Monday, May 8, 2017

Monday

After I published my Saturday post, saying I was back on-line, I called the pharmacy to check if the clinic had phoned them on Friday, as promised.  Guess what?  Not only had the clinic called in the authorization, but my medication was ready for pick up!  Woo hoo!  Of course, it would have been nice if someone had notified me...but I didn't go to complain about it.  I just went and picked it up.  This time, they gave me a 3 months supply up front and there is no automatic refill; I have to call the doctor and request authorization.  That's OK.  I can handle that.  After I collected my medication, I stopped by the Chinese fast food place and bought some food to bring home for a late lunch (had some of the leftovers for dinner, too).  In the evening, I watered the garden.  My little zucchini plants seem to be doing OK!  And I did the dishes. 

Sunday was a rather cold day - cold enough for me to put on my wool knit shawl over my sweatsuit and sit in front of the heater!  Hard to believe we were in the 80s and 90s just a few days ago!  And it rained in the early afternoon!

May Showers!

Of course it would rain the day after I watered the garden!  LOL.  It was most welcome though, as it was the first shower of rain we've had since the beginning of April!  If April showers bring May flowers, wonder what a May shower would bring!

I changed my bed sheets and did a load of laundry; that was the extent of my productivity for Sunday! 

Today, Monday, I had the day off from work.  I spent a quiet morning, reading blog posts and commenting, then, I put away the dried laundry from yesterday, cleaned the bathroom, and read a bit.  I had two texts from the pharmacy, one saying that another medication was ready for pick up and one saying the doctor hadn't authorized the medication they had requested earlier - the very one that I picked up on Saturday!  LOL.  They really don't know what is going on with their own system!  So, in the afternoon, I went to the clinic and picked up the medication that was ready, informed them that I had already picked up the other medication and they could take it off their computer, and reminded them that another medication refill date was coming up (May 11).

When I paid for my medication, I received a coupon for $5 (Extra Care Bucks)!  Yay!  "Free" money!  I decided to buy two boxes of crackers, as I had come to the end of my current box.  They are regularly priced at $4.29 each, but were on sale for 2/$5 (must purchase two, otherwise, $3.49 each).

Free Crackers!
 
One box for me and one box for daughter!  I wouldn't pay $4.29 for them; nor would I pay $3.49.  But, $2.50 is a reasonable price.  The last box I bought (on March 18) was from the grocery store when they were on sale for $2.49 and I was able to get an additional $1 off as part of a "buy 4 participating items/save $5" sale, so I paid $1.49 for it.  But today, I used my bonus coupon and got them free, essentially.

Receipt
According to the receipt, I "saved" $8.58!  Not too shabby!

Afterwards, I went to the library and returned the two books I had finished reading.  I looked to see if there was any other book I wanted to borrow, but decided to finish reading the other two I have currently checked out, before getting another. 

Came home and took another look at the garden.  It is not so noticeable in this picture, but the top branches of my bottle brush tree have been singed from the heat of the neighbor's garage fire:

Singed Bottle Brush Tree

I am so grateful the tree didn't actually catch fire!  Had it caught fire and spread to the curry leaf tree to the right of it (just visible in the picture), then, my house would have been burnt, too, because the curry leaf tree is right next to my house! 

Later in the evening, I cleaned the crisper drawers in the fridge and sorted through the fresh produce I had in them.  Some of them weren't quite so fresh anymore, so I added them to the compost heap.  I hated having to do that, but, I am not going to beat myself up for it.  While I buy the fresh produce with all good intentions to cook and eat them before they spoil, I am still not quite as recovered as I would like to be and there are times when I am too tired or don't have the energy to cook.  Or to even prepare them and freeze them for later.  I did dice the tomato I had and froze it.  And I made a salad with the cucumber and had it as part of my dinner (cucumber salad, macaroni and cheese with grilled chicken, an orange for dessert, along with a chocolate covered cherry!)

I packed my lunch to take to work, tomorrow:  rice, the last of the dhal (lentil) curry, the last of the curried green beans, and the last of the sauted smoked sausage.  There's a little bit of cooked rice leftover and the last bit of Chinese take out.  I also took out a packet of browned ground beef from the freezer and kept in the fridge to thaw.  I am not sure what I will make with it - maybe a cottage pie, maybe "patties" which are like empanadas, or maybe I'll just add it to the leftover macaroni and cheese.  

I took the trash cans to the curb for pick up in the morning, as well.  Still need to water the indoor plants, clean the litter box, and do the dishes!

