On Thursday

 

Oleander

The neighbors are getting ready for another party to celebrate the lady of the house's birthday.  Her daughter brought me an invitation on Wednesday and, on Thursday, the RVs were moved out of their driveway and parked on the street and the tents went up!  I am not planning to attend the party, but, I might take a small gift over, before the party gets started, and then, settle down to enjoy the music, I suppose!  

Speaking of neighbors, I called former neighbor T to check on her and later in the evening, I took a plate of just picked peaches to the new neighbors who have moved into T's former house.  

On my weekly cleaning schedule (which I follow when I remember to), Thursdays are my kitchen cleaning days.  So, I focused on the one floor to ceiling cabinet that I had started on, earlier in the week, and organized the rest of the shelves.  I found two more packages of pasta, which I added to the rest of the pasta stash and a 5lb. bag of all purpose flour that I had forgotten I had!  I moved the flour to another shelf where I have another bag of flour!

I had lined the shelves in that cabinet with some contact paper, several years ago, and the paper on one shelf had torn.  I checked to see if I had anymore contact paper, but, all I could find was a partial role of clear contact paper, which wasn't what I wanted.  So, I taped together some calendar pictures from an old calendar and used that to cover the torn contact paper.  Not sure how long that will work, but, it'll do for now.  I will focus more on the kitchen, next week, when it will be the room of the week.  

I managed to declutter a few food storage containers that I had kept.  I have a thing about keeping empty jars and containers to reuse.  I do reuse some of them, but, I don't need all of them!

Brunch was tuna salad on saltine crackers.  Dinner was chicken curry with yogurt flat bread.  Snacks included peanut butter and peach jam on crackers and fresh peaches.

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- Fresh peaches from the garden
- Continuing to make progress with organizing my cupboards
- Electricity
- A reliable internet connection

Thursday's joyful activity was picking fresh peaches from the garden.

Plans for Friday include sweeping and mopping the bathroom, tending to the garden with M, maybe canning some of the peaches.  

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

Mid Week On Wednesday

Treats from Neighbor S
(Carrot Cake, Pistachio Brittle, Apples)

On Wednesday, M was here in the morning to tend to the garden and he brought me a daylily plant from his garden.  In addition to watering the garden and weeding, he also picked some of the peaches from the higher branches of the tree for me, climbing up on a ladder to do so.

Some of the peaches had been pecked at by birds and damaged, and we composted them.  Others had some soft spots and bruising,, but, I knew I could use them.  I kept the good peaches aside and concentrated on the rest, cutting off the soft and bruised areas.  There was just over one pound of cut peaches and I decided to make a small batch of jam,  I made just under a pint of jam, filling one half pint jar and about 4/5ths of the second half pint jar.  They will be kept for my own use.  

Then, I offered some fresh peaches to neighbor S and she brought me some carrot cake a friend of hers had made, a pistachio brittle, and some fresh apples from another friend's garden!  

Under the Bathroom Sink Cabinet on Tuesday

First of all, thank you for all the positive comments about the under-the-bathroom-sink cabinet.  I appreciate the fact that no one said anything about how messy it looked in the before picture!  But, one or two expressed some concern about storing the light bulbs under the sink where they could be damaged if there was a leak.  I must admit that I never considered that possibility!  So, today, I pulled the box of light bulbs out and replaced it with some containers of sanitizing wipes and the bottles of flea spray:

Same Cabinet on Wednesday

The containers are plastic and they should be fine if there is a leak (although, I hope there won't be a leak in the first place!)

Then, I moved onto the plastic shelving unit that is next to the bathroom sink:

Additional Bathroom Storage

I relined the shelves with the same wrapping paper I used to cover the cardboard box and rearranged a few things.  The two boxes on the bottom shelf are cardboard boxes I had covered with fabric, a couple of years ago.  One holds all the light bulbs and the other holds my stash of disinfectant sprays.

The next shelf up has the box I covered with wrapping paper, yesterday, with some bath products that I had stored in another container, previously.  Next to it is a plastic heart shaped basket holding the stash of lint rollers (I stocked up on them when the store was having a sale on them).  

The shelf above it has a plastic shoe box with Dancer's supplies - his brush and flea comb, his monthly flea prevention medications, spare charcoal filters for his litter box, etc.  On top of it, I have kept his thyroid medications and the bottle of the sedative I give him prior to vet appointments.  Next to Dancer's stuff, there is a small blue and white jar holding some laundry detergent (used when I handwash some items like my wool sweaters), a dish holding a bar of pink laundry soap, and a small dish with a coconut oil/sugar scrub I mixed up.  

The top shelf has a fist aid kit and some extra bandages, the disinfectant spray and sanitizing wipes, and a small box holding the trash bin liners.  I thought that I should cover that box with some wrapping paper to make it look a little prettier, but, obviously, didn't get around to doing it, today.

The very top of the shelving unit has some spare rolls of toilet paper, but, I didn't include that in the picture.  

The bathroom organizing is done; all that is left is the usual weekly bathroom cleaning that I do on Fridays.  

In between sorting and organizing in the bathroom, I had a long chat with Aunt C and cleaned the floor in my daughter's room because Dancer threw up in there, on the recently washed crocheted rug, which needed to be washed, again, and chatted with my daughter.  

Brunch was leftover spaghetti and a fresh peach; dinner was a cold cuts sandwich; snacks included a piece of carrot cake.  

On Wednesday, I am grateful for:

- M's help with the garden
- Fresh peaches from the tree
- Treats from neighbor S
- Being able to share some peaches with neighbor S
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activities included gardening, picking peaches, and sharing some peaches with neighbor S.

