Labor Day Weekend

 

At the Park: Waiting for the Play to Start

On Saturday, I got up at 8:00 a.m. (after going to bed around 4:00 a.m.) to feed the chickens.  I thought I'd go back to sleep for another couple of hours, but, then, I noticed that M had left behind a shovel and a rake on Friday evening, so I texted him to let him know that they were here.  He said he'll swing by to pick them up, so I didn't go back to sleep.  Instead, I stayed up so I could unlock the gate for M (he used to have a key to my gate, but, he lost the key and I haven't made another key to give him, yet).

While I waited for M, I juiced the rest of the calamondin fruit I had picked, earlier - I juice them by hand because they are too small to be juiced with the juicer.  I also put some eggs to boil to make egg salad sandwiches for later in the evening.  And I put away a load of laundry.

M arrived around 11:00 a.m. and collected his tools.  I offered him a piece of the chocolate cake I had made on Friday night and he enjoyed that before he left.

Later in the evening, I made egg salad sandwiches and calamondin-ade (like lemonade, but, made with calamondin juice) and packed a picnic meal to take with us to the park.  My late friend A's daughters had invited us to attend "Shakespeare in the Park" with them, which is something we had done when A had been alive.  A group of actors and performers team up with the City's Recreation and Parks Department, every summer, to perform Shakespeare plays at an outdoor venue in Griffith Park, which is one of the largest municipal parks in the US (4,300+ acres and includes the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign, the Los Angeles Zoo, etc.)  The performances are free of charge and people bring blankets and chairs and picnic meals to enjoy. 

My late friend A's younger daughter (also named A, whose bridal shower we attended in mid-August) gave us a ride there and back.  She dropped us off as close to the venue as she could and then, went to park the car and meet up with her sister C, who had driven herself separately.  There was a bit of a walk up hill, including three flights of stairs, to where the play was to be performed, but, I managed it.  

Saturday's performance was A Comedy of Errors and we enjoyed the performance.  C had brought a charcuterie board, popcorn, and cans of flavored sparkling water to share and we enjoyed some of that with the sandwiches and calamondinade I had brought.

We left the venue just before the play ended, in order to make it back to the car park before the rest of the audience left and the path down (and the three flights of stairs) got too crowded.  

After we came home, daughter and I relaxed while the last load of laundry dried.  I really enjoyed Saturday's outing and Shakespeare in the Park performance.

On Sunday, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to the sound of rain!  How wonderful!  It rarely rains before October over here, but, this time, it rained practically all day!  Light rain for the most part, but, we received about one inch of rain, which is quite a lot for us; the garden got a thorough soaking!

Daughter woke up early and tended to the chickens around 7:30 a.m. and I slept in.  After I woke up, I made a bread pudding to take to my cousin's house.  Cousin V was hosting a Rosary prayer gathering in memory of our cousin P who passed away seven days ago, and a lunch.  I had asked her if she wanted me to bring anything and she asked me to bring a dessert if I could.  I know that V likes my bread pudding, so, I made one.  She was so happy when she saw that I had made a bread pudding.  She said she didn't want to ask me to make one, but, was hoping that I would!  LOL.  Cousin P's daughter S who is in Florida and Cousin R who is currently in Scotland joined us over the phone and an app during the prayers.  

Afterwards, S thanked everyone for praying for her mother and told us that, since her mother had loved to dance and we were all there together, to  dance in her memory.  So, all of us got up and did a line dance in Cousin P's honor and had a good laugh because the majority of us didn't know the right sequence of steps and at least some of us, including me, were a bit off the beat!  

Then, we had the delicious lunch that Cousin V had prepared - savory rice, beef curry, sauteed chicken, spicy shrimp, sauteed green beans, dhal, spicy sauteed potatoes, and a salad of cucumber, tomato, onions, and beets.  Others had brought desserts, too, so, in addition to the bread pudding, there was flan, jello in custard, fresh fruit, and yogurt.

Cousin V asked us to stay to dinner, saying she was going to make hoppers, but, we declined as we wanted to get home before it got too dark to tend to the chickens.  But, I told her that I'd love to have some of the hopper batter, so she poured some into a container for me to bring home.  It was still raining when we left and some of the roads and intersections were flooded, and the tire pressure light came on when I started the car, but, we made it home safely.  

Daughter let the chickens out, but, they decided that they didn't like being out in the rain and went back to their enclosure almost immediately.  I picked a few more calamondin to juice and made us some tea. 

Later, I made us hoppers for dinner.  The Sinhala word for them is Appa; the Tamil word is Appam.  They are called hoppers in English.  Hoppers are like bowl-shaped pancakes with crispy edges and a soft spongy center.  The batter is a mixture of fermented rice flour and coconut milk, which gives the hoppers a slightly sour taste.  They are made in small wok-shaped pans which give them the bowl shapes. We ate them with chicken curry and lunu miris (sambol).  

A Hopper (Appa)

We had chocolate cake for dessert.

Plans for Monday (Labor Day) include taking the car to a nearby tire place (if they are open on Labor Day, it being a holiday) to have the tire checked and repaired if there is a puncture.  We also have an appointment to pick up two cat traps to trap the kittens so we can get them fixed.  Hopefully, the tire can be fixed so I can drive to collect the traps.  If not, we'll have to reschedule that.

