Tag Archives: Walking

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, California, cancer, Death, decluttering, home stuff, husband, Walking by

The light is shifting in both the morning and evening. The other day was Lammas, so cross-quarter. For some reason, I always feel the shift, even if it’s 90 degrees out. My walk this morning at 6 am was nice, and again, it’s just a tad darker. No one showed up, which was unusual. Generally, there is at least one or two people. So that was nice. I’m still not up to a full mile yet with my knee, but I’m getting there.

Today, I plan to go to the Auburn gym and then drop a load off at Goodwill. It’s a bit of miscellany from around the house. I’ll do another round when I get motivated to go out to the garden shed. Since Barclay died, I haven’t had much motivation with things, but I guess that’s normal.

My son and daughter moved the trailer to a new spot, so the tires aren’t in the same spot. I haven’t been out there yet, but I will go out today. I also need to continue taking things out, like dishes. I won’t get rid of them because our plan is to get the tent trailer, so we’ll need stuff for that. I think the ease of pulling a tent trailer will suit my daughter and me.

We started watching the New Star Trek, with Captain Pike. It’s really quite good and really keeps to the Star Trek theme. It’s on Paramount, if you’re interested. I also watched the PBS production of Patience. It’s really a rerun of the French Astrid, but I enjoyed it. I also finished watching Murder on an Island, which takes place off the coast of Canada near French Quebec.

It’s my son’s birthday this week. 31 yo. Where does the time go?? He was a wonderful child, and he has grown into a wonderful young man. There are 9 years between my daughter and him, and he was a BIG surprise. I remember saying, I’M WHAT??? I was almost 42 when he was born.

Well, what things are you up to these days? I read a few blogs, but not as many as I used to. I do love peeking into other people’s lives. I guess that’s why I was a psychology major in college, and counseling in graduate school, and clinical psychology in a doctoral program, which I didn’t finish. No regrets, it was all a journey.

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgets, California, cancer, Death, husband by

First, I want to thank subscriber T for a generous donation to help us through our rough times here. I’m always so humbled that people would consider this at all. Maybe it has to do with feeling insecure about my value or even this blog. But T, thank you for thinking of us.

Another warm day here in N. Ca. I’ve been closing the house down by 8am so the cool stays inside. We turned the coolers on a little earlier yesterday and will again today.

I walked yesterday and today in the park. I’m still not quite up to the .75 mark, but close. I got to .68. No one has been there, which has been very nice. Just me and all the Canada goose families. I’ve done really well this week, not using my cane and trying to walk steadily. I’ve done my PT exercises every other day, and I do think, especially, the ones on the massage table are helping. I just need to keep it up and not think that if my knee feels better to stop.

Now, for some recapping of the situation. B’s doctor said there’s nothing more to do. The PET scan showed disease progression, so the immunotherapy is not doing anything. She was very compassionate about it all. Now we wait for hospice to call us, which should be tomorrow or at least early next week. It is incredibly sad and feels a bit surreal. I’m sure those who have lost a spouse can relate. My son is taking it particularly hard, and I hope he feels he can talk to me. All in all, it really just means waiting, which is also incredibly hard.

We had reservations to go to Tahoe for Father’s Day week, and that will be tough to realize we won’t do that anymore. I haven’t cancelled the reservation yet, probably because of denial. But I will do so this week.

I’m trying to do my ‘normal’ stuff to keep things normal, I guess. Once we meet with hospice, we’ll know more about how to proceed. I don’t have a clue, really.

I hope you out there in blog land are having a Simple Sunday. If you want to share what you’re doing today.

A picture of the coreopsis and a cactus

Thankful Thursday

Posted in Blood test, California, Gratitude, home stuff, husband, Walking by

Let’s just say I’m thankful yesterday is over!!!

It was exhausting. Fortunately, today is a home day, just doing normal stuff. I need to vacuum and go through each room and tidy up. Mostly everything is fine, just a few hot spots.

