Adding to the Stash

 

Yarn from Neighbor S's Mother L

Neighbor S called me the other evening and asked me if I wanted some yarn that her mother L didn't want anymore.  I can never say no to free yarn, so, of course, I said yes!  I guess her mother was clearing out her stash!  Daughter and I were happy to add the yarn to our stash!  S brought the yarn over on Wednesday night and I sorted through the yarn on Thursday.  There were some unfinished projects, as well, including a single knitted sleeve and what might have been the start of a crocheted blanket.  As far as I can tell, the yarn is all acrylic, so machine washable and dryable.  My first thought was we could make a blanket while daughter thought she could use them for her amigurumi and other craft projects.  I think I will be able to knit a couple of pairs of socks with some of the yarn.  It will be fun to plan how we'll use the yarn.

In addition to the yarn, there were some sewing supplies, as well.  Mostly elastics and cords of various lengths, and a piece of black fabric:

Sewing Supplies

I will be adding them to the stash, too!  

I messaged L to thank her for the gift of yarn and sewing supplies.  I am excited to get started on a knitting project!

I am grateful for:

- The gift of yarn and sewing supplies from L
- Neighbor S bringing me the yarn and other items

MidWeek Catch-Up

 

Stumpery on Wednesday, May 27, 2026

I was happy to see the scaredy cat plant flowering among the stumps in the stumpery this morning. 

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and are having a good start to this last week in May.  Time sure goes by quickly, doesn't it?  I didn't realize i hadn't posted after the grocery delivery post on Saturday!

Time for a quick catch up, I think. 

On Saturday, after the groceries were delivered and I put things away, I made a quick trip to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription my oncologist had called in and was ready for pick up.  I used my Extra Care bucks to pick up two boxes of granola bars that were on sale for $1.99 per box.

After I came home, I picked more peaches.  Later, my daughter joined me and we picked most of the rest of the peaches that were on the tree. We left about half a dozen peaches on the highest branches for the birds to enjoy.  Thank you, peach tree; you blessed us with an abundance of peaches, this year.  

Daughter peeled and sliced the majority of the peaches we picked and I froze three bags of peaches, with six cups of sliced peaches in each, for making jam, etc., later on.  Daughter also ordered more canning jars and new lids for jars that I will be reusing, so I have plenty of supplies for future batches of jam and chutney.  

Neighbor S had asked if the guests attending her husband's birthday party could park in my driveway and I had said yes.  Later on Saturday evening, she brought us dinner and dessert:

Saturday Dinner Compliments of Neighbor S

I gave her some freshly picked peaches in return; about half an hour later, she called me to ask, very apologetically, if it would be possible for her to have just one more peach!  Apparently, she shared the peaches with her guests and one guest didn't get any!  Of course, I gave her about eight more peaches, not just one, and she was very happy.  I also set aside another dozen or so peaches to give my friend R.

I made a compote with some of the peaches, after dinner, and baked a tray of chicken drumsticks to have over the week.

On Sunday, I did a little housework, dusting and vacuuming the living room and doing a load of laundry.  Friend R called to say that a package she had ordered had been delivered to my address and could I keep it for her.  I told her I could bring it to her in the evening, along with some peaches, but, she said she will come on Monday to collect it.  Later, neighbor S called to ask if she could borrow my recycling bin as she had more items than could fit into her bin, so I told her she could borrow it.  

We had leftovers from Saturday's dinner for brunch on Sunday and for Sunday dinner, I cooked hamburgers using one of the packages of frozen hamburger patties I had bought.  I cooked the whole package (8 patties) so we could have them for brunches during the week.

Purple Daylily

Monday was Memorial Day.  Friend R messaged me in the morning saying she was not able to come to pick up the package and she was expecting more packages to be delivered on Tuesday, so could she come on Tuesday, instead?  I said that daughter will be working, but, Tuesday would be fine.

We had a relaxed day on Monday.  I made waffles for brunch and we had that with bacon and peach compote.  I watered the garden, picked blueberries, and put away the laundry I had done on Sunday.  Later in the evening, daughter's friends V and A came over for a visit.  V spent the evening to play board games with daughter while A mostly came to drop off some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies she had baked!  Daughter shared the cookies with me and they were delicious.  

Monday Brunch

Tuesday was an overcast, cool day with the highs in the mid 60s.  I brought in the emptied trash cans, checked on the front garden, and was greetedwith a hug by one of my young neighbors who lives with her parents and younger sister in a rental unit a couple of doors down (she's a very friendly, outgoing teenager) which totally made my day.  At noon, daughter took a lunch break from work and I accompanied her when she went to the post office to mail a package to one of her friends.  

I made a version of a Sri Lankan street food known as "kottu roti" for brunch.  The traditional kottu rotiis made with a type of leftover Sri Lankan flat bread or roti.  I used Armenian lavash bread that neighbor S had given instead of the more traditional roti and added onions, shredded cabbage, leftover chicken curry, etc. to make my kottu roti.  

I had been expecting friend R to come in the afternoon, but, she messaged me to say she will come on Wednesday, instead.  

Later in the afternoon/early evening, I made a batch of blueberry muffins, in part to have with our tea and in part so that the oven could warm up the house a bit.  

In the evening, daughter went to do her gymnastics and I went with her for the ride.  I stayed in the car and read while she was at the gym and after it got too dark to read, I spent a little time praying and people watching while I waited for my daughter.  After we came home, we had leftovers for dinner and cookies for dessert.

