New Composter

 

New Composter

One of the gifts my daughter gave me for Christmas is a composter!  In all my years of gardening and composting, I've either made compost heaps in the garden (mostly for the yard waste) or dug holes in the ground to fill with plant based kitchen scraps which get covered with soil and then, planted over with flowers or vegetables.  But, after falling in the garden several times, daughter was concerned about me falling on my trips to the compost pits, and bought me a rotating compost bin.  It has a dual compartment bin and two doors that slide open (not visible in the pictures I took of it).  You give the bin a slight downward push and it rotates and the composting kitchen scraps inside the bin tumble around which helps them break up.

Daughter assembled it on Christmas Day and I had her put it outside in the "patio" area, right next to the back steps:

Within easy reach of the back door

Having it near the back steps makes it easy to access, without having to go out into the garden.  Technically, I could even stand on the steps to drop the kitchen scraps into the bin (once the barrel is rotated to access the sliding doors).  

Thank you, Daughter, for my new composter.

Today, Monday, I contacted my primary care physician to discuss my concerns about my blood pressure spiking.  I had woken up feeling fine, but, when I checked my pressure, it was quite high.  Well above normal.  I didn't even have my usual morning cup of tea because I didn't want the caffeine to raise the pressure even more.  I asked the doctor if I should take a higher dose just to get the pressure back under control.  But, the doctor assured me that there was no cause for concern.  She said to continue to take the medication as I have been doing and there was no need to increase the dosage of the medication.  She also told me not to take my blood pressure as soon as I woke up, but, to do my morning routines, have my breakfast, etc., and then check the pressure.  She also told me to reduce my stress levels and that the pressure will stabilize again, over time. 

So, I took it very easy, today, and started on a new knitting project.  Knitting is a stress reliever for me (crochet is, too).  I decided I will knit a new sweater with yarn (100% wool) that I had already bought when it was on sale, back in 2023!  The medications and the knitting were a successful combination and kept my blood pressure under control.  

Daughter didn't let me do anything today!  She cleaned the fridge, took the kitchen and bathroom trash out, and took the big trash bins out to the curb, washed and put away the dishes, etc.  

I made myself a one egg omelet for breakfast (doctor had told me to eat more protein) and daughter picked greens from the garden to make us both a salad for lunch.  We had leftover almsgiving and Christmas food for dinner.  

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- The doctor's reassurance that the pressure spikes are nothing to be concerned about

- Access to medical care

- Daughter taking care of me

- A relaxed day of watching videos online and knitting

- My new composter

Monday's joyful activities included knitting!

Plans for Tuesday include going for a blood test.  Daughter will go with me, just in case she's needed.

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

Sunny Sunday

Clear Blue Skies (and an afternoon moon!)

Sunday lived up to its name!  It was definitely sunny!  The temperature was quite mild (68F) in the late afternoon when I went outside to check on the front garden.

Flowers on the Rosemary Bush

The rosemary bush in the front had lots of flowers and the bees were loving it.

This one bee and I played "Hide and Seek"

Close Up of the Bee

"Psst!  I'm down here at the bottom of the picture"

"Now I'm at the top"

"Spot me if you can!"

"You found me!"

I decided to leave it to enjoy its nectar and withdraw myself and my cell phone before it decided it has had enough of being photographed and stung me!  

Besides, there were other things to check out in the garden:

The Euryops Bushes

The euryops bushes are flowering and there were bees visiting them, too, but, I didn't play hide and seek with them.  

The Lantanas are flowering too

The Jade plants are starting to flower:

Jade Plant and Flowers

Nearby, the Aeoniums are flourishing:

Aeonium

This aeonium is starting to form an inflorescence:

Forming an Inflorescence 

There are also new Osteospermum seedlings coming up just about everywhere one looks:

Osteospermum Seedlings

And of course, no visit to the garden is complete without a peek or two of the stumpery:

The Stumpery

It is definitely getting incorporated into the landscape and the succulents border:

Succulents Border

It's what I'd envisioned all along.  The border needs a little tidying up, but, that can wait until M is back from his holiday break.  