I’m thankful to get out and do my short walk. It’s not much, but it’s a start.

I went for a walk already, and it was .55. So Saturday, my next walk day, I plan on doing .75 and see how that feels. Also, today I will do some PT exercises.

I’m thankful that B doesn’t need to go tomorrow for infusion. That’s a relief.

I’m thankful we have the AC units to cool the house, as it is going to be very hot tomorrow and Saturday. We are starting to water the yard more just to keep things going. Of course, that will increase our water bill.

I’m grateful for this lovely morning. I’ve been up since 5am and it’s so nice and quiet.

Most of the California poppies are done for now. these are coreopsis.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, home stuff by

The theme of the day is keep on keeping on. I went for a walk this morning. It feels good to even do the little I am doing. I made it to the school and back. The school is right next to the park and is about the halfway point of the park’s path. So it was a little over .5 mile. It was a very pretty morning with lots of Canada goose families.

Today is sheet day. We try to do the sheets once a week on Sunday. Some weeks, we get off schedule, but I like to keep it simple by doing them on Sunday.

I also cleaned out the fridge the other day and tossed a bunch of half-used things. I guess the giant pickle jar from Costco wasn’t a good idea:( Oh well, lesson learned.

I’ve been keeping up on my PT exercises. I’m doing them every other day if I do something else, such as walking. Although today I will do some of the exercises. I do feel it will help in the long run, and probably I will need to keep doing them even after my knee improves. I’m not sure when I’ll get to the pool, but hopefully in the next 2 weeks to try and do a small swim to start.

This week is my Velcade shot. So then on Friday I will be home as I’ll be on Dex. The rest of the week is open because we don’t know how B’s labs will be and if he’ll need a transfusion. I hope not, but it is a possibility, the way things are going.

I probably will plan a gym day at the Roseville gym and a library day. Perhaps Tuesday.

Here are a few photos from Mother’s Day.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, Gratitude, knee injury, library by

It may seem trite, but I’m thankful for our garbage guy who picks up our trash every Thursday. The trucks are automated now, so he doesn’t have to get out of the truck as a big arm comes out and picks it up. Still, he starts his day at 4am in all weather. We used to always give a Christmas gift of a gift card to show our appreciation, but now we don’t as he wouldn’t see it as the can is out in the driveway, and as I said, it’s all automated.

I’m thankful for this beautiful spring weather we are having. Next week it dips back down to the 60s, so much cooler.

I’m thankful B’s labs were good, so he doesn’t need a transfusion. I’m really hoping with this next immuno treatment we see some improvement. That would be #3. He says he doesn’t feel much different, and the pain is still there. 🙁

I’m very thankful I went for a walk the other day. It was not very long or far, but I felt it broke the spell of not walking. It’s been almost a month since I had the meniscus tear, so I hope this begins to help along with the PT exercises.

I’m grateful my daughter has been willing to step up and do all the ‘dad’ chores like getting wood, cleaning out the woodstove, etc. She has been doing a lot.

I haven’t decided whether to go to the library/gym today. It’s early yet, so I’ll get my morning going and then decide. I do need to get gas at Costco, so that could motivate me.

What things are you grateful for? Over at The Frugal Girl’s blog, there are lots of comments from her subscribers. She is quite a talented person.

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, home stuff, Uncategorized, Walking by

A clear morning walk with the waning moon above. No one was around but us and the new hire for the park. We don’t know what happened to the other guy but it’s been around 4 months since they had a regular maintenance person there.

We drove the Santa Fe down to the park because the VW’s flywheel went the other day. This is what the mechanic, who fixed the starter, said would eventually happen. I guess we figured it would be a bit down the road. Unfortunately, we don’t have the money to fix her right now so buggie will just have to sit until we’re done with Stanford. After it’s fixed I guess we’ll need to decide to keep her or sell. Maybe it’s just time to let it go. I wouldn’t want to decide till after it’s fixed.

