Ending October

Prompt: Farm
("Halloween Farm")

First of all, I did not get my Covid booster, today!  I called the pharmacy to double check they were still doing the walk-in Covid boosters and I was told yes, but, could I please come in on Wednesday, instead.  Apparently, they were short staffed, today, and were very busy.  I decided I will go in on Wednesday.  

Which gave me a free day to...clean!  I was in a cleaning mood!  I dusted the main rooms and started cleaning the kitchen.  I did the stove top and under the burners, the outside of the oven door (the inside requires some serious cleaning, but that's for another day!), the top of the vent hood, the counters, the lower cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and the sink.  I did it in stages because I didn't want my hands cramping up on me, but, my hands were fine and didn't cramp.  I also cleaned the litter box and swept my bathroom, and took two of the trash bins (the black garbage bin and the green yard waste bin; the blue recycling bin only had a few items in it and didn't need to be emptied)  to the end of the driveway.

I spoke with neighbor T in the early afternoon; she said she's feeling well, but, she'll be at the assisted living facility a little longer than she initially thought.  Later, in the evening, I called friend R to check on her.  

Brunch had been leftover waffles with seeni sambol (spicy onion relish).  Dinner was leftover rice and ground turkey keema curry with peach chutney.  Which reminds me, I need to do a meal plan for this week, don't I?  

It was a warm (high of 80F) day, today, but, partly cloudy.  The house remained somewhat cool, but, I didn't have to go outside to warm myself up!  Every time I started feeling cold, I did some cleaning, and that kept me warm!  LOL!  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to get some cleaning done!
- My hands didn't cramp!
- Chatting with friends and neighbors
- What I was able to accomplish
- Ending the month on a positive note

Today's joyful activity was...cleaning!  Yes!  Really!  

Plans for tomorrow - there is a ballot that needs to be filled out!

Monthly Photo Challenge - October: Autumn Colors

Time to post the few photos I took for the Monthly Photo Challenge hosted by Eileen at A Bracelet of Days.  October's theme was "Autumn Colors".  It didn't need to be restricted to color changes in nature, she stated, which was good for me because there isn't much color changes in foliage in my area, but, a few trees in my garden tried their best to oblige:

Pomegranate Tree

Plum Tree

Asian Pear Tree

More Asian Pear Leaves

Autumn Themed Paper Plates and Napkins

Crocheted Granny Square

Autumn Floral Arrangements

Being Closely Inspected 

What's More Autumn than a Jack-O-Lantern?

A Jack-O-Lantern with a Scarecrow!

"Hello, Scarecrow"

Dancer Finds a New Friend!

Thank you for this opportunity to participate in the monthly photo challenges, Eileen.  Dancer and I both enjoyed it! 

Sunday

Prompt: Gear
(The cover of a book a character in Cardcaptor Sakura has) 

Another sunny and warm day with an afternoon high of  84F when I last checked (I don't know if my area went up to the forecast high of 85F).  I slept in and then, made waffles for brunch.  I made extra to have for my brunch, tomorrow, too.  After brunch, I sat outside in the back yard to warm up!  LOL!

In the afternoon, I unpicked some stitches on the sleeves of a blouse that my cousin R had given me - the blouse had 3/4 length sleeves with upturned cuffs that were sewn in place.  I prefer long sleeves; I can always push up the sleeves if I want, but, I can't make them longer when needed.

Later, in the early evening, I watered the front garden.  M had replaced the old plastic auto shut off nozzle I had been using (which leaked), with a metal auto shut off nozzle; the new nozzle was good and I enjoyed watering with it.  

Afterwards, I sat down to repair the tears in my grey wool sweater.  There were more holes in it than I had realized at first.  I had just started on the third hole when my hands started cramping.  The left hand wasn't too bad, but, the cramps in the right hand were quite severe.  The cramps eventually eased up, but, I put away the mending!  I'll mend that sweater another day, when I haven't had to water the garden!  

Instead, I watched news and some online videos, chatted with friend R, and relaxed.  Dinner was leftover rice, ground turkey keema curry, and peach chutney.  Followed by more of the grapes neighbor S gave and the last piece of ice cream cake from S's daughter's birthday, earlier in the month. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- The hand cramping went away
- Another warm sunny day
- A relaxed day
- Working appliances
- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was being out in the garden.  

Plans for tomorrow include getting my Covid booster and whatever else I feel up to doing afterwards!

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?  Will you be celebrating Halloween?

Saturday

Grapes from S's Friend's Garden

Neighbor S called me this afternoon to ask if I'd like to have some grapes from her friend's garden, they are sweet but have seeds in them.  I said I'd love to have some.  She brought me a bag of them; I tried a few and they are delicious.  I saved some of the seeds to see if I can get them to grow!  S is very considerate of the fact that I am still being very careful, so we were both wearing our masks even though we usually meet outside, at the door step.  Today, however, I invited her in to take a look at the loquat seedlings she had given me (from her aunt's garden) earlier in the summer; they are growing in pots in the back yard and I led her through the house to the back yard.  The loquat seedlings are growing well and should be big enough to plant in the ground, next year, I think.  

