Monday, August 21, 2017

Sunday: Phone Calls and Groceries

Sunday was a day of phone calls!

The first one woke me up before my alarm went off and it was some sales person from a construction company, cold calling to see if I had any construction work done!  No, thank you!  Even if I have any projects that need doing (and I do), I won't be having some unknown person coming over to my house to give me estimates!  I am a bit paranoid, that way!

The next phone call, when I was brewing tea, was from daughter; she was having her morning coffee while waiting for her colleague who was coming to pick her up.  They were going to feed the stray cats at the race track in San Francisco and then go grocery shopping, afterwards. 

Then, my neighbor T called - our weekly Sunday phone call.  It would have been her 51st wedding anniversary and the first one since her husband's death.  I wished her for her anniversary, although I am sure it was a difficult one.

After that, my friend R called to say hi and to see how things were.  We had a nice chat, catching up with each other since we last spoke, which was about a couple of days before that!

Cousin V called in the afternoon, to let me know that her daughter in New York will be visiting again with the baby, next week.  She said the baby loves the bright colors of the quilt I made for him and spends a lot of time on the quilt!  Made me feel very happy to hear that.  Cousin will call to let me know when would be a good time to come and see the baby again, when they are here.

Aunt C called when I was making my evening tea, to ask how I was.  She said she had a good visit on Friday night when she and her daughter, my cousin N, visited.  I mentioned that I went out to lunch with sister on Saturday (sister has the same relationship to her as I do).  Aunt's first question amused me no end - she wanted to know if I colored my hair before going out with sister!  LOL!  No, I told her, I don't color my hair, didn't color it before, and don't plan to color it now or in the future!  I am perfectly comfortable with the very natural aging process and the grey hairs and wrinkles that accompany it.  Actually, my hair was greyer before my cancer treatment caused it to fall out; the hair that has since grown back is more pigmented.  I still have some grey, but it doesn't bother me. 

My hair has been a source of consternation to various members of my family!  When it was long, all the aunts and many of the cousins were always telling me to cut it.  When it started to grey, it was cut and color it!  Now that it is short (since it is growing out), everyone is assuring me I look younger and nice in short hair, but I am still being urged to color it.  Personally, I'd prefer to have long hair, even if it is grey!

Finally, cousin P called to check on me and to ask me if I was attending the monthly prayer gathering (scheduled for next Sunday) and, if so, could I give her a ride.  Originally, the monthly prayer gathering had been scheduled for this past Saturday, but then, the lady who had volunteered to host it this month was unable to host it, so the lady who leads the prayers stated she'll host it.  When she called me to tell me about the change of plans, last week, I had told her I will let her know if I am able to attend the prayer gathering closer to the date.  I told my cousin the same thing - I will let her know if I am going, but if I am going, then, I will definitely give her a ride.

In between all these phone calls, I went to the pharmacy to pick up one of my medications, and then, I stopped at the dollar store next door to the pharmacy for a few grocery items:

August 20 Groceries
I bought:
1 lb. box brown sugar = $1.00
1 can coconut cream = $1.00
1 jar sweet pickle relish = $1.00
1 2-pk. cheesecake/strawberry topping = $1.00
Bananas, @ $.49/lb = $.75
Total = $4.75

Amount spent on groceries in August = $19.25 + $3.98 + $4.75 = $27.98

Breakfast had been a scrambled egg with toast.  After I came home, I made myself a salad with the last of the barbecue chicken breast from Saturday's lunch out.  Then, I had one of the cheesecake containers.  It was the first time I have bought these and I bought them to try them.  At $.50and 170 calories a serving, it wasn't too bad, although it really didn't taste like cheesecake in my opinion.   I have no idea how much they cost at the grocery store, but for $1 for a package of 2 containers, I might buy it, again.

After lunch, it was time to strip the bed and remake it.  Dancer, being the helpful kitty he is, "helped":



Dancer Helps to Make the Bed

Smoothing Out the Sheet

Then, because bed making is so tiring, he took a nap:

Testing out the newly made bed
While he napped, I did a load of laundry and washed the sheets I had just taken off the bed.  I have two sets of cotton blend sheets for my bed for the summer and one set of cotton flannel sheets for the winter.  There's another older set I use as dust covers on the family room sofa to keep the cat fur off the sofas to the extent possible.

Later in the evening, I video chatted with daughter and exchanged emails with a friend.

