Catching Up

Saturday's Harvest: Five Cherry Tomatoes and 
Two Ripe Serrano Chilies

I am behind with my blogging!  I meant to do a post Friday night, then Saturday morning, and now, here it is, very early Sunday morning!

Thursday night, I stayed up practically all night (went to bed at 5:00 a.m.), partly because there were some weird noises up in the attic space above the living room.  I think that perhaps a possum or maybe a small raccoon got in there, although, the noise sounded like someone was dragging something!  I couldn't see anything, outside, even though my neighbor's motion detector light kept coming on.  I wondered if a burglar had got in there and if I should call the police, but, eventually, the noise stopped and I went to bed!  Saturday morning, I went around the house, checking to see if there was anything out of place or if there was an opening in the roof, but, I didn't see anything.  It must have been a small animal and I hope it managed to get out!  

Friday was fairly productive, considering I had been up practically all night and got about 5 hours of sleep.  I did a couple of loads of laundry and put away laundry I had done on Thursday.  I called and scheduled one of my medical appointments for next year.

Then, I called Dancer's pharmacy to find out if the vet's clinic had called in his medication refill.  Apparently not!  But, the pharmacy staff person I spoke with said they will have the refill ready by Monday.  Later, there was an email from the vet with Dancer's blood test results.  The good news is he is improving, he has gained half a pound in weight, and his thyroid levels are better, but, still not quite where she would like to see them.  So, she will increase his dosage and would like to see him again, sometime between January and February.  I was happy to hear that he seems to be improving. 

Tammy from the pharmacy called me at 5:30 p.m. to say that Dancer's medication was ready for pick up, but, they close at 6:00 p.m.  I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get to the pharmacy before they closed (besides, it was dark by then and I don't like to drive when it is dark).  So, I told her I'll pick up the medication on Monday.  Then, I asked her if the vet's clinic had called in the new prescription dosage and they had not!  The medication that was ready to be picked up was a refill of the current dosage.  She said she will call the vet's clinic right away to find out what's going on and then, she called me right back.  She said she will have the new prescription with the new dosage ready for pick up by 12 noon on Monday.  I asked her if I owed them for the refill they had already prepared at the current dosage, but, she said not to worry about it, she had other clients who needed that particular dosage and it wouldn't go to waste.  I was happy to hear that because the medication costs $79 for a 30 day supply, so it's not exactly cheap.

I had meant to ask M if he could check the roof to see if there was a place that a small animal could have used to get into the attic space, but, he didn't arrive until after 5:00 p.m., when it was already starting to get dark.  Maybe I'll ask him to check the roof on Wednesday. 

Moringa Pods

The moringa tree didn't come out of its dormancy until quite late in the summer and as a result, there are just three moringa pods on the tree and they are not ready to be picked, yet.  But, I am happy to see that I have some moringa pods!

Saturday, it was warm enough to open all the doors and windows to air out the house.  I put away the laundry from Friday and did another load of laundry (my bed sheets) and remade the bed.  Dancer helped!  I also did some paperwork and paid some bills.

I managed to walk for 30 minutes in the afternoon and exchanged greetings with neighbor S.  Earlier in the week, I had heard from neighbor S's older daughter that neighbor E had passed away.  He had been another very good neighbor who would help me with fixing small things around the house.  I have not been able to condole with his widow, yet, but, I plan to bake something and take over on Sunday (later, today).

I am grateful for:

- Dancer's health is improving
- His new medication will be ready on Monday
- Helpful pharmacy staff
- Working appliances
- The noise in the attic space has not been heard since that one night

My joyful activities have included phone calls and emails with friends, online chats with my daughter, and spending time in the garden.  Plus, dancing around this character:

"Ha, ha, I'm a character!"

 How is your weekend coming along?

Thursday

Winter Treats!

Hot cocoa is just an excuse for whipped cream, in my opinion!  LOL.  

Last night, I resorted to taking a couple of Tylenols because I was feeling so achy from the vaccine.  That really helped; I probably should have taken them earlier in the day!  Anyway, I slept well and woke up feeling fine.

Today, I did a couple of loads of laundry and ran the dishwasher.  I generally do my dishes by hand, but, I've been told that I should run the dishwasher on a regular basis to keep the hoses from drying out and getting brittle.  So, every so often, about once a week or once in 10 days, I let the dishes pile up in the sink for a couple of days and do a load.  

