The Front Garden in April

 

The Front Garden in April 2025

The front garden is still green, even though the ground is rather bare.  I still haven't done anything about putting a ground cover of gravel or mulch.

In comparison, here's how it looked in April 2024 (it had been a wetter winter):

April 2024

The lantana continues to add a much needed pop of color:

Lantana

While the succulents border provides a green screen along the side fence:

Succulents Border 

Walking down, along the succulents border:

Aeoniums and Bulbine (Yellow Flowers)

A Bit to the Left of the Bulbine

The Stumpery

I'm liking how the stumpery is looking now.  I started it in April 2024 with this one stump:

The Stumpery Beginning April 2024

I like how it has evolved over the year.

Three Aeoniums In the Succulents Circle

Aloes and Aeoniums in the Succulents Circle

The Azure Bush Germander plant seems to have come to the end of its flowering, but, the silvery-grey foliage is very attractive:

Azure Bush Germander

Another plant with silver-grey leaves is the Dusty Miller:

Dusty Miller

And, to a lesser degree, the White Sage:

Californian White Sage

There are a few flowers to provide some color:

Red Roses

Pomegranate Flower Buds

Beneath the pomegranate tree, the asparagus ferns are thriving:

Asparagus Ferns

There are three varieties of asparagus ferns growing in this bed:

Foxtail Asparagus or Asparagus densiflorus "Meyeri"

Ming Asparagus or Asparagus retrofractus

And 

Sprenger's Asparagus or Asparagus densiflorus "Sprengeri" 

The majority of the bed is Sprenger's Asparagus which I transplanted from the back yard to the front in August 2022.

Asparagus Sprengeri Berries

That is the tour of the front garden in April.  Gardener M was here, today, and we planted some sunflower seeds in the front garden so, maybe there will be some sunflowers in the front garden later this summer.

Thank you for visiting my front garden.  

I am grateful for:

- Having a front garden
- M's help with the garden
- M bringing me five calla lily bulbs that another client had him pull out from her garden!
- Succulents and other water-wise garden plants
- Water for the garden

Meal Planning: April Week 4 Review and May Week 1

 

The meal plan for April Week 4 was leftovers and these were my meal plan options:

Brunches: Bread/toast/sandwiches with peanut butter, scrambled eggs, tuna salad, roast beef✔; or cereal and milk 

Dinners: Leftover pasta and roast beef✔;, leftover rice with peas✔; and ground beef✔;, leftover curries✔; with freshly cooked rice, leftover ham soup✔; with leftover drop biscuits✔;, etc.

Snacks/desserts: fresh fruit,✔; granola bars, yogurt✔;, leftover cake✔;, crackers✔;

And here's how that worked out (although, I didn't keep a very good record of it) :

Monday: 

Brunch: No brunch; wasn't hungry; just a cup of tea
Tea:  Cake and tea when friend R visited

Dinner: Pasta and roast beef compliments of late friend A's family

Tuesday:

Brunch: Leftover biscuits with peach jam

Dinner: Shrimp curry and rice

Wednesday:

Brunch:  Pasta

Dinner: Leftover rice and peas with leftover curries from friend S's Easter dinner

Thursday:

Brunch: Banana; roast beef sandwich

Dinner: Leftover pasta
Dessert: Yogurt and treacle

Friday:

Brunch: Banana

Dinner: Last of the pasta
Dessert: Yogurt and rose syrup

Saturday:

Brunch: Pizza

Dinner: Microwave baked potato and leftover ground beef mixture

Sunday:

Breakfast: Banana and bread

Lunch: Pizza

Dinner: Ham and split pea soup; buttered bread
Dessert: Leftover chocolate cake with rose syrup & powdered sugar glaze

Other than the shrimp curry and the frozen pizza from the store, I didn't go off the meal plan too much, I think. 

On to this week's meal plan.  I'm considering it as May Week 1.

