October Meal Plans - Week 4 Review

Since October ends today, I thought I will post the review of this week's meal plans and start November Week 1, tomorrow. 

October Week 4 Options:

Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch:  scrambled eggs and toast ✓ (for dinner!) or hash browns, bread and onion relish ✓, salad, beef and vegetable soup, egg or tuna salad sandwiches ✓

Dinners:  Beef and vegetable soup ✓, Coconut flat bread and chicken curry,  Rice and chicken fish curry with broccoli and cucumber salad, 

Snacks/desserts:  Fruits ✓, cereal, crackers✓ with peanut butter, granola bars

Monday:

Brunch: Bread and onion relish

Dinner:  Beef and vegetable soup

Snacks/Dessert: Crackers, pomegranate

 

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Half a peach

Lunch:  Rice and fish curry

Dinner:  Scrambled egg on toast (first course); fish curry and bread (second course!)

Snacks/Dessert:  The other half of the peach

Wednesday:

Brunch:  Milk rice and fish curry

Dinner: Beef and vegetable soup; toast

Snacks/Dessert: Corn bread muffins

Thursday:

Breakfast:  Milk rice and fish curry

Lunch: Tuna salad sandwiches

Dinner: Tuna salad sandwiches; potato wedges

Snacks/Dessert: Peach, corn bread muffins✓

Friday: 

Brunch: Milk rice and fish curry

Dinner:  Beef and vegetable soup; toast

Snacks/Dessert: Grapes, chocolate (M brought me a candy bar for Halloween!), peanuts, hot dog (late night snack!)

Saturday:

Brunch:  Pancakes with corned beef (from a can, sauteed with onions and chili powder, etc.)

Dinner:  Soup

Snacks/Dessert: More pancakes with syrup; feijoa (pineapple guava)

Once again, I strayed from the meal plan options, here and there, but, I am pleased with how it all turned out.   

October Joys - Review

I had posted a list of planned joyful activities for October, earlier in the month.  What I tried to do was put together a list of joyful activities that I could look forward to doing during the month.  I didn't want it to be another "to do" list, however; I was trying to incorporate a little intentional joy into my days.

October Joys:

- Online Temple services - Participated in online Temple services, especially the Kathina (end of rainy season retreat) service.

- Craft projects - Knitted.

- Music - Played the piano, listened to music.  

- Art - Enjoyed seeing and sharing my daughter's sketches and drawings.

- Gardening - Planted the moringa plants, weeded and raked over one planting bed to facilitate the germination of self-sowed osteospermum seeds, picked roses and other flowers, picked feijoa guavas and pomegranates, and planted a mini victory garden of cool weather vegetables (snow peas, carrots, chard, turnips, broccoli, and radish; maybe about six seeds of each!):

Mini Victory Garden

- Decorating for Halloween? - Didn't.  Just didn't feel like decorating.  

- Reading - Not a lot of reading for pleasure, this month, either.

- Participate in the monthly photo mini challenge - I enjoyed participating in this month's photo mini-challenge.

- Bake something (when cool enough to do so) - Baked corn bread muffins and shared with friend C

Corn Bread Muffins

October has been a little stressful for me, but, I am happy that I was able to incorporate some purposeful joy into my days.  

I am looking forward to making a list of November Joys, next.  How about you?

Friday

Yesterday, after I did my post, I put in a load of laundry to wash and sat down at the piano to practice.  However, something was bothering me.  I was worried that, even if I mailed the insurance documents on Friday, they probably won't be received at the retirement office until Monday at the very earliest when it would already be November.  Even with my former colleague's reassurance that everything will be alright, I was worried that I might be told, at the last minute, that the papers weren't received in time for me to receive the insurance without any interruption in coverage!

I was still stressing about it when I went outside to walk a bit in the garden.  I kept thinking that I was overlooking something.  But what?  As I told one of my good friends, I used to be an intelligent woman, but, lately, my mind has been scattered!  Eventually, however, the mists in my mind cleared and it occurred to me - I should have asked C to scan the documents!  Groan!  Why didn't I think of that, earlier?

I spent a few more minutes berating myself for being so stupid and then, I reached for the phone and called C!  Within 15 minutes, she had scanned the documents and emailed them to me.  I downloaded them, attached them to another email, and sent them to the retirement office!  They acknowledged receipt of the scanned documents almost right away and I heaved a big sigh of relief!  Whew!  

Later in the evening, C brought over the paper copies and the originals.  She said her co-workers enjoyed the muffins I had baked.  I picked some pomegranates and sent them home with her to share with her family.  

Then, I put the original signed forms into the postage paid envelope I had been provided with by the retirement office, sealed it, and put it in the mail box to be picked up in the morning.  It no longer mattered when the originals would reach the retirement office, but, the envelope was collected by the mail carrier, this morning.  

After that, I watched some TV and dozed off for a few minutes!  I guess I was finally able to relax!

Day 29 Drawing - Prompt "Shoes"

Day 29: Shoes

Yuno from Hidamari Sketch, thinking about the time they made shoes from clay in class.

Today, I slept in.  Then, spent a quiet afternoon watching TV and just relaxing.  It was a warm day, outside, but, at least 20 degrees cooler inside!  I opened all the windows in an attempt to warm up the house!  

When M came over to tend to the garden, I asked him if he could put some gas to the car (I was just below half a tank, again) and, when he asked me if I needed him to pick up anything from the convenience store at the gas station, I asked for half a gallon of milk.  Afterwards, he shared some vegetable seeds and wildflower seed mix with me.  The vegetables are cool weather plants - snow peas, carrots, broccoli, chard, radishes, and turnips.  Just a few seeds of each.  We planted them around one of the moringa plants and we enclosed it with some wire mesh that I had on hand, to try to keep the garden cats out!  It is a tiny victory garden, but, I am hopeful that it will do well.