Yesterday's planned dinner of salmon, baked potato, and broccoli didn't happen.  I had scrambled eggs and toast, instead!  Instead, I had salmon for my dinner, today, with "souped up rice" - I didn't finish the soup that M had brought me, yesterday, so, I added the leftover soup to the pot of rice I cooked today and it made a very nice flavored rice side dish.  I had some tomato chutney with the rice and salmon.  

I had a call from the monks at the Temple, today.  They were calling to check on me because I haven't spoken with them in a while (not since October, I believe).  I thought it was very kind of them to check on me.  I had been intending to call them - it was on my Time Management December To Do List!  Anyway, I have now booked the date with them for my almsgiving to be held in the first week of January (on January 3rd, to be exact).  Longtime readers of my blog will know what this means, but, basically, it is a religious ceremony where the monks are invited to a specially prepared lunch and they will chant blessings and give a sermon, in turn.  One can give an almsgiving at the Temple, but, I prefer to have the monks come to my home as I consider it a blessing for the house, as well. I used to do this at the end of the year, but, now, I'm preferring to hold it at the beginning of the year.  My daughter will be here to help me with the preparations and the serving of the meal, etc.   

I didn't hear from the pharmacy about Dancer's medication, today.  Hopefully, I'll hear from them, tomorrow.  If not, I'll have to call them to find out what is happening.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Feeling fine after the vaccine (yesterday's dose of Tylenol really helped)
- The monks calling to check on me
- Being able to schedule my almsgiving
- Working appliances
- Emails from friends

Today's joyful activity was scheduling the almsgiving.

Plans for tomorrow will hopefully include a trip to the pharmacy to pick up Dancer's medication!

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

Mid-Week on Wednesday!

Eucalyptus Tree 

This is the eucalyptus tree I want to get trimmed.  This is how it looks right now.  It is scheduled to be trimmed in January.

Here's how it looked two years ago, after it was last trimmed:

November 2021

You can see how much it has grown!  

I was writing this blog post on Monday night, when my internet connection went off!  It was already quite late, so I went to bed!  On Tuesday, my daughter helped me to reset the computer connection to the internet and it is working now! 

Monday was another relatively relaxed day for me.  I slept in, then, gave Dancer his daily medication and applied his monthly flea prevention medication.  I also called the vet's clinic and made an appointment to take him in, on Tuesday afternoon, for his arthritis injection and to do a blood test to check on his hyperthyroidism.  I need a refill for his medication for that, but, they need to check his thyroid levels to see if there needs to be a change in the dosage.  

In the afternoon, I had a call from former neighbor T and we chatted for a bit.  She asked if new people have moved in next door and I told her that the only people I've seen are the construction crew, but, they have put up Christmas lights, so I am wondering if they are the people who have bought the house and they are remodeling the house themselves!  They have a dog who barks at me every time I step outside! 

On Tuesday, I took Dancer for his vet appointment.  The appointment was at 2:15 p.m. and this time, I gave him his sedative around 12:45 p.m., and he was much better during the ride in the car and at the vet's clinic.  He meowed a little on the way there and panted a bit, but, he was not hyperventilating and drooling.  And, on the way back home, he even slept for a little bit!  That has never happened, before!  He received his injection and had his blood drawn and his claws trimmed.  They will call in his prescription to the pharmacy.

After we came back from the vet's clinic, I went to my pharmacy to get my RSV vaccine.  I couldn't make an appointment online because my internet was down, so I called and went in as a walk-in.  The pharmacist warned me that there would be a bit of a wait and gave me the option of coming back on Wednesday, but, I was wanting to get it done and over with.  So, I opted to wait - they have some chairs set up near the vaccine booths and it is a relatively out of the way area of the pharmacy.  I wore my mask and read my library book and felt surprisingly comfortable about being there!  Once I had my vaccine, I came home - there were no shopping side effects, this time!  

It was just around 5:00 p.m. when I got home and I ate the last of the milkrice and turkey curry as my first meal of the day (I had had a cup of tea in the morning and that was it).  Then, I wasn't hungry for dinner and had a slice of toast with cream cheese for dinner!  