This Labor Day weekend, I am grateful for:

- Being able to attend a Shakespeare in the Park performance of A Comedy of Errors
- Being given a ride to the performance and back
- Being able to attend the prayer gathering in memory of Cousin P at Cousin V's
- Spending time with family and friends, sharing food and laughter
- A safe drive home in the rain with the low tire pressure light on

Joyful activities this weekend included spending time with family and friends.

How is your Labor Day weekend?  Are you planning anything special for Labor Day Monday?

August Week 4 Review

 

Partial Eclipse of the Moon 8/27/26
(cell phone photo by daughter)

The last week of August was another hot week, with temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s, often with a "feels like" temperatures about 8 to 10 degrees higher.  As much as I like warm temperatures, on some days, it got a bit too hot for even me!

Monday, August 24:  I woke up at 8:00 a.m. and tended to the chickens, wetting down sections of the outer enclosure with water to provide them with damp soil to help them cool down.  Daughter has been placing bottles of frozen water in the coop and enclosure, too, so they could sit close to them to cool off and their water container has bottles of frozen water to cool their drinking water, too.  

I tooked the second tray of pork chops and a chicken curry, a pot of fresh rice, and made a cucumber salad.  Later in the evening, daughter helped me to take the trash bins to the curb and we let the chickens out of the enclosure and they enjoyed walking around the area immediately in front of the enclosure.  They seem to love the gazania plants, which is funny because everything we've read online states that chickens generally don't like the taste of gazanias!  It's not toxic to them, but, apparently they don't like the taste.  Obviously, no one told our chickens that!

Feasting on the Gazania Plants

Tuesday, August 25:  I woke up at 8:00 a.m. to tend to the chickens and then, watered the backyard, a few of the plants, including the pomegranate tree, in the frontyard, and brought in the emptied trash bins.  I also picked a few of the pomegranates as the birds have found and started pecking at the biggest and ripest of them!  I did a load of laundry and spent some time sewing more hexagons to my quilt top.

Wednesday, August 26:  M was here to tend to the garden in the afternoon.  He brought us a jar of pesto and a container of almonds that were seasoned with herbes de Provence that another client had given him, which he didn't want.  Daughter and I were happy to receive them.  M enjoyed a piece of the bread pudding I had made on Saturday.

In the evening, I had the pleasure of getting the hens into the coop for the night.  Usually daughter puts them in for the night, but, she will be leaving for an in-person office meeting in a few weeks and she wanted to reassure herself that I could manage to get them in the coop by myself when she's away.  Also, once the time change takes place this Fall (if it takes place), then, she'll still be working when it gets dark and getting the chickens ready for the night will become my responsibility.  So, I got to get the hens in the smaller, inner coop (which has been made more predator proof with hardware fabric all around).

Thursday, August 27:   On Thursday morning, Henny Penny managed to get out of the enclosure when I went to feed them.  She dashed past me before I could shut the door because she had seen a scarab beetle!  She managed to catch it and I left her to enjoy it while I went into the shed to get the chicken feed.  When I came out of the shed, just a couple of minutes later, Henny Penny was eating some of the gazania leaves and both Fluffy and Mochi were eyeing her!  They both retreated when I got closer and I got Henny Penny back in the enclosure without any problem.  

On Thursday night, my daughter and I watched the partial eclipse of the moon, which reached peak coverage around 9:00 p.m.  Daughter took a picture of it with her cell phone.

Friday, August 28:  Daughter had the day off from work.  It was another very hot day and in the afternoon, she put the a/c on in the bedroom and started cutting out a sari blouse for herself.  She downloaded a free pattern from the internet, printed out the pattern, and cut the blouse pieces using some fabric we had in the fabric stash.  I read, did some paperwork, and ordered some groceries to be delivered on Saturday.

In the evening, M arrived to tend to the garden.  I was seated in one of the garden chairs watching over the hens while daughter went into the house to drink the cup of tea I had made for her, when, Niwatori decided she wanted to perch on me for the first time!  I fully expected her to hop onto my lap, but, no, she flew up onto my head!  I wasn't expecting that!  Those claws are sharp!  I asked M to call daughter and she came and got Niwatori off my head!  Then, she sat down in the other garden chair with Niwatori perched on her shoulder and Henny Penny decided to perch on daughter's head!  These hens are too funny!  

Saturday, August 29:  My groceries were delivered in the morning and I posted about that.  Later, since I still had almost $50 left in my August grocery budget, I ordered coffee from the other grocery store, to be delivered on Sunday.

In the afternoon, we put the a/c on in the bedroom and daughter continued to sew on her sari blouse while I took a long nap!

I wore a straw hat when I went to watch the chickens in the evening, to protect my scalp from sharp claws in case a hen decided to perch on my head, again.  But, this time, Niwatori decided to aim for my shoulder, except the wide brim of my hat confused her and she landed on my upper arm, instead!  She was trying to find a foothold and left a few scratches on my arm before daughter managed to get her off my arm!  I need to wear long sleeved tops if these hens decide to use me as a perch!

Sunday, August 30:  The five packets of coffee beans were delivered in the morning and I wrote all the best by dates on the packages and the canned foods in big numbers and daughter put them up in the pantry cabinet.  I did some paperwork (still need to file) and daughter did a load of laundry.  In the evening, when we went to tend to the chickens, I wore a long sleeved hoodie, but, of course, the chickens didn't want to perch on me now that I was somewhat protected from their sharp claws!  LOL.  

