Monday: Memorial Day

Monday was Memorial Day, here, in the US.   A day to remember those who died in service to the country during its wars and a holiday.  It is also considered as the unofficial first day of summer and barbecue season.  Many towns and cities have ceremonies to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  Some people decorate the grave sites of service men and women with flags, some have family gatherings, some go shopping.  Some suggest ways to celebrate the day, such as making champagne popsicles, but I shan't go there.

 

I had a fairly productive day on Monday; once I woke up, that is!  (I slept in!)

 

I hand washed a couple of garments and hung them to dry.  One of them is a dress my mother had sewn for me, which I had held on to for the past 20+ years, initially hoping to be able to fit into it again, and later, keeping it just because she had sewn it for me and I couldn't bear to give it away.  Now, after having lost all that weight during cancer treatment, I am able to fit into it, again!

 

I also tried on a dress a cousin had given me for Christmas several years ago which had been too tight at the time and which I had given to my daughter to wear.  She wore it a few times, but left it down here as it was a summer dress and it rarely gets that warm up in Berkeley for her to wear it.  It fits me now, but it is not exactly my style.  However, when my cousin gave the dress to me, she had said she wanted to see me wear it, so I might wear it to one of the rosary prayer gatherings this summer so she can see me wearing it!

 

In the early evening, I went shopping.  I had initially intended to shop for a pair of pants.  Instead, I decided to go to the fabric store to buy elastic for waist bands, so I could alter some skirts I already had.  I bought two packages of 1 1/4 inch wide elastic for $4.99 per package (three yards in each; so approximately $1.66/yard).

 

Elastic for Waist Bands

 

They weren't on sale and I didn't have a coupon, so I paid full price.  I am not very happy about that, but that's my own fault for not going prepared with a coupon and for not waiting for a sale, etc.  With sales tax, it came to $10.85.

 

Receipt

 

However, each package should be enough for three waist bands, for approximately $1.80 per waist band.  It will enable me to wear what I already have in my closet for awhile longer.

 

They also had elastics in big rolls, for sale by the yard, but they didn't have the 1 1/4 inch wide ones.  The 1 1/2 inch wide elastic was selling for $2.49/yard, but that was wider than what I needed.

 

While I was at the fabric store, I looked around for a bit as they were having a Memorial Day sale.  Lots of fabric on sale for up to 50% off and yarn on sale for up to 40% off.  I was tempted to buy some of each, but I have promised myself that I will not buy either without a specific project in mind until I use up my stash (that's how I had built up my current stash in the first place, by buying fabric and yarn on sale, without a project in mind, simply because they were on sale!)  So I only bought the elastic, which is what I had gone to buy!  Yay me for staying on target and buying only what I intended to buy!  LOL.

 

On the way home from the fabric store, I made a stop at the grocery store to pick up a few items: 1/2 gal. milk ($1.89), 1 dozen eggs ($.99), a bottle of salad dressing ($1.77), a container of ice cream ($2.77),  and two bars of chocolate ($1.50@).  I didn't take a picture, but the total came to $10.42.

 

Grocery Receipt

 

The ice cream and chocolates were impulse buys, but turns out it was a good thing, because, today, I received a call from my cousin who is visiting from Australia, asking if I'd be home tomorrow evening and, when I said yes, saying she is coming to see me and will bring dinner!  I will be able to offer ice cream for dessert, with a fresh fruit salad. 

 

Later in the evening, after a cup of coffee and a sandwich, I cleaned the bathrooms, did the dishes, watered the garden, both front and back (I have a zucchini bud!), took the trash cans out, and unpicked the waistband of a skirt so I could insert new elastic.  

 

Zucchini Bud

It was too dark to take a picture of the zucchini bud, yesterday evening, so I took a picture this morning.  It appears to be a male flower, but I see a female flower forming on the other side of the plant!  Hopefully, there will be another male flower blossoming at the same time and it will get pollinated and become a fruit!  Yes, botanically speaking, the zucchini, like the tomato, is a fruit. 

A couple of my nieces had posted news about the severe floods in Sri Lanka.  I inquired about the families and one niece replied that so far, they were all OK.  I also called one of my friends who is here to ask if her daughters who are in Sri Lanka were affected by the floods, but she said they weren't.  Later, when the monks from the temple called to check on me, I told them that if the temple is doing something to help the flood victims, I will make a donation through them.  

Two of my aunts called, too, and inquired about my health.  I told them I was still waiting to hear about the referral.  Later, I exchanged emails with a friend and video chatted with my daughter.

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- The service men and women who died in service

- Their families who have also served

- Family and friends in Sri Lanka are safe

- Zucchini buds!

- Calls and emails from family and friends

How was your Monday?  Did you observe or celebrate Memorial Day?