Rainy Days

There's rain water pooled at the base of the petals

Tuesday and Wednesday have been rainy days.  Tuesday afternoon, we had a shower of rain which cleared long enough for me to take the pictures of the roses with rain drops on them.  Then, in the evening, it began to pour with rain.  Today (Wednesday), again, the morning was cloudy, but, no rain, until around noon, when it started to rain.  But, it cleared in the evening.

The pharmacy called me on Tuesday morning to ask if I wanted my asthma inhaler refill delivered and I said, yes, please.  They estimated it would be delivered on Thursday, but, I received it, today!

On Tuesday, I brought in the trash cans from the curb, did a little bit of weeding, tidied and dusted the family room, watered the indoor plants, folded and put away a load of laundry I had done earlier, and handwashed two of my wool sweaters that I had knitted.  I had stringhoppers for brunch, rice with chicken curry, green beans, and beetroot curry for dinner, and homemade baked potato chips for a snack!

Homemade Baked Potato Chips

They turned out quite crispy, although some that were sliced more thinly got a bit burned!

I finished knitting the scarf I was making:

New Knitted Scarf

I couldn't decide on a pattern and kept taking it apart and reknitting, until I decided to just do a garter stitch (knit on both sides) and be done with it!

Of course, someone claimed it as his own, the minute I finished making it:

"My Scarf!"

On Wednesday, I continued with cleaning the family room.  I took the dust sheets off the sofas and washed them.  I covered the sofas with sheets I had washed, earlier.

Later, I practiced the piano, starting at the beginning of the book and playing all the pieces I learned earlier until I reached the latest piece, including ones in between that S had me skip over, which I taught myself during the last three weeks.  Much later, in the evening, I discovered that there are some online tutorials for at least some of the pieces that I taught myself!  I need to look into that a bit more!

Breakfast was a tuna salad sandwich; lunch was the leftover "roast beef and vegetables makeover" I had made the other day.  I cooked a mackerel curry in the evening.  Dinner was the last of the string hoppers with the coconut milk gravy and mackerel curry.  Dessert was avocado pudding.  There's more avocado pudding for tomorrow.

I am grateful for:
- Rain for the garden
- A good roof above me
- A home in which to shelter and be safe
- Pharmacy offering free delivery
- My daughter's help with online stuff
- A new scarf
- Roses in the garden
- Phone calls with family and friends
- Online chats with my daughter
- Emails from friends

My joyful activities include reading, piano playing, and chatting with my daughter

Thursday' To Do List:

- Clean the kitchen
- Dust my bedroom
- Vacuum
- Start the car

More rain is in the forecast for tomorrow!

How is your week coming along?  What are your plans for Thursday?  

Rain Drops on Roses...

Pink Rose

It rained on Tuesday afternoon.

Yellow Rose

After it cleared, I took these photos and thought of the song from "Sound of Music":

On leaves, too!

Which led to these photos:

"Whiskers on Kittens"

"Hey, I'm trying to sleep, here!"

"Meow?  A song about whiskers and kittens?"

A few of my favorite things.  

Rain on Monday

Climbing Red Rose

It was still raining when I woke up, this morning.  But, the rain cleared in the afternoon and I was able to walk in the drive way for a little bit.   I started the car, too, and let the engine run for about 10 minutes while I walked.  I took the trash cans to the curb and called neighbor T to ask her if she needed her trash cans taken out, too, but, she said no.  I think she puts her trash cans out every other week. 

The red rose growing up the lattice near my front door is in bloom.  I am not sure if it is a climbing rose or not, but, it is growing up the lattice and seems to be doing well, with flowers on either side of the lattice.

Lantana

More Lantana

The lantana is doing well, too.  After I took this photo, I thought it, too, would have been a good candidate for the "Three colors on one object" prompt for the WPSH, with each flower head having smaller individual flowers of yellow, coral, and pink.

Later in the afternoon, I changed the bed sheets and did a load of laundry.  Then, I dusted the living room and dining area.  I also sewed a few more fabric face masks and kept them ready for friend S to pick up.

For brunch, today, I made regular, American style pancakes, using a boxed pancake mix.  But, I ate them with leftover fish curry and dhal, instead of syrup.  I ate a banana, afterwards.  Then, around 4:30 p.m., I had a tuna salad sandwich with my cup of tea.  Dancer got some tuna, too!

Jasmine Flowers (sorry, blurry!)

After tea, I watched some news and knitted on my scarf.  I called friend R, too, and chatted with her for a bit.