Bread Roll with Spinach, Mushrooms, & Cheese Filling

On Wednesday, it was mostly sunny, but, still on the cooler side, with a high of only 63F.  Friend R messaged that she will be arriving around 1:30 p.m. and when she came, she brought some bread rolls with a spinach,mushrooms, and cheese filling from a nearby bakery.  Daughter was working and in a meeting, so she didn't join us, but, R and I enjoyed the bread rolls as well as some of the blueberry muffins and the drop biscuits with chives that I had baked earlier and a cup of tea. 

Gardener friend M arrived, too, as Wednesdays are one of his regular days, and he brought me a six pack of corn seedlings to plant in the garden.  There were more than six seedlings, however, so he planted out all the seedlings and watered the garden.  He, too, enjoyed the chive drop biscuits and the blueberry muffins I served him.  I gave R a tour of the garden and picked her some curry leaves to take with her.  

Daughter enjoyed her bread roll after she finished work.   I cooked sauteed green beans in the evening and daughter had rice, dhal, and green beans for dinner, with chutney.  I had half a leftover hambutger and strawberries for dessert.

I didn't make a meal plan as such, this week, other than baked chicken drumsticks and hamburgers as the main entrees.  I will probably make some fried rice for brunch on Thursday, and there is a loaf of "bake at home"  garlic bread that neighbor S brought over on Saturday, so I might make some pasta for dinner on Thursday night to have with the garlic bread.  

This week, I am grateful for:

- This year's peach harvest
- Neighbor S bringing us dinner on Saturday
- Friend R's visit on Wednesday
- M's help with the garden
- Daughter's help with the peaches

- The sound of laughter as daughter and her friends visited 
- Sharing and exchanging gifts of food with friends and neighbors
- Blueberries from the garden
- Working appliances
- The availability of medications
- Being able to help out a neighbor with parking and lending her my recycling bin

I am a bit behind with my blog reading.  I plan to catch up, on Thursday.

How has your week been?  Hope everyone is keeping well.

On Saturday

 

Saturday Lunch Compliments of Neighbor S and Her Mother

On Saturday, daughter woke up early,  did her laundry, and started making the fish cutlets we've been asked to bring to Easter lunch at our friends' house on Sunday.  She boiled the potatoes and made the mixture using canned tuna since we didn't have any canned mackerel.  I got to taste test the mixture and suggested adding a bit more salt, curry powder, and some ketchup to the mixture to get the taste just right.  Then, I helped her to scoop up the mixture and roll them into little balls, dip them in beaten eggs and coat them with bread crumbs.  We made 82 cutlets.  We set aside the majority of the cutlets to be fried in the morning before we take them to our friends, but, decided to fry 10 cutlets for our brunch and to do a taste test.

But, just before I started to fry the cutlets, neighbor S called me.  Her mother had fried tilapia fillets and would we like to have some and also some Easter eggs they had made?  I accepted the offer, gratefully, and quickly fried 12 cutlets to give to her in return.  She brought us a whole feast!  Plates with tilapia (hidden under all the herbs), rice, half a tomato, a boiled egg each, some sort of grated pickled root vegetable, tzatziki, a piece of Armenian cheese on one of the plates, bread, two puff pastries filled with lentils (the lentil filling was delicious), and dessert (chocolates and baklava)!  

We had cutlets and the puff pastries for brunch.  Then, daughter took a nap and I watched some online videos and the evening news.  

We had the tilapia and rice, etc., that neighbor S brought us for dinner.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Making the fish cutlets with my daughter
- Neighbor S bringing us a delicious meal
- Being able to give neighbor S some of the cutlets we made
- Pleasant weather (a high of 85F)
- Electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, etc.

Saturday's joyful activities included exchanging food gifts with my neighbor.

Plans for Sunday include frying the cutlets and going to our friends' house for Easter.

I wish all my blog readers, who celebrate Easter, a very happy Easter. 

November Meal Plans - Week 3 and Week 4

Sunday Afternoon Tea

Here we are on the last day of November and I haven't kept up with my meal planning!  I did make some meal plan options for Week 3, but, Week 4 sort of planned itself based of leftovers from daughter's afternoon tea, the week's grocery shopping, and the Thanksgiving dinner.

These were my meal plan options for Week 3 (November 17 - 23): 

Brunches:  Onion bagels with butter or cream cheese;  boiled mung beans with lunu miris; instant stringhoppers with chicken curry and seeni sambol; cold cuts sandwiches; leftovers

Dinners:   Instant tonkatsu ramen noodles and parathas with scrambled eggs and lunu miris (Monday) Chicken curry, dhal, broccoli and rice;  macaroni and cheese with canned chicken or tuna; scrambled eggs and toast or fried potatoes; beef pot pies; leftovers

Snacks/Desserts:  Fruit; crackers; chips; granola bars; leftover scones and maybe cookies and cakes, too

Here's how it worked out:

Monday:

Brunch:  Onion bagels with butter or cream cheese

Dinner:   Instant tonkatsu ramen noodles and parathas with scrambled eggs and lunu miris 

Snacks/Dessert:  Persimmons, grapes, chips

Tuesday:

Brunch:   Tangerine and crackers (me; I was feeling a bit off); onion bagel and butter (daughter)

Dinner:  Rice, chicken curry, dhal, broccoli, and mango chutney (daughter preferred my homemade tomato chutney instead)

Snacks/Dessert:  Pink dragonfruit; granola bar (daughter), dates (me), chips

Pink Dragonfruit Chunks

Wednesday:

Brunch:  We both skipped brunch! 