I went to bed around 3:30 a.m., last night/this morning and woke up once at 9:00 a.m., turned off the porch lights, fed the cats (Dancer and Mama Cat), considered getting up for the day, but, decided to go back to bed, instead!  LOL.  It was late morning when I woke up for the second time!  

It was a sunny day with an afternoon high of 80F.  It was in the mid 70s outside when I woke up for the 2nd time and 64F inside the house!  When I mentioned it to my daughter, she said it was colder inside my house than it was outside in Berkeley (65F)!  LOL.  I opened the windows and drapes and managed to warm up the house to 68F, before I closed the windows in the evening.  It felt warm enough inside the house to be without a sweater for a couple of hours in the afternoon and then, I put on my sweater, again!  LOL!

Today, was laundry day!  I know I usually do laundry on Mondays, but, I am planning to go for my Covid booster on Monday and I am not going to do any housework after that!  I refuse!  LOL!  I did a load of laundry including my bed sheets, first, and then, another load with the family room sofa dust sheets and the crocheted blanket/throw that I have on the sofa.  I put the spare set of dust sheets on the sofas and I remade my bed with flannel sheets!  I added another blanket to the quilts on the bed and, I should be nice and warm at night, I think.  Later, I put away the dried laundry, chatted with friend R, and spoke with cousin V and sympathized with her husband on his sister's death.

Brunch was the leftover stir-fried spaghetti pasta.  Dinner was ground turkey keema curry and rice:

Ground Turkey Keema Curry and Rice

There's leftover curry and rice for tomorrow's dinner, as well.

Daughter did some shopping, today, including her grocery shopping for the week.  This is her drawing for Saturday:

Prompt: Uh-oh
("Based on a personal experience")

Today, I am grateful for:

- The gift of grapes from S
- Being able to sleep in!
- A warm, sunny day
- Working appliances
- Flannel sheets

Today's joyful activity was visiting, however briefly, with neighbor S.

Plans for tomorrow include watering the front garden and mending one of my wool sweaters which has developed a couple of holes on the sleeves!

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

Friday

Prompt: Camping

"Based on a scene from the opening song for the anime 'Laidback Camp'"

Today, I went to my regular check up with the oncology nurse practitioner.  Although the clinic had already called to confirm the appointment, over the weekend (it's an automated call, requiring you to press 1 to confirm, press 2 to reschedule, etc.), I called them, again, this morning, before I left the house to make sure that they didn't try to reschedule like that one time, when I didn't call before I left the house and had to come back home!  They confirmed that the appointment was still set for this afternoon!

My appointment was at 1:00 p.m., so I left the house at 11:50 a.m. and arrived at the clinic at 12:50 a.m.  (they do ask you to arrive 15 minutes prior to the appointment).  The freeway was quite congested closer to downtown, as usual.  I was weighed in, blood pressure checked, etc., almost right away, but, then, I had to wait for over an hour to see the nurse practitioner!  Eventually, I was called in and shown to an examination room and then, there was another wait before I was seen (one of the assistants did pop in to apologize for the wait).

When the nurse practitioner came in, she, too, apologized; apparently, their computer system is malfunctioning and they are having problems logging in to access the patient records, etc.  The computer froze several times while she was trying to look up my bone density scan results and the lab reports, etc., but, eventually, she managed to access the records.  My bone density scan results were OK - I still have osteopenia, but, there is no deterioration in my condition.  The lab test results were mostly good, too.  My potassium level was down and something else was elevated (that's an issue to be taken up with the primary care physician), but, the cancer markers were good!  She did a quick examination, put in the referral for my mammogram, and set up my next appointment.  I had to wait a few more minutes for the receptionist to print out my lab orders and a copy of my lab report (again, the delay was because the computers were freezing up).  

Anyway, it was 3:00 p.m. when I left the clinic!  The parking rates have gone up since my last appointment and today, I had to pay $15 for parking for a little over 2 hours!  The freeway was quite busy on the way home, but, it was moving; I got home by 4:00 p.m.  

I had eaten a slice of toast with butter and jam before I left the house in the morning; after I came home, I warmed up some of the leftover pasta and the last of the pasta sauce with sausages that I had made earlier and had that for a late lunch.  

M arrived at 5:00 p.m. to tend to the garden.  He watered the back garden, pruned one of the lemon trees at my request, and placed the last paver in the parkway.  In the end, we only put 6 pavers in the parkway and the 7th (and last) paver was placed near the water spigot in the front garden, to provide a place for coiling the garden hose when not in use, rather than leaving it on the ground.  

The Pruned Lemon Tree

After M left, I had a cup of tea and watched the evening news.  Then, chatted with friend R and later, video chatted with my daughter.  Earlier in the afternoon (when I was at the clinic, waiting to be seen, actually), cousin V had called to inform me of the death of one of her sisters-in-law and I exchanged texts with her, as I didn't want to be talking on the cell phone in the waiting room.

At first, I wasn't hungry for dinner, after eating a late lunch.  But, eventually, I began to get hungry and I made over the leftover spaghetti pasta, stir-frying it with some ground turkey I had cooked and frozen, a carrot, some onions, broccoli, and a small amount of bell peppers, sesame oil, and soy sauce; I added some sesame seeds and a few roasted peanuts, too:

Stir Fried Pasta "Noodles"

Yes, there's another smaller serving leftover for tomorrow's brunch!