Monday, August 31:  Earlier in the week, my cousin P's daughter had texted me to inform me that P's health had declined quite a bit and she was in hospice care in Florida, where they had both moved to almost 5 years ago.  Midweek, both my daughter and I recorded messages which P's daughter played back to P.  Although P could no longer talk, she could hear and her daughter said that P blinked her eyes when she heard our messages.  On Monday morning, P's daughter called me with the sad news that P had passed away earlier in the morning.  Even though I had been expecting the news, it was still sad to hear.  Rest in peace, Cousin.

I had a dental appointment in the afternoon and daughter took the afternoon off from work to accompany me. Two temporary crowns were fitted, one on either side of my mouth (upper left and lower right).  The procedure took almost two hours and I have a follow-up appointment in September to have the permanent crowns fitted and work done on another tooth!  

Cousin V had called while I was at the dentist's office, so I called her back after I came home and we chatted for a long time.  V's father, P's mother, and my mother were siblings.  But, V and cousin P were doubly related; V's father and P's mother were siblings and V's mother and P's father were also siblings.  So they were very close throughout their lives.  

I rested a bit in the evening and then, sat in the garden watching over the chickens while daughter cleaned the coop; then we both watched over the chickens as they explored more of the garden and made sure they kept a safe distance from the garden cats!  

August Decluttering:  Recent decluttering included brochures and magazines, a couple of items of clothing, storage containers and jars, and dried up pens.  I went over my minimum goal of decluttering at least 31 items, but, fell far short of the bigger goal of decluttering 100 items.  But, I am pleased with what I did declutter.

Well, August did bring some changes with it, once again.  Some were good, some were sad, some were intentional, some were unintended.  But, I am grateful for all the many blessings I've experienced this month.

How was your August?

This Week

Blueberry Flowers

This week, we've had unusually warm weather, with the temperatures in the 90s, with Tuesday's high being 99F in my area.  That's like summer and of course, both daughter and I loved it.  We don't have central air conditioning and the one window unit that we install in one bedroom has not been put up yet (I usually don't get M to put it up before July).  But we have fans if we need them.  

On Monday, there was a helicopter circling around my neighborhood for several hours and I wondered what was going on.  My first thought was an accident or a fire, especially when I heard some sirens in the background.  But, the helicopter kept circling long after the sound of the sirens faded away.  When daughter went out into the back yard to water the garden after work, a little after 5:30 p.m., she could hear the helicopter megaphone saying something, but, she couldn't quite catch what was being said.  Then, the helicopter flew right over the house and she heard them say, "You need to go back into the house"!  She turned the water off immediately and ran inside and closed all the doors and windows we had kept open!  Maybe there had been an armed robbery or something and they were searching for someone.  That's happened before in my neighborhood and one time, the police were going from house to house, checking the gardens for someone who had killed the owner of a neighborhood restaurant just three blocks from my house.  On that occasion, I had not seen the police officers until I went outside to take my trash cans to the curb and I was told to go inside!  Later in the evening on Monday, the helicopter went away and daughter was able to finish putting water to the garden and take the trash cans out.  We haven't found out what happened to cause the helicopter to circle overhead.

We had peanut butter and bananas for breakfast and I made egg salad sandwiches for lunch; we had more egg salad sandwiches for dinner, too.  I added green Serrano chilies and chives from the garden to the egg salad and it turned out well.  For dessert, I made thin pancakes filled with  grated coconut that had been sweetened with palmyra palm treacle and cinnamon and cooked to make what we call "pani pol" (pani = honey, treacle; pol = coconut).  

On Tuesday, I woke up around 8:00 a.m., which, most of you know is early for me, having gone to bed around 4:00 a.m.  I stayed in bed for a bit, but, I couldn't fall asleep again, so, I got up at 8:30 a.m.  My back was hurting badly enough for me to take a couple of Tylenols which helped.  I did some paperwork, checked the week's grocery ads, and did a little sewing on the quilt top I am piecing.  In the evening, I took a 3 hour nap on the sofa!

I made fried rice for brunch and for dinner, I cooked some fresh rice to have with the chicken and kale daughter had cooked, earlier.

On Wednesday, M tended to the garden and I spent a good part of the day doing the blog post about the stonery!  One of my cousins (Cousin M) is visiting from Australia and she is staying with one of our other cousins (Cousin V) during her stay here.  She called me in the evening and we made arrangements to meet for dinner at cousin V's on Friday evening.

I had leftover fried rice for brunch (daughter had a banana with peanut butter) and we had rice, chicken with kale, and a cucumber salad for dinner.  I had made some faluda with homemade rose syrup instead of tea in the evening and I froze some of it to have as a frozen dessert.  

On Thursday, we had another helicopter circling around my neighborhood in the morning!  This time it was above the intersection at one end of my street.  And this time, both my daughter and I heard the megaphone telling someone to come out of the house with their hands in the air!  Oh, my!  My daughter immediately closed the doors and windows, just to be on the safe side!  

I had my appointment with my tax preparer in the afternoon,  It was supposed to have been a two-hour time slot, but, it actually took us three hours to finish the taxes and I owed taxes after all that!  But, at least, that task is done!

I cooked a boxed mix of macaroni and cheese for a late lunch and I had it with some of the leftover ground beef mixture I had cooked earlier and daughter had her portion with canned tuna and chili sauce stirred into it.  Later, I baked a frozen beef pot pie for dinner; daughter didn't want one and she had a granola bar, instead.

