been thru it so many times.  I still miss Tucker, Blackie, Princess, Jason, Papillion( my first true love), Coyote( who in fact was part coyote and we found in New Mexico out in the desert abandoned), and so many more.

So Tuesday was a better day and we went to the gym. B is off to Eureka for the week. I wanted to go but someone needs to be on pet sitting so I guess that’s me. That’s okay. Last night we had a yummy zoodle dinner with one of the yellow zucchini from the garden.

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Then I topped it with some organic beef sauce basil from the garden. Pretty yummy. I’m enjoying the zoodles.

Today is another hot one so I’m heading into Auburn to drop off a thrift store load and then back home. Not sure what I’m doing for dinner. Something easy.

 

2 Days left of JKWP, lesson: everyone has a story!

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Life is about learning and living. Each day is new. The past is gone ,tomorrow, who knows. But we have today.

In the same way of thinking, each of us has a story. Some are happy, some sad, some traumatic some rich, some poor. You get the idea. the point is we all have a story. It is what makes who we are in this moment. Its not for us to judge that story. We can’t be inside someones mind to know what their story is. So, when you meet someone grumpy or depressed or even happy, remember we all have a story.

At this point in my life I am not religious(been there, done that), or even that philosophical (been there, done that), But I try and practice kindness and be aware of just being nice to those I meet. Sometimes it works, other times I fall short. Its all about the journey.

Wednesday catch up!

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It’s mid week, and I’m a little off my game. Haven’t blogged in a few days,, so here’s some catch up. Walking is going ok. We are on day 252. Still only doing 2 miles but I think when the weather is warmer I’ll want to do more. This morning it was 28* ,thats cold. We are also finally in for rain over the next week. We do need it but it changes the morning routine. 

Work was ok yesterday, I still have a bit of a sinus thing going on so not feeling 100%. I had put on a nice split pea soup for dinner in the crock pot. Then my daughter used her hair dryer and blew the circuit so when I got home from work the split pea soup in the crock pot was uncooked since it turned off. Fortunately, split pea only takes an hour on the stove ,so in to a pot it went. Then my son and his new girl friend call and see if they can eat with us… Uhh, ok I guess, it’s a good thing I put that soup on the stove.

I’m off to the drop stuff off at the thrift store and go to staples, and the the grocery store for a few things. I’m going to try and keep food budget at or under $500. So I only want to buy essentials. I put Santa $ away from this check and our 0 savings(which is for sinking funds). I also need to call propane and that’s going to be a hit. Also, our taxes are going to be a hit but we expected that with the stock sale last year. Somehow it’s all gone but that’s life here. It’s always something. 

I also, was reading Joshua Becketts new book on clutter free kids( not exact title.), but realized my next phase of minimalism is to work on the having only one item of something. I’ve decluttered most everything in the house, but my 2 adult children’s rooms(that’s their domain ), but I still feel there’s too much. Maybe getting rid of duplicates will help, or some furniture. We don’t have a lot if furniture but maybe there’s something I can look at differently.ImageThis  part of our front room , notice the new grateful dead albums recently framed.

This week in the Flylady zone, I did the kitchen. Always a big job and I broke down and bought her calendar , which I think is the best for writing on. I had bought one at staples with coupons but the dates were just not bold enough. So I’m happy which the Flylady one. 

Monday catch up

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So I missed Carla’s halfdozendaily  Sunday night chit chat , but I’m 

Reading, or have just finished, Jacque Pepins biography, very good and some great recipes.Also, Debbie Macomber’s new book, Starting Now, kinda sappy.

  • Reading?
  • Listening to?
  • Watching?
  • Cooking/Baking?
  • Happy you accomplished this week?
  • Looking forward to next week?
  • Thankful for today?
  • *Bonus Question*

and a quick recapture of Jeanette Walls, The Glass Castle, depressing yet inspiring that she became a successful writer.

listening to my son complain that told him to fold laundry.

  1. We watched more Castle season 3
  2. Yesterday, I did some batch cooking from “Not your mothers freezer cooking, so I made chicken breast to use in some recipes, 12 baked stuffed potatoes, bread, and I think there was one other.
  3. It seemed a lot, I sold the tree fort, Waldorf toy, very nice.did a huge thrift store drop off, did all the zone work ,Flylady!
  4. This week, working my 3 shifts at the library, walking, and generally just life. Oh, it’s my daughter, Sachi’s birthday!
  5. As always , just being alive and having a very good quality of life.
  6. I don’t know, now that I’ve gone full with minimalism, none of the household coheres are overwhelming,and I do flylady’s zones so nothing really adds up.

so it should be a fun week.

Update, student loans figured out, payment will be $507. Seriously , do we look like we can afford that, but it’s the government, and like taxes, you find a wAy. Ugh…not too happy about it but well have the Prius paid off in 4 months, so then it’ll be better. I’m going to see how I can make an extra payment on the Prius to get done sooner.

Sunday night chit chat

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  • 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.