Friday

 

The Back Garden in May

It was another overcast, cloudy, and chilly morning, but, the afternoon was sunny and it was warm in the sunshine when I did my walk.  I wore my new sweater, today, and I am glad I didn't have to wait until this winter to wear it.

Once again, I spent the afternoon repairing the quilt and watching a few videos.  I also cleaned the bathrooms and finished sorting through the rest of the box of files I had brought in from the garage.  I decluttered most of the contents (old tax documents) and what is left fit into one file folder.  I know that we are supposed to keep only 7 years worth of tax documents, but, I prefer to keep certain documents for much longer.

M was here to tend to the garden in the evening.  He didn't need to water the garden because we had rain on Thursday.  But, he planted out some succulents that were pulled out when we planted the jacaranda plant in the front garden.  

The Newly Planted Jacaranda Plant

Another Photo of the Jacaranda Plant

Brunch had been a scrambled egg on toast and dinner was spaghetti with the last of the pasta sauce.  Snacks included cheese and crackers at tea time, grapes, and wafers for dessert.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The afternoon sunshine
- The electric space heater (and electricity)
- Hot water on tap
- M's help with the garden
- My new, warm sweater

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

I'm staying up, tonight, to watch the Coronation; I imagine I'll sleep in, tomorrow!

Rain on Thursday

Roses

We had rain early this morning and the garden got watered, which was a blessing.  It was rather chilly in the morning, with the temperature inside the house being below 60F.  I was all bundled up in multiple layers with a scarf and wool socks, a blanket over me while I said my morning prayers, and still feeling cold.  So, I switched on the main gas heater until the house warmed up and then, turned it off.  I stayed in the living room while the heater was on to get the full benefit of the warmth and Dancer did, too, first being on his rug in front of the heater:

Getting Warm in Front of the Heater

And then, moving up on to the chair with the comfy pillow:

A Good Spot to Nap

In the morning, I called the primary care doctor's office and confirmed my appointment and then, scheduled my lab test for that appointment.  Then, replied to blog comments.  After brunch (the last of the sardines on toast), I walked for 20 minutes.  It was sunny and warm in the sunshine (today's high was 59F).  

In the afternoon, I did a load of laundry and spoke on the phone with my half-sister.  Afterwards, I did a little more quilt repairing.  Dancer helped, as usual!  Since I sew on the quilt repairs in the living room, the coffee table was looking cluttered with the pieces of fabric, the pin cushion, the pair of scissors, etc., once I finished sewing for the day.  So I took one of my decorative bowls and decided to use that to contain everything:

Sewing Paraphernalia Contained

The stuff is still sitting out on the coffee table, but, just having everything contained seems to make it visually less cluttered to me.

Later in the evening, I watched news, tidied the table in the family room (haven't cleared it yet - have some stacks of files I'm sorting through), sorted some paperwork (going through really old tax files and decluttered the contents of six file folders - this was a box of old files I brought in from the garage to sort through; have about 4 more files to go through and shred), cooked dinner (rice and vegetable stir fry to go with teriyaki chicken from the freezer), did the dishes, wiped down the stove top and counters, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned the litter box and swept the bathroom floor.  After which, I was too tired to clean my bedroom!

Called friend R and chatted with her for a bit, too, and, of course, video chatted with my daughter.

Today's decluttering was six years worth of tax papers and instruction booklets, etc.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The morning rain
- Sunshine in the afternoon
- A working heater
- Being able to have my medications delivered by mail
- Phone calls and emails with friends and family

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

Plans for Friday include:

- Dust and vacuum my bedroom
- Clean the bathroom
- Continue to declutter the files
- Tend to the garden with M

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

Midweek on Wednesday

Loquats

M brought me some loquats from another client's tree; apparently her tree is laden with the fruit and he was asked to help himself to some.  He shared some of it with me, with a request that I saved the seeds.  Each fruit has one or two glossy brown seeds in the middle.  We will try planting them.  

After sleeping till almost noon, yesterday, I couldn't fall asleep until after 3:30 a.m., this morning.  Then, I woke up around 6:00 a.m., again!  For some reason, I thought it was much later, but, the clock said 6:00 a.m.   But, this time, I was able to go back to sleep for another couple of hours.  Even so, I woke up before the alarm went off.

It was cold this morning!  Well, maybe not cold for some people, but, it was in the low 50s (F) outside and not that much warmer inside, either.  I was tempted to switch on the gas heater, but, I huddled in front of the electric space heater, instead.  Today's high was only 61F and there's rain in the forecast for later tonight and early tomorrow morning.  

