Blueberry Cobbler on Friday

 

Blueberry Cobblers

On Friday, daughter baked two blueberry cobblers using homegrown frozen blueberries.  One was for us to enjoy and the other was to take to a potluck dinner at her friend's place on Saturday.  The one we tried was delicious, especially with a scoop of ice cream, and M enjoyed the piece that he was given to try when he arrived to tend to the garden in the evening.

My creams and shampoo were delivered this afternoon, a day earlier than estimated, which was nice.  

Daughter received some very good news about her job, this afternoon.  It looks like she will be able to keep her job after all.  We are very grateful for this blessing as not everyone in her department is as fortunate.  Thank you, everyone, for your prayers, well wishes, and good vibes on her behalf.  I know they helped immensely.

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- The good news regarding my daughter's job
- Answered prayers
- Blueberry cobbler
- M's help with the garden
- Being able to share some of the garden harvest with M

Friday's joyful activity was enjoying some homemade blueberry cobbler, warm from the oven, with a scoop of ice cream on top!  

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

Mid-Week Catch Up

 

Moringa Pods

I harvested all these moringa pods from my tree on Monday.  On Wednesday, I sat and peeled all of them, cut them up, and cooked a huge pot of moringa curry.  My plan is to portion it out and freeze it to enjoy over the next few months.

I had stayed up all night on Tuesday, until 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.  I was woken up just before 7:00 a.m. when Dancer used the litter box.  A quick check confirmed that he had produced a sample for me to take to the vet's clinic for analysis.  Never mind that I had only had one and a half hours of sleep - I collected the sample, got dressed, and left the house by 7:30 a.m.  I was able to hand in the sample by 7:45 a.m.  

I drove to the post office on my way home, but, while the lobby opened at 8:00 a.m., the service window didn't open till 10:00 a.m., so, I came home.  I didn't want to go back to sleep, so, I got busy.  I put a load of kitchen and bathroom rugs and Dancer's towels to wash and mopped the bathroom.  I hung the washed rugs to dry and then, it was time to go to the post office, again.  I had two documents to mail and I was able to have them date stamped at the service window.  

After I came home, I sat down to peel the moringa pods.  It took me some time to do them all, by which time, M was here to tend to the garden.  I asked him to spray the yard with the outdoor flea spray we had ordered and after he did that, he did some tidying up in the front garden.

Afterwards, I cooked the moringa curry.  

Then, it was time for a late brunch of tortillas and seeni sambol.  

I took a nap after that and slept for almost three hours.  

Afterwards, I swept and mopped the kitchen.

Dinner was assorted leftovers and daughter did the dishes.  After dinner, I caught up on some of my blog reading.  

Plans for Thursday include an appointment with a dermatologist I've been referred to as I have developed what I think are two different types of rashes.  

Mid-week, I am grateful for:

- The abundant moringa harvest (there are more pods on the tree, but, they are not ready to be picked yet)

- Vet services for Dancer

- M's help with the garden

- Afternoon naps

- Chocolate cookies that daughter baked

Chocolate Cookies

How is your week coming along?  

When Friends Visit

 

Blueberry Yogurt Lemon Loaf Cake

I had an email a couple of weeks ago from a long time friend who resides in another state, saying she would be attending a conference in my city and would I be free to meet?  I first met this friend 50 plus years ago, when we were freshmen students at the university.  She lived in the apartment downstairs and I lived in the apartment upstairs and she knocked on my door one evening and introduced herself to me and we hit it off right away.  We've remained friends, ever since, even though our friendship ebbed and flowed.  Weekly letters eventually became the occasional emails and there were years when we only exchanged birthday cards and Christmas greetings.  Occasionally, there would be a phone call and even more occasionally, she'd come down to attend a conference and we'd meet up.  The last time we saw each other was about 20 years ago.  The last time I spoke to her was a few years ago shortly after her mother's death.  But, when she emailed to say she'd be in town and would I be free to meet, I said, "Yes, of course!  I'd love to see you!"

She was free on Saturday afternoon and she said she'll come to my house.  That gave me the incentive I had needed to get the house cleaned and tidied up.  There were still a few items to put back in place after the painting and the place needed a good dusting and vacuuming and the family room needed to be tidied, as well.  I tried to do some of it earlier in the week, but, as usual, some tasks couldn't be done too early.  Most of the housework got done on Friday, before and after Dancer's vet appointment.  The main rooms were dusted and vacuumed. the bathrooms the cleaned and I might have got a bit carried away with cleaning my daughter's bathroom which is the bathroom the visitors use as I found myself washing the walls in addition to mopping the floor!  

I also made a quick trip to the grocery store to get some fresh milk and a container of passionfruit and grape juice drink.  I didn't want to do a big grocery shopping trip, so I shopped in person as I didn't have enough items to order and qualify for a free pick up.  I did see some garlic bread marked down from $2.49 each to $0.80 on the last day of the sell by date, in the reduced items rack, and picked up two packages of that to freeze for when my daughter comes home.  My bill came to $8 and some change.

Then, late Friday evening, I baked a cake to serve when my friend visited.  I found several recipes for blueberry yogurt cake online and picked one and then, proceeded to modify it a bit.  The recipe called for 3 large eggs, I decided that 2 would be fine.  It called for Greek yogurt, and I decided my homemade yogurt was good enough.  It called for unsalted butter and 1/4 tsp. salt, I used salted butter which is what I had and omitted the added salt, etc.  The cake turned out well:

Taste Test Slice

I cut the end slice to taste test it.

On Saturday morning, I made sauteed spiced garbanzo beans for a savory snack, sauteing canned garbanzo beans (chick peas) with minced onions, curry leaves, a sliced green chili, some mustard seeds, garlic powder, some curry powder, and salt.  I removed the dust sheets from the sofas, picked one or two roses (and quite a few wax beans) from the garden, tidied the kitchen a bit, and waited for my friend to arrive.