Today I am not going into the Auburn gym. I think my daughter and I are going to the nursery for some soil and maybe a few flowers.

Today is going to be sunny and the first real day of almost 70 degrees. I plan on getting the Weber out so this week I can BBQ at least once. I have some chicken burgers and Boca burgers too. Tuesday is supposed to be the warmest day.

This week is B’s CT and I have Velcade on Thursday. My appt is at 8:30 so I should be out of there by 9am and I’ll go over to the gym and library. Then Friday with Dex will be a home day.

There haven’t been any changes with my sleep apnea app on my Apple watch. It’s generally right above the elevated line. In April I see the sleep dr so I guess that’s when I’ll know more. I’m pretty sure I would not use a CPAC machine but who knows. Never say never, right??

Next week starts our new budget and I have most everything in. I still need to check my Allstate bill and find the due date. I think that’s the only bill not on auto-pay since I’m paying a different amount each time.

Well, off to start the day! What’s new in your world? anything? I think the reason blogs are so interesting to read is other people’s lives are different than mine and I do enjoy peeking into them.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, California, cancer, Flylady, home stuff, swimming, velcade, Walking by

A cold morning to start and damp. We had a nice walk again, with no one there. I guess we must be between walkers because haven’t had anyone in a few weeks on the weekend. During the week, I see some regulars that start to show up around 7am. The next 10 days look nice with no rain so that’ll help dry things out.

I headed out to the gym at 8am and it was a little busier with the ‘new years resolution exercise’ people. I left before 9 and then it was getting even busier.

I stopped at the store for some things for a greek salad and wine. After I got home I cleaned under the kitchen sink. It’s the kitchen zone this week, so tomorrow I’ll finish the cabinets and I want to clean the fridge.

My son is coming for dinner and to spend the night out in Rubi. He works in Auburn on Mondays so it’s a good time to catch up. I plan on cooking some leftover turkey and potatoes. I also have leftover nut loaf to heat up as well.

This coming week should be mellow, no appts !!! Hurray!! I don’t have my labs till next week so that’s a little different than usual. I always go the Monday after my shot but because I had been scheduled for my next Velcade later( Feb), I pushed my labs out. We did reschedule me for the end of January or 4 weeks.

Last night we watched ‘To kill a Mockingbird’. Even though I’ve seen it many times and read the book so many times. it is still such a powerful movie. Gregory Peck did such an amazing job as Atticus Finch. If you haven’t seen it in a while, check it out. We finished the series the Helsinki Murders. I wouldn’t really recommend it. It was dark and seemed overdone. Oh well, some series are like that.

I do plan to go to Roseville tomorrow and swim but I do have an alternative plan if the pool is too busy. If the wait is longer than 10 minutes for a lane, I’ll go down to the gym. I’ll just need to pack my gym clothes as I wear my suit to the pool. Plus, I’ll need to bring my Hoka’s as I wear my Birkenstocks to the pool. Whichever the case, I’ll do one or the other.

Not much else new here at mi casa so I’ll close for now.

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, cooking, home stuff by

The rain has stopped and it’s patchy puffy clouds and some blue sky. It looks like the rain comes back in tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully some of the run off can be absorbed.

We had a nice walk this morning. The air was fresh from all the rain. We did see one of the park cats. I’m guessing he was dropped off. I hope he finds a new home.

I went in for my mammogram early and then to the gym. I was back home by 9 a.m., so it was a productive morning.

After I had breakfast, I started the IP with a chicken carcas to make broth. I’m not going to pressure can it but will freeze it. I might do a Avgolemono soup tonight so I’d need some for that. It’s one of my all time favorites.

Our new December budget start tomorrow. I hope it’s better than November. We had lots of extras to pay for and it made for a tight month. Next month includes Christmas but I have most of that done. Not all of it but most. The last big annual bill will be our property tax which I plan on doing this week. I had about half in my cash envelope so that helped but next year I will get it all in. I did fairly well with my annual bills using cash envelopes but I want to do better next year.

