The Week So Far

 

Another Red Rose

It feels like the days are going by so quickly!

Monday was mostly about my dental work and I wrote about that.

On Tuesday, I took my daughter to get her Covid vaccine during her lunch break.  We went to the walk-in clinic, except they had a one hour wait.  However, they also had a drive through vaccine station set up in the parking lot and there was no line there, so, we drove over, she received her vaccine, and we drove home, again.  I dropped her off at home and went to the pharmacy to pick up Dancer's medication.  That pharmacy is next to a doughnut shop and I decided to get us some doughnuts for a treat.  By the time I got home, daughter was starting to feel the side effects from her vaccine and took the rest of the day off from work.  

I put away the Halloween decorations in the bin in the garage, did a craft project, mended a pair of my knitted socks, posted a meal plan, and watched news coverage of the elections.

On Wednesday, my gardener friend M arrived to tend to the garden.  He had bought some plants, including several Japanese herbs that daughter had wanted, and a bag of potting soil for us (I reimbursed him for them) and shared some extra onion sets and celery seedlings, too.  He planted some of them, but, the rest will be planted on Friday.

Wednesday afternoon, I ordered and picked up some groceries.  Later, I did a load of laundry, finished mending my socks (I'm going to count that as my crafting time), and relaxed.  Friend R called in the evening and we chatted a bit.  

Thursday was another sunny day and another red rose had bloomed.  There are a few pink roses in the back garden and a couple of white roses, too, but, I didn't take pictures of them.  

I walked for 20 minutes in the afternoon and then, spent about half an hour knitting.  Then I watched some news and a couple of online videos.  

For dinner, I wanted to make something with the leftover rice I had in the fridge.  I usually make fried rice with leftover rice, and that's what I put in my meal plan for the week.  But, on Thursday, I wanted to try something different, like a rice casserole.  But, not the usual chicken and rice with a cream-of-something soup base.  Besides, I had some canned items in the pantry that needed to be used up as they were well past their best by dates.  The contents were still good, but, they were past the "best by" dates stamped on the cans.

So, I decided to make my version of a Mexican rice casserole, using a can of corn, a can of dark red kidney beans, a can of crushed tomatoes, and a can of chicken.  I sauteed about a third of an onion with cumin powder, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, a bit of oregano, and a very small amount of homegrown celery I had in the freezer, added the leftover rice, the kidney beans (drained and rinsed), the corn (drained and rinsed), the chicken (drained and rinsed) and the can of crushed tomatoes, a couple of homegrown Serrano chilies, and a bit of salt.  It turned out really well.  Daughter and I both enjoyed it and there are leftovers for at least one more meal.

Mexican Rice Casserole

One could add other ingredients, too, I'm sure; I considered adding some bell peppers, but, I couldn't find the bag of frozen bell pepper strips I have in the freezer (someone needs to reorganize her freezer) and besides, bell peppers give me indigestion, especially if eaten at night.  Or one could add cilantro.  In the past, I've used a jar of salsa instead of the canned tomatoes and that was delicious, too.

This could be easily be made as a vegetarian dish if the canned chicken is left out; the beans would provide proteins (one could add more beans, too).  It could be a frugal meal if the canned items are bought on sale.  Even otherwise, the store brand cans of corn and dark red kidney beans are priced $1 each, a can of store brand crushed tomatoes is $1.99, and a can of chicken breast is $3.79 according to the store website.  A 2 lb. bag (the smallest size they have) of store brand white rice is $1.99 and one wouldn't need to use the whole bag of rice.

Afterwards, I ran the dishwasher and wiped down the stove top, etc.

I am grateful for:

- M picking up plants and potting soil for us and sharing seedlings with us
- Roses blooming in the garden
- A walk in the park driveway

- Working appliances
- A card from my oldest half-brother

This week's joyful activities have included crafting, enjoying the sunshine, and chatting with friends.

Plans for Friday include some housework, some crafting, and tending to the garden with M in the evening.

How is your week coming along?  What are some of your favorite meals to make with leftover rice?  

August Meal Plans: Week 2 Review and Week 3 Options

Stir Fried Hot Dogs

These were my meal plan options for August Week 2:

Brunches: Uppuma (Monday)✔, French toast with bacon (Tuesday)✔; toasted bagels with butter✔, tuna or egg salad sandwiches✔, chicken curry sandwiches; salads✔(for dinner); cereal and milk, maybe waffles? blueberry pancakes

Dinners: Kimbap (Korean rice roll/daughter; Monday)✔,  hamburger patty with rice and ketchup (me; Monday)✔; Sauteed chicken✔(soy-ginger chicken) with salad (moved from brunch to dinner); boxed pasta mix✔(with shrimp), broccoli, and leftover garlic bread; Fried rice✔;  Stir  fried hotdogs and rice; Ramen noodles, Chicken curry and tortillas cooked with eggs and lunu miris; Garlic sauteed shrimp curry with boxed pasta mix and green peas rice and cucumber salad; Leftovers✔; or something else! Scrambled eggs on toast 

Snacks/Desserts: Toast with butter and peach jam (me; Monday)✔, Fruit (Asian pears from the garden✔, bananas✔, plums✔, apples✔, mandarins), granola bars✔, Cheetos✔, granola bars✔, ice cream✔' yogurt and treacle

Here's how that worked out:

Monday:
Brunch: Uppuma (Indian style cream of wheat); I roasted it a bit too long and it turned out darker than usual, but, it still tasted very good with curry leaves, dried red chilies, and roasted peanuts added to it

Dinner: Kimbap (Korean rice roll; daughter); half a hamburger patty with rice and ketchup (me)

Snacks/Desserts: Toast with butter and jam (me); Asian pears from the garden

Tuesday:
Brunch: French toast with bacon; half a banana each

Dinner: Assorted leftovers from the fridge (I told daughter to forage in the fridge), followed by scrambled eggs on toast, much later, when I felt like cooking something

Snacks/Desserts: Apple slices, cheetos, ice cream

Wednesday:
Brunch: Toasted bagels and butter

Dinner: Salad (made by daughter: lettuce, carrots, corn cut off the cob, sunflower seeds, and red onion for daughter's portion as I don't like raw onions, with bottled Caesar dressing); soy-ginger chicken drumsticks  (made by me; I didn't follow any recipe, but, sauteed the chicken drumsticks with soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ground ginger, and a little salt and it turned out quite well)

  

Snacks/Desserts: Almonds, bananas, cereal

Thursday:
Brunch: Chicken drumsticks, banana with peanut butter (daughter); tuna salad sandwich (me)

Dinner: Stir fried hot dogs and rice; a very frugal meal made with a package of hot dogs bought on sale some time ago for $0.99 and frozen; free red onion, free broccoli florets, and a homegrown tomato; a little Sri Lankan spice blend and a bit of ketchup, served with rice.