She arrived around 2:30 p.m.  and it was good to see her again.  Our friendship is such that it doesn't matter if it has been 20 years since we last saw each other or the last time we corresponded (prior to her email saying she was coming down for a conference) was at Christmas when we sent cards, we just pick up right where we left off and continue.  We were both a little older, a little greyer, a little more wrinkled, than the last time we saw each other, but, we talked non-stop for the rest of the afternoon into the early evening.  It was such a blessing to see my friend again.

I gave her a tour of the garden (she likes to garden, too), we ate the garbanzo beans and the cake and drank the passionfruit juice drink, later we had cups of tea, and I cooked us an early dinner of rice and curries (shrimp curry, parsley mallung, and dhal from the freezer, plus freshly made spicy sauteed potatoes, fried poppadums, and some of my tomato chutney).  Friend E left after dinner and we promised to keep in more frequent touch and not wait another 20 years to see each other again, as I said I was not sure if I'd be alive by then (she might be because she's a year younger than I am).  

After she left, I covered the sofas with clean dust sheets so Dancer could get on the sofas to nap, chatted with my daughter, and relaxed.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Friend E visiting me
- A lovely way to celebrate the first day of summer
- Being able to put together a quick meal with minimal effort
- Finding it easy to pick up where we left off and chat for over 5 hours without any awkward pauses

- The neighbor's music stopped shortly after midnight!

Saturday's joyful activity was spending time visiting with my friend.

Plans for Sunday include doing some laundry, picking up a medication refill that is ready and waiting at the pharmacy, and processing the wax beans I've been picking and getting them ready to freeze.  

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

On Monday

The First Blueberries of the Year

On Monday, I picked the first ripe blueberries of the year.  There were only eight of them, but, they were absolutely delicious.  There were another three or four not quite ripe ones that I left on the bushes for M to try when he's here on Wednesday.  The rest of the blueberries won't be ready for another few weeks, I think.

In the morning, I received a text alert warning of an earthquake!  I didn't feel any shaking, however, but, later, I found out that there had been a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in San Diego.  I'm glad it was not a bigger quake, but, it feels like there's been a lot of shaking going on, recently.

I decided to try my oven, again, and to my great joy, it worked!  I was so happy that the oven was working, I decided to go ahead and bake a cake!  It was a boxed mix I had in the pantry and the "best by" date had come and gone, but, I don't pay a lot of attention to the dates.  The directions on the mix called for three eggs, but, I decided that eggs cost too much to use three on a boxed cake mix, so, I added only two and the cake turned out just as well as when I've added three.

I also made a batch of ham and split pea soup.  I had put the split peas to soak overnight, and today, I boiled them, along with the diced ham, some homegrown red stem celery, a can of sliced carrots, and a can of chicken broth (instead of chicken bouillon powder, because I want to use up some canned items I have in my pantry which are well past their "best by" dates.

Later, I called a friend to wish her for the Sri Lankan New Year.  I had made milkrice for brunch on Sunday, to celebrate the occasion.  I was planning to have the leftover milkrice for brunch, but, I decided to have the last bit of leftover turkey soup with a drop biscuit or two, instead.  

I watered the back garden in the evening and took the trash cans to the curb for pick up in the morning.  Then, I vacuumed my bedroom and tidied it up a little bit.  

Dinner was a bowl of the ham and split pea soup with another drop biscuit.  There was cake for dessert.  

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- The first blueberries of the season
- Receiving the earthquake alert even though the earthquake happened somewhere else
- The oven worked without any problem
- Water for the garden
- Roses blooming

Monday's joyful activity was baking a cake.

Orange Rose

Plans for Tuesday include going to the grocery store to buy the eggs that are on a one day only sale.  I will probably pick up a few other items, too.

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

On Friday

 

Drop Biscuits

Friday was another warm day with a high of 85F.  I loved it.

I didn't get as much housework done as I had planned to, but, I did a load of laundry, attended to Dancer's needs, knitted a bit, watched some news and other programs on TV, and tended to the garden with M when he was here in the evening.  I had put a packet of wax beans seeds to soak overnight and we planted them along with with some watermelon and silver bell squash seeds that M shared with me.  

I served M some of the turkey and vegetable soup I had made and he really enjoyed it.  I had some of the soup, myself, for dinner, along with some drop biscuits I made.  

I found that my oven wouldn't come on when I turned the knob; it's a gas oven and 31 years old, so maybe the automatic pilot ignition is not working.  I managed to light it with a candle and baked the drop biscuits.  I will check on the oven again, over the weekend, and, if it still doesn't come on by itself, I might request a service call by the gas company.  Two of the top burners don't light automatically, either, unless I light them with a candle or one of those long handled lighters.  I have been thinking of getting a new stove, but, but kept putting it off because I had a working oven and I could get the burners to work with the lighter or candle.  But, if the oven is not working, then, it might be time to replace the stove.  And do so during the pause in tariffs!  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- Working appliances
- M's help with the garden
- Emails from friends
- Garden flowers

Friday's joyful activities included knitting and tending to the garden with M.

Plans for Saturday include getting more housework done and more knitting.

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

Another Pink Rose

Rain on Thursday, Too

Banana-Blueberry-Walnut Muffins

Rainy days inspire me to bake.  There were two bananas that were getting over-ripe and I decided to make banana nut muffins with blueberries (homegrown frozen blueberries).  Daughter and I shared some, warm from the oven and there are more for breakfasts or snacks over the next few days.

Thursday morning was overcast and cloudy.  The forecast said there will be more rain and it arrived in the afternoon.  Still mostly a drizzle, but, much later in the night, we had a fairly good shower of rain, accompanied by a flood alert!

A good friend of mine had mentioned a book she had borrowed from her church library and it sounded like something I would like to read.  So, last week, I put in a request for the book and on Thursday, I received an email that the book had come in and was being held for me at the local branch library.  I drove to the library on Thursday afternoon and picked up my book.  The library parking lot was full and it didn't help that two luxury cars had parked straddling the lines so that they each took up two spaces.  I had to go around the block three times before a spot opened up!  There was no parking on the side roads, either; otherwise, I would have parked there and walked to the library.  Apparently, some group was offering free tax filing help in the library's community room and that's probably why the parking lot was full.  Anyway, I picked up my book, looked at the new books display and the cart with the books they are selling (all books, including hardcover books, were priced at $0.25 each), and decided not to get any more books.

