Rainy Saturday

More rain on Saturday, too!  We received 4.57 inches of rain on Friday and another 2+ inches on Saturday!  With January rainfall totaling over 8 inches and more rain expected next week, too, it looks like we will exceed our normal rainfall of just under 15 inches, this season.  With any luck, this year won't be considered a drought year!

Our day time temperature was 45F around noon, but, in the afternoon, it went down to 40F.  Some parts of Los Angeles received snow, especially in the mountains, but, we just had rain in my area.  

Neighbor T's daughter K called me in the morning, to check on me.  She said she had stopped by T's house to check on things; she had been concerned about the bottle brush tree in T's front garden, but, it is fine.  She said that there were several downed trees in her neighborhood.  Gardener M texted, too, to see if I was OK and I assured him that all was well and the eucalyptus tree was still standing.  According to the news, we had 50-70 miles per hour wind gusts, Friday night!

I spent a fairly relaxed day, today, watching online videos, reading blogs, trying to figure out a new budget, etc.  I know I seem to be obsessing over the gas bill, but, just the first two bills for this year have amounted to 63% of what I paid for natural gas in all of 2022 and 57% of what what I had budgeted for this entire year's gas bills!

The way I budget for most of my expenses, especially utilities, is I add up the previous year's bills, divide by 12 to get a monthly average, and then, add 10% for inflation.  I am not on the gas company's monthly payment plan, but, the way I budget for it is similar to how they calculate their monthly payment rates (and then, they bill you for any difference between what you've paid and your charges).  Then, I set aside that amount in my monthly budget towards that spending category.  Last year's gas bills varied from a high of $351 for January to a low of $30 in July, with an average bill of $135 per month.  With 10% for inflation, that comes out to $148.50 per month and I rounded it up to $150 for natural gas in my monthly budget for 2023.

2022 Billing Period/ # Days	Therms  Used	Bill Amount	2023  Billing Period/ # Days	Therms Used	Bill Amount
January 12/21/21-1/21/22=31 days	164	$351.62	12/19/22-1/20/23 = 32	160	$693.34
February 1/21/22-2/22 = 32	136	$277.46	1/20-2/17 = 28	104	$337.74
March 2/22-3/23 =29	119	$235.39
April 3/23-4/21 =29	69	$91.37
May 4/21-5/20= 29	33	$72.09
June  5/20-6/21= 32	17	$42.00
July 6/21=7/21= 30	13	$30.63
August 7/21-8/19 = 29	13	$31.79
September 8/19-9/19 = 31	14	$35.29
October 9/19-10/19 =30	15	$34.26
November 10/19-11/18 =30	47	$99.37
December 11/18-12/19 =31	134	$319.89
	Total	1,621.16 =$135.09/mo.			$1,031.08 = 63% of 2022 total payment

I used 164 therms during the first billing period in 2022 and my bill was $351.62.  I used 160 therms during the first billing period in 2023 and my bill was almost double at $693.34!  Even with their weekly bill notifications, it was still a shock!  This month's bill is not quite as bad, but, these two bills have thrown my 2023 monthly budget into complete disarray!  Obviously, I'll need to budget more than $150 a month for the gas bill!  But, how much more?  As a retired person living on a fixed income, there is only so much I can expand the budget to accommodate higher expenses.  Which means I need to cut other expenses, which is going to be rather interesting.  

I reduced the thermostat to 60F, today; the electric heater was on for most of the evening, although I've turned it off, now.  In the meantime, the gas company sent out a notice today about a public hearing on their proposal to...guess what?  Yes, they want to raise the price of gas!  No kidding!

I called friend R to check on her in the evening; she's been without internet and TV service all day, but, she had electricity.  I tried to call Aunt C to check on her (her backyard gets flooded when it rains, she has told me), but, she didn't answer the phone and I couldn't leave a message for her because I received an automated recording that her mail box was full.  Maybe her phone service is affected due to the storms.  I will try calling her tomorrow.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter.

