They Come Pre-Torn!

 

Front 

Back (More Noticeable)

In the winter, I like to use flannel sheets on the beds.  I have one set of flannel sheets for my daughter's bed and one set for my bed, which, after several years of use, had started to tear.  I wrote about mending my sheets, fitted sheet and flat sheet, back in March and April of 2019.  At the time, I was hoping to get at least another winter's use out of them.  I used them in the winter of 2019/20 and again in 2020/21.  I haven't used them yet, this winter, but, I know that they have developed a couple of additional holes.  In the meantime, my daughter has been using her flannel sheets and they, too, have become rather threadbare with several worn spots.  

So, in December 2021, I decided to splurge a bit and had daughter order us a new set of flannel sheets, each, from a store.  They were delivered shortly after Christmas and I opened them a few days later, with the idea of washing them and then, putting them on our beds for the New Year.  

But, apparently, the new sheets come already torn?  At least, the fitted sheet in the set we bought for daughter's bed came pre-torn!  Ha, ha, maybe this is a new trend?  Like those jeans that come pre-ripped?  

I said I could mend the new sheets; my daughter thought we shouldn't have to mend brand new sheets after we paid good money for them (even if they had been on sale).  She contacted the store to return the sheets and sent them the above photos I had taken.  We had the option of requesting a replacement set of sheets or getting a refund.  Since my daughter is returning to her apartment in the near future, we figured we could manage with the sheet set she currently has (I'll mend them) and requested a refund.  We were expecting to return the torn sheet set, either by mail or do a store drop off, BUT, the store didn't want them back!  We were instructed to keep, donate, or dispose of them!  Well, then, I guess we will keep them!  I will mend the tear on the new sheet, instead, and dispose of the old, worn out one (or turn it into dusting cloths!)    

The sheet set that I bought for my bed seemed fine; I have them in the washer, as I type this.  I will mend daughter's new sheet before I wash it.  

Today, I am resting from yesterday's activities.  I didn't think I overdid things, but, I guess I must have, because my leg feels a bit sore, today.  It is the right leg, this time, but, I don't want another sciatica flare up, so I am resting!  Daughter, on the other hand, is working.  She made me a smoothie for brunch (frozen bananas, mixed frozen berries, a handful of spinach leaves, fruit juice, and a splash of milk); we will have leftovers that are in the fridge for dinner.

Today, I am grateful for:

- New bed sheets
- The store's generous return policy!
- Working appliances
- Leftovers
- Being able to take it easy and rest as needed

Today's joyful activity is resting!

Plans for tomorrow include going for my mammogram in the afternoon and having M tend to the garden in the evening.  

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

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?

Tuesday: More Almsgiving Preparations

My daughter had been unable to sleep, last night, after waking up from what turned out to be a nap!  She had gone to sleep around 10:30 p.m., but, woke up a couple of hours later and couldn't fall asleep.  So, she tidied the dining area and the family room; everything was nice and tidy when I woke up!  Later, in the afternoon, she took another nap and afterwards, she cooked the rest of the almsgiving food that could be prepared ahead of time and helped me tidy my bedroom!  She is such a help to me!  

In the meantime, I accomplished all the items that I had on my to do list for today:

- Confirm the date with the monks - DONE
- Clean the rest of the house (daughter will help) - DONE
- Take down the dishes used only for almsgivings and wash them - DONE
- Take out serving dishes, basins used for washing hands, serving spoons, etc. - DONE

- Set out items needed for the transfer of merit: teapot, cup, and basin; fill teapot with water - DONE
- Set out new bottle of water for blessing; bowl to catch drips when blessed water is poured out - DONE
- Set out items for washing hands: fresh cake of soap, hand towels, jugs & basins - DONE

I vacuumed the house (except the bed rooms), brought the trash cans in, washed the front door, the front door steps, and the walkway, and rinsed all the plates and dishes, etc. that will be used, tomorrow.  In addition to the usual soap, etc., that I keep ready for handwashing before and after the meal, I also kept out a new container of hand sanitizer, along with a stack of new disposable masks, at the entrance!  Definitely a sign of the times!  

In the evening, I called friend R to check on her.  I also texted M, since he will be coming to tend to the garden around the same time as the almsgiving will start, to let him know that I'll be occupied when he arrives; then, I wrote out the check for his payment and kept it ready to leave it for him, in the morning.