Day 30: Prompt - Ominous

Day 30: Ominous

Today, I am grateful for:

- C was able to scan the documents for me

- The retirement office confirmed that they received the scanned documents

- I received confirmation that my ballot has been received and my vote will be counted

- M put gas to the car for me and shared some vegetable and flower seeds with me

- I have a tiny victory garden of cool weather plants!

Today's joyful activity was gardening and planting the vegetable seeds.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for tomorrow?  Will you be celebrating Halloween? 

Thursday, Already?!

Corn Bread Muffins

When I posted my meal plan options for this week on Monday, I didn't mean to remain silent for the next several days!  I've a bit of catching up to do, don't I?

On Monday, I felt a bit under the weather.  Nothing in particular was wrong, but, I felt a bit off, had no appetite, didn't even want my tea, and felt a little nauseated.  In hindsight, maybe I was dehydrated.  I had felt cold enough to switch on the heater, the night before, and the day was overcast and grey.  I didn't feel like doing much, but, I called the pharmacy to check on the status of one of my prescriptions, walked a bit in the garden in the afternoon, when there was a little sun, to warm up, and did some paperwork.  I had my piano lesson in the afternoon, watered the front garden, and, later, took my trash cans and neighbor T's recycling bin out to the curb.  It became quite windy, in the evening, and friend R said her apartment building lost power, twice.  But, I still had electricity and I'm glad because, I was able to have the electric space heater on.

Monday's gratitudes included:

- Having electricity

- Heaters

- Virtual piano lessons

- The pharmacy processing my prescription

- Being able to help neighbor T with her recycling bin

My joyful activity for the day was having the heaters on and being warm.

Daughter sent me her drawing, later in the evening:

Day 26 Prompt: Hide

Day 26: Hide

Here's my daughter's explanation of the drawing:  "drawing the scene when Ikki-senpai finally stops hiding his eyes from you in the game Amnesia World".

On Tuesday, I felt better.  The winds had blown all the clouds away and the day was sunny and bright!  Still a bit cold (for me), but I felt better and my appetite had returned.  I still didn't want any tea, but, I sipped lemon-lime soda and fresh lemon juice to help with the nausea.  Later, I had half a peach for breakfast and cooked rice and a fish curry in the early afternoon, when I felt well enough and hungry enough to eat something more substantial.  I walked a bit in the garden, brought my trash cans and neighbor T's recycling bin in, practiced the piano, filled out my Absentee/Mail-in Ballot, ran the dishwasher, cleaned up the kitchen, and watered the back garden. 

Tuesday's gratitudes included:

- Feeling better

- Lemon-lime soda and fresh lemon juice0

- The last piece of fish in the freezer

- Being able to vote

- Electricity to run the appliances

My joyful activity was filling out my ballot!

Day 27 prompt - music

Day 27: Music

According to my daughter, "Drawing girls from K-on!  Who are in the light music club and make lots of good music."

On Wednesday (yesterday), I woke up feeling cold, again.  But, a hot shower warmed me up and, after a brunch of milk rice and fish curry, I drove to the neighborhood library to drop off my ballot in the ballot drop off box located there.   First time I've done this, instead of voting in person.  

I received my Medicare card in the mail, yesterday!  Woo hoo!  I emailed my friend at the retirement office to let him know that I received the card and will be mailing the rest of the paperwork by the end of the week.  Then, came the drama of taking photo copies on a printer/copier that refused to work!  I feel that it is always the small things that stymie me!  I used to go to the library to make photo copies, but, the library is closed.  I wanted to go to an office supplies store like Staples or some other place that offer photo copying services, but, my daughter objected to it, saying she didn't want me to get exposed to the virus.  It's hard to live in a bubble and be independent when there are things that need to be done! 

Finally, I called friend A and asked if her daughter could do me yet another favor (she's the one who did the faxing for me, earlier).  A was very kind and understanding; she passed the message on to her daughter who called me when she was leaving work.  C was very kind, too, and obliging.  We agreed that she would stop by on her way to work in the morning, pick up the documents to be photocopied, and drop them off on her way home, in the evening.  She asked if I'd be up around 8:00 a.m. and I told her I'll make sure I'll be up by then!

Later in the evening, I watered the back garden and baked a batch of corn bread muffins.  I made 18 muffins and packed the majority of them into a container, along with a jar of my homemade peach jam, to give C, in the morning.  I had two of the muffins as a snack before dinner (which was a bowl of soup and a piece of toast), and the other two muffins for my breakfast, today.

Yesterday, I was grateful for:

- Receiving my medicare card

- Kind, helpful friends like A and her daughter C

- Being able to drop off my ballot

- The pharmacy mailing my prescriptions free of charge

- Being able to bake some muffins

My joyful activity for the day  included baking muffins.

Day 28 drawing prompt:  Float

Day 28: Float

According to my daughter, this is the Float Card from Cardcaptor Sakura.

Today, Thursday, I woke up fairly early, with the alarm going off at 7:00 a.m.  I was dressed and ready when friend A called to let me know her daughter was on her way.  C got here around 8:00 a.m. and I handed her the file folder with the papers to be photocopied and the bag with the muffins and jam (there's a card in there, too, with a little something to thank her for her time and going out of her way to help me, as well).  She will bring the copies back on her way home in the evening.  I am so blessed to have kind and helpful friends like her and her mother!

One of the benefits of waking up early is having the whole morning to write this blog post!  LOL.

Plans for the rest of today include:

- Doing a load of laundry (started)

- Practicing the piano

- Paperwork

Today, I am grateful for:

- Kind and helpful friends

- Alarm clocks!

- Working appliances

- A sunny and relatively warm day

- Pomegranates from the tree

How is your week coming along?  

