Counting Our Blessings

Garden Rose

I haven't posted much this week and I haven't kept up with my blog reading, either (but, I will catch up on the blog reading in the next day or two, I promise), because I have been fervently counting our blessings, these past few days.  Since the beginning of the month, really.

On Tuesday, July 1, I had an appointment with the specialist to have a screening test done which turned out to be clear; which was a blessing.

I followed it up with a blood test on Monday, July 7.  The lab tech claimed that he did not have the lab requisition, which had been faxed over by the doctor's office.  He looked for it on his computer monitor and I wondered why he checked the computer, but, I thought that, maybe, they scan the faxes in order not to have a pile of papers.  He told me to ask the doctor's office to fax it again.  So, I called them and they faxed it over and I waited in the waiting room for the lab tech to call me in.  Except he didn't.  Another lab tech saw me waiting and asked if I had been helped and I explained that I was waiting for the fax to arrive and she said she will check into it.  A short time later, the first lab tech came to the waiting room with the fax in his hand; apparently, he was expecting the lab requisition to be emailed!  I didn't ask him why he told me to ask the doctor's office to fax it if he had meant to say email it.  I was not going to say anything that might anger someone who was going to insert a needle into my artery!  Instead, I apologized for any confusion on my part and counted my blessings: access to medical care, health insurance, diagnostic tests, fax machines!  Hopefully, the blood test results will be available when I go for the scan on Monday, July 14.

On Wednesday, July 2, I spent most of the day watching live coverage of the debate and voting on the budget bill in the House of Representatives and stayed up all night, too.  I have always been interested in such procedures and had followed its passage in the Senate, too.  In this particular instance, I was keen to find out what the outcome would be.  While I watched the live coverage, I counted my blessings: being able to watch live coverage of the proceedings. 

The budget bill was voted on and passed on Thursday, July 3 and signed into law on Friday, July 4.  With that, I knew that my daughter might be out of a job.  Her position is grant funded and 70% of her salary comes from one particular federal grant which was eliminated.  Current funding for this grant will end at the end of September.  The balance 30% of my daughter's salary comes from another, non-federal grant that will continue to be funded for at least next year.  Nothing is certain, of course.  Her employers are trying to figure out which positions will be eliminated and who will go and who will stay, in accordance with their employment policies and funding availability.

Faced with the reality of a 70% cut in pay, my daughter and I have been counting our blessings:

- It's a blessing that her position is not 100% funded by this one grant; some of her colleagues are. 

- It's a blessing that she will still be employed 30% of her time.  Unfortunately, daughter needs to be employed at least 50% of her time in order to qualify for employer paid health insurance and she needs health insurance in order to afford her asthma medications.  Of, as she puts it, "In order to be able to breathe".  We are looking into the costs of self paid health insurance.

- It's a blessing that she had already decided she would move down to live with me when I turn 70 and had decided not to renew the lease on her apartment when the current one ended at the end of August.  She would not be able to afford the rent she's currently paying on just 30% of her salary.  And had she renewed her lease, it would have been very costly to get out of it.

- It's a blessing that she will be able to come home to live with me.  It's a blessing that I have a home for her to come back to.  It's a blessing that I will have my daughter living with me, again.

- It's a blessing that, by living at home with me, she will not have to pay rent and there will be very little living expenses for her, at least until she finds another job.  Of course, she would love to be able to continue to work at her present job; she loves the work she does and the people with whom she works, but, it would be a challenge to live on 30% of ones income.

- It's a blessing that she has no obligations - no mortgage to pay, no dependents to support, no student loans or other debt.  One of her colleagues is expecting her first baby; another has recently purchased a house and taken on a mortgage; others might have student loans and other obligations.

- It's a blessing she has an emergency fund and savings in place.  She says I have drilled the importance of budgeting, saving, and having an emergency fund into her and she's grateful for that.

- It is a blessing that her apartment management asked if she could vacate her apartment a month before she was due to as it meant she doesn't have to pay August's rent.  It was stressful to bring forward the date and make arrangements to move out on a shorter time frame than planned, but, she is making it happen and negotiated a deal where the management will give her a monetary compensation for leaving early.  That compensation and what she saves on the August rent will pay for the costs of moving.

- She is blessed with good friends who have offered to help her move her belongings to the shipping container she will rent; the container will be delivered to the company's warehouse at this end and she has some friends lined up to help her unload the boxes and bring them to the house.  I, too, will be able to help her with that.

- It is a blessing that we can focus on our many blessings and not stress too much about such drastic changes to her income and potential loss of employer paid health insurance, etc.  

In addition, we are blessed with family and friends who are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers after I confided in them about my health issues and my daughter's job uncertainties.

I believe that things happen for a reason, even though we might not always know the reasons why they happen, especially at the time.  Perhaps, with hindsight, it might become clearer.  Maybe some day we will look back and say, "Wasn't it a blessing that happened?"

My mother used to say that change was good.  My daughter and I are determined to seek the good in this change.  We are focusing on the positives and, yes, counting our blessings.  We are both grateful for those blessings and thankful we have each other and are able to be there for each other. 

Today: September 1, 2023

Today's Harvest (9/1/23)

Today is a blessing!  Eight years ago, today, I had a diagnostic biopsy, the results of which confirmed that I had cancer.  To be alive, and relatively well, today, eight years later, is both a blessing and an answered prayer.

Today, I made my usual first of the month brunch of milkrice and when I made my usual offering at the altar, I said a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessing of today.  I also made a mackerel curry (using canned mackerel) to go with the milkrice. 

Today, the pain in my hip has subsided quite a bit.  I am able to walk without shuffling.  My daughter admonished me not to "overdo things by a mile because you are feeling better" and I promised her that I won't!  But, I was able to do a few things, including going out into the garden and harvesting what is shown above - one passionfruit, two lemons (one of which is rather shriveled), three serrano chilies, and some blueberries!  Yes, the blueberry bushes are still producing berries!

Blueberries on the Bushes

While I was in the garden, I started the car and let it run for a few minutes.  And I took a few pictures.

The squash plants - I asked M to open up the chicken wire mesh we had placed around the planting bed in order to give Eenie room to spread; I rather suspect that Eenie is a butternut squash vine!  There are two tomato plants growing, too.  And yes, that's Mama Cat in her yellow bucket in the background!

Squash Plants

The Squash Plants From the Other Side

The Newest Squash Seedling - Jack
(in case it's a pumpkin)

Nearby, the volunteer tomato plant growing in the apple seedling planter seems to be a cherry tomato plant:

Volunteer Cherry Tomato

M was supposed to tend to the garden, today, but, he called to ask if he could do it tomorrow, instead.  I was fine with that.  The weather forecast says it will rain very early tomorrow; if it does, then, M might not need to water!  I had unlocked the gate, earlier, in anticipation of M's arrival, so, after the phone call, I went back outside and locked the gate.  I noticed that there were some vehicles parked in the driveway, next door (neighbor T's former home).  They appeared to be construction workers' vehicles, so, I'm assuming they are doing some repairs or upgrading before the new owners move in.  I also noticed quite a few large plants in growers pots in the backyard, so it looks like they plan to landscape the yard.  It's going to be interesting to see what takes place, next door!