Daughter wrote out the almsgiving menu and posted it on the fridge door so we won't forget anything:

Beverages: water, fruit juice

Soup (she made a vegetable cream soup)

Rice (red rice and white rice) with assorted curries 

- Dhal (lentil) curry

- Kadala (sauteed spicy garbanzo beans)

- Bonchi thel dala (sauteed spicy green beans)

- Kale mallung (shredded kale cooked with grated coconut, turmeric, and spices)
- Sauteed purple mustard greens

- Zucchini chutney

- Cucumber/tomato/red onion salad with hard boiled eggs, halved

It's a mostly vegetarian meal, although we serve eggs.

Followed by:

- A variety of sweets (love cake, blueberry yogurt mini muffins, butter cookies, and meringue kisses - all made by daughter, and peppermint chocolates) 

- A variety of fruits (grapes, tangerines, berries - raspberries and black berries - apple slices, and pear slices)

- A compote of peaches from the garden and cranberries

- Yogurt with palm treacle

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter's help with the almsgiving preparations
- Sunny weather for washing the door and walkway, etc.
- Working appliances
- Getting the house cleaned and tidied
- Hand sanitizers, masks, and being vaccinated!

Today's joyful activity was preparing for the almsgiving.

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

Monday: More New Year Visits and Almsgiving Preparations Begin

Another Homemade Card
(the last one, I promise!)

A friend of mine called today and said she was dropping off some additional gifts!  She had already given me some gifts, earlier, when we exchanged gifts by leaving each other's gifts on the doorstep, last week.  I told her it was not necessary, but, she insisted that it was!  LOL.  We stood outside the door, fully masked, and wished each other for the New Year.  She brought a calendar and some Harry Potter items for my daughter and a tin of French butter cookies for me!  Needless to say, I put the cookies away to enjoy later; much, much later! 

Today, I began on my almsgiving preparations in earnest.  Long time readers of my blog will know that I have been holding an almsgiving, nearly every year, usually in December, when I invite the Buddhist monks from the Temple to my home and offer them lunch and other donations. The last one I held was in 2019.  In 2020, I sent a donation to the Temple in lieu of holding an almsgiving (due to COVID) and that was the plan for 2021, too.  But, I missed not being able to hold an almsgiving in my house because I feel that having it in my home blesses the house, as well.  Daughter suggested having the almsgiving at the beginning of this year, instead, so she could help me with the cooking and the preparations.  I think I like the idea of starting off the year with an almsgiving; this might become a new tradition!

We scaled back the almsgiving due to COVID, since new case numbers are rising as a result of the Omicron variant.  Only two monks will attend (as opposed to the usual 5-7 in previous years) and no other participants will be present, only my daughter and I.  I did invite friend R, but, today, she called and asked to be excused, again, due to COVID considerations.  I quite understood.  The monks are fully vaccinated and boosted; daughter and I plan to wear our masks and we will have all three air purifiers running and have a couple of windows open, too, for ventilation.  

The almsgiving is scheduled for this Wednesday (January 5); I will call the monks and confirm it, tomorrow.

I have a master list of things I do to prepare for the event and I firmly believe that list keeps me focused and enables me to do everything in an organized manner!

So far, I have accomplished the following:

- Set the date/invited the monks

- Set the menu; bought the groceries
- Cooked most of the dishes (daughter did the majority of the cooking)

- Got the donations ready

- Cleaned the living room

- Rearranged the furniture to set up the seating area in the living room (very little needed to be done this year because only two monks)

- Set out candles, incense sticks & holder, lighter/matches to light the candles, etc.

- Cleaned the kitchen after daughter cooked and did the dishes

Still to do (Tuesday, January 4):
- Confirm the date with the monks
- Clean the rest of the house (daughter will help)
- Take down the dishes used only for almsgivings and wash them
- Take out serving dishes, basins used for washing hands, serving spoons, etc.

- Set out items needed for the transfer of merit: teapot, cup, and basin; fill teapot with water
- Set out new bottle of water for blessing; bowl to catch drips when blessed water is poured out
- Set out items for washing hands: fresh cake of soap, hand towels, jugs & basins

Wednesday, January 5 (day of almsgiving)::

- Cook rice (2 types - white and red) 

- Make the salad

- Cut up fruits and arrange in saucers; cover
- Arrange a variety of sweets in saucers; cover
- Pour palm treacle into sauce boat (to be served over yogurt)

- Warm up the soup, curries; dish out

- Serve up offerings to the Buddha and offerings for the Order of Monks
- Cover chairs, tables (can't do earlier because of the cat!)
- Pick flowers from the garden and arrange in vases
- Boil water and keep warm for those monks who prefer hot water
- Pour water and juice into glasses

10:45 a.m. - Everything should be done and ready!

11:00 a.m. - Monks arrive; Offerings to Buddha, Order of Monks, etc. take place and service begins with devotions being recited.