Snacks/Desserts: Cheetos, mandarins

Friday:

Brunch: Tuna salad sandwiches, apple slices

Dinner: Fried rice and leftover hotdog stir fry

Snacks/Desserts: Ice cream, granola bar (daughter), cheetos, chocolate wafers (me)

Saturday:

Brunch: Bagel; leftover fried rice (daughter)

Dinner: Chicken curry and tortillas with eggs and lunu miris (daughter asked if I could make the tortillas with scrambled eggs and lunu miris spread on one side)

Snacks/Desserts: Yogurt and treacle

Sunday:
Brunch: Blueberry pancakes (homegrown frozen blueberries) with syrup; banana with peanut butter (daughter)

Dinner: Boxed pasta alfredo, sauteed garlic shrimp, green peas 

Snacks/Desserts: Cereal and milk (daughter); ice cream (me)

I sort of stayed on plan with the brunches and the snacks/desserts, but, changed the dinner plans around a bit.  But, it worked out quite well, I think. It was cooler this week and I felt more like cooking.  

Moving on to August Week 3 (8/18 - 8/24):

Brunches:  Pancakes and French toast using up leftover batter; tortillas cooked with eggs and lunu miris, with leftover chicken curry; egg salad sandwiches; salad with sauteed chicken; toast and peanut butter, leftovers from dinners

Dinners: Ginger-soy sauteed chicken with rice, broccoli, cucumber salad (x 2); smoked sausage stir fry with vegetables over rice (x 2); rice and curries with leftover sauteed chicken; boxed macaroni and cheese with tuna and a salad; Leftovers;  or something else!  

That is the plan; we shall see how well I stick to the plan!

"Did someone say dinner?  May I join, please?"
(Night time visitor, helping itself to the cats' kibble)

On Thursday

Card Painted by Daughter

I had asked my daughter to paint a birthday card to send to my aunt and she did this one, using watercolor paints.  Aunt called me today to let me know that she received it and said she loved it.

Today, I spent the afternoon making phone calls and appointments.  Two appointments for lab tests prior to doctor's appointments, a phone call to the doctor's office to request a lab requisition they forgot to give me on my last visit and another phone call to reschedule a follow up appointment to the following week, a phone call to the dental insurance company to confirm benefits, and a phone call to a new dentist's office to schedule a much overdue first appointment,  These are calls and appointments I had procrastinated on doing, but, finally, they are done.  All that is left to schedule now is Dancer's appointment for his injection - that's on the agenda for tomorrow!

In between making phone calls and scheduling appointments, I did another load of laundry, made tuna salad for brunch, and cooked a stir fry and rice for dinner (I went off the meal plan, but, it was a very frugal meal, with a package of hotdogs I had bought on sale for $0.99 a while ago and frozen, some of the free red onion I received from the grocery store, free broccoli florets, a homegrown tomato, a little Sri Lankan spice blend from the pantry cabinet, and a little ketchup, plus a cup of rice.)

I had planned to water the back garden, but, decided that it could wait until Friday.  

Today, I was grateful for:

- Having both medical and dental insurance
- Being able to schedule and reschedule various appointments
- Working appliances
- Daughter being home to help me with a few tasks
- Cooler temperatures

Today's joyful activity was accomplishing a few things that I had procrastinated doing!  

Plans for Friday include:

- Going to the pharmacy to pick up medication refills 
- Scheduling Dancer's appointments
- Watering the back garden

- Maybe going to the dollar store with daughter (she has a day off from work)

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?  What are some of your go-to frugal meals?

April Meal Planning - Week 1 Review and Week 2

Turkey and Vegetable Soup

Here's how the first week of April worked out:

Monday:
Brunch: Waffles with bacon and blueberry compote (made with homegrown frozen blueberries)
Dinner: Hamburgers and fries from a fast food place

Tuesday (April 1):
Brunch: Milkrice, seeni sambol, lunu minis, jaggery
Dinner: Leftover pasta, chicken, sauteed green beans; bananas for dessert

Wednesday:
Brunch: Leftover waffles with canned mackerel curry
Dinner: Rice, chicken curry, cucumber salad, beetroots boiled and sliced; mango for dessert

Thursday:
Daughter left home, after what was supposed to have been a week long visit turned into just over 5 months!  Her friend's parents, who took them to the airport, brought me a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, filled with a variety of meats and marinated vegetables (which came in a separate package; at first, I thought it was a type of spring roll!).  It was a foot long and I feasted on it all day!

Brunch: Half of the banh mi sandwich
Dinner: The other half of the sandwich

Friday:
Breakfast: A waffle
Lunch: Leftover fried rice and a side salad
Dinner: "Breakfast for Dinner" - scrambled egg, bacon, fried potatoes

Saturday:
Brunch: A waffle with mackerel curry
Dinner 1: Peanut butter toast with "no waste" peach jam (made with the skins and bruised bits of peaches that I had removed when I made the peach jam meant for gift giving)

Sunday:
Brunch: The last waffle with chicken curry; banana
Dinner: Turkey and vegetable soup (packet of turkey bits and pieces from the freezer, onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, homegrown red stemmed celery, the last bit of a bag of edamame, and a few slices of homegrown okra to thicken the soup a bit, all from the freezer, a can of sliced carrots (drained), a tablespoon or so of chicken bouillon powder, a bit of garlic powder, a handful of black pepper corns, and a freshly picked red chili from the garden).  Canned fruit cocktail for dessert

I think I did fine with April Week 1 meal planning. 

April Week 2 Meal Plan

The plan is to eat mostly from the pantry and freezer in order to stretch the approximately $53 left in the April grocery budget.  I have no intention of depleting the pantry or the freezer, but, there are some items that need to be used up ("best by" dates have come and gone!)

I haven't done a full inventory update of my freezer, yet, but, I did check the bin where I keep most of the meat and I have three chicken breast halves with ribs, one smoked sausage, two packets of bacon (12 oz. each), one piece of ham/ham steak (leftover from Thanksgiving), and a package of roast turkey breast, also leftover from Thanksgiving.  There is another package of turkey bones on another shelf, I believe, which I will keep for another batch of soup, later.  I think I have plenty of meat to last me the month, but, I will want to stock up on some chicken when it goes on sale, next, and it would be nice to have some beef or pork for variety.  And, if ham goes on sale for Easter, I would like to buy one to freeze.  

So, here's the plan for this week:

Brunches: Tuna salad sandwiches, scrambled egg, toast or fried potato, and bacon; leftover soup; peanut butter toast; muffins?