I spent the rest of the evening relaxing, watching some TV, and video chatting with my daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The blessing of this day
- Answered prayers
- Being alive and relatively well
- Access to medical care
- The garden harvest

Today's joyful activity was being out in the garden, picking some homegrown produce and rejoicing.

Mid-Week

Aloe Flowers

 The lower flowers on the stalks are opening up:

Aloe Flowers Opening Up

Hummingbirds love these flowers.

Tuesday was a sunny day, with an afternoon high of 67F.  My daughter called me early in the morning to say she was at the airport, waiting to board her plane; her friend's husband dropped her off early before he needed to leave for work.  She had a safe flight back, a bit turbulent, she said, but, smoother than the flight out.  My doctor's office called and moved my appointment forward by one day, which was fine.  I made American style pancakes for brunch, but, ate them with chicken curry gravy.  

Temple: Seated Buddha Under the Bodhi Tree

Tuesday afternoon, I went to the Temple; I gave a donation in memory of my mother and the head monk chanted blessings.  Afterwards, I went to the cemetery to visit my mother's grave.  I took her the single red rose that was blooming in the garden and several aloe flower stalks.  I said a prayer for her and sang Whispering Hope, which was her song.  There were several funerals going on in other parts of the cemetery and a lot of people, but, there was no one in the area where my mother's grave is located.  I had the whole area to myself and although I had a mask with me, I didn't need to put it on.

Afterwards, I came home and sewed a few more patches on the quilt I'm repairing.  Then, it was time to watch the State of the Union speech.  Later, I called friend R and video chatted with my daughter.

I made another hamburger for dinner and later, ate one of the leftover pancakes with syrup for a snack!

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to go to the Temple, once again, although I don't go when there's a crowd
- Being able to make a donation in my mother's memory and offer merit to her
- The monk chanting blessings
- Being able to visit my mother's gravesite
- Daughter had a safe flight and journey back to her apartment

Tuesday's joyful activity was being able to honor my mother's memory.

Today, Wednesday, has been another sunny day with an afternoon high of 71F.  I didn't have the heater on in the night and when I woke up in the morning, it was warmer outside than inside, so, I opened the windows to try and warm up the house.  Then, I scheduled my lab tests for the end of next week.  I had leftover pancakes with seeni sambol (from a jar, not my homemade sambol, which was over) for brunch.

Afterwards, I took the laptop and sat outside in the sunshine, because it was so much nicer outside than inside!  I was still outside when M arrived to tend to the garden, later in the morning.  He watered the back yard, pruned the moringa tree, and repotted some seedlings for me.  I think they are passionfruit seedlings from some seeds I tossed into a planter, but, I am not sure.  M thinks they are papaya seedlings because I also tossed some papaya seeds in various places!  Whatever they are, they were growing in a clump and being overshadowed by some gazania seedlings that are also growing in that same planter!  So, I had M dig up the clump and we separated the seedlings and potted them up in individual small pots.  There are a total of 26 seedlings!  I know that not all will grow and survive, but, even if only a handful do, then, it would be lovely to have passionfruit vines going up trellises in the garden!  Or, if they turn out to be papaya seedlings, then, I'll have a papaya orchard!  LOL.

After M left, I watered the front garden.

I spent the afternoon repairing the quilt top.  Later, I watched news and paid that nearly $700 gas bill.  I tried to pay the water and electric bill, but, their website was down for maintenance, so, that goes back on the to do list for tomorrow.  There was a notification in today's mail, from one of the medical clinics saying that their computers were hacked into in early December; they will provide one year of complimentary credit monitoring if we register with the company they have contracted with, so that's something else my daughter and I have to do.  

For dinner, I thawed a packet of chicken curry and had some with leftover rice and leftover green beans and peach chutney.  Chicken is on sale for $.99/lb, this week and I plan to buy some and stock up the freezer - I had been waiting for it to go on sale for that price.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Sunny, warm afternoons
- Being able to manage without putting on the heater all day (I put the electric space heater in the evening)
- M helping with the garden
- Water for the garden
- Being able to pay my bills

Today's joyful activities included gardening and video chatting with my daughter.

Tomorrow, I have to take the car for an oil change/service.  My appointment is at 8:00 a.m.!  Guess who'll have to wake up early in the morning?  LOL.  Not sure how long it might take or if they'll find other things that need doing (I'm hoping not!), so I am not planning anything else for tomorrow.  If I am able to come back home before lunch time, then, I'll do some cleaning in the afternoon and sewing, plus paying the water/electric bill.  I'm also planning to order groceries to be picked up on Friday.  

How is your week coming along?

Sunday

Sleepy Kitty

My daughter tested positive, again, on Sunday.  We still have two more days to go before the cut off day for her to get a ride home with her friend.  

Today, I decorated the Christmas tree.  I still have to get the tree topper from the bin in the garage and put it up.  I had to do the tree in stages because I needed to take breaks!  My back hurts when I stand for a long time.  After I decorated the tree, I vacuumed the family room, again.  It is an artificial tree, but, it drops its needles like a real tree would, and Dancer Kitty tries to eat the needles and then, throws up!  

In between decorating the tree, I did a few other things, including the dishes that had piled up in the sink, and crocheted while I watched the evening news.

Neighbor T called in the morning and she said she had fallen three times, in the morning, and asked me to pray for her.  I told her that I do pray for her when I say my daily prayers, but, asked her if she'd like me to say a prayer for her right then and there.  She said, "Yes, please, if you would be so kind", so, I said a prayer for her over the phone.  I hope it helped her.

Later, I called friend R to check on her and spoke with aunt C, too.  

Brunch had been the second slice of bread that neighbor S had given me, with some butter and cheese.  For dinner, I cooked some rice, broccoli, and reheated a package of shrimp curry I had taken out of the freezer.  There are leftovers for tomorrow.

Still later in the night, I video chatted with my daughter and ordered some groceries to be picked up tomorrow.  Chicken is on sale for $.99/lb. this week and I want to take advantage of that.  Butter (store brand) was on sale for $3.99/lb. with a digital coupon ($4.99/lb. without the digital coupon) and I stocked up on that.  I had been hoping that butter would go on sale for a lower price in time for holiday baking, but, apparently, $3.99 is the new sale price!  If my daughter comes home, I will need to put in another order to pick up half and half for her.  I have some other items to add to that order to qualify for the free pick up.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Free home testing kits for Covid
- Being able to offer the comfort of a prayer to neighbor T
- Being able to order groceries online
- Phone calls, emails, and video chats with family and friends
- Being able to order gifts online

Sunday's joyful activity was listening to Christmas carols and decorating the tree.  

Plans for Monday include picking up the groceries and the usual Monday housekeeping tasks.  