On Sunday, one of daughter's friends came for a crochet afternoon.  I made some egg salad and we all enjoyed some egg salad sandwiches and shortbread cookies.  Later, daughter did her laundry and I caught up on my blog reading.  We both had leftovers for dinner.

On Sunday, I am grateful for:

- Another sunny day

- The garden is growing well

- Daughter had a fun afternoon with her friend

- Working appliances

- A relaxing day

Today's joyful activities included being out in the garden and playing "hide and seek" with a bee!  LOL.

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for the week ahead?

After the Rain

 

Rain Drenched Flowers

On Saturday, the rain stopped and we had clear blue skies and sunshine!  

Daughter's Raised Beds

All the plants thrived in the rain. We've been picking some of the baby kale, arugula, and the leaves of the Japanese herbs to add to salads.

And the volunteer tomato plants are flowering!

Tomato Flowers

I hope we have a warm enough January and February for the tomato plants to survive!

On Saturday, I made a small batch of blueberry jam with homegrown blueberries I had frozen.  I used 4 oz. quarter pint canning jars instead of my usual 8 oz. half pint jars.  The jars of jam are for gift giving.  Then, I wrapped a few gifts, ready for giving.

In the late afternoon, we visited cousin V.  We had tea with her and her husband and exchanged gifts with her.  I also took additional gifts for her to distribute to members of her family that I will not be seeing until after the holiday season.  

As we left V's house, we could smell natural gas outside and we were concerned.  V called the gas company and she was told that there was a gas leak in a different city and the wind directions were such that the gas could be smelled in V's area!  Apparently, many people in V's area had called the gas company about the gas smell.  Later, V sent me a news video about it and how a major freeway was closed.  V's husband has family living in the city experiencing the gas leak and they had spent Christmas Day with them!  Residents were being told to shelter in place.

Daughter and I spent a relaxed evening after we came home.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- All the rain for the garden
- The garden plants are thriving

- Visiting with my cousin
- A safe drive there and back

- A relaxed evening at home

Saturday's joyful activity was visiting my cousin.

Plans for Sunday include wrapping more gifts and sewing two table runners.  

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?

On Christmas Day and Day After

 

Christmas Lunch

On Christmas day, the rain paused for a period of time.  Late friend A's younger daughter called my daughter around 9:00 a.m., asking if we could make it to Christmas lunch, after all.  Daughter asked me and I said, "Yes".  It was supposed to rain later in the afternoon, but, we were hoping we could manage to make it there and back before it resumed raining.  However, just in case it rained hard and the roads flooded, I decided we could spend the night at their house and put a change of clothes in the car ( I've decided to leave it in the car along with the sleeping bag that I've kept in the car since the January fires, in case we need to evacuate in an emergency) 

There was no rain on the way to our friends' house, but, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, it just poured!  Hard, heavy rain, that sounded almost like hail as it fell on the car.  Two minutes later, the rain stopped!  I guess we had a cloud burst of sorts.  It rained on and off while we were at our friend's house, but, we left when it was just a ight rain and that stopped just before we reached home.

Our friends had prepared a feast for Christmas lunch: Ham and gravy, corned beef brisket, chicken curry, vegetable rice, cheesy mashed potatoes, salad, bread rolls, and Christmas cake, pumpkin pie, and ice cream for dessert.  

While we were there, my friend S called to say that her husband and daughter were on their way to my house to drop off something for me and that usually means food.  I told her that we were not at home.  But, apparently, they were making a drop off at friend R's too, so they said they'll leave my parcel with friend R, if I could pick it up from her place.  Then friend R called to tell me that friend S's daughter had called her saying I was not at home!  I confirmed that I was not at home and I will stop by to pick up my package on my way home.  Which I did and I handed over a package that had arrived for R just as we were leaving the house and which I had with me in the car.  