I'm starting off the week with still some leftovers in the fridge!  I am determined to finish all the leftovers before I cook something new.

Here are my meal plan options:

Brunches: Roast beef sandwiches (Monday and maybe Wednesday),  Peanut butter sandwiches (Tuesday), Milkrice (Thursday), leftover milkrice (Friday), waffles or pancakes (weekend).

Dinners: Ham and split pea soup (Monday and at least one other day; maybe two), Microwave baked potatoes and leftover ground beef mixture (Tuesday), Salmon with potatoes and broccoli (2 meals), "breakfast for dinner" - eggs and toast or fried potatoes.

Snacks & Desserts: Fresh fruit (apples, blueberries, pineapple, oranges), the last piece of cake, yogurt and treacle or syrup.  

That is the plan.  Subject to change as needed, but, I would really like to finish up all the leftovers.

How about you?  Are you making a meal plan or a list of meal options?

Blueberries and Rose Lemonade

 

Blueberries

On Monday, I noticed that there were quite a few ripe blueberries on the bushes.  So, I decided to pick them:

Blueberry Pickings

A few of the berries weren't quite ripe, but, that's fine.  They are ripe enough for me to eat them.  I like them a bit on the tangy side, anyway.  

In the afternoon, I went to the library to return a book that couldn't be renewed any more; I hadn't quite finished reading it, though, so I borrowed it again, after making sure that no one had placed a hold on it.  Now I have at least three more weeks to read it.  It's not a big book and I should have been able to finish it sooner, but, I've not been reading that much, lately.

I didn't do a lot in terms of household tasks on Monday, but, I took the trash cans to the curb.  Throughout the rest of the day, I made a few phone calls with family, friends, the monks at the temple, and exchanged some emails with friends.  

I also made some rose lemonade:

Rose Lemonade

Fresh lemons from the garden, mixed with water, sugar, and rose syrup.  I might not have used enough syrup because I really couldn't taste the rose flavor, but, it was a very pretty color!

I should have made a meal plan on Monday, but, I didn't!  This week is probably going to be more leftovers and milkrice on Thursday.  I had a roast beef sandwich for brunch and more soup for dinner. 

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- A slightly warmer, sunny day
- Blueberries from the garden
- Libraries and being able to re-borrow the book I was reading
- A safe drive to the library and back
- Phone calls, emails, and texts with family and friends

Monday's joyful activity was picking blueberries.

Plans for Tuesday include some housework, a load of laundry, and meal planning.

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

My Grocery Budget Runneth Over

End of April Groceries

I ordered more groceries on Saturday and now, my April grocery budget has run over and spilled into May!  I have no excuses.  I had truly thought I had finished with buying groceries in April, when I did my shopping last week.  I even looked at the weekly grocery ads and decided that I didn't really need anything and I honestly didn't.

But, then, the clever strategists hired by the grocery stores to tempt mere mortals such as me, myself, and I, sent me an email reminding me that I had digital coupons I had not clipped yet and I was lured into opening the email to take another look at the offers.  Ooh, stock up prices on various items and treats!  Add the current uncertainty over rising prices and the availability of certain items due to supply chain issues as a result of tariffs and climate change, and the urge to stock up on items when I could was too strong!  I wanted to take advantage of the offers when I could.  

So, I went ahead and ordered more groceries and a few household items.  Never mind if the budget runs over into May.  I will deal with that, later.