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

Midweek on Wednesday

This morning, my friend A's daughter texted me with an update on her mother's condition, saying that her mother seemed a little more alert this morning and the nurse was able to give her a few sips of water.  But, she is still unable to swallow anything (they were trying to give her some applesauce).  Then, she asked if my daughter and I could come to the hospital, today, too, even for a short time because "mom seems calm when you are with her".  Of course, I said yes, I'll come!

I left a note to my gardener M, made some sandwiches and packed them along with some mandarin oranges and a packet of cookies, and we went to the hospital.  I took my prayer book with me and said my morning prayers while seated by my friend's bedside.  She seemed pleased to see me, smiling and trying to say, "Hi".  She drifted in and out of sleep, but, they were able to remove the big oxygen mask that she was wearing (which she was trying to pull off) and replace it with a cannula (she would occasionally try to remove that, too!)

We spent the entire afternoon with her, from noon to a little after 5:00 p.m.  She was more alert, but, she was unable to drink anything more or eat anything and the doctor ruled out inserting a feeding tube because her body is unable to process any nutrients as her systems are shutting down.  Her husband and daughters are still holding out hope for an improvement in her condition, but, it truly seems like it is just a matter of time.  

After we came home, we had a cup of tea and rested a bit.  Brunch had been a sandwich; dinner was assorted leftovers - daughter had rice with the last of the Thai chicken stir-fry; I had soup and some of the baked potato wedges, warmed up.  Afterwards, I called and chatted with friend R.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The opportunity to be there for A and her family during this difficult period
- Safe drives to the hospital and back
- M tending to the garden for me
- Working appliances
- Leftovers

Today's joyful activity was being present for A and her family.

Plans for tomorrow include roasting the turkey and preparing a very simple Thanksgiving meal.  Depending on A's condition, I will take some plates of food to her husband and daughters, tomorrow afternoon.  A used to have us over celebrate Thanksgiving with her and her family for years, prior to the pandemic; it will be my turn to take a Thanksgiving meal to them, this year.  

To all of my blog friends who will celebrate Thanksgiving, tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving!  May you enjoy the day in the company of family and friends and other loved ones.

Eye Appointments and More Visits

I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist, today.  This is an annual appointment which had originally been scheduled for October, which I had rescheduled for when my daughter would be here to drive me home, afterwards, since my eyes would be dilated.  The appointment went well.  My eye pressure was good, I have no glaucoma, no retinopathy, and the cataracts (in both eyes) are still quite small and nothing to worry about.  The doctor was quite pleased with my most recent A1c blood sugar levels (although they had gone up a little bit from the previous reading; my primary care physician won't be quite as pleased when I see her, next week!)  I am to return for a follow-up next year in November.  I made the appointment before I left the clinic and asked for, and received, a copy of my report.   Then, my daughter drove me home.

Earlier in the morning, before I went for my eye appointment, I had texted my friend's older daughter to ask for a status on her mother.  She texted back that her mother was unresponsive, the doctor had been to see her, and they are monitoring her situation.  Later, when we were in the waiting room at my eye doctor's clinic, my friend's younger daughter called my daughter (my daughter went out of the waiting room to take the call) saying her mother was receiving end-of-life care, the doctors have given her 24-48 hours; now would be a good time if we wanted to visit to say our goodbyes.  My daughter had explained that I was at the doctor's office, myself, and that she'll call back.  I told her we could go after my appointment.  

But, first, we went home so we could eat something.  Then, we went to the hospital (my daughter drove since my eyes were still feeling the effects of being dilated).  We took some food for my friend's husband and daughters so they could have something for a late lunch.  And we basically spent the rest of the afternoon and early part of the evening at the hospital.  My friend drifted in and out of consciousness.  She was mostly unresponsive, but, there was a period of time when she was alert, smiled, and tried to communicate. The doctor came in and checked on her twice while we were there.  

Eventually, we came home and had a cup of tea.  The new printer we ordered had been delivered while we were out and it was waiting for us by the front door.  My daughter was too tired to set it up, today, but, she'll do that tomorrow.

Later, I cooked the salmon fillet while my daughter made a cucumber salad, cut some potatoes into wedges and baked them for our dinner.  Then, we ran the dishwasher.

After dinner, I fell asleep on the sofa! I had an almost 2 hours long nap, waking up a little after 11:15 p.m.  Of course, I am wide awake, now, at 1:30 a.m.!  LOL.

Today, I am grateful for:
- My eye appointment went well and there's nothing wrong other than the cataracts
- My daughter being here to drive me home afterwards
- Safe drives to and from the doctor's office and the hospital
- Being able to visit my friend and be present for her family
- The new printer was delivered 

Today's joyful activity was seeing my friend being responsive for at least a brief period of time.  

Plans for tomorrow include M tending to the garden and I might ask him to do a couple of jobs for me inside the house, too (ceiling fans need to be cleaned and the smoke alarm batteries need to be replaced; M is tall while I am vertically challenged and my daughter isn't much taller than I am!)

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

Daughter is Home!

My daughter came home, safely, on Sunday night.  Her trip down was delayed by a couple of hours because first, her friend who was giving her a ride discovered that one of the car tires had a puncture and needed to have it repaired and then, got caught in traffic on his way to pick her up as another car had overturned on the road and, although no one was badly injured, there was quite a traffic jam as a result.  She got home around 9:00 p.m.

I spent a productive day on Sunday while I waited for my daughter to come home.  I changed the sofa dust sheets and did a load of laundry in the morning, picked up the groceries at noon, and spent the afternoon tidying my bedroom (the dresser top and the top of my desk aren't completely cleared, but, they have been tidied and dusted), remaking my daughter's bed, and cooking dinner (daughter had asked for chicken curry and rice and I made sauteed asparagus to go with them).  

Monday morning was spent doing tasks on the "honey do" list I had prepared for my daughter!  I needed her help with quite a few tasks around the house and with my phone and computer.  We found out that the reason I couldn't change the ink cartridges in the printer was because the printer itself was broken!  Daughter ordered a new printer and will set it up for me before she leaves.  The reason I couldn't text a new contact I had added to my phone was because I had unintentionally clicked on the email button, so while I could call that person, I couldn't text her!  Daughter cleared that and added a few other contacts to my phone list for me.  The big screw nail that I had found under the table had fallen from the leg of one of the chairs (and not the table as I had initially thought - daughter crawled under the table and fixed the chair leg for me).  

While all that went went, there was a moment of panic when I couldn't find two documents I knew I had received and I had put aside!  They weren't in the places where I had placed them!  Did I accidentally toss them when I was sorting through my papers?  Did they fall into the bag with the recycling that I had already dumped in the recycling bin?  Had I put them somewhere else?  Eventually, we found both documents - they had fallen behind a piece of furniture!  Whew!  Those documents were dealt with and I have them both securely tucked away where they should be kept!  

Afterwards, we had leftovers for brunch.

We relaxed in the afternoon and watched a short video together, then, watched the evening news.  Daughter did the litter box and I took the trash bins to the end of the driveway to be collected in the morning and walked for 10 minutes.  

