Weekend Update

Saturday:  I was able to sleep in without any phone calls disturbing me.  Aunt T called shortly thereafter, however; I was still having my coffee and I let the call go to the answering machine.  She didn't leave a message, but I called her, later, and had a long chat with her.  I also called neighbor T and checked to see how she was.  I honestly don't know where the afternoon went, but some of it was spent doing my monthly goals review and update and I watched some TV programs and knitted.  I also cup open some pomegranates and collected the pips:

Pomegranate Pips

In the evening, I went back out to the garden to take a photograph of something I had missed seeing when I was out in the garden earlier in the week, but friend M pointed out to me on Friday:

Flower Buds on the Starfish Flower Cactus

M, who knows more about succulents than I do, was very happy to see them and he pointed out that there were more buds forming, as well:

More Buds on the Starfish Cactus!

I shall keep an eye on them and try to take photographs as the buds open and the flowers bloom.  From what I've read, these flowers are also known as "carrion flowers", since they had the odor of rotting flesh!  Oh, lovely!  LOL!

Later in the evening, I went for a walk - this time, I managed to walk for 30 minutes and one more block than on previous walks.  I need to keep it up and walk every day, if possible.

In the evening, I video chatted with my daughter - she had gone grocery shopping at the dollar store and showed me what she bought and what she was planning to cook.


Sunday:  I had set my alarm for 9:00 a.m., (after going to sleep at 4:00 a.m.), but I turned it off and slept for another couple of hours!  Neighbor T called almost as soon as I had woken up for our weekly Sunday phone call.  Aunt T called shortly after that and I chatted with her for a bit.

Later, I decided to make waffles for brunch (yesterday, daughter and I had talked about chicken and waffles).  Chicken and waffles usually means fried chicken with waffles.  But, I prefer chicken curry with waffles, so that's what I had, today - chicken and waffles, my way:

Chicken Curry and Waffles

I have leftover waffles to eat with more chicken curry or maybe strawberries, another day.

Later, I did some paperwork I needed to do.

In the evening, I went for my walk.  It had been a sunny, warm day, but,in the evening, the clouds began to move in:

Clouds Moving In

There is rain in the forecast, they say, sometime next week.  In the meantime, I enjoyed seeing the clouds:

The weirdly pruned pine tree

I don't have many interesting things to photograph when I walk.  But I love these purple flowers on some of the street trees that are planted on the side:

Purple Flowers

I increased my distance by another block over what I walked yesterday and my walk took me 35 minutes.  But, I was feeling tired by the time I came back and developing an ache at the base of my spine and tingling in my legs!  I had to rest on the sofa, for awhile!

Dinner was the last of the curry puffs I had made and frozen.  A fresh peach for dessert.

After dinner, I video chatted with daughter. 

This weekend, I am grateful for:
- Being able to sleep in
- Phone calls from friends and family
- Evening walks
- Flowers and buds
- Pomegranates from the garden

How was your weekend?  What are your plans for the upcoming week?

Pomegranates

Pomegranates

On Friday, when friend M was here to work on the garden, I had him pick three pomegranates from the tree, as they were located fairly high up and he needed to trim one of the branches as it was knocking against the gutter (with the rainy season approaching, I don't want the gutter to get clogged with leaves, etc.).

On Saturday, I decided to cut open the fruits to see how they were.  The smallest of the pomegranates had a dark patch on the peel that I attributed to sun damage from the very hot days earlier in the summer.  When I cut it open, the inside was all black and dried up, so I just tossed it, without even taking a picture.

The second fruit was already starting to split at the top, but when I cut it open, it was a little better - not fully ripe, yet, but already starting to spoil!  The fruits tend to split due to irregular watering, and I'm afraid I am guilty of that!

Second Pomegranate - Starting to Spoil

The third pomegranate was the best of the three we picked:

Third Pomegranate

I was able to pick enough of the arils or pips to fill a very small glass dish:

Pomegranate Arils or Pips

Probably no more than half a cup, if that.  Each one has a seed inside, but the seeds are edible.  What does one do with so few pomegranate pips?  I could eat the whole bowl in one sitting, but I wanted to stretch them out as much as I could to get maximum enjoyment of them.  So, I decided to make a salad for a late lunch, and sprinkled a teaspoon or two of the pomegranate pips over the salad.  Every time I bit into one of the pips, the tang of fresh pomegranate was very detectable and delicious. 