On the way home from the library, I picked up two hamburgers and a large order of fries to share with my daughter and a regular Oreo shake for her.  I had coupons for them that were going to expire on the 10th of February.  The hamburgers were 2 for $5 with the coupon, the large fries were $0.99, and the regular shake was $1.49, plus tax, of course.  The cost of the meal was $21+ without the coupons; it was $8.19 including tax with the coupons.  Daughter saved half of her hamburger to have for dinner (along with some leftover fried rice).  I was too full for dinner and ate two banana muffins and grapes for dinner.  Fresh oranges for snacks.

I did a load of laundry,  mended a cardigan I had knitted several years ago (sewed on two buttons that had come off and darned a hole - visible mending since I no longer had any matching yarn, but, I don't mind that); spoke with Aunt C, friend R, and friend K (late neighbor T's daughter), exchanged emails with a friend, and watched the news and a documentary on one of the Public Broadcasting Services channels.

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- More rain for the garden
- Public libraries and access to them
- Documentaries on PBS
- Keeping in touch with friends and family
- Spending time relaxing with my daughter

Thursday's joyful activity was going to the library.

Plans for Friday include tending to the garden with M.

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

Friday Update

Blueberry Walnut Muffins

Friday was another day of anxious watching of news updates and preparing to evacuate if needed.  While we did that, I baked a batch of muffins with frozen homegrown blueberries and some walnuts and we had that as a teatime snack - we had both forgotten to eat brunch!

Daughter had a full day of work with online meetings, etc.

I picked up another order of groceries in the afternoon.  I needed milk, half and half, bread, and I bought a cucumber and some salmon fillet on sale with a coupon, as well.  In addition, I bought a few shelf-stable items to keep in the car in case we had to evacuate - bottled water, crackers and some granola, more tuna for Dancer and a spare can opener.  My shopping total came to $58 and some cents.  Approximately $8 of that was for the can opener.  I also received a free 54 fl. oz. bottle of orange juice with my preferred customer coupon.

Later in the evening, M and I tended to the garden.  He watered both front and back and pruned another section of the calamondin tree.  

I packed a few more things to take with us if we needed to evacuate - a couple of warm sweaters and jackets, a quilt, some paper plates and napkins, two cups for us and a bowl for Dancer.  Hopefully, we won't need to evacuate, but, the winds are supposed to pick up again, over the weekend.

Then, I washed several dishes and cooked the salmon for dinner.  While cooking, both hands cramped, and daughter had to help turn the salmon over in the frying pan while balancing on her crutches.

It is almost 5:30 a.m. on Saturday as I post this - neither daughter nor I have gone to bed, yet.  I think we'll go to sleep now and hope that we can sleep in a bit.  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- We are still safe and at home
- The grocery store was open and I was able to pick up all the items I ordered
- Time to pack the car with essentials 
- M's help with the garden
- Family and friends, including blog friends, checking on us

Friday's joyful activities have included baking muffins and tending to the garden.

Hope you all had a good day on Friday and have a good weekend ahead of you.  Stay safe wherever you may be!  Any special plans for Saturday?  

Christmas Eve

Christmas Greetings

Christmas Eve was cloudy and on the cool side.  I was very thankful that I had a working heater.  

Daughter and I had a quiet, relaxed day.

I brought in the emptied trash cans, although, I noticed that someone had dumped a bag of trash into my trash can!  I don't know who did that or why, but, now, it will sit in my trash can until next Tuesday!

There were some deliveries including a gift for us from a friend and something my friend R had ordered.  The mail carrier had taken the cards I had left in my mailbox and left my neighbor's mail in my box!  I wonder if there had been any mail for me and in whose mail box they were left in?  I took my neighbor's mail over to him.

I wrapped a few more gifts and tagged them using the fronts of old Christmas cards.  I still need to wrap a few more gifts and make one more gift!

Brunch was grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and fresh oranges.  Dinner was mostly leftovers: rice, sausages, stir-fried vegetables, the last bit of the General Tso's chicken, and dhal.  Later in the evening, I baked a pan of brownies, setting aside some of it for the almsgiving.  

My late friend A's family invited us to Christmas lunch; I am planning to make a dump cake using homegrown peaches and blueberries from the freezer, to take as a dessert.  My cousin V has invited us over to an early dinner on the 26th, so that's when I'll give the majority of the family gifts.  

I am writing this blog post while I watch Midnight Mass from the Vatican, which has become a Christmas tradition with me.  

On Christmas Eve, I am grateful for:

- A working heater
- Other working appliances
- Having electricity (there is a power outage in parts of the county)
- Deliveries of packages
- Invitations from friends and family to spend time with them over Christmas

My joyful activity of the day was wrapping gifts.  It's something I have always enjoyed doing.

I wish all my blog friends a joyful Christmas.  May your day be filled with peace and joy.

Almsgiving Preparations 2024 December

Almsgiving Preparations Schedule

This is my trusty almsgiving preparations schedule that I put together several years ago, which I pull out every time and follow, with minor variations as needed.  It lists everything from setting the date to the types of donations I will be making to all the different serving dishes I need to take down from the upper cabinets where they are stored to the order of serving the meal and concluding the ceremony.  I will check off each thing on the list as I complete them.  

On Wednesday, I asked gardener M to help me take down the plates and dishes reserved for use during the almsgiving.  I will wash them all closer to the day.  M also took down one of the sets of Christmas dishes and, although I will not be hosting any Christmas gathering on Christmas day, I will set the table with them, next week.

M watered the backyard while he was here and we started to prune the calamondin tree.  I want the branches to be reduced in height by about half, so that the new fruit will be more within my reach.  I picked whatever fruit there was on the branches that we cut down on Wednesday and I will make a small batch of calamondin marmalade with them.  

I took inventory of the top shelf of the freezer in the evening, when I took out some butter to make a batch of cookies.  There are quite a few odds and ends in there that must be used up.

I mixed up the cookie dough and daughter formed them into balls and flattened them with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar.  I baked them and reserved one tray of them for the almsgiving and kept the rest for us to enjoy.    