Plans for tomorrow (Thursday) include sorting out the kitchen cabinet, which I didn't do today.  

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?  Where do you store your spare rolls of toilet paper?

A New Week

A Trio of Red Roses

Here we are, starting a new week in June, with spring coming to an end and summer just about to start.  I am trying to maintain my momentum from last week, when it comes to housework.

This week's focus is the bathroom.  So, on Monday, I decided to clean and tidy the cabinet over the bathroom sink and the cabinet under the sink.  I wiped down the lights that are over the medicine cabinet and dusted the top of the cabinet, then, cleaned the mirrors.  The medicine cabinet shelves were fine as I had sorted through them, earlier.  

The cabinet under the sink has two drawers which are fine, too - the top one holds my hair dryer, a hair curling wand, and a bag of cotton balls (one of my last purchases from the dollar store before it closed), the lower drawer holds several containers of wet wipes, which are part of my earthquake supplies (to be used if access to clean fresh water is limited).  The main part of the cabinet is one open space, which hides the sink drain pipe, etc.  I use this to store some cleaning supplies and my stash of spare light bulbs.

Before

I had kept the light bulbs in a small plastic shoebox type container, but, as you can see, the supply of bulbs didn't fit inside the container!  I know that there are some lovely bathroom cabinet storage units, but, I didn't want to buy anything.  

Instead, I took a clean cardboard box and covered it with some gift wrap that I had on hand, and put all the light bulbs in it:

After

It will be easy enough to pull the box out when I want to choose a new bulb.  I left the cleaning supplies in the plastic basket, as everything is nicely contained in there.  

On Monday, in addition to cleaning and sorting through the bathroom cabinet, I cleaned the refrigerator, took the trash cans to the curb, did a load of dishes, and watered the garden.  I also picked more blueberries.

On Tuesday, I brought in the emptied trash cans, looked through the weekly grocery ads, picked more blueberries, did a load of laundry, finished joining all the crocheted granny squares and started on the border, and sorted through one kitchen cabinet where I keep some pantry items such as pasta, boxes of cereal, containers of sugar, etc.  As I told my daughter, I am not allowed to buy any more pasta for at least the rest of the year!  

That cabinet is a floor-to-ceiling cabinet and I sorted through the two shelves of the upper part of that cabinet.  My plan is to sort through the lower part of the cabinet, over the next couple of days.

Tuesday's brunch was French toast; dinner was spaghetti; snacks included peaches and dried palmyra palm sprouts, known as kotta kilengu.  

As we start a new week in June, I am grateful foo:

- Sunny, warm weather
- Water for the garden
- Garden fruits
- A well stocked pantry
- What I was able to accomplish

My joyful activities have included picking garden fruit and crocheting.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M, picking more blueberries, sorting through another kitchen cabinet, and crocheting.

How is your week coming along?  What are your plans for Wednesday?

June Meal Plans: Week 2 Review and Week 3 Meal Plan

This was my meal plan for June Week 2:

Brunches:  Egg salad sandwiches✔, cold cuts sandwiches✔, salads, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes, banana/blueberry muffins, maybe pancakes or waffles✔, again.

Dinners:  Leftover chicken drumsticks with salad✔and potatoes or corn; leftover shrimp curry and chick pea curry with rice and snowpeas✔; spaghetti with ground turkey sauce and salad✔, coconut roti or yogurt flat bread and chicken curry. Rice and curries from friend S; frozen burrito; pizza, fried breaded shrimp; leftovers✔,

Snacks/Desserts:  Fresh fruit✔, yogurt✔, crackers with cheese✔, peanut butter, granola bars, cereal, roasted cashews✔,

Here's how that worked out:

Monday:
Brunch - Egg salad sandwich
Dinner - Broiled chicken drumsticks and salad
Snacks - Peaches, chocolate wafer cookies

Tuesday:
Brunch - Cold cuts sandwich 
Dinner - Rice and curry from my friend S; yogurt for dessert

Wednesday:
Brunch - Leftovers from Tuesday's dinner
Dinner - A frozen burrito (reheated in the microwave, of course)
Snacks - Peaches, chocolate wafer cookies

Thursday:
Brunch - Egg salad sandwich
Dinner - Freshly cooked rice with leftover curries
Snacks - Peaches, yogurt

Friday:
Brunch - Fried rice with ground turkey mixture
Dinner - The last two slices of pizza I had in the freezer
Snacks - Peaches, cashews

Saturday:
Brunch - Waffles with blueberry compote
Dinner - Spaghetti and meat sauce (ground turkey cooked with vegetables, a jar of pasta sauce) 
Snacks - Peaches, yogurt, chocolate wafers

Sunday:
Brunch - Leftover spaghetti and sauce
Dinner - Fried breaded shrimp, salad
Snacks - Cheese and crackers, peaches

I went quite a bit off the meal plan when it came to both brunches and dinners, didn't I?  Partly because friend S brought me dinner one day (with enough leftovers for another meal or two), and partly because, some days, I didn't feel like eating what I had planned.  But, I think that's OK.  I like having that flexibility.

So, onto this week's meal plan!

June Week 3 Meal Plan:

Brunches: Scrambled egg and fried potato (Monday), French toast, waffles, maybe pancakes, tuna salad and crackers, leftovers

Monday Brunch: Scrambled Egg and 
Fried Potatoes (with some green bell peppers)

Dinners:  Leftover broiled chicken drumstick and salad (Monday); leftover spaghetti and meat sauce; yogurt flat bread and chicken curry (from the freezer); rice and chicken curry; leftovers 

Monday Dinner: Chicken and Salad
with Honey Mustard Dressing

Snacks: Peaches and other fresh fruits, maybe fruit salad, yogurt, cheese and crackers, 

Once again, this week's meal plan is based on what I have on hand.  I am not yet sure if I will go grocery shopping this week or wait until next week.  If there are some great sales, then, I will grocery shop this week; if not, I can wait until next week.  