Salad with Pomegranate Garnish

The Armenian store has pomegranates for sale, for $.99/lb. I just might buy a few to enjoy more fresh pomegranates, since this is the season for them.

Have you eaten fresh pomegranates?  What is your favorite way to eat them?

September Balanced Life Goals - Update

It's not quite the end of September, but as good as the end, with just one day to go.  I thought it was a good time to review my goals and see how I've done.

As I've explained before, my monthly balanced life goals are similar to the spokes on a wheel, with the length of each spoke representing my satisfaction in that area of my life, from 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.

September's goals for a balanced life were more or less the same as August's; but I added a sub-category, "Retirement Planning", under Time Management, to make sure that all paperwork, etc., would be handled in a timely manner.


Spiritual (8)(9):  The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude; focus on being positive - On-going; prayers are being said, daily; I've been listing 5 things I am grateful for, daily; I borrowed a book on gratitude from the library and have been reading it; and I focused on the positive aspects of my life.

- Take time for meditation - Resume going to Friday night meditation sessions at the temple, at least twice - I went three times, this month; the only Friday I didn't go was the Friday I had my eye examination.    

- Cultivate non-attachment - focus on letting go of attachment to material possessions - I was able to donate 8 bags of clothing, 2 bags of shoes, and 2 bags of books, for a total of 12 bags of items. 

- Attend the monthly rosary prayer gathering (scheduled for 9/15) - Attended the prayer gathering on 9/15;  I gave a ride to my aunt T, cousin P and V, and friend F, as well.  

I am increasing the rating to 9, because I was able to meet or exceed my goals for this aspect in my life.

House (8)(9):  The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house:

- Focus on decluttering and maintaining cleaned areas -  I have been keeping up with the cleaning - dusting, vacuuming, mopping, removing cobwebs, etc.  I also got 12 bags of donations out of the house, and some other decluttering done, as well (stuff that got put into the recycling and/or trash as they were beyond being donated).

- Get 20 bags of donations out of the house by the end of the month - I got 12 bags of donations out of the house.  I am happy with what I was able to achieve.
  - Call for pick up - Done

- Organize my closet - My closet has one long hanging pole and an overhead shelf.  The shelf contains my daughter's stuff, because I have appropriated the shelf in her closet for the altar (long story short - it used to be my mother's room before and she set up the altar on that shelf and I am unwilling to take it down).  I want to go through the clothes and sort out the stuff I store on the closet floor! - Done.  I was able to organize my closet.  I went through my clothes and donated some of them, but I will be going through them again, another time.

I have raised the rating to a 9 because I was able to do some deep cleaning (removed cobwebs, cleaned the family room fan, washed my bedroom window, washed dust off a hanging ornament) in addition to the regular cleaning and maintenance, plus some decluttering, etc.

Garden (7)(8):

- Maintain (water 2x per week; weed; prune pine tree) - Watering on schedule, weeding as and when; the pine tree has not been pruned yet.  However, a few new plants were added to the garden, so that is good.

- Flea spray at least one more time, preferably twice - Didn't do; the situation seems under control, although I will try to spray at least once, in October. 

I increased the rating to 8 because, there are new plants, the roses blooming by my front door, pomegranates ripening, oranges forming, and the garden has survived the hot summer months!

Daughter (10)(10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her (without being over-protective!)
- Daily texts, phone calls, emails, and video chatting - On-going, and, as always, the highlights of my day! 

There were no in person visits, this month, but we more than made up for that with phone calls, texts, video chatting, etc.

Family & Friends (10)(10):  The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.
- Visit aunt T - Gave her a ride to the prayer gathering; spoke with her on the phone; still owe her a visit, however.

- Regular phone calls and emails - There have been plenty of those!

- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at this month's prayer gathering - Saw several friends and family members, some of whom I see only at the prayer gatherings.