October Meal Plans: Week 3 Review and Week 4 Options

October Week 3

I did my October monthly grocery shopping on Sunday, so, I started off week 3 with a full fridge.  These were my meal options for the week:

October Week 3 Options:

Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch:  scrambled eggs and toast hash browns✓, sandwiches, fruit salad, salad

Dinners:  Chicken curry with rice and green beans✓, pork stew✓, beef kebabs with salad, leftovers✓

Snacks/desserts:  Fruits✓, bread pudding ✓

However, things changed a bit, when it came to the actual meals eaten!  

Monday:

Brunch: Bread and chicken curry; half a banana

Dinner:  Rice, smoked sausage stir fry, green beans

Snacks/Dessert: Bread pudding 

 

Tuesday:

Brunch:  Hot dogs

Dinner:  Rice, chicken curry, green beans

Snacks/Dessert:  Half a banana, orange, bread pudding

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Half a banana

Lunch:  Curry dog (hot dog with leftover chicken curry gravy)

Dinner:  Pork stew

Snacks/Dessert: The rest of the banana, grapes, cereal

Thursday:

Breakfast:  Scrambled egg and hash browns, orange juice

Lunch: Hot dog

Dinner:  Pork stew

Snacks/Dessert: Cereal, feijoa, tortilla chips

Friday: 

Brunch:  Last of the pork stew

Dinner:  "Fish and chips" - Baked frozen battered fish and homemade fries

Snacks/Dessert:  Pomegranate

Saturday:

Brunch:  Milk rice and spicy onion relish

Dinner:  Beef and vegetable soup

Snacks/Dessert: Pomegranate, tortilla chips

Sunday:

Brunch: Leftover milk rice and onion relish

Dinner:  Baked potato

Snacks/Dessert: Sri Lankan treats

Let's just say I ate what I felt like eating on any given day!  LOL.

October Week 4 Options:

Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch:  scrambled eggs and toast or hash browns, bread and onion relish, salad, beef and vegetable soup, egg or tuna salad sandwiches

Dinners:  Beef and vegetable soup, Coconut flat bread and chicken curry,  Rice and chicken curry with broccoli and cucumber salad, 

Snacks/desserts:  Fruits, cereal, crackers with peanut butter, granola bars

It will all depend on how much I feel like cooking, this week!  

Sunday

 

Sri Lankan Treats

Clockwise from the top: Mung kavum (with a filling of mung bean and treacle paste), lavariya (stringhopper dough filled with a coconut and treacle filling), kokis (similar to Swedish rosettes, but, not sweet and flavored with cumin), and handi kavum (deep fried batter of rice flour and treacle).  

Today, I took a container of my beef and vegetable soup to neighbor T.  She said she had it for lunch and enjoyed it very much.

I also took a container of soup over to friend R and she gave me all the lovely Sri Lankan treats, pictured above!  R had ordered them from a lady who makes these traditional treats for sale.  It was very sweet of her to share them with me and I will definitely be ordering some, myself!  

It was another cool day as far as I was concerned (R was dressed in summer clothes while I was wearing sweaters and scarves!)  We were supposed to get some rain, but, although there were several dark clouds overhead and it rained in another city a few miles away (gardener friend's sister lives there and he texted me in the early afternoon that they were getting rain), we didn't get any rain at all.  

Daughter sent me her drawing for today.  The prompt is "buddy":

Day 25: Buddy

The drawing is of three friends, Konata, Tsukasa, and Kagami, from Lucky Star.

Cousin P called in the evening and we had a nice little chat.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Friend R sharing the treats with me

- Being able to share some of the soup with friend R and neighbor T

- Electric space heaters

- Being able to video chat with my daughter

- Daughter's power didn't get cut (she received an alert that there might be a power cut due to an increased fire risk due to high winds)

Today's joyful activity was making deliveries of my soup and receiving treats from friend R.

Monday's To Do List:

- Change bed sheets

- Load of laundry 

- Piano lesson

- Dust living room & dining area

- Clean the fridge

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

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

Saturday

Brunch: Milk Rice (Kiri Bath) and Onion Relish (Seeni Sambol)

This morning, I participated in the Temple "kathina" ceremony online.  Every year, the Buddhist monks observe a three month long retreat during the traditional rainy season, at the end of which, there is a special ceremony during which a special robe is sewn and donated by the devotees to the society of the monks in general.  The monks of each temple then convene and gift the robe to one particular monk who resided at the temple for the duration of the retreat.  Being able to participate in this ceremony by donating something towards it is considered as a very meritorious deed.  I feel blessed to have been able to participate, if only virtually.

Afterwards, I made milk rice and onion sambol for brunch.  

Later, I watered the garden, both front and back, especially the newly transplanted moringa plants and practiced the piano.  I might have taken an afternoon nap on the sofa, too!

Later in the evening, I made some beef and vegetable soup for dinner:

Beef and Vegetable Soup

It was another "cool" (high of 71F) day.  I dressed in layers and was still cold!  I even wore my fingerless mitts for a short time!  Eventually, I caved in and switched on the electric space heater, a little while ago.  I have it set up right in front of me as I type this and I am slowly thawing out!  Friend R said she was in a short sleeved T-shirt and 3/4 length pants.  

Daughter sent me her Inktober drawing; today's prompt was "dig"

Day 24: Dig

These are Pokemon known as Digletts which burrow through the ground; usually only their heads are visible.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to participate in Temple ceremonies online

- Water for the garden

- Afternoon naps

- Warm woolen sweaters

- Electric space heaters

Today's joyful activity was participating in the Temple ceremonies online.

How is your weekend coming along?

Doctor's Appointment on Friday

Today, I had my regular 3-month check up with the oncologist.  The appointment went well.  The tab test results were mostly good.  The only problem was, the mammogram results were not as conclusive as they could have been, because the radiology lab had been unable to obtain a copy of my previous mammogram to compare.  The oncologist's office submitted another request for the previous mammogram and I am to call them in two weeks to check on the status of obtaining it.  