Later in the night, daughter helped me order some items for my quarterly stock up of household items.  Depending on what I am stocking up, I usually buy a 3-6 months supply of things like toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, etc.  My regular stocking up schedule got set aside for a bit when daughter came home last August, bringing all her non-food pantry supplies with her (she was not allowed to pack any food items in the boxes according to the moving company's regulations).  But, it's been over seven months since she came home and it's time to get back to restocking certain items.  For one thing, I do not want to wait until I run out of various items we use all the time and for another, I would prefer to stock up now, before supplies go down and prices go up, due to global events.  I'm not panic buying, but, I am being prepared.  

On Friday, the first of the stock up items I ordered were delivered: OTC pain medications because I am running low on what we have currently, allergy meds to replace the ones that had expired, the new supplement my doctor had prescribed to replace the one I am currently taking, daughter's prescribed supplements, more of the shampoo and conditioner that daughter uses, and a twin pack of solid deodorant as I am coming to the end of the one I am using and that was the last one in my stock!  I put away all the items except daughter's shampoo and hair conditioner which I left for her to put in the cabinet under her bathroom sink.

Friday evening, we were going to dinner with my cousins.  At first, I was planning to buy a cake or some pastries from the bakery as I didn't want to put the oven on to bake anything at home, but, although it was in the mid 90s, it was a little cooler in the house and I had all the ingredients I needed to make my "family favorite" bread pudding.  So, that's what I did, reusing a foil pie pan I had washed and kept.  That way, I didn't have to worry about collecting the dish from my cousin, afterwards and I could claim I had decluttered one item from my kitchen cabinets!  LOL.  I also tidied up one shelf in the kitchen cabinet and was able to move things around a bit to make room for one small kitchen appliance in there that had been stored elsewhere.

M arrived to tend to the garden just before we had to leave, so he watered the garden and locked the gate behind him when he left.  

It was lovely to see cousin M again (she last visited about two years ago) and to spend some time with her and cousin V.  

We had leftover mac and cheese for brunch and rice and curries for dinner at cousin V's.

On Saturday, it was about 10 degrees cooler and our daytime high was in the mid-80s.  Daughter picked some sugarsnap peas from the garden and shared them with me.  She continued to sew her dress, learning how to cut bias bindings and sew a facing to a neckline, how to sew darts in order to tailor the garment to fit her measurements, etc.  

I cooked fried diced potatoes, scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon for brunch.  For dinner, I cooked rice and a chicken curry, which we had with kale mallung I had prepared earlier.  

This week, I have been grateful for:

- The lovely warm weather
- Being able to vist my cousins

- M's help with the garden
- Fans and the electricity to run the fans
- Water for the garden

This week's joyful activities have included visiting my cousins, sewing, and spending time in the garden.

How was your week?

This Weekend

 

Radish Harvest

This weekend went by quickly.

On Saturday, daughter harvested her radishes; they weren't very big, but, she didn't want them to bolt, so picked them all.  She also picked quite a few leaves from her arugala, kale, and mizuna plants. Then, she did some meal prep and cooking:

Radish, Apple, and Cucumber Pickles
with Japanese Pickling Spices (Salty)

Lemon & Pepper Cucumber Salad (Salt-Free) 

Salad Add-Ins:
(Cucumber and Radish for her;
Plain Cucumber for me since I don't much
care for radishes) 

Sauteed Radish Leaves

Stir-fried Mixed Greens

Sauteed Curried Green Beans
(Bonchi Thel Dala)

Steamed Broccoli

On Saturday afternoon, daughter's friend A came over for another cooking lesson; this time, to learn how to make chicken curry.  Daughter didn't take a picture of that, because she gave her friend part of the chicken curry to take home to share with her father and sister.  

I spent the afternoon knitting and relaxing while the girls chatted and cooked.  My friend R had planned to come over on Saturday afternoon to pick up her package, but, she texted me in the morning to say she couldn't make it.  I also chatted with cousin V, who is recovering from her shoulder surgery.

Earlier in the week, daughter and I had talked about maybe making some no-knead bread over the weekend, provided the yeat I had was still working (according to the packets, they expired in 2022!).  So, on Saturday evening, we proofed the yeast (the first packet seemed a bit reluctant to activate, but, the second packet was fine; we put both packets of yeast to the bread dough) and made ourselves a lovely loaf of no-knead bread, flavored with fresh rosemary leaves from the garden:

Rosemary No-knead Bread

No-knead Bread

I didn'tt have a Dutch oven so I baked the bread in an oven-proof glass bowl, with a pan of water on the lower shelf of the oven to create steam for a crusty loaf.  But, before the day was over, my daughter had ordered us a Dutch oven!  I think we will be making more bread in the near future!

Cooling on a Wire Rack

The aroma of the freshly baked bread was too tempting and we barely gave it any time to cool before we cut into it! 

Warm Crusty Bread

We had warm bread with butter fpr our dinner, with some chicken curry.  It was delicious.  

That was a busy Saturday, as, in addition to all the cooking and baking, daughter did a load of laundry, as well, and decided to start on a knitting project of her own!

On Sunday, I ordered and picked up some groceries.  This post is long enough, so I'll do a separate grocery shopping post.