Today, I am grateful for:

- My house was not damaged from the fire
- The antibiotics are working and my toothache is practically gone
- My other medications are being filled without any further complications
- Free crackers to share with daughter
- Yesterday's rain shower

Tuesday's To Do List:

- Bring trash cans in
- Go to the office
- Wash daughter's bed sheets
- Water the seedlings
- Dust - living room, dining room, family room, bedroom

How was your Monday?  Did you have a good start to your week?  What have you planned for Tuesday?

25 comments:

  1. I never thought I would say this but we could do with some rain here for once. It has been very dry for several weeks now. The river is very low - some have dried up completely! and the gardens could really do with some water.
    It's good to read that your toothache is almost gone. You got a good deal on those crackers. They are delicious. I could eat a whole box of them! X

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    1. Jules, I hope you get some rain, soon! My daughter and I love those crackers! It's hard to keep to a serving, which is 5 crackers!

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    2. Only 5 crackers?!! I try not to look at the recommended servings. I always eat far more than that. X

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    3. Yes, I am afraid so, Jules. 5 crackers are a serving; 80 calories, 40 of which are from fat! Often, I tell myself that 80 cal. is not too bad and have a few more crackers! But then, if one adds any toppings - cheese, peanut butter, etc., then, the calories add up!

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  2. Glad you got your medications....and yes it seems to rain after I water gardens too! Same with washing my car...my neighbors used to joke that it is going to rain when they'd see me washing it. I hope you get more energy; as it is hard to not have it! Andrea

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    1. Ha, ha, maybe I should start washing my car, too! I rarely wash it, these days, because of all the drought restrictions! More energy would be nice. I could actually get some things done, then!

      Hope you are having a lovely week, Andrea. Any plans for Mother's Day?

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  3. Oh I love ritz crackers - I never buy them, but now I really want some with cream cheese on top. I remember as a child they were a bit of a treat at parties and Christmas with toppings on. I've just checked and for a 200g box over here we'd pay £1.39.

    The fire incident is one of those things where you keep thinking "what if". It sounds as though you had a lucky escape thank goodness.

    Typical isn't it about the rain after you've gone to the trouble of watering the garden. Apparently we're heading for a drought because we've not had any substantial rain for a while. Mind you, over here 2 weeks without rain and it's a drama, 2 weeks with rain and it's a drama. No wonder we British are known for our obsession with the weather. Have a lovely week. xx

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    1. Suzanne, after your comment, I had to check the exchange rate! 1 British pound is 1.29 US dollars. So, if my calculations are right, the 200 g. box would cost $1.79, here, which, I think seems reasonable. Would 1.39 pounds be considered reasonable for a box of crackers there? The boxes I bought weigh 13.7 oz. or 388 g. If they were at the regular price of $4.29, then, they'd cost 3.32 British pounds (sorry, I don't have the pound symbol on my key board).

      Yes, definitely the fire incident is one where I keep thinking, "what if"! I refuse to get paranoid about it, but I keep thinking that tall trees can be a danger! Still, I am unwilling to cut down the trees in my garden on the chance my neighbor's garage will catch fire, again!

      I hope you get the rain you need! I can't imagine Britain having a drought! At least, not like the one we've just had! :D

      Hope you, too, have a great week, Suzanne. How did Thomas do on his test?

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    2. Thomas is 3 days into tests and has just one more left tomorrow. So far so good, thank you for asking. I was really worried last year that he wouldn't cope but he's changed so much lately and has gained so much confidence as well it's like having a different boy.

      I would consider £1.39 probably about right especially as they're branded although they seem expensive to me because I shop at Lidl and crackers cost nowhere near that much but then again they're not Ritz! xx

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    3. Glad to hear he is coping well with the tests. :)

      I generally buy the store brand crackers, myself, but, lately, I've found that they don't taste quite right to me! I think that, after my taste buds changed, I've become a lot more sensitive to how things taste. I had to give away the last two packets of generic crackers I bought, because I found them so bitter-tasting. The person I gave them to, one of my cousins, saw nothing wrong with them; they tasted just fine to her. So now, I wait until there is a sale and then, buy the more expensive brands!