I made tuna salad sandwiches for our lunch, on Wednesday (Dancer got some tuna, too, and he was very happy).  Dinner was "fridge buffet" - a selection of leftovers: rice, the last bits of chicken curry, garbanzo beans, roasted cauliflower, cucumber salad, etc. We had sugar cookies for dessert.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for

- Another sunny and warm (80F) day
- M's help with the garden and household tasks
- Having my almsgiving schedule to refer to
- Daughter is having minimal side effects from the flu vaccine
- Working appliances

Wednesday's joyful activity was crocheting.

Plans for Thursday include making the calamondin marmalade.

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

Slow Days

The Bottlebrush Tree

The bottlebrush tree in the back garden has leafed out very nicely after we pruned it back in early March. 

Here's how it looked after it was pruned:

How it looked in early March after the pruning

M wasn't sure if it would ever recover from the pruning, but, I was confident it would be just fine and it is!

I've been having a few slow days so far, this week.  It's been fairly cool with the afternoon highs being in the low 70s.  It's like we went from the height of summer to fall, overnight!  

I baked a cake on Monday because it was finally cool enough to turn on the oven, again.  It was just a yellow cake from a boxed mix, but, I added a little freshly grated nutmeg and some almond essence to the batter.

On Tuesday, I took a piece of the cake to friend R when I dropped off the packages that had been delivered to my address.

On Wednesday, M tended to the garden and he enjoyed a piece of the cake I had baked on Monday, along with a persimmon I had picked from the tree.  I also chatted on the phone with former neighbor T and friend R.

On Thursday, I dusted the family room and sorted through the cabinet where I keep the table cloths and napkins, etc.  

I have been sorting through drawers and cupboards this week, as I look for things to declutter.  Decluttering is not easy for me and most of the time, I end up putting things back in place.  But, I'm making progress.

This week, I am grateful for:

- The cooler weather
- M's help with the garden
- Being able to help friend R with her packages
- Phone calls, emails, and texts from family and friends
- Library books

Joyful activities have included visiting friend R (brief, curb-side visit), tending to the garden with M, and baking a cake.

How is your week coming along?

 

Overcast and Chilly Friday

Blueberry Muffins

My internet connection has been off and on all day, but, I am still able to post as and when there is a connection!  Sometimes, the connection re-establishes on its own, but, more often, I have to restart the computer.  

This morning, I tended to some paperwork and medical insurance issues, which were resolved without much of a problem.  I always carry my insurance cards with me and present them when I go to the lab for blood tests, etc., because I don't like to provide the information online when I make my appointments (even though, after all the data breaches, my information is all out there, anyway!)  I usually check in at the lab using their check-in kiosk and that's when I enter the insurance info.  Sometimes, though, the lab tech will ask to see the cards and then I hand them to the lab tech.

But, yesterday, and on the previous occasion (earlier in the month), I had checked in using my phone (a much faster way of doing things, I found).  Checking in over the phone, however, doesn't allow me to submit my insurance info and the lab tech didn't ask for it on the last visit and I forgot to ask her if she needed to see the cards.  Yesterday, however, I remembered and asked her if she needed to see them and then, she said yes. 

Then, I told her that I hadn't submitted the information on the previous visit and asked her if they would use the information they have in the system and she said they didn't retain any information in their system!  So, I wondered how they would handle the billing?  Would they send me a bill instead of billing my insurance?  I tried to call the lab's billing department, yesterday, but, they are located in another time zone and their offices had closed by the time I called them, at 2:30 p.m., my time.

Today, I checked the insurance provider's website to check my latest billing statement to see if there was any indication that they had received the bill from the lab, but, it wasn't there, yet.  Then, I called the lab's billing department again and spoke to a customer service agent, explaining what had happened and will I be billed for the earlier visit when I didn't provide the insurance information?  She was very kind and looked up the file and said, no, they just called my doctor's office and got the insurance info from them!  Oh!  Such a simple solution and here I was getting all stressed about it!  

"Hi, my name is Bless and I am good at making mountains out of molehills!"

LOL! Apparently, I'm not the only one to forget to provide the insurance info, although that was the first time for me, and they have a system in place to handle that!  I was so relieved and happy!  I told the customer service agent I spoke with that she had made my day and I can relax and enjoy the long weekend with that situation resolved.  Big sigh of relief!

Once that was out of the way, I checked on the garden, refilled the garden cats' water bowl (which also doubles as Chicken Little and other garden birds' water bowl, as well as the visiting raccoons who tend to spill any water left in the bowl) and picked more blueberries.  I also accepted another package for friend R. 

Then, I cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher.  

Brunch had been rice and beef curry.  At tea time, I made a batch of blueberry muffins, with freshly picked blueberries.  I reused the liners that I had saved from the tin of Danish butter cookies I had bought for the almsgiving; there were ten liners and that's how many muffins I made!  I tried to call neighbor S to ask if she'd like some muffins, but, she was not home; I think they've gone away for the long weekend.  There are leftovers for dinner, although I am rather full after eating two muffins!  I might have some cheese and crackers for dinner.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Not having to worry about receiving a big bill for the earlier lab work!
- Having medical insurance
- Phone calls, emails, texts, etc. with family and friends
- Internet connections
- Blueberries from the garden 

Today's joyful activities included getting the billing question answered in the best way possible and baking (and eating!) blueberry muffins.

Plans for tomorrow include doing some laundry and cleaning my bedroom.  

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

Sunny on Thursday

Pomegranate Flower

The pomegranate tree is flowering; I hope we will get some fruit, this year:

Pomegranate Flowers

Last year, too, it flowered well, but, we didn't get any fruit!

My laptop fan is making a high-pitched whirring noise, so, I'm going to keep off the computer for longer periods of time, now.  I've been doing this post in short periods of time, turning the computer off for a few minutes in between.  I will catch up on my blog reading in small periods of time.  Hopefully, the fan will adjust itself, if not, I might have to take the laptop in to have it checked.