Later, I was snacking on some roasted cashews and I broke a corner of a tooth that had been filled several years ago!  I'm not in pain, but, it's time to schedule an appointment with the dentist, I guess!  I'll wait until I've had my Covid booster to do that!

Today, I am grateful for:

- The appointment with the oncology nurse practitioner went well, even if there was a long wait
- The test results were mostly good
- Access to medical care
- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- M helping with the garden

Today's joyful activity was tending to the garden with M.

Plans for Saturday include doing some laundry and putting in an order for groceries!

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

Productive Thursday

Prompt: Snacks
("Panda Cookies and Donuts")

I set my alarm for 9:00 a.m., today, although the plumber was not scheduled to arrive until after 12:00 noon.  I stayed in bed for another 30 minutes or so after the alarm went off, then got up and got going.  After my morning cup of tea and prayers, etc., I did the vacuuming I had been planning to do all week!  Then, tidied up the family room.  I didn't put everything away, but, sorted the paperwork and tidied up the sewing supplies.  Then, I scrubbed my toilet (a task I usually do on Fridays, but, I wanted the bathrooms clean before the plumber arrived!)  I cleaned Dancer's litter box, too, and mopped the bathroom floor (I knew the plumber would probably mess it up, but, I wanted it to be clean when he arrived and he cleaned up after himself before he left!)  

I took a short break and then, tidied the kitchen a bit (Thursday's task) and emptied the dishwasher.  I had cut the thumb on my right hand on a can that I was rinsing out before putting it in the recycling bin, yesterday; it wasn't a very deep cut, but it was about half an inch long.  I had put a plaster/bandaid on it and it was healing, but it hampered me a bit as I did my housework.  However, I got most of the housekeeping tasks I had set for myself for this week done!  I had to tell myself that it didn't have to be done perfectly!  

The plumbing company called me around 12:30 p.m. to say that the plumber was on his way.  He was here a few minutes later.  I wore my N95 mask; he wasn't wearing a mask.  I didn't insist that he wore a mask because I knew that it is hard to do jobs like plumbing with a mask on.  But, I had opened the windows and the front door (the metal security door was closed because I didn't want Dancer to run out, but, it has open mesh which allows air flow) and I felt there was enough ventilation in the house.  The plumber who was here, last year, wore a mask, but, we were still under a mask mandate then.  This is one of the main reasons why I am dragging my feet on having workmen in the house, unless I absolutely have to!

Anyway, he was a pleasant young man named George.  He cleared the clog in the bathtub (showed me the clump of hair he pulled out), replaced the flapper in my toilet so it wouldn't leak anymore, changed the faucets in both bathtubs (they both have overhead showers) because both faucets were leaking when the shower was turned on, and fixed the broken knob/handle in the sink in daughter's bathroom.  He also mentioned that I might need to replace the knob/handle in the tub/shower in her bathroom sometime in the future, but, not right now.  When it was time to pay, I told him to give me a discount since I was a repeat customer and he said he'll mention it to the company, but, it was not up to him.  I paid $225.75 for parts and labor, which I thought was reasonable.  I'm glad that I managed to get the plumbing maintenance projects crossed off my list.

After he left, I boiled more pasta and had it with some of the sausage mixture for my brunch.  Then, I went outside to walk a bit.  I only walked for a few minutes because I was feeling a bit tired, but, I sat on the low stone wall between my driveway and T's front yard and enjoyed the warmth of the sun for about 10-15 minutes.  I was inspecting the plants in the front yard a few minutes later, when the letter carrier delivered the mail.  I thanked him and he said they were all ads, but, I said as long as they are not bills it's fine with me and he laughed.  Then, I took the mail and went inside; he was right, they were all political ads for the upcoming mid-term elections.  

I took it easy in the evening.  I started the car, watched the news, had a cup of tea, reheated a frozen burrito for dinner, had a piece of mango for dessert, did today's dishes, chatted with friend R, and video chatted with my daughter.  She had gone into the office, today, and then, gone out to lunch.     

Today, I'm grateful for:
- Plumbers!
- Getting the plumbing issues taken care of 
- Sunny, warm afternoon
- Daily mail deliveries (except on Sundays)
- Accomplishing most of my housekeeping tasks

Today's joyful activity was getting the plumbing tasks crossed off my to do list!

Plans for tomorrow include the regular check up with the oncology nurse practitioner in the early afternoon and tending to the garden in the evening with M.  

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

Wednesday

Definitely Sweater Weather!

It was almost 61F in the family room at 11:00 a.m., this morning!  Yes, I was wearing a sweater over a blouse, and I went outside, where it was 73F, and walked for 10 minutes to warm up!  Today's afternoon high was 75F and I sat outside for a few minutes as it was warmer outside than in!  Eventually, the house warmed up to 68F!

Dancer had a good night and I didn't find any throw up when I woke up and he hasn't had any issues during the day, today, either.  He spends a lot of his time sleeping, but, that's normal for cats, isn't it?

Today, in the morning, I payed my gas bill and scheduled a safety check for the furnace/heater.  The earliest they had available for such a non-emergency/routine service was on Monday, November 7th, which is reasonable, I think.  