Late Lunch:  A piece of curried chicken (daughter); instant stringhoppers with dhal, potato curry, and seeni sambol (me)

Stringhoppers, dhal, seeni sambol, potato curry

Dinner: Instant stringhoppers, chicken curry, dhal, broccoli, and potato curry (daughter); I didn't want dinner

Snacks/Dessert:  Pineapple guava (feijoa), apple juice, crackers, pomegranate

Thursday:

Brunch:  Scones

Dinner:  Leftover stringhoppers with chicken curry, dhal, and potato curry (me); leftover rice, chicken curry, dhal, potato curry, and sauteed curried okra (daughter)

Snacks/Dessert:  Tangerines, apple juice, olive oil chocolate chip cookie (delicious)

Friday:

Brunch:   Frozen burrito

Dinner:   Macaroni & cheese with canned chicken and green peas

Snacks/Dessert:  Chai muffins, crackers, ice cream

Saturday:

Brunch:  Burrito

Dinner:  Boxed pasta mix (Fettuccini Alfredo), green peas, ham slices from the freezer

Snacks/Dessert:  Chips, ice cream, tangerines and Fuyu persimmons

Sunday:

Brunch:  Ham sandwiches
Afternoon Tea:  All the goodies that daughter made for her afternoon tea party

Dinner:  Leftover mac & cheese, sandwiches, and fruit

Snacks/Dessert:  Leftovers from the tea party!

Which brings us to November Week 4 (November 24-30), which went by without a meal plan other than Thanksgiving Dinner!  But, it all worked out well.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Monday:  On Monday, I had my second dental deep cleaning.
Brunch: Egg salad sandwiches
Dinner: Canned chicken noodle soup and a cold cuts sandwich (me);  Pasta with ground turkey mixture (ground turkey, onions, celery, grated carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes) with pesto sauce (daughter)

Snacks/desserts: Various bits and pieces leftover from Sunday afternoon tea; fresh fruit (blackberries, raspberries, grapes, etc.)

Tuesday:  On Tuesday, we took Dancer to the vet's for his injection

Brunch:  Bread rolls sandwiched with cold cuts
Dinner: Fried rice: leftover rice, some of the ground turkey mixture I cooked on Monday, frozen green peas, and a scrambled egg)

Snacks/desserts:  Fruit, chips, various bits and pieces leftover from Sunday's tea

Wednesday:

Brunch: Leftovers (daughter), half a bread roll with dhal (me)
Dinner: Rice, shrimp curry, sauteed curried green beans, tomato chutney

Snacks/desserts:  Sliced pears poached in a sugar syrup with tangerines; maybe a pre-Thanksgiving slice of pumpkin pie and a mini pecan pie!  

Thursday: Thanksgiving Day

Brunch: Skipped brunch
Dinner:  Thanksgiving Dinner - Roast chicken, garlicky sauteed green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, baked beans.  The baked beans came from a can, but, everything else was homemade.  I had planned to make cornbread, but, I ran out of energy and we had plenty of food anyway.

Snacks/desserts: Mini pecan pie (daughter); pumpkin pie (me); the pies were purchased.

Friday:

Brunch:  French toast
Dinner:  Ham and potato soup (daughter had boiled potatoes for the fish cutlets filling and there was leftover water from boiling the potatoes; I boiled three more cut up potatoes in the same water, added some diced onions, cut up leftover ham, a couple of table spoons of chicken bouillon powder, salt and pepper, some half & half and a little bit of the leftover gravy from Thanksgiving dinner to thicken it up)

Snacks/desserts:  Fruit (persimmons, grapes, dates), leftover pumpkin pie

Saturday:

Brunch:  Fish cutlets

Dinner: Vietnamese egg rolls (daughter's friend had made)

Snacks/desserts:  Toast with butter and strawberry jam (me); cream puffs

Sunday:

Brunch:  Vietnamese bahn bao (steamed buns)
Dinner: Leftovers - plenty to pick and choose from

Snacks/desserts:  Assorted leftovers

Going forward into December, I will be making milkrice on the 1st as that is a given.  However, I am not going to make a meal plan for at least the first week in December because the fridge is full with an assortment of leftovers!  I will, however, try to keep track of what we have for our meals, each day.  

I am grateful for the abundance and variety of food with which we've been blessed and the generosity of those who have shared their food with us.

How did your November meal planning work out?  Will you be making meal plans for December?

On Saturday

 

Rice, Kebabs, and Cream Puffs, Compliments of 
Neighbor S

On Saturday, I helped daughter make the fish cutlets.  I suppose one could call them fish croquettes.  Daughter made the balls, dipped them in beaten eggs and coated them with the breadcrumbs we made on Friday and I deep fried them.  She took a picture of the finished cutlets, "For your blog", but, forgot to forward the picture to me and she's not home right now, so I will post the picture another day.

The mixture we made was enough for 50 fish cutlets.  She set aside 25 of them to take to the Friendsgiving potluck dinner her friend is hosting, set aside another dozen or so to give to her friend P who was giving her a ride to and from the dinner, we sampled a couple of them, ourselves, and when neighbor S called to say she's bringing me some leftovers from their Thanksgiving dinner, we gave her some of the fish cutlets to try, too.

S brought us a container of rice, a container of kebabs, and two of the biggest cream puffs I've ever seen!  We put the rice and the kebabs in the fridge since we were both rather full from sampling the cutlets, but, we did try a piece of the cream puff:

Half of the Cream Puff

My daughter and I shared one quarter of the cream puff.  It was delicious, but, the filling was very sweet and neither of us could manage more than a couple of bites, each!  

Later in the evening, I dropped daughter off at her friend P's parent's home.  P's parents came to the car to ask me in, but, I declined as I knew they would have been tired as they had just driven back from visiting family in Nevada.  

After I came home from dropping daughter off, I relaxed, watched some online videos, knitted a bit, and sorted through some of my craft supplies.  I wanted to make my holiday greeting cards, but, I made only one.  I need to buy more card stock or blank cards to make the rest.