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  4. I think those boxes of Ritz crackers must be fairly large as I am sure they are cheaper here in Canada and that is not usually the case. I have a weakness for Triscuits which you can put into the microwave briefly with a sliver of cheese on top and they come out just as crisp!
    We have had so much rain and the river is really high. There is serious flooding in some areas around Ottawa and people have been evacuated from their homes. The army have been called in to help in some areas. I heard that there are animal shelters that are taking in pets that cannot be allowed in hotels or other emergency accommodation. This time last year it was the catastrophic fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, this time floods in Ontario. I'm very thankful when I think of what other people have been going through.
    Bushlady

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    1. Bushlady, the boxes of crackers are 13.7 oz. or 388g. Sometimes, the prices at the pharmacy differ from the prices at the grocery stores, as well. Triscuits are good, too. I especially like those flavored ones with bits of vegetables in them - can't remember what they are called - Vegetable Thins? Used to buy them all the time, but they are a bit expensive and I haven't bought them in awhile.

      I read about the floods - Marg (do you remember her? From GON) had posted pictures of her flooded backyard (apparently her basement is flooded, too). I am glad you are not affected by the floods. Yes, we have much to be thankful for, don't we?

      Hope your week is going well. Take care.

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  6. You had a very good Monday and did well on those Ritz crackers. I enjoy the photos you are always kind enough to share with us. You live in a nice neighborhood with sidewalks (paths) so nice for walking, which sadly our subdivision does not have.

    Monday I needed to return a blouse and Sketcher's Go Walk shoes that I ordered online. The blouse was much to big and the shoes very narrow. I was surprised at how many people were shopping on a Monday but I was able to find another pair of the Sketcher's Go Walk shoes that fit me nicely and also purchased two Easter kitchen towels that were marked down from $13.99 to $2.79 thinking I would put them in my daughter's Easter bag next year!

    Tuesday time to get my hair cut again and I called at Walgreen's to pick up a couple of items they had on offer. Annoyingly two of the items I wanted were completely sold out but they did have the Sun Maid raisins 2/$4 and the 64 pk paper plates .99, so not a complete waste.

    Good news that your mouth now is almost pain free. Make that appointment now for the first procedure, the sooner the better.

    Hugs.

    Sandy

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    1. Glad you enjoy the photos, Sandy. For some odd reason, the side walks don't continue onto the next block and only on one side of the street that separates the two blocks! Mine is a fairly old subdivision, with houses built in 1940. There seems to have been 3 or 4 floor plans, but each house originally started out with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath, living room, dining area, kitchen and a tiny utility area. The original houses were around 1,000 square feet. Several of us have added on family rooms and an additional bathroom, including me, but at least one neighbor has kept the original floor plan.

      I'm glad you were able to get a pair of shoes that fitted you better and the Easter towels sound like a great bargain! Will Walgreens give you a raincheck on the items that were sold out?

      Yes, I need to get my physician to authorize the dental services before I can make that appointment, but I hope to get that done before the week is over.

      Hope you have a lovely rest of the day. Take care.

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  7. Like one of your other readers said, amongst the big news herd is the lack of rain, which normally prompts people to talk about the 1976 heatwave, during my last year at primary. At least weather talk is more neutral than politics.

    I too am glad you and your home were not hurt in the fire- a very scary thought- perhaps the rain is a sign that all will be well
    Siobhan

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    1. Yes, weather is a safe subject, as long as one stays away from topics such as climate change, global warming, etc.! Ha, ha! Then, it quickly becomes politics!

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  8. Gotta love those almost free edibles!
    You were so lucky with your trees and the fire! It is funny how we can see the potential for life changing in an instant.

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    1. Yes, life can definitely change in an instant, without any warning or anything! I am so grateful that nothing bad happened!

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  9. Fantastic deal on the crackers..[FREE...love that]
    Proud you had a good dya. and so happy the fire didnt get to your house.

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    1. Thanks, Judy. Free has to be my favorite price! LOL. Yes, so thankful the fire didn't damage my house. Hope you are fully recovered and feeling better, now, Judy.

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    2. Thank you for asking Bless. I am still not well.. Have to have an upper GI this coming Friday.. Hopefully, the changing of blood sugar med will get me to feeling well soon.. I am some better, so thankful for that..

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    3. Judy, I hope all will be well with you, soon. Will keep you in my prayers. (((HUGS)))

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  10. May I refer you to my earlier comment(s) re. communication between pharmacy and medical practice! :o)

    Good score on the Ritz ... and I hate cleaning the crisper! One of those "Oh no" jobs!

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    1. Yes, the communication between pharmacy and the doctor's office is an on-going thing! :)

      As for cleaning the crisper - on my schedule for Monday! It's been a couple of weeks since my last grocery shopping trip and I need to check the remaining fresh produce and see what needs to be salvaged! :D

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