- Weekly calls with neighbor T/visit her one day - Weekly calls and sometimes, additional calls, as well.  I did some grocery shopping for her, one day; offered to be there with her when she told the roofing people she had changed her mind; and we visited back and forth a couple of times. 

In addition, cousin N made herself available to go with me to the eye appointment, so she could drive me back, after my eyes were dilated for the examination.

Community (9)(9):  The goal is to become more involved in my community.
- Continue to participate in the blogging community - On-going; I'm missing one or two blogs that are no longer available, but I'm discovering other, new to me, blogs, too.  I am reminded, once again, that change is the only constant thing in life!    

- Participate in the temple community/attend weekly meditation sessions at least twice - On-going; I was able to attend the meditation sessions three times this month.

- Participate in the library weekly knitting group - attend at least twice - I attended it twice; so, at least, I met the goal!  But I left the second session after only 45 minutes.  I don't know if I will continue to attend this group, because, although the ladies are all very nice, it is not meeting my goals for socializing.

I am going to keep the rating the same; I am slightly disappointed about the knitting group, but, I met my goal of attending it twice and that is good.  I also exceeded the goal of attending the meditation sessions, so that is good, too.    

Finances (9)(9):  The goal is financial security.
- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - On-going.  I am keeping a watchful eye on my spending and I managed to stay under budget for groceries, this month, so I am pleased.

Health & Well Being (7)(8):  The goal is good health.
- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors - Done!  Attended all of them!

- 9/12 for endoscopy & colonoscopy results - Done, and the results were good, so I am happy, thankful, and feel blessed.

- Call and make appointment for new referral to eye doctor - Done and even had the eye examination done.  Again the results were good and I was blessed to have my cousin N accompany me and drive me home, afterwards.

- Call and make dental appointments! - Done!  Had a deep cleaning done, too!

- Work harder at those life style changes! - Well, let's just say it's a work in progress!  

I could/should have worked harder at the life style changes (better diet, more sleep, more exercise, etc.), but I did well on all the medical appointments and so, I am going to raise the rating to 8.  There's is much room for improvement, and we all know that, but, I need all the positive reinforcement I can get!  LOL! 

Time Management (6)(7):  The goal is having enough time to do all what I want to do!
- Retirement Planning - attend to the paperwork in a timely manner! - DONE!  Papers were filed on time at the end of August and I haven't received anything else, yet.  

- Implement routines and schedules (why do I find this so hard to do?) -Um...trying!

I am raising the satisfaction rating a little bit, if only because I have not procrastinated on the paperwork, as much, and because bills are getting paid on time and things are getting done, even if not on a set schedule.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Set aside 1 hour a day to do something relaxing (read/knit/play the piano/take naps/craft, etc.) - I have been relaxing - a little too much, I am thinking!  LOL!  I definitely spend more than 1 hour a day reading blogs, playing on the computer, watching TV, etc.  I have done some sewing (although not quite as much as I would like to), a little bit of piano playing, some knitting, and so forth.

So, that is my review of my goals for a more balanced life, in September and how I did.  I think, on the whole,  All categories either stayed the same or went up a bit.  Still room for improvement in several areas, but, not too bad, overall.

Did you make any balanced life goals for September?  If so, how did you do on them?  Are you satisfied, overall?

Friday

Friday, already!  And, all of a sudden, not only is the week nearing its end, the month is, too! 

I woke up once, when my daughter texted to wish me a good morning, as she does, every day.  Then, I went back to sleep and woke up, again, when the phone rang.  Cousin P calling.  But, today, I let the call go to the answering machine, except, she didn't leave a message.  I tried to go back to sleep, but this time, I couldn't.  So, I got up and had a cup of coffee.  I called cousin P back and left her message.  She called me back later and we had a nice chat. 

The pharmacy had texted that a medication refill was ready to be picked up, so I revised my to do list to include a trip to the pharmacy.  And since there is a branch of my bank at the same shopping center as the pharmacy, I decided to go to the bank, as well.  But first, I cleaned my bathroom.