I also asked the doctor about bringing in more knitted hats to give the patients.  I didn't take any in with me, today, because I wasn't sure if they were accepting them still.  But, she said that, if I was making them, then, she knows me well enough to know that the hats will be safe to be worn by the patients.  I usually wash them before I take them to the clinic, anyway, and I will seal them in bags, afterwards.  

After I came home, I had the rest of the stew for brunch and practiced the piano.  

Later, I walked for 15 minutes.  I wanted to walk for 20 minutes, but, I got tired after 15 minutes!  

In the evening, M came to tend to the garden and he planted the two moringa plants in the ground for me.  He was upset to find that both plants had the larva of Japanese beetles among their roots!  He basically had to pull apart the root ball and remove all the soil before planting the seedlings.  We are hoping we got all the grubs out - I wonder if that was why the moringa plants lost all their leaves, a couple of weeks ago.  They are starting to get new leaves, though, which is a good sign.  

Still later in the evening, friend R called and we chatted on the phone for a bit.   

Daughter sent in her drawing for today:  the prompt was "rip".

Day 23: Rip

Appropriate enough given how close we are to Halloween, I suppose.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The doctor's appointment went well

- Good blood test results for the most part

- A safe drive there and back

- The car got a good run

- M helping with the garden

Today's joyful activity was being in the garden.

Friday's To Do List:

- Doctor's appointment - DONE

- Clean the bathrooms - DONE

- Do one deep cleaning task - NOT DONE

- Tend to the garden with M - DONE

Plans for tomorrow include watering the newly planted moringa plants and sewing the binding on that unfinished quilt!  

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

Cool on Thursday

A much cooler day, today, with a high of 71F, and mostly overcast.  There was a little sunshine in the afternoon, though, as the morning fog lifted.  Needless to say I was dressed in a sweater and had a scarf and a shawl on!  LOL.  

I spent a relaxed morning, responding to blog comments and reading other blogs.

In the afternoon, I took some of the stew I made last night and some bread over to friend R.

After I came home, I did some gardening, raking over one of the flower beds in the front.  I had pulled out all the remaining osteospermum plants that had been growing there and weeded it, earlier.  Today, I raked it and watered it, to encourage any osteospermum seeds that might have dropped to germinate. I also picked another feijoa (pineapple guava) from the tree in the backyard.

Later, I practiced the piano, did the vacuuming, cleaned the kitchen, tidied the family room and did more paperwork and filing.  

I also watched the news, the presidential debate, and a program on public television called Ancient Skies.  And, I got my tote bag ready with the items I will need to take with me to the oncologist appointment, tomorrow (hand sanitizer, disposable masks, file folder with medical reports and the letter regarding the results of the mammogram, and so forth).  I also went through and cleaned out my purse; I try to do that once a month or so, but, don't always do it.  Fortunately, other than an empty sandwich bag and a spare pair of disposable gloves I had tucked into a pocket, there wasn't anything that needed to be tossed.  I also removed a handful of loose coins that were there at the bottom of the purse and added them to the change jar.    

Daughter sent me today's drawing.

Day 22: Chef

Day 22: Chef

  

According to my daughter, this is Soma, the main character from Shokugeki no Soma, an anime about cooking. 

Today, I am grateful for:

- Warm scarves and shawls

- Being able to visit friend R

- A safe drive there and back

- Fruit from the garden

- Sunny afternoons

Today's joyful activity was visiting friend R.

Thursday's To Do List:

- Vacuum - DONE

- Clean the kitchen - DONE

- Tidy the family room - DONE

- Paperwork/filing - DONE

Friday's To Do List:

- Doctor's appointment

- Clean the bathrooms 

- Do one deep cleaning task

- Tend to the garden with M

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

Roses on Wednesday

October Roses

I picked another small bouquet of roses from the garden, today.  I placed some at the altar and the rest on the mantelpiece.

In the morning, I emailed my friend at the retirement office to let him know that I received the "notification of award" letter from Social Security regarding my Medicare application, but, not the card, itself.  I was told to hold off on submitting the rest of the health insurance enrollment forms until I receive the card and send a copy of the card with the forms.  So, that's what I'll do.

I practiced the piano in the afternoon and did some paperwork and filing.  I also called and cancelled the automatic renewal of the magazine subscriptions that had been part of my daughter's birthday gift to me last year.  I had received a notification card in the mail, stating that the subscriptions would run out in November, but, they will be automatically renewed for my ease and convenience (oh, aren't they so considerate?!)  Of course, they would have been renewed at much higher rates than the $2 per subscription that my daughter was able to get.  Unless I called or went online and cancelled, before November.  That information was buried in the middle of a long paragraph in fine print!  Well, I called and cancelled.  The customer service person wanted to know why I was cancelling and I said I didn't want to renew them, especially at the going rates.  Then, he told me that as an existing customer, I could get the renewal at $2 per subscription!  Oh, so they were going to take a chance that I wouldn't read the fine print and charge me the higher price if I had allowed it to renew automatically?  Very clever of them!  LOL.  Maybe if they had stated I could renew the subscriptions at $2 in the card they sent, I might have allowed it to renew automatically.  But, being offered the rate only as an incentive to keep the subscription going didn't work with me.  I still declined to accept the renewal at $2 per subscription and cancelled.  I received an email confirming the cancellation; hopefully, I won't be surprised by a renewal billing!

The dentist's office called me around 4:00 p.m. to reschedule today's appointment because the lab technician was unable to be there, today.  It was rescheduled to next Wednesday.  Then, they called me, again, at 6:30 p.m. to say the appointment has to be rescheduled to the following Wednesday!  I didn't ask why, but, I'm glad I didn't have to go anywhere, today, too.