Did you meal plan last week?  If so, did you keep to your meal plan?  Are you making a meal plan this week?

Fathers' Day Sunday

Gladioli in Full Bloom

On this Fathers' Day, which is also the death anniversary of my stepfather, I am remembering my father (who died when I was 7) and stepfather who came into my life when I was 8 (as my dentist and became my stepfather when I was 10) who taught me so much. I am older now than they were when they died, which seems hard to believe.

It has been another sunny and warm day. I had a relaxed day, sewing up the blanket squares, checking on the garden, watching some TV, and online videos, etc.

I had leftover spaghetti for brunch and fried breaded shrimp (from the freezer) for dinner. Snacks included cheese and crackers and fresh peaches.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Memories of my father and stepfather - A warm sunny day - A walk in the garden - Texts and phone calls from friends - Being able to video chat with my daughter

Today's joyful activities included working on the crocheted blanket and spending time in the garden.

Plans for Monday include the usual Monday's To Do List and checking my canning supplies.

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

Warm on Saturday

Brunch: Waffles with Blueberry Compote

We had a sunny and summer-like day, on Saturday, with an afternoon high of 92F.  It was the first truly warm day of the year and I was so happy!  

I made waffles and blueberry compote for brunch.  Later, when gardener M stopped by to drop off some plants he bought for me, I offered him some waffles and blueberry compote, too, and, although he said he was in a rush to get to his next client, he made time for a snack of waffles and blueberry compote.  LOL.  

These are the newest additions to the garden:

Glencoe Raspberries

Two Glencoe raspberry plants and one Owari Satsuma mandarin plant:

Owari Satsuma Mandarin Plant

M will plant them in the ground, next week.  I need to find a good spot in the garden for them.

Later in the day, I took a bag of freshly picked peaches and a small bag of green chilies to give to friend R.  It was a quick, curb-side visit.

Dancer had a busy day, too, being the helpful kitty that he is:

Helping Mummy with the Newest Blanket

Dinner was spaghetti with meat sauce.  I used a jar of pasta sauce to which I added some previously cooked ground turkey and vegetables from the freezer.  There are leftovers for tomorrow.

Today, I am grateful for:

- A lovely, warm day
- New plants for the garden
- M's help with the garden and picking up the new plants for me and dropping them off, too
- Being able to share some peaches with friend R
- Dancer's help with my crochet project

Today's joyful activities included a curbside visit with friend R and crocheting.

Plans for Sunday include continuing with assembling the crocheted blanket.  

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

On Friday

Pink Lemonade Blueberries Ripening

My Pink Lemonade blueberries are starting to ripen!  This is the first year I've had this plant and I don't know how the berries taste, but, they are supposed to be sweeter than the regular blueberries.

This morning, when I first looked outside, I found Chicken Little happily pecking away at the the ground INSIDE the corn patch enclosure!  Oh, no!  M had replanted some of the corn kernels that had not sprouted, just last week, and I hope that Chicken Little was not eating them!  I chased it away and it protested loudly, but, flew out of the enclosure.  Later, in the evening, M placed a leftover piece of chicken wire over the top and laid a few bamboo poles over the rest of the enclosure, since there wasn't enough of the wire mesh to cover the entire thing!  I've no idea if that will work (it looks rather flimsy to me) or if I'll find chicken and wire and bamboo poles all inside the enclosure, tomorrow! 

Fort Chicken Little!

M planted another row of beans, today, watered the garden, and did a bit of weeding.  I gave him some freshly picked blueberries and a few peaches to take home.

I cleaned the bathroom in the morning and spent a good portion of the afternoon doing a bit of mending, some crocheting, and watching videos.  Later in the evening, however, I had the bright idea of cleaning the inside of my oven door!  It's been a while since I last cleaned it and I can tell you, it's going to take more than one application of baking soda to get it cleaned, but, I did get some of the stuff cleaned, today.  

I went slightly off the meal plan, today, and had fried rice for brunch, using some of the ground turkey mixture I had thawed to make the spaghetti sauce and I had the last two slices of the pizza I had in the freezer for dinner.   I had a fresh peach dessert.  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- M's help with the garden
- Blueberries and peaches from the garden
- Water for the garden
- Getting my housework done for the week
- Phone calls and emails from friends

Today's joyful activities included crocheting and gardening.

Plans for Saturday include taking some peaches to friend R.  

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

Productive Thursday

Pink Flowered Strawberry Plants

Introducing the newest additions to my garden - Gasana Strawberries. 

This variety of strawberries is supposed to be ever-bearing with pink flowers and red fruit.  M bought a plant for himself, last week, on Friday, and showed it to me; I asked him to get me two plants.  He bought them on Tuesday and planted them for me on Wednesday (I reimbursed him, of course).  We planted them both in one fairly large pot.  Hopefully, we will have some strawberries, later this summer!  I generally don't have much luck growing strawberries, but, M thinks these will do well.  We shall see!  But the flowers are very pretty, aren't they?

I slept in on Thursday morning, and woke up late, but, feeling energetic.  So, after my morning cup of tea and morning prayers, I put away the few pieces of laundry that I left hanging to dry overnight, and tidied the shelving unit in the dining area.  Then, I moved on to the kitchen.  I ran the dishwasher and washed a few other dishes by hand, wiped down the countertops, the fronts of the lower cabinets and drawers, and the fridge.  Later, I swept and mopped the floor.  I also did a load of laundry and washed the kitchen rug and the bathroom mats.