Brunch was a bowl of soup and I had a piece of cornbread with my cup of tea in the evening.  Dinner was leftover pasta with sausage and pasta sauce.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The strong winds didn't cause any visible damage to my house and garden (just a few potted plants knocked over)
- Friends calling to check on me
- I have electricity and internet connections
- I have heating, even though it is costing a lot
- Having savings in place to pay for higher than expected bills!

Today's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.  

Sunday is supposed to be mostly cloudy with a 14% chance of rain.  Plans for Sunday include a little card making.

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

The Weekend

Darning Socks

I've had a relatively quiet weekend.

Saturday was partly cloudy, partly sunny and the daytime high was 58F.  I felt cold, but, didn't want to put the heater on during the day, although, I eventually put it on in the evening (and turned it off before I went to bed).  I did a load of laundry in the morning and hung everything up to dry.  Later, I ran the dishwasher partly because I haven't used it in a couple of weeks.  I always turn it off once the washing cycle has completed and open the door to let the dishes air dry to save on electricity.  I cooked one of the trays of chicken (made a chicken curry) and froze most of.  There were 10 thighs and I kept one cooked piece out and froze the rest in packages of three pieces each.  In between, I cleaned the litter box, chatted on the phone with former neighbor T, called friend R to check on her, emailed a friend and video chatted with my daughter.  Brunch had been a bagel with cream cheese, dinner was leftover macaroni and cheese with chicken curry.  

Sunday was Superbowl Sunday.  I watched the game in the afternoon.  While I watched the game, I mended two of my handknitted wool socks.  I had noticed that one of my blue knitted socks had a big hole in the heel, yesterday, and started to darn it.  Unfortunately, I don't have a wooden darning egg or darning mushroom; I used a fresh lemon, instead!  I didn't have any matching wool, but, I used some leftover grey wool, instead, and it worked out well.  I actually started mending that sock on Saturday and finished it, today, using a regular darning stitch which is similar to weaving.  Then, I noticed that one of the socks I was wearing had a rather worn out heel; not torn yet, but, in need of reinforcing before it tore.  I mended it, too, using the same grey wool, but, using the duplicate stitch instead of the darning stitch.  I am happy I was able to mend my socks and extend their use a little longer.

I put the heater on in the morning to warm up the house and then, turned it off.  Later in the evening, I switched on the electric space heater.  Brunch was a toasted bagel and cream cheese; dinner was rice, green beans, chicken curry, and peach chutney.

This weekend, I am grateful for:

- Having the option of using the big gas heater to warm up the entire house or the small electric heater to warm up the area where I am sitting
- Being able to darn my socks and extend their useful life
- Working appliances
- Phone calls, video chats, emails, etc., with family and friends
- Plenty of knitted and crocheted blankets on hand to warm me up when needed

The weekend's joyful activities included mending socks and watching football.

How was your weekend?  Did you watch the Superbowl?  Do you mend socks?  

The First Zucchini on Monday

Remember This?  Photo Taken Last Week (6/8)

Less than a week later:

Zucchini: 6/13/22

I decided it was time to harvest it:

The First Zucchini Harvest of the Year!
(Another Candidate for SPSH #20: You Grew It!)

No other zucchini to be seen in the garden, yet; however, there are two more female flower buds on the plants, including the plant that produced this zucchini, so, there is a promise of more zucchini in the future, although it might be more manageable, this year!  I think I had better take all the zucchini I still have in the freezer and make a batch of chutney with it!  LOL.  

Today, I woke up without a headache and I am glad!  I made sure I got 8 hours of sleep, though, and I've been trying to drink plenty of water, although, so far, I've only drunk a little more than 6 cups of water.  Need to drink at least two cups more!  I am not including the two cups of tea and the bowl of soup that I had for dinner in my water count.

Today, we had a mild day, with the high of only 80F.  I changed my bed sheets (finally switched from flannel to cotton for the summer!) and did two loads of laundry, today.  All the laundry, including the sheets, were hung up inside the house to dry.  I hang everything inside the house because I am afraid of fleas getting onto the laundry if I dry them outside.  Everything dries within a few hours, depending on how warm the temperatures are.  My dryer uses natural gas to dry the laundry and every month, I get a review of my gas usage from the gas company, showing how much (or how little) I used in comparison with similar houses in the neighborhood.  I always use more than my neighbors in the winter and usually use less during the warmer months of the year!