I had made some ham and potato soup, on Friday night for dinner, and I was going to have some of the leftover soup for my dinner, tonight.  Instead, I had a craving for buttered toast with a little of my strawberry jam and that was what I had for dinner!  

On Saturday, I am grateful for:

- Being able to help daughter make the fish cutlets; she was very appreciative of my help
- Neighbor S blessing us with some delicious food
- Being able to share some of the fish cutlets with her in return
- Daughter getting a ride to her friend A's Friendsgiving dinner and back
- Daughter being able to enjoy getting together with her friends

Saturday's joyful activities included making a card (even if it was just one card) and knitting.

Plans for Sunday include changing my bed sheets and doing a load of laundry and doing some cooking for the freezer.  The garden should be watered, too.

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

The Weekend and Beyond

 

The Stumpery

I haven't done any monthly garden posts since May, I believe, partly because the garden is never at its best in the summer and partly because I had other things on my mind.  But, today, I took a picture of the stumpery just to show how it is evolving.  M brought me a couple of additional stumps from trees he's had to trim down and I've added them to the pile.  The succulents are growing well around the stumps and, in my eyes, at least, the stumps are becoming incorporated into the landscape.  

It was warm and sunny over the weekend, with the daytime highs in the low to mid 80s and going down to the low 50s in the night.

I spent a fairly relaxed weekend, taking things easy.

Saturday was the anniversary of my mother's birthday and I missed her.  Daughter had arranged to spend the afternoon with her friend V, so I drove her to V's place, came home, walked for a little bit (my hip was hurting, so I stopped after 15 minutes), watched some videos and the news, and relaxed.  Then, it was time to go to pick up daughter.  Her friend V had bought some pastries from the Cuban bakery/cafe we had gone to, earlier, to have as snacks and she had told daughter to take some of the leftovers home.  So, daughter brought home a meat pie for me, which I enjoyed.

Neighbor S called later in the evening to ask if she could borrow my recycling bin as she had several cardboard boxes to be broken down and recycled.  I said, "Yes", of course and when she came over to take the bin over to her house, she brought us a container of pulled pork, several slices of cooked tri-tip beef, and a piece of cake from her younger daughter's birthday!  I had just been telling my daughter that I was wanting something sweet, when S brought over the cake!  It had a type of fondant icing on the outside which was too sweet for us, but, we enjoyed the cake itself and the frosting between the layers.  

On Sunday, I walked for 20 minutes without any hip pain.  Later, I put away a load of laundry, changed my daughter's bed sheets, watched some online videos, and did a few things around the house.  We had leftovers for brunch and I made some macaroni and cheese for dinner.

This weekend, I was grateful for:

- Sunny and warm days
- Daughter had a fun afternoon with her friend
- Memories of my mother
- Neighbor S blessing us with some delicious food
- Being able to help her by lending her my recycling bin

Joyful activities included visiting for a bit with neighbor S, walks in the sunshine, and spending time with daughter.

Monday was another sunny and warm (high of 82F) day.  I did a short walk, did a load of laundry, and made several phone calls and scheduled appointments to have the gas furnace checked, to take Dancer in for his monthly arthritis injection, for a blood test for me, and filled out some medical information forms to be sent to the oral surgeon prior to my appointment with him on Wednesday.  

My friend R had another package delivered to my house and she called and came over to pick it up on Monday afternoon, around 4:00 p.m.  We sat and chatted until daughter finished her work for the day.  Then, we drove friend R back to her apartment, stopping at the post office on the way so daughter could mail a package and stopping at the library on our way back home to return our library books.  

Afterwards, daughter took the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning and I watered the back garden.  I also spoke with my cousin V and exchanged emails with a friend.  

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- Being able to help friend R by accepting her packages for her
- Water for the garden

- Working appliances
- Daughter's help with filling out various forms online

Monday's joyful activities included walking in the garden, visiting with friend R, and chatting with cousin V.

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

Fungi

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?

Midweek Update

Crocheted Dress

This is the dress my daughter crocheted for her goddaughter to wear at the baptism.

I had planned to wake up early on Tuesday, but, having gone to bed after 6:00 a.m., I turned the alarm off when it rang in the morning and went back to sleep!  But, once I woke up, I was productive.   I brought in the emptied trash cans, did a load of laundry including my bed sheets, remade my bed, looked up the driving directions to the specialist, paid bills and did a bit of paperwork.

Then, I decided to make a start on putting a few things back in place as all the items piled on the family room table and coffee table, etc., were getting to me.

I started with putting the china and serving dishes back in the china cabinet.  But, first, I had to clean the china cabinet shelves and the mirrored back.  There is one wooden shelf on the bottom and two glass shelves above, consisting of three pieces of glass each,  which rest on wooden supports, and which can be removed for cleaning.  Of course, I managed to drop one piece of glass on top of another piece of glass while doing so!  I thought the bottom glass would break, but only a few small pieces broke off the edge of the piece that fell.  I was able to put it back in place and made a note to myself not to place anything heavy on that piece of glass.   

Empty China Cabinet

Then, I put the items back, making sure I was putting back only those items I absolutely wanted to keep.  I didn't put back 7 or 8 items, including an ice bucket, a covered casserole dish, a tray and two small serving dishes, a toast rack, and a serving dish holding two jam pots.  I am going to put them in a box and wait for a bit to see if I want them before I donate them.