In addition, I finished cleaning my bedroom - the dressing table was dusted and tidied, the mirrors polished, and the floor vacuumed.  I also vacuumed my daughter's bedroom and the hallway.  

There were many breaks in between tasks, during which I had my brunch (the last of the egg salad sandwich), dinner (freshly cooked rice with leftover curries), snacks (peaches, yogurt), checked on the garden, watched some online videos, crocheted, called friend R to check on her, and chatted with my daughter.  But, I am now caught up on my weekly cleaning and all that's left for Friday is cleaning my bathroom.  I am quite pleased with Thursday's productivity.  I wish I felt as energetic every day, but, I don't.  

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- Waking up feeling energetic and motivated
- What I was able to accomplish
- New plants for the garden
- Working appliances
- Phone calls and exchanging emails with friends

Thursday's joyful activity was crocheting.

Plans for Friday include cleaning the bathroom and tending to the garden with M.  

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

Wednesday

Gladioli

The gladioli plants in the front garden are starting to flower.  I've read that gladioli flowers are edible, although they are not supposed to have much of a taste. I must admit that I haven't actually eaten them.  But, they look very pretty, don't they?

M was here in the morning and we checked on the plants, together, and he watered the garden, both front and back, for me.  We also pulled up some of the California poppies that had finished flowering and potted up a couple of other plants.  I offered him some peaches, but, he said he'll take them on Friday.  He also took a couple of pictures of my blueberry plants, after asking me if it was okay to do so, in order to show another of his clients that blueberries can be grown in containers.  

In the afternoon, I picked up Dancer's medication from the pharmacy, did a load of laundry, and tidied up my bedroom.  

Brunch was leftovers from Tuesday's dinner and dinner was a frozen burrito.  Snacks included fresh peaches.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- M's help with the garden
- Dancer's medication being available
- A safe drive to the pharmacy and back
- Working appliances
- A fairly relaxed day

My joyful activities included gardening, crocheting, and watching some gardening videos.

Plans for Thursday include cleaning the kitchen.  It looks like the cabinets disgorged all their contents onto the counters!  

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

Productive Tuesday

Alstroemeria

On Tuesday morning, Dancer's pharmacy staff called to let me know that they have received the refill request from the vet's clinic and it will be ready for pick up on Wednesday, did I have enough medication to last until then?  I said yes, I had enough.  

Alstroemeria Close Up

Then, it was time to get ready to take the car in for a service.  These services usually take about 4 to 5 hours, depending on how busy they are and what else they find they need to do, other than the basic oil change and checking fluid levels, etc.  They offer you a free ride home from the service center, but, you have to find your way back to pick up the car afterwards, so, I usually go prepared to wait in their waiting lounge.  I took my prayer books and two crochet projects to do while I waited, as well as a bottle of water and a granola bar for brunch.  

My appointment was at 11:00 a.m. with a particular service consultant, as they are called.  Usually, if you have an appointment, they take your car in at once.  However, this time, I had to wait almost 30 minutes before the person with whom I had the appointment to come and check the car in.  When he did, I complained a little bit about the delay, because at least five other cars that came in after me were taken in for servicing.  He apologized and said that they've had a new computer system installed and today was the first day they were using it and they are experiencing all kinds of delays.  However, in order to make up for the delay, he will give me a free ride both home and back.  And he noted that on the service order and went with me to the desk where they arrange for the ride services and informed them that I get both a free ride home and a free pick up, when the car was ready.

So, I got a free ride home in a Tesla!  It was the first time I had ridden in one, but, although they are supposed to be self-driving, the driver did keep his hands on the wheel for the most part (he took his hands off the wheel for a very short distance to show me how it worked).  

I was happy to wait at home, as it was more comfortable than waiting in the service center's lounge.  I replied to blog comments, watched some videos, crocheted a bit, and cleaned the laundry area.  

While I was waiting at home, the general manager at the car service center texted me to say that my car model was in high demand and they would like to purchase it, and to call or reply to the text to discuss the matter.  Well, no, I am not willing to sell my car!  It is my only car and if I sell it, I'd need to buy another car to replace it and I don't want to do that, yet.  So, I ignored the text.

The car service consultant called me around 4:30 p.m. to say that the car was ready and they will arrange for a ride service to pick me up.  I had a short wait, after I reached the service center, but, I didn't mind that.  There is a TV in the waiting lounge and while the volume was turned down low, I was able to watch part of a cooking show that I enjoyed.  While I was waiting, friend S (not neighbor S) called to ask if I was home as she wanted to stop by.  I said I was at the car service center, waiting to pay and pick up my car, but, I should be home in about half an hour.  She said she and her husband will swing by, and if I am not home, they will leave something for me on the door step.  

Soon after that, I paid the bill for the car service ($500+) and drove home.  I had just pulled into the garage when friend S and her husband pulled into the driveway!  It was S's husband's birthday and they brought me dinner!  How lovely is that?

Rice and Curries from Friend S

Ghee rice, chicken curry, green beans, sauteed eggplant, and cashew curry (in a bag so that the gravy wouldn't spill).  I gave them a bag of peaches, a bunch of curry leaves. and a few green chilies in return.  I enjoyed the dinner they brought me and there's a little leftover for Wednesday's brunch.

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to get the car serviced
- Getting a free ride both home and back to the service center
- Friends who bless me with dinner
- Being able to share some of the garden produce with them in return
- Phone calls with friends and video chats with daughter

Tuesday's joyful activities included visiting with friend S and her husband for a few minutes and enjoying the dinner they provided. 