In the evening, I watered the garden, both front and back.  Then, I made a pork stew for dinner:

Stew

Pork, potato, carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes, and broccoli.  

Later, I called friend R and chatted with her and, still later, video chatted with my daughter.

My daughter sent me her drawing for today:

Day 21: Sleep

Day 21:Sleep

Snoozer (a hamster that is always sleeping in a sock) from Hamtaro.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Roses in October

- Being able to get advice from my friend regarding the health insurance application process

- The dental appointment was rescheduled

- Water for the garden

- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was picking roses and making an arrangement (of sorts) with them.

Wednesday's To Do List:

- Vacuum

- Water the garden - back and rest of the front - DONE

- Paperwork/filing - DID SOME

- Do one decluttering/organizing task - DONE (paper)

- Dental appointment in the evening - RESCHEDULED

I had woken up with a slight headache that lingered most of the day; that's my excuse for not vacuuming as planned and I am sticking to that excuse!  

Thursday's To Do List:

- Vacuum

- Clean the kitchen

- Tidy the family room

- Paperwork/filing

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

  

Blood Test on Tuesday

Today, I went for a fasting blood test in the morning.  I had made an appointment for 9:45 a.m.; I got there on time and was called in about 5 minutes after I registered.  After the blood test, I came home and ate half a banana for breakfast.  

Later, I did two loads of laundry and remade the bed with the freshly washed sheets.   Of course, I had some help with the making of the bed:

Holding Down the Quilt

Afterwards, he had to test it for comfort:

We love to sleep on a freshly made bed!

In between doing laundry and making the bed, I practiced the piano, watered the houseplants, did some dusting, did the dishes, watched some TV and cooking videos, and chatted on the phone with friend R.

The good news is, today, I received a letter from Social Security stating my application for Medicare coverage has been approved and I should receive my card in the mail in another two weeks.  Yay!  I still don't have a number, yet, but, I will contact my friend at the retirement office, tomorrow, and let him know and find out if I should wait until I get the number to submit the rest of the forms or what I should do.  But, what a big relief to receive that letter!

Day 20 drawing prompt:  Coral

Day 20: Coral

A pokemon named Corsola, with branch-like growths on its back that resemble coral.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The blood test went well (hopefully the results would be good, too!)

- A safe drive to the lab and back

- I received the Medicare acceptance letter

- Working appliances and electricity to run them

- Cooking videos

Today's joyful activity was video chatting and reminiscing with my daughter. 

Tuesday's To Do List:

- Blood test in the morning - DONE

- Change bed sheets - DONE

- Load of laundry (bed sheets/towels) - DONE (2 loads)

- Dust living room & dining area - DONE

- Dust family room and my bedroom - DONE

- Water the garden, front and back (DID the front, a little bit)

- Water the house plants - DONE

Wednesday's To Do List:

- Vacuum

- Water the garden - back and rest of the front

- Paperwork/filing 

- Do one decluttering/organizing task

- Dental appointment in the evening

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

Eye Examination on Monday

I had my eye examination, this morning.  My cousin's daughter picked me up by 8:45 a.m. and drove me back home, afterwards.  The eye examination, itself, went well and the doctor didn't find anything wrong.  But, it took some time for the effects of the dilation to wear off.  After I came home, I napped for most of the afternoon.  I woke up once to have some lunch (bread and chicken curry) and then, slept, again, until 4:00 p.m.  

I had my piano lesson at 4:45 p.m.  I think the lesson went well and I now have a new song (Amazing Grace) to learn.  

Afterwards, I chatted with neighbor T, took the trash cans to the curb, and chatted with my daughter.  She sent me the drawing for today.  She had sent me yesterday's drawing, too, but, I had already done my post by the time she sent it to me.

Day 18: Trap

Day 18: Trap

According to my daughter, in anime/manga, a trap is a boy who is mistaken for a girl (until it is revealed that he is a boy) and a reverse trap is girl who is mistaken for a boy.  

Day 19: Dizzy

Day 19: Dizzy

This is a pokemon named Spinda who is always spinning around.  

In the evening, I watched some TV ("Dancing with the Stars") and chatted with friend R.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- My cousin's daughter driving me to the eye appointment and back

- The eye appointment went well

- Afternoon naps

- The piano lesson went well

- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was napping in the afternoon.

I am afraid I didn't do a lot of the things on my to do list for today.  They are all being carried over to tomorrow.

Tuesday's To Do List:

- Blood test in the morning

- Change bed sheets

- Load of laundry (bed sheets/towels)

- Dust living room & dining area

- Dust family room and my bedroom

- Water the garden, front and back

- Water the house plants

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

October Meal Plan: Week 2 Update and Week 3

These were my Week 2 meal plan options:  

October Week 2 Options:

Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch:  Pancakes (Monday; leftovers from Sunday)✓, French toast✓, salad, egg salad sandwiches, leftover soup✓.

Dinners:  Smoked sausage stir fry with rice ✓ or noodles, soup✓ and toast, scrambled egg on toast, grilled chicken drumsticks curry with vegetables and rice or salad 

Snacks/desserts:  Fruits✓, crackers✓, bread pudding if I make some✓

Well, the menus changed a bit, I made hamburgers that I hadn't planned to make, a curry with the chicken drumsticks instead of grilling them, and my lovely neighbor S brought me dinner, one day.  This is how it all turned out:

Monday:

Brunch:  Pancakes with spicy onion sambol

Dinner:  Rice, smoked sausage stir fry, sauteed zucchini

Dinner: Rice, Sausage Stir Fry, Zucchini

Snacks/Dessert: Fresh fruits (half a peach, grapes); crackers 

 

Tuesday:

Brunch:  Fruit salad

Brunch: Fruit Salad

Dinner:  Rice, sausage stir fry, zucchini

Snacks/Dessert:  Almonds

Wednesday:

Breakfast: French toast

Lunch:  Smoked sausage soup

Dinner:  Rice with smoked sausage stir fry 

Snacks/Dessert: Half a peach; cereal

Thursday:

Brunch:  Hamburger (ground beef patty, bread, lettuce, "special sauce" mixture) 

Dinner:  Hamburger, again!

