Happy Sri Lankan New Year!

Milk Rice, Chicken Curry, and Katta Sambol

Usually called the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year after the two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, (I prefer the term Lankan New Year), Sri Lankans celebrate their cultural new year on April 13 and April 14.  Based on the sighting of the new moon and the movement of the sun from the House of Pisces to the House of Aries, astrologers determine when the old year ends and the new year begins (not necessarily at midnight) and the duration of the time between the two events, usually lasting several hours, when all work should be stopped and people should attend to religious matters, visit family members, engage in traditional games, and enjoy the special food and treats associated with the new year celebrations.  Given the fact that I left Sri Lanka over 50 years ago, and the time differences between there and here, I don't observe the specified times and rituals.  However, when possible, I make milkrice for breakfast (or brunch).

So, on Saturday morning, I spoke with my aunt to wish her for the new year, cooked milkrice for brunch, and made my usual offerings at the altar.  Then, I spent the rest of the day, relaxing!  

I like having a second new year in April!  It gives me another opportunity to have a new beginning!  

It was cool and overcast in the morning and it rained in the evening, quite heavily at times.  I am glad we had more rain, because I had asked M not to water the garden on Friday, in anticipation of it raining on the weekend!

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Another new year
- Another new beginning
- Rain for the garden
- Phone chats with my aunt
- A lovely e-card for the new year from a dear friend

Saturday's joyful activity was celebrating the Sri Lankan New Year!

There is more rain in the forecast for Sunday; plans for Sunday include relaxing with some crocheting.

How is your weekend coming along?

 

Balanced Life Monthly Goals - March Review and April Goals/The Late Edition

Better late than never, right?  

March started out well, I was joyfully anticipating my daughter's visit home, getting the house clean and tidy before she arrived, and planning to do a few fun things with her.  She arrived on a Friday and by Monday, I had discovered that I had a blood clot (it looks like I actually had two blood clots, on above the other; fortunately, both were superficial) in my leg!  Which led to an unscheduled visit to the doctor's, daughter extending her stay (which was wonderful!), and some concern and anxiety about my health, which affected several other areas of my life, as well.  March concluded with phone issues which lasted well into April! I was too distracted with writing about the phone issues to sit down and review my monthly goals, until now!

Here is my review of my March goals, followed by my goals for April: 

Health, Self-Care & Well Being (8.75)(6.0):  The goal is good health.

- Focus on continuing to improve my health through diet, hydration, adequate sleep, etc.
- Attend my medical appointments
- Continue to take my medications as prescribed

- Continue to take necessary precautions against viral infections

I had a blood clot (possibly two) in March, which required a visit to the doctor and being put on blood thinners.  My blood pressure was good when checked at the doctor's office and my weight was fairly stable (it has been fluctuating within a 5 lbs. range for at least a year).   There was no one cause for the blood clot, but, rather a combination of causes.  I am very thankful that the blood clot(s) were superficial and happened when daughter was already here to help me.  However, I am really not pleased with my health section and realize that I need to work harder to improve it.

April Goals: One of the areas of focus in April will be my health, I am obviously not doing as much as I should be in this area.

Spiritual (10)(10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being more giving

I continued with daily prayers, said even more fervently due to the health issues, and remembered my father on the anniversary of his birth with special prayers for him.  I didn't visit the temple, however, but, I still feel that I am living a spiritually meaningful life.

April Goals will be more or less the same, with daily prayers, meditations, and remembering my step-father on the anniversary of his birth.

Daughter (10)(10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her.

- Celebrate her birthday!
- Look forward to and enjoy her visit home

- Continue to keep in daily contact via phone calls, texts, and video chats before and after her visit home

My daughter came home for what was supposed to have been a week long visit which got extended by two additional weeks, due to concern over my health issues.  It was wonderful to have her home for three weeks, even if she had to work from home during the extended stay!  We celebrated her birthday by treating ourselves to several take out meals and a couple of shopping trip to a crafts supply store and the dollar store which is closing down, soon.  Plus, there were daily phone calls, texts, and video chats before she came down to visit.

 

April Goals include continuing to maintain a close relationship with her.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.

- Engage in daily joyful activities

- Engage in leisure activities
- Do crafts and pursue hobbies

In March, I spent plenty of time relaxing and enjoying joyful and leisurely activities, daily.  I read, made a couple of spring time decorations to give as gifts, participated in a photo challenge, and crocheted.  