 Tuesday's To Do List:

- Take the car in for the service - DONE
- Dust and vacuum the bedrooms and hallway STARTED
- Bring the trash cans in - DONE
- Tidy the laundry room (one of the Rooms of the Week) - DONE
- Pick more fruit - DONE

I didn't finish my Tuesday's to do list, but, I'm happy with what I got done.

Wednesday's To Do List:

- Tend to the garden with M
- Pick up Dancer's medication
- Dust and vacuum the bedrooms and hallway
- Do a load of laundry
- Run the dishwasher

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

A List Driven Monday

Gaura Plant

I posted a To Do list for Monday on my Sunday blog post and today, I was determined to try and get through the list.   This was my list:

Monday's To Do List:

- Pick up a medication refill from the pharmacy
- Call the other pharmacy to find out if the vet's clinic called in his medication refill
- Dust and vacuum the bedrooms
- Make an appointment for the car to be serviced
- Water the garden
- Take the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning
- Make a weekly meal plan 

So, how did I do?

- Pick up a medication refill from the pharmacy✔

I picked up the medication refill from my pharmacy and, although I did a quick look around the store, I didn't buy anything else.

- Call the other pharmacy to find out if the vet's clinic called in his medication refill✔

I called Dancer's pharmacy, but, they said that they didn't receive any medication refill order from the vet's clinic.  They said they will submit a refill requisition, but, I could call the vet's clinic to let them know.

So, I called the vet's clinic and told them that the pharmacy said they didn't receive the medication refill request.  Apparently, it was not sent!  The staff person I spoke with asked me if I had mentioned the need for a refill when I was there on Friday and I told her that, not only did I mention it and the person assisting me at the time had assured me that he will call in the request to the pharmacy, but, I had also let them know that a refill was required at the time I made the appointment.  Then, she claimed that I hadn't paid the bill for Friday's visit and would I like her to use the credit card information on file to pay the bill?  Except, I had paid my bill and I had them print out a paper copy of the receipt and I was looking at the receipt right then!  When I mentioned that to her, she said yes, it does show that the bill was paid and she was looking at a duplicate charge or something!  I'm glad I was not charged a second time for Friday's visit!

- Dust and vacuum the bedrooms

Unfortunately, I didn't get to this item on the to do list, so it will be carried forward to Tuesday

- Make an appointment for the car to be serviced✔

Done.  I made the appointment for Tuesday morning.  Hopefully, it won't take the rest of the day!

- Water the garden✔

I watered the back garden, because that's where most of the fruits and vegetables are growing.  It has not been that hot that the front garden needs to be watered three times a week.  I might water the pomegranate tree with some "waiting to get hot" water I have collected.

- Take the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning✔

Done.  I emptied all the small waste baskets I keep in the family room, living room, bedrooms, etc., and the kitchen trash, as well, and took the big trash can to the curb.  

In addition to what was on the list, I also

- Cleaned out the fridge (unfortunately, there was one dish which had started to spoil before I could finish it, so I tossed it)
- Picked blueberries and peaches
- Took peaches to neighbor S
- Cleaned the litter box and swept the bathroom
- Did the dishes

Later, I chatted with my daughter.

Brunch had been an egg salad sandwich.  Dinner was a salad with broiled chicken drumsticks.  Snacks included a peach (had to cut away a part of it as birds had started eating it) and a chocolate wafer cookie.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The availability of medications 
- Blueberries and peaches from the garden
- Being able to share some of the peaches with neighbor S
- Water for the garden
- Working appliances

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

Tuesday's To Do List:

- Take the car in for the service
- Dust and vacuum the bedrooms and hallway
- Bring the trash cans in
- Tidy the laundry room (one of the Rooms of the Week)
- Pick more fruit

That should be a doable list even if the car service takes longer than expected.

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

June Meal Plan - Week 2

This was my June Week 1 meal plan:

Brunches: Leftover milkrice and chicken curry✔, leftover waffles with bananas and blueberries✔, cold cuts sandwiches✔, egg salad sandwiches✔, maybe even cereal and milk✔, scrambled egg with toast

Dinners:
- Chutney glazed chicken drumsticks, salad, corn✔
- Chicken Shrimp curry with rice, green beans, chick pea curry, cucumber salad✔
- Pizza✔
- Cold cuts sandwiches (on a day when I don't have them for brunch!)✔
- Leftovers✔

Snacks/desserts: yogurt✔, fruit✔, crackers✔, granola bars, treats from neighbor S

Here's how it turned out:

Monday:
Brunch - 1 waffle with banana slices; leftover milkrice and chicken curry
Dinner - Tomato chutney glazed broiled chicken drumsticks, salad, corn; canned pineapple chunks

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cereal with milk
Lunch - Cold cuts sandwich
Dinner - Leftover Tomato chutney glazed broiled chicken drumsticks, salad, corn; fresh mango and chocolate wafer cookies

Wednesday:
Brunch - Cold cuts sandwich
Dinner - Rice with shrimp curry, chick pea curry, curried green beans, cucumber salad; didn't make a note of what I had for dessert - might have been another mango

Thursday:
Brunch - Scrambled egg with toast
Dinner - Leftover rice and curries from Wednesday; again, didn't write down what I had for dessert - maybe cherries or grapes

Friday:
Brunch - Cold cuts sandwich
Tea - Homemade potato chips
Dinner - Slice of pizza; didn't write down what I had for dessert - maybe more grapes and chocolate wafer cookies

Saturday:
Brunch - Leftover slice of pizza
Tea - Peanut butter sandwich
Dinner - Leftover rice and curries (chick peas and green beans - a vegetarian meal as I didn't feel like having the shrimp curry); dessert was the first peach of the season; yogurt

Sunday:
Brunch - Egg salad sandwich
Dinner - Cereal with milk, followed by cantaloupe and other treats from neighbor S

I also enjoyed orange juice with most of my brunches.