M was here to tend to the garden, today.  As usual, we spent a few minutes just chatting before he started on the garden and I mentioned that I am having the plumber come out, tomorrow, to tend to the bathroom sink faucet, to see why the water flow suddenly stopped.  He asked me if the faucet had an aerator and if I had checked it for debris.  Yes, it has an aerator and I had wondered if it was blocked, but, I couldn't turn in although I had tried.  He asked if he could take a look at it, opened it with the help of a pair of pliers and yes, the mesh inside the aerator was clogged!  He cleaned it and put it back and we have flowing water, again!  Woo hoo!  Nothing was wrong with the faucet, itself!  I'll still have the plumber come out because there are the other issues with the slow draining tub and the faulty diverter in the shower, etc.  They are inconveniences I have been putting up with and tolerating and if you were to look around my house, you'd see that I am very good at tolerating inconveniences! 

In the afternoon, I cleaned my daughter's bathroom (the slow draining tub is in there).  Since my daughter is not at home right now, no one is using this bathroom and I haven't been cleaning it weekly.  Well, the bathmats I had in there had a rubber backing and during the hot summer, the rubber backing had melted and glued itself to the ceramic tiles on the floor!  When I pulled the mats up to wash them, parts of the rubber backing remained stuck to the floor.  I tried to vacuum it up, but, it didn't do anything.  I tried to mop it, but, it didn't do much, either.  I took a brush and scrubbed at it and that helped a bit.  Finally, I took a big kitchen knife and scraped the stuff off and used a piece of melamine foam ("Magic Eraser") as well!  All that scrubbing and scraping warmed me up and I even removed the sweater I had been wearing!  LOL.  It also tired me out!  I was too tired to do the vacuuming I was planning to do!

I rested after that and watched the evening news.  Then, I had to put my sweater back on because once I had stopped scrubbing, I got cold, again!  And I had a mug of hot cocoa instead of my usual evening cup of tea.

Later, I ran the dishwasher and washed a few items that can't go in the dishwasher by hand.  There weren't a lot of dishes to put in the dishwasher, but, I haven't run it for at least a couple of weeks and I had been told I should run it at least once a week to keep the hoses flexible!  I thought I'd better run it tonight; that way, if there was a problem, the plumber will be here tomorrow, anyway!  LOL! Fortunately, the dishwasher worked well!  

Brunch had been the leftover slice of pizza from yesterday and apple slices.  Dinner was leftover pasta from last night and a piece of the moon cake for dessert.  I will probably have something for a snack before I go to sleep, though.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- M fixing the faucet for me as well as tending to the garden
- I was able to schedule a safety check for the furnace within a reasonable waiting period
- Warm wool sweaters!
- Sunny days (according to the weather forecast, November will be mostly cloudy and cool)
- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was chatting with M and sitting outside to enjoy the warmer temperature!

Wednesday's Prompt: Ego
("An egotistic pose.  Not based on any particular anime character.")

Plans for tomorrow include the plumber's visit, vacuuming, and doing some tidying around the house.

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

Tuesday's Update

It Worked!

Yay!  Leaving the trash cans lined up in front of my driveway seems to have worked!  No body moved them away and they were emptied, this morning!  

Prompt: Tempting

Characters are from the anime "I'm the Villainess so I'm Taming the Final Boss"; apparently, she is tempting the guarding bird with a bow tie!

It was another sunny and warm day, with an afternoon high of 79F!  But, inside the house, it was 62F in the morning and the highest I could get the house to warm up to was 68F.  I thought it was ridiculous that it would be so warm outside and so cold inside!  I went outside to warm up in the morning, walked for 15 minutes, then, sat outside to finish saying my morning prayers!  I am resisting turning on the heater, at least until I've scheduled a visit from the gas company technician to do a safety check on the furnace.  Also, it seems silly to have to turn on the heater when it is so warm outside!  But the same features that kept the house 10-15 degrees cooler than the outside temperatures during the summer are keeping the house cooler during the winter, too!  

Oh, by the way, I received this month's natural gas bill - apparently, in the last 30 days, I used 15 therms (my baseline allowance is 13 therms) and my bill came to $34.26.  

Dancer had thrown up, again, this morning, but, he's been OK during the day.  Maybe I shouldn't leave out any dry kibble for him during the night!  

Today, I spent a little time in the garden and added to the compost pile, cleaned the bathroom sinks (can't have the plumber come out and see messy sinks!), did the litter box, made a meal plan for the week, chatted on the phone with Aunt C and friend R, exchanged emails with a friend, and video chatted with my daughter (there was a 5.1 earthquake up in the Bay Area, this morning, located a few miles from San Jose; not too close to Berkeley, but, close enough for daughter to feel it; she's OK and so is her friend P who lives closer to San Jose).