April Goals: I plan to continue to engage in fun, relaxing activities including reading and crocheting.

Finances (10)(10):  The goal is financial security.

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose
- File my income taxes

I went over the March grocery budget because daughter stayed home for three weeks instead of the planned one week and I didn't increase my grocery budget to include having an additional person for most of the month, but, I will deduct the amount overspent from the April grocery budget.  I also splurged a bit on take out and other treats, as we celebrated daughter being home for her birthday, but, I had already planned and budgeted for that.  I filed my taxes as planned, continued to spend mindfully, and lived within my means in March.

April Goals:  April goals include continuing to budget and spend mindfully, with purpose.

Garden (10)(10):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant.

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week

The garden did really well in March with lots of flowers and new growth on the fruit trees.  We did quite a bit of pruning and weeding.

April Goals:  To continue with maintaining the garden.  To start planting the vegetables I want to grow this year, including corn, tomato, okra, and green beans.     

Family/Friends/Community (10)(10):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends and be involved with my community.

- Regular phone calls and emails, etc., to keep in touch with family and friends
- The occasional in person visits as and when I feel comfortable with doing so

- Participate in the blogging community and the online organizing community

March was a good month for family, friends, and community.  There were several family birthdays, including my daughter's, my sister's, sister's grandson's, two cousins', all of which resulted in phone calls, messages, and cards being sent, in addition to regular calls and emails, etc.  There was also a phone call from a cousin in Australia, who is planning to visit later this spring.  

Daughter and I visited with two of my cousins one afternoon to enjoy some treats and receive some clothes that the cousins had decluttered and we had a brief curbside visit with friend R.  We also received visits from neighbor S who brought us treats and Easter dinner.  

April Goals: April goals will be the same as above. 

House (8.5)(8.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming.

- Clean - Clean the house as needed 
- Organized - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"; implement daily and weekly cleaning schedules
- Decluttered - Continue with the decluttering process

The house was cleaned prior to daughter's visit in March and maintained (more or less) for the rest of the month.  I was very appreciative of the robot vacuum which made it possible to vacuum while I was still recovering from the blood clots.  I didn't declutter quite as much as I could have and brought in more clothes and a piece of furniture (the plant stand).  There's always room for improvement, but, I am content with the current state of the house. 

April Goals: Will be the same as above.

Time Management (8.0)(8.0): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner.

- Spend time purposefully, mindfully

- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me

- Procrastinate less

Time management continues to be a challenge.  But, the important things are getting done - I filed my taxes without procrastinating until the last minute, paid my bills on time, and dealt with various issues as they came up.

April Goals: Continue to manage my time in a mindful and efficient manner!

March was a rather wobbly month.  On one side, I had a wonderful month with daughter being home, plenty of interactions with family and friends, the garden thriving, plenty of leisure time, etc.  On the other side, there were health issues which threatened to throw everything into disarray.  

My focus in April will be to improve my health.

Roses on Thursday

The Roses Are in Bloom!

We are having another lovely, warm, sunny day with a high of 83F.  But, tomorrow's high will only be 69F and there's rain in the forecast for Saturday (and maybe Sunday, too) and cooler weather for the following week.  It seems that the roses in the back garden have decided to make the most of the sunny and warm weather and bloom all at once!  Makes me want to sing, "Everything's Coming Up Roses", even if I don't have a voice like Ethel Merman (but, then, she had a voice that was one of a kind, didn't she?)  

The First Yellow Rose

My new neighbors next door are painting the outside of their house and doing more renovations.  I woke up once to the sound of their drilling as they took off their window security bars to paint the walls, but, I went back to sleep and slept through the noise!  The next time I woke up was when Dancer asked for breakfast.  It was 9:30 a.m.

Pink Rose  (blooming through the osteospermum)

The last rose is looking a bit distressed; we might have to thin out some of the osteospermum plants to give the rose bush more air and sunlight.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The roses blooming in the garden
- Another sunny and warm day
- Being able to open the windows and doors to let the warm air in
- The scent of jasmine from the vine outside the door
- Working phones!

Today's joyful activity was walking in the garden, admiring the roses and other flowers.

Brunch was French toast; dinner will be spaghetti with meat sauce (I made the sauce last night for dinner; need to cook more pasta for tonight's dinner)

How is your Thursday coming along?