That worked out quite well, didn't it?  I changed the meal plan a little bit, but, I followed the meal plan more closely than on some other weeks! 

On to this week's meal plan!  I am planning the menu based on what I have on hand.  I am not planning to go grocery shopping again, so soon after my previous trip, BUT, with Fathers' Day approaching, if the stores have good deals on meat, etc., then, I might be tempted.  

June Week 2 Meal Plan:

Brunches:  Egg salad sandwiches, cold cuts sandwiches, salads, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes, banana/blueberry muffins, maybe pancakes or waffles, again.

Dinners:  Leftover chicken drumsticks with salad and potatoes or corn; leftover shrimp curry and chick pea curry with rice and snowpeas; spaghetti with ground turkey sauce and salad, coconut roti or yogurt flat bread and chicken curry. leftovers

Snacks/Desserts:  Fresh fruit, yogurt, crackers with peanut butter, granola bars, cereal, roasted cashews

As always, I am grateful for the fact that I am able to meal plan.  It is a blessing to know that there is sufficient food available, that I can plan for variety, that I will not go hungry.  

Did you meal plan last week?  If so, did you keep to your meal plan?  Are you making a meal plan this week?

Sunday

Weighing the Clilies

I removed all the stems from the chilies I picked and weighed them to see.

A Little Over 1.5 Pounds

Just over one and a half pounds/750 grams.  Not too bad!  The bag of chilies is now in the freezer.  

Sunday has been cooler and the morning was quite overcast.  The clouds cleared in the late afternoon, around 4:00 p.m.  I checked on the garden and took some pictures of flowers to do another blog post.  I watered the houseplants, crocheted a bit, and opened the new jar of Miracle Whip to make egg salad. 

I learned about the death of a member of the extended family on Sunday.  My mother's first cousin, L.  I didn't know all of my mother's cousins, but, I knew aunt L.  I remember her making me meringue kisses when I was a small child. She emigrated to Australia a long time ago, but, I met her back in the 1980s, when she and her husband visited family here, in the US.  She was a good cook and one of her granddaughters had posted a video of her telling how to make mango curry.  

Later in the evening, I spoke with cousin V and we had a nice chat.  She had just returned after visiting our cousin P who is in Florida.

Neighbor S called and asked if I ate sushi, but I had to tell her that I didn't eat sushi.  Then, she asked me if I ate grapefruit, and again, I had to tell her that I can't eat grapefruit due to a medication I am taking.  So, instead of sushi and grapefruit, she brought me:

Treats from Neighbor S

Cantaloupe, two pieces of a special Armenian bread her mother had made, an apple turnover she had made, and two pieces of a cranberry cake someone at her church had made.!  I ate the cantaloupe and a piece of the bread as part of my dinner.  Brunch had been egg salad sandwiches and I had "breakfast for dinner" - a bowl of cereal with milk, cantaloupe, and a piece of bread!

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- The green chili harvest
- Phone calls with my cousin
- Memories of Aunt L (my mother's cousin) who passed away
- Neighbor S bringing me treats
- A relaxed day

Sunday's joyful activities included chatting on the phone with my cousin V and video chatting with my daughter.  

Monday's To Do List:

- Pick up a medication refill from the pharmacy
- Call the other pharmacy to find out if the vet's clinic called in his medication refill
- Dust and vacuum the bedrooms
- Make an appointment for the car to be serviced
- Water the garden
- Take the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning
- Make a weekly meal plan

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

In the Garden on Saturday

The Nectarine Tree

Lady Ella had asked about my nectarine tree, so I took a picture of it.  It is doing well, with lots of leaves, as can be seen.   It's harder to find the nectarines, though!

Baby Nectarine

There are only about half a dozen fruits, ranging in size from this smaller one, which might or might not continue to grow to a couple of larger ones:

One of the Larger Nectarines

They are all still quite green.  Last year, we didn't get even one fruit, so, if we get half a dozen, this year, then, that would be a good crop!  

However, the persimmon tree is looking a little more promising:

Baby Fuyu Persimmons

Last year, too, we had many such small persimmons, but, they all dropped off except one, so, I'm not actually counting the fruits to see how many might be growing.

What I am counting on is the Serrano chili plant:

Serrano Chilies

I decided to go ahead and pick most of the Serrano chilies, today:

Serrano Chilies

I picked a colander full!  There are a few smaller ones left on the plant and I am hoping the plant will produce more chilies during the summer, too.  

I also picked the first peach of the season:

The First Peach of the Season

Then, while I was picking the chilies, another peach fell off the tree, and I picked up that one, too, and I noticed that there were at least two peaches, higher up in the tree, that had been pecked by the birds!  I rather suspect the mockingbirds I've seen in the garden.

Saturday's Harvest

I washed the chilies and the peaches after I brought them inside.  I will freeze the chilies for now, but, I looked up a couple of green chili sauce recipes, too.  It might be something to try, later.

Of course, I had to try the peach, after my dinner (of leftover rice and curries):

The First Peach

Lady Ella prefers her peaches peeled, but, I went ahead and ate my first peach of the season, peel and all!  It was delicious!  

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- The first peach from the garden
- The abundance of green chilies from the garden
- The promise of nectarines and persimmons 
- Having a garden with fruit trees and some vegetables
- M's help with the garden 

Saturday's joyful activities included picking green chilies and eating my first peach of the season.

What is growing in your garden?

Thursday and Friday

Roses

On Thursday, we had another sunny day, but, the temperatures were a bit cooler, with a high of 75F.  There is supposed to be a heatwave in some parts of the state, but, so far, we haven't had what I'd consider a heatwave. 