As I suspected friend S had sent us a dinner!  Rice, cashew curry, beef curry, eggplant moju with fried dried salted sprats, Sri Lankan mixed pickle, cutlets, slices of fresh pineapple, and homemade marshmallows for dessert.  Daughter and I were too full from our Christmas lunch to eat a full dinner, so we kept it in the fridge to enjoy on the following day and over the weekend, too.

It started to rain quite heavily in the night.  I was glad we came home before the heavy rains started again.

On Christmas day, I was grateful for:

-  Our friends inviting us to Christmas lunch
- The heavy rains let up while we were driving to our friends' home and back 
- Safe driving there and back (we avoided the flooded roads and intersections)
- Time spent in the company of friends
- Friend S sending us dinner; friend R keeping it for me

My joyful activities included enjoying Christmas day with my daughter and friends and cuddling a new puppy that one of late friend A's daughters has just adopted.

Puppy Wants Christmas Lunch, Too!

We generally don't open gifts at the end of the gathering so we left our gifts to them under their tree and they handed their gifts to us as we were leaving.  

One of the girls is an avid hiker and we got her a hiking journal and a set of pens:

Hiking Journal

The other girl has asked daughter to teach her how to crochet, so we got her a crochet instruction book and a set of crochet hooks and stitch markers, etc.

Crochet Book

Daughter also made them each two beaded bracelets.

Their father received a jar of homemade peach chutney.

I received a lovely set of kitchen towels as the girls continued their mother's tradition of giving me towels each year, as well as a gift card.

Set of Kitchen Towel

I love the colors and the fact that it is suitable for year round use and not just at Christmas.  

Daughter received a selection of reading themed gifts and a necklace.

Speaking of necklaces, my daughter made me this wrapped wire pendant as one of her Christmas gifts to me:

.  

Wrapped Wire, Glass Crystal Beads, and a Moonstone

Later in the evening I called my cousin N and spoke with her mother, Aunt C who is in her early 90s and recently been diagnosed with dementia.  Aunt spoke with me for a long time, rambling a bit as she spoke.  When I asked my cousin if I could come and visit her mother, she asked Aunt C if she'd like me to visit, but, I could hear Aunt C saying no.  So, I told cousin C not to worry about it, I will just drop off a gift without seeing Aunt C.  The last pair of socks I knitted are for her.  I also called friend S for thank her for the meal she sent us.

Today, the day after Christmas day, it continued to rain more or less all day, quite heavily at times.  My cousin V called and I chatted with her for awhile.  Daughter and I are having a relatively quiet, relaxed day as I've been trying to keep my blood pressure under control (it's been fluctuating a bit).  

Daughter is assembling one of the gifts she bought for me; I will post a picture once it is fully assembled.  

I hope you've had a lovely Christmas with your loved ones.

Did you take advantage of any after Christmas sales?  What are your plans for the weekend?

Christmas Eve

 

Moo:  "I don't like this wet stuff, Lady"

It rained all night on Tuesday and all day on Christmas Eve.  Some roads and freeways flooded and there were mudslides and hundreds of accidents.  It is supposed to rain all day on Christmas Day, too.

Daughter and I had been invited to join some friends of ours for Christmas dinner, but, after receiving two weather alerts and flood watch warnings, we took a "rain check" on the invitation!  Especially since we saw on the news that the freeway and the intersection under the freeway that we would need to drive through to get to our friends' house were flooded and closed to traffic.  

I hadn't planned anything for a special Christmas dinner at home, but, I can put together something and we'll plan a festive New Year's Day meal, instead.

M came to visit during a break in the weather (it was still drizzling, but, not raining hard), with a gift for us:

Yummy Pastries and Cakes

He offered to water the garden for me!  Ha, ha!  Very funny, M!

I had made waffles and sausages for brunch.  At tea time, instead of tea, I made hot cocoa with the last of the whipped cream squired on top:

Hot Cocoa

 For dinner, I made some curry puffs:

Curry Puffs

Puff pastry triangles filled with ground beef, tomato, a grated potato, and grated zucchini.  . 