In the morning, I called the cancer clinic to reschedule my appointment and set up my lab test appointment.  Tomorrow, I need to call the primary care physician's office to confirm the appointment with them.

M was here to tend to the garden, later this morning.  He brought his chain saw and pruned one of the branches of the curry leaf tree and one of the feijoa (pineapple guava) trees in the side yard towards the front.  The feijoa tree had several branches that had died, but, there was some new growth at the bottom; we cut it down to where the new growth is and hopefully, the tree will grow well.

I spent the afternoon doing paperwork.  I had got behind on sorting through and filing, etc.  I cleared the top of the side table and processed all the mail that had accumulated there.  I decluttered a few items, too.  I still need to clear the table, but, that's for tomorrow.  There are some more files to sort through and shred.

I sewed a little more on the quilt I'm repairing, but, Dancer plopped himself down on the quilt and went to sleep, so, I stopped sewing and replied to blog comments, instead!  And watched the evening news.

I didn't walk today because my back was hurting.  I walked a bit in the garden, instead, and picked more snow pea pods.  

Later in the evening, I spoke with friend R and will video chat with my daughter in a bit.

Today, I am grateful for:
- M's help with the garden
- M sharing loquats with me
- The electric space heater and electricity to run it
- Daughter felt well enough to work today
- Being able to reschedule my medical appointments

Today's joyful activity was tending to the garden with M.

Thursday's To Do List:

- Call the doctor's office to confirm appointment
- Schedule the lab work for that appointment

- Paperwork/clear the table

- Clean the kitchen/sweep & mop the floor

- Load of laundry

- Dust/vacuum my bedroom

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

Sleepy Tuesday

Dancer Tests the Quilt for Comfort

After waking up super early on Monday after only 3 hours or so of sleep and not being able to take a nap on Monday afternoon, I felt very tired in the evening and was in bed and lights out by 11:40 p.m., which is early for me!  Then, I woke up at 8:00 a.m. and fed Dancer, but, went back to bed and slept till 10:00 a.m.  My daughter had texted that she had woken up with a migraine headache, had tried to work from home instead of going in to the office, but, had found it difficult to be staring at a computer screen and had taken the rest of the day off from work.  I responded to the text and spoke with her on the phone and had her check her temperature (she had tested negative for Covid, earlier in the morning); her temperature was normal and we were both relieved that she didn't have a fever.  After I got off the phone with her, I went back to sleep and slept till almost noon!  It's been a long time since I slept for 12 hours!  I must have been really tired!

It was still cloudy and gloomy when I woke up, but, it was sunny in the afternoon.  I brought in the trash cans and walked for 20 minutes.  Today, I needed to rest after 10 minutes.  Afterwards, I sewed a bit on the quilt I am repairing, while Dancer checked it out for comfort, sleeping on a corner of it!  I listened to Buddhist chantings and blessings while I sewed.  

Eventually, I did my housework for the day, dusting and vacuuming the family room.  I still need to clear the small dining table and one of the side tables, but, that is on the list for Wednesday.

Today, I:

- Dusted and vacuumed the family room
- Watered the houseplants (I'm down to three now, having killed another houseplant!)
- Scheduled one of the lab tests
- Cleaned the litter box and swept the bathroom
- Brought the trash cans in
- Kept up with the dishes
- Decluttered a handful of dried up pens and a box that something was shipped in

I had milkrice and chicken curry for brunch and leftover spaghetti for dinner; snacks included crackers with peanut butter and some yogurt with brown sugar instead of treacle.

Later, I video chatted with daughter; she said she slept most of the day, but, her headache had gone away, eventually (she took the OTC medication her doctor had recommended).  She will work from home, tomorrow.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter's migraine went away (and she tested negative for Covid and didn't have a fever)
- I was able to catch up on my sleep
- Afternoon sunshine
- Dancer's help with the quilt repairs
- The electric space heater (I needed to have it on in the evening; tonight's low is 49F)

Today's joyful activity was listening to chantings while I sewed.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M, clearing the table and side table in the family room, and cleaning my bedroom.

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

 

May Gray May Day Monday

Sunday April 30 was sunny and warm with a high of 78F.  Monday May 1 was cloudy, drizzly, and cool with a high of 61F; it is a weather phenomenon that is called May Gray (a precursor to June Gloom) by our weather forecasters.  Cooler ocean waters from Alaska flowing along the coast of California and cooling the air above the ocean, coupled with a downward air pressure which prevents the cooler air from rising causes a weather inversion which results in moisture laden cool air to spread inland in the form of clouds.  The clouds will usually disperse in the afternoon as the sun warms up the air, which is what happened, today.  Morning drizzle and clouds gave way to afternoon sunshine, with the clouds returning with sunset.  I am always amazed about how abruptly the weather changes as soon as it is May!