The Phone Saga Conclusion

Poppies

Yesterday (Tuesday), I returned to the phone store and spoke with R, the more helpful salesperson who had helped me much earlier, when I bought my new cell phone.  I explained the situation with the phone black box device and how I had received a new SIM card, which the previous salesperson said I needed to call the phone company to activate, and which I wasn't sure would even fit the device and, therefore, I didn't activate it.  He checked the card and said it was already activated!  Then, he inserted it into the device and I brought it home to see if it would work. I had already mentioned the option of having a second line put on my cell phone, but, I wanted to try everything else I could to get the device to work!  Before I left the store, I asked him till what time the store would be open and he said till 8:00 p.m., but, he leaves at 6:00 p.m.  He wouldn't be in the store on Wednesday, but, he'd be there on Thursday and Friday.

Well, unfortunately, the device didn't work!  The service indicator light remained solidly red.

Still Not Working

Well, boo and hiss!  So, I went back to the store (it's only about a 10 minutes drive).  And, to make an already long story short, I had the home phone line added to my cell phone.  According to salesperson R, it was a transfer of the number from one device to another and there was no additional cost!  He told me to use that number pretty much as I used the old home phone, just to make and accept phone calls and not try to text,  I'm fine with that. The cell phone number I had shows as my primary number and the transferred home phone number shows as "home".  

While I was at the store, another older lady came in asking for help and a different salesperson helped her.  I couldn't help overhearing the conversation - apparently, she, too, had to switch from a landline to a cell phone and she has never used a cell phone before and didn't know how to retrieve her messages and needed help to figure out how to use the phone.  I could really sympathize with her!  My current cell phone isn't my first, although it has new features; but, I have my daughter to show me how to set it up and use it, as she has the same type of phone.  

After I came home, I unplugged the home phone sets.  I need to find out where I can recycle them.  I will keep the black box device for a bit, just in case the phone company asks for it to be sent back to them (I had to send the old device back when I received this one, two years ago).  

It was around 5:00 p.m. when I got home from the store and it was 81F!  I watered some of the plants in the back garden - the blueberries, the newly planted out aloe vera plants, and some of the potted plants.

Then, I sat down to watch the news and unwind from the whole phone saga!  I guess I could have saved myself a lot of time and stress if I had been able to decide to go with a new cell line at the very beginning, when I first spoke with Salvador in Mexico City, but, I was resistant to that option at the time.  I felt like I needed to try everything else, short of having the phone company come out and rewire the house for a landline for double what I am currently paying for the basic services package or paying triple for the same services I had and that doesn't take into account the charges for the service call and rewiring, etc.  I shall give this a try (having the home phone number as an additional line on my cell phone) for now and see how it works out.  I guess it is a matter of getting used to it.  

Brunch was a scrambled egg on toast; dinner was leftover seafood potato balls.

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- Helpful salespeople
- Being able to have the home phone number transferred to my cell phone
- Safe drives to and from the store
- A sunny, warm day
- Garden flowers

Tuesday's joyful activity was getting the phone issue resolved (hopefully!)

Dogbane/Scaredy Cat Flowers

Today, Wednesday, is another sunny and warm day, with a high of 82F.  M was here in the morning and he watered the garden.  We also noticed that someone (the City?) had filled the irrigation bags in the parkway with water:

Filled Water Bag

It's the first time that I've noticed that they've been watered!  

M also bought me a packet of corn kernels to plant!  We have to figure out where to plant them and dig a new bed!  

Lunch/Dinner Compliments of Neighbor S

Neighbor S called me in the early afternoon and brought me a delicious meal of cooked salmon and bulgur wheat salad.  I warmed up a little of it and had for brunch; the rest is in the fridge for another meal.  I offered her some aloe vera plants for her garden, but, she didn't want any.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- M's help with the garden
- Neighbor S being as caring and generous as always
- Working appliances and equipment
- Electricity and gas to power those appliances

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

Peach Leaf Curl

Peach Leaf Curl

Caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans.  

Spring rains and cooler weather are lovely for the garden plants, but, unfortunately, those same cool and wet conditions encourage this fungus to grow in the cells of the leaves of peach and nectarine trees as the new leaves emerge.