I washed the insides of the windows in the living room and the dining area.  There are only three windows, but, the living room one is a big picture window.  I think I am now done with the living room as the room of the week.  I also dusted and vacuumed the family room.  I cleared one horizontal surface (the coffee table), but, I still need to tidy up the folding table that is masquerading as a dining table in the family room.  Right now, it is covered with piles of mail and some bits and pieces that are waiting to be put away.

Aunt C called in the afternoon and I had a long chat with her.  I also watched some videos on gardening, on zero waste life in Japan (a family business repairing special items of clothing, a young woman who knits scarves, etc., using the ends of spools of yarn bought from clothing manufacturers, another young woman who makes botanical candles using imperfect flowers that would otherwise be discarded, etc.) and one about things people have said they wished they had known before they retired.  It's going to be six years since I retired, this October; I like to think that I planned well for it, but, I had assumed I would have made more progress on some of the projects I had planned to do. 

On Thursday, brunch was a scrambled egg with toast; dinner was leftover rice and curries.

Blueberries
(Can you spot Mama Cat?  She's at the top left)

Today, Friday, the afternoon highs were back in the low 80s.  I folded and put away two loads of laundry (and decluttered one worn out pillowcase) and picked blueberries.  

In the afternoon, Dancer had an appointment at the vet's for his injection.  I gave him the sedative one hour before we left, but, he was still meowing a bit in the car on the way to the clinic and, just as we turned into the parking lot, he gave a really loud cry and very soon, I realized that he had had an accident and pooped!  Poor kitty!  I apologized to the technician and offered to go inside with her to clean it up, but, the technician was very kind and said it was not a problem.  She took Dancer to the back room and almost immediately came right back out to ask me if I wanted the towel I had put on the bottom of the carrier, back, as it was rather soiled.  I told her that she could toss it.  So, a towel was decluttered, too, in addition to the pillowcase I decluttered, earlier!  The return trip home was uneventful and he's been sleeping it off all evening.  I wiped down the cat carrier with disinfectant wipes and sprayed it, as well.  

M was here, later in the evening.  He brought me another packet of corn to plant, a different variety, because the other packet didn't germinate that well.  Hopefully, the new package will do better.  He refused to accept the money for the packet of corn, saying it was an early birthday present (a very early one, since my birthday isn't until November!)  But, he did accept a bag of freshly picked blueberries, instead.  

Peaches 

The peaches are ripening and if this sunny, warm weather continues, they should be ready to pick before too long.  I had better check my supply of canning jars, soon!  

Brunch was a cold cuts sandwich; I made some homemade potato chips for a teatime snack; dinner was a slice of pizza.

I'm grateful for:

- Kind technicians at the vet's clinic
- Dancer had gained just over one ounce 
- M's kindness in gifting me with another packet of corn
- Blueberries to share with M
- Being able to borrow books from the online library

Joyful activities have included gardening, crocheting, and reading.

Plans for the weekend include weeding and knitting.  What are your plans for the weekend?

On Wednesday

Alstroemeria: Peruvian Lily

The Alstromeria or Peruvian Lilies are starting to bloom, under the pomegranate tree.  

On Wednesday, M was here, around noon, to tend to the garden.  He potted up the two dracaena cuttings I had rooted in water, weed whacked the back garden (no more grass to mow!), and watered the garden for me.  Now I have two more houseplants to add to the plant stand.

New Dracaena Plant 1

New Dracaena Plant 2

I hope they both grow well.

Later in the afternoon, I made the appointment for Dancer to get his arthritis injection (scheduled for Friday afternoon) and paid my bills.  Afterwards, instead of cleaning the family room as planned, I took a nap as I was feeling tired.

Brunch had been a cold cuts sandwich as that was convenient.  But, for dinner, I cooked a fresh pot of rice, warmed up some shrimp curry from the freezer (a slight change in the meal plan - shrimp instead of the chicken curry, I had planned), made over some sauteed garbanzo beans (also from the freezer) into a curry by adding coconut milk, more curry powder, chili powder, etc., and reheated the green beans I had cooked earlier.  I had the last of the cucumber salad with the rice and curries and it was a very tasty dinner.  I have rice, garbanzo beans, shrimp curry, and green beans leftover for tomorrow's dinner.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- Daughter's safe return from her visit to New Orleans
- M's help with the garden
- New plants from rooted cuttings
- Another sunny and warm day
- Afternoon naps

Wednesday's joyful activities included gardening with M and enjoying an afternoon nap.

Plans for Thursday include cleaning the family room.

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

On Tuesday

 

From the Archives

I didn't take any pictures, so I pulled up this old photo of a scrappy string quilt I made in 2020 (I pieced the top in 2019, but, didn't finish making the quilt until 2020; I gave it as a birthday gift to friend R).

It was a sunny and warm day (high of 80F, finally!).  My kind of weather!

I brought in the trash cans, watered some of the plants in the front garden using water I had collected in a bucket while waiting for the shower water to get hot, and went to the pharmacy to collect another prescription that was ready for pick up.

After I came home, I had a late lunch and did a load of laundry.  Then, I watched the news, crocheted for a bit, and spoke on the phone with former neighbor T, again.

Finally, I dusted and vacuumed (with the canister vacuum, not the robot) the living room and dining room area.  Dusting and vacuuming the living room had been on Monday's to do list and got carried over to today.  For anyone who is interesting, this week's "room of the week" is the living room, so, in addition to dusting and vacuuming, I also wiped down the inside of the front door and the window sills. I think that is all I am planning to do in the living room, this time around, unless I decide to polish the brassware.