Dinners: Rice and curries; turkey and vegetable soup; grilled cheese sandwich; fried rice; leftovers

At least, that is the plan.  

As always, I am grateful for having a variety of food to eat and plenty of it.  

Are you doing a meal plan this week?

Jam Yesterday and Jam Today, Too!

Yesterday's Jam: Peach and Ginger

There was a discussion about jam, recently, on Angela's blog, Tracing Rainbows, where she quotes the White Queen in Through the Looking Glass, who says, "The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but, never jam today" to Alice.  Well, in my world, it's "jam yesterday and jam today, too!"

Yesterday, I made peach and ginger jam with peeled peaches and just a little ground ginger to give it a hint of warmth.  These jars of jam are meant for gift giving.  Since I was already feeling tired after running around looking for a door handle to fit my patio door and since I was salvaging the bruised and smashed fruit, I put the peelings and unusable portions of the fruit into the compost heap.  

Today, I cut up several more of the peaches until I had 8 cups of peach slices, which I froze in 2-cup portions for later.  I might use them for a pie filling or in smoothies, etc.  The majority of these were good peaches, with only a few bruised spots.  Then, I took most of the peelings, 2 1/2 lbs. of them, and a couple of unripe fruit that had also been picked, and made my famous "No Waste Jam":

Today's Jam: "No Waste" Peach Jam

The deep red color comes from the peach skins.  I made six half pint (8 oz.) jars and there is a little bit leftover which I poured into an old jam jar.  The six half pint jars were canned in a water bath.  These jars are for domestic consumption, due to the peach skins!  I tried to mash some of them down with the potato masher, but, they didn't get mashed up that much.  Maybe, I should have blended them in the blender, first.  The jars are recycled from previous years when I had chutney in them.

In addition to jam, I made a pot of soup, too, using the turkey carcass I had in the freezer (I took out the turkey carcass to make room for the cut up peaches that I froze).  I added some onions, carrots, and broccoli stems to the soup and had a bowl in the evening, after I finished making the jam.  Then, I ate a slice of bread with butter and the last bit of jam that was left in the pot, before I put the pot to soak.  As that was my only meal for the day, I might have another bowl of soup before I go to sleep!  The soup was a very frugal meal to make, and there's leftover soup for future meals, too.  

Then, since I was feeling a bit sticky from all that jam making, I took a nice, hot shower and then, did a load of laundry, including all the sticky kitchen towels, and hung everything to dry overnight.

Aunt C called in the late evening and cousin N.  It was nice to talk with cousin N because she rarely calls, preferring to text, instead. 

The vet clinic called, too, to confirm tomorrow's appointment. 

Today, I am grateful for:

- The peach harvest!  
- The knife sharpener that was a gift from my daughter a few years ago
- Phone calls from family
- Working appliances
- My hands have not cramped (always a concern when I am cutting and stirring things)

Today's joyful activity was making "no waste" jam!  

Plans for tomorrow include Dancer's vet appointment in the afternoon, tending to the garden with M in the evening, and, if the door handle arrives in time, fixing the new door handle.  If not, it can wait until the weekend.  

I still have more peaches in the fridge and more on the tree waiting to be processed.  I need to get another bag of sugar from the cupboard!  The batch of chutney and the two batches of jam used up one 10 lb. bag of sugar!  Not sure if I'll do any more peach processing tomorrow.  Might wait until the weekend.

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

Voodoo and Done!

Voodoo Lily is Done!

The voodoo lily has done blooming!  This is how it looked, today.  It stayed open only for a couple of days!  

Another Look

Ah, but, when one flower closes another two bloom:

More Roses

And they smell sweeter, too!  LOL!

I woke up early today - at 6:00 a.m.!  And couldn't fall asleep, again, even though I tried.  So, I got up and fed Dancer, had a cup of hot water because I was fasting for my blood test, showered, dressed, and said my morning prayers.  All before my wake up alarm went off at 9:00 a.m.!  

My blood test appointment was for 10:40 a.m., and I had been told to arrive 15 minutes before that.  I was at the clinic in good time and the waiting room was not crowded.  Most of the people who were waiting had masks on, a few didn't; the female staff at the clinic had masks on, the male staff, including the one who drew my blood, didn't.  I had my mask on as I am not yet ready to go without a mask.  The County Health Department is now reporting cases on a weekly basis, instead of daily, but, there were 2,266 new cases as of last week, with a 7-day testing positivity rate of 3.3%, and 46 deaths (new numbers are posted on Thursdays); even though Covid is no longer considered an emergency, it is still present and people are still getting sick and dying from it.  However, the number of people hospitalized due to Covid have gone down to 250, which is good.

After I came home, I had the last waffle for brunch (just a plain waffle, without any curry or jam, this time) and a glass of chocolate milk.  

I had set out the old recycling bin with the broken lid by the curbside late last night, because it had to be out by 6:00 a.m.  But, it was not picked up and replaced until after 11:30 a.m.  I now have a brand new pristine looking recycling bin!  

M arrived shortly after that; he watered the garden and we chatted a bit.  I picked more snowpea pods while we chatted.  

In the afternoon, I felt sleepy and took a nap on the sofa, until Dancer's meowing woke me up; it was 5:30 p.m. and he was reminding me that it was his tea time!  I fed him and had a cup of tea.  Then, watched news.

Later, I made some leftovers fried rice for dinner: leftover rice, leftover garbanzo beans, leftover curried chicken, shredded, some broccoli side shoots from the garden, and an egg added to the mixture, everything cooked in leftover fat from cooking the last hamburger patty, saved in a container in the fridge.  I call this a frugal meal:

Leftovers Fried Rice

There were macadamia nut chocolates for dessert!   

Unfortunately, falling asleep on the sofa in the afternoon meant I didn't get any cleaning done, today.  So, I will carry those tasks over to tomorrow.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Access to medical care
- Health insurance
- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- M helping with the garden
- Leftovers!

Today's joyful activity (or, should it be inactivity?) was taking a nap on the sofa, with the afternoon sun warming me up!

Plans for tomorrow include catching up on the cleaning I didn't do today, in addition to Thursday's tasks of cleaning the kitchen and a load of laundry.  I might put in an order for groceries, too.

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

Rainy Wednesday

Nectarine Flowers

It was partly cloudy this morning, but, there was some sunshine, when I woke up.  M texted me the weather forecast which said 50% chance of rain and asked if I had anything I needed done inside.  I said I didn't have anything that needed doing inside, but, it was sunny at the moment, and left it up to him to decide.  Afterwards, I opened the windows to air the house and went outside to walk for 15 minutes.