On Christmas Eve, I'm grateful for:

- The rain for the garden

- The previous night's wind storm only toppled one of my blueberry bushes 
- Our friends understood our reasons for declining their invitation to Christmas dinner
- Electricity (friend R called to say her power went off for several hours due to the storm)
- A working heater

My joyful activities included walking around the garden when the rain slowed down to a light drizzle and sampling some of the delicious desserts M gave us.

I wish you all a very joyous Christmas.  May you be blessed with the love, peace, and goodwill that is so much a part of this season.

Better on Tuesday

 

Torn Cardigan Sleeve

I developed a tear in the sleeve of my favorite cardigan.  I knitted this cardigan in 2002, I believe, so I am not surprised that it is tearing in places.  It is the same cardigan I mended back in February:  That time, there was a small tear in one of the front sides and I embroidered a flower bud to disguise the mending:

Embroidery to Disguise the Mending

This time, however, I just mended the hole with some darning with a contrasting color: visible mending.

Visible Mending

I went to sleep at an early for me time on Monday.  I kept waking up every so often and I would drink some water and go back to sleep each time.  I got about 9 hours of sleep altogether and when I finally woke up, my headache was gone.  I checked my blood pressure and it was normal.  I checked my sugar, too, and that was quite normal, too (below 100).

In the afternoon, I took daughter to her clinic to get her flu shot at the walk-in clinic they had set up and then, I dropped her off at home.  Then, I decided to go an get my flu shot, too, because my area is supposed to get some heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday and there were flood warnings.  I didn't want to be driving around in the rain as roads and intersections in my neighborhood often get flooded when it rains.

So, I went to the pharmacy as a walk-in and received my flu shot with hardly any waiting.  Afterwards, I stopped to put gas into my car; $50 worth at $4.35 per gallon for unleaded.  

I ate some garbanzo beans left over from the almsgiving for my brunch (daughter ate some chicken curry and leftovers).  For dinner, daughter treated us both to Japanese food from our nearby Japanese restaurant.  We ordered the food to go and picked it up, as we are still not eating out in a restaurant yet.  

I am planning to go to bed at a more reasonable time tonight, too.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- My headache went away
- My pressure and sugar levels were good
- The availability of flu vaccines
- The availability of gas for the car
- Daughter treating us to dinner

Today's joyful activity was enjoying some yummy food that I didn't have to cook!

Plans for tomorrow, Christmas Eve, include seeing gardener friend M before he takes a few days off over the holidays and hopefully making a batch of jam to give as holiday gifts. 

How was your Tuesday?  What are your plans for Christmas Eve?

On Monday

 

Holiday Chocolates

A friend sent us a box of holiday chocolates.  They arrived in an insulated package with cold packs to keep the chocolates fresh!

On Monday, all the excitement of the past couple of days caught up with me!  I woke up with a headache which I tried to sleep off, unsuccessfully.  I checked my blood pressure and found out that it has spiked!  My blood pressure had been so low recently, that at the beginning of the month, my doctor took me off one of my blood pressure medications.  I was fine for the next couple of weeks, but, today, my pressure had spiked.  I went back on the medication and it brought down my blood pressure back to normal.  But, the headache lingered.

I took a nap in the afternoon hoping that it would help, but it didn't/  So, I took a dose of Tylenol and that, and a cup of tea, did help.  But, as a result of the headache, I didn't go to the pharmacy to get my flu shot.

I had egg salad sandwiches for both breakfast and lunch, today.  I think I will have some of the spicy potatoes for my dinner.  And, hopefully, go to bed at a more reasonable time and maybe catch up on my sleep.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- My blood pressure monitor
- Blood pressure medications
- My pressure responded to the medication
- Afternoon naps
- Daughter taking out the trash and recycling bins to the curb for me

Today's joyful activities included being mostly inactive, resting and taking a nap!

Plans for tomorrow include:

- Getting my flu shot
- Taking daughter to get her flu shot
- Making and mailing some last minute holiday greeting cards 
- Making some Christmas/New Year gifts if I feel up to it

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?