Brunch had been apple slices and a slice of frozen pizza (I reheated two slices of pizza, but, ate only one; will probably have the other slice for brunch, tomorrow).  For dinner, I made over the two leftover Italian sausages, slicing them up and sauteeing them with some vegetables I had frozen - bell peppers, celery, and broccoli - and adding a portion of leftover pasta sauce that I had frozen,  I served some of it over some spaghetti I put to boil while I cooked the sausage mixture:

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Vegetables in Sauce

Of course, this created more leftovers!  There's another portion of the cooked pasta and at least two, possibly three, servings of the sauce!  LOL!  I ate the other half of the apple I had sliced for my brunch with a spoon of crunchy peanut butter for dessert.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter was unaffected by the morning's earthquake and her friend P was safe, too
- Warm sunny days and being able to sit outside in the garden
- Sweaters and blankets to keep me warm indoors
- Leftovers!
- The trash got collected without any drama with the bins being moved!

Today's joyful activity was sitting outside in the garden enjoying the sun's warmth!

Wednesday's plans include tending to the garden with M, starting the car, doing a little more housekeeping.  

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

More Creative Writing: October Week 4 Meal Plan

Last week's creative writing meal plan gets good mark for effort!  This was the meal plan for last week:

Brunches:
Salad/fruit salad ✔
Peanut butter toast ✔
French toast ✔

Dinners:
Ground turkey keema curry with rice or flat breads
Pizza from the freezer ✔
Fish curry, rice, vegetables
Leftovers and "made-overs" ✔
Or, my favorite new category: Something else!  ✔

And how it worked out:

Monday: Assorted leftovers (waffles and katta sambol for brunch; rice and the last of the Thai pepper beef for dinner)
Tuesday: Pizza (from the freezer) for brunch; leftover blended turkey-vegetable soup and toast for dinner
Wednesday: Peanut butter on toast (brunch); "souped up" rice (rice cooked in the leftover turkey soup), sausage, green peas (dinner)
Thursday: ??? I didn't keep an account, but, I know I ate something; probably more peanut butter on toast for brunch and maybe leftover pizza (from the freezer) for dinner?
Friday: Scrambled egg and toast for brunch, more leftover souped up rice, sausage, and green peas for dinner
Saturday: Lahmajoon (Armenian pizza) compliments of neighbor S, for both brunch and dinner!
Sunday: Frozen burrito for brunch; chicken curry and lavash (Armenian flat bread) for dinner, with cucumber salad

Snacks: Assorted fresh fruits (the last of the papaya, mangos, apples), cookies, peanut butter cups, almonds.

I didn't feel like cooking the ground turkey keema curry or the fish curry I had planned and pulled out a packet of previously cooked and frozen chicken curry, instead! 

And here we are, the last week of October!  Time for more creative writing!  Leftovers to be used up this week include the last of the chicken curry and some Italian sausages.

October Week 4 Meal Plan/Options:

Brunches:
French toast and bacon (had on Monday)
Frozen pizza (had on Tuesday; 1 slice left)
Fresh fruits/salad
Sauteed garbanzo beans(chick peas)
Pancakes

Dinners:
Chicken curry and lavash flat bread (had on Monday; a little more chicken curry and a lot of lavash leftover)
Sauteed Italian sausage and vegetables with pasta
Ground turkey keema curry and rice
Leftovers/Made-overs/Something else!

What are the meals you are planning to make this week?

Monday

Prompt: Fairy

Not based on any particular manga/anime; just a fairy.

Another sunny day with an afternoon high of 76F.  But, it was all of 60F inside the house when I woke up and I was cold!  It was warmer outside than inside; I bundled up and went outside to warm up!  I walked for 15 minutes up and down my driveway and along the sidewalk in front of my house and neighbor T's house and that helped to warm me up!  I also opened all the windows and even the front door (with the metal security door closed) to help bring the warm air inside and it did warm up to 70F, inside the house, eventually.  

I called the plumbing company I used last year when my kitchen faucet was dripping to tell them about my bathroom sink faucet.  The person who is their dispatcher said they've had quite a few service calls, recently, and the earliest they can send out a plumber would be Thursday afternoon, between 12:00 noon and 4:00 p.m., someone will call me when the plumber is on his way.  I was fine with that.  

I cleaned the fridge, today, wiping down the glass shelves, etc.  I discovered that I've a jar of jam that is stuck to the shelf and I couldn't budge it!  I guess I haven't been eating that particular jam (homemade strawberry cinnamon) in a while!  A wet dish cloth kept around the jar didn't do anything and I didn't feel like removing the shelf and running some water on it to loosen the jar of jam, today, so I left it stuck to the shelf!  

Later in the afternoon/early evening, I took the trash bins out:

Trash Bins in Front of the Driveway!

Not the best of photos as I was taking it against the glare of the early evening sun, but, I was documenting the fact that I put the trash cans in front of my driveway!  

I had French toast with bacon for brunch, today.  Dinner was chicken curry with Armenian lavash bread that neighbor S had given me.  Talk about fusion food!  LOL.  And for dessert, I had half of one of the Chinese moon cakes that S had given me:

Chinese Moon Cake

Double Egg Yolks and Lotus Seed Paste Filling

I am not particularly fond of egg yolks, but, the lotus seed paste filling was delicious!  I will have the other half of the moon cake another day.  But, I'm saving the second moon cake for my daughter because she loves them, too.  

I didn't do a meal plan, today, but, will make one, tomorrow!

Later in the evening, I called a friend's daughter to wish her for her birthday, called and chatted with friend R, and had an online chat with my daughter.  She is feeling well, again.