I was just finishing up my walk when M arrived and with him, the rain!  LOL!  It was mostly a light drizzle, but, it would pick up, occasionally.  He decided it wasn't too bad and I joined him in the garden, picking another handful of snow peas and checking on the plants.  Today, M pruned some of the Euphorbia tirucalli plants I have growing in the side yard (I had planted them opposite the windows to provide a bit of privacy. but, I didn't want the branches going over the wall into the neighbor's side), planted one of the two loquat seedlings that neighbor S had given me last year, and did a bit of weeding.  I also had him empty the buckets of rainwater I had collected into the blue recycling bin for storage (the plan is to collect more rainwater in the emptied buckets during the next rain storm, due next week) and we found out that we can't fill the bin above a certain level because there is a metal handle like thing on the outside of the bin, about one third of the way up the bin. and the water leaks from the two ends where that handle has been inserted into the bin.  The excess water drained out but, that's OK.  I now have a few gallons of water stored in the blue recycling bin!  

Then, it began to rain in earnest and I told him to go home and I went inside.  The rain ceased, eventually, and we are supposed to have mostly sunny weather until next Tuesday when the next rain storm is expected to arrive. 

I didn't realize until later in the evening, when I was watching news, that we had a small tornado touch down, this morning, in a nearby city, close to downtown Los Angeles!  

Oh, and by the way, M's repairs to the garage roof didn't hold up under this week's rain and winds.  Some of the shingles had blown off and I found them on the driveway, this morning!

After M left, I had my brunch.  I wanted something warming after being outside, so made myself a packet of ramen noodles.

Ramen noodles were on my mind, partly because I had commented on another blog, yesterday, and mentioned ramen noodles.  Pensive Pensioner at Small Treasures had asked if one can eat on 50 (British) pence for one day (she had seen the challenge on another blog).  She had been able to buy a 200g can of baked beans for 21p, a loose baking potato (70p for a kilo) for 14p, and a small banana for 12p; those three items came to 47p.  According to the rate of exchange, yesterday, one British pound was equal to US $1.22, so 50p would be the equivalent of $0.61.

I checked the prices online at the grocery store I have been using for my groceries since the pandemic first started, and I found out that $0.61 didn't go far!  The smallest can of baked beans at my store was 8.3 oz. (235g) for $1.99!  Loose baking potatoes are $.99/lb. (and they tend to be rather large), and bananas are $.65/lb.  Ramen noodles and instant cup noodles were $.50 each and I might have been able to find a tiny carrot ($.99/lb.) for the remaining $.11 to grate into the soup.  Or, I could have bought a single bread roll for $.33 and perhaps found a small banana for the remaining $.28.  I thought I would have got most food for the money with the ramen noodles and I'd have to have half for brunch and half for dinner!  That would have been a most frugal meal!  As I mentioned to her, I guess our food prices here are higher than UK food prices (or, at least, the food prices at the store from which I order my groceries are higher; the ethnic store might have had lower prices, but, I don't shop there, anymore, because they don't offer pick up services).  

But, as you can see, I had ramen noodles on my mind!  LOL.

After brunch, I made a birthday card and mailed it.  Then, I watched a couple of videos while I continued to repair the quilt.  I also mended one of my knitted wool socks - I had previously darned the heel but, this time, it was the area just below the toes!  

In the evening, neighbor S called me to ask if I'd like to have some burek (made with phyllo dough, spinach, and cheese), some of the brown Armenian bread that I had liked earlier, and some candy!  Of course, I said I'd love to have some!  A few minutes later, she brought me some delicious food (and chocolates!):

Dinner and Dessert Compliments of Neighbor S

I ate a slice of the bread with a little butter while I warmed up the spinach and cheese burek which was very tasty.  Afterwards, I ate one or two of the chocolates!  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Neighbor S sharing her delicious food with me
- M's help with the garden
- A working heater (yes, I switched it on this evening)
- I don't have to manage on $.61 for meals a day
- There were no tornados in my area

Today's joyful activity was planting one of the loquat seedlings.  It replaced the loquat tree which died a few years ago.  My little orchard continues to grow!

Thursday is supposed to be a mostly dry day.  I don't have any specific plans for the day, other than more quilt repairs and maybe some housekeeping.

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?  Could you manage a day's meals with 50 British pence or US$.61?
 

Rainy and Cold on Thursday

Aloe Vera Flower Stalk

The aloe vera plant is flowering for the first time.  Aloe vera is the type of aloe with the gel that can be applied to the skin to soothe burns or added to drinks.  The other aloe plants that I have growing in the front garden are not edible and I would not apply the juice from their leaves to my skin.  They are grown purely because they are drought tolerant and the hummingbirds enjoy their nectar.

Last night (or should I say very early this morning?) just before I went to bed, I put the gas heater on for about 15 minutes or so and I put the heating pad on my bed to warm up the bed while I said my nightly prayers.  Then, I switched the heater and the heating pad off and went to bed feeling nice and warm. 

When I woke up this morning, however, it was around 51F inside the house and 45F outside and raining!  Even though I was bundled up, I was still feeling chilled, so, I put the gas heater on, with the thermostat set at 65F.  It took over four hours for the house to warm up to that temperature and the heater to turn itself off!  After which, I switched it off and haven't switched it back on, yet.  

The forecast called for a high of 52F, but, we only went up to 50F for a very brief period of time, around 3:00 p.m.  It was 45F when I checked at 1:40 p.m. and it is 47F at 5:20 p.m. when I am typing this.  I have just switched on the small electric heater and set it up right next to me.  But, I think I'll put the gas heater on a bit later this evening.  

It rained most of the morning; not a heavy rain, but enough to give the plants a drink and I managed to collect about two inches of rain in my buckets!  The sediments might be from the bags of mulch up on the patio roof!  

Rain Water Collection

The rain ceased in the afternoon and we had a bit of sunshine.  I started the car (it started without any problem) and walked around the garden, checking on things.  The mail carrier was training a new person, showing him how things are done, and he greeted me, but, said I had no mail, today.  

I made a pot of turkey and vegetable soup, in the afternoon.  There was a little bit of ham languishing in the fridge and I chopped that up and added it to the soup, along with onions, celery, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, and potato.  All the vegetables, other than the carrots and potatoes, were from the freezer, with the bell peppers, zucchini, and broccoli being what I grew.  A fairly frugal soup, I think, since the stock was made from part of the Thanksgiving turkey carcass and vegetables I had on hand.  I wanted to add some tomato, too, but, I only have a small package of tomatoes in the freezer and I want to keep that for a mackerel curry, next week.  That package is the last of the bumper crop of tomatoes I harvested in 2021.  Last year, I was able to pick only five tomatoes from the garden.  I hope I will have another good crop, this year.   I called neighbor S to ask if she'd like a bowl of soup, but, she declined saying that her daughter N had made chicken soup.  I guess with the cold temperatures we are having, everyone is thinking of warming bowls of soup!