Snacks/Dessert: Tortilla chips, half a peach, ice cream!

Friday: 

Brunch: Bread pudding! 

Dinner:  Rice, sausage stir fry

Snacks/Dessert:  Half a peach, crackers

Saturday:

Brunch:  Bread pudding 

Dinner:  Salad, barbecued pork ribs, potatoes

Snacks/Dessert:  Chocolate cake, orange

Sunday:

Brunch: ???  I know I ate something, but, I can't remember what! It was after I came home from grocery shopping.  Rice and stirfry?

Dinner:  Rice, chicken curry, sauteed green bean curry

Snacks/Dessert: Chocolate cake

On to Week 3!  I did my October monthly grocery shopping on Sunday, so, I start off week 3 with a full fridge.

October Week 3 Options:

Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch:  scrambled eggs and toast, sandwiches, fruit salad, salad

Dinners:  Chicken curry with rice and green beans, pork stew, beef kebabs with salad, leftovers

Snacks/desserts:  Fruits, bread pudding 

Note to self: remember to write down what I eat!  LOL.

Sunday

Today is the 100th anniversary of my mother's birth!  This is one of the earliest pictures I have of her, taken in the mid-1940s when she was a bridesmaid at her brother's wedding:

Mother in her 20s

My mother's new sister-in-law hand colored the details.

And this is one of the last photographs taken of my mother, in 2005:

Mother aged 85

She died in February, 2006.  

I went to the cemetery, this afternoon, with flowers from the garden to place at her gravesite.  One of my cousins texted me, while I was at the gravesite, to say she was thinking of me.  That was so sweet of her!

Afterwards, I went to the grocery store to pick up the groceries I had ordered.  The store had emailed me around 10:45 a.m. to let me know that my order was assembled.  Then, I received a text around 12:00 noon, stating that one item I had ordered (a frozen pizza) wasn't available and there were no substitutions and two other items I had ordered (store brand 12 oz. frozen corn and a 20 lb. bag of rice) weren't available, but, they had substitutions (a 24 oz. bag of brand name corn and a 10 lb. bag of store brand rice) if I authorized the substitutions.  If the item they substitute costs more than the item I ordered (as was the case with the frozen corn), they charge me the lower price; if the item costs less (as with the rice), then, I pay the lesser price.  So, I lucked out and received double the amount of frozen corn for $1.00 (the regular price of the larger bag of brand name corn was, apparently, $4.49!).

My total bill came to $59.04 (with tax on the non-grocery items).  The non-grocery items were a package of 8 pieces of soap (regular price $5.99, club card price $3.99, "buy 5 or more participating items" sale price $2.99, which is what I paid), and two 4.0 oz. tubes of toothpaste at $1.00 each.  The non-grocery items plus tax came to $5.40.  If I deduct it from the grocery total, the groceries amounted to $53.54.  

October grocery spending to date = $5 (earlier, for raisins) + $53.54 = $58.54.

Yay!  I am back to being within my pre-Covid grocery budget of $75 per month!  LOL!  With a little over $16 to spend on a few additional "top up" items towards the end of the month.  

After I came home, I washed and disinfected everything I bought.  Then, I put everything away, but, first, I took the opportunity to wipe down all the fridge shelves, before the new items went in.  

I purchased a tray of 8 assorted pork chops (3 lbs., regular price $4.99, on sale for $2.49 per lb.).  I separated the pork chops and froze them, 3 packages with 2 chops each and the last two chops frozen individually.  I froze the smoked sausage links I bought, too.  My plan is to freeze half the hot dogs and  half the hot dog buns, but, they are in the fridge for now.  

Cousin P's daughter called me to confirm that she can drive me to the appointment with the ophthalmologist and back, tomorrow morning, as I will not be up to driving back after my eyes are dilated.  Very grateful to her as she's arranged her work schedule to have the day off in order to drive me.  Definitely blessed!

Plans for the rest of the evening include cooking the chicken drumsticks I had kept in the fridge to thaw, practicing the piano, and getting everything ready for tomorrow's appointment.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- My mother's influence on my life

- Being able to visit her gravesite

- Being able to take her flowers from the garden

- Contactless grocery pick ups

- Cousin's daughter being able to drive me, tomorrow.

Today's joyful activity was bitter-sweet, actually; visiting my mother's grave and reminiscing about her.  

Monday's To Do List:

- Doctor's appointment in the morning

Depending on how soon my eyes recover from being dilated:

- Piano lesson

- Change bed sheets

- Load of laundry (bed sheets/towels)

- Dust living room & dining area

- Clean the fridge  (DONE)

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

How was your Sunday?  How is your grocery shopping coming along?  What are your plans for Monday?

 

Saturday

 

Day 17: Storm

Today's drawing prompt is Storm and according to my daughter, this is a cloud throwing a tantrum!  LOL.  

I had another relaxed day, today.  I practiced the piano, cleared the kitchen counters, decanted the raisins in the opened bag into two pint sized glass jars I had washed and saved, did the dishes, watched some cooking shows on TV, made a grocery shopping list, and, later in the evening, with my daughter's help, ordered groceries to be picked up, tomorrow.  I called friend R to ask her if she wanted anything from the store, before I completed my order, but, she said she didn't need anything, this time.  