Dancer, too, is feeling well, again.  Here he is, cuddled up next to me on the sofa while I am on the computer:

"Thank you, Blog Friends, for your get well wishes!"

Oh, and by the way, Mama Cat has been using the box I set out for her!  I guess the nights are getting cold enough (we've been having night-time lows of 50F) that the box feels cozy.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter is feeling well
- Dancer is feeling well

- I was able to schedule an appointment for the plumber
- Sunny, warm October days
- What I was able to accomplish today

Today's joyful activity was walking in the sunshine.  

Plans for tomorrow include making a meal plan and doing some cooking!

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

Sunny Sunday

Prompt: Booger
"Cubchoo - a Pokemon"

I stayed up till nearly 5:00 a.m. with Dancer, because I was worried that he might get sick in the night and I would sleep through it.  Something like that happened with a previous cat that we had and I woke up the next morning to find that she had passed away during the night.  Well, Dancer was fine and I went to bed; he woke me up at 10:00 a.m. and I discovered that he had thrown up once, earlier in the morning, but, I hadn't heard him.  He has been eating and drinking water and using the litter box and hasn't thrown up since then, so I guess he's on the mend, although he is still a bit subdued.  At least the vet's clinic is open during the week, so I can always call and take him in, if needed.

Today, something happened to my bathroom sink faucet - I opened it once when I was brushing my teeth in the morning (to wet the toothbrush) and the water flowed without any problem, then I closed it while I brushed my teeth (I don't keep the water running while I brush my teeth).  Opened it again to rinse my mouth and...no water!  Just a dribble!  There was water in the faucets in the other bathroom and the kitchen, though!  I guess something inside the faucet broke?  Or, came loose and is blocking the flow of water?  I guess I will be calling the plumber, tomorrow!  I'll also ask him to take a look at the slow draining bathtub in the other bathroom; I've poured baking soda and vinegar down it several times and even some bleach, chased with boiling water with limited success - I think it needs to be snaked, again!  

It was a sunny day, today, with a daytime high of 75F.  It was warmer outside than inside, so, I opened a couple of windows to get that warm air in!  I put away the laundry from yesterday, did another load of laundry (Dancer's rug, kitchen rug, bathroom mats, etc.), swept the kitchen and my bathroom, cleaned the litter box, called former neighbor T to check on her (she's still in the assisted living facility and she fell again, today, but, didn't hurt herself), called friend R to chat with her, and watched some online videos.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter; she is feeling fine, again.  

Brunch was a frozen burrito, warmed up in the microwave.   Dinner was chicken curry from the freezer, with some of the lavash bread that S had given me, earlier.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter is feeling well
- Dancer seems to be recovering
- There are other working faucets in the house
- Working appliances
- Keeping in touch with friends and family

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

Monday's To Do List:

- Call the plumber
- Vacuum
- Clean the fridge
- Take the trash cans out (and leave in front of the driveway!)
- Paperwork
- Meal plan/meal prep

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

Mostly Cloudy on Saturday

Prompt: Heist
"The logo for the phantom thieves of hearts from the
game/anime Persona 5"

It is apparently a hat with a mask with flames on one side of the mask and not the snout of a red and white dog in a top hat (which is what I thought it was!  LOL!)

It was a cloudy day, today, with an afternoon high of only 71F.  The 38% chance of rain that was forecast for the evening never materialized, although I don't know if it rained in other parts of the area.  I'm glad I asked M to water the garden on Friday.

I did two loads of laundry in the morning, including bed sheets, and hung everything up to dry indoors.  I was tempted to put them in the dryer, but, I resisted the temptation!  

In the afternoon, neighbor S called me.  Her mother had made some lahmajoon (Armenian pizza) and would I like some?  Yes, please!  She also gave me some Chinese moon cake cookies her husband had bought and some square rice cakes/crackers that her daughter N had given her:

Treats from Neighbor S

I ate one of the lahmajoon for brunch and the second one for dinner!  I saved the cookies and the crackers for another day.  

I started on a new crafts project, this evening, sewing some "mug rugs" which are like oversized coasters.  I'm using fabric I have in my stash, but, I don't have the colors I'd like to use for them (fall colors).  Brown and grey will have to work instead of orange and yellow!  I'll post photos after I am done making them.  

My daughter was feeling some fatigue and a slight headache that came and went throughout the day.  She took it easy and rested.

Poor Dancer was feeling a bit under the weather, today.  He threw up several times and I got a bit worried, but, he seems to be feeling better, now.  He ate some kibble and drank a little water; but he has been very subdued all day.   

Today, I am grateful for:
- Treats from neighbor S and her family

- Daughter continues to recover from the booster without major side effects
- Dancer seems to be recovering, too, from whatever upset his tummy
- Washing machines and other working appliances
- Rubber gloves

Today's joyful activity was doing more crafting.

How was your Saturday?  Any plans for Sunday? 

Friday's Accomplishments

Prompt: Bluff
"This is Anya from the anime spy x family - she's a telepath 
so one can't bluff her"

Above is my daughter's drawing (based on an anime character) for Thursday (she sent it to me after I had done yesterday's blog post).  Below is her drawing for today:

Prompt:  Bad Dog

I told my daughter that her dog looked more like a cat - maybe it's a cat dressed as a bad dog for Halloween!  LOL!  She told me it is supposed to be a breed of dog called Shiba Inu.