I also dusted, checked the fridge (nothing to toss out), took the trash cans to the curb, watered the front garden with the water I had collected, took the kitchen compost to the garden, harvested the zucchini, and meal planned.  I was able to accomplish today's to do list.  In addition, I watched most of the January 6th Committee Hearing on TV.

Breakfast had been a slice of multigrain bread, toasted and buttered.  I ate that soon after I had taken my morning medication which must be taken before eating.  A little later, I ate one of the plums from the garden (I am saving the rest for my daughter).  Much later, I had a salad for lunch.  Then, three of the Marie cookies with a cup of tea in the evening.  Finally, the very last of the chicken and vegetable soup for dinner, with a slice of multigrain bread, toasted.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The first zucchini to be harvested!
- No headaches
- Working appliances
- Phone calls from family (Aunt C, Cousin P) and friends (friend R); video chats with daughter
- Television

Today's joyful activity was harvesting my zucchini!

Tuesday's To Do List

- Dust the family room and my bedroom
- Put away the laundry
- Tidy the linen closet

- Water the house plants if needed

- Call the doctor's office to see if they received the scan results

- Bring the trash cans in

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

Radish Harvest on Wednesday

Radish Harvest

I found this radish growing under the orange tree, a week or so ago, and decided to harvest it, today!  I think it grew from a seed from the rather large radish plant that was there, last year, which set seed pods.  I picked a few of those seed pods for a stir-fry or two, but, I allowed others to mature on the plant and I scattered them around to see if they grow.  However, so far, only this one radish has shown up and I think the birds may have eaten the other seeds.  Anyway, I now have a radish to add to a salad!

It has been a sunny and warm day, today.  When I woke up, mid-morning, outside was already warmer than inside the house!  So, I opened several windows and the front door to warm up the house!  I closed the windows at 6:30 p.m., because, once the sun goes down, it tends to cool off very quickly.

Today, I watered the peach tree, again, and watered these little seedlings that are coming up:

Tomato Seedling?

I don't have a proper compost heap, anymore.  Instead, I bury kitchen scraps here and there in the garden beds and leave them to compost.  I remember I put some parts of a tomato that had started to go bad in this general area, and it looks like a couple of seeds have germinated.  This one is the biggest seedling with the first set of true leaves.  I will be watching this area, closely!

Cantaloupe Seedlings?

I also threw out some cantaloupe seeds in the same general area, and I hope that these are cantaloupe seedlings!  It would be lovely if they are!  But, first, they need to be able to survive tomorrow's forecast for 90F temperatures!

The other seeds I tossed out were papaya seeds, but, so far, I haven't seen any papaya seedlings. 

Today, I set my timer for 20 minutes and walked up and down my driveway and in front of my house and neighbor T's house.  First, up and down my driveway, then to the end of the front garden and turn around; back up and down my driveway and to the end of T's driveway and turn around; then, repeat!  While I walked, I prayed.  It is an adaptation of what we call walking meditation.  Except, walking meditation involves being mindful and aware of each step being taken.  In my situation, I simply walked and prayed as I walked.  It was still a form of meditation, as far as I am concerned because I was focusing on my prayers.  I had texted my daughter to let her know I was setting out to walk and she said it inspired her to do a cardio-dance workout (her workout lasted one hour, compared to my 20 minutes of walking).