Today, Wednesday, has been another day of relaxing.  I've some aches and pains (slight headache and joint pains) from the vaccine and I'm taking it easy.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!  LOL.

M was here to tend to the garden, this morning, and he brought me some chicken and vegetable soup he had made, with serrano chilies and jalapeno salt, he said!  I had some of it for lunch and it was lovely and spicy!  I haven't made a meal plan for this week, either, but, dinner will be some salmon from the freezer with a baked potato and some broccoli.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Dancer's vet appointment went well and the sedative worked very well, this time
- I was able to get my RSV vaccine and so far, only some mild side effects 
- A safe drive to the vet clinic and the pharmacy and back
- Daughter was able to help me restore the internet service back on the computer (I had to disconnect and reconnect and it worked fine after that!)
- M bringing me some soup he had made

My joyful activities have included reading and playing the games available on the Advent calendar!

Plans for Thursday might include going to Dancer's pharmacy to pick up his medication, provided it is ready.  

How is your week coming along?

Sunday

Anthurium Plant

Another sunny and mild December day.  I did my 30 minutes of walking, in two sessions, one in the late morning and one in the early evening.  The second walk might have lasted a bit longer than 15 minutes, because after I had walked for several minutes, I looked at the timer and noticed that I had accidentally paused it only a few seconds after I had started it!  There was still 14+ minutes left to go and I walked those 14+ minutes as well.  

I put away some laundry I had done earlier, cleaned the litter box and swept the bathroom, gave Dancer his medications, and took another look at my budget, but, otherwise, it was another fairly relaxed day, doing a bit of reading, watching some online videos, emailing friends, and watching TV.  I even took a short nap!

Brunch was leftover milkrice with the leftover turkey curry (it was better, today, having had a chance to a+bsorb some of the spices overnight in the fridge) and dinner was battered shrimp with tomato chutney.  Not a very healthy dinner and no vegetables in sight!  I need to make a better meal plan for next week!  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Another sunny and mild day
- Getting my two walks in
- Emails from friends
- A relaxed day
- Afternoon naps

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

Plans for tomorrow include calling and scheduling some appointments, meal planning, another load of laundry, taking the trash cans to the curb, and dusting/vacuuming the living room and dining area.

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

Starting December

Paperwhites

It's December, already!  

Yesterday, Friday, December 1st, was a sunny day, a bit windy, with an afternoon high of 63F.  I picked fresh flowers from the garden to bring inside, some chrysanthemums and a few stems of paperwhites (the latter for the altars).  Then, made my usual first of the month milk rice for brunch and enjoyed it with homemade seeni sambol. 

I called the pharmacy to ask if they could mail my medications that were ready for pick up.  I was told that because I am on Medicare, the prescriptions have to be picked up in person.  I suppose it is a way to minimize fraud?  Anyway, I went to the pharmacy in the early afternoon and picked up the medications.  There was still only one person at the check out counter, but, the line wasn't too long and I didn't have to wait for too long.  Or, perhaps, I'm getting more used to it, now?

On my way out of the store, I noticed that they had some potted plants for sale at the front of the store.  There were the obligatory poinsettias, but, also, some red anthuriums!  My mother used to love anthuriums and she grew many varieties, but, the red ones were her favorite!  The plants, in 6 inch pots, were $24.99 each, which I thought was a little high, but, I had a 30% off coupon!  I was able to purchase a plant for under $20.00 and I was happy!

In the afternoon, I did a little bit of mending and sewed on a button for M.  He was here later in the evening to tend to the garden.  He started pruning the fruit trees and watered the garden.  He also brought me an Opal apple.

Later in the evening, neighbor S brought over two cheese filled puff pastries (bureks) she had made.  She had called me in the morning to let me know that she was going to make them and to ask if I'd like to have some; I said, "Yes, please!"  I had one of the cheese bureks for my dinner.

One of my dear friends had gifted me an online Advent calendar, which is my first, and I enjoyed clicking on the first door to open it.  I did it while chatting online with my daughter and by sharing the screen with her, I was able to share the experience with her, too.  Then, we sang a Christmas carol, and, as I mentioned to my friend, Dancer joined us and meowed along!  