11:30 a.m. - Lunch is served to the monks

12:00 noon - Monks finish their lunch (they are prohibited from eating after noon), plates are cleared, a sermon is said, blessings are chanted, merit gained from almsgiving is transferred to departed loved ones, and donations are offered to the monks.

1:00 p.m. - the religious ceremonies are concluded, the monks leave; usually, lunch is then served to all the guests who participated, but this year, there won't be any other participants, although I will probably take a plate of food to friend R and neighbor S, etc.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Friend N visiting (and bringing more gifts!)
- Daughter doing the cooking

- My new set of pots and pans (Christmas gift from my daughter; using them for the first time to cook the almsgiving food)

- The cleaning I was able to do
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity was visiting, however briefly, with friend N.

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

Holiday Visits

 

New Year's Treats from Neighbor S: Doughnuts, Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls
Homemade Armenian Pumpkin Preserves

On Sunday, my daughter and I masked up and called on neighbor S and her family, paying them a holiday visit!  They wore their masks, too, and asked if we would like to stay outside in the garden or come inside.  We really appreciated being given the option, but, we chose to go inside.  We all stayed masked during the visit and they kept the front door open for ventilation, which we appreciated very much. We exchanged gifts with them, which included these mini wallets my daughter crocheted as part of her gifts to S's daughters:

Crocheted Mini Wallets

Other gifts exchanged included a triangular shawl I crocheted:

Crocheted Triangular Shawl

A basket of gifts I put together:

Gift Basket 

And a tea cup candle.

Along with their gifts to us (make up and skin care products, a lovely plaid scarf , a packet of chocolate wafers, and chocolates), S gave us a plate of doughnuts, a jar of homemade Armenian pumpkin preserves (different from the Sri Lankan pumpkin preserves we used to make the love cake), and a plate of vegetarian cabbage rolls, made by her sister-in-law, filled with a mixture of grains and lentils.  Apparently, they are a traditional New Year's dish.  

Armenian Pumpkin Preserves

I was grateful to receive all the food, but, I shared some of the doughnuts with neighbor T, because my daughter and I have been eating too many sweets since before Christmas!  Spread the joy and the calories!  LOL!  

After we came home, I called friend A to check on her; she's feeling a little better, she said, but her younger daughter was having a fever.  We will visit once everyone is feeling well, again.  

Cousin R had called and left a message while we were out, so I called her back.  She had her booster shot, last week, and had been down with side effects.  She said she cleaned out her closet, after Christmas and kept a bag of clothes aside for us!  It's a good thing my daughter went through her closet and set aside a bag of clothes to donate!  LOL.

Later in the evening, I called friend R and chatted with her for a bit.  

My daughter is doing some meal planning this week and cooked some chicken breasts in a spicy garlic sauce today:

Spicy Garlic Chicken

She sauted the chicken and added the sauce she mixed up (soy sauce, sriracha sauce, minced garlic, onion powder, and a little bit of sugar) and let it cook down.  Delicious!

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to visit neighbor S and family
- Their continued generosity 
- Phone calls with family and friends
- Working appliances
- Daughter meal planning and cooking

Today's joyful activity was visiting neighbor S and family.

Plans for tomorrow include some house cleaning and tidying!

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

2022 Resolutions & Word of the Year

New Year Resolutions

My 2022 New Year resolutions will be the same as my resolutions in previous years, as they still apply:

Resolution 1:  Continue to pursue good health by keeping all medical appointments, taking my prescribed medications, eating a healthier diet (more vegetables and complex carbohydrates, less refined sugar), drinking enough water and staying hydrated, increasing my activity levels to build up stamina and strength,  and getting sufficient sleep.

Resolution 2:  Better time management by procrastinating less and attending to things right away and getting them done.

Resolution 3:  Be more organized by decluttering, having a place for everything and making a habit of keeping/putting back everything in its place.

Resolution 4:  Be more positive by focusing on accomplishments.

Resolution 5:  Maintain a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I plan to continue to incorporate my New Year's resolutions into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals to make sure they are worked on throughout the year.  The monthly balanced life goals are how I plan to implement my annual resolutions.  Resolution 1 (good health) is incorporated in the Health and Well Being segment; Resolution 2 (time management) is incorporated in the Time Management segment; Resolution 3 (being more organized) is incorporated in the House segment; Resolution 4 (being more positive) is incorporated in the Spiritual segment, and Resolution 5 (a more balanced life) is incorporated into the monthly goals for a balanced life.

Word of the Year

My 2021 Word of the Year was Upeksha/Equanimity.  I hoped to respond to events in a composed, balanced manner.  I think I was able to manage that for the most part.