I received another $5 Extra Care Bucks coupon and another $1 off any item coupon!  I decided to use the $5 ECB to buy another bottle of antacids ($4.99), since I was coming to the end of the one I had and I used the $1 off coupon to buy a box of cornflakes ($1.99).  I paid $1.17 out of pocket. 

Friend M came over to do the garden and he was so happy to see the roses blooming.  He did some tidying up and watered the front garden for me. 

Friend R called to say she wasn't up to going to the temple with me, today.  So, I went on my own.  The meditation session was very relaxing.  I stayed for part of the discussion, but left before it ended. 

Lunch had been a cold cuts sandwich.  On the way home, I debated getting a hamburger for dinner or going home and cooking something.  I decided to get a small hamburger, but there were so many cars at the drive through, that I changed my mind and came home, instead.  I had rice, chicken, and cauliflower in the fridge, but, I decided to cook pasta and have that with the chicken.  I thought of pasta with spaghetti sauce, but that didn't appeal.  Pasta with some sort of white sauce?  Not really.  Instead, I made a stir-fried "chow mein" type dish with the pasta:

"Chow Mein"

I stir-fried a sliced carrot, some broccoli, a few snow peas, and the strips of the leftover chicken in a bit of vegetable oil mixed with sesame seed oil, then, added the pasta and a little soy sauce.  I had some of it for dinner, sprinkled with a few peanuts:

"Chow Mein" for dinner

The rest is in the fridge for another meal.  Maybe tomorrow's dinner.  Much better, too, than the hamburger I was thinking of buying!

Aunt T had called and left a message while I was at the temple.  It was too late to call her back when I got home; I will call her, tomorrow.

Daughter and I video chatted for a bit in the evening.  She, too, had made pasta for dinner - but she made a pumpkin coconut sauce for her pasta. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Drama-free prescription refills
- $6 in coupons
- Keeping in touch with family and friends
- Being able to attend the meditation session
- Video chatting with my daughter

Revised Friday's To Do List:
- Pharmacy - DONE
- Bank - DONE
- Clean my bathroom - DONE
- Paperwork/filing - STARTED
- Laundry
- Have M do some garden clean up - DONE
- Pick up R if she's going to temple - She didn't go
- Go to the temple for meditation session - DONE

Saturday's To Do List:
- Paperwork/filing
- Laundry
- Dishes
- Vacuuming
- Take donations to the animal shelter

How was your Friday?  What have you planned for Saturday? For the weekend?

Yesterday and Today

On Wednesday morning, neighbor T called me around 8:45 a.m. to say that she had good news, the roofing situation had been resolved, and I didn't need to come over!  Apparently, they called her in the morning to confirm the appointment and she was able to tell them that she had changed her mind but couldn't call to tell them because their number had been disconnected.  She said the person who called was nice and didn't make any fuss.  I was so glad for her that the situation was resolved so easily.  So, after she called me, I turned off my alarms that I had set for 9:00 a.m., and went back to sleep!  I was glad to be able to sleep for another hour or so.

In the afternoon, I took a walk around the garden and took photographs.

Later in the evening, I called neighbor T to tell her I was bringing her some of the cake I had baked, which I had planned to take over in the morning but didn't because I didn't go over in the morning.  She told me she knew that I would bake something to bring to her!  LOL!  We chatted for a bit, as she shared some other news of a medical nature with me.  A short while later, I took over some of the cake and a bottle of holy water my cousin had brought back from Lourdes.

I also went over to my other neighbor's house to deliver the mail that was addressed to her, which had been delivered to my house by mistake.  Then, I called a different neighbor, neighbor S, to say hello, since I hadn't spoken with her for awhile.

However, apart from those small things, I really didn't do much.  It was one of those days when I didn't feel up to doing anything; I felt guilty about it, but both my daughter and a good friend of mine have assured me that it is OK.

Today, Thursday, I woke up early (by 7:00 a.m.), because I wanted to watch the senate judiciary committee hearing.  I remember watching the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearing, as well (was that really 27 years ago?).  I was able to knit a few more red hats for the heart association while I watched the proceedings.  I need to count how many hats I've knitted; I have to send them to the local heart association by the end of the year.