In the evening, I called cousin N and spoke with Aunt C.  

Brunch had been some of the no-knead bread with the last of the lentil curry.  Bread and dhal is comfort food for me.  For dinner, I reheated the chicken and vegetables soup and added more spices and herbs to add more flavor to it and that worked!  We had soup with the last of the no-knead bread and that was another delicious meal.  

Bread Pudding

For dessert, I made a bread pudding, to use up a bag of bread ends/heels that I had accumulated.  Sometimes, I make croutons with the bread heels, sometimes, I make bread crumbs with them.  But, every so often, I make a bread pudding and it seemed like the ideal dessert for Sunday, after a weekend of cooking and baking.

This weekend, I am grateful for:

- Fresh produce from the garden
- Daughter doing this week's meal prep and cooking
- Daughter teaching her friend how to cook chicken curry

- Homemade bread
- Working appliances

The weekemd's joyful activities included baking with my daughter, chatting with family and friends, and knitting.

Plans for Monday include doing some household laundry (bed sheets, etc.), some housework (dusting/cleaning, etc.), watering the garden, and taking the trash bins to the curb for pick up on Tuesday.  

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

A Long Weekend

 

Irises

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

We've enjoyed a long weekend with Monday being a holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

On Saturday afternoon, one of daughter's friends came over for a cooking lesson!  Daughter is showing her how to make Sri Lankan food.  They made a dhal curry with red lentils and a mallung with kale (a mallung is shredded greens sauteed with grated coconut, onions, green chillies, turmeric, etc.)  They had fun and, afterwards, daughter kept a portion of what they cooked for us and gave the rest to her friend to take home to share with her father and sister.  They are planning to make chicken curry, next weekend!

On Sunday, daughter and I visited my cousin V and her family.   V was recovering from surgery on her right shoulder.  I prepared a chicken curry for her and also took some cashew curry and moringa curry I had cooked and frozen earlier.  One of V's sisters-in-law had made a big pan of chicken biryani for her, so, at V's urging, daughter and I enjoyed some of it for lunch.

After we came home, I phoned Aunt C baked another batch of no salt added blueberry muffins:

Blueberry Muffins

We enjoyed some of them with our evening tea.

Dinner was chicken fried rice:

Chicken Fried Rice

On Monday, friend R visited in the afternoon.  She brought us Christmas gifts and collected several of her packages that had been delivered to my address.  At 11:00 a.m. on Monday, R texted me to notify me that another package she had been expecting to be delivered on Tuesday was being delivered on Monday, instead, and that it would require a signature.  However, a short time later, I discovered a notice on my door from a different delivery service than the one R had said were delivering her package, stating that they had tried to deliver a package but no one was at home!  Apparently, they had tried to deliver it before R had told me to expect a delivery and if they had knocked on the door, I had not heard it.  It upset me a little and I felt as if I was at fault, even though I know that it wasn't. 

Anyway, R called them and they are going to redeliver it today, but, R didn't know at what time.  I woke up at 7:00 a.m., which is early for me (especially after going to bed after 3:00 a.m.) in order to be ready to accept the delivery.  They just delivered it (at 11:00 a.m.)

On Monday evening, after R left, I cooked the pork roast that I had bought on Friday.  Daughter cut the roast in half for me and further cut one of the halves into 8 pork chops and cubed the rest.  I roasted the one half, froze the chops in two packages of four chops each, and made a curry with the cubed pieces.  

Breakfast had been a scrambled egg on toast for me (daughter made herself a sandwich with fried eggs and the last bagel).  We had blueberry muffins with tea when R visited (and we gave R some of the muffins to take home).  Dinner was rice, pork curry, dhal, the last of the kale mallung, and tomato chutney:

Monday Dinner

On Monday afternoon, before R visited, daughter and I spent a little time in the garden, watering the plants, feeding the compost bin, and just checking things out.  Later, daughter took the trash cans to the curb for me.  Later, I texted with cousin N.

Also on Monday, I finished knitting the back of daughter's sweater:

Daughter's Sweater - Back

It's the same wool I used for my sweater, but, a different color, called "Aran".  I'll start the front, today.  She wants the same design, but, just a little longer than my sweater.  

Today, Tuesday, is another sunny and warm day.  I woke up early, as mentioned above, brought the emptied trash cans in, accepted R's package, and tidied the living room a little bit.  I will knit and do some quiet activities today as daughter is having a migraine and is resting (she took a day off from work).  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A lovely long weekend with plenty of social interactions
- Pleasant weather (sunny days, warm temperatures)
- Being able to accept the delivery of a package for R
- Weekly trash collection services
- Daughter is able to take time off from work when needed

Today's joyful activity will be knitting.  

More Irises

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

After the Rain

 

Rain Drenched Flowers

On Saturday, the rain stopped and we had clear blue skies and sunshine!  

Daughter's Raised Beds

All the plants thrived in the rain. We've been picking some of the baby kale, arugula, and the leaves of the Japanese herbs to add to salads.

And the volunteer tomato plants are flowering!

Tomato Flowers

I hope we have a warm enough January and February for the tomato plants to survive!

On Saturday, I made a small batch of blueberry jam with homegrown blueberries I had frozen.  I used 4 oz. quarter pint canning jars instead of my usual 8 oz. half pint jars.  The jars of jam are for gift giving.  Then, I wrapped a few gifts, ready for giving.