Today, Saturday, it was sunny, again, and the afternoon high was 67F (tonight's low will be 44F)  I walked for 15 minutes, today, but, did only one walk.  I will try to get in two walks, tomorrow.  I watched some online videos, sorted through some papers, and watched some music programs on TV.  I made a sort of curry with some leftover roast turkey - I say "sort of" because, in my opinion, adding precooked meat to a curry gravy, even when the curry gravy is made from scratch, doesn't make a good curry.  But, I wanted a curry to eat with the leftover milkrice and some katta sambol for brunch.  I had the second cheese burek for dinner.  

At the start of December, I am grateful for:

- Sunny, mild days
- Neighbor S bringing me treats
- M's help with the garden
- The gift of an online Advent calendar
- The start of a new month

My joyful activities have included enjoying the garden flowers and watching some music programs on TV.

Plans for tomorrow include getting started on making holiday greeting cards.  

What are your weekend plans?

Balanced Life Monthly Goals - November Review and December Goals

As always, 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 and high 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 November:

Spiritual (10)(10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:
I continued to live what I consider to be a spiritually meaningful life, in the ways I am able to.  I am happy with this area of my life. 

My goal in December is to continue to live a spiritually meaningful life in the ways that I am able to.  

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

Daughter came home over the Thanksgiving week and that was the highlight of my November!  We spent a lovely week together.       

My goal in December is to continue to have a close relationship with her and look forward to her upcoming visit over Christmas and New Year!

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

Leisure activities in November included putting together a few flower arrangements, reading library books, and doing some of the things I had listed in my Fall joyful activities list.  

My goal in December is to continue to engage in fun, relaxing activities including making holiday cards and gifts.

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

I continued to budget and spend mindfully, with purpose, in November.  There were some big expenses including paying property taxes, but, everything was budgeted for and there were no surprises.

I will continue to budget and spend mindfully in December, too.  December expenses include homeowners and earthquake insurance and Christmas/New Year celebrations and gifts.  I also want to do an end of the year budget review and set up the 2024 budget, or spending plan as I prefer to call it.  

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

The garden continued to do well in November, too.  I harvested my butternut squash and my daughter baked it to serve as part of the Thanksgiving meal!  There were flowers to be picked and brought indoors, M brought me a couple of additional plants for the garden, I was able to contact the tree trimmers regarding the eucalyptus tree (work is scheduled for January), and the citrus fruits are starting to ripen.

December garden goals include more clearing and pruning with M's help; he has already started on the stone fruit trees, pruning the nectarine tree which has shut down.  

Family/Friends/Community (9.0)(9.5):  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, friends, and neighbors in November.  I was spoiled with treats, calls, cards, etc., on my birthday which was lovely! But, the highlight was having my late friend A's husband and two daughters join us for Thanksgiving dinner!  It was the first time I've had people over to a meal and been without a mask, etc.  It was a small, meaningful gathering, and I am very glad that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and have people over!

I participated in the blogging community and in the online organizing friends group.  I was also able to do some small acts of service for friends, including doing some mending for M who needed a tear darned and a button sewn on.   

I have raised my satisfaction rating to 9.5 on the strength of having friends over to share Thanksgiving dinner!

Goals for December will include remembering family and friends over the holidays, sending greetings, and exchanging gifts.  

Health, Self-Care & Well Being (8.5)(8.75):  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

November was a good month where my health is concerned!  I had three medical appointments - an appointment with the oncologist at the beginning of the month (blood test results were mostly good), an appointment with the ophthalmologist just before Thanksgiving (eye exam was good; vision was about the same, eye pressure was good, cataracts didn't need any surgery, yet; return for another check up in one year), and an appointment with the primary care physician at the end of the month (again, most of the blood test results were good!).  In between, I took my Covid booster and didn't feel any side effects.  I still need to focus on life style changes such as being careful with my diet, exercising more, getting adequate sleep, etc.  

I am raising my satisfaction rating to 8.75 based on the two blood test results and the generally positive medical appointments.  Yes, there is a lot of room for improvement, but, I am feeling better about my health than I have in a long time!

Health goals for December will be to continue improving my overall health.  I have a mammogram scheduled for mid-December, and I need to schedule appointments for a RSV vaccine and a check up with the gynecologist.  I want to strive to get in two 15 minutes walks each day and some weight loss would be welcome, too!  

