Restful Sunday

Brunch: Waffles and Apples

Today was a very slightly cooler day.   I actually felt like cooking!  I made waffles for brunch.  I ate half of a waffle with leftover corned beef and the other half with an apple I had sliced and cooked with a little butter and sugar.

Later in the evening, I made chicken and vegetable soup.  I had stashed several zipper bags of chicken bones in the freezer, over the last few months.  I pulled them all out, added water, and boiled them to make the stock.  Then, I took some of that stock, added onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, and a handful of red lentils and made a pot of soup.  Dinner was a bowl of soup and two pieces of toast:

Dinner:  Chicken and Vegetable Soup

For dessert, I ate the rest of the stewed apples I had made in the morning.

In between brunch and dinner, I relaxed and read.  There were several phone calls from my half-sister, neighbor T, friend R, and others, as well.

After dinner, I watched the new PBS special about country music.

Today, I am grateful for:
- A cooler day
- Phone calls from family and friends
- Library books
- Interesting TV programs
- A relaxed day

Monday's To Do List:

- Put gas to the car

- Do some grocery shopping

- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up

- Water the garden, front and back

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

Hot on Saturday

The weather forecast said 98F, but, it felt hotter!  It went up to 90F inside the house, in the afternoon, and I thought of going to the bedroom and turning on the room air conditioner, but, I hate being cooped up inside the room, so I didn't. 

I did a little sewing in the afternoon.  I shortened the underskirt of my daughter's friend's dress and re-pinned the hem of the overskirts because she had wanted them a bit shorter than I had pinned them, earlier.  But, it was very hot in the dining room, even with the stand fan blowing on me, so I didn't start sewing the skirts.  I am very glad I didn't, because, later in the evening, my daughter texted me to say that her friend is still deciding on the shoes and she now thinks her shoes will have a higher heel than the pair she wore when she came to fit on the dress!  So, I am putting off sewing the dress until she decides on her shoes and then, I might have to have her try on the dress again and redo the measurements!  I'm so glad I procrastinated on sewing this dress, because had I hemmed it and cut off the extra, the dress might have been too short with the shoes she's now planning to wear! 

I didn't go for a walk, today, either, but I took the car for a short drive in the evening, because it hadn't been driven since Monday.  I might have driven it to the fast food place for an order of chicken nuggets, but, I am not admitting to anything!  Lunch was a very healthy salad of lettuce, zucchini, apples, and raw cashews.  Apples for dessert. 

Today, I was thinking about the last four years.  It was September 1, 2015 when I went for the biopsy and the diagnosis came a few days later, followed by the lumpectomy in early October.  It's been four years.  Back then, I was too afraid to plan too far into the future.  I felt I could plan for six months in the future, maybe even up to a year.  But, anything beyond that?  I didn't dare!  That was tempting fate!  Every day of the past four years has felt like a blessing!  A bonus!  Next week, I will have another blood test and a follow-up appointment with the oncologist to go over the results.  These check ups are scheduled every three months and are another blessing.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The past four years, every day has been a gift
- Regular check ups
- Health insurance to pay for it all
- All the benefits of modern medicine
- Chatting with my daughter

Tomorrow is supposed to be a slightly cooler day.  A high of 92F instead of 98F.  I am not sure if it will be that noticeable a difference, but, we shall see.  I have planned to do some sewing, if it isn't too hot!

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

Friday the Thirteenth!

Friday the Thirteenth was a rather warm day, here, with a daytime high of 98F, according to the weather forecast. 

I called the gynecologist's office in the morning to find out about the test results and was told that the results were normal.  I was very happy to hear that. 

Today, I did the dishes, changed the sofa dust covers, did a load of laundry, and did some sewing. 

Friend F called in the afternoon and asked if I could give her a ride to the monthly prayer gathering, next week, and I said yes. 

Later in the evening, friend M came over to tend to the garden.  He sprayed the peach tree with something because a type of insect is boring into it and damaging the tree.  I don't normally use any pesticides in the garden, but I want to try and save the peach tree.  M watered the garden for me, as well.

Daughter called and we had a long conversation and later, we video chatted, as well.