Peach Leaf Curl

They cause the leaves to grow unevenly in places, which creates these wavy deformed leaves.  Eventually, the fungus forms spores and the leaves turn yellow and fall. The experts don't recommend picking the leaves off the tree because the green areas of the leaves will continue to photosynthesize and make food for the tree.  However, fallen leaves should be removed and disposed of, so that the spores don't get into the soil.  New leaves will replace them and, provided the weather is warmer and dryer, the new leaves won't be affected.  However, if left untreated, the fungus can affect the fruit production, spread to fruit, and damage the tree, itself. 

More Damaged Leaves

The treatment recommended is to spray the tree with a copper and oil solution during the dormant period. once in the fall after the leaves have fallen and again, in the spring, before new leaves emerge.  M sprayed the tree, last year, but, maybe it wasn't enough.

So far, only the peach tree seems to be affected, the nectarine tree seems OK.  

The poor peach tree!  We will start thinning out the fruit, this week or next, and maybe we'll remove some of the more damaged leaves at the same time.  Maybe the early bearing variety wasn't such a good idea, after all, with the wetter springs we've had last year and this.

On Monday

 

Going Out of Business Dollar Store Haul

On Monday, I woke up around 9:30 a.m., after going to sleep around 4:30 a.m., fed Dancer, decided I needed more sleep, and went back to bed!  I slept through whatever partial solar eclipse we were supposed to be able to see.  When I woke up close to noon, the sun was shining brightly.

Around 3:00 p.m., I finally decided to go to the phone store.  Unplugged the device (the backup battery light came on), put it into a bag with the file and user manual, etc. and left to go to the store.  The device started beeping on the drive to the store, but, I ignored the beeps.  

When I got to the store, there was a handwritten sign on the door saying the store was closed for lunch (apparently only one person was working there) and will reopen at 3:45 p.m.  I had over half an hour to wait.

So, I decided to walk over to the dollar store that is closing.  The sign outside said 10% - 30% off, final sale on all items, etc.  Most of the items were 10% off; some fresh produce was 5% off.  The store wasn't very crowded, but, there were long lines as only two checkouts were open; however, when I was standing in line, they opened a third checkout and I was able to get into that line.  The shelves were already getting emptied and I saw someone buying cases of canned items and bottles of sauces.

I was very glad that I had bought certain items such as a new broom on my last visit because there weren't any brooms available, today.  I was happy to get a new mop, though, as I had wanted a new one ($1.35 +$0.13 tax = $1.48).

In addition to the mop, I bought a 29 fl. oz. jar of coconut oil ($4.99), a pastry cutter (something I have always wanted; $2.70 + $0.26 tax), 1 package of chili mango ($2.70). 1 package of chocolate mints ($1.30), 1 can of corned beef ($3.60 and two packages of dried chilies ($1.99@) 

I spent a total of $21.04.

After I bought my items and put them in the trunk of my car, I went to the phone store.  The salesperson who was on duty was not very helpful, at all.  At first, he said he didn't even know what the device was!  I showed him the manual that came with it, but, he didn't know about such devices.  Of course, as luck would have it, all the lights, including the service signal light, were on and green in the store! Maybe the store was in a stronger service signal area!  But, I had taken photos of the lights flashing red at home and I was able to show him the photos.  Still didn't do anything for him and he was ready to dismiss me.  It was only when he saw the phone bill that he took me somewhat seriously.  Then, I told him that the phone company customer service agent had told me to buy a new SIM card and he gave me a new SIM card (it was $5, but, he was able to waive the fee), but, I was at once able to tell that this new SIM card wouldn't work on my old phone device as it was bigger for one thing!  He claimed he couldn't activate it for me at the store, that I had to call the phone company and have them activate it.   I asked for the earlier salesperson who assisted me when I bought my new cell phone from them, but, he was not in today, he will be in tomorrow, I was told, and I could return tomorrow if I wished to.  So, I took the SIM card he gave me and came home.

By this time, it was past 5:00 p.m. and I hadn't eaten anything except for the morning cup of tea and I was feeling tired and discouraged.  My daughter called to ask what happened at the store and I told her that although I received a new SIM card, it wasn't activated.  I had also received a letter from the phone company in the mail, today, that stated that my account information might have been compromised as a result of their recent data breach and I needed to reset my passcode, etc.  If it's not one thing, it's another, isn't it?