A little while later, friend S called to say she was on her way to pick up the face masks.  I had made her 12 masks, which she said was plenty.   In exchange for the face masks, she brought me dinner!  Stringhoppers, chicken curry, a coconut milk gravy we call "kiri hodhi", a hard boiled egg (often, it is added to the coconut milk gravy), and coconut sambol!   That's why she didn't come to pick up the masks, yesterday - because she was too tired to make the stringhoppers!  She is too much!  Apparently, she took dinner to friend R, too, and gave her two of the face masks.

Dinner: Stringhoppers and Currries

I love stringhoppers!  They are one of my favorite things to eat.  Needless to say, I enjoyed several of them for my dinner.  The rest is being kept for tomorrow's brunch or dinner.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Rain for the garden
- Garden flowers
- Friend S bringing me dinner!
- The car started!
- Video chatting with my daughter (who just put in a request to have groceries delivered)

Today's joyful activity was enjoying the dinner friend S brought me!

Monday's To Do List:

- Change bed sheets - DONE

- Load of laundry (bed sheets/towels) - DONE

- Dust living room & dining area - DONE

- Clean the fridge - DONE (Who got strawberry jam on my fridge door handle?  Dancer, was it you?)

- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up - DONE
- Sew a few more masks - DONE
- Start cleaning and tidying the family room

Well, I didn't do anything in the family room today, but, will carry it forward to tomorrow.

Tuesday's To Do List:

- Dust family room and my bedroom

- Errands, if any (grocery shopping, etc.) (no errands to run)
- Water the garden, front and back (the rain took care of that!)

- Water the house plants
- Paperwork/filing
- Sew more masks

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

Sunday

It was chilly and cloudy all day, today.  Finally, the rain that had been threatening all day began to fall in the late evening, around 10:00 p.m.  The forecast says it will rain for the next several days!

Neighbor T called in the early afternoon and I chatted with her.  Then, I walked outside in the driveway for a little bit, to get some fresh air and exercise.

I spent the day waiting for S to come and pick up the masks, but, she didn't.  I guess she was working and didn't have the time.  In the meantime, I sewed a few more masks with fabric ties since I was out of thin elastic.  I was told, by a distant relative, not to cut wider elastic as that just unravels.  The fabric ties were quite easy and the wearer can adjust as needed:

Mask with Ties

I had a banana for breakfast, today.  I wasn't very hungry for lunch, so I had an orange.  Later, around 4:00 p.m., I ate some tuna salad with crackers and had a cup of tea.  For dinner, I warmed up some of the frozen roast beef and made it over with sauteed onions, carrots, green beans, and sliced potato, as I had done earlier:

Dinner

There are leftovers for tomorrow's dinner, as well.

Friend R called in the evening for a chat and later, I video chatted with my daughter.  She baked some curry puffs for her dinner and some chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Since she is getting low on her stock of white sugar, she said she used a recipe that called for condensed milk and brown sugar!  So far, I haven't felt the urge to bake anything like cakes and cookies, but, that might change.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The rain holding off till evening
- Being able to sew the masks
- Phone calls and video chats
- Electricity
- Being able to walk about my garden

Light Purple Osteospermum

Today's joyful activity was walking about my garden.

Monday's To Do List:

- Change bed sheets

- Load of laundry (bed sheets/towels)

- Dust living room & dining area

- Clean the fridge

- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up
- Sew a few more masks
- Start cleaning and tidying the family room

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

Saturday

Fabric Face Masks

Today, I was able to sew six face masks, with the 1/4 inch elastic that I had.  I called friend S and offered to bring them to her, but, she didn't want me to leave the house!  She said she will come by, tomorrow, to pick them up.  She asked me if I needed any groceries, but, I said I had plenty.  M, too, texted me to say that he was waiting in line at the grocery store and asked if he could pick up anything for me, but, I said no, I was fine.  I've plenty of groceries for now.

Yellow Roses

Breakfast was a banana!  Later, I had the last of the rice and curries that S brought me, for lunch.  Dinner was a scrambled egg and baked sweet potato rounds.  I feel stuffed!  After dinner, I ran the dishwasher.

Pink Roses

My rose bushes are starting to flower.  I don't have as many rose bushes as I used to have, but, those that are remaining are doing their best to bring some color to the garden.

Double Colored (one of my favorites)

Today, I am grateful for:
- My fabric stash
- My sewing machine
- M asking if I needed anything from the store
- Being able to sew the masks for my friend
- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was chatting with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include sewing more masks.