I didn't go for a walk, today, as it was too hot during the evening and, by the time it had cooled down, it was too dark to go walking.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The good news from the gynecologist's office
- Working appliances
- M tending to the garden
- Long conversations with my daughter
- Cooler evenings

How was your Friday the Thirteenth? 

What Happened to Thursday?

What happened to my Thursday?  Where did it go?  I feel like I blinked and Thursday vanished!  I had planned to do so many things, but, I feel like I didn't get anything done!  I almost typed that I didn't do anything, but, of course, that would not be true.  I did do various things; it's just that I feel like I didn't get enough done. 

In the morning, after a cup of tea, I responded to blog comments, read some blogs and commented on them, and made pancakes and corned beef for brunch.  I cooked the canned corn beef with sauteed onions and tomatoes, with chili powder.  Opening the can was a bit of a challenge as the strip of metal that gets removed with the key on the can broke off half way!  I had to use a chisel and hammer to open the can the rest of the way!  The regular can opener can't open cans of corned beef.

In the afternoon, I started on my daughter's friend A's bridesmaid dress. 

In the evening, I called the gynecologist's office to find out the test results, but, there was no answer.  Maybe they were already closed for the day (it was around 4:30 p.m.).  I will try calling them, tomorrow morning.

Then, it was time to have a cup of tea.  Aunt T called and we chatted for a bit.  My daughter called, too, to update me on her eye exam.  Then, I started the car and let it run for a little, since I haven't driven it for a couple of days, and I went for a short walk. 

After that, it was time to watch the Democratic Presidential Candidates' debate.

The rest of the evening was spent watching some TV programs, video chatting with my daughter, and doing a little bit of paperwork.

Today, I am grateful for:
- A warm and sunny day
- The things I did manage to accomplish
- Daughter's eye exam went well
- The car started without any problem
- Being able to open a can with a chisel and hammer!

How was your Thursday?  Do you sometimes wonder where your day went?

Today

Today is a day of remembrance.  A day of prayer and contemplation.  The 18th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in our collective lives. 

I used to turn on the TV, first thing in the morning, and listen to it while I got dressed and got ready to take my daughter to catch the school bus and drive myself and cousin P to work, as I used to give her a ride.  But, on that particular morning, on September 11, 2001, I didn't turn on the TV, for some reason or the other.  Most probably, I was running a bit late and hurrying my daughter, as we needed to catch her school bus by 6:25 a.m., and there was no time to listen to the news.

I was already at the office, working on something, when I heard some of my colleagues saying something about New York and a plane crash.  I generally didn't pay much attention to all the background sounds of the office when I was working.  We had an open space office with cubicles that allowed us to see and hear each other; phones were always ringing, people were always talking, either on the phone or over the cubicle walls.  So, I didn't pay too much attention to what they were saying.

Then, my phone rang and it was cousin P.  Her office's head offices were in New York and they had closed due to the attack and the Los Angeles office was also told to close.  Cousin P called to say she was going home and was getting a ride home from one of her colleagues.  I asked her what had happened and she told me it was the World Trade Center that was attacked.

World Trade Center, where one of my second cousins worked as an engineer at the Port Authority. 

We continued to try to work, but, we were in a building in what is known as the Civic Center of downtown, an area where the City Hall, County, State, and Federal office buildings and courts are clustered together.  I was on the 7th floor of a building with 26 floors, but, there were taller buildings all around.  We didn't know if there would be any attacks on the West Coast, as well.  My colleagues were telling those of us who were seated near a window to keep watch for any low flying planes!

A short while later, we got word from our director, telling us that the office was closed for the day and we were to all go home.  I was on my way home when I heard that the towers had collapsed. 

My mother was still alive, then, and she and M were in the garden when I got home.  I turned the TV on and we sat watching it, for a few minutes.  Then, I flew the flag that I normally flew only on the 4th of July and decided to go to the grocery store to stock up on water.  I don't know what made me think of that, except, I remember during the Los Angeles riots in the early 90s, that there were grocery stores being burned and vandalized.  Having enough water on hand seemed to be very important. 