I bought:

---

Order Summary

Original Item Total$75.66

Item Coupons/Sales-$35.80

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Sales Tax+$1.26

Order Total$41.12

---

Item Details

14 Items

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Pint Americone Dream® Vanilla, 16 oz$2.99

1 x $2.99 $5.99 each

Crest Regular Cavity Protection Toothpaste, 4.2 oz$4.95

5 x $0.99 $2.99 each (non-food item, taxable)

Freschetta Pepperoni Naturally Rising Crust Frozen Pizza, 27.35 oz$3.99

1 x $3.99 $7.99 each

Kroger® 100% Pure Beef Quarter Pound Burgers, 8 ct / 32 oz$7.99

Kroger® Creamy Peanut Butter, 16 oz$2.98

2 x $1.49 $2.99 each

Oscar Mayer Smokies Hardwood Smoked Sausage Hot Dogs, 8 ct$1.99

1 x $1.99 $4.79 each

Scott Comfort Plus 1 Ply Toilet Paper, 12 rolls$7.98

2 x $3.99 $6.99 each (non-food item, taxable)

Stouffer's Family Size Lasagna with Meat & Sauce Frozen Meal, net wt 38 oz$6.99

1 x $6.99 $10.99 each

I paid a total of $41.12, including sales tax.

The grocery (food) portion of it came to: $26.93

Almost everything I bought were stock up items and went into the pantry or the freezer. I baked the pizza, however, and had one quarter of it for my lunch on Saturday.  I kept another quarter in the fridge for another meal and froze the other half of the pizza. 

Now comes the fun part of going over my spending!  

I started out April with a grocery budget of $108,54 ($8.54 carried over from March).  

I spent $55.03 during the first week of April, leaving me with a balance of $53.47

Ten days later, I shopped for groceries at the Armenian store and spent $23.68, leaving me with a balance of $29.79.

Just two days later, I picked up more groceries, including 5 lbs. butter and a ham, and spent $38.97, going over the budget by $9.18. 

At that point in time, I decided to increase the April grocery budget by $25 (using unspent money from the month's car fuel budget).

The very next day, I went back to the Armenian grocery store to buy the 10 lb. bag of potatoes that was on sale and while I was there, I picked up a head of lettuce, a can of coconut water, and a pound of shrimp (at $4.99/lb).  I spent $8.82, leaving me with $8.36 in the budget.  

If I had stopped there, as I fully intended to, I would have been fine.  But, no, I was tempted by digital coupon offers!  

So, on Saturday, I ordered and picked up the above groceries, spending $26.93 on groceries!  I overspent by $18.57.  

$108.54 - $55.03 - $23.68 - $38.97 + $25 - $8.82 - $26.93 = - $18.57

I have the option of deducting that from the May grocery budget or I can use the balance remaining $25 in my car gas budget.  I budget $50 per month for gas and I haven't had to put any gas to the car so far in April.  I have just under half a tank of gas left and while I like to fill up when I get down to half a tank, I can hold off for another three days until May to fill up the tank.  So, that is what I have decided to do.

Whew!

I am grateful for being able to tap into the car gas budget to cover my April grocery spending!  

Rain on Saturday

 

Dr. Huey Rootstock Roses

Dr. Huey is one of the most common rootstock roses that other roses are grafted onto, chosen for its vigorous growth.  Sometimes, it will send up suckers which must be removed right away to prevent them from taking over.  Sometimes, the grafted rose will die due to one reason or another (drought conditions and extreme heat in my garden) and the rootstock rose will survive and, often, thrive.  This is what is happening in my garden.  I have at least seven Dr. Huey rose plants growing in my garden after the grafted roses have died.  It is considered a rambler rose and it blooms only once a year.  Most rose growers, including my gardener friend M, hate them.  I, however, am happy to have a drought resistant rose that is not high maintenance.  

We had some rain on Saturday morning and I'm sure the garden appreciated the extra watering.  The rain had stopped by 9:30 a.m. when I woke up and we had a partly cloudy rest of the day, with some afternoon sunshine and a high of 57F.

I spent a fairly relaxed day on Saturday.  I did a load of laundry which I hung up to dry inside the house, ordered and picked up more groceries (more about that in another post), dusted the living room, exchanged emails with friends, chatted on the phone with friend R, watched some videos, and knitted, unraveled, and knitted some more on the sock I am knitting for myself.  

Lunch was part of a frozen pizza; dinner was a baked potato with some of the leftover ground beef mixture.  