It was hot in the afternoon, today, but it has cooled off, now.  What's more, there's a 50% chance of rain, in the forecast, for next Tuesday!  The last time we had any measurable rain was in May, so this is exciting! 

Friend R called in the evening to say she hoped to get off work early, tomorrow, and would like a ride to the temple if I was going to the meditation session.  She said she will call me tomorrow evening, after work, to confirm.

Still later, I video chatted with my daughter. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Roses blooming by my front door
- Neighbor T being able to resolve her roof estimate situation without any difficulty
- Being able to watch the senate hearing
- Being able to take it easy when I don't have much energy
- Video chatting with my daughter

Friday's To Do List:
- Paperwork/filing
- Laundry
- Have M do some garden clean up
- Pick up R if she's going to temple
- Go to the temple for meditation session

How was your day?  What have you planned for Friday?

The Garden in Fall

I took a walk around the garden in the afternoon, today.  And took some photographs of the garden at the beginning of Fall.

Below is the approach to the front door (M has been itching to get a coat of paint on the metal screen door; I need to buy some paint, one of these days - better add that to my mile-long to do list!), and I will need to move the potted plants away before the October prayer gathering, since a couple of the aunts have walkers and the pots will be in the way.

Approach to the Front Door

But here is the main reason why I took the picture, above:

Roses by the Front Door

I have a rose that I am encouraging to climb up the lattice by the front door and it has decided to come through the lattice and bloom!

The from the other side of the lattice

I checked on the plants I bought at the dollar store and planted in the front garden.  One of the oregano plants is barely alive (you really can't tell that I watered these plants, just yesterday evening, can you?):

Oregano plant, barely alive

The other oregano plant is doing better:

The second oregano plant

The rosemary plant is also doing well:

Rosemary Plant and Osteospermum Seedlings

The blue salvia plants are doing well, too:

Blue Salvia

The blue salvia plants are growing under the pomegranate tree:

Pomegranate Tree

There are small pomegranates on the tree - they are fully ripe, but small:

Ripe Pomegranates

I should pick them before they start splitting.

Fall is the time for the garden to recover from the heat of the summer.  Some of the succulents I had planted in the front garden, especially the aeonium, show definite signs of being scorched by the sun:

Aeonium grown in the middle of the front garden

Aeonium under the living room window

However, these ones, grown in the shade of the euphorbia are doing well:

Aeonium growing in the shade

There is a lot of tidying and cleaning needing to be done.  As you can see, the osteospermum in the front flower bed is about ready to be cut back or pulled out so that new seedlings can come up:

Flower bed along the walkway to the front door

The middle lattice panel has a jasmine vine growing up it; I am hoping it will grow to cover the whole lattice, eventually:

Jasmine Vine

The lantana is doing well:

Lantana in bloom

This is a photograph of the back yard, taken from the steps outside the sliding glass door:

Back Garden

Do you see the white spot in the shade under the orange tree to the right of the photo, towards the back?  Look for the black box in the picture below:

One of the garden cats

The curry leaf trees are forming berries:

Curry Leaf Tree 

We use the leaves to flavor curries, to make a type of porridge (with rice) and various other dishes.  We don't normally use the berries, although they are edible and have a slight licorice like taste, to me.

There is another curry leaf tree behind the garage, near the shed:

Second Curry Leaf Tree

Which seems to be doing its best to form a grove of curry leaf trees around it, as it keeps sending up new plants from its roots, every time a root gets nicked, when weeding and so forth:

Curry Leaf Seedlings

"Ginger", another of the garden cats, was curious to see what I was doing, walking around in the middle of the afternoon, when any sane cat knows it is best to lie in the shade and nap:

"Ginger" wondering what I was doing

I try hard not to name the garden cats, but, several of them have been given names!

The lantana and plumbago plants by the side wall have weathered the summer sun; M will be cutting it back, a bit later, when the weather cools.  Once upon a time, they were separate plants, but they've become one intertwined plant!