Breakfast was cereal with milk; lunch was a cold cuts sandwich; dinner was the same as Monday's - salad, broiled chicken drumsticks, and corn.  I had a mango afterwards and some chocolate wafer cookies.

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- Sunny and warm weather!
- My prescription was ready 
- A safe drive to and from the pharmacy
- Hot water on tap for showers
- Working appliances

Tuesday's joyful activity was watching some online videos and crocheting.

Plans for Wednesday include gardening with M, paying some bills, putting away the laundry, and dusting and vacuuming the family room.

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

Starting the New Week

Sunset

The sunset on Monday evening, when I went to take the trash cans to the curb.

I wrote myself a big long To Do List for Monday, but, I might have been a bit too ambitious when I made the list, because I didn't accomplish half the items on my list!  I took the bed sheets off my bed and washed them, then, put the new mattress topper on the bed before I remade the bed.  I called my sister and spoke with her for a bit and I called my former neighbor T and chatted with her.  I gave Dancer his monthly flea prevention medication.  In the evening, I watered the houseplants, watered the front and back gardens, and picked some more blueberries.  Later, I took the trash cans to the curb and took some pictures of the sunset.  Afterwards, I cleaned the broiler part of my stove and then, cooked the chicken drumsticks.  There were eight drumsticks in the package and I cooked them all.  There were six thighs and I froze them, without cooking them.  Then, I did the dishes and cleaned the litter box.  I also spent some time reading.  

Brunch was going to be the two leftover waffles, but, I burnt one of them to a crisp when I was reheating it!  One waffle with banana slices wasn't quite enough, so I had the leftover milkrice and chicken curry, too.  Dinner was salad, broiled chicken drumsticks with a tomato chutney glaze, and corn.  Canned pineapple chunks for dessert.

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- The new mattress topper
- Working appliances
- Phone chats with my sister and former neighbor
- Water for the garden
- Blueberries from the garden

Monday's joyful activities included chatting with my sister, reading, and picking blueberries. 

Plans for Tuesday include making an appointment for Dancer's arthritis injection and a return visit to the pharmacy for the medication that is now ready for pick up.

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

Another Look at the Sunset

June Grocery Shopping: Part 1 & Weekly Meal Plan

June Groceries Part 1

 
I put in an order for groceries on Sunday and picked up the items in the afternoon.  I was out of a few things and I wanted to take advantage of this week's deals before they ended on Tuesday. Included in the picture above are the two boxes of granola bars that I purchased from the drug store, yesterday, as they are part of my grocery shopping for the month.

I bought:

18 eggs, reg. price $5.89, on sale with digital coupon = $2.99
(1 doz. was selling for the regular price of $3.99)

1 tray (4.47 lb.) chicken thighs and drumsticks ("picnic pack") on sale still for $0.99/lb. = $4.43

3 cans tuna in water, $1.29@ with $0.50 off 3 cans coupon = $3.87

2 packs cold cuts, reg. price $6.49@, on sale with digital coupon $3.49@ = $6.98

2 bananas (0.66 lb.@ $0.69/lb) = $0.46
Grapes (2.26 lb. @ $1.79/lb. with digital coupon; reg. price $4.49/lb.) = $4.05

1 bottle, 52 fl.oz. orange juice = $4.69 (+ $0.10 deposit) = $4.79

1 iceberg lettuce = $2.19

1 jar, 24 oz. sweet pickle relish, reg. price $3.49 = $2.99 

1 jar, 30 oz. Miracle Whip = $6.79!  (Ouch!*)

1 loaf bread = $1.79

1/2 gal. milk = $2.79
Yogurt, 32 oz., reg. price $4.79, with $0.95 off coupon = $3.84

Grocery subtotal = $47.96 - $5 off coupon = $42.96

+ 2 boxes granola bars, $1.99@ = $3.98

Groceries Total = $46.94

*I have been watching the price of Miracle Whip, hoping it would go on sale, maybe for Memorial Day, but, so far, it hasn't gone on sale and I am out of MW.  I don't like mayonnaise and I don't like the taste of the store brand version of MW (I have tried it).  It might go on sale for 4th of July, and I debated waiting until then, but, I do enjoy having egg salad and tuna salad on a regular basis.  I decided that the $5 off $50 purchase coupon will offset some of the cost of the MW.

In addition to the groceries, I also bought some household items (as part of my quarterly household items stock up), which I don't count as groceries :

3 boxes facial tissues, $1.69@ (reg. price $1.79) = $5.07
1 box sandwich bags, 180 count = $5.49
1 pair latex gloves = $2.49
Sales tax on non-food items = $1.13

Total for non-food items + tax = $14.18

Non-Grocery Items

My June grocery budget = $100 + $29.23 carried over from May = $129.23

Spent to date = $46.94

Balance remaining in the June grocery budget = $129.23 - $46.94 = $82.29

*************

Sunday's brunch was leftover milkrice and chicken curry.  Dinner was cold cuts sandwiches.

Since it will already be Monday when I publish this post (which I started writing on Sunday!), I will go ahead and make a tentative meal plan for the week, as well.

June Week 1 Meal Plan:

Brunches: Leftover milkrice and chicken curry, leftover waffles with bananas and blueberries, cold cuts sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, maybe even cereal and milk!  LOL!

Dinners: 

- Chutney glazed chicken drumsticks, salad, corn
- Chicken curry with rice, green beans, cucumber salad
- Pizza
- Cold cuts sandwiches (on a day when I don't have them for brunch!)
- Leftovers

Snacks/desserts: yogurt, fruit, crackers, granola bars

Have you done any grocery shopping in June, yet?  Are you making a meal plan for this week?