House (8.0)(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 got a good cleaning and tidying in time for Thanksgiving!  For days, afterwards, I just sat and looked around and felt incredibly pleased!  I still don't have a place for everything, but, I've found temporary homes for a good number of things!

I met my goal of decluttering 30 items in November.  The decluttered items included some clothing (a blouse, a sweatshirt, two jackets, holey socks), some decorative items, a frying pan, two movies on VHS tapes,  several dried up pens and markers, assorted jars and storage containers, some craft supplies, a tote bag, the doll house and the box of trim to finish the doll house, some potholders, and more expired medications.

I feel good about what I managed to achieve and I'm raising my satisfaction rating to 8.5.

December goals for this area include maintaining and improving the state of the house.  I will continue to do some deep cleaning and decluttering as I decorate for Christmas.  My decluttering goal for December is 31 items.  I would like that to include some books and some Christmas decorations.  

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

I think I did OK when it came to managing my time in November.  I've managed to do most of the things I've needed to do without much procrastinating.  However, I am aware that there is a lot of room for improvement in this area and I am keeping my satisfaction level at 8.0! 

The goal in December is to get my holiday preparations done on time while keeping up with my appointments without getting flustered or stressed!  Towards that end, I am listing some of the things I need to do/schedule:

- Schedule my RSV vaccine (early part of December)
- Schedule shingles vaccine (towards the end of December)
- Schedule gynecologist appointment
- Mammogram (12/15)

- Schedule Dancer's check up
- Schedule the car service
- Bill payments
- Make holiday greeting cards, address, mail

- Make and/or order gifts
- Schedule almsgiving in early January

- Decorate for the holidays

I am really happy with November's progress because at least three areas (Family, Health, House)  increased in my satisfaction ratings!  And no areas decreased!  I think it turned out to be a very good month for me.  I'm looking forward to December with the holidays and my daughter's visit to look forward to!   

Did you make any goals for November and were you able to meet those goals or, at least, work towards them?  Will you be making any goals for December?

On the Last Day of November

On the last day of November, I still didn't take a picture to post on the blog!  Tsk, tsk!  Dare I offer yet another old picture?

Dancer

I had a phone call at 9:30 a.m. today, from the tree trimmers I had called, yesterday.  They could have someone come out to give me an estimate, this morning, between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  I said I needed to leave for a doctor's appointment at 11:00 a.m. (the appointment was at 12:00 noon), could they be here before that?  I was assured that someone will be here before 11:00 a.m.  Rene was here at about 10:45 a.m. and I told him that, in addition to the trimming, I wanted at least 5 feet taken off the top, as well.  The last time I had the eucalyptus tree trimmed, two years ago, it cost me $800.  I was expecting the estimate to be higher, this time around.  But, Rene said he will charge me the same amount!  I was so happy!  I guess it pays to be a repeat customer!  There was a $100 deposit, due today, and the remaining $700 will be paid upon completion of the trimming.  We went ahead and scheduled the trimming for January 12, 2024.

As soon as he had left, I left to go to my doctor's appointment.  There wasn't a lot of traffic, today, and I arrived at the doctor's office with 15 minutes to spare.  The appointment went very well.  My weight had stayed stable and my blood pressure, heart rate, etc., were all good.  I had been concerned about my blood test results, but, they, too, were within normal ranges for most of the things that were checked.  There were two things that were out of the normal ranges, but, both can be managed with life style changes - mainly diet and exercise with some stress reduction as well!  Well within my control!  The previous areas of concern had resolved themselves and were no longer areas of concern, for which I am very thankful.  My next appointment will be in six months, unless I needed to see her before that for whatever reason, in which case I am to call and request an appointment.  

I bought myself a hamburger on the way home and, after lunch, walked for a bit, up and down the driveway.  Then, I took a nap!  

In the evening, I watched news and some music programs on TV.  It was not a very productive evening, but, that's OK.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Good blood test results and doctor's appointment

- Answered prayers  
- Health insurance and access to medical care
- A safe drive to the doctor's office and back

- The tree trimming has been scheduled at the same charge as previously

Today's joyful activities included an afternoon nap, chatting with my daughter, and reading the results of my blood test report!

Plans for Friday include making milkrice for brunch and tending to the garden with M.  

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