China Cabinet: After 

Then, I moved on to the living room.  But, first, I wanted to do a little cleaning.  So, I washed the inside of the front door.  Then, I adjusted the drapes in the front window as the painters didn't hang them properly and they left a gap when the drapes were drawn closed.  Then, I had to wash the inside of the windows.  And dust all the furniture, again and wash the painted shelves on either side of the fireplace.  And vacuum the floor.  I now feel that I have thoroughly cleaned the living room.

Finally, I was ready to bring back some of the living room items - the two plant stands and plants, a stand lamp, a side table, the basket with music books,  photographs to go on the mantelpiece, a few decorative items for the bookcase (no books, yet).  

Later in the night, I realized that my appointment with the specialist, which I thought was scheduled for Wednesday, was actually on Thursday!  I was glad I had already realized that on Tuesday night because when the doctor's office called me on Wednesday morning to confirm the appointment, I didn't get confused!

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- What I was able to accomplish in terms of cleaning and putting things back in place
- Weekly trash collections
- Working appliances and electricity to run them
- Being able to pay my bills
- Video chatting with my daughter

Tuesday's joyful activity was picking peaches.

On Wednesday, I started to put back a few things in the shelving unit in the dining area, but, haven't finished doing so.  The items I returned to the shelves included my cookbook collection, a candy jar, a couple of decorative dishes, and a candle stand.  

Then, I did a little more paperwork and tended to the garden with M.  Afterwards, I had to go to the post office before it closed to mail a document (the paperwork I did, earlier), and from there, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a medication refill.  

I noticed that the pharmacy had cereal on sale for $1.99 a box and I decided to pick up two more boxes of cereal.  With the coupons that I had already loaded onto my store card, the two boxes of cereal came to $1.37 for both, or, approximately $0.68 each.  I was happy with that price.

I was tired after I came home and took a very brief nap.  A short time later, neighbor S called and brought over a large piece of cake.  I ate a piece of it and froze the rest to share with my daughter when she visits, next.  

Friend R called in the evening and we had a chat.  Later, I chatted with my daughter; she had her medical procedure done in the afternoon and is recovering and taking it easy.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- M's help with the garden
- Daughter is recovering well after her medical procedure
- My medication refill was available
- Neighbor S bringing me cake
- A safe drive to the post office and pharmacy and back

Wednesday's joyful activity was picking more peaches.  I had some with yogurt for brunch:

Peaches and Yogurt

Plans for Thursday include my doctor's appointment in the afternoon, some paperwork and filing, putting away some laundry, and continuing to put things back in the living room and dining area.

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

Triple Digits on Saturday

 

Our High on Saturday

It was a summer day, today!  We went up to 100F.  I wore a dress for the first time, this year, and turned on the ceiling fan!  I'm not complaining though because the high on Monday is supposed to be only 72F and I'll be back to wearing a sweater.  

I did a little cleaning, today, scrubbed the toilet, dusted my desk, scrubbed under the stove burners, and ran the dishwasher.  I started on the paperwork that was piled on my desk, but, haven't made much progress.  I also picked more blueberries.

My lovely neighbor across the street, S, called me in the evening to say that her daughter N had made some chicken tacos and would I like to have some?  I accepted the offer gratefully and she brought me dinner:

Dinner Compliments of Neighbor S and Family

Chicken tacos, two types of salsa, lettuce, and watermelon.  Such a blessing!  There is enough food for a meal tomorrow, too. I gave S a bag of freshly picked blueberries, in return.  

On Saturday, I am grateful for:

- A sunny, hot day
- Neighbor S bringing me dinner
- Having blueberries to share with her
- Working appliances
- Electricity to run the appliances

Saturday's joyful activity was picking blueberries.

Plans for Sunday, Mothers' Day, include:

- Continuing with the paperwork
- Watering the garden
- Reading

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?  Wish all the mothers out there a very happy Mothers' Day, on Sunday.

One More Project Completed

 

Just Starting

I have an on-going "Mile Long To Do List" and, at one time, I used to post it once a month with any updates.  I stopped doing that after about a year or so because I wasn't making much progress on some of the items.  But, I kept the list going and I last updated it in 2024 when the retractable garage door opener mechanism was replaced.  I am happy to say that, on Friday, one other item that had been on that list for years was completed:

• Repair water damage to kitchen ceiling and wall - DONE May 2, 2025!

The roof had leaked one year and caused some damage to the kitchen ceiling and part of the ceiling collapsed, leaving a hole in the ceiling.  It was behind the cabinet above the refrigerator and while the hole wasn't visible, I knew it was there and there was some visible water damage to the ceiling just in front of the cabinet and to the wall behind.  I had wanted to get it repaired, but, I didn't do anything about it for one reason or another.  

Eventually, I showed it to my neighbor E (he does construction work) and asked him to give me an estimate.  He didn't get back to me for months, and I thought that he had either forgotten about it, or wasn't interested in accepting the project.  But, on Thursday evening, he knocked at my door and said he could get one of his crew to work on my kitchen ceiling the next day!  He will be here at 7:30 a.m.

So, Friday morning, I woke up at 6:45 a.m. (after going to bed at 3:00 a.m.), showered, dressed, had a cup of tea, and was ready when neighbor E and his assistant R showed up at 7:30 a.m.

I forgot to take any "before" pictures, but, I took the above picture after R removed the upper molding/trim from the cabinet.

A short time later, it looked like this:

Removing the Damaged Ceiling Area

You could see all the way up to the rafters:

Rafters 

Then, the ceiling was patched and painted (R painted the whole ceiling because the new white paint he used was a different white than the existing white on the ceiling and he said it didn't look nice).