Turkey/Ham/Vegetable Soup

Brunch had been two banana nut muffins; dinner was a bowl of soup.  It was an early dinner for me (before 7:00 p.m.); most probably, I'll be looking for something else a bit later in the evening.  There are several more servings of the soup left and I will offer some to M if he tends to the garden, tomorrow (all depends on the weather; more rain is in the forecast for tomorrow and if it rains, M will not be tending to the garden).

Today, I am grateful for:

- Rain for the garden
- The car started 
- A working heater
- Sunshine in the afternoon
- Warm clothes

Today's joyful activities included walking around the garden and chatting with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include doing a load of laundry and cleaning the kitchen.

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?  Hope the weather is good where you are and you are keeping warm and safe, especially if there are winter storms and snow.

Saturday

The View from Daughter's Hotel Room

My daughter sent me this photo this morning, saying it's the view she woke up to this morning. Today is the day of her friend's wedding.  

Empty Pallet - No Pea Gravel

M sent me this photo from the garden supply store showing an empty pallet where the $5.99 bags of pea gravel used to be!  Apparently, they are all out of it, although they are expecting a new shipment to arrive next week.  I guess we will have to wait until they get some more.  Maybe he can pick some up next Friday.

I went to the pharmacy in the early afternoon to pick up the medication that was ready.  Afterwards, I debated going to the dollar store next door.  But, I didn't really need anything (although I'm sure I'd have found plenty of things to buy if I had gone in!)  Besides, I have already been to the pharmacy twice this week, to the doctor's office once, and to the gas station once, and that's more places than I've been to in a long time!  I decided it would be better to come home, instead!

After I came home, I prepared some fried rice for brunch:

Fried Rice for Brunch

Leftover cooked rice, one hot dog from the freezer, sliced up, a handful of green peas and snow pea pods (also from the freezer), an egg, and a handful of roasted peanuts to top it off.  The snow peas are what I grew last year and harvested towards the end of the growing season - they were a little stringy, but, they were OK.  Next time, I'll string them before I freeze them (or pick them when they are a little more tender).  I couldn't eat all of the fried rice that I made, so, I have leftovers for tomorrow.  This was a fairly frugal meal, using leftovers and items I had on hand.  I didn't cost out everything, but, the hot dog was from a packet of 10 for $2.50, so, $.25 for one hot dog, the green peas were from 12 oz. packet bought for $1.25, the peanuts were from a 1 lb. jar bought for $2.79 (although the same jar is now selling for $3.29); the egg at $.37 ($4.49 for 12) is probably the most expensive ingredient!   I used the drippings from yesterday's hamburger patty (I had saved it in a container in the fridge) for making the fried rice.  Oh, but the gas used to cook it would have doubled the cost of the ingredients put together!  

Have I mentioned my bill for natural gas, for this month?  It covers the period of December 19, 2022 to January 20, 2023.  It's nearly $700 ($693.34 to be exact).  I used slightly less gas/fewer therms (160 therms) during this billing period than I did during the same billing period last year (December 2021-January 2022; 165 therms), but, the cost of gas went up from $1.05/therm in December 2022 to $3.45/therm in January 2023.  The gas company says the cost of gas increased due to the increase in demand for natural gas as a result of the colder weather in other parts of the country.  

I like to think that I am fairly frugal in many ways, but, I need to be warm in the winter! That's my one luxury!  I'll happily go without air conditioning in the summer, but, I want to be warm in the winter.  I do bundle up in layers (I'm wearing four layers on the top, right now, plus a scarf and wool socks), but I feel cold easily.  I keep the thermostat, located on a wall adjacent to the heater, at 70F, which means the family room and the bedrooms are about 68F.  I keep the door to the spare room closed and when my daughter is not here, her bedroom and bathroom doors are also closed.  But, the house is mostly open plan so you can't close off any rooms other than the bedrooms and bathrooms.

I am not complaining about the high gas bill; I'm grateful that I have a way to stay warm!  However, it is three times what I've budgeted for, so, I will need to pay from savings.  I am thankful that I am able to do so!  But, maybe I should start using electricity to  cook my "frugal" meals!  LOL.  

I also did a load of laundry and video chatted with my daughter.   

Today, I am grateful for:
- The pharmacy was able to fill this prescription without any problems
- Medical insurance to help pay for the cost of the prescription
- A safe drive to the pharmacy and back
- The availability of natural gas and electricity 
- Having savings in place to meet an unexpectedly high gas bill!

Today's joyful activity was playing with fabric.  I didn't actually sew anything, but, I sorted through the fabric stash and did a little bit of cutting and trimming.  In other words, playing.  Eventually, I want to piece out a backing for a quilt top I have already sewn.  Not quite sure how that's going to work out, but, we shall see.

Plans for Sunday include more playing with fabric.

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

More Productive on Friday

Another Look at the Peach Tree

Friday morning, I woke up as soon as the alarms went off and fed Dancer his salmon pate, much to his delight!  Then, after having my cup of tea, I called the clinic to confirm today's appointment and to verify that they had received the dose to be injected (since not receiving it in time was the reason the visit was postponed from last week to today).  The person I spoke with confirmed the appointment and tried to check their pharmacy to see if the medicine had been received but, he couldn't speak with anyone at the pharmacy and told me he will leave a message for them to call me back; of course, they never did!  Oh, well.  I still kept my appointment.

I left the house at 12:00 noon to be at the clinic (in downtown Los Angeles) by 1:00 p.m. for the 1:15 p.m. appointment.  The freeway was congested, but, no more than usual.  I was at the clinic at 1:00 p.m. The receptionist checking me in said my appointment was for 3:15 p.m. and I said, "3:15 p.m.!  I called to confirm the time this morning and I was told it was at 1:15 p.m.!"  Then, she looked on the appointment schedule and confirmed that it was at 1:15 p.m.!  Whew!  

I waited for a few minutes to be weighed, have my pressure checked, etc., (weight hasn't changed - but, then, I hadn't expected it to, after all the holiday treats and eating take-out food in January; the pressure was good).  Then, I waited a bit longer to be seen by the nurse practitioner.  She said that the lab results and mammogram, etc., were good, the bone density scan showed some bone loss (which is why I continue to receive the injections every six months), examined me and asked how I was feeling, etc., refilled my prescription and then I was given my injection, another appointment for a follow-up visit in three months' time, the lab work requisition, and, at my request, a copy of the lab report.  It was nearly 2:30 p.m. when I left the clinic and today's parking charge was $12.00.