When I came back inside after my walk, there was a message from neighbor T, so I called her back and chatted with her.  Then, I called friend R to chat with her.  While I chatted with her, I cooked some spaghetti for dinner.  I had made some pasta sauce, last night, with half a can of pasta sauce that I had frozen and half a packet of previously browned ground beef that I had in the freezer.  The packet of ground beef had been half of a pound of ground beef I had bought and cooked just before the stay at home order went into effect.  I had used half of the ground beef for spaghetti sauce then, and frozen the rest.  Since that was all the ground beef I had in the freezer, I didn't want to use it all up, so I took just half of that and bulked up the sauce with a grated carrot and some frozen broccoli florets.  I wasn't quite sure how the sauce would turn out, but, I was very pleasantly surprised that it was so tasty.  I had it with spaghetti last night, had leftovers for my lunch today, and the last bit of the sauce with more freshly cooked pasta, for tonight's dinner, as well!  LOL.  I have no problem eating the same thing for several meals in a row! 

Aunt T called, too, and I had a nice chat with her.  I spoke with her, yesterday, too, but she calls often because she is feeling bored.  Her mind is as sharp as ever, but, at 91, her eyesight is failing and she is unable to read or do any of the things she used to do. 

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:
- A radish to harvest!
- New seedlings
- An evening walk
- A warm and sunny day
- Chatting with family and friends

Today's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include video chatting with a friend and sewing a few more face masks for a friend.

How was your Wednesday?  What do you think of my radish harvest?  What are your plans for Thursday?

Friday's Recap

Today was sunny and a little warmer than yesterday.  I had the same amount of sleep (5 hrs.), but I felt rested when I woke up.  I wrote a note to my gardener friend M with instructions about what to do in the garden, but I forgot to leave it out for him before I left the house!  I only remembered it when I came home and he called to say he trimmed and cleaned the backyard as there was no note!  Oops!  

I went to the office and had a productive day.  In the afternoon, I went for my walk (I didn't walk, yesterday).  I took one photograph, but apparently, it didn't get saved on my phone, because I couldn't find it!  Oh, well, it will be another reason to walk back there, next week.  I bought myself a package of raisin buns from the bakery that is located along the route I walked today, and that probably undid all the benefits of the walk!  LOL!  At least it wasn't cake!  They had some really tempting cakes in their display case!

Today, I called regarding a bill I had received from the cancer clinic and took care of that - they shouldn't have billed me because I had met my co-pay deductibles and I had provided them with a copy of the letter from insurance, already.  The lady I spoke with was very nice, though, and said it will be taken care of. 

Then, I called the surgeon's office and spoke with the lady who will be scheduling the surgery, to inform her that I am scheduled to have my pre-ops done one Monday.  I wanted to get a feel for when she thought the surgery might be scheduled, because I need to notify daughter so she can arrange to come down for my surgery (the surgeon operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays).

After I came home, I watched some TV and chatted with daughter.

This week, I haven't heard from either Aunt C or friend Rwhich is a bit unusual.  I should call them, tomorrow.  Hope they are both keeping well. 

Today, I received my water and electric bill, which includes sewer service and trash collection fees.  This bill is received every two months, so the charges are for a two-month period.  I budget $150 per month for this bill, so have a budget of $300 for each billing period.  I arrived at the $150 per month figure by averaging a year's worth of charges and dividing by 12 to get a monthly amount.  The bill I received today covers the period of 11/16/17 to 1/20/18 and includes the time when daughter came home for the week of Thanksgiving and two weeks over Christmas/New Year.  The entire amount of the bill is $243.05 and is broken down as follows:

 

Electricity (313 kWh) = $55.78

Water (15 hundred cubic feet or HCF) = $87.54

Sewer (based on the amount of water used) = $20.92

Solid waste (trash) = $78.81  

Total = $243.05

Up to 1,000 kWh of electricity is allowed at Tier 1 (lowest rate) rates; and I used less than one third of that, so my electricity consumption is quite low.  I suppose I could get it down even lower if I don't stay up practically all night and keep the lights on!  LOL.

I also had to disable the automatic garage door mechanism because I found that the garage door had opened by itself and was wide open, one night!  So, I have been opening and closing the garage door, manually.  It's a bit inconvenient and I will be getting it fixed, but, in the meantime, I'll be saving a little bit of electricity usage there, too!   