It has been exactly one month since my last grocery shopping pick up (on September 17).  I had come to the end of a lot of the items I bought then, but, I was also quite pleased how well things kept, too.  I did ask my neighbor to pick up a packet of raisins for me, earlier this month, but, this will be my main grocery shopping order, this month.  I ordered bread, milk, orange juice, some fresh vegetables (cucumber, broccoli, carrots, lettuce), some frozen vegetables (green peas and corn), some fruits (banana, grapes, peaches), a bag of potatoes, eggs, meat (pork chops), smoked sausage, a packet of hot dogs and buns, some stock up items such as rice and instant cup of noodles, and a couple of toiletry items (soap and toothpaste; I still have most of the package of soap I bought in March, but, there was a sale on them, this week, and I thought it would be a good item to stock up).  Of course, I won't know, till tomorrow, if everything I ordered will be available.  I okayed substitutions if necessary. 

Shortly after that, neighbor S called me.  It was her mother's birthday, they had a family celebration, and would I like some barbecued meat and kebabs, fresh fruit, potatoes her daughter had made, and a piece of chocolate olive oil cake that her daughter had also made?  Well, of course I said, "Yes, please!"  A few minutes later, S brought me a feast:

Dinner Plus!  Compliments of S!

I had just enough time to put one of the frilly scarves I had knitted into a gift bag with a card as a gift to her mother, L, before S brought me the dinner!  I am so glad I had something on hand to give!

I had some of the meat and potatoes with a salad for dinner, followed by a small slice of the cake.  It was all very delicious and I have plenty of leftovers for another meal or two.  Have I mentioned I am blessed with some lovely, caring neighbors?  They spoil me!  

I took the fruit off the skewers and put them into a small, covered dish; I will probably have them for breakfast, tomorrow.  The skewers were washed and saved, along with the skewers from the prior serving of fruit I received from S, earlier in the month; I am keeping them to reuse them, one day in the future.  Of course, I am someone who is known to wash and reuse things like aluminum foil and sandwich baggies, much to the chagrin of some of my family members!  LOL.  It was something I learned to do when I was a university student, earning $2.10 minimum wage per hour (by the time taxes and other deductions were taken out, it came to $1.90 per hour).  It was a long time ago (1970s), but, frugal habits die hard!

Today, I am grateful for:

- Kind neighbors who bless me with dinner and more

- Daughter helping me with ordering the groceries

- Having a gift on hand to give S's mother

- Relaxed days

- Glass jars 

Today's joyful activity was enjoying the dinner provided by neighbor S!

Tomorrow would have been my mother's birthday.  My plans include a visit to the cemetery and then, picking up the groceries I ordered.  

How was your day?  What are your plans for tomorrow?

Catching up on Friday

I was too tired, last night, to stay up to write a blog post.  I actually went to bed at 1:30 a.m., which is rather early for me!

Yesterday (Thursday) was a good day.  Sunny and hot enough for me to turn on one fan for a couple of hours in the late afternoon!  I slept in, spent what was left of the morning answering blog comments, catching up on a few blogs, and watching the confirmation hearing.

My daughter texted me around 1:20 p.m. to say that the apartment building fire alarm went off, yet again!  This seems to be an almost monthly event!  She said she couldn't see or smell anything (any smoke, etc.), but, she grabbed her laptop and her emergency backpack (containing a change of clothes, some disposable masks, a box of granola bars, etc.) and evacuated the building.  There really isn't any place to evacuate to, but, she stood on the sidewalk outside the building, along with other residents, until the fire department showed up and turned off the alarms.  She was able to go back to her apartment shortly afterwards.  We figured that someone left a pan of something to cook and it burned and set off the alarms.   

Later in the afternoon, I practiced the piano.  My two new pieces are "O Sole Mio" and "The Entertainer".  One has an arpeggiated chord at the very end and my fingers, especially on the left hand, refuse to move as quickly as required.  The other has a syncopated rhythm; it's a very good thing that I know the tune and have an idea of how it should sound.  But, it's a very long way from how I play it now to how it should be played!  LOL!

I also called the eye doctor's office and confirmed my appointment for Monday morning and double checked which clinic I should go to; they have two locations and the letter of authorization listed one location, which is their main office (and that's where I called), but, I was last seen at the second location and that's where I am supposed to go on Monday.  Then, of course, someone from the second location called me, today, to confirm Monday's appointment!  

Next week is going to be a busy week!  I have the eye appointment on Monday, a blood test scheduled for Tuesday, the dentist on Wednesday, and the oncologist on Friday!  That's the most number of appointments I've had in one week since March!   

In the evening, I watered the front garden.  Everything was wilting in the heat.  A couple of my neighbors across the street were out in their gardens, too, watering.  I picked the first pomegranates from my tree and went across the street to give them to my neighbors.  They were very appreciative, one neighbor saying her husband has been admiring the fruit and has been hoping I'd give them some!  LOL.  I also watched one of the two town hall meetings that were being televised.

Yesterday, while looking in the freezer for a package of chicken drumsticks to thaw, I managed to cause some packages to fall down a gap in the back.  The packages fell behind the slide out drawer at the bottom, pushing the drawer out just enough to prevent the door for closing.  I had to empty out the slide out bin in order to pull it out to retrieve the packages that fell.  I took the opportunity to wipe up the bottom of the freezer before I put the bin back in place and put all the frozen meat back.  In the process, I came across a package containing two hamburger patties I had made and frozen, earlier.  Suddenly, I was craving a hamburger!  I quickly thawed the patties in the microwave and cooked them in a frying pan while I toasted the last two slices of bread.  I spread one of the slices of bread with a mixture of Miracle Whip, relish, and ketchup, added lettuce leaves, topped it with one of the hamburger patties with more ketchup on top and I had myself a hamburger for brunch!  I was going to save the other hamburger patty for today's lunch, but, I had that for dinner, last night, instead!  The two bread ends (or 'heels') made a satisfactory "bun".  

Yesterday's drawing prompt was "Outpost".  