Then, I drove home, stopping to put gas to the car on the way back.  I didn't put gas to the car in January and I had more than a quarter, but, less than half a tank of gas.  I budget $50.00 a month for gas (I don't drive much, these days) and today's top up came to $44.55 with gas at $4.35/gal. at the cheaper station near my house.  I did notice that gas was $4.25 at a different station closer to downtown; I probably should have gassed up at that station, but, I didn't want to be late for the doctor's appointment.  I also didn't realize that gas was cheaper at that station - I'll keep that in mind the next time I go for my doctor's appointment.

It was 4:00 p.m. by the time I came home and I was getting hungry (I was still on that one cup of tea from morning; I had some crackers with me, but, I didn't eat any).  I had considered picking up a hamburger or a pizza on the way home from the doctor's appointment, but, I decided not to!  I also decided not to pick up anything from the convenience store at the gas station (they sell hot dogs, pizza, etc.)  Instead, I came home and cooked myself a hamburger!  A cheeseburger, in fact!

Homemade Cheeseburger

Just the way I like without onions or tomatoes.  I didn't have any pickles, so I used up the last bit of sweet relish I had in a small jar (cleaned out one jar from the fridge door shelves), plus Miracle Whip, ketchup, and lettuce.  Not the best picture, but, I was too hungry to try to take a better photo!  Dinner was a bowl of soup because I was too full after the hamburger for anything else!  

M was supposed to tend to the garden this evening, but, he called to say that he got delayed at another client's house and could he buy the bags of gravel tomorrow and drop them off, instead.  I said that was fine.

I relaxed a bit in the evening, after that, then, did a load of laundry, watched a movie on TV ("The King's Speech"), and chatted with friend R.  The pharmacy texted that the prescription that the oncology nurse practitioner refilled was ready to be picked up, but, I will collect it tomorrow.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Having access to medical care
- Medical insurance
- Good lab work results
- A safe drive to and from the clinic

- The availability of gas for the car

Today's joyful activity was watching the movie.  

Plans for Saturday include picking up my medication (two visits to the pharmacy in one week!), having M bring the rest of the bags of gravel for the parkway, and maybe another load of laundry.  

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

Relaxed Saturday

Front Garden in May

Following my new tradition of posting a picture of my front garden taken on or around the 20th of the month, here is how my front garden looked on May 20th, on an overcast, "May Gray" day!  I took the picture around 3:00 p.m., when the front garden would have normally been a very sunny area.  The osteospermum have mostly finished flowering and M is itching to trim them back.  The clumps of fountain grass still look more dead than alive, but, there are tiny new blades of purple grass growing, hidden behind the dried yellow stalks.  The lantana are flowering, although the flowers on three of the plants look like they got burned!  

Neighbor T's jacaranda tree, however, is flowering and looks lovely:

Jacaranda Tree

I have a small jacaranda seedling growing in a pot in the backyard; M wants to plant it in the front, maybe this summer.   I just have to find a good spot for it.

I have had a relaxed day, today.  It was another overcast, cool day.  I slept in (after getting up once to feed Dancer), replied to blog comments, visited a few blogs, walked around the back yard and checked on the plants, watched some online videos, wrote a couple of emails, texted with one of my cousins, had a long phone chat with my aunt C, chatted on the phone with friend R, and video chatted with my daughter.  In between, I did some crocheting.  I had planned to play with fabric, but, I didn't feel like doing so.

Breakfast was a banana (the last of the three bananas I bought), lunch was a bowl of soup and a slice of buttered toast, and for dinner, I cooked rice, stir fried broccoli, and an omelet curry.  Omelet curry is exactly what it sounds like - a cut up omelet in a curry gravy or sauce (I always call it a gravy, but, I know that some people call it a sauce).  It is something my mother used to make from time to time and she said it was something her mother used to make (Granny had 9 children to feed and eggs cost less than meat, poultry, or fish).  You make the curry gravy (or sauce, if you prefer) the usual way, with onions, curry leaves, curry powder, chili powder, etc., in milk (either coconut milk or dairy milk) and make the omelet separately, then, cut up the omelet and add it to the curry gravy and let it absorb some of the gravy and curry flavors.  Or, if you have leftover chicken curry gravy as I did, then, you make the omelet and add it to the warmed up leftover gravy!  LOL.  It was a very frugal meal, especially since the broccoli came from the garden.  Fresh strawberries for dessert.

I did the dishes after dinner and wiped the stove top (I tend to be a messy cook) and kitchen counters with the damp sponge.  A nightly wipe down of the stove top and counters go a long way towards keeping the kitchen clean, but, I don't always do that.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to sleep in

- Chats with family and friends
- Exchanging emails with friends
- Access to all the wonderful videos online
- A very relaxed day

Today's joyful activity was relaxing and taking it easy!  LOL.  

Plans for tomorrow include playing with fabric.  

How was your Saturday?  How is your Sunday coming along?

Thursday's Activities

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

The California poppies that self-seeded, last year, are starting to flower in the garden!  There are only a few flowers, right now, but, hopefully, there will be more, later.

Purple Martha Washington Geraniums 

In another part of the garden, the clump of geraniums in front of the garden shed are in flower, too.  I love their color.

Today, I picked another handful of peapods. 

Later, I did more cleaning in the garage.  I am going through some of the metal shelving units, wiping down each shelf and reorganizing what I am storing there.  I also tossed the giftwrap organizer my mother sewed for me, years ago:

Hanging Gift Wrap Organizer

It had one large pocket for rolls of gift wrap, and smaller pockets on the other side for storing ribbons, bows, folded pieces of gift wrap or small gift bags, etc.  It was old, faded, and starting to tear in one corner.  I tossed some of the rolls of gift wrap that I still had in it and the small child-sized broom that you can see sticking out from the pocket - my mother brought it from Sri Lanka for my daughter - a replica of the type of brooms we used there, with coconut fiber bristles.  Then, I wiped down that wall (so many cobwebs!) and washed that window.  

I pulled out one box containing some files that can be shredded and disposed of.  Since I don't have a shredder, it means I need to tear and/or cut the documents by hand.  I didn't want to take the time to do that, today, since I was still in the process of sorting things out.  Clearing out the boxes of files is something I will do, later.

In the evening, I decided to cook pasta with ground turkey sauce for dinner.  I cooked a 1 lb. packet of ground turkey with about half an onion, a few cloves of fresh garlic, a little celery, some diced bell pepper, a grated carrot, and 2.5 cups of grated zucchini that I had frozen.  All the extra vegetables bulked up the ground turkey:

Ground Turkey and Vegetables

I added about 3/4 of a can of tomato paste (leftover from cooking the frozen kufta) and a small container of homemade tomato sauce that I had frozen, earlier. If I didn't add the tomato paste and sauce, the turkey and vegetable mixture would have been good with rice or potatoes, I think.  Daughter and I had some of the ground turkey with pasta for our dinner and there are leftovers for tomorrow.  The 1 lb. of ground turkey cost $2.99 and I didn't even try to add the cost of the other ingredients, but, I consider this to be a relatively frugal meal.

