Saturday, March 28, 2020

Sunny on Friday, Too!

Another sunny day!  As much as I appreciate the rain providing water for the garden, I prefer sunny days! 

Last night, I stayed up till 5:00 a.m.!  Why, I don't know.  It wasn't that I went to bed and couldn't fall asleep.  I just didn't go to bed until 5:00 a.m.  I briefly considered just having my morning tea and something for breakfast, at that point, but, I went to bed.  And slept till 11:00 a.m.!  Ah, the life of a retired night owl!  Maybe that should be my new blog title! 

After I woke up and had my tea, I replied to blog comments, checked my emails, etc.  Brunch was more milk rice with spicy onion sambol. 

Then, I picked some lemons, a couple of oranges, and some sprigs of curry leaves to take to friend R, along with the package of toilet paper I had bought for her, and the quarters she needed to do laundry.  Her apartment building has a laundry room with coin-operated machines, but, no change machine.  She had wanted to go to the bank to get the quarters, but, I told her not to, that I will bring her some quarters.   

In the afternoon, I went to deliver the items to R.  It was the first time I drove anywhere in nine days!  Fortunately, the car started (I had started it, earlier in the week, but, not driven).  There was almost as much traffic on the roads as I would consider normal on any weekday afternoon, which surprised me, as I was expecting there to be almost no traffic.  There was traffic on the freeway, too, but, it was flowing.  One of the gas stations I drove past had gas for as low as $2.79 per gallon, which is the cheapest I've seen in several years.

When I pulled up in front of R's apartment building, I didn't get down from the car.  I kept my car windows up and opened the trunk from inside.  R collected the two bags from the trunk and we called out a greeting to each other through the closed car window.  Then, I returned home and found a message on my answering machine - R had called to thank me for bringing her the items.  She questioned my math abilities because I had given her more quarters than she had asked for.  She had left an envelope with a currency note for the amount of quarters she wanted and said she'll reimburse me the difference, but, I told her not to worry; that, when this was all over, and she was working, again, she could treat me to lunch.

Since it was a nice, sunny day and not too cold, I decided to spend a little time doing a bit of weeding in the back yard.  I weeded some and was still at it when M came to do the garden.  He finished the weeding that portion of the planting bed for me and did some tidying up.  He also brought me two avocados that a neighbor had picked from a tree in the neighbor's yard and given him.  I don't like avocado in salads, etc., but, I will let these ripen and make avocado pudding, which is something I love!

Afterwards, I had my evening tea, watched the news, and knitted a bit.

Aunt C called and asked my help with deciphering a phone message.  She had called her insurance agent's office, but, she had reached a recorded message due to the office being closed due to the virus.  The message had said that the best way to contact them was through email and had left an email address, but, they read through the email address so quickly on the recording that aunt couldn't quite make it out.  She asked me if I could call the number and tell her what the email address was.  Well, I tried listening to it, twice, and I couldn't make it out, either!  It was obviously the company's name, but, it was not a company I was familiar with and aunt said she didn't know the name of the company, only the first name of the agent!  She thanked me for trying to help, but, I felt bad that I couldn't help her. 

Later in the evening, when I video chatted with my daughter, she, too, listened to the recorded message, and based on what we thought the company name sounded like, she did an online search.  After eliminating the first couple of companies that popped up, she figured out which one it was (matched the telephone number aunt had given me) and got the correct email address!  Yay, daughter!  I was then able to text the information to my cousin (it was too late to call aunt, but, I knew my cousin would still be awake). 

Dinner tonight was chicken and vegetable filled gyoza (Asian pot stickers) from the freezer with a cucumber salad to accompany it.  I have almost come to the end of the little Persian cucumbers I bought almost two weeks ago.  There is just one left, which should be eaten tomorrow, before it spoils. 

After dinner, I cut up and prepared the rest of the green beans, before they spoiled!  I blanched and froze about half of them, whole.  The rest, I sliced at an angle and blanched them, too.  But, I kept them in the fridge to finish cooking them, tomorrow.  I will make sauteed curried green beans (bonchi thel dala) with them.  I was too tired to cook them, tonight.

Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny day
- The car starting without any trouble
- Being able to take a few items to friend R
- Daughter being able to help aunt C with the email address
- M giving me the gift of avocado's from a neighbor's tree

Today's joyful activities included delivering some needed items to R and spending time weeding in the garden!