My 2022 Word of the Year is a word suggested to me by my daughter: Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.  I hope that, in 2022, I will be resilient as circumstances continue to evolve around me.

Monthly Balanced Life Goals: December Review and January Goals

My monthly balanced life goals are similar to the spokes of a wheel, with the length of each spoke representing my satisfaction in that area of my life, from 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.  Ideally, all the spokes are of equal length and the wheel will roll along smoothly.  If the spokes are of unequal lengths, then, the resulting wheel will be lop-sided and wobbly.  My ratings for each segment are shown within the parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in black and the end of the month ratings being shown in blue.

Monthly goals:

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 generous and giving to the extent I am able

I continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful; I have tried to be positive, generous, and joyful.  I was also able to talk with the monks at the Temple and have booked a date to have an almsgiving in the first week in January!  I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life and I am very pleased with this area of my life!

I will continue to keep the rating at 10.

January Spiritual  goals will include the almsgiving, scheduled for January 5.  My daughter has offered to do all the cooking and she will help me with the rest of the preparations, too.  It will be a much scaled back event, due to Covid precautions, but, I am looking forward to it.  

House (8.5)(8.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house as needed 
- Organize - 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 and decorated for Christmas,.  I kept the house maintained for the most part, but, last minute holiday gift making and wrapping created messes that need to be cleared!  Decluttering went well, even with new items (mostly clothes) coming into the house!  I exceeded my goal of decluttering 31 items this month and about 8 bags of donations were picked up by a charity.

I am keeping my rating at 8.5.  

January House goals will be the same as above, with putting away the holiday decorations and getting the house ready for the almsgiving being the focus.  I am planning to continue with the decluttering in January, too; the goal is at least 31 items! 

Garden (9.5)(9.5):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

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

- Focus on the winter vegetable and fruit plants

The garden continues to thrive, with Mother Nature doing most of the watering for me!  The lemon trees are full of fruits, the orange tree has fruits ripening, and I've harvested the first peapods.  

I am keeping the rating at 9.5, because the garden has been doing quite well.    

January Garden goals will include:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week
- Focus on the winter vegetable and fruit plants

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

- Continue to enjoy the rest of the time together before she has to go back
- Take her to get her booster dose
- Do more fun (safe) activities together (some craft projects, painting, etc.)

- Celebrate the holidays (Christmas and New Year) together

I have continued to enjoy having my daughter home with me; we celebrated her being home for a whole year, just before Christmas!  I took her to get her booster dose and fussed over her while she recovered from the side effects!  Fun activities included making our traditional holiday love cake and having some of her friends over to dinner one night.  We celebrated Christmas and New Year's Eve together and I hope it is something we can continue to do for many years to come.

I am keeping the rating at 10!

January Daughter goals will include:

- Continue to enjoy the rest of the time together before she has to go back (not sure when, but, probably at the end of this month or beginning of February)

Family & Friends (10)(10):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them
- Attend aunt's memorial service

I interacted with family and friends mainly through phone calls, emails, texts, etc.  But, there were also more in person interactions in December, than in previous months, with me attending aunt T's memorial service and giving cousin P a ride, visiting cousin R a week or so later, attending a family gathering for Christmas (and giving P a ride), picking up bags of new-to-us clothing from cousin P, and curbside visits with friend R.  There was, also, the exchange of food with friends from time to time!    LOL.

I am keeping the rating at 10.  

January Family and Friends goals will include:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them
- Have friend R over to lunch (when we are having the almsgiving)

- Visit friend A when her health permits

Community (10)(10):  The goal is to be involved in my community:

- Continue to participate in the various community groups to the extent possible in the following ways:

  - Participate in the blogging community

  - Participate in the online organizing group

  - Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
  - Participate in temple events when safe to do so

I participated in the blogging community and interacted with my neighbors, exchanging holiday gifts with them, etc.  I'm keeping the rating at 10.

January Community goals will be the same as above!

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

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose; the big expenses this month will be paying the homeowner's and earthquake insurance for next year (due at the end of the month) and holiday gifts, although I budget for that, year round. 

I continued to budget and spend as mindfully as possible in December.  I paid the homeowner's and earthquake insurance.  I haven't run the numbers for the whole year, yet, but, I stayed within budget for the most part and didn't incur any debt, so I am content!   

I am keeping the rating at 10.

January Financial goals:

- Set up my budget for the year

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose  

Health & Well Being (8.0)(8.0):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on continuing to improve my health
- Focus on diet and hydration

- Go for a blood test towards the end of the month

My health goals are on-going.  I had my blood test done at the end of the month and the results were mostly good, but, I need some further testing based on a couple of results.  I have told myself that I am not going to worry about it until the further tests are done (my doctor will put in the requests and I will be notified by the insurance company when they are authorized).  Until then, however, I will do what I can to maintain a healthier lifestyle.  