Yesterday (Wednesday) went well.  The pharmacy called in the morning to let me know that Dancer's prescription refill was ready for pick up and I said I'll be there in the afternoon.  Then, I went for my blood test and that went fairly well.  But, the lab tech told me that the lab results might not be available in time for Friday's appointment with the doctor.  So, after I came home, I called the cancer clinic and rescheduled my appointment for next week, Friday.

M was still tending to the garden when I came home from the lab and I was able to chat with him for a bit and reimburse him for the packet of pole bean seeds he bought for me.  The packet of green beans cost $2.99 (and I gave him a little extra for his time and trouble).  One pound of green beans cost $2.99 to buy from the grocery store;  I'd better be able to harvest at least two lbs. of green beans to make it worth my while to plant beans and water them!  Last year's bean harvest was pitiful!  

I had been fasting for my blood test, so, I ate the last of the ground turkey filled patties for brunch.  Then, I went to pick up Dancer's medication.  I decided not to treat myself to a doughnut and told myself that I will bake a cake, instead!

I had a long chat on the phone with Aunt C and with former neighbor T in the afternoon, and an even longer chat with my daughter after she came home from work.  

But, the best news of the day was an email from Dancer's vet, stating that his blood test results showed that his thyroid levels were finally within normal range!  It took nearly one year!  He will continue to take the dermal medication at the current dose and, I suppose, they will recheck him again, later.  That is such a relief to know that he's doing better!

Such a Good Boy, Dancer!

Dinner was leftover fried fish (I warmed it up in the toaster oven and the batter crisped up, nicely), with oven "fried" potato wedges, and cucumber salad:

Dinner: Fish and Chips

Then, I baked that cake I had promised myself!  I used a boxed pound cake mix that I had received free from the grocery store some time ago, but, instead of a loaf pan, I used the bundt cake pan: 

A Slice of Pound Cake

 I added a little grated lemon peel to it, but, I should have used more, I think.  I couldn't get any taste of the lemon!

Yesterday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to get my lab work done
- Being able to reschedule my oncology appointment
- Pleasant lab technicians and doctor's office assistants

- M tending to the garden and getting the packets of vegetable seeds for me
- Dancer's good news!

My joyful activity was chatting with my daughter.

Today, Thursday, is a sunny day with a high of 73F.  I walked for 20 minutes and enjoyed the sunshine and the birdsong.

Plans for today include some paperwork, mending, and maybe doing a load of laundry.

Tuna salad sandwich for brunch and dinner will be leftover rice, shrimp curry, dhal, and broccoli (have to cook the broccoli)

Today, I am grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- Flowers in the garden
- A working computer (even if it is singing to me!)
- Being able to walk for 20 mins. without pain (remember when I couldn't walk for more than 8 mins. max?)

- Birdsong (even if the birds have already eaten some of my ripening plums!)

Today's joyful activity is spending the day at home without having to go to any appointments or run any errands!  LOL

Sunny Friday

Red Stemmed Celery

I picked the red stemmed celery, today.  I didn't cut or uproot the plant, but, picked most of the stems.  I washed them well, then chopped them up, leaves and all, and froze them.  I'll add them to soups and stews, etc., as needed (I can't eat raw celery; it causes gastric discomfort!).

Daughter texted me at 6:15 a.m. saying she's heading out on the drive down to Los Angeles, with her friends.  I didn't see her text until I woke up at 10:00 a.m. and I was surprised.  I hadn't expected her to leave so early!  So, I rushed to finish the housework I wanted to do before she arrived home.  I tidied the kitchen (why oh why does my "after cleaning" kitchen look like other people's "before cleaning" kitchens?), swept and mopped the kitchen floor (then, proceeded to spill things when I cooked, later), cleaned daughter's bathroom, and had Rebel the Robot vacuum my bedroom. 

The drive from Berkeley to Los Angeles usually takes about six hours, so I was expecting my daughter to arrive around 12:30 p.m. or 1:00 p.m.  I cooked the salmon fillet, cooked a pot of rice, and made a cucumber salad to have lunch ready when she came home.  

Daughter texted at 11:30 a.m. to say they had stopped for gas and her friend who was driving had to attend a work-related meeting, remotely, so they'll be a little late.  She didn't get home until almost 3:00 p.m.!

We had lunch after she came home and then, we relaxed and chatted a bit.  Later, she took a nap as she didn't get a lot of sleep, last night.  

M was here in the evening and I had him trim the bottle brush tree even more.  It will be easier to keep it pruned now, I think.  

In the evening, while daughter napped, I made patties with the ground beef and vegetable mixture I had cooked earlier.  I added a grated carrot to it and a mashed up boiled potato and added curry powder and chili powder; it made a nice filling for the pastry I made from scratch:

Patties Fresh Out of the Oven

We enjoyed the patties for dinner, with a little Sri Lankan chili sauce.  Ice cream for dessert!  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe ride home with her friends
- Having her home again for a week-long visit (although she will work remotely from home for two days, next week)
- M's help with the garden
- Getting the house cleaned and tidied
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity was hugging my daughter!  

Plans for Saturday include getting take out from our favorite Japanese restaurant for daughter's birthday dinner!  

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

Another Rainy Monday and a Meal Plan of Sorts

A Baker's Dozen of Banana/Blueberry/Cashews Muffins
(in dark blue paper muffin liners)

The day started out cloudy and rather grey; the rain started in the afternoon.  A light rain, but, the garden is getting watered!

On Sunday, I checked my freezer. organized it a little (the bottom bin and two of the five shelves), and updated the inventory.  Then, I took out a package of beef smore/curry, a package of moringa curry, a package containing two cooked mild Italian sausages, and a package of frozen blueberries for this week's meals.  

I had one banana that was getting a bit too ripe for my liking, so I made a batch of banana muffins with blueberries and cashews.  They will be good for breakfasts and snacks (and to share with M when he's here on Wednesday).  The beef curry and moringa curry will be good with rice for dinners and the sausages can be made into something to eat with pasta or with mashed potatoes.

Today, Monday, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a refill of Dancer's thyroid medication.  I asked myself if I wanted to get a doughnut from the store, next door, but, decided I didn't because I had muffins at home.  So, no doughnuts this time around!