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Rain for the garden
- Being able to order and pick up groceries
- A safe drive to the grocery store and back
- Working appliances
- Keeping in touch with friends

Saturday's joyful activity was knitting.

Plans for Sunday include a visit from friend S who wants to borrow some of my collectibles for a cultural display.  

How is your weekend coming along?

On Friday

Yogurt and Rose Syrup

Friday was a chilly day (for me) with a daytime high of 63F.  My rose jelly didn't set overnight and remained a syrup, but, it is a pretty color and tastes delicious.

I spent most of the afternoon doing some paperwork, dealing with insurance, and making appointments for May.  May will be a busy month as I have two medical appointments (one of which had to be rescheduled) and two appointments for lab work prior to the medical appointments,  as well as my late friend A's daughter's graduation, and a quick visit by daughter who will be coming down to attend the graduation.  

M was here in the evening to tend to the garden and I served him some rose syrup with yogurt for him to try and gave him a jar of the syrup to take home with him.  He liked the rose syrup.  

Brunch was a banana; dinner was the last of the pasta I was given.  Dessert was a bowl of yogurt with rose syrup.

I am currently watching the televised funeral of Pope Francis.  I am not Catholic, but, I respect all religions.

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Warm clothing on a chilly day
- Getting some paperwork and scheduling done
- M's help with the garden
- Blueberries from the garden
- Television

Friday's joyful activities included video chatting with my daughter, tending to the garden with M, and knitting.

I've no specific plans for Saturday.  We have a chance of rain in the morning, according to the forecast.  I will probably spend a relaxed day, knitting.

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

Rose Syrup

On Thursday

 

Rose Petals Marinating in Lemon Juice and Sugar

Today (Thursday), I went to the store to buy the small 4 oz. canning jars.  I have some 8 oz. jars, but, I wanted the smaller jars for the rose jam I was planning to make.  Since I give a lot of my jams as holiday gifts, I was thinking that an assortment of 3 or so smaller jars of jam, maybe one each of rose petal, blueberry, and peach, in a small basket or container with perhaps a packet of tea and crackers might make a nice gift. 

The store had  a box of a dozen 4 oz. quilted canning jars on sale for $11.98 (a different store I checked had them for $13.50, according to their store website).  I bought two boxes plus a small box of 12 canning jar lids only (no rings) for $2.97 (for the store brand; the name brand was $3.98).  The jar lids are to use on the 8 oz. jars I will be reusing for my peach chutney, etc.  

I walked around the grocery section of the store, checking out the prices of items, and I bought a bunch of four bananas at $0.50/lb. which is cheaper than at the grocery store I regularly buy from.  I was out of bananas and it is a fruit that I am supposed to eat on a regular basis for the potassium.  They came to $0.63.

In addition, I bought a small container of cat food, "salmon pâté", for $1.18 for  Dancer to try (he's been off his regular canned cat food for weeks now and this is a brand we haven't tried yet), but, he sniffed at it and walked away.  Eventually, he was persuaded to try a little bit of it, but, not more than one or two nibbles.  He's ignored it since then.  

I spent a total of $31.69 at the store, including taxes. 

I had mistakenly stood in the self check out line as the sign simply said, "15 items or less" and I hate those self check out machines.  I never seem to be able to figure them out.  But, there was a store clerk stationed in the self-check out section and he helped me, although I could sense his impatience at having to put his phone down and help me. 

After I came home, I had a banana and a roast beef sandwich for brunch.

Last night, I had put the washed and trimmed rose petals to marinate in lemon juice and a cup of sugar.  Today, in the evening, I decided to make the jam.  I boiled the 4 cups of water, added the rose petal and lemon juice mixture, with another two cups of sugar and a little more lemon juice (went by taste), and simmered that for about 20 minutes.  One look at the boiled rose petal mixture and I knew that I will be making a rose jelly rather than a jam!