In the late afternoon, we visited cousin V.  We had tea with her and her husband and exchanged gifts with her.  I also took additional gifts for her to distribute to members of her family that I will not be seeing until after the holiday season.  

As we left V's house, we could smell natural gas outside and we were concerned.  V called the gas company and she was told that there was a gas leak in a different city and the wind directions were such that the gas could be smelled in V's area!  Apparently, many people in V's area had called the gas company about the gas smell.  Later, V sent me a news video about it and how a major freeway was closed.  V's husband has family living in the city experiencing the gas leak and they had spent Christmas Day with them!  Residents were being told to shelter in place.

Daughter and I spent a relaxed evening after we came home.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- All the rain for the garden
- The garden plants are thriving

- Visiting with my cousin
- A safe drive there and back

- A relaxed evening at home

Saturday's joyful activity was visiting my cousin.

Plans for Sunday include wrapping more gifts and sewing two table runners.  

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

On Christmas Day and Day After

 

Christmas Lunch

On Christmas day, the rain paused for a period of time.  Late friend A's younger daughter called my daughter around 9:00 a.m., asking if we could make it to Christmas lunch, after all.  Daughter asked me and I said, "Yes".  It was supposed to rain later in the afternoon, but, we were hoping we could manage to make it there and back before it resumed raining.  However, just in case it rained hard and the roads flooded, I decided we could spend the night at their house and put a change of clothes in the car ( I've decided to leave it in the car along with the sleeping bag that I've kept in the car since the January fires, in case we need to evacuate in an emergency) 

There was no rain on the way to our friends' house, but, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, it just poured!  Hard, heavy rain, that sounded almost like hail as it fell on the car.  Two minutes later, the rain stopped!  I guess we had a cloud burst of sorts.  It rained on and off while we were at our friend's house, but, we left when it was just a ight rain and that stopped just before we reached home.

Our friends had prepared a feast for Christmas lunch: Ham and gravy, corned beef brisket, chicken curry, vegetable rice, cheesy mashed potatoes, salad, bread rolls, and Christmas cake, pumpkin pie, and ice cream for dessert.  

While we were there, my friend S called to say that her husband and daughter were on their way to my house to drop off something for me and that usually means food.  I told her that we were not at home.  But, apparently, they were making a drop off at friend R's too, so they said they'll leave my parcel with friend R, if I could pick it up from her place.  Then friend R called to tell me that friend S's daughter had called her saying I was not at home!  I confirmed that I was not at home and I will stop by to pick up my package on my way home.  Which I did and I handed over a package that had arrived for R just as we were leaving the house and which I had with me in the car.  

As I suspected friend S had sent us a dinner!  Rice, cashew curry, beef curry, eggplant moju with fried dried salted sprats, Sri Lankan mixed pickle, cutlets, slices of fresh pineapple, and homemade marshmallows for dessert.  Daughter and I were too full from our Christmas lunch to eat a full dinner, so we kept it in the fridge to enjoy on the following day and over the weekend, too.

It started to rain quite heavily in the night.  I was glad we came home before the heavy rains started again.

On Christmas day, I was grateful for:

-  Our friends inviting us to Christmas lunch
- The heavy rains let up while we were driving to our friends' home and back 
- Safe driving there and back (we avoided the flooded roads and intersections)
- Time spent in the company of friends
- Friend S sending us dinner; friend R keeping it for me

My joyful activities included enjoying Christmas day with my daughter and friends and cuddling a new puppy that one of late friend A's daughters has just adopted.

Puppy Wants Christmas Lunch, Too!

We generally don't open gifts at the end of the gathering so we left our gifts to them under their tree and they handed their gifts to us as we were leaving.  

One of the girls is an avid hiker and we got her a hiking journal and a set of pens:

Hiking Journal

The other girl has asked daughter to teach her how to crochet, so we got her a crochet instruction book and a set of crochet hooks and stitch markers, etc.

Crochet Book

Daughter also made them each two beaded bracelets.

Their father received a jar of homemade peach chutney.

I received a lovely set of kitchen towels as the girls continued their mother's tradition of giving me towels each year, as well as a gift card.

Set of Kitchen Towel

I love the colors and the fact that it is suitable for year round use and not just at Christmas.  

Daughter received a selection of reading themed gifts and a necklace.

Speaking of necklaces, my daughter made me this wrapped wire pendant as one of her Christmas gifts to me:

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Wrapped Wire, Glass Crystal Beads, and a Moonstone

Later in the evening I called my cousin N and spoke with her mother, Aunt C who is in her early 90s and recently been diagnosed with dementia.  Aunt spoke with me for a long time, rambling a bit as she spoke.  When I asked my cousin if I could come and visit her mother, she asked Aunt C if she'd like me to visit, but, I could hear Aunt C saying no.  So, I told cousin C not to worry about it, I will just drop off a gift without seeing Aunt C.  The last pair of socks I knitted are for her.  I also called friend S for thank her for the meal she sent us.

Today, the day after Christmas day, it continued to rain more or less all day, quite heavily at times.  My cousin V called and I chatted with her for awhile.  Daughter and I are having a relatively quiet, relaxed day as I've been trying to keep my blood pressure under control (it's been fluctuating a bit).  

Daughter is assembling one of the gifts she bought for me; I will post a picture once it is fully assembled.  

I hope you've had a lovely Christmas with your loved ones.