After I came home, I had brunch (a slice of toast with the last of the tuna salad I had made over the weekend and two of my muffins), took the trash cans out to the curb, read and commented on a few blogs, cleaned Dancer's litter box, etc., and watched the news.

I also accepted the delivery of this box:

New Yarn!

I had made a few granny squares with some pink yarn leftover from a baby blanket I had crocheted, earlier; my daughter liked the colors and asked for a pink granny squares blanket for herself.  So, we ordered some yarn, on sale for $3.49 per 7 oz. skein) which was delivered, today!  Guess what I'll be doing in the coming days and weeks!

Dinner, tonight, was rice (with some frozen green peas added to it), beef curry, moringa curry, and peach chutney:

Monday Night's Dinner

Last week's meal plan worked out well, enough, although I didn't have the salmon dinner I had planned to have.  Here's this week's meal plan:

Brunches: Tuna salad and toast (Monday), banana-blueberry muffins, spicy sauteed garbanzo beans, milkrice and curry (Friday, March 1), pancakes or waffles, leftovers

Dinners: Rice, beef curry, moringa curry, peach chutney (Monday and Tuesday), sausages with pasta or mashed potatoes and vegetables, turkey casserole or pot pie, leftovers.

Once again, this meal plan is based on what I have on hand.  It might (or might not) change, if I do a grocery pick up this week.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Rain for the garden

- Dancer's medications

- The car started after not driving it for a week

- A safe drive to the pharmacy and back

- Phone calls, emails, and texts from family and friends

Today's joyful activity was crocheting.

How was your Monday?  Any special plans for Tuesday?

More Visiting and Love Cake on Saturday

Tabouleh, Salad Leaves, Tea, and Candy Compliments of Neighbor S

Today was daughter's last full day at home.  We slept in and spent a relaxed morning. Later, she helped me to put away the dishes we used for the almsgiving.  They go on the highest shelves in the kitchen cabinets and daughter didn't want me to climb up on the step stool to put them away. 

In the afternoon, neighbor S called to ask me if I could come over to help her pick a good spot in her garden to plant a fig tree and a pomegranate tree.  I said I'd be happy to and daughter and I went over a little later.  I knew that neighbor S and her family observe Christmas according to the Eastern Orthodox Church calendar and today, January 6, is their Christmas Day.  Besides, it was my first visit to see them for the New Year.  So, I took them a jar of my homemade peach jam and a small dish of watalappan (a Sri Lankan pudding made with coconut milk, jaggery, which is a type of palm sugar, eggs, spices such as cardamom, and cashews, steamed or, sometimes, baked).  S's mother L was also visiting for the day.  My daughter and I wore our masks and S and her mother wore masks, too, and we sat and visited for almost one hour.  Before we left, we selected the spots for the two trees S wants to plant in her front garden (the actual planting will take place on another day).   S sent us home with a plate of homemade tabouleh (she knows my daughter loves it), some chocolates, and tea (in the little pyramidal packages in the same bowl as the chocolates).

After we came home, my daughter ate some of the tabouleh for her brunch and I made some egg salad with some of the leftover hardboiled eggs from the almsgiving to have for my brunch.  

Today, we also made our favorite Sri Lankan cake which is called Love Cake.  It is a cake that is traditionally made by the Burghers in Sri Lanka - they are the descendants of the Portuguese and, especially the Dutch, who colonized parts of Sri Lanka.  I'm not Burgher, but, my maternal grandmother was, so I've learned to make many of their specialties.  The cake is made with semolina, cashews, eggs (my original recipe called for 18 eggs, but, we've since adjusted it to 12 eggs), butter, Sri Lankan pumpkin preserves (which is a type of squash), spices and essences.  I've posted the recipe in earlier blog posts and a couple of years ago, my daughter did a video of us making it.

Love Cake

My daughter will take some of it back with her and I will share the rest with a few friends and family members.

Dinner was baked salmon with tabouleh and baked mixed vegetables.  We had some of the love cake for dessert.

After dinner, daughter packed her suitcase and backpack.  She also made (painted) a thank you card to send to her aunt (my sister, who loves roses and teddy bears):

Thank You Card

I used the new robot vacuum cleaner to vacuum the dining area - I had to pull all the chairs out of the way first!  After dinner, I ran the dishwasher (and washed some other pots and the mixing bowls, etc., by hand).  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A lovely visit with neighbor S, her daughters, and her mother.
- Neighbor S giving us homemade tabouleh
- Making the traditional love cake with my daughter
- Phone chats with friends
- These past three weeks of having daughter at home

Today's joyful activities included visiting neighbor S and making the traditional love cake with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include taking daughter to the airport and taking some love cake to my friend R.

I am rather behind with my blog reading, but, I promise I will catch up after tomorrow!

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

Fun with Christmas Gifts

Baymax Santas?

 
My daughter made a set of round coasters based on the movie character Baymax, using punch needle embroidery.  She had glued on a felt backing to the coasters and had left them on the dining table for the glue to dry.  I saw them and decided to have a bit of fun with them, and placed them on my Santa place mats.

Baymax Variation

And Baymax in his armor:

Baymax in Armor

She gifted them to one of her friends as a Christmas gift, yesterday.  

I made a set of coasters, too, using pre-printed fabric I had in my stash, but, I haven't gifted them yet.  I don't think my friend checks my blog, but, just in case she (or her daughter) does, I won't post a picture of them, yet.  

Today, I took care of some bill paying in the morning (homeowner's and earthquake insurance), did the embroidery details on the coasters I made, and did several loads of laundry.  I've been experiencing some acid indigestion issues the past couple of days (too much of spicier than usual food, I think) so, I had some bread rolls with cold cuts for brunch and a baked potato for dinner.  Daughter had bread rolls with cold cuts for her brunch and leftovers (sausage, cauliflower, etc.), for her dinner. 

She also baked a batch of peanut butter cookies and a loaf of zucchini bread in preparation for a holiday dinner she's hosting on Thursday for a group of her friends from middle school and high school days.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Time spent with my daughter
- Being able to pay my bills
- Working appliances
- Cards from friends and family
- Antacid tablets!