On Sunday, I was grateful for:
- Phone calls from family and friends
- A working washing machine
- Help with making the bed!
- Getting my medication from the pharmacy without any drama
- Lots of interesting programs on TV, pertaining to the eclipse.

How was your Sunday?  Did you have a good day?

16 comments:

  1. Wow! Sunday is your day for phone calls. It is my day too, but not nearly as many as you get. My brother and SIL always call in the morning. My son from Vancouver often waits until Sunday to call. My Dad's wife usually calls before she goes to Church.

    Making the bed has to be a cat thing. Every cat I have owned has to lie under the sheets while I make the bed over top of him. When I am finished, "the lump" moves to the edge of the fitted sheet and hops down, only to get up on the bed again to nap on top of the finished bed.

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    1. Susan, glad to hear that you, too, keep in regular contact with family members. :) By the way, how is your son in Vancouver doing these days? Is everything continuing to be well with him?

      Yes, a bed being made or a newly made bed seems to be a cat magnet, doesn't it? I, too, had a cat who'd come running to jump on the bed just in time to hide under the sheet! :)

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  2. Your cousin's daughter is courageous to travel so much across country with a baby!

    I love the picture of Dancer sprawled out on the newly made bed and pooped out after he helped. So. much. What a character!

    Have a great week!

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    1. Cousin says her daughter wants to visit while it is still summer as she doesn't want to take the baby out too much in winter; I just think that she misses the family fussing over her and the baby. ;) Her husband's family is in New York, but they are not of Sri Lankan origins and I think we tend to make a big deal about babies. Also, niece can't relax with them the way she can when she's here because, here, she has her grandma, mom, twin sister, several aunts and cousins who all dote on her and the baby.

      Dancer says bed making is hard work! :D

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  3. I can see that Dancer is exhausted with all the phone calls!
    Regarding hair colouring, it is becoming the fashion locally to go "au naturel" and let the grey/white reign! I have lightened my hair at home for years but decided that enough was enough, especially as it has been causing split ends, and now I am waiting not too patiently for it to grow out where I have trimmed it, and for the grey to predominate. It's always hair with us ladies, isn't it? Dancer has his lovely coat and doesn't have to think about it.

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    1. No, all Dancer has to deal with is the excess fur and hair balls!

      I get a bit exasperated with my family and friends constantly telling me what to do with my hair! I don't tell them what to do with their hair, after all! But I am too polite to tell them to mind their own business, so just smile and ignore their suggestions. I think the cousins have got the message, but the old aunts haven't!

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    2. I think part of me would like to see what I actually look like with my hair the colour it really is now!

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    3. Why not? Allow it to grow out and see how it is. You can always color it if you don't like it.

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  4. Goodness Bless, you probably speak to more people in one day than I do in one month! I'd have been sorely tempted to lie down next to Dancer and have a nap with him so credit to you for leaving him there to get on with your laundry :) xx

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    1. Ha, ha, Suzanne. Some days I don't speak to anyone other than daughter and Dancer! I did give in to the temptation to lie down next to Dancer, yesterday (Monday) and took a long nap!

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  5. WOw... you did have a phone call day.. Nice that people were checking on you.
    Hair........... I too, prefer not to dye my hair. I just don't want the expense /time that it would take to upkeep the dye. eeech. I am old......... and that is ok with me.lol
    Dance is such a good helper.. tooo cute.

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    1. There were a lot of calls that day, weren't there? Very gratifying that they all wanted to talk to me.

      Coloring or not coloring the hair is a very personal decision, I think, but there is a lot of social pressure on people to color their hair and look younger.

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  6. Wow, you are a popular lady with all those calls! ;) I had to laugh about the obsession others have with your hair also...why do they care so much? You just do what you want...it's your hair!

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    1. Apparently, Sunday was the day for everyone to make their phone calls! I've no idea why they are so worried about my hair, but then, again, I am the only one who doesn't color her hair. Maybe that's why.

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  7. You had me giggling! :) With my personality, I would totally have to see if our local discount store had some inexpensive wigs in various "loud" colors and "entertaining" styles! I am hearing Bonnie Raitt's song, "Something To Talk About," playing in my head!

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    1. Joy, I used to threaten to color my hair purple, when family would tell me to dye my hair. Then, when I lost my hair, I said I would get a purple wig, but I received a regular wig from the Cancer clinic, free of charge, and I went with that. But, maybe I should still invest in a purple wig! Everyone tells me that I look nice in short hair and maybe I do, but I miss having my hair long.

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