I had trouble staying asleep, last night.  I went to bed around 3:30 a.m., as usual, and fell asleep without any difficulty.  But, I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep!  I eventually gave up trying to fall asleep again and got up.  It was cold for me, so I put on the electric space heater while I had my morning tea, said my prayers, and replied to blog comments, etc.  It being the first of the month, I made milkrice for brunch and picked fresh flowers from the garden - roses and the purple Martha Washington geraniums - to place at the altar and the mantelpiece.     

I felt tired in the early afternoon and tried to take a nap, but, again, couldn't fall asleep.  I rested for about an hour and then, I got going with the rest of my day's To Do List.  I'm still using the revised weekly cleaning list from 2020, although I've been tweaking it a bit as needed.  I haven't been writing down my daily to do lists, lately, but, I'm thinking of making it a regular feature of my blog posts, again; to counteract the feeling I sometimes get that I am not doing any housework, etc.  It helps to see it written down! For example, today, I: 

- Changed the bed sheets
- Did a load of laundry (bed sheets/towels)
- Dusted and vacuumed the living room & dining area
- Did a quick clean of the fridge
- Took the trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up
- Cleaned the litter box
- Started the car
- Made a weekly meal plan
- Continued to repair the Log Cabin quilt

I also water the garden on Mondays now, instead of Tuesdays because M tends to the garden on Wednesdays and Fridays; but, I didn't have to water today because it rained a bit in the morning.

It was sunny in the afternoon and I did my walk around 3:00 p.m.  Today, I walked for 20 minutes and I needed a short break after 10 minutes.  

Brunch was milkrice and seeni sambol.  Dinner was leftover spaghetti and sauce.  Snacks included a bowl of cereal, yogurt, and grapes.

Today, I am grateful for:

- A little drizzle for the garden
- The electric space heater
- A sunny and warmer afternoon
- Working appliances
- Flowers from the garden

Today's joyful activity was greeting the new month with the traditional milkrice and fresh flowers.

How was your Monday?  Did you do something special to observe May Day?

April Meal Planning Week 4 Review/May Meal Planning Week 1

This was my meal plan for the 4th week of April:

Brunches: Sardines on toast✔, salads✔, peanut butter on toast, lavash (Armenian flat bread) with seeni sambol✔ or chicken curry✔

Dinners: Spaghetti with ground turkey (and vegetables) pasta sauce✔, rice with chicken curry, broccoli, the last of the mango curry and/or cucumber slices, patties with ground turkey filling, leftovers✔ Treats from neighbor S (Rice pilaf, grilled meat, broccoli, watermelon one day; puff pastry turnovers with apricot jam filling, gata, more lavash, frozen hot pockets and mini cheese pizzas on another day)!

Desserts/Snacks: Gata (Armenian cookies)✔, yogurt with treacle✔, fresh fruits✔, cereal✔, etc.; gyoza  

This is how it turned out:

Monday:
Brunch: Sardines on toast and a banana
Tea: Lavash with seeni sambol, plus strawberries and gata
Dinner: Spaghetti with ground turkey/pasta sauce  

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Sardines on toast, Armenian gata
Lunch: Spaghetti with meat sauce, strawberries, yogurt
Dinner: Rice pilaf and grilled meat, broccoli, watermelon (compliments of neighbor S)

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Sardines on toast; Armenian gata
Lunch: Spaghetti with meat sauce
Dinner: Leftover rice pilaf and grilled meat, broccoli

Thursday:
Brunch: Salad (lettuce from the garden, grapes, roasted almonds, bottled French dressing)
Dinner: Chicken curry and lavash; grapes, yogurt

Friday:
Brunch: Sardines on toast; strawberries
Dinner: Chicken curry and lavash; grapes, cereal (snack)

Saturday:
Brunch: French toast
Tea: Tuna salad sandwich
Dinner: Hot pocket! Apricot jam filled puff pastry turnover for dessert

Sunday:
Breakfast: Apricot jam filled puff pastry turnover
Lunch: Hot pocket
Dinner: Spaghetti and meat sauce, apple slices

Apricot Jam Filled Puff Pastry Turnovers
(Compliments of Neighbor S)

Here is the plan for May, Week 1:

Brunches: Milkrice and seeni sambol (Monday; May 1); leftovers (leftover milkrice, leftover sardines on toast, leftover French toast), salad, scrambled egg on toast or peanut butter on toast.