Today's joyful activity was making Christmas gifts.

Plans for tomorrow include maybe going to the Sri Lankan store to buy some of my favorite tea if they have any, some ingredients for the semolina cake (Love Cake) that we make at this time of the year, and a few items for the almsgiving.  

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

A Third of the Way into December!

Cranberry Sauce Swirls
(sorry the picture is so dark)

First of all, how can we be one third of the way into December?!  Next thing you know, half the month will be gone!

Late last night, I decided to bake, partly because it was so cold in the house and I thought having the oven on for a bit would warm up the house a bit.  I had bought a packet of refrigerated puff pastry dough some time ago.  I was going to make curry puffs, but, it was too hot to bake at the time and so, the pastry stayed in the fridge all this time.  Yesterday, I rolled it out, spread the last big of cranberry sauce that was leftover from Thanksgiving over the rolled out dough, sprinkled a little more sugar and some pieces of pecan over the cranberry sauce, rolled up the dough, again, to form a sort of pastry Swiss roll, and sliced it, more or less evenly into nine slices.  I placed each slice in a muffin tray (lined the cups with pieces of parchment, and baked the pastry at 400F for 15 minutes.  They would be good with a little powdered/icing sugar glaze drizzled on them, but, I didn't need the extra sugar, so, I've been eating them as they are.  

I went to bed at 4:00 a.m. and woke up once at 7:30 a.m., then, again, at 10:00 a.m.  I turned off the porch lights, opened the drapes as there was bright sunshine, fed Dancer and Mama Cat, and then, I'm afraid, I went back to sleep!  I only woke up when Dancer came to see if there would be a second breakfast and my daughter called to check if I was feeling OK, since I had not replied to her morning text!  I really, really need to work on my sleep schedule!

Once I was up, I fed Dancer again, had a cup of tea, said my morning prayers, opened the windows to get some fresh air in (it was warmer outside than inside the house, where it was 60F), and walked for 15 minutes.  I also went to the side of the house to check on the back of the chimney to see if I could see any openings where an animal could have entered the attic space, but, other than some wasp nests under the eaves, I didn't notice anything.  I will ask M to knock down the wasp nests on one of his future visits - they all looked empty and old.  I haven't heard any noises up there since Thursday night, so, I hope whatever got in managed to get out, again!

Today, I washed the dust sheets on the family room sofas, dried them, and covered the sofas, again.  That was the only housework I did today!  Plus cleaning Dancer's litter box, of course.

Brunch, eaten around 4:00 p.m., was a slice of bacon, a scrambled egg, and a potato made into hash browns.  I had a glass of cranberry juice with it.  Later, I had two of the cranberry swirls.  I didn't feel very hungry for dinner, so I just had some crackers and some fruit.  There's soup if I want something else, later.

Although there was sunshine in the morning, it became rather cloudy in the afternoon and the afternoon high of 73F was very fleeting.  By around 7:00 p.m., I was feeling very cold.  I was dressed in a long sleeved knit top, a wool sweater, and another wool cardigan over that, a scarf, sweatpants, and two pairs of socks (a pair of regular socks and a pair of my knitted wool socks over that).  I suppose I could have worn a knit hat and my fingerless mittens, but, instead, I turned the heater on!  The thermostat was set at 70F.  Then, once the house warmed up to 70F (in the living room area; about 66F in the family room) and the heater went off, I turned it off.  My gas bill for the last billing period, from mid-October to mid-November, was $30.83.  According to the most recent bill tracker notification, received December 8, my current bill stands at $101.45 for the first 20 days of this billing period with 11 days remaining; they estimate my bill will be $150.15 (I love how they can estimate it to the penny!)  I'm currently budgeting $200 per month for gas, but, I can go above that if I need to. 

Former neighbor T called in the evening and I had a nice chat with her.  She said she's doing okay.

Today, I am grateful for:

- A relaxed day
- A working heater and other appliances
- Warm clothes
- Phone calls and emails from friends and former neighbors
- Internet services

Today's joyful activity was playing some games online.  My Advent calendar has a peg solitaire game that I am trying to play.  I might have to resort to online tutorials in order to play this game!

Plans for tomorrow include picking up Dancer's prescription (and maybe a visit to the doughnut shop?) and doing a meal plan.  Also, start doing a little deep cleaning before decorating for Christmas.  

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for the coming week?

Sunny Wednesday

We've had a sunny day, today, with an afternoon high of 81F.  Tomorrow's high will be at least 10 degrees below that!

M was here this morning with a package of spicy cheese for my daughter to try and a scented geranium plant for my garden - it had outgrown its spot in the garden of one of his other clients who had asked him to remove it and he had asked me if I'd like to have it and I said yes!  I'm always happy to get free plants!

In the afternoon, I made the cranberry sauce for tomorrow's dinner and, later in the evening, I baked a double batch of sweet cornbread and cooked the green beans, as well.  Tomorrow, I will roast the turkey, make the gravy, boil and mash the potatoes, bake the dinner rolls, and reheat the patties to be served as a snack.  Daughter will bake the butternut squash and mix up the salad.  

I also did two loads of laundry, today, and daughter tidied up the place.

Late friend A's two daughters will arrive early in the evening, tomorrow, to spend some extra time visiting with my daughter.  Their father has to work until 5:00 p.m. and will come over afterwards.  I am planning to serve dinner around 6:30 p.m. so there will be plenty of time to roast the turkey and set the table, etc., tomorrow.

I warmed up a packet of beef smore that I had cooked and frozen earlier in the year for our lunch, today, along with leftovers (rice, green beans, garbanzo beans) and daughter had more of the leftovers for dinner while I had a roast beef sandwich.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- M's help with the garden and free plants for the garden
- Leftovers and freezer meals
- Daughter's help with the preparations for tomorrow's gathering
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity included picking more ripe cherry tomatoes from the garden!

Plans for tomorrow include getting ready for the Thanksgiving meal.

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

To all my blogging friends who are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, may you have a wonderful day with family, friends, and loved ones.  Safe travels to those who will be traveling.