Did you take advantage of any after Christmas sales?  What are your plans for the weekend?

Mid-December

 

Omelet with Mizuna and Mugwort

I made an omelet for brunch, one morning, last week, and added some freshly picked Japanese herbs to it.

Here we are, midway through December already!

On Monday, I wished a cousin's daughter for her birthday, wrapped a few more gifts, got some of the almsgiving donations ready, washed my hair, and took the trash can and recycling bin out to the curb.

In the evening, daughter and I visited my cousin V.  One of her daughters who lives in New York was visiting with her two young sons so we had a little family get together.  Cousin V made appa (hoppers) for dinner - they are made from a fermented rice flour batter that is swirled around small bowl shaped, mini wok type pan,  The batter makes a thin crispy border, while the extra batter collects and steams at the bottom of the pan to made a soft, pillowy center.  I didn't take any pictures of the appa this time, but, here's a picture I took on a previous visit when V made appa:

Appa/Hoppers

We took the two gifts I had wrapped earlier and tagged with the snowman themed gift tags to give to the two boys as early Christmas gifts.  

Daughter drove us there and back.  She said she didn't like the drive there, but, felt more relaxed on the drive back.  

The rest of the evening went by quickly.  I tidied up the big dining table where I had set up my  gift wrapping station and ordered more gifts for the people on my gift list, with daughter's help (five of the gifts I ordered were for young women in my daughter's age group and she's friends with them, so she was helpful in selecting their gifts).  We ordered seven gifts in total this time, with two of them being shipped directly to relatives who live out of state.  

I enjoy giving gifts, although I often struggle with selecting gifts.  I budget $25 per month for gifts for the extended family and friends (for birthdays and Christmas/New Year's), for a total of $300 per year.  There were some lean years when I budgeted $10 per month for a total of $120 per year.  This budget does not include gifts to my daughter.  When it comes to Christmas/New Year's gifts, I try to keep the spending to an average of $10 per person.   The challenge is to find something suitable in that price range.  So far, I've been able to find board games and books, crafts kits and toys, specialty cookies, homemade jams, and accessories.

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- Visiting with my cousins and family
- Cousin making appa for dinner

- Daughter had a safe drive there and back
- Daughter helping me with choosing and ordering gifts
- Free shipping

Monday's joyful activity was getting together at my cousin's house for dinner.

Plans for Tuesday include making cards, wrapping gifts, and maybe decorating the Christmas tree.

What are your plans for the week?

The Weekend

 

Gifts from Neighbor S

Thank you, everyone, for your very kind comments on my previous post about my blog anniversary.  I appreciate all your comments and all the friends I've made through this blog.  It has been a pleasure to "meet" all of you.  :)

My weekend began on Friday as I decided I wanted a celebratory lunch in response to the good scan results.  I also needed to put gas to the car, so I did that, first, and put $50 worth of gas.  Then, I went across the street to a favorite Chinese fast food place in my neighborhood.  They have an eating area, but, I am not eating out, yet, so, I got a combo plate to go:

Chinese Food 

Fried rice, noodles, barbeque pork, and jalapeno chicken.  They give generous portions for a reasonable price; my meal came to $10.95 with taxes.  

On Friday evening, M came to tend to the garden.  He weeded and watered and helped to bring in a box of cat kibble that had been delivered.  

On Saturday, I changed the sofa dust sheets, did a load of laundry, put away the washed and dried laundry, and chatted for a bit with friend R.  Otherwise, it was a fairly relaxed day.

Sunday was my blog anniversary.  It was also my father's death anniversary.  He died when I was 7 years old.  I treasure the memories I have of him and the stories people have told me about him.  I called my half-sister (my father's daughter from his first marriage) and chatted with her for a bit in the afternoon.  

I dusted the living room which has stayed tidy since it was painted and cleaned, last month.  I've been keeping the dining area cleared and tidy, too.  The rest of the house, not so much!  

A little later in the afternoon, my lovely neighbor S called me and came over with some gifts!  She has recently returned from a trip to Europe and she brought me a set of kitchen towels from there as well as some fresh plums from her friend's garden, a frozen Korean seaweed wrapped rice roll (kimbap) for my daughter, some mini boxes of cereal for us to share, and a jar of tikka masala.

Still later, I went to the Armenian grocery store to get a few items.  But, that's another post!

This weekend, I was grateful for:

- Pleasant weather 
- M's help with the garden
- Gas for the car
- The reason for the celebratory lunch
- Phone chats and emails with friends and family
- A visit and gifts from neighbor S
- Memories of my father

My joyful activities have included tending to the garden with M, having a celebratory meal, chatting with my sister, and visiting with neighbor S.

Plans for Monday include taking Dancer to his vet appointment.

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

On Sunday

 

Amigurumi Bluebird

This is one of the gifts that daughter crocheted to give her friend's daughters.  She used a chenille yarn to make it and embroidered the eyes and beak.

On Sunday, we made a quick trip to one of the crafts supplies store to buy two kids' art kits to give as gifts to my cousin's visiting grandsons, aged 8 and 6.  We looked around the store a bit, with daughter checking out the beading supplies and both of us looking at the yarn, but, we didn't buy anything other than the art kits we had gone to buy.  There was a 20% off coupon, too, which daughter applied towards the purchase of the art kits.

We picked up some Chinese take out on the way home to have for lunch. 