A short time later, we received a phone call from the daughter of one of my friends.  My friend was in the hospital, unresponsive, and the doctors had said that if she didn't show any improvement by morning there wasn't much they could do for her; could we come to the hospital?  Yes, of course we could.  We put on our N95 masks and daughter drove us to the hospital.  My friend was hooked up to all kinds of machines and fitted with a big oxygen mask.  She was restless, pulling at the various tubes and the oxygen mask.  When I approached the bed and spoke to her she opened her eyes but didn't say anything. I held her hand and said some prayers for her and it might have been a coincidence, but, her condition seemed to improve!  Her pressure came down, her heart rate which had been high came down and her blood oxygen levels increased to the point where she was taken off the big mask and a smaller one was placed.  Earlier, she had not been able to breathe well with the smaller mask.  A little while later, my friend smiled at me and said something which sounded a lot like, "Thank you".  Then, she fell into a natural sleep.  My daughter and I stayed at the hospital for a few hours and came home.  

I had planned to cook the salmon for dinner, but, it was past 10:00 p.m. when we left the hospital, so we stopped to get some hamburgers and fries on the way home.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The power of prayer
- Having my daughter home
- Being able to be there for my friend and her daughter
- Finding the documents I thought I had misplaced
- A safe drive to the hospital and back

Today's joyful activity was being able to be present for my friend and her family.

Plans for tomorrow include my eye appointment at noon.  The rest of the day's activities will depend on how soon the dilation in my eyes wear off!  But, I do plan to cook the salmon, tomorrow.  

Deliveries on Sunday

 

The Meal Prepared by Daughter

Today, January 9, is the anniversary of my maternal grandmother's death and late Aunt T's birthday.  My morning prayers included a special prayer for them and I texted a message to Aunt T's daughters, my cousins V and R, to let them know that their mother was remembered.

In the afternoon, we packed up the food that my daughter had cooked.  Not pictured above was the container of rice I cooked to go with the curries.  And we decided that the garbanzo beans could be given in a sandwich bag and didn't need a container.  So, only 13 food containers, as opposed to the 14 I had mentioned, yesterday!  Plus, a jar of zucchini chutney.  

It was a lovely, sunny day with a daytime high in the low 70s.  A perfect day to drive over to our friends' house.  We left the bags of food and gifts on the doorstep and texted them to say that they have a delivery.  They had left their gift to us (a basket of goodies and a gift card) on the doorstep for us to collect, as well.  Then, we drove home, feeling happy about the whole thing.  Being able to help daughter prepare this meal and deliver it is truly a blessing for me!  And it has filled me with joy and gratitude!  

In the evening, I did two loads of laundry and washed more dishes!  

Crocheted Prayer Blanket

This is the prayer blanket I crocheted for my friend, with yarn I had in my stash (although I did have to buy two skeins of the black yarn to finish the project).  Three rows of five squares each, each square consisting of 10 rows (the 10th rows are in black yarn and form a border around each square). Since my friend is Catholic, I intended the 10 rows in each square to represent one decade of the Rosary, the five squares per row for the five decades of the Rosary, and three rows for the Holy Trinity.  Originally, I had thought the three rows of five squares would represent the three Mysteries of the Rosary that I had known about (the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious), but, one of my good friends (who is also Catholic) informed me that Pope St. John Paul II had added a fourth set of Mysteries (the Luminous) that I had not been aware of.  I decided not to do a fourth row as I was trying to get the blanket finished in time for our planned visit which was to have been before Christmas, originally.  The entire blanket is bordered with additional rows of crochet in purple and edged in black.  A hadn't opened her gift yet when I spoke with her, this evening, to tell her what the blanket represented.  It is my hope that this blanket will make her feel that she is surrounded by a prayer when she wraps it around herself.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter preparing a meal to take to our friends
- A safe drive to deliver the meal and back
- Being able to give the prayer blanket to my friend

- Memories of my grandmother and aunt

- Hugs from my daughter

Today's joyful activity was delivering the meal and gifts to friends.

Plans for tomorrow include taking down the Christmas tree!  Or, at least, removing the ornaments so that M can dismantle the tree on Wednesday and put the Christmas bins in the garage for another year!

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

Almsgiving 2022

Reliquary

Today, Wednesday, January 5, my daughter and I held our almsgiving. 

The monks brought a new reliquary, that they had received on the first of the year from Sri Lanka with them.  They said that mine is the first house they've taken this new reliquary with them!  The presence of the reliquary transforms the house into a temple.  Reliquaries are usually kept covered with a cloth to keep out dust, etc., but the monks uncovered it to show me and I asked if I could take a picture of it (they know about my blog!)  I did not ask them about the relic that is contained within. There are probably just as many relics of the Buddha as there are pieces of the True Cross.  A person's belief and faith can transform something ordinary into something extraordinary. 

I woke up at 8:00 a.m., today and did all the tasks on my to do list.  Everything was done and ready by the time the monks arrived.

As is our custom, small amounts of all the food that was prepared for the almsgiving were served in small containers, along with water and juice (apple juice, in this instance) to be offered at the altar. 

Platter of Offerings to the Buddha

After the monks had had their lunch (they wore their masks before and after their lunch; we had our masks on the whole time) and chanted blessings, one of the monks walked through the house, at my invitation, and blessed the house by sprinkling blessed water (he poured some blessed water into a clean bowl and used a freshly picked rose from the garden to dip into the water to sprinkle around the house, from the front door steps to the back door steps.

Just before they left, I asked them if there was anyone at the Temple who might need a meal and served up a plate of food for them to take back.  There are usually three or four monks at this particular Temple although I only invited two and often, some people come to the Temple if they need a helping hand.  Daughter and I also shared some food with neighbor S and her family and I took a share over to friend R.  Almsgiving food is meant to be shared.  I was too tired in the evening to take anything over to neighbor T, but, I'll take some of the desserts over to her, tomorrow.  

Almsgiving Lunch

 

In the evening, I set about "erasing the evidence" - cleaning up evidence of the almsgiving.  All the chair covers and table linen were washed, dried, and put way, except for the few napkins and the one table cloth that have to be ironed (will do that, tomorrow, as I had put away the ironing board and iron).  Then, most of the dishes were put in the dishwasher and washed; the rest were washed by hand.  The dishwasher has been emptied, but, some items have not been put away in the cupboards, yet (requires climbing up on the stepstool to do so!)

Daughter's winter break ends today; she starts work, again, tomorrow (still working remotely from home, but, her office is planning to have them all return to the office, around the end of the month, rotating who will be in the office on any given day; apparently, they need to keep staffing levels to no more than 40% of occupancy capacity of the building due to Covid).  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to have the almsgiving
- Daughter's help with all the work, before, during, and after
- The monks blessing the house as well as my daughter and me
- Being able to share some of the food with friends and neighbors
- Working appliances!

Today's joyful activity was having the almsgiving.  I feel it is a blessed start to the New Year.  