Lantana and Plumbago 

The hibiscus plant got scorched in the summer, but it's recovering and doing OK, now:

Hibiscus

There are oranges forming on the orange tree:

Oranges forming

The euphorbia plant that is trying to take over the back garden:

Euphorbia

It is at least 12 feet tall!  It was grown from a small cutting that M gave me from his garden.  He says he's never seen an euphobia grow so big!  We keep pruning it and I've been planting the cuttings all around, since it is one plant that is growing well in my garden:

More Euphorbia - the wall at the back is about 6 feet high

The back corner of the garden, with the yucca tree in the back and the old rosemary bush in the foreground, with a Bauhinia (Purple Orchid Tree), growing in the middle:

Yucca, Bauhinia,, and Rosemary

The old rosemary bush is at least 20 years old and needs to be pruned all the way back, I think.

As you can see, there's a lot of cleaning up and tidying to do.  But, a lot of it needs to wait until the temperatures cool down a bit more.  Tomorrow's forecast says the highs in my area will be in the mid-to-upper 90s. 

Thank you for coming for a walk around the garden with me.  How is your Fall garden coming along?

Tuesday's Doings

Last night,  I was up till 4:30 a.m., as I was bothered by acid reflux and had to wait for the antacids to do their magic.  I didn't even eat any curry for dinner!  I had a sandwich with slices of sauteed chicken breast!   I was fine as long as I was sitting up, but the moment I lay down, the acid reflux bothered me.  Please note that I am not complaining or asking for sympathy, just explaining why I was up till so late and why I was dragging, this morning.

I woke up once, around 6:00 a.m., but it was too early to wake up and I went back to sleep.  I next woke up when the alarm went off at 7:30 a.m.  It was time to put out the donations to be collected.  I did that, put a note on the door with the charity name to indicate that these bags of donations were for them, and went back to sleep!

Probably shouldn't have, because I had all kinds of weird dreams!  I dreamt of my mother, several cousins who were visiting us, a coworker who has since retired, a lunch my mother had prepared for us all, and Dancer having a flea infestation and everyone who came to lunch getting fleas on them!  Oh, my!

I was woken from my dreams, around 9:00 a.m. by, what else?  A phone call, of course.  George someone or the other, informing me that he has my mortgage on file with them and letting me know that there are some exciting mortgage offer deadlines that are fast approaching!  Indeed!  I didn't bother to tell George that I no longer have a mortgage, I've been mortgage free for a few years now; it was probably a prerecorded message telling me to press 1 for more information, etc., anyway.  I just hung up on the call.

But, I couldn't fall asleep after that, so, I got up and checked to see if they had collected the donations.  They had!  And left me the receipt.  Only, the receipt doesn't state the number of bags of what was left out, only clothes, shoes, books.  The other charities I've called for pick up have always specified the number of bags - x bags clothes, x bags books, etc.  I prefer that for tax purposes.  Oh, well, I'll attach my list of what was donated and that will be that.  I have such an abundance of things that the 12 bags of stuff that left the house hasn't made a noticeable dent!

I had a cup of coffee and an almond croissant for breakfast.  But I felt tired, all morning.  It didn't help that it was an overcast day with morning fog that didn't burn off until around noon.  I took it easy all morning.

Later, I put away the load of laundry I had done, yesterday, and mended one garment.  Then, I tossed the disintegrated curtains!  But, first, I cut out all the appliqued roses, as they were still OK:

The cut out appliqued flowers

Not quite sure what I'll do with them, yet.  I could buy some white fabric and applique them on to it for new curtain panels,  But, I am not sure if I want to do that or not.  I think it's time for a change in the bedroom curtains.  But, I could use the roses to decorate something else.  Of course, Dancer came to help:

Dancer is "helping"

In the evening, I brought the trash cans in, collected mail, which included one for a neighbor two doors down (I went over to hand it to them, but no one answered my knock, so I'll try to deliver it to them, again, tomorrow), and watered the garden.  I didn't go to the knitting group, however.