After I had cooked dinner, but, before we ate, I called friend A to check on her.  Yesterday, friend A called me in the morning to tell me that her mother, who is visiting her, has had a stroke, sometime in the night or early morning (A's daughter found her grandmother unresponsive when she went to wake her up in the morning) and was in the ICU.  I called to check on her condition, again, yesterday evening, and spoke with A's daughter who had been with her grandmother all day; she updated me on her grandmother's condition - paralysis on the right side, not much voluntary movement on the left side, either, and unable to open her eyes or speak.  Today, when I called, A said her mother had taken a turn for the worse and the doctors have told the family to prepare themselves for the inevitable.  A is in shock and I tried to comfort her.  Her daughter C was with her grandmother, again, and apparently, she will sit with her grandmother until tomorrow morning when her younger sister and father will relieve her.  I offered to take her some dinner and daughter spoke with her, but, C declined the offer, saying she can't eat in the ICU room and she didn't want to step out of the room for even a few minutes.  Provided I don't have to report for jury duty in person, next week, I have promised to stay with A for a few hours in the afternoons, to keep her company while her husband and daughters go to work/attend to grandma, etc.

Later, I chatted with friend R, too.

Finally, I ordered some groceries to be picked up, tomorrow.  Earlier this week, grocery store workers in southern California began to vote on whether to authorize a strike or not.  The results of the vote will be announced on Sunday, I believe.  An authorization to  call a strike does not necessarily mean that there will be a strike, but, I thought it would be better to get the grocery shopping done sooner rather than later.    

Today, I am grateful for:

- Flowers in the garden
- Today's garden harvest
- The garage cleaning accomplishments
- Being able to order groceries online
- Digital coupons!

Today's joyful activity was checking on the flowers in the garden and picking peapods.

Plans for tomorrow include:

- Picking up the groceries
- Taking some items to friend R
- M tending to the garden
- Continuing with the garage cleaning

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

Saturday

Garden Flowers

According to my daughter, yesterday's bachelorette events didn't go quite according to plan!  As maid of honor, she had done most of the planning, working with several constraints.  First of all, two of the bridesmaids live out of state and for various reasons, they were able to be here only during the wedding weekend, with one of them flying in on Friday morning and leaving on Sunday morning!  Since the bride-to-be didn't want to have a bachelorette event without two of her bridesmaids, daughter had to arrange it for Friday afternoon, between the time the one bridesmaid's flight was scheduled to arrive (and estimating how long it would take for her to get to the bride's place from the airport) and the wedding rehearsal scheduled for later that evening.  Another constraint was how much people were willing to spend for activities.  

The schedule daughter put together after much checking of plans, preferences, availability of venues, etc. was to meet at the bride's apartment building  parking area at 12:00 noon, carpool to a ceramics painting venue which had been booked from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (2 hour slots were the minimum, but daughter was thinking they would be done with their painting by 2:00 p.m.), drive to Little Tokyo (a section of downtown) where she had reserved a private booth at a karaoke place from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., picking up some dinner on the way to have while there.  Then, they would leave downtown around 5:00 p.m. to go to the wedding rehearsal which was scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.  She also looked up some games they could play such as guessing the title of a series of love songs from the emojis provided, etc., printing them out to hand out to the other girls.  

That was the plan.  We all know what happens when we make plans, don't we?  My daughter arrived at the bride's apartment building a little bit before noon, and the girl who was going to drive them to the various venues arrived exactly at noon.  The other two bridesmaids were a bit late, but, that didn't matter too much because the bride-to-be was unable to join them until 12:45 p.m.!  So, when they left to go to the ceramics painting venue, they were already behind schedule!  Then, two of the girls wanted coffee, so they got coffee for them from a drive-through place and it was already past 1:00 p.m. when they got to the ceramics place.  So, obviously, they couldn't finish painting their pieces by 2:00 p.m. as daughter had hoped they would!

However, according to daughter, the bride-to-be really enjoyed painting the ceramics pieces and wanted to come back, another time, to do more of it. In fact, she had wanted to pay for them all, but, they had assured her that it was their treat!  What the other girls had agreed that they would do was gift their pieces to the bride.  So, they each chose a piece of a place setting - plates, cups, bowls, etc., to paint, personalizing them as they wished to, but, A will receive the finished products as a memento of her bachelorette event, which I thought was a nice thing to do.  

However, apparently, they didn't leave the ceramics place until almost 3:00 p.m. and that meant, they got caught to the evening commute and it took them almost an hour to get to downtown.  Then, by the time they picked up something to eat, it was already 4:30 p.m. and there wasn't much time left for karaoke, so they decided to skip that.  Instead, they sat outside on benches and the other girls ate, while daughter (who wasn't planning to remove her mask), kept her food to bring home!  They played a couple of the games that daughter had printed out and then, the friend who was driving checked the traffic report to see how long the drive to the wedding rehearsal would take.  Every other time, when daughter had checked the drive time, during various times of the day, she had been informed that it would take between 35 minutes to 1 hour at the most.  Well, apparently, yesterday, there were three separate accidents on the freeway they needed to take and the drive time estimate was 1.5 hours!  They should have left by then, already!  

She said that was a rather stressed drive to the rehearsal, but, they still played another game in the car and did some YouTube karaoke.  They arrived at the rehearsal 15 minutes late, but, at least they arrived safely and the rehearsal, itself, went well. Daughter was disappointed that the plans she had made so carefully hadn't quite worked out as scheduled, but, these things to happen and I was thankful that they were all safe.

Later in the evening, we put together a small emergency kit including a small sewing kit (needle, thread in colors to match the bridesmaids dresses, a pair of scissors, some safety pins, etc.) for daughter to take with her to the wedding.  The emergency kit included a tube of super glue because at her other friend's wedding, the bride's shoe heel broke off and her wedding planner had a tube of super glue and glued the shoe heel back on!  Other items included some clear nail polish  (for small tears in tights/pantyhose) and extra pairs of tights if needed.  Daughter asked me if I had a stain remover laundry detergent stick, but, I didn't and she asked one of the other girls if she could pick one up.  Then, because the weather forecast predicted rain, tonight, she packed a small folding umbrella, as well, in her backpack that she was taking with her!  Oh, and she printed out the speech for another friend who was officiating as his printer wasn't working! 