Boiled Rose Petals

The cooked petals looked unappetizing to say the least!  But the syrup was a lovely color.  So, I skimmed out most of the petals and left just a few, almost translucent ones.  Then, added a package of powdered pectin and boiled for another minute or two and poured the syrup into the jars and processed them in a water bath.  Unless the syrup thickens as it cools and "gels", the contents of the jars will be called a "pourable topping" for ice creams or a syrup for making faluda!  Maybe I should have used two boxes of pectin!  

Rose Syrup!

The kitchen lighting isn't the best, but, the syrup is a dark red.  I made 12 of the 4 oz. jars and half filled an 8 oz. jar which I didn't process.

I am a little disappointed with the results, but, at this point in time, I am not planning to open all the jars and re-boil the syrup with more pectin.  Daughter and I love rose syrup faluda, especially in the summer, and I haven't seen the bottled rose syrup I used to buy in the ethnic stores, lately, so the contents of the jars will not be wasted.  But, they may not be given as gifts!  Maybe I'll try making another batch of rose petal jam when the pink roses bloom again.  Or, accept M's offer of some of his roses!

I managed to get everything washed and the counters and stove top wiped down before my hands started to cramp.  Afterwards, I was tired and done for the day!  I was going to cook some rice to have with the ground beef mixture for my dinner, but, I decided to reheat some of the pasta my friend's daughter brought me.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to find the 4 oz. canning jars at a reasonable price
- A safe drive to the store and back and being able to drive
- Helpful store clerks 

- Working appliances
- 12 small jars of homemade rose syrup!

Today's joyful activity was making rose syrup.  

Plans for tomorrow (Friday) include doing some paperwork, making a couple of phone calls, and tending to the garden with M.

How was your Thursday?  What do you do when your jellies don't really gel?  What are your plans for Friday?

This Week

Ladybug on Rose Leaves

This week started well two visits from friends on Monday.  Monday morning, I did two loads of laundry and did a little house cleaning and tidying.  In the  afternoon, friend R visited and we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and having tea and cake.  Around 6:30 p.m., I drove her home and after I came home, I took the trash cans to the curb.  I had planned to water the back garden, but, it was too late to do so by then.  A little later, my late friend A's daughter stopped by to bring me some dinner.  

On Tuesday, I brought the emptied trash cans in, watered the back garden, washed my bed sheets and remade my bed, unraveled a sock I was knitting as it was turning out to be too big (I was trying to knit with two strands of yarn to prevent the heel from tearing), cooked a shrimp curry (had some of it with rice for dinner and froze the rest), and watched some videos online.  I also called the temple and spoke with the monks.

Wednesday was chilly and grey.  I felt cold and unmotivated to do much of anything.  So, I spent the majority of the day knitting on my sock, catching up on my blog reading, and watching online videos.  I did break down some boxes to recycle them, deadheaded some of the rose bushes, and when M came to tend to the garden in the afternoon, helped him to transplant the tangerine tree, out of its planter and into the ground.  M brought me two more rescued plants another client had tossed because they were both not looking their best - a pink double flowered kalanchoe (nothing wrong with it that a good watering wouldn't fix) and a pot of freesias with dried up flowers (he will share the freesia bulbs with me).  

Friend S called to ask if I had some items from Sri Lanka and if so, could she borrow them for a friend of hers to use for a cultural display; I told her she's welcome to borrow anything and she said she'll come over on Sunday to pick up the items.  I have some items I had already picked out to declutter and I can offer them to her to keep if she wants them, as well.

Later in the evening, I spent some time preparing 5 cups of rose petals to make a batch of jam, washing the petals and tearing off the white part at the base of each petal as that part is bitter.

So far this week, I've been grateful for:

- Visits and phone calls from friends
- A gift of a meal from one of them
- M sharing rescued plants with me

- M's help with the garden
- Working appliances

Joyful activities have included visiting with friends, spending time in the garden, and knitting.