Instead, I watched Dancing with the Stars on TV, packeted and froze most of the curries I had cooked, washed the dishes, started cleaning the fridge (did the 3 bottom drawers), swept and mopped the kitchen floor, and video chatted with my daughter.  Still need to clean the litter box - will do that before going to bed.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The donations are out of the house!
- Being able to donate 12 bags of stuff!
- Being able to ease into the day
- A much cooler day!
- Dancer always willing to lend a helping paw with my projects!

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Leave the donations outside the door by 8:00 a.m., with a sign with the charity's name - DONE
- Vacuum
- Clean the fridge - STARTED (did the 3 drawers)
- Bring the trash cans in - DONE
- Package and freeze some of the curries I made - DONE
- Water the garden - DONE
- Mop the kitchen - DONE
- Pay bills - STARTED
- Knitting group? - DIDN'T GO

Wednesday's To Do List:
- Visit neighbor T in the morning
- Hand over the misdelivered mail to the other neighbor
- Vacuum
- Finish cleaning the fridge (shelves, door shelves, etc.)
- Pay the rest of the bills
- Change the sofa dust covers and wash them

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

Monday's Accomplishments

A phone call woke me up at 9:00 a.m., today; a number I didn't recognize, so I let it go to the answering machine and whoever it was, didn't bother to leave a message.  However, I couldn't go back to sleep, so, I got up and made myself a cup of coffee (after feeding the cats, etc.)  I had just sat down to drink the coffee when the phone rang, again.  But, this time, it was cousin P.  She had just picked some guavas from her tree, she said, and wanted to bring some over for me.  She came over right away and brought me several freshly picked guavas and we chatted for a bit.  Just before she left, she asked me if I was going anywhere, today; I told her I planned to go to the Auto Club to pay my bill and she asked if she could tag along.  So, of course, I said yes.  I told her I planned to go later in the afternoon, around 3:00 p.m. and she was fine with that.

Fresh Guavas 

Cousin also mentioned that she was having a charity come by to pick up some bags of donations she had, tomorrow.  I asked her for the name of the charity and, when she went back home, she called me with their phone number.  So, I called them, myself, and asked if they could pick up my donations, too, at the same time (cousin P lives a couple of houses down, across the street from me).  They were happy to do so, and I was able to cross off one item from my Mile Long To Do List!  Yay!

Shortly after that, the phone rang again, and it was the Auto Club, calling me to ask if I received the insurance billing renewal, if I had any questions about it, and to give me a "friendly reminder" that it was due on October 3rd!   I told the person that I was planning to pay it, today.

I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon doing some paperwork and budgeting, doing a load of laundry, and removing the cobwebs from the living room, dining area, family room, and hallway.  My goodness, but those spiders take their job of decorating my house for Halloween very seriously!  Well, they'll just have to make some new webs for Halloween, because I took these ones down!  I "swept" the cobwebs with a broom I covered with an old kitchen towel I keep for cleaning jobs like this.  I couldn't reach behind the statues on the altar in the living room, with the towel-covered broom, so I climbed up on the step stool to clean that area and I was able to dust the top of the bookcase, as well.  But, walking around with my arms raised over my head and looking up causes my neck and shoulders to hurt.  So,  I am going to consider the removing cobwebs item crossed off my long to do list, as well.  At least for now.  I might do the bedrooms a bit later (my bedroom has already been done).   Then, I dusted the living room, dining area, and family room.

At 3:00 p.m., cousin P and I went to the Auto Club and I paid my auto insurance.  I also went over to the DMV counter and made the appointment to get my driver's license renewed.  The earliest appointment they could give me was October 25, but that should be OK.

Afterwards, cousin and I went to do a bit of grocery shopping.  I wanted to pick up bread ($1.00) and more of the roast beef cold cuts at $1.99 each, before the sale ends on Tuesday; I also picked up another half gallon of milk ($1.99), some green beans (@ $.99/lb), and, I gave into temptation and bought a packet of almond croissants - a splurge item at $4.99!

9/24 Groceries

The green beans came to $.54.  I still have some of the beans I cooked, earlier, but I wanted to buy them before the sale ended.

9/24 Grocery Receipt

My bill came to $12.50.