Day 15: Outpost

According to my daughter, this is Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass.  I asked her what he had to do with 'outpost'.  Her reply was "outpost ⇨ military ⇨ Code Geass, an anime in which Lelouch is the main character and stages a rebellion against the tyrannical Holy Britannian Empire".

Today, Friday, has also been a sunny and warm (high of 98F) day.  I called and chatted with cousin P in the morning, then, I decided to make a bread pudding so I could use up all the bread ends I had in the fridge and the last cup or so of milk that I had left in the half gallon container (with a best-by date of October 1) before it spoiled.  I added the last muffin from the last batch of muffins I had made to the cubed bread ends, a handful of cashews and a handful of raisins, beat up three eggs and half a cup of sugar into the milk, poured that over the bread cubes, sprinkled the top with a little grated nutmeg, and put the mixture into the pre-heated oven at 350F.  While it was baking, I washed the dishes and wiped down the kitchen counters, etc.  By the time I had finished doing that, about 20 minutes had passed, and the bread pudding was done:

Bread Pudding

After it had cooled for 10 minutes or so, I cut myself a piece for brunch:

Bread Pudding for Brunch

It was good and I soon had a second piece for dessert!  LOL.

Later in the evening, when M came to tend to the garden, I served him a piece of the bread pudding and, afterwards, I took half of what was left to friend R, along with a box of the disposable masks I had bought, earlier.  She gave me a bar of chocolate and an individually wrapped snack cake in exchange!

M brought me this mini pumpkin he had grown: 

Mini Pumpkin

Isn't it just beautiful?

In the afternoon, I practiced the piano and cleaned the bathroom (on the weekly cleaning list for Fridays). 

Daughter sent me today's drawing; the prompt is "Rocket":

Day 16: Rocket

It is a Pokemon named Meowth, dressed in the Team Rocket uniform.  

The things I'm grateful for yesterday and today include:

- Yesterday's fire alarm at daughter's apartment building was a false alarm

- Being able to share pomegranates with neighbors

- M bringing me a mini pumpkin

- R giving me a bar of chocolate and a snack cake

- Being able to make a yummy dessert with some bread ends and a few extra ingredients

Yesterday's joyful activity was being in the garden.  Today's joyful activity was baking the bread pudding.

I don't have any special plans for tomorrow.  Nothing that I must do, so, I will probably just relax and take it easy.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Wednesday

Wednesday was another warm day.  I spent a relatively quiet day.  In the morning, I replied to blog comments, practiced the piano, and had French toast for breakfast.  In the afternoon, I watched some of the confirmation hearings, had the last of the soup for lunch, and watched some news.

In the evening, I went to the dentist's to have the impression taken for a partial denture.  It was not a long procedure and I was home within the hour.  

After I came home, I did the whole disinfection routine, chatted on the phone with my daughter, spoke with friend R, and had leftover rice and sausage stir fry for dinner, followed by half a peach.  

I also watched a couple of nature shows on public TV.  One was about cats and included a bit about the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) which is the one of the smallest wild cats in the world and weighs between 2 to 3.5 lbs. as adults.  They are found in India and Sri Lanka, although, some were found in some areas of Nepal in 2012.  The other nature show was about the reintroduction of African wild dogs to the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique.   

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter.  Today's drawing prompt was "armor":

Day 14: Armor

This is Yami Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters, wearing his duel armor.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Dental insurance

- The car started!

- Television

- Technology that lets me keep in touch with family and friends

- Hot water on tap

Today's joyful activity was knitting.

Thursday's To Do List:

- Clean the kitchen

- Water the front garden

- Load of laundry, if needed

- Paperwork

- Practice the piano

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

Summer is Back!

We are having a few day with the temperatures in the upper 90s, again!  Today's high was 98F!  Needless to say, I am very happy!  

Yesterday (Monday), I dusted the living room and dining area.  Neighbor T called because she couldn't remember if we spoke on Sunday or not; we did speak on Sunday, but, we chatted a little bit, again.  In the afternoon, I practiced the piano.  I had the lesson in the evening. Later, I played my piano pieces for my daughter.  Afterwards, I took the trash cans to the curb and cooked dinner:

Smoked Sausage Stir Fry

With Sauteed Zucchini

I cooked the smoked sausage stir fry, adding a mixture of vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, onions) and pineapple.  I also sliced up and sauteed the zucchini that needed cooking immediately!  Later, I did the dishes, chatted on the phone with friend R, and video chatted with my daughter.

The October Day 12 drawing prompt was "slippery" and daughter decided to draw a figure skater because ice is slippery.  She did two poses, illustrating the beginning and the end of the skater's routine:

Day 12: Slippery 

Day 12: Slippery

Today's prompt is "Dune"

Day 13: Dune

Today, I walked around the garden for a bit,  brought in the empty trash cans, did a little housework, practiced the piano, watered the back garden, made a couple of phone calls, and watched some of the confirmation hearing.

When I went out to the garden in the morning, I picked a feijoa (pineapple guava).  Last year, this tree had a bumper crop of feijoas and I picked so many that I was able to make two batches of jam. This year, however, there are all of five fruits!  

Feijoa (Pineapple Guava)

However, I cut up the one feijoa, added half of a peach, sliced, and a handful of grapes, sprinkled it all with a mixture of chili powder, salt, and sugar, and made myself a fruit salad for a late breakfast:

Fruit Salad: Feijoa, Peaches, and Grapes

Lunch was a bowl of soup and dinner was leftovers from last night.

I am grateful for:

- The return of summer

- Fresh fruit from the garden

- Virtual piano lessons

- Being able to keep in touch with family and friends

- Water for the garden

Joyful activities over the past couple of days include playing the piano, singing, and, video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include a visit to the dentist in the evening.

How was your day?  What are your plans for tomorrow?