Someday My Bread Will Rise

No Knead Bread!

I made another batch of no knead bread, today.  This time, I used yeast that was only one year out of date (expired May 2022)!  I proofed it as the recipe called for and it worked very well, getting nice and foamy.  I weighed out my flour and mixed up the dough and it rose well, it being a warm day.  Then, I divided the dough between a loaf pan and a round casserole dish as usual, covered the dishes with cling wrap, and kept for a second rise.  Again, the dough rose quite well, but, it touched the cling wrap.  So that, when I went to take the cling wrap off, air bubbles burst and the dough deflated a bit.  Oops!  I kept it to rise a bit more without the cling wrap, but, it didn't work that well.  Anyway, I baked it and it turned out well enough:

The Round Loaf

It's crusty and the bread itself is tasty and not too dense.  As I told my daughter, the best thing about it is, I know exactly what went into it - all purpose flour, expired yeast, water, salt, two teaspoons of sugar, and the butter I used to grease the pans!  

I had the piece I cut off with chicken curry for my dinner, today.  Brunch had been the leftover piece of French toast from yesterday.   

It has been a very relaxed Tuesday.  I went to bed at 5:00 a.m. woke up once around 8:30 a.m. to feed Dancer, and woke up for the second time at 10:00 a.m.  I brought in the emptied trash bin and it was already quite warm outside (about 85F/29C).  We eventually went up to the 92F/33C, today.  I replied to blog comments, visited other blogs, checked the new grocery ads that came in the mail today, did a few things around the house, and baked bread.

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter and while we were chatting, she noticed that there was smoke coming out from the side of her laptop, where the charging cord was plugged in!  The same thing happened to me, with one of my old laptops, I remember!  She quickly unplugged her computer and turned it off!  She will be shopping for a new computer, this week, either after work, tomorrow, or on Friday, when she has a day off from work!  We are very grateful that the computer didn't start smoking when it was plugged in to charge overnight!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- My daughter noticed her laptop was smoking before it actually caught fire or something bad happened!
- We were able to video chat before the computer started smoking!
- The expired yeast still worked!
- Homemade bread (even if it is a bit on the flat side!)
- Working appliances 

Today's joyful activity was making bread!  I still can't make a proper loaf of kneaded bread and my no knead bread doesn't rise as much as I'd like it to, but, I am enjoying trying to make bread from scratch!  

Do you make your own bread?  If so, do you make kneaded bread or do you make no-knead bread?

Starting August

The Squash Seedlings: Eenie, Meenie, and Minie

Remember those really old (packaged for the 2010 growing season) seed packets I had and "decluttered" by planting the seeds to see what might happen?  There was a packet of butternut squash, a packet of some mixed pumpkins, and a packet of zucchini (well, of course!) along with several packets of tomato seeds, and although M mentioned what was planted where, we didn't bother to make any markers.  We really didn't expect anything to grow, but, we have three squash seedlings (and, possibly, some tomato seedlings, too, in a different area of the planting bed!)  We don't know what kind of squash seedling these are, but, if they survive the heat and grow big enough to bear fruit, we might find out!  

On Tuesday, it being the first of the month, I made milkrice and did my usual offering of milk rice, fresh flowers, and incense at the altar.  Afterwards, I had milkrice and chicken curry for brunch.  I didn't make seeni sambol, this time.  I did a load of laundry, too, and watered the back garden in the evening and picked a few more ripe tomatoes.  Dinner was leftover pizza that neighbor S had given me on Monday. Much later in the evening, when it had cooled down a little bit, I baked a pan of brownies, using a mix I had bought earlier.  

Today, Wednesday, I took Dancer for his appointment at the vet's.  It was considered a visit with the technicians, although the vet was there for a consultation if needed.  Dancer received his injection for arthritis - this is his third injection and I must say I've seen some improvement after his second dose.  He has been jumping up onto furniture instead of pulling himself up by his front paws.  He even run around the house a few times and tried to leap from the coffee table to the sofa (although he misjudged the distance and fell off the edge of the sofa!)  I think the injections are helpful.  They also did a blood test to see if the new dosage is helping his thyroid issues.  The vet will call me with the results once she receives them.  In the meantime, Dancer was very vocal about his displeasure at being put into his carrier and taken to the clinic and being subjected to being handled by strangers.  He has spent the majority of the rest of the day hiding under my bed, emerging only to ask for his favorite pate, from time to time!

Gardener friend M was here this morning and he enjoyed a couple of pieces of the brownies and watered the garden, both front and back.

I relaxed in the afternoon, read a few blogs, watched a couple of online videos, played a few online games, and watched the news.  I watch several different news channels, all of which broadcast in English, including one from Japan, one from Germany, one from France, and one from Britain, before I watch one of the American news channels.  Yes, I'm a news junkie!  I find it interesting to see what global news each network decides to cover.

After that, around 7:00 p.m. I took some brownies, tomatoes, chilies, and sprigs of curry leaves to my friend R and she gave me two packets of mustard seeds she had bought for me from one of the ethnic stores (so much cheaper at the ethnic stores than at the regular supermarket).  It was a curbside visit and I wore a mask.  

It was nice and cool when I came home and I decided to walk for 15 minutes, which I did.  I have not walked much since I hurt my toe, earlier, when the jar of honey fell on it.  It's been over a month, but, my toe still has a black crescent shape at the base of the nail!  

Brunch had been leftover milkrice with chicken curry and seeni sambol from a jar.  Then, I had bread and cheese with my evening cup of tea, around 5:30 p.m.  Dinner was a big bowl of salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrot, and mandarin segments) with bottled dressing (raspberry pecan).  I haven't had dessert, yet, but, I'm looking forward to a piece of brownie!

I am grateful for:

- Starting a new month (each new month is a new beginning, isn't it?)
- Vet services for Dancer
- M's help with the garden
- A visit with friend R and her buying me mustard seeds
- Squash seedlings!

Today's joyful activity was visiting friend R.

According to the weather forecast, tomorrow's high of 84F might be a record low for August 3!  I think it would be a good day to make a last batch of tomato chutney and maybe even get some housework done, if I have the energy!

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