I am keeping the satisfaction rating at 8.0 on the strength of the good portions of the blood test results.

January Health and Well Being goals

- Focus on continuing improve my health

- Focus on diet and hydration

- Go for my mammogram (scheduled for January 7)

- Take another blood test (prior to appointment with the oncologist)

- Oncologist appointment (scheduled for January 27)

Time Management (7)(7): 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

The good news is, I am getting things done on time.  The bad news is, I still procrastinate and, as a result, there is a lot of last minute rushing around!  This is another area with much room for improvement!  Therefore, I will keep the rating at 7.  

January Time Management goals are the same as above.  

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities, with the focus on getting the holiday gifts done!

I engaged in daily joyful activities in December.  They've included making holiday gifts, chatting with family and friends, attending a Christmas get together with family, having friends visit, etc.  I am keeping the rating at 10.  

January Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care goas include:

- Resuming piano lessons (second week in January)

- Continue with craft projects that are in progress
- Participate in the Monthly Photo Challenge and the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt
- Watch some videos with my daughter

December has been another good month, overall.  My ratings remained the same as nothing improved or got worse that dramatically.  Health/Well Being and Time Management will continue to be the focus areas in January, too.      

Anyone else making New Year's Resolutions and monthly goals for a more balanced life?  Do you choose a word of the year?   

New Year's Day - 2022

 

New Year's Day Treats

Happy New Year 2022!

My daughter and I stayed up to greet the New Year at midnight, with our glasses of sparkling apple cider (mixed with some cranberry juice).  I boiled the milk till it boiled over for good luck and made milkrice.  

We had a sunny day with pleasant weather for the Rose Parade, which was held this year after being put on hold, last year!  The City of Pasadena's Rose Parade (followed by the Rose Bowl College Football Game) is part of our New Year's traditions, here, in southern California!  I used to get up early on New Year's Day to watch the live broadcast of the Rose Parade on TV; today, however, I watched a rebroadcast of the parade, later in the day!

I spent the morning calling family and friends to wish them for the New Year.  I spent the afternoon relaxing, reading and commenting on blogs, replying to blog comments, etc.  I did walk around the garden and drive way for a bit.  There were a few roses blooming:

January Roses: Yellow

January Roses: Pink

And oranges ripening:

Oranges

I was getting ready to make myself a cup of tea in the evening, when one of my friends (friend S, not to be confused with neighbor S) called me to say that she, her husband, and their daughter were on their way to visit me for the New Year.  She apologized for not visiting me in the morning and I told her not to be silly!  She brought us a tray of Sri Lankan treats, shown above (top photo): milkrice (with some onion sambol to go with it), konde kavum (made with a rice flour and palm treacle batter which is deep fried), mung kavum (a paste made with mung bean flour and palm treacle, rolled out thinly, cut into diamond shapes, dipped in a rice flour batter and deep fried), mung guli (similar to mung kavum, but, the filling is rolled into a ball, then battered and fried), aluwa (the white diamond shaped sweet which looks a bit like a shortbread cookie, made with rice flour and sugar), rulang (semolina) aluwa, kokis (a bit like Swedish rosettes, but, not sweet), aasmi (the fan shaped item which looks like threads woven together - made with a rice flour/coconut milk/cinnamon leaf extract which provides a much needed mucilage - can substitute okra extract - batter, which is then poured into hot oil in thin threads like funnel cakes), milk toffee, as well as marshmallows, and four types of cake, including her version of love cake (love cake recipes vary from one family to the next!).  Such a lavish New Year's Day treat!

We were all wearing masks, so I invited them into the house for a few minutes.  I had their gifts ready and I asked my daughter to pick a bag of lemons and some curry leaves for them and I gave them some of the ripe Serrano chillies I had picked, earlier in the day:

Red, Ripe Chillies

After tea, I scrubbed the stove top (not only did the milk boil over, at midnight, which was intentional, the pot of rice I cooked for the milkrice also boiled over, making a bigger mess on my stove top!) and did the dishes.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A new year and everything it signifies in terms of new beginnings and opportunities

- Being able to celebrate New Year's Day with my daughter
- Exchanging good wishes with family and friends over the phone
- Caring friends who spoil me with treats!

- Flowers and produce from the garden

Today's joyful activity was having friend S visit.

Today's "decluttering":

Wooden Santa Box/Floral Decoration

Plans for tomorrow include visiting neighbor S and family for the holidays!

How was your New Year's Day?  What are your plans for Sunday?