Dinners: Leftover spaghetti and sauce; rice with leftover chicken curry, leftover broccoli, etc.,  rice with chicken stir fry; leftover rice and chicken stir fry; patties with ground turkey filling; koththu roti made with lavash (maybe); soup (maybe; supposed to be cold and rainy this week).

Snacks/Desserts: Yogurt, fresh fruit, patties (if I make them), crackers with cheese or peanut butter.

That is the plan and the plan is subject to change, as always!  However, having milkrice on Monday and finishing up the leftovers will not be subject to change!  

Are you making a meal plan for this first week in May?

Balanced Life Goals - April Review and May Goals

It seems hard to believe that it's time, again, for another monthly review of how balanced (or not) my life has been!  Time sure does fly!

My overall goal is to live a life that feels well balanced to me.  To that end, I have created several areas of importance to me to focus on.  I try to evaluate each area, rating 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 areas get equal rating, but, lower satisfaction ratings indicate that these areas need more work.  My ratings for each area are shown within the parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in (black) and the end of the month ratings shown in (blue). 

These are the individual areas of my life and their ratings for April:

Spiritual (10)(10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:
I continued with daily prayers, meditation, etc.  I feel that I am living a spiritually meaningful life in accordance with the teachings of my religion.  I am happy with this area of my life.

My goal in May is to continue to live a spiritually meaningful life.  May is when we observe Vesak, which commemorates three important events in the life of the Buddha - his birth, his Enlightenment (or becoming the Buddha), and his death.  There will be religious ceremonies held in all the Temples and I've already received invitations to participate.  However, I am still not attending public events, so my participation will be limited to a more personal one.  

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

Daughter and I continued to keep in touch by phone, texts, and video chats in April.  She continues to ask me for my opinion and input when it comes to important decisions she needs to make, which pleases me very much because, as my blog name implies, I enjoy putting in my two cents!  LOL.       

My goal in May is to continue to have 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.

Another area in my life that continues to get a high rating.  April leisure/crafts/hobbies, etc., included repairing one quilt top and starting on another, participating in the monthly photo challenge, and knitting a sweater.

Looking forward to a month of leisure activities and crafting in May, too.

Finances (9.5)(9.5):  The goal is financial security:

I continued to budget and spend mindfully, with purpose, in April, too.  I  kept to my grocery budget and lowered my heating bill (helped by warmer weather).  

I will continue to budget and spend mindfully in May, too.

Garden (8.5)(9.0):  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 is thriving!  I've harvested snow peas, lettuce, and broccoli; at least some of the fruit trees are setting fruit, the two newly planted tomato plants have flowers and even one tiny tomato, the newly planted chili plant is still growing and so are the beans.  There are plenty of flowers on the other fruit trees and lots of other plants are flowering, too.  M has been thinning the peaches, fertilizing the fruit trees, and weeding.  

May garden goals include continuing to plant summer vegetables (M will be buying some okra seeds and I'm still trying to decide if I want to grow zucchini again!) and keeping the plants watered, etc.

Family/Friends/Community (8.0)(8.0):  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

- Participate in the blogging community and the online organizing community

There were regular phone calls, texts, emails, etc., with family, neighbors, and friends in April.  There were also a few brief, masked, in-person visits with neighbor S which also included exchanges of food!  

Goals for May will remain the same.  

Health, Self-Care & Well Being (8.0)(8.5):  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

As I've stated before, improving my health through diet, hydration, etc., is an on-going effort!  I didn't have any medical appointments in April, I continued to take my medications, and I continued to take precautions against viral infections by staying home for the most part. The biggest improvement has been my effort to walk on a more regular basis, gradually increasing the duration.  That was my focus in April and I am happy with my efforts; I have raised my satisfaction rating based on the more consistent walking.  

Health goals for May will remain the same.  I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for the end of the month and I will need to do some lab work prior to that.  I will continue to focus on walking more consistently (5 days a week) and increasing the duration to 30 minutes per day. 

Time Management (7.5)(7.5): 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 is still a bit of a struggle.  I procrastinate doing housework, etc., and play, instead!  As a result, some long term projects are still on the back burner!  

The goal in May is to manage my time, better.  Less wasting time and more doing!  

House (7.0)(7.0):  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 has been maintained for the most part, but, I didn't make any progress on any of the repairs I had planned to do, for one reason or another.  Nor did I do much decluttering.  

May's goal is to rethink what I really want to achieve when it comes to keeping the house maintained.  

Once again, certain areas continued to get a high satisfaction rating, a couple of areas, including the garden, increased in satisfaction, and others remained the same.  None of the areas decreased in my satisfaction ratings, however, which is good.  I will continue to work on my time management and the housekeeping - I think they might be inter-connected!  

What do you think?