After Patching, but, Before Painting

The wall on the other side (hallway side) where the paint was cracked and starting to peel due to the water damage, was also scraped and patched:

Hallway Wall - During

And painted with paint that I had stored in the garage:

After

The paint wasn't an exact match after being stored in the garage for over 10 years, and R wasn't very happy about it, but, I didn't mind.  One day, I will have the remnants of the wallpaper border that's up along the top of the walls in the hallway removed and repaint the hallway.  It's the only area of the house that is painted in a color other than white and I might go back to white or stay with the lilac color.

R also went ahead and painted the wall area around the wall heater which was never painted after the heater was replaced a couple of years ago:

The paint color changes with the amount of light
(You can clearly see the missing wallpaper border)

The hallway ceiling too, was repaired:

Hallway Ceiling Repair

And a crack in the ceiling between the living room and dining area was also patched up:

Dining Area Ceiling Patch

R painted over the patch, but, the new white paint he used was whiter than the rest of the ceiling and he told me I should get the whole ceiling painted (just as he did with the kitchen ceiling).  Yes, actually, I want to get the whole house painted, but, that's a project for another day.  For now, I am glad that these repairs were done. 

Before he left for the day, R also fixed new hinges to a bathroom cabinet door that had fallen off (daughter had fixed it, earlier, but, it came off, again) and the towel railing in my bathroom that had come off the wall.  What a blessing to have all those repairs done!

I am so grateful for:
- Neighbor E helping me with this project
- R for all the work he did
- Finally getting this repair project done and crossed off my list!

Now, to tackle the rest of the 101 projects on my Mile Long To Do List!  

Do you, too, have a Mile Long To Do List?

Saturday

 

Lahmajoon Compliments of Neighbor S and her Mother

Neighbor S called me on Saturday afternoon to say her mother was visiting her and had made lahmajoon (sometimes known as Armenian pizza) and would I like to have some.  I love their homemade lahmajoon so I said, "Yes, please" and S brought some over, still warm from the stove.  Daughter and I enjoyed them for our brunch.

Later in the afternoon, I replaced a stretched out elastic on the waistband of a long black skirt and ironed an outfit for daughter to wear to her friend V's birthday dinner.  They were going to a restaurant for a murder-mystery dinner.  Her friend V and V's husband gave daughter a ride to and from the restaurant.  Daughter wore a mask the entire time and brought her dinner home to share with me: salad, salmon in Dijon mustard sauce with potatoes, green beans, and carrots, and a piece of tiramisu for dessert.  Her friend V had given her own piece of tiramisu to my daughter to bring home to me, so we could each have our own pieces of tiramisu.  

While daughter was gone, I did a load of laundry and then, spend a pleasant evening playing with fabric.  I am sewing together pieces of fabric from the scrap basket.  There is no pattern, as of now.  I am just sewing small pieces of fabric to make fairly large rectangles and squares.  Eventually, I will put them together to make a quilt top or, perhaps, a pieced quilt backing!  For now, I am sewing for the pleasure of it.  How it ends up is anyone's guess!

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Neighbor S sharing her mother's homemade lahmajoon with us
- Daughter enjoying an evening out with her friends
- Daughter bringing her dinner home to share with me
- Her friend giving her piece of tiramisu to me
- Working appliances

Saturday's joyful activity was playing with fabric.

Plans for Sunday include putting in an order of groceries from the supermarket as daughter needs more half and half and I want more bread.  I'll also probably do a load of laundry, too.

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

Sunday: Hoping for the Best

 

Homemade Tamales

Neighbor S's daughter N blessed us with some homemade tamales (chicken with green salsa and pork with red salsa) she and a friend had made and we had them for dinner.  She declined our offer of blueberry muffins saying they had too many pastries at their house.

Since both my daughter and I stayed up till past 7:00 a.m. on Saturday night (daughter couldn't fall asleep until after 8:00 a.m., she told me), we both slept till past noon on Sunday.  

Once awake, I did a load of laundry, checked the news to see if the fires were being contained, brought in boxes of kitty litter that had been delivered, and cleaned my bathroom.  I also washed out an old dishpan I had stored in the garage, to use as a temporary litter box for Dancer if we have to evacuate.  

I made pancakes for brunch; daughter ate hers with sausages and syrup, I ate mine with lentils and the last of the meatball curry.  Dinner, as stated above, was tamales.

I took a short nap on the sofa after brunch.  

According to the latest news, some of the fires are fully contained, the others are partially contained.  The winds have been fairly quiet, allowing firefighters to try and gain control over the fires.  However, winds are supposed to pick up over the next few days, again, and we are hoping that the winds will not cause the fires to blaze up again.  Daughter and I are also hoping that we will not have to evacuate.  

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- A relatively quiet day without strong gusts of wind
- Neighbor N bringing us homemade tamales for dinner
- Working appliances
- Having a car to pack in readiness for evacuating
- The fires are being contained at least a little bit

Sunday's joyful activity was enjoying the dinner that neighbor N provided.

Plans for tomorrow include:

- Making a meal plan/cooking 
- Putting away the laundry from Sunday
- Undecorating the tree (still haven't done that!)
- Cleaning out the fridge
- Taking the trash cans to the curb
- Watering the indoor plants

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

The Weekend and a Tentative Meal Plan

Dancer's New Year Resolution: Sleep More

The first weekend of the new year.

On Saturday, I followed Dancer's example and slept in till quite late (after going to bed at 3:30 a.m.)  In the afternoon, neighbor S's daughter texted and brought over our gifts.  I had not sewn the table runner I was planning to make for S (the past few days since the almsgiving have been a bit hectic with my daughter feeling ill, etc.), so, I switched to Plan B and gave her some alternate gifts I had on hand (a red apple and cinnamon jar candle and a set of Christmas kitchen towels).  I will gift her the table runner at a later date, maybe if we visit her for the New Year or maybe for her birthday, later in the year.  