It is early Thursday morning as I write this.  My plans for the day include a quick shopping trip to buy a box of 4 oz. canning jars for the rose petal jam I am planning to make.  

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

Ladybug

Did you know that a ladybug (also known as a ladybird in some parts of the world) is actually a beetle and not a bug?  

April Week 3 Meal Plan Review and Week 4 Meal Plan

Ham and Split Pea Soup

This was the plan for April Week 3:

Brunches: Leftover milkrice✔; Leftover turkey and veg soup; Bread, butter, and bananas; chicken sandwich;  French toast; tuna salad sandwiches; ramen noodles; scrambled egg, bacon, and fried potato; pancakes or waffles; leftovers

Dinners: Ham and split pea soup✔;rice and peas with ground beef; rice and curries✔ (lentils, eggplant, cabbage); sauteed chicken breast and vegetables✔; leftovers✔.

The meal plan was based on what I had on hand, but, I did some grocery shopping during the week and that resulted in some changes to the planned meals!  And, on Sunday, my friend brought me Easter Dinner, so that was another change.

As a result, this is what was actually eaten:

Monday:

Brunch: The last bit of turkey and vegetable soup, drop biscuits, blueberries from the garden
Dinner: Ham and split pea soup, a piece of chocolate cake

Tuesday:

Brunch: Leftover milkrice, the last of the seeni sambol, lunu miris; strawberries

Dinner: Ham and split pea soup, a biscuit, a piece of chocolate cake

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Bread and butter, banana
Lunch: Ham and split pea soup, a biscuit

Dinner: Rice with peas, ground beef and vegetables mixture

Rice, Ground Beef & Vegetables Dinner

Dessert:  Strawberries and yogurt 

Thursday:

Brunch: Banana

Dinner: Rice and ground beef mixture (same as Wednesday)
Dessert: Yogurt and palm treacle

Friday:

Brunch: Chicken sandwich

Dinner: Chicken sandwich
Dessert: Chocolate cake, strawberries

Saturday:

Brunch: Chicken sandwich

Dinner Saline crackers; plain toast (slight tummy issues)

Sunday:

Brunch: Bread, butter, banana

Dinner: Easter dinner compliments of friend S: yellow rice, chicken curry, cashew curry, mixed pickle, sauteed eggplant "moju", pappadum
Dessert: Homemade marshmallows

I went mostly off the plan, but, didn't go hungry!

The meal plan for April Week 4 will be fairly simple: leftovers!   In addition to the leftovers from last week, my late friend A's daughter, who had invited me to join her family for Easter dinner, brought me a plate of pasta and roast beef for my dinner on Monday and I have leftovers from that, too!

I might freeze some of the leftovers, but, here are my meal plan options:

Brunches: Bread/toast/sandwiches with peanut butter, scrambled eggs, tuna salad, roast beef; or cereal and milk 

Dinners: Leftover pasta and roast beef, leftover rice with peas and ground beef, leftover curries with freshly cooked rice, leftover ham soup with leftover drop biscuits, etc.

Snacks/desserts: fresh fruit, granola bars, yogurt, leftover cake, crackers

We shall see how that works out!

Are you making a meal plan this week?

Easter Sunday

 

Gazanias

It was another warm (high of 77F) and sunny day, on Easter Sunday.  I had a very relaxed morning and spent some time in the garden, checking on the plants and getting a few steps in.  I picked some lemons and a few serrano chilies, too.

In the afternoon, I put away two loads of laundry and tidied up the big table in the family room.  It's the full sized folding table I brought in when the smaller dining table broke.  I keep it covered with a table cloth and it functions well as a convenient place to do crafts projects, prepare food, etc. (I don't have a kitchen table as the kitchen is too small for one), but, it is also a convenient place to put things like mail, packages, and baskets of laundry waiting to be folded and put away!  

Later, I was busy in the kitchen, doing dishes and wiping down the stove top and counters, etc., when my friend S called (not neighbor S) to ask if I was home.  I said yes, and she said she would stop by.  I knew what that meant - she was bringing me some Easter dinner!  I quickly put the lemons I had picked earlier into a bag to give her and a bunch of curry leaves, too.  And I was so glad that I had finished tidying the house!  I know she was not coming to see the state of the house (and she has seen it quite messy, at times), but, it felt good to have the place looking somewhat presentable.  Friend S, her husband, and their daughter brought me a lovely meal of yellow rice and curries (chicken curry, mixed pickle, cashew curry, sauteed eggplant "moju", and fried pappadum) plus a few pieces of S's homemade marshmallows.  I was going to take a photo, but, I forgot!  I gave S the bag of lemons and the curry leaves and she was very happy to receive them.  

Brunch had been buttered bread and a banana.  Dinner was some of the Easter dinner that friend S brought me.  Marshmallows for dessert.

Much later in the evening, around 8:00 p.m., the power went out!  The whole block was in darkness.  I switched on the flashlight I usually keep by my side and lit a few candles in the living room.  As always, when the power goes out in the evening, I become even more aware of how much I depend on having electricity!  Candle light is lovely, but, I can't see well enough to read, sew, or knit by it.  I can't go on the computer because there is no internet and I don't want to use my phone because I don't want to run down the battery.  And I worry about the food in the fridge (I know the contents of the freezer will keep cold for several hours).  What do you do when the power goes off and it is too dark to read, etc.?  I played the piano for a little bit. playing one or two songs I know to play by ear, while Dancer complained about the noise.  Then, I sort of snoozed a bit and waited for the lights to come back on!  The power was restored around 8:45 p.m. and I heaved a big sigh of relief!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A lovely, sunny and warm day
- Friend S bringing me Easter dinner
- Lemons and curry leaves from the garden
- Electricity!
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity was friend S visiting and bringing me dinner.

Plans for Monday include:

- A load of laundry (my bed sheets, etc.)
- Meal planning for the week
- Cooking
- Taking the trash cans to the curb
- A little more tidying
- Watering the back garden
- Maybe a visit from friend R in the afternoon

What are your plans for Monday?

On Saturday

 

Pink Rose

On Saturday, we finally had some sunshine and warmer temperatures, with a high of 73F.  I sat outside to warm up because the house was still chilly.  And, of course, I walked around the garden and took a few pictures of the garden and admired the roses.

Later, I did a load of laundry (some of the knitted and crocheted blankets) and put away some laundry that I had done earlier, including a couple of quilts.

I also continued with cleaning the family room, tidying, dusting, vacuuming, and doing a bit of furniture rearranging.  I found a few things to declutter, too, and sorted through some paperwork, as well.  I still have a few last little bits and pieces to put away, including some files and another basket of clean laundry, but, the room is mostly done.  

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warmer day
- Working appliances
- Time spent in the garden
- Phone calls and texts with family and friends
- What I was able to accomplish

Saturday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden

I am planning to have a quiet, relaxed day on Sunday.  My late friend A's daughter called and invited me to Easter lunch with her family and a few of their friends, but, I declined the invitation.  I did appreciate the invitation, though.  

I wish my blog friends a blessed day on Sunday, whether you are observing Easter, Passover, or, like me, a day of rest and relaxation.

On Friday

 

Roses are Red

These are the red roses in the front garden.  Sometimes, they bloom as individual flowers; sometimes, they bloom in clusters.

And then, we have this color-changing rose;

And Mostly Yellow

Until it Turns Orangey Red!

It's the same flower, it was yellow when it first bloomed and the next day, it was orangey-red!

Friday was another grey, cool day, with a high of only 63F.  I know that might sound quite warm for some, but, for me, that's chilly!  A hot shower warmed me up and I dressed in layers.  

Dancer had an appointment at the vet's clinic for his arthritis injection.  I gave him his sedative before we left, but, he was not happy on the ride to the clinic.  He was very vocal about how he felt and threw up for good measure.  He was very subdued on the ride home, though.  

"I don't like going to the vet's"

After I brought him home, I went to the ethnic grocery store to get my 10 lb. bag of potatoes for $1.99 (in comparison, the supermarket is selling a 5 lb. bag of potatoes for $3.99 and the 10 lb. bag for $4.99).  The bananas I had bought for $0.59/lb. on Tuesday was now priced at $0.89/lb., which is more than the price of bananas ($0.69/lb.) at the supermarket.  Romaine lettuce was on sale for 2/$0.99, so I bought one (they are $1.99 each at the supermarket).  

After I came home, again, I put away my groceries and made myself a chicken sandwich for brunch.  Dancer received a tiny bit of the cooked chicken as a treat for having endured the trauma of a visit to the vet clinic.  It was whisker-licking good, he said.  

In the evening, M arrived to tend to the garden.  He had picked up a couple of bags of mulch for me and I reimbursed him for them.  He mulched some of the fruit trees and watered the garden.

Later, I started to tidy and clean the family room.  I changed the sofa dust sheets, cleared and dusted the coffee table, and vacuumed the area rug.  I still have to do the rest of the room, but, that will be done on Saturday.  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Dancer received his injection
- We had a safe drive to the clinic and back

- M's help with the garden
- Bargains at the grocery store
- Phone calls and emails from friends

Friday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden.

Plans for Saturday include tidying the rest of the family room and maybe a visit from friend R?

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

More Grocery Shopping

April Groceries - Part 3

April Grocery Shopping Part 3

After dithering about getting the ham on sale, I decided to go ahead and do so, fully aware of the fact that I will be going over my grocery budget for April.  Since I needed a minimum purchase of $25 in order to qualify for the sale price (which was $1.69/lb., not $1.65), I decided to stock up on butter which was also on sale with a digital coupon (I was down to 2 lbs. butter in the freezer; 1 lb. will last me 1-2 months depending how much I bake), milk and bread which I needed, and a whole pineapple which was on sale for $1.99.  I put in the order for groceries around 3:00 p.m. and was able to pick up the items at 5:00 p.m.

Here's the receipt:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$70.19

Item Coupons/Sales-$31.22

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Sales Tax$0.00

Order Total$38.97

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Item Details

9 Items

Farmer John's Bone-In Smoked Ham Half-Portion Limit 1 at Sale Price, 10 lb*$18.05

10.68 lbs x $1.69 $3.49 each (approx.)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$19.22

Fresh Ripe Whole Pineapple, 1 ct$1.99

1 x $1.99 $3.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Kroger® Butter Sticks, 16 oz$14.95

5 x $2.99 $4.99 each (approx.)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Kroger® White Sandwich Bread, 20 oz$0.99

1 x $0.99 each

Ralphs® Vitamin D Whole Milk Half Gallon, 1/2 gal$2.99

1 x $2.99 each

Total = $38.97

* The label on the ham that I was given states 9.36 lbs. and shows the price as $15.82; I'm not sure why I was charged for a bigger ham.  Maybe it is because the rest of my groceries didn't quite amount to the minimum order of $25 when the discount for the butter was applied?  Or, maybe the store clerk who shopped the order picked up a bigger ham and then saw my request for a smaller ham.  In any case, I am not going to argue with the store!

I paid a total of $38.97

I had $29.79 left in my grocery budget and, obviously, I went over budget by $9.18 with today's grocery shopping and I am still wanting to buy the 10 lb. bag of potatoes for $1.99.

I think I will increase my April grocery budget from $100 to $125 and see how that works (the extra $25 will come from the car gas budget).

As always, I am grateful for:

- The availability of groceries
- Free curbside pick-up (with a minimum purchase)
- A safe drive to the store and back
- Being able to stock up when there is a sale
- Being able to increase the grocery budget

What do you think?