Later in the afternoon, we went to my cousin's to spend a little time with her and her two grandsons.  I was able to collect my square glass baking pan in which I had taken the peach cobbler the last time I visited her.  I missed that baking pan!  

I took a nap after we came home.  Later, I did a load of laundry and cooked a sort of beef stir fry with onions and homegrown tomatoes added to it.  I froze half of it for daughter to take back with her and the the other half was put in the fridge for me for the week.  

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- Spending some time with my cousin and her grandsons
- A safe drive to cousin's and back
- Daughter applying her 20% off coupon to the purchase of the art kits
- Afternoon naps
- Working appliances and the gas and electricity to run them.

Sunday's joyful activities included spending time with my daughter and visiting my cousin.

Plans for Monday include taking daughter to the airport, watering the backyard, taking the trash cans to the curb, and maybe some housework and meal planning.

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

A Whole Lot of Painting Going On!

 

Prepping to Paint

The painters arrived on Thursday morning!  I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and took down the altar and one or two other items I had left in place until then.  At 7:30 a.m., two young men showed up with paint and brushes, and after verifying that I wanted the whole room painted, set about moving the furniture away from the walls, covering everything with sheets of plastic (I guess drop cloths are a thing of the past?) and prepping the walls.

They took down the drapes and I washed and dried them.  I also hemmed one pair of drapes that I had cut off the bottom foot or so when Dancer had an accident. One really old pair of drapes shredded in the wash (which I suspected would happen).  They had hung in a window that is mostly covered by the china cabinet and I didn't have a spare pair of drapes on hand for that window.  Instead, I used a table cloth or bedspread that had been given to me by neighbor S's family, as a temporary drape.  I really need to buy new drapes and drapery rods, but, that's another task for another day.

The walls and ceiling were painted with flat white paint (they had been painted white, earlier, too), the washed drapes were rehung, and the furniture was put back in place.  They rehung the prayer and horseshoe I had hung above the front door, but, they forgot to hang the mirror over the mantelpiece and I forgot to tell them to do so until I saw the mirror after they had left.  So, that is something else that needs to be done another day.

In the meantime, I have a freshly painted living room and dining area and I get to cross of another task on my Mile Long To Do List!

They finished the painting and left around 4:00 p.m.

After they left, I set the altar back up, with my daughter's help.    

So far, that is the only thing I put back.  I had read about "hushing a room" and "backwards decluttering" where you remove everything other than the heavy furniture from a room, leave it empty for 24 hours and then, put back just the items you want, being intentional about what you are putting back.  Since the living room and dining area were "hushed" when I removed everything in order to paint the room, I want to take my time and put my decorative items back in a more intentional manner.  

Empty Bookcase in Living Room

Then, it was time to make a dessert to take to my cousin's for the family get-together.  I decided to try a new berry cobbler recipe a friend had sent me that she had found online.  I decided to substitute peaches for the berries and I think it turned out well.  But, when we got to my cousin's house, everyone was asking if I had made another bread pudding, saying my cousin had been raving about it and they were looking forward to trying it!  Oops!  

I enjoyed the evening at my cousin's house.  She had prepared a Sri Lankan meal of rice and curries and appa (hoppers) which she made as people ate as hoppers must be eaten while the edges are still crisp and they get soft if you make them ahead.  There were two types of Thai desserts and a cheesecake (all purchased) and my homemade peach cobbler for dessert.  

Also on Thursday, I received an email from my primary care doctor with the results of the ultra sound I had done on Wednesday.  The scan results showed that everything was normal, which was a big relief and an answer to my prayers!  I still have the appointment with the specialist scheduled for next Wednesday to discuss the lab test results which showed some cause for concern, but, at least we can rule out some of the possible causes with the scan results being normal.  

I think I can say that Thursday was a very good and blessed day.

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- The good scan results and my doctor forwarding me the results as soon as she received them
- The painters showed up and painted!
- Getting another item crossed off my Mile Long To Do List 

- A lovely evening spent with my family at cousin V's house

- A safe drive there and back

Thursday's joyful activities included getting my living room and dining area painted and getting together with family and spending a lovely evening, chatting, laughing, and enjoying a delicious meal.  

How was your Thursday?  Have you heard of house hushing? Have you tried it? 

On Saturday

 

Not Dancer

On Saturday, afternoon I visited my cousin V who is recovering from a knee replacement surgery.  She has the most beautiful Maine coon mix kitty I've seen.  He is so friendly, too, and very vocal.  

In the morning, I made a bread pudding to take to my cousin's because, when I asked her if she'd like me to bring her anything in particular, she requested a homemade dessert.  I also took her some freshly picked blueberries from the garden.  V had prepared a lovely charcuterie board with an assortment of cheese and crackers, string cheese rolled up in salami, bowls of strawberries, blueberries, and clusters of grapes, and a small bowl full of chocolate covered almonds set in the middle.  

I spent a couple of hours visiting V and then, came home.  I had made myself a small container of bread pudding, too, so I ate a piece of that, watched the evening news, and then, took a nap on the sofa.  

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to visit my cousin
- Time spent together, catching up on each other's news
- A safe drive there and back
- Naps on the sofa
- Exchanging emails with a friend

Saturday's joyful activity was visiting my cousin.

Plans for Sunday include a sewing project.  

How was your Saturday?  Do you have any special plans for this Memorial Day weekend?

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?