Yesterday, my internet connection went down when I was video chatting with my daughter and we said our goodnights over the phone!  I was so glad that I had done my blog post and written my daily email to my friend, earlier in the day!

My daughter had gone for her Covid booster shot yesterday afternoon and so far, her side effects have been fairly mild.  Sore arm, of course, some chills and a low grade fever, fatigue, and a bit of a headache, but, not a migraine.  We are both very grateful that her side effects are fairly mild.  She did take the day off from work to rest and she said she took a nap in the afternoon (she had a disturbed night of sleep, last night, she said).  

With the internet connection down, I wasn't able to play any of my usual online games and watch videos, last night!  Instead, I sorted through a small stack of papers, tidied the family room a little bit, watered the houseplants, and went to bed at midnight!  When I texted my daughter to say I was going to bed, early, she texted back asking if I was feeling okay?  LOL.  I couldn't fall asleep right away, but, I fell asleep soon after 1:00 a.m.  Then, I woke up at 4:00 a.m., feeling hungry!  I drank some water, but, that wasn't enough, so I ate half an apple.  Then, I went back to bed and slept, again, till 10:00 a.m.!

After I got up, showered, dressed, said my morning prayers, etc., I left for my blood test appointment.  My appointment was for 12:30 p.m. and this time, there was no long wait.  There were only three other people in the waiting room besides myself and I was taken in on time.  Afterwards, I paid the $2 for parking and came home.

I considered treating myself to something for brunch, but, I came home, instead, and ate the rest of the apple, a scrambled egg, and toast.

Then, I called the ophthalmologist's office - I had my annual check up scheduled for next week (appointment was made last year), but, I needed to reschedule the appointment because there is no one to drive me home, afterwards.  I rescheduled the appointment for the fourth week in November (the week of Thanksgiving) because my daughter would be home then.  I'm glad I was able to do that.  

Later in the evening, M was here to tend to the garden.  He watered the garden (there is a 35% chance of rain, tomorrow night, but, I'm not counting on that!) and we set down a few more pavers in the parkway:

More Pavers in the Parkway

There are two more pavers left and I think we will put them down, one at each end.  The pavers are spaced approximately three feet apart, which gives me the option of adding more pavers in between, if I feel I need more of them.  Maybe even smaller pavers (although, they are more liable to be stolen!)  We shall see - it is an evolving work in progress!  

Later in the evening, I chatted on the phone with Aunt C and friend R.  Dinner was leftover rice, sausage, and green peas.  For dessert, I had some of the peanut butter cups that M had given me when he returned the container in which I had given him turkey soup, the other week.  Yum!  Peanut butter cups are one of my favorite candies!

Today, I am grateful for:

- Medical insurance and access to medical care
- A safe drive to and from the clinic
- I was able to reschedule my eye appointment
- M helping with the garden
- Daughter's side effects are fairly mild

Today's joyful activity was eating chocolates seeing the parkway landscaping progressing!

Plans for tomorrow include doing some laundry and more paperwork.  

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

Front Garden in October

The Front Garden in October

Not much to look at, is it?  M was unable to find any bedding chrysanthemums or any dusty miller plants in the nurseries he has been to, so I've abandoned that idea!  We are hoping that there will be some rain this winter to help revive the garden.

The Parkway with the First Paver in Place

This is the parkway I keep talking about; it has a city parking sign and, towards the other end, the opening to the water mains that is maintained by the city's Department of Water and Power.  Any improvements I make have to be fitted around those two fixtures.  The paver is 24-inches square; it looked big stacked in my backyard:

The Rest of the Pavers

I had M buy me seven pavers, which were all the store had at the time.  He thought seven would be too many, but, now he thinks we might have to buy more!  LOL.  We might do just that.  My idea is to put a row of pavers down the parkway and either fill in with mulch or some small pebbles.  Either material will allow me the option of planting some succulents or ground cover at a later date.  

Meanwhile, I am seeing a few signs of new growth in the front garden.  At least one of the clumps of purple fountain grass that M brought me (another client was getting rid of them) is showing some new growth:

Purple Fountain Grass

The asparagus ferns we planted in the front planting bed are growing well, putting out new growth; 

The Front Flower Bed

The lantana that I thought had died are showing signs that they are not quite dead, yet!  I have been giving them some water to help them grow:

New Growth on the Lantana

I guess, on the whole, the front garden is doing as well as can be expected, under the circumstances.  The forecast says there will be a chance of light showers on Saturday morning and that will help.  The lower temperatures will also help.

Another Look 

Thank you for visiting my garden, today!

Wednesday

 

Prompt: Ponytail

It felt like a summer day, today, with an afternoon high of 94F!  But, inside the house, it was cool enough in the morning (70F) that I wore a light cotton cardigan until the house warmed up!  

M was here, this morning, and he brought in the green yard waste bin in for me and we agreed that I should set the bins in front of my driveway, next time.  He watered the garden, sprayed the parkway with some weed killer, and trimmed some plants.  He will continue to lay the pavers in the parkway on Friday.  