Later, I did several loads of laundry, washing all the blankets and quilts on daughter's bed.  Then, I remade her bed with new sheets and the freshly laundered quilts.  

Uncooked Blinchik from Neighbor S

Neighbor S had sent some homemade blinchik (crepes with a ground beef or potato filling), along with some gata (pastries) and kuftha (a type of meatballs).  I sauteed the blinchick for our dinner and enjoyed some of the gata for dessert.  I froze the kuftha for another day.

Daughter did the foot exercises her podiatrist had given her to do and tried to walk with only one crutch.  She managed a few steps, but, then, experienced pain in her foot, so, she iced it.  Her podiatrist had told her to take some ibuprofen if needed for the pain and to ice her foot as needed.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Exchanging gifts with S and family
- S sending us some treats
- A working washer and dryer
- Daughter was able to take a few steps without one crutch
- Exchanging emails with a friend

Saturday's joyful activity was enjoying the lovely treats sent by neighbor S.

On Sunday, after a relaxed morning, I went to the pharmacy to pick up some over the counter allergy medications for my daughter and a new bottle of Tylenol for myself.  The Tylenol was behind a locked glass case and I had to call for assistance to get it.  I had an unopened bottle of Tylenol in the cupboard, but, it had expired, back in 2023!  It's better to be prepared and have new medications on hand rather than wait until it is needed, I guess.  I had a $5.00 off coupon that I used towards the medications and my total spent today came to $27.43.

I made us some egg salad sandwiches for a late lunch after I came back.  For dinner, I cooked some chicken thighs that I had in the freezer, sauteeing them with onions, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes with corn on the cob as a side. 

I haven't been meal planning lately, but, I think now is a good time to get back to it.  This is just a tentative meal plan of some possible dinners for the week.  Brunches/lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

January Week 1 Meal Plans:

Brunches/Lunches: Leftovers, sandwiches, uppuma (Indian style cream of wheat), cup noodles, scrambled eggs, sausages, and toast or pancakes

Dinners: 

- Sauteed chicken with vegetables (onions, tomato, broccoli, corn on the cob, carrots, potatoes)
- Rice & Curries: rice with leftover meatball curry, lentils with spinach, chutney
- Leftovers
- Ham steaks with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and salad
- Turkey and vegetable soup with toast and salad
- Leftover soup
- Pizza (on Saturday - daughter's friends will be over)

We'll see how that works out.  

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- Pleasant weather (afternoon high of 73F and sunshine)
- A safe drive to the pharmacy and back
- The medications being available
- A relaxed day
- A working heater

Sunday's joyful activity was chatting on the phone with my aunt.

To Do List for Monday:

- Take down and put away the Christmas decorations
- Another load of laundry
- Clean out the fridge
- Take the trash cans to the curb
- Water the indoor plants
- Vacuum daughter's room

How was your weekend?  Are you making a meal plan for next week?  What are your plans for Monday?

On Thursday

 

Pineapple Guava (Feijoa)

On Thursday, I had my follow up lab test at noon.  I should receive the test results sometime next week.

After I came home, I picked these pineapple guava (also known as feijoa) from the tree in the backyard.  Considering the fact that the tree was covered with flowers earlier in the year, there are only a few fruit, but, a few are better than none.  I shared the guavas with my daughter.

Pineapple Guava, Halved

I generally cut the guavas in half and scoop out the insides.  The outer peel is edible, but, it is generally not eaten.

There was a magnitude 7 earthquake in northern California, in the morning, with a tsunami warning issued for parts of Berkeley.  Daughter received the tsunami warning alert; her apartment building is just four blocks out of the tsunami warning area!  We were both glad that she was here, in southern California when the earthquake happened.

In the afternoon, new neighbor E sent over one of his workmen, R, to replace the damaged side door to my garage.  The "new" door is a metal exterior door which E had salvaged from another project.  He said that when he works on renovation projects, people usually don't want the old fixtures and he tries to salvage them instead of tossing them.  In fact, he said he had a salvaged sink and asked me if I needed a sink, but, I don't need a sink.  When I asked him how much he wanted for replacing my garage side door, he brushed it aside!  He said I could pay something to his worker, if I wanted to, and when I asked him about how much I should give, suggested an amount.  But, when I offered that amount to R, R declined to accept it!  I was overwhelmed by the generosity of these people and their kindness.

I also showed E some other repairs I wanted done inside the house and asked him to give me an estimate.  I have a 101 things I want done, but, I only showed him three of those things - a repair to the kitchen ceiling, some tiles that had come loose in the bathroom, and a door that came off one of the cabinets under the sink in that same bathroom.  My daughter fixed the door, when it first came off, but, it came off, again, last week, and the hinge itself needs replacing.  

2024 was going to be the year when I worked on house repairs, but, it looks like 2025 might be the year in which to do them.

Later in the evening, I ordered some groceries and more household supplies, such as Dancer's dry food, dishwashing detergent, and toilet bowl cleaner.  Quite a number of items at the grocery store, including store brand bread, bagels, iceberg and romaine lettuce, and Dancer's dry food, were for available for delivery only, this week, and not for pick up.

I had leftover French toast for brunch and daughter finished the remaining half of her burrito from the previous day.  We had leftover turkey and pasta casserole for our dinner, followed by mandarins and a small piece of pecan pie, each.

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- Access to medical care and the availability of diagnostic tests
- Helpful, kind, and generous neighbors
- Receiving a replacement side door to the garage
- Fresh fruit from the garden
- Daughter was down here when the earthquake hit northern California in the morning!  