September grocery budget = $75
Spent to date:
8/29 = $3.20 (came from September grocery budget)
9/5 = $12.11 (September grocery shopping week 1)
9/11 = $1.99 (for milk)
9/14 = $3.00 (for bread)
9/18 = $10.61
9/19 = $11.47
9/20 = $15.48
9/24 = $12.50
Total spent to date = $70.36
Balance remaining = $75 - $70.36 = $4.64

I honestly don't anticipate going grocery shopping again before the end of the month!  No matter how good the sales are!  But, if I do, then, I still have almost $5 to spend.

I dropped cousin off at her house and came back.  Ate a sandwich and had a cup of tea.  Then, I emptied the waste baskets and took the trash cans out.  But, I didn't water the front garden, as I wanted to watch the evening news on TV and by the time the news ended, it was already getting dark outside.

Instead, I decided to wash the bedroom curtains and wash the window (inside, only).  I put the curtains to wash and washed the window.  Then, I took the curtains out of the wash and the valance part of it was fine but the four curtain panels, themselves were so worn out that they were in shreds!

Torn Curtain Panels

As you can see, each one was worse than the other:

This was the worst one, I think

Several years ago, too, I had washed them and discovered a small tear which I repaired, but this time, they are beyond repairing!  It was only to be expected.  I've had these curtains for a long time - I bought them when my mother was still alive and she died in 2006!  I remember paying $50 for the four curtain panels and valance and thought it was quite an extravagance, but the roses matched the wallpaper border I had put up on my wall.

But now, I didn't have any curtains for my window!  And I didn't want to go to sleep without a window covering.  I knew I had a piece of  eyelet fabric that had been part of an outfit my daughter used to wear to temple when she was a little girl.  We call it "lama sari" or half-sari.  I cut another piece of fabric from a leftover piece of white fabric and sewed it to the piece of eyelet to make a casing for the curtain rod.  As you can see, the eyelet fabric was just barely enough:

Just enough to cover the window

It looks a little better with the valance in place:

With the valance

It will do for right now.  There's not enough of the eyelet fabric to make a curtain with some fullness and it is also a bit too thin.  But, it makes an adequate curtain for now.

You can catch a glimpse of the wallpaper border which matched the roses on the old curtain.  Yes, I am aware that wallpaper borders are way outdated; I've been told so by at least one friend.  But, it's OK.  I like my roses wallpaper border.

Now, I am wondering if I should even bother washing the family room window valance.  It is lace and I have had it for 20 years!  I'm afraid, it, too, will disintegrate when I wash it!

Later in the evening, I gathered the bags of donations to be set outside in the morning - 8 bags of clothes, 2 bags of shoes/boots, and 2 bags of books.  A lot of it is what my daughter put aside to give away.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Cousin P bringing over guavas from her tree
- Having her company while I ran my errands
- Being able to schedule the donations pick up so quickly
- Getting my car insurance paid and driver's license appointment set up
- The good old fabric stash!

Monday's To Do List

- Set up an appointment to renew my driver's license - need to go in person, this time, as I need to do a vision test - DONE; appointment set for 10/25 (earliest they had)

- Pay my auto insurance renewal in person at the Auto Club (can do later in the week, too; not due yet) - DONE

- Give Dancer his flea medication (oh, he's not going to like it!) - DONE

- Do another load of laundry - DONE

- Clean the fridge

- Package and freeze some of the curries I made

- Empty the waste baskets - DONE

- Take the trash cans to the curb - DONE

- Water the front and back gardens

- Dust & vacuum - DUSTED - living room, dining area, family room; removed cobwebs from the main rooms

- Mop kitchen

- Clean my bedroom window - DONE

- Wash my bedroom curtains - DONE
- Sew a new/temporary curtain! - DONE
- Call for donations pick up - DONE - scheduled for tomorrow! 

Obviously, I wasn't able to finish everything that was on my list for Monday.  But, I am happy with what I was able to get done.

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Leave the donations outside the door by 8:00 a.m., with a sign with the charity's name
- Vacuum
- Clean the fridge
- Bring the trash cans in
- Package and freeze some of the curries I made
- Water the garden
- Mop the kitchen
- Pay bills
- Knitting group?

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