I had planned to do some housework, today, but, instead, I just relaxed to the point of being lazy!  I replied to blog comments (thank you for all your kind comments; I appreciate everyone taking the time to read and comment), read and commented on a few blogs, watched news and some TV programs, played sudoku and some word games, chatted with friend R and with Aunt C, and took it easy!

I had peanut butter on toast for brunch.  For dinner, I made over the last of the turkey and vegetable soup I had made.  I had blended the leftover soup, earlier, and had it like that a couple of times.  Today, I used the leftover blended soup as the liquid to cook a pot of rice!  It made a very tasty rice, which I ate with half a leftover sausage, cut up, and a handful of frozen green peas, warmed up.  Now, I have leftover souped up rice!  LOL.  I ate a fresh mango for dessert.  Or, maybe I should call it a salad because I sprinkled salt and chili powder on the mango!  

After dinner, I did the dishes and scrubbed the kitchen sink.  

Later, I video chatted with my daughter.  She felt fine, today.  She is planning to go and get her Covid booster, tomorrow!  Hope the side effects will be mild!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- M helping me with the garden
- Daughter is feeling fine, again
- Time to relax!
- A warm, summer-like day
- Leftovers!

Today's joyful activity was tending to the garden with M.

Plans for tomorrow (Thursday) include cleaning the rest of the family room!

Tuesday

Prompt: Scrape
(A drawing from her imagination, not an anime character)

We had a sunny and warm day, today, with a high of 91F!  It felt like a summer day!  

Yesterday, I had taken the trash cans out to the curb to be collected this morning.  When I went out to bring the trash cans in, today, I found that someone had moved the green yard waste bin up, off the curb, onto the parkway (probably in order to free up room along the curb to park their vehicle).  Unfortunately for me, they had moved the bin up before the yard waste was collected and the yard waste collection truck had not emptied the bin!  I do wish people would leave my trash bins alone, at least until they have been emptied!  It seems to me that I'm the only one whose trash bins are moved up off the curb like this - all the other neighbors put their trash cans by the curb and people leave them in place!  

Today was the anniversary of my mother's birth.  There aren't many flowers in the garden, but, I knew she would prefer something from the garden to a fancy bouquet from a florist, so, I picked what I could (mostly the blue plumbago she had planted), augmented it with foliage from the garden, including several sprigs of rosemary (for remembrance) and visited her gravesite in the afternoon.  There were several people at the cemetery, but, no one in the section where my mother's grave is situated.  

I had initially thought of going to the Temple, afterwards, but, I changed my mind and came home, instead.  I will mail my donation, I think, and postpone visiting the Temple until I've had my next booster!

After I came home, I made the appointment for my blood test and chatted for a bit with Aunt C.  Then, I warmed up two slices of pizza I had in the freezer and had them for my brunch.  My mother loved pizza and that's what we had for the last birthday she lived to celebrate.  

My daughter had received her flu shot, yesterday and that had triggered a migraine headache!  She said she took the OTC medication her doctor had recommended and that helped.  She felt much better later in the night and this morning, she said she felt fine.  But, early this evening, around 4:30 p.m., she called to say that she was running a low grade fever - probably as a result of the flu vaccine.  I guess she felt better, later, because she sent me her drawing for today's Inktober prompt!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- My mother and being able to visit her gravesite
- Flowers from the garden
- At least the bin with the real trash (as opposed to yard waste) got emptied!
- A safe drive to the cemetery and back
- Access to medical care

Plans for tomorrow include M tending to the garden and some housekeeping tasks.  It is supposed to be another warm day, tomorrow, and then, there is supposed to be a more than 20 degrees cool down by the weekend!  Friend R is looking forward to that, she said!  I am not!  LOL.  

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

Creative Writing: Meal Plans

My meal plans are a good example of creative writing, I think!  

This was how my meal plan options for last week worked out:

Brunches:
Salads  Fresh papaya
Peanut butter on toast
Scrambled eggs on toast ✔
Leftover turkey-vegetable soup ✔
Pizza from the freezer 

Dinners:

Fried rice ✔
Keema curry made with ground turkey Chicken curry from the freezer, with rice or roti and cucumber salad
Pasta? Waffles with leftover chicken curry
Leftovers ✔
Or something entirely different! ✔ (Shrimp fried rice and Thai pepper beef from friend R)

Oh, I am so glad I added that last category!  LOL.

So, here we are, October Week 3!  I like creative writing, so I will continue to write a meal plan for this week, too!  Especially since I finished most of the leftovers today (Monday)

Monday: Assorted leftovers (waffles and katta sambol for brunch; rice and the last of the Thai pepper beef for dinner; the last of the papaya for dessert) 

The meal plan for the rest of the week:

Brunches:
Salad/fruit salad
Peanut butter toast
French toast

Dinners:
Ground turkey keema curry with rice or flat breads
Pizza from the freezer
Fish curry, rice, vegetables
Leftovers and "made-overs"
Or, my favorite new category: Something else!  

Are you meal planning this week?

Prompt: Fowl
"Link from Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild holding up a rooster"

Prompt: Salty

I thought daughter's drawings for Sunday and Monday went very well with the post on meal planning!  LOL.