 

This morning was a bit hectic, too, as she kept getting calls and texts while she was getting dressed, asking her to bring this and that, including paperclips, a pair of tweezers (daughter included a mirror, too, just in case) and, the bride, already at the venue, had forgotten her earrings, did daughter have a silvery, dangly pair to bring for her? Daughter and I went through my jewelry box, picked out a couple of items and sent pictures to the bride who selected the pair that daughter was going to wear, so, daughter selected a different pair for herself.  LOL.  

Her friend who was giving her and another friend a ride to the wedding and back picked her up a little after 11:00 a.m. - they all had to be at the venue by noon for the photographs.  The wedding is being held outdoors, but, daughter was planning to wear her mask throughout - not quite sure how that worked out.  I packed some crackers into a container and gave her to take with her, because she didn't have time to eat anything in the morning.  I am hoping that she had time to eat at least a couple of them in between posing for the photos.  I am also hoping that she managed to eat something at the wedding dinner, but, if not, I have some rice and chicken curry for her.  

I had a rather relaxed day after the morning's excitement!  Picked some flowers from the garden, called to check on neighbor T, tried to call to schedule a donations pick up, but, being the weekend, there was no one available to speak with, so, will have to do that on Monday, did a bit of this and a bit of that and, since I was feeling a little tired, decided not to do any cleaning!

I had a scrambled egg on toast for brunch and decided to try something different when I cooked rice in the evening.  I added some dried green split peas to the rice (after soaking the split peas for about 20 minutes), along with a grated carrot, and I cooked it in some of the chicken stock I had made yesterday (after I defatted it).  It turned out quite well.  But, if one makes this with vegetable stock (or, even just water), then, it would be a vegetarian dish.  It is a relatively low-cost meal, too, since split peas are currently selling for $1.00 for a 1 lb. bag at the grocery stores, here.  I used half a cup of dried split peas (measured before soaking) to about half a cup of uncooked rice.  Also, since I used homemade stock with chicken bones after I removed and used the meat, the cost of the stock was minimal, too (just the gas used to simmer the stock).  It can be a main meal or a side dish.  One could also add more vegetables, such as celery and onions to the rice and split pea mixture, too.  I took a photo of the bowl of rice/split pea mixture after I cooked it, but, my photo didn't turn out well (very blurry).  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe day out with her friends, yesterday, even if plans went a bit awry
- She was able to get a ride to and from today's events
- A relaxed day for me
- Flowers from the garden
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity was picking flowers from the garden.  

Nothing specific planned for tomorrow.  If I feel up to it, I will do a bit more cleaning in the garage.  

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

Rain on Monday

The forecasted rain arrived early in the morning.  It was already raining when I woke up at 7:00 a.m.  A slow, steady rain, not the powerful downpour that was experienced in northern California.  It continued to rain all day, but, it stopped around 5:30 p.m. and the sun peeked through while it set.  I was grateful for the slow rain which soaked into the garden without causing floods (other than a few flooded intersections).  We have had the second driest summer on record and the rain we received, at least here in my area of southern California, has been a blessing!

This morning, when I opened the sliding glass door to feed the garden cats, a certain Bun Bun was also waiting, with the cats, for his breakfast!  I think I've acquired myself a garden rabbit!  Since the cardboard is not preventing him from coming in, I think I will surrender gracefully and accept Bun Bun into my back garden menagerie!  

We left the house at 8:15 a.m., with me driving us to the clinic.  The freeway wasn't too congested and everyone was keeping to the speed limits.  The first proper rain of the season always leaves the roads slick as all the motor oils that have spilled over the summer starts to float above the water on the roads.  Often, there are accidents due to cars skidding on rain slick roads; today, we heard and saw one car skid as it took a turn too fast, but, luckily, no accidents.  We got to the clinic by 9:15 a.m.; my appointment was for 9:30 a.m.

The waiting room wasn't crowded, but there were people there who weren't wearing their masks properly!  One couple had their masks pulled well under their chins while they conversed with each other and my daughter and I felt very uncomfortable sitting in the same room with them.  Then, another man walked in and, although he was wearing a mask, it kept coming down as he first spoke to the receptionist and then, spoke on his cell phone.  I heard the receptionist tell him at least three times to wear his mask properly and another medical assistant also spoke to him and said if he didn't wear his mask properly, he will have to wait outside.  I felt encouraged by that to alert the receptionist that the other couple in the waiting room also had their masks completely down.  Once I pointed it out to her, she spoke to them in Spanish and asked them to pull up their masks.  Then, they were called inside and after a few minutes, I was called inside, too.  My daughter remained in the waiting room.

Once inside, I had my eyes dilated and checked; the doctor said that everything seemed fine.  Such a blessing!  I do have the beginnings of cataracts (and have had them for a few years now), but, I was told that they were still at the beginning stages and nothing to worry about for now.  I have another appointment in one year's time!  We parked in the medical building and parking cost $10 for the time we were there (maximum parking rate at that particular building was $18 for the day). 

Daughter drove us back and we had a good drive back, too.  Daughter had taken a few hours off from work in the morning to go with me to the eye exam.  But that did not prevent her supervisor from calling her about a work related matter before we had returned home!  She returned to work as soon as we got home! 

I rested for a couple of hours until my eyes returned to normal and I could remove my dark glasses.

Then, I made a pot of chicken and vegetable soup for lunch, using the bones from three of the chicken breast halves and the meat that was left on them, along with some vegetables I had on hand, including half a can of cut green beans that was approaching its expiration date.  Soup, made this way with what I have on hand, is a very frugal meal, I think.  I had the soup as it was; my daughter thought it was too bland and doctored it up with some additional ingredients to suit her taste!   

Then, I replied to blog comments and read a few blogs.  On one of the blogs, I saw a picture of American style biscuits the blogger had made and I asked for the recipe.  In the meantime, I decided to try my hand at making drop biscuits, adapting a recipe I found online (I substituted some half and half that was starting to turn sour - not so good for drinking, but fine for baking - for the milk called for in the recipe).

Drop Biscuits

With Butter

I think they turned out well, especially for a first try.  My daughter loved them and we ate several of them, while still warm from the oven!  She ate them plain, I tried mine with butter; they were pretty good with butter and my homemade strawberry jam, too!

After tea, I took the trash cans to the curb for pick up in the morning, practiced the piano for a bit, and spoke on the phone with friend R and aunt C.  Daughter ate some of the Korean food she cooked for her dinner; I had another bowl of my chicken and vegetable soup to warm me up from the inside out!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A safe drive in the rain to the eye appointment and back
- My daughter was available to drive me back
- A good eye appointment
- The rain we received - a slow rain which soaked the garden and didn't cause any damage in my area
- Chicken soup and drop biscuits!

Today's joyful activity was making drop biscuits.

Plans for tomorrow include doing some tidying up and sewing.

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