 

I am allowed up to 16 HCF of water during this period at Tier 1 rates and I used 15, so I managed to stay under the limit, which is also good.  It is harder to cut back on water usage than on electricity, for me, because I do water the garden at least once a week.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Getting the medical bill attended to

- Being able to get some additional information from the surgeon's office

- A sunny afternoon walk

- Raisin buns from the bakery

- Money to pay the bills

 

Weekend To Do List:

- Attend to the garage door

- Put gas to the car

- Do grocery shopping

- Clean the kitchen

- Do the dishes

- Change the bed sheets

- Do laundry

- Water the indoor plants

- Water the front garden

- Call aunt

- Call friend R

- Meal plan/cook

- Paperwork/pay bills 

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?  What do you do to cut down on electricity and water usage?

Rainy Days and Mondays

It rained all last night and early this morning!  We go without enough rain for six years and then, it looks like we are getting six years worth of rain in one winter!  The rain stopped by late morning, but more rain is in the forecast for the next several days!  Every drop of it is welcome, of course, after our long drought.

I called my supervisor this morning and told her about my fall and asked if it would be OK to work from home today and tomorrow.  I was told it was fine.  So now, I am planning to go to the office on Wednesday morning.  My knee is almost back to normal, but the shoulder is still a little stiff and painful.  Not too bad, though, and much better than what it was.

I worked from home today and took a late lunch in the early afternoon to make a quick trip to the pharmacy.  I had forgotten to request another refill on one of my medications, when I went in on Saturday.  It is supposed to have been refilled automatically, but it hadn't been, and I had to call in the refill this morning.   I forgot to call and check if it was ready before I left the house, and it wasn't ready when I got to the pharmacy, but they filled it for me while I waited.  I looked through a magazine while I waited, so I didn't mind the wait. 

Later in the evening, I emptied the waste baskets and the kitchen trash can and took the big trash cans to the curb.  Then, I went over to my recently widowed neighbor's to ask if she needed any help with her trash cans, but she said no, her sister-in-law, who is spending a few days with her, will take the trash cans out for her. 

After that, I did a load of laundry and hung it up to dry.  I hang everything indoors, on clothes hangers I hang from the door frames and on drying racks.  In the summer, I do the laundry in the morning, so the items can dry during the heat of the day.  In the winter, since I have the heater on in the evenings and at night, I do the laundry in the evening and the clothes dry overnight.  I hang my laundry to dry partly because it is frugal and saves energy while being environmentally friendly as well, and partly (mostly) because my clothes dryer is not working properly (it doesn't heat up) and hasn't been working properly for several years, and I never got it repaired or replaced!

As I did the laundry, I realized that I haven't yet bought the pair of pants I was going to buy to wear to the office!  Actually, I haven't bought any clothes in over a year!  Not since September 2015, when I bought two front open blouses to wear after the surgery.  Since then, I have lost some weight and most of my clothes are too big on me.  It didn't matter so much when I was home and going to treatments, doctors' appointments, or running errands; I was quite comfortable in my baggy clothes, but I'll need to put together a couple of outfits suitable for the office, tomorrow! 

One of my friends phoned me this evening and I video chatted with daughter.  Also called and wished an aunt for her birthday. 

Monday's To Do List:
- Call supervisor - DONE
- Call primary care PA to inform about fall - DIDN'T DO
- Do office work - DONE
- Empty household waste baskets and kitchen trash can - DONE
- Take the big trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday - DONE
- Start taking down the Christmas decorations - DONE

In addition to the above, I went to the pharmacy, did a load of laundry, watered the houseplants, and did the dishes.


Tuesday's To Do List:
- Office work
- Put away dried laundry
- Do another load and hang to dry
- Put together a couple of outfits to wear to the office
- Shop for a pair of pants?
- Continue to take down decorations
- Wrap the gifts to take to the office
- Pack a lunch to take to the office

Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to work from home for another couple of days
- Rain for the garden
- The rain clearing in time for me to run errands
- Being able to obtain the medicines I need
- Chatting with friends and family

Today, I spent $10 for my prescription refill.

How was your Monday?  Did you have a nice start to your week?  What have you planned for Tuesday?