I’m roasting a pan of veggies for dinners this week. It has sweet potato, broccoli, red onion, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. I can use this with rice for at least one meal.

I still need to mop the kitchen floor and then I’m done. I’ve finished reading all the Baldacci’s I had and really enjoyed them all. John Puller is an interesting character. The Simply Lies, is a stand alone and I like that one as well. Tuesday after I drop B off at infusion, I plan on going to the library so I can checkout a few more books.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, Walking by

A very nice walk this morning. It’s getting light by 6:15 which is fine. One person was there and then he left. He must live down the road from the park because he turned left from the park which is not toward town. Other than that, it was just us.

I just got back from the gym I did some weights and some treadmill. My knee tweaked out some yesterday which was weird since I haven’t had any trouble with it for months. I think I might have twisted the wrong way. It’s better today.

My son drove his Dad to infusion and home yesterday. It took about, in total, 3 + hours. So not too long. We’re all hoping it’s an easy week. Fingers crossed:)

I don’t have much to do today. Most of the house stuff is done although I could vacuum. Plus I need to do a menu for the week. I have my monthly one but I think I’ve done most of the dinners I had written down. Tonight I plan on shrimp scampi with some pasta and broccoli.

Just a short blog today. Not much else going on which I’m very glad of:)

Thankful Thursday( late) and Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, books, budgets, California, cancer, frugalism, Gratitude, husband, peritoneal mesothelomia, Political things, Walking by

Yesterday was busy so I didn’t get anything written. I had to be down at infusion by 8:30am so needed to leave early. I did get my walk in first thing and that was nice. I’m thankful, I am still walking even though B isn’t. With his numbers so down he doesn’t have the energy.:(

I’m thankful infusion went ok. They are great nurses for sure. I noticed though there weren’t curtains to pull around the chairs which is odd for infusion rooms. All the UCD infusion chairs have some kind of curtain for privacy.

After infusion, I went to the library to pick up my holds. I am thankful for the Martha Riley Library as it is a wonderful community space.

I didn’t really have any enthusiasm to go to the gym. After that, I went back down to Winco. I finally saw where the new Trader Joe’s is and funny, it’s right down from Winco. But you can’t see it right off as the gas station blocks the view. It looks to be a bigger one than the Rocklin one so I’ll check it out next time I swim.

I’m thankful this fall has been colorful with leaves turning all shades of yellows, golds and some reds. Other than that, this week is really a downer if I’m honest.

Frugal-wise, it was ok. I didn’t really do a whole lot. All of the first-of-the-month bills are paid. There’s a little left over to get through till the end of the month. There’s Thanksgiving and so I’ll need a few more groceries for that. I ordered the Diestal turkey roast to be delivered on Nov 21. They are not cheap, but local and I’ve had good luck cooking them.

I spent $125 at Winco, $25 was on wine, so $100 was on food. I also filled the car up at Costco gas so that is a big $$ savings.

Today is a Dex day so it’s home for me. Barclay’s platelets have tanked so he’s going in for more labs this morning and hopefully scheduled for infusion. this is day 10. so we’re starting to hit the real downtime (days 10-15). He’s much better this cycle but still, there’s the platelets dropping. His hemoglobin is doing ok, but I think this is the period too where that started dropping. Fingers crossed it doesn’t.

My son is coming up today to work on a few things. If B needs an infusion tomorrow he could take him and my daughter go get him. We need the labs to come in till we know and the doctor says his platelets need to be under 50 for transfusion. I guess what she was saying is this is UCD policy. What a crock of shit. If it’s only going to keep going down and that means an ER visit, he knows he’s at 90 so why wait??? Doesn’t make any sense.

I’m still committed to not watching the news, it’s kind of a relief really. I know how I am with stuff that upsets me so much, so I feel this is a good thing for me right now. For how long? Who knows??