Plans for tomorrow includes more erasing the evidence - putting things back where they go until the next time, ironing the items that need ironing, and doing some paperwork.

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

Good News!

Red Roses on the Trellis

My doctor called me yesterday (Wednesday) evening to let me know that she had received the results of the MRI and it was all clear!  No evidence of a herniated disc.  I am so thankful for that!  Such a blessing!  Yet another answered prayer! 

But, then, what caused the sciatica pain?  My doctor is convinced the pain was due to inflammation caused by the reactivation of the herpes virus in response to the body's stress reaction to the Covid vaccination!  She believes that, with the anti-inflammatory and anti-viral medication I had been on, the inflammation has gone down and that is why I have been pain free these past few weeks.  

I mentioned to her that I still have some numbness in my foot and she said it will go away, eventually.  I can live with the numbness as long as I don't have pain!

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers, healing thoughts, and well wishes!  I know it all helped!

After my doctor's call, my daughter said she will no longer baby me!  LOL!  I will be allowed to do my regular household work, as long as I take care not to over do things!  I even got to walk for five minutes, up and down the drive way, later in the evening, check on the garden, and close the gate after M left!

Yesterday was a good day.  I did two loads of laundry (start to finish - including taking out from the washer and dryer!) while I waited for M's visit.  He watered the garden, picked a handful of green beans and only one zucchini!  He also got to sample the zucchini yeast bread and the zucchini chutney and thought they were both very good.  He has dubbed us the Zucchini Queens!  LOL.

"We are the Zucchini Queens
Still young and sweet
Though no longer teens"

LOL!  My apologies to ABBA! 

Later in the evening, I called aunt C and spoke with her and cousin N, called friend A and friend R, too.  

Red Rose

Yesterday, I was grateful for:

- The good news about the MRI results
- My doctor calling me about the results, even though her office is closed on Wednesdays
- Answered prayers
- My daughter being so concerned and caring
- M tending to the garden for me

My joyful activities for yesterday included getting the good news from my doctor, giving thanks for answered prayers, and posting the photos for the monthly and summer photo challenges.

Rose Bud

I am glad that the month of June ended on such a positive note!  I feel truly blessed!

Feeling Better, Today

Bottlebrush Tree (with red flowers)

Today, I am feeling so much better. 

Last night, I was in pain, but, eventually, the pain wore off.  I was calling out and praying aloud in pain and my daughter joined me in praying and she was crying.  So, I began to sing and she began to sing, too.  I started out with a Buddhist devotional song called "Danno Budunge" which is a song I learned in my childhood and my daughter, too, learned as a child attending religion classes at our temple.  From there, we sang my mother's favorite song, "Whispering Hope" and other family favorites and, somehow or the other, the singing was a good antidote to my pain!  By the time we finished singing, I wasn't in pain and was able to go to sleep.  I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to take my medications that the doctor had prescribed.  After which I slept again.  

I woke up feeling minimal pain.  Was able to go to the bathroom and back without too much pain, afterwards.  I am actually able to sit up in bed without pain, which is a blessing!  

According to the ER x-rays, I have some bone spurs and lumbar facet arthropathy (fancy name for arthritis) as well.  I have an appointment with my primary care physician (her office is finally open after being closed due to Covid since last March!) on the 25th of May.  There was no earlier appointment available.  I am on an anti-inflammatory medication and a pain medication that my primary care physician had prescribed; they and extra strength acetaminophen (again, with the doctor's approval) are what I am taking.  I am trying not to take the pain medication the ER doctor prescribed, as it is a narcotic and I'd rather not take it.  It's the same medication I was prescribed after my lumpectomy surgery, which I didn't use that time, either.  I don't want to risk getting addicted to anything!

I asked friend M to stop by and water the garden, yesterday, which he did.  I tried to pay him a little extra for this extra visit, but, he wouldn't accept any payment, saying I was a friend and like family.  Such a kindhearted person.  

The monks at the Temple have been calling and checking on me, saying they have been mentioning my name during their morning and evening blessing services; family, friends, and neighbors, too, have been calling and checking on me and my daughter.  I don't know if I mentioned it before, but, my aunt C and cousin N dropped off some soup on my front door step on Monday night, which was so very kind of them and much appreciated by both my daughter and I; I've been having that soup these past few days.  Daughter made some delicious teriyaki chicken, too, which was lovely.

We also enjoyed the first 4 or 5 ripe blueberries from one of our bushes!  

Today, my late friend Irene's two daughters came to see me; they now live out of state, but, they were down here on a visit.  We were all masked and with both daughter and I being fully vaccinated, I was happy to have them visit.  When I thanked them for visiting me, M said, "You came to see my sister T when she was in hospital and you were there for me when I needed you; of course I had to come to see you".  That was so sweet of her.  I had dreamed of my friend Irene, earlier this week, on the day before her birthday.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Feeling better
- The healing power of prayers and song
- My daughter for being the amazing caregiver she is
- For modern medicines
- For family and friends, and I include all of my blog readers in that category; thank you so much for keeping my daughter and me in your thoughts and prayers.

Today's joyful activity was finally feeling well enough to sit up in bed (propped up on pillows) and comb out the tangles in my hair!  

Hope all is well with each and every one of you.  May you all be blessed.

Better on Tuesday

I woke up feeling much better on Tuesday.  No more aches and pains or chills.  Even the arm felt fine.  I am grateful that the side effects seem to have gone away.

I still planned to take it easy, but, Dancer had other plans!  He ate his kibble too quickly and threw up on one of the kitchen rugs and under the dining table, so I cleaned the floor and washed the kitchen rugs.  Then, I did two more loads of laundry and washed some dishes.

I did some reading in the afternoon and played sudoku online.  In between, I brought in my trash can and neighbor T's trash can, too.  She must have heard me bringing in her trash can because, when I put it in the place where she keeps her trash cans, I heard a knocking and when I looked around, I saw her standing at her window.  She had called me earlier in the morning to ask me how I was feeling, but, she called me again, to thank me for bringing in her trash cans for her.  

I think the ambulance on Monday night was for someone who might have fallen and hurt himself while walking on the sidewalk in front of T's house.  I saw a red stained T-shirt on the low wall in front of her garden, a fast food bag on the ground next to it, and a big red stain on the sidewalk itself (no, it wasn't ketchup).  T said she didn't know what to do about the T-shirt; I told her to just leave it there in case someone comes by to collect it.  If not, maybe M can dispose of it for her.  

Neighbor S's daughter N had texted my daughter, on Monday, to say that she was planning to go to the Armenian grocery store on Tuesday and to ask if we needed anything.  I asked for three packages of frozen puff pastry squares and N brought them over, in the evening.  Now I can make another batch of curry puffs!

Later in the evening, I watered the front garden.  M had planted a tiny fig tree in the front, but I didn't have time to water it on Sunday before I went for my vaccination and then, I couldn't water it on Monday, either.  Today, the poor plant had wilted.  I hope the watering will revive it.  