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

Face Masks on Friday

Fabric Face Masks: My First Two Attempts 

On Friday, I tried my hand at making fabric face masks.  We have been asked to cover our faces (or, at least, our nose and mouth) whenever we go out, even if it is with a folded up bandana.  These face coverings will NOT keep out any Covid-19 viruses, however, they will keep our own saliva and mucus droplets from being projected out and we are going by the idea of something being better than nothing.  There are several tutorials online; I made these after watching a couple of them, using two pieces of cotton fabric, that are 6 inches by 9 inches, sewn together (top) or using a single 6 inch by 18 inch piece of fabric, folded (bottom).  I initially used two 7 inches long pieces of elastic, which turned out to be too loose for me.  Then, I cut them down to 5 inches and that was a bit too tight.  Eventually, 6 inches turned out to be just right for me.  Rather than waste elastic (I only have a remnant piece of the 1/4 inch wide elastic), I pieced and patched the ones that I cut for the navy blue mask.   These are my prototypes, I guess, and I will use them for when I do gardening, etc., due to allergies and asthma, as I am trying not to go out in public.

However, this morning, friend S (who works at the grocery store) called me to ask me a question about her sewing machine (sounded like her tension was set too tightly) and I found out that she was trying to sew some masks.  So, I told her that I will sew her some masks.  Friend R has requested some for herself, too.  I'll make as many as I can for the amount of elastic I have.  Once I run out of the 1/4 inch elastic, I shall try cutting a wider elastic in strips to see if that will work.

In other news, M came to tend to the garden, yesterday, and he brought me a container of raspberries he had bought earlier in the day.  I gave him $5 and asked him to buy me some bananas the next time he went to the grocery store.  At first he refused to take the money, but, I insisted.  He said he will bring me the bananas in the morning.

Later in the evening, however, there was a knock at my front door and I thought it might be M with the bananas!  Instead, it was cousin P with a bunch of bananas for me!  Apparently, I had mentioned to her, during one of our phone calls, that I was out of bananas and she remembered that when she and her daughter went grocery shopping, yesterday!  So, she bought me a bunch of bananas!  I have been telling her she shouldn't grocery shop, but, nevertheless, I was very grateful that she brought me bananas!  Of course, I immediately texted M and told him not to bring me any bananas because I have been given some by my cousin.  He offered to bring the $5 back in the morning, but, I told him to keep it, that I might ask him to buy me something else next week.  Maybe more bananas, later on!  I am supposed to eat bananas regularly due to a need for more potassium. 

On Friday, I was grateful for:
- Cousin P blessing me with bananas
- M blessing me with raspberries
- Being able to walk around the garden and do some weeding
- My fabric stash and online tutorials
- Being able to sew

Plans for today (Saturday) includes sewing a few more masks!

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for Saturday?  Have you sewn any fabric masks?

Revised Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Back in April 2019, I made myself a weekly cleaning schedule.

Unlike most of my previous cleaning schedules, I managed to keep to this schedule for the most part (up until March of this year, when everything sort of got derailed!).  I have been pleasantly surprised that I managed to stick to this schedule for as long as I did!  I made a couple of changes to it, as I went, because I found that it worked out better that way.  One of the bigger changes was moving cleaning the bathrooms from Wednesday to Friday. 

I am determined to start implementing my cleaning schedule, again, starting today.  I thought I would post my revised weekly cleaning schedule, in case anyone is interested.  I do have a couple of days when I have listed running errands - I considered taking those out for now, but, I decided to leave them in.  One day, the stay at home restrictions will be lifted and we will be able to run errands!  When that day comes, it'll be good to know that I have set aside certain days in which to do them.  

Revised Weekly Cleaning Schedule:

Monday:

- Change bed sheets

- Load of laundry (bed sheets/towels)

- Dust living room & dining area

- Clean the fridge

- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up

Tuesday:

- Dust family room and my bedroom

- Errands, if any (grocery shopping, etc.)
- Water the garden, front and back

- Water the house plants

Wednesday:

- Vacuum

- Paperwork/filing 

- Do one decluttering/organizing task

Thursday:

- Clean the kitchen

- Water the garden, front and back

- Load of laundry, if needed

Friday:

- Clean the bathrooms 

- Do one deep cleaning task

- Errands, if any

Saturday:

- Catch up day - any cleaning that didn't get done during the week for whatever reason!

Sunday:

- No cleaning, other than dailies

Daily:

- Clean the litter box

- Sweep the bathroom floor, around the litter box

- Do the dishes

- Wipe down the kitchen counters and stove top

- 10 minutes pick-up/tidy

- Decluttering
- 15 minutes of room/area of the week
- 10 minutes of room of the month

Do you have a cleaning schedule?  Do you clean one room at a time (dust and vacuum) or do you do one task all throughout the house (like all the dusting on one day, all the vacuuming on one day)?  What works best for you?