We tried to reset the phone and I moved it to a different location per instructions on the phone company website (to an outlet near a window on an outside wall) but, the red lights are still there.  At this point, I was ready to give up!

Anyway, daughter needed to go to her chorus rehearsal and I ate a sandwich and drank some diluted juice.  Then, I watched the evening news, replied to blog comments, visited a few other blogs, etc., took the trash cans to the curb, cleaned out the fridge of some leftovers that were too old to eat, and tried to put the phone issues out of my mind.

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter and I have decided that I will go back to the phone store, tomorrow afternoon, and ask them to add a new cell phone line with my current home phone number, to my cell phone.  It is important for me to keep the current home phone number.  Once that has been installed, I will have two cell phone lines on my one cell phone.  I don't really need two cell lines, but, I want to make sure that the new line will work properly.  The plan is to go back in about a week or so, and remove the current cell phone line.  I don't like the idea of being without a landline/home phone, but, one has to move with the times, I guess.

On the positive side, if I do go with the cell line, I will be able to declutter three cordless phones and their charging bases plus the black box device and I can repurpose the small table in the hallway as a side table or another plant stand!  

Brunch was sandwich with the last of the leftover beef curry.  Dinner was leftover rice with the last of the leftover shrimp curry.  There is still a little leftover rice, but, I might make some fried rice with it, tomorrow.  I need to make a meal plan for the rest of the week; I'm not planning to go grocery shopping this week, so the meal plan is based on what's in the pantry and freezer:

Brunches: Scrambled eggs with toast or fried potatoes, pancakes or waffles, fried rice, French toast, toast with peanut butter, tuna salad sandwiches, muffins if I bake some

Dinners: Spaghetti with meat sauce (and leftover garlic bread); baked salmon with savory rice and broccoli or snow peas from the freezer; fried breaded shrimp with oven fried potato wedges and salad, leftovers from the spaghetti and the baked salmon.

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- A mostly sunny and warmer day
- A safe drive to the stores and back
- Getting a few bargain priced items from the dollar store
- My daughter's help and patience with me as I figure out the phone situation
- Having options

Monday's joyful activity was doing one final shop at the dollar store!  

Plans for Tuesday include another trip to the phone store!

How was your Monday?  Were you able to see the eclipse?  What are your plans for Tuesday?  

Sunny on Sunday, Too

Mama Cat Found Herself a Sun-Warmed Brick on Which to Nap!

It was another sunny day, on Sunday.  I slept in and spent a relaxed morning, watching some online videos about gardening, frugal living, and money management. 

Later in the afternoon, I walked around the backyard and checked on the plants there, and saw Mama Cat enjoying a nap on a sun-warmed brick!  She had a piece of grass root or something on her, but, I didn't try to remove it because I didn't want to disturb her.  Even so, she got up, soon after I took this picture.  

I did a tiny bit of weeding while I was in the backyard and took some pictures:

The Newly Planted Bed of Aloe Vera

When M divided up the aloe vera plants growing in the planter, he replanted most of them in this area near the side wall.  He planted over two dozen plants there and a few more elsewhere.  Then, he put the rest of the plantlets into this container until we decide what to do with them!  There are at least another two or three dozen of aloe vera plantlets in there!  

Extra Aloe Vera Plantlets!

I might offer some of them to my neighbors and maybe put a "free" sign on the rest and leave them out by the curb.

In the evening, I took another 10 minutes or so walk up and down the driveway.  Then, I did a load of laundry (the dust sheets on the family room sofas) and covered the sofas with the other set of sheets.  I paid some bills that were coming due and scrubbed the toilets.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter.  She had gone to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco with a friend:

Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

Brunch had been an egg salad sandwich using the hardboiled Easter egg neighbor S gave me.  For dinner, I had leftover rice with leftover General Tso's chicken.  Some chocolate pudding for dessert. 

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny day

- Daughter had a fun morning out with her friend
- Online videos
- Being able to pay my bills online
- Working appliances (even if the phone is not working!)

Sunday's joyful activities included being in the garden and enjoying the sunshine.

Plans for Monday include:

- Going to the phone store to see about a new SIM card
- Maybe a quick trip to the dollar store, depending on how crowded it might be

- Watering some of the fruit trees
- Taking the trash cans to the curb

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?  Will you be able to watch the eclipse of the sun where you are?  If so, do you plan to watch it?