Afterwards, I cooked dinner with daughter's help - rice, fish curry, and spicy sauteed potatoes, along with green beans I had cooked and frozen earlier.  Daughter also cut up a couple of hot dogs that were in the fridge and fried them with onions and Sri Lankan chili sauce (similar to ketchup with chili powder).  

Dinner

Photo credits go to my daughter!  My phone is still refusing to upload pictures to my computer, so I had to ask daughter to take the picture with her phone and email it to me!  

While I was cooking dinner, a friend of mine called to let me know that she is having some health issues and asking me to pray for her.  I spoke with her and her daughter and, later, my daughter texted with her daughter and  I forwarded a prayer that I had been given when I had my cancer diagnosis.  This is a long time friend who has been very kind and helpful to me and to my daughter.  Please send her kind thoughts and prayers for good health and healing.

After dinner, I called friend R and checked on her.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- My side effects have gone away
- N bringing me more frozen puff pastry dough
- Access to medical care and modern diagnostic tools
- Being able to share a prayer with my friend
- Dancer is OK (he just ate too quickly!)

Today's joyful activity was cooking dinner with my daughter.

I don't have any big plans for tomorrow.  I will practice the piano and do some cleaning and tidying up.  How was your Tuesday?  What are your plans for Wednesday?

California Poppies

Fifteen Years

Mother (one of the last photos taken of her)

It's been fifteen years since you left us, Amma.  It's hard to realize just how much time has passed; sometimes, it feels like just yesterday.  I can still remember feeling reluctant to go to the office that morning, after you had been ill the day before.  But, M was coming to tend to the garden, later that morning, and you were looking forward to him making French toast for you for breakfast, and his aunt Katy who was our neighbor from a couple of doors down was coming to check on you, as well.  I hadn't been at the office for very long when the phone calls began to come, one after the other - M calling to tell me he had to call the paramedics, cousin P calling to tell me I had better go home, and then, one of the paramedics, himself.  My supervisor and a colleague drove me home - my colleague driving my car and my supervisor following so he could drive my colleague back to the office, afterwards.

M said your last words to him had been to ask how it was going.  Earlier in the morning, you had told him, "I can't do this any more, M", and he had been concerned.  But, later, he had been in the backyard planting bean seeds and you had come to the sliding glass door at the back and asked how it was going.  He had given you the thumbs up and you had gone back to your chair in the living room.  That's where Katy found you, a few minutes later, unresponsive.

You always did love to garden.  Even when we lived in an apartment, you still grew things in pots!  You were someone who could poke a dead stick into some soil and have it grow into a flourishing plant!  I still feel your presence in the garden when I am there and M and I have a running joke that your spirit tends to the rose bushes and cause them to flower even when I tend to neglect them.  You will be pleased to know that we have bought new fruit trees to plant in the garden!  

Last year, I hosted a prayer gathering in your memory and went to the Temple.  This year, I am unable to do that, but, I do offer prayers in your honor.

May you be free from pain and suffering, from hurt and sorrow.  May you attain the ultimate release of Nibbana (Nirvana). 

Friday

The phone interview with the Social Security office took place this morning.  It went well enough, I think.  The representative asked me a series of questions, which I answered.  I was told that I could fax copies of my documents, during this time, when their offices are closed, but, I will be required to bring in the original documents when their offices reopened (I will be notified when that happens).  That is such a relief!  An answer to my prayers!  I was so worried that I would be required to mail in my original documents.

Unfortunately, my printer/photocopier is not working.  So, I called neighbor S and asked if she could do me a favor and photocopy a document for me.  Her daughter was kind enough to make a photocopy for me.  Such a blessing!

My phone is not a state of the art smart phone and isn't capable of faxing (as far as I know).  My original plan was to take the copies to a nearby office supplies store that offers fax services on Monday morning; according to their store website, the first hour after opening, Monday through Friday, is reserved for seniors/at high risk people.  My daughter, however, was not pleased that I have to go out of the house to fax.  I called the temple to ask if they had a fax machine, but, they don't.  I asked my cousin's daughter if she had a fax machine, but, she said it wasn't connected.  Later in the evening, I spoke with one of my friends and asked her if she had a fax machine.  She didn't, but, she spoke with her daughter and her daughter offered to fax the documents for me!  I offered to drive to her place to hand her the documents, but, she said not to worry, she will stop by my house and pick up the documents!  What a blessing!  I told her she was an answer to a prayer.

In the afternoon, I rested a little bit.  It was another rather warm day, today.  I cleaned the bathroom and practiced the piano.  Later, M tended to the garden and mowed the back yard.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The phone appointment went well

- I can fax copies of my documents instead of mailing the originals

- Neighbor S's daughter was able to make a photocopy for me

- Friend A's daughter will be able to fax the copies for me

- M mowing the back yard for me

Today's joyful activity was saying a prayer of thanksgiving that the phone interview went as well as it did and for the kindness of my neighbors and friends to help me out.  I am abundantly blessed with kind and caring friends and neighbors.

Plans for tomorrow include sewing more fabric masks for my friend's daughter.  They were the only thing she wanted in return for faxing the document for me.  I am more than happy to make her a few more masks.

How was your Friday?

Starting October

 

My Daughter's Ink Sketch of a Koi Fish

My daughter decided she was going to participate in something called Inktober, again, this year.  She did that a couple of years ago and had a lot of fun.  There are, apparently, different ways in which to participate, but, basically, one does an ink sketch a day (or, every other day, or once a week) and posts it.  Some people have a theme, but, she has chosen to go with a daily prompt.  Today's prompt was "Fish" and she decided to do a koi fish.  She used felt tip pens, she said.  She estimates it took her about one hour to draw and complete it.

Today has been another hot day.  Triple digit temperatures.  We apparently went up to 106F, today.  No, I didn't turn on the air conditioner in the room.  I was fine with the stand fan directed at me.

Since it was the first of the month, I made milk rice for breakfast and some onion relish (seeni sambol) to go with it.  In the afternoon, I gathered the documents I think I might need, tomorrow, for my phone appointment with the Social Security office regarding my application for Medicare.  There was a moment of panic at one point when I couldn't locate one very important document, but, I found it, after some searching, in the first place where I looked, but hiding under another document!  Whew!  I received an automated reminder of tomorrow's phone call; I hope it will go well.

I practiced the piano, later in the afternoon, and spoke with neighbor T, checking on her during this heatwave.  She warned me that there is a flex alert, urging people to refrain from using appliances during the day, until 8:00 p.m., to keep the demand on electricity low.  

In the early evening, I watered the front garden, just a little bit.  

Later in the evening, I spoke with one of my cousins and with friend R.  

The other night, I was craving something sweet, so, I pulled out a couple of frozen puff pastry squares, sliced up an apple, drizzled a little mango jam and sugar, and baked it all in the toaster oven (it was too hot to turn on the big stove oven):

Apple Pastry

I had one piece for dessert, that night, and the other piece for breakfast, the next day.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to locate the document I was looking for

- A new month and a new beginning

- Electricity to run the fans

- My rescue inhaler was delivered in the mail

- Being able to chat with family and friends

Today's joyful activity was playing the piano.