All in all, it was a good day and I am happy with what I was able to accomplish, today.

I am not going to make any firm plans for tomorrow.  But, if possible, I'd like to accomplish a few house cleaning tasks and do some meal planning to take advantage of what I still have in the fridge, in terms of fresh produce, and the freezer and pantry. 

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for Saturday and the weekend? 


26 comments:

  1. I plan to have a quiet weekend with a minimum of screen time. I said on my blog I'd watch a couple of films tonight but have changed my mind and will read or listen to music instead. I'm spending a lot of extra time in front of the computer screen with all the virtual activities and I need a bit of a change.

    I'm still looking at my meal planning as well.

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    1. I think we are all getting more screen time than we used to and a break, every now and then, is a good thing. Reading and music are pleasant ways to spend the evening. I really need to become better at meal planning, rather than trying to decide what I feel like eating when I am already hungry!

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  2. I've been having a couple of sleepless nights. I have no trouble getting to sleep but when I wake up I start thinking and then can't get back to sleep! I'm glad you were able to help your friend and happy your daughter could work out the email address. Perhaps your friend should mention that it's difficult to understand the message so they can correct it!

    Hope you have a good weekend.

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    1. Sorry you have been finding it hard to fall back asleep, Sharon. These are worrying times, aren't they? Yes, I think the email address on the message could have been given a little slower or spelled out. My aunt heard it as "nine", I heard it as "Manin", and it was actually, "Manning". I think whoever recorded it probably assumed that anyone calling them would know the company name; aunt apparently didn't know (or didn't remember) the company name, only the agent's name.

      Thank you; hope you, too, have a good weekend. By the way, how is your son who went to, was it Louisiana?, to start a new job? Is he impacted by this covid 19 outbreak? Did he go there yet? He's not in New Orleans, is he?

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  3. Wouldn't it be great if the rain arrived during the night time and we had sunshine all day?
    It was very kind of you to take a delivery to R and very wise to take the necessary precautions. X

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    1. Rain during the night and sunshine during the day would be ideal! LOL. I enjoyed doing the delivery - it gave me a purposeful errand to run and and opportunity to do something for someone. It really made my day!

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  4. I'm glad you're staying safe. These are strange times. I'm surprised there was traffic as well as it was really quiet over here.

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    1. Thank you, Lyssa. I guess there were more "essential" businesses that were open than I realized! Hope all is well at your end and bear is recovering nicely.

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  5. Always smart to check out companies before responding! Good for your daughter's smart help. I had a neighbor that had sleep habits like yours....we knew not to knock on her door before noon. lol Andrea

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    1. Daughter was glad she could help out my aunt. Both this aunt and her daughter were so very helpful to me when I had cancer and my daughter remembers that and is grateful to them.

      When I went to sleep at 5:30 a.m., this morning, I recalled the years when I used to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready to go to work! LOL. I'm not quite sure how I managed to do that, but, I did!

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  6. Fresh avocados must be amazing! In here it is sunny too, too bad we shouldn't leave our homes. Stay safe and healthy!

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    1. I put them both in a brown paper bag to ripen. But, I know they will taste so good when they are ready. I'm glad you are having sunny weather, even if you have to spend it indoors. Take care and be safe, Natalia. And give that baby a cuddle from me!

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  7. So many things we take for granted-like being able to get quarters to do laundry. So happy that you were able to help your friend and remind me of another blessing I have of being able to do laundry inside my house.

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    1. Yes, Live and Learn; it's the little things that we tend to take for granted. One of the things my daughter was saying she was grateful for, especially in light of this virus going around, is the fact that she has a washer and dryer in her studio apartment. It's one of the reasons why she has to pay such a high rent, but, it's a blessing that she doesn't need to go to a laundromat or a shared laundry room.

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  8. Hi Bless, You sound great. Isn't it a wonderful luxury to have oranges and lemons growing in your yard? I am so thankful for my citrus trees right now. How wonderful that you were given fresh avocados, too. I adore having them in my nightly salads. It sounds like you are eating very well, and getting sleep, although at late, (or early) hours.

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    1. Hi Stephenie. Thank you. I was glad that I could run an errand and be of service to a friend, yesterday. It really brightened my day and made me feel good. :)

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  9. Well, that was certainly a late night! At least you did get some sleep in the end. I have occasionally been unable to sleep and got up and stayed up until about 5 am, which is less satisfying as part of the time was spent not sleeping!
    How lovely to be able to get out weeding. It is something I enjoy doing.

