Wednesday, October 2, 2024

October Heatwave!

"It's 100F; I stare into space;
maybe Mummy will put the a/c on"

We are having a little October heatwave.  But, not enough for me to put the a/c on, although I did put the fan on for a little bit in the late afternoon.  

Yesterday (Tuesday) was the first of the month and I made my usual milkrice for brunch.  Then, I paid the auto insurance bill that was coming due by the end of the week, called and wished my stepfather's sister who celebrated her 95th birthday, ran the dishwasher, washed my bedsheets and remade the bed, watered the indoor plants, brought the trash cans in from the curb after they had been emptied, and, later in the evening, watched the vice presidential debate.  

Today (Wednesday), I paid three more bills - the gas bill (which let me know, in a colorful graphic, that I went over my baseline of 14 therms by 2 additional therms, even though I didn't use the heater and used the oven only once, and which were charged at a higher rate), the water and power/utility bill (again, I went over my Tier 1 water allocation which is charged at the lowest rate of approx. $10 per hundred cubic feet, by another 1 hundred cubic feet, which cost approx. $12 per hundred cubic feet), and Dancer's vet care and medication bill.

Gardener friend M arrived later in the morning and he shared a chive plant with me.  I shared the leftover milkrice with him, served with a spicy onion relish called seeni sambol.  Afterwards, he watered the back garden and did some raking and tidying up.

I had a long conversation with Aunt C (well, she talked and I mostly listened)   I also chatted a bit with friend R.  Earlier in the week, I checked with my niece in Florida to see if she was OK after the hurricane and with my niece in North Carolina, too; they were OK.

I didn't make a proper meal plan for this week - I had egg salad sandwiches on Monday for both brunch and dinner, then, milkrice for brunch on Tuesday and Wednesday, leftover rice and curries for Tuesday's dinner, pancakes with seeni sambol for Wednesday's dinner, and cheese and crackers plus fresh fruit for snacks.  I should do some cooking, tomorrow (Thursday), but, I might just make some tuna salad sandwiches, instead, if I feel too lazy to cook (or it is too hot to cook).

The other night ( I think it was Sunday night), I wanted to have a pizza delivered.  But, the more inexpensive pizza places don't deliver and the cheapest delivery pizza special was $14.99 plus tax for a large 1 topping pizza, with a $7.99 delivery fee and optional tip for the driver, which would have increased the cost of the pizza to about $30.00 which is more than my weekly grocery budget.  Needless to say, I didn't order the pizza!  I had a cup of instant chicken noodle soup, instead!  LOL.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Hot and sunny days
- M's help with the garden (and sharing plants with me)
- Chats with aunts and friends
- Electricity to run the appliances and water for the garden, etc.
- Blog friends who participate in decluttering with me

Today's joyful activities have included sharing milkrice for brunch with M and tending to the garden.

Plans for Thursday include more decluttering, maybe cooking, ordering Dancer's medication refill, making his next appointment for his injection, and giving him his flea prevention medication. 

"No a/c; don't like flea meds; I stare at the carpet"

How is the weather where you are?  I hope you are not affected by inclement weather and safe from storms and hurricanes. 

20 comments:

  1. On Monday we had a month's worth of rain in 24 hours and it just didn't stop. I didn't walk Tilly and that's most unusual for me as I usually take her a walk every day. Interesting to learn you had an October heatwave as it's cold here although I haven't put the heating on yet. That's very expensive for a pizza but I wouldn't know how much one costs here as I've never ordered one.

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    1. Oh, wow! That's a lot of rain! I'm sure Tilly didn't mind not going for a walk when it was raining so much. Even her pretty purple coat wouldn't have kept her dry in such a downpour!
      A heatwave is a bit unusual for October, but, it will cool down towards the end of the month. In fact, the monthly forecast says it will rain for two days when the daytime highs will be 57F/14C. You will find me complaining that it's cold when that happens! LOL.
      I, too, think that it is expensive to have a pizza delivered. But, maybe that's just me. I rarely get food delivered.

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  2. Poor Dancer. He's having a dreadful time of it at the moment ;)
    The weather here is most definitely autumnal now. It's turned very chilly, and there was even condensation on the windows this morning. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, however, and it will be a lovely ride into work this morning.
    I'm glad to read your nieces are both okay. Xx

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    1. Thank you, Jules.
      Oh, Dancer would agree wholeheartedly with you! :D
      I hope your day was sunny and dry, if chilly, and you enjoyed your ride to work and back.

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  3. Oh Dancer, you sweet boy. Certainly enjoy photos of Dancer. You did well with your bookcase decluttering & great idea to keep going with another decluttering goal. We had some decorating done for our guest room & I decluttered the bookcase in there. Moving books along (donating) is like moving friends along (IMO). Our days right now are sunny & humid with very chilly nights; typical Autumn weather. :)

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    1. Dancer says, "Thank you, Mary-Lou". :)
      Thank you for the kind comments on the decluttering. I find it very hard to part with my books! But, I'd rather do so now, when I have the time to really go through them and make a conscious decision, than later when I might be forced to make a quick decision due to circumstances.
      I hope you are enjoying your autumn weather; I suppose you will be busy getting your garden ready for winter. :)

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  4. Sunny and bright today - but other days this week wet and windy. Such is the British Autumn!

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    1. Enjoy the sunny days; I know that I will not like wet and windy days as much.

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  5. We haven't had a photo of Dancer for a while so everyone will look at this page and say "Aaaaaw!" He's such a pretty kitty. I think milk rice with seeni sambol is a fair trade for a chive plant! My chives are not doing well as I have neglected them, I should freshen up their surroundings.

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady; Dancer is happy to oblige by posing for a picture every so often. :)
      I was happy to provide the milkrice and seeni sambol in exchange for the chive plant. I am sure your chive plants will respond well to a little TLC. :)

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  6. Yes, pizza has gotten more expensive. I usually make it; it’s cheap to make. It has been hot! Fortunately, it is cool up in the mountains.

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    1. Hi Stephenie! I hadn't realized just how expensive it was to have a pizza delivered! It's been a long time since I last ordered one and even longer since I last made my own. I should consider making my own pizza, once it has cooled off enough to bake, again. :)

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  7. P.S. That last comment was from TheAwakenedSoul…

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    1. Thank you for identifying yourself, Stephenie. :)

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  8. I hope the heat breaks soon. Poor Dancer looks miserable. I think I would feel that way too! I think the heat makes you feel more tired and I definitely don't want to cook while it's too hot!

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    1. We'll have another week or so of warm weather (in the 90s) and then, it will cool off again, according to the forecast. I suppose I could cook and do the housework in the mornings or late at night when it is cooler, but, I guess I prefer to say it's too hot and procrastinate! :D

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  9. Even though he's hot, Dancer looks quite handsome, - his coat against that fabric :)
    Happy Birthday to your step-aunt and congratulations to her for reaching 95. A friend of mine whose father was entering his 90's mentioned the other day that only 12% of the population makes it into their 90's. Not sure if that was a stat from this country, worldwide or if it's even true.
    I find Dan Buettner's work studying the areas in the world with the longest lived people very interesting.


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    1. Thank you, Debra. Dancer is our handsome boy! :D
      My step-aunt is a very positive person and I think that's what keeps her going. :)

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