Thursday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden picking guavas.

Plans for Friday include picking up my groceries and maybe setting up the Christmas tree with M's help.

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

On Sunday

 

Dancer

Sunday was another sunny day with a high of 77F (it's 56F now, as I type this).  

I did another load of laundry (my bed sheets), paid some bills, did the dishes, and ordered more groceries to be picked up on Monday.

We had leftover hot dogs and the pomegranates I had picked from the tree for brunch.  Dinner was brought over by neighbor S - she was having visitors over to dinner and she called me to let me know that her husband had parked his car in my driveway (I had told her they are welcome to park their cars in my driveway any time they needed to).  Afterwards, she brought us more bacon wrapped hot dogs, hamburgers and fries, cantaloupe, a gelatin dessert, and some Armenian cookies.  She also brought me a candle and gave daughter a memo book.  We visited for a bit and she left after inviting us over for a visit before daughter leaves. We had the hamburgers for dinner and kept the hot dogs for another day.

On Sunday, I am grateful for:

- The sunny, warm day
- Working appliances
- Being able to help neighbor S with additional parking
- Neighbor S bringing us dinner in return
- Being able to order groceries online

Sunday's joyful activity was having neighbor S visit us and bring us dinner.

Plans for Monday include having a visit from friend R, watering the garden, and picking up the groceries I ordered.  

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

Mid October

Dinner and More, Compliments of Neighbor S

Here we are, midway through October!  Already!

I'm happy to say that I've had two fairly productive days, so far, this week.  

On Monday, I called the pharmacy to request a refill, did a load of laundry, watered the garden both front and back, took the trash cans to the curb for pick up, and did a bit of decluttering.  I need to post an update on that.  I had a cold cuts sandwich for brunch and for dinner, I had chicken noodle soup and another sandwich. 

On Tuesday, I put away the laundry from Monday and did another load.  Then, I ran a cleaning cycle on the washing machine as the light came on to let me know that it needed to be cleaned.  Afterwards, I rewashed the kitchen wall.  I found that, if I stood on tip toes on the top step of my two-steps step stool, I could manage to reach almost up to the ceiling.  I used a microfiber cloth and undiluted Pine-sol and managed to get the wall mostly clean, but, I can still see the outlines of where the copper pans used to hang.  I might have to wash the walls another time or get a magic eraser or something.

I was resting after I washed the wall when neighbor S called to ask if I'd like to have some rice and kebabs, lahmajoon (a thin flat bread spread with a ground meat mixture), and burek (bread filled with a cheese mixture).  I said I'd love to have some and offered to come over to collect it, rather than have her bring it to me.  So, I was able to sit and visit with her for a few minutes, as well, and chat with her older daughter, too.  In addition to the food she had mentioned, S gave me a red velvet cupcake for dessert and another carton of coconut water!  Although it was about 5:30 p.m., I had not had eaten anything, yet, so I had lahmajoon and some of the rice and kebabs for brunch and had a small piece of the burek for a snack dinner.  I have a choice of leftovers for Wednesday's meals.  

In mid-October, I am grateful for:

- Neighbor S sharing more delicious food with me
- Working appliances and the electricity to run them
- Water for the garden
- Sunny days (in the 70s, but the nights are getting a bit chilly)
- The electric neck massager that was a gift from my daughter one year

Joyful activities the past couple of days have included reading, visiting neighbor S, and spending time in the garden.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M and washing another kitchen wall.

How is your week coming along?

On Friday

 

Unhappy Kitty

Friday was another sunny, warm day, with a daytime high of 93F (33.8C).

Dancer's appointment to get his injection was at 1:00 p.m., but, he received his sedative at 11:45 a.m. The ride to the clinic was fine although he protested a little bit.  Then, as I turned into the parking lot, he started to heave and threw up.  Fortunately, I had put a towel under him so he didn't make too much of a mess.  When I went inside and told them what happened, we were shown to an empty examination room where I could clean him up a bit before he was taken to the back for his injection.  He was not a happy kitty.  

The journey home was much better, although once home, he made a beeline to the litter box!  Thank you for waiting until we got home, Dancer!

He spent most of the rest of the afternoon sleeping off the effects of the sedative.

Dancer Sleeps It Off

But, he's fine, now, and enjoyed his treat of canned tuna.

Later in the afternoon, I took friend R's packages to her, along with a bunch of curry leaves and a package of frozen grated coconut, as she had been telling me that she has been unable to find frozen grated coconut in any of the local stores.  I buy mine from the Sri Lankan store and I had stocked up on my last visit, so I was able to give her a package from my stock.  

After I came home, I moved my bed and unplugged the window air conditioner so that M could take it down for me, which he did.  He asked me how often I used it during this summer and I said maybe 3 times during the heatwave.  I might not have used it often, but, it was good to know that the air conditioner was available if I wanted to use it.

I cooked rice, mackerel curry, and dhal for dinner.  Later, neighbor S called and brought me some treats:

Treats from Neighbor S

A piece of coffee cake, some cookies, a carton of coconut water, and some chocolates.  I think the cake and cookies were from her younger daughter's birthday, midweek.  I ate some of the coffee cake for dessert and it was very good.

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter.  She is still unable to walk even with the walking boot, but, she thinks her ankle is getting better.

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Dancer's vet visit went fairly well
- I had a safe drive there and back
- I was able to drop off friend R's packages and take her some frozen grated coconut
- M's help with the garden and some household jobs
- Treats from neighbor S

Friday's joyful activities included chatting with M and visiting briefly with friend R and neighbor S.

Plans for Saturday include some housework, maybe a load of laundry, some decluttering, and maybe some crocheting.

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