The only thing on tomorrow's To Do List is the phone call with the Social Security office about my Medicare application.  Please wish me well.  I have been praying all day that it will go well and that I can hand deliver my original Certificate of Citizenship instead of mailing it in.  I am stressing over that - I don't want to mail such an important piece of paper and have it go astray.  Please wish that I will get to speak with someone who will be sympathetic to my concerns and will say I can deliver it/drop it off at their office!

Saturday

I spent a quiet day on Saturday.  I did a load of laundry and hung it up, inside the house, to dry.  It was so hot, the laundry dried within minutes of hanging it up!  I cleaned the decorative brass items, using just lemon juice (most of the lemons left on the tree have withered from the heat and that's what I use to clean the brassware).  In the afternoon, I read a bit and watched some cooking shows on TV.  Later in the evening, when it was cooler outside than inside, I watered the back garden.  Afterwards, I practiced the piano.  I also sorted through a few things in an attempt to clean/organize/declutter, but, I don't think I was very successful with the decluttering!  It is very much a work in progress for me!

One of the things I sorted through was one of the clear plastic shoe boxes in which I have stored some of my CDs.  I was trying to go through my CDs to see if there were any I wished to declutter.  There weren't, but, the container was a bit dusty and I thought I would take out the CDs and wash the container.  When I removed the CDs, I found this at the bottom of the box:

A Little Prayer Folder

I opened it to see and found this, inside:

Prayer and Medal

I didn't know that this was in the container.  It is not something that I had, but, it is quite possible that it might have been something that was sent to my mother, as she used to sometimes send donations to the organization listed at the back of the little folder.  I don't remember putting it in the container, but, it is possible that I did (perhaps, when I was sorting through a box of my mother's things, it fell out and when I found it, I just put it in the container, temporarily, and forgot all about it).   Perhaps it was coincidence that led me to want to go through my CDs and wash out the container, today (Saturday, August 22).   But, I thought it was interesting that I should find it, today, because, as my Catholic readers will know, August 22 is the feast of the Queenship of Mary.  I feel it is a gift from my mother, especially after being worried about possible exposure to the virus, yesterday.  I have placed this prayer and medal on the altar, along with the other items I have on the altar.  

Today, I am grateful for:

• Life - being alive and well
• My daughter is safe from the fires in the Bay Area
• Finding a special prayer
• Quiet days
• Being able to video chat with my daughter

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

How is your weekend coming along?

Rest in Peace, Whitney

Whitney (taken about 18 months ago)

Whitney (more recent picture)

Barb in Texas sent me an email, this morning, to let me know that her daughter Whitney passed away, earlier this morning, just moments after she posted a comment on my blog post, yesterday, thanking everyone for their prayers.

This is what Barb said she shared with a group of friends:

For Whitney Lynn Goetter

“May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest … Give rest, O Lord, to thy handmaid who has fallen asleep …”

(from “Song for Athene” lyrics by Mother Thekla, 1993)

Whitney, my oldest daughter, brave and beautiful, died in Marysville, Washington, on 27 May 2020. She taught all of us how to live and die with grace, dignity, courage, and acceptance. She is met in Eternity by loving family and friends who went before her, and she is deeply mourned by her family and friends ...especially her son, Ryan Delaney who has been the joy and delight of her life. 

We will remember her spirit of adventure, her willing acknowledgement of being “the supreme catlady,” her kindness and compassion, and her wonderful laugh (often at herself.)

Rest in peace and comfort, sweet girl- I love you now and forever.

Rest in peace, Whitney. 

Barb, please know that I and those who read my blog send you and your family our deepest sympathies and condolences.  Our thoughts are with you at this sad time in your lives and we will continue to keep you and Whitney in our prayers.   (((HUGS)))

Online Retreat

Temple Altar

On Sunday, I participated in the online retreat that the Temple had organized.  The above is a picture of the altar, taken with my cell phone, from the computer screen, so the quality is not the greatest.  But, it shows some Vesak lanterns someone had made in the background, behind the statue of the Buddha; they are all in white as appropriate for a temple.  The flags are Buddhist flags, originally designed in 1884, by a committee of Buddhists, including an American retired Army Colonel, Henry Steele Olcott, in Colombo, Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon).  The flag was first flown in May 1885, to mark the first Vesak Poya (holy) Day to be declared a public holiday by the ruling British government (Ceylon was a British Crown Colony from 1815 to 1948).  The colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and orange) are supposed to represent certain physical attributes of the Buddha with each color having a meaning.  The current flag is a modification of the original flag in size and the color of one stripe; there are variations of the flag in other Buddhist countries, but, this flag is recognized as a symbol of Buddhism throughout the world. 

Although I tried to go to sleep early on Saturday night, I didn't actually fall asleep until after 3:00 a.m.  But, I managed to wake up at 6:30 a.m. and I had my cup of tea and got dressed.  Had I actually attended the retreat at the Temple, I would have worn a white sari, but, since this was going to be held at home, I wore a long white skirt and a white blouse, which is a more casual attire.  Over which, I wore a shawl made from a white piece of fabric; the shawl is sort of a representation of the robes a monk or nun would wear and it signifies that one is an observant of the eight precept.  One wears it, cross body, going over one shoulder.

I logged on to the meeting site at 7:00 a.m., and the chief monk led us in meditation for the first half hour as we waited for more people to log in.  They had arranged for a full day of programs! 

7:00 a.m. - Log in and breathing meditation

7:30 a.m. - Morning offerings (of flowers, incense, food, etc.) to the Buddha, followed by the administration of the eight precepts.  The monks say the precepts and you repeat after them, undertaking to spend your day in accordance with these precepts.

8:00 a.m. - Breakfast.  Normally, at the Temple, breakfast (and lunch) would be served to the monks and those observing the eight precepts by other devotees (and they would also eat, afterwards).  The act of serving food to the monks and those observing the eight precepts would be considered a meritorious deed.  If one was observing the retreat at home and there were others in the household, they would be expected to serve the meals to the one observing the retreat.  However, in my case, I made my own breakfast.  I warmed up a frozen paratha (a type of Indian flat bread) and had it with onion sambol (seeni sambol). 

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Sermon and discussion by a guest monk who logged in from another Temple, with questions and answers afterwards.  The Q&A session lasted a little longer than anticipated, but, that was good as it showed that people were actively participating.

10:10 a.m.- Loving-kindness (metta) meditation.  During this meditation, thoughts of loving-kindness and compassion are extended in ever widening circles, starting with yourself and going outwards to include family, friends, neighbors, community, state, country, the world, and beyond, to encompass the entire universe.  The idea is that whatever you wish for yourself (good health, well being, happiness, etc.) is also being wished for every other being, known or unknown, without any boundaries.

