Starting November

 

Flowers on the Tomato Plant

Some of the Berkeley Tie-Dye tomatoes I grew in the summer had spoiled on the vine and I had tossed them into the nearby planting bed where the moringa tree is growing.  Some of the seeds from those tomatoes grew into seedlings and while many of them wilted and died during the summer heatwave, one or two seedlings survived and now, there are flowers on them!  

Close Up of the Tomato Flowers

I've no idea if they'll produce some tomatoes before the chilly winter nights kill the plants, but, we shall see what happens!  Maybe M and I can figure out a way to keep the plants protected from the cold!

The month of November started with fresh flowers (chrysanthemums from the garden) and milkrice, as usual.  I had ordered more thread for the temple and one of the monks stopped by in the morning to pick up the thread and he gifted me with a small houseplant, which was so kind of him.  After he left, I did a load of laundry and did a little last minute cleaning and tidying of the house, because I was getting ready for my daughter's visit.

Daughter was getting a ride down with her friend K (who had been her former supervisor).  They had set out early in the morning.  The original plan had been for K to drive directly to her hotel in Pasadena and I would drive to Pasadena to pick up my daughter.  But, as they reached the outskirts of Los Angeles, K had decided that she would be OK with making a small detour to drop daughter off at home, since it was on her way.  Daughter texted me to let me know about the change of plans.  I had about 20 minutes before they would arrive.  I had already tidied the house, but, I hadn't vacuumed the living room, so, I quickly swept the living room while I waited for them.

Daughter is still unable to walk without her crutches, so K helped her to bring in her backpack while I brought in her suitcase.  It was the first time I've met K.  She came in and asked if she could use the bathroom and have a glass of water.  As she returned from using the bathroom, she passed by the kitchen and she admired the kitchen (oh, I was so glad I had cleared the counters and washed and put away all the dishes!).  So, I gave her a quick tour of the house and the back garden, too (since she had admired the front garden as soon as she got down from the car) and, in addition to the water, I offered her some milkrice which she enjoyed.  We chatted for a bit before she left to go to her hotel and I thanked her for giving my daughter a ride home.  

Later in the evening, M brought me the pavers I had asked him to buy for me as I want to make a pathway from the garage to the back steps, since that area gets rather muddy when it rains.  I had made a small paved area, earlier, but, the plants in the stonery have covered that area!  He also potted up the two succulents he had brought me, earlier, and spot watered the garden.  And Lady Ella was right when she said that watering the garden was one way to encourage it to rain, because we had a little bit of a drizzle, today (Saturday) in the evening!

Later, I cooked a chicken curry and we enjoyed it with some salad and rice cooked with peas for dinner. For dessert, daughter and I had the last of the persimmons I had picked.  

I was rather tired by the end of the day and my hip was hurting.  But, on Friday, November 1st, I was grateful for:

- My daughter coming home
- Her friend K giving her a ride 
- Being able to provide more thread for the temple
- The gift of a houseplant from the monks at the temple
- M's help with the garden

Friday's joyful activity was welcoming my daughter home!

Today (Saturday), daughter and I both slept in, then, daughter spent an hour or so working on a presentation she has to give on Monday (she will be working from home next week), while I stripped my bed and did a load of laundry.  She had the leftover milkrice and seeni sambol for brunch and I had a bagel with cream cheese.  Later in the afternoon, we both filled out our ballots to be dropped off on Sunday (we had planned to drop them off later today, but, it was getting late and we decided to do it on Sunday).

After a cup of tea, I cooked the salmon fillet I had bought for dinner, with onions and tomatoes and spices.  There was leftover rice and more salad to go with it and strawberries for dessert.  

We were also blessed with a light shower of rain this evening!  It was more of a drizzle than a light shower, but, it's the first we've had since the end of May!

Later in the evening, daughter's friend A came over to visit her.  They are still chatting as I type this.  

On Saturday, I'm grateful for:

- Having my daughter home
- The first shower of rain for the season
- Working appliances
- Hot water on tap
- The sound of laughter from the living room as my daughter and her friend visit

Saturday's joyful activity was spending time with my daughter.  :)

Plans for Sunday include dropping off the ballots and relaxing!

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