    I was making the loaf yesterday afternoon and the yeast didn't look quite as perky as before, but I proceeded and then since it didn't seem in a hurry to rise, I gave up on it and put the bowl with the greased wax paper on the dough and wet cloth on top back into the warm oven and left it overnight. This morning I turned the dough into the greased casserole dish and baked it. It is not perfect, a little on the solid side, but great flavour and quite good to eat. It has egg in it and it didn't have to be kneaded. One day I will try again, perhaps even stock up on bread flour and new yeast and make proper loaves!

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    1. Well, you know us retired pensioners - up partying all night! :D

      I'm sorry to hear that the second packet of yeast wasn't quite as good as the previous one. But, you still managed to make some bread with it and, I'm sure, you'll make good use of the loaf you did make. My daughter is out of bread (although she has flat bread, some dough for crescent rolls, tortilla, etc.), but, because I was concerned, she looked up recipes for bread that didn't need yeast - kind of like quick breads. They all sounded quite interesting and I might try making one, one day.

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  10. Bless your were so nice to deliver things needed to your friend R. And very sweet to include extra quarters for her laundry.

    That's great that your daughter was able to figure out the email address for your aunt's insurance agent.

    It's really good that you are being so mindful not to waste food. I am doing the same.

    Take care,
    Debra

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    1. Debra, it was a pleasure to have a purposeful errand to run and be of service to someone. Just made me feel so much better about things. Brightened up my whole day! :) I think my daughter felt the same way with being able to help out with the email address.

      Thank you; I am trying my best to make good use of the groceries I have on hand without wasting any of it. :)

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  11. It must just be the perversity of human nature that I am displaying- when there are appointments to keep, places to go, shopping to do, etc I think 'oh, I want to stay at home and sew, knit, cook ...'- now we are told to stay home, so I could do those things, and I cannot settle down to anything-I am quite successfully annoying myself ... a lot!
    You seem to be staying in contact with family and friends ... I know you would love to have your daughter there though-hope you two have happy plans for an 'in person' visit as soon as this whole time of distancing is over-
    Rain (again) today- I can hear the grass growing!
    (You asked about pets and mentioned goats ... when the children were little, we had several pet goats ... pygmy goats- also pet pigs which we got with the understanding they were the miniature pot-bellied kind- they weren't so we had 'big pigs'- good thing we had several acres and lived in a rural area- here at Paige's there are cats, dogs, and now horses ... the mare foaled just weeks ago and now she has a beautiful little filly companion)-
    Do take care and know you have, as always, my fondest wishes-
    Barb

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    1. I know what you mean, Barb. But, as one of my friends said to me, it's one thing to stay at home because you want to, it's quite another to do so because you are told to! Besides, one really needs peace of mind to sit and sew or craft or do any of those relaxing things we long to do when we are busy! I make mistakes with my crafting and cooking if I can't concentrate on what I am doing, if my mind is worrying about something else. I sew the wrong pieces together, I leave out ingredients, I pull out flower plants along with the weeds! Oops! I imagine it is the same with you. Besides, you have a lot more than just this virus on your mind, don't you? (((HUGS)))

      You are right, I'd love to have my daughter home with me, but, she is doing OK by herself. No plans, yet - I don't want to tempt fate!

      Ooh, how exciting! A foal! A lot of work for you, no doubt, but, still exciting. I bet little Jamie is fascinated.

      Thank you, Barb. Fondest wishes to you, too, and my prayers, too, of course.

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  12. It sounds like a good day. And kudos to your daughter for her bit of detective work.

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    1. It was a very good day. Thank you; I will pass the kudos to her. :)

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  13. Oooo. I am so jealous of the fact that you are able to work in the garden. If this were the end of July, I would be complaining that I need to be outside pulling weeds AGAIN; but it isn't July. I am itching to get outdoors to work in the dirt. Ha,ha. I have to wait another full month before that is a realty.

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    1. Well, maybe you can spend that month planning your garden, Susan. I have two planting areas cleared and want to get some vegetables planted. Not sure how successful I'd be at growing vegetables (every year, I plant some and nothing grows to the point where I get to harvest anything other than a couple of radishes and one or two tomatoes at the most!)

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