10:30 a.m. - Walking meditation!  The walking is supposed to be done very deliberately, being aware of each step, and each part of each step - putting the right foot down, shifting your weight to that foot, moving the left foot up off the ground, putting the left foot down, shifting your weight to that foot, lifting the right foot off the ground, putting the right foot down, and so forth.  The aim is not to walk far or fast, but to really focus on the process of walking.  I went outside for the 20 minutes of walking meditation. 

10:50 a.m. - Offering of lunch to the Buddha. 

11:00 a.m. - Lunch break.  Again, if we were at the Temple, lunch would have been prepared by other devotees and served to everyone, present.  As things stood, we each went off line and served and ate our own lunch.  I had rice with cabbage and cashew curry (I had a packet of previously cooked cashew curry in the freezer, which I had kept in the fridge, overnight, to thaw).  I wanted to keep it a vegetarian meal in observance of the day.

During this time, I listened to and watched a video of blessings being chanted. 

12:30 p.m. - The Temple program resumed with the chanting of blessings by the monks. 

1:00 p.m. - A sermon in English for the benefit of the Sunday school children (and adults, as well), with a discussion session, afterwards.

2:00 p.m. - Breathing meditation

2:15 p.m. - A short break to have a cup of tea or juice.

2:30 p.m. - Sermon and discussion, about the two main ways of showing devotion as a Buddhist - one being the participation in activities and rituals such as going to the Temple, offering alms to the monks, etc., and the other being putting the Buddha's teachings into practice by living according to the tenets of Buddhism.  One is considered good and helpful; the other is considered better and essential.  Again, the discussion went on for a little longer than anticipated, but, I found it to be very interesting.

3:45 p.m. - A short, 15 minutes "rest" break!

4:00 p.m. - Another sermon and chanting.

By this time, I had begun to get a headache.  I think it was due to a combination of insufficient sleep during the night, continuous screen time, and having to concentrate on what was being said!  Most of the sermons were delivered in Sinhalese, which is my first language.  However, it has been almost 47 years since I left Sri Lanka and I haven't had to use it as much, lately.  So, my Sinhalese is a little bit rusty.  Add in the fact that there is a more informal everyday spoken Sinhalese and a more formal oratory style used to deliver sermons, and I really needed to concentrate to truly comprehend what was being said.  Also, I might have been a little dehydrated and I was starting to get hungry!  I seem to need to eat something every 4 hours or so and it had been a little over 4 hours since lunch.  But, one of the precepts I undertook to observe was not to eat anything after 12 noon until the retreat ended.  I could have chosen to end it, then (doing so would have been easy; I just had to recite the regular five precepts I undertake on a daily basis), but, I was determined to stick it out! 

5:30 p.m. - Evening offerings and ending the retreat.  I was glad I was able to wait until the very end!

I really did enjoy this retreat and was glad I could participate, even with the headache and all!  If this opportunity was offered again, I would gladly participate - but, next time, I'll make sure I had plenty of water and juice to keep me hydrated and my blood sugar levels stable! 

The monks were holding the regular evening blessings later in the night, yesterday, starting at 8:00 p.m., but, I decided I would not participate.  It would have been just a little too much! 

Hope you find this post interesting. I've tried to explain just enough to give you an idea without going into too many details!  If you have any questions about anything I've described, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities.  Or, I can ask the monks for further information, if I need to.  Of course, there is quite a bit of information online, as well.  And, if you have read all the way to the end of this post, give yourself a big pat on the back!   

Friday

It was cloudy all day, today, too, but, it only drizzled a little in the afternoon.  Then, the clouds cleared and we had a little bit of sunshine in the early evening, before the sun set. 

I woke up feeling tired, in the morning, went back to sleep, and slept till noon!  Good thing I had cancelled the doctor's appointment that had been scheduled for today, otherwise, I would have slept right through it!  LOL.

Friend M came to tend to the garden in the afternoon, today, and he did some weeding and pruning.  He had a bandana with which to cover his face, but, I sewed him a face mask while he was here and he was happy to receive it.  One of his nephews is a paramedic and he had told M that the new protocol when they respond to an emergency call is, if the patient is ambulatory, they have the patient walk out to be treated outside; if the patient can't walk, then, the paramedics have to suit up in protective gear, completely, before they can go inside. 

During a break in the weather, in the afternoon, I walked up and down the driveway for about 15 minutes.  Neighbor S and one of her daughters were outside in their garden and I walked across the street to talk to them.  We kept our distance, but, it was nice to be able to chat with them for a bit.  I assured S that I was practicing the piano!

Also in the afternoon, I watched an online video of the chanting of Buddhist monks at the Temple of the Tooth, in Kandy, Sri Lanka.  They chanted a discourse known as Ratana Sutta (Pali) or Sutra (Sanskrit) or the Jewel Discourse in English.  According to Buddhist tradition, this discourse was originally chanted during a period of disease and famine in a city in India at the time of the Buddha.  It is recited as a special blessing for health and well being.  I felt better for having watched and listened to the chanting.

Brunch was half of an egg salad sandwich with fresh lemonade for a treat.  I had the other half of the sandwich with a cup of tea in the evening.  After tea, I watched the news and knitted (working on the sleeve of a sweater).  Los Angeles County, which has over 8,400 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of 12 noon, today, extended the stay at home order until May 15th.  I have a feeling it will probably go on till at least the end of May.

I practiced the piano after I watched the news.  Then, cleaned the bathrooms, washed the dishes, and cleaned the kitchen.  AFTER I cleaned the kitchen, I decided to cook!  LOL!  I seem unable to cook if there are dirty dishes in the sink!  I cooked the last of the green beans, the leek, and one of the potatoes friend S had brought me (the leek and potato were cooked together).  Then, I cooked a fresh pot of rice and had my dinner:

Dinner: Rice, Green Beans, and Potato and Leek  

I didn't want either the fish curry or any of the beef I had in the fridge, with my dinner, tonight, so, it turned out to be a vegetarian meal!  I froze the rest of the green beans I cooked today because I still have some of the previous batch of green beans in the fridge and that needs to be finished, first! 

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter.  She has received the first package of the food delivery she ordered.  Apparently, the store is sending her order in several smaller shipments because the items are being shipped from different warehouse locations.  She said she sprayed the box with disinfectant and will leave it just inside her apartment door overnight and will open it up, tomorrow (no perishables in this box).  I'm glad she received the first shipment.  It makes me feel better, because, although I have family and friends down here, who have offered to do my grocery shopping for me, she doesn't have anyone up there to help her (and she is in the higher risk category because she has asthma). 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter received the first shipment of her groceries
- M tending to the garden
- Being able to make M a mask
- Being able to watch the online chanting
- Fresh lemonade made with lemons from the garden

Today's joyful activity was watching and listening to the chanting, online.


Friday's To Do List
- Finish cleaning the kitchen (sink, counters, stove top) - DONE

- Clean the bathrooms - DONE

- Do one deep cleaning task - DONE

- Paperwork - NOT done! 

Saturday's To Do List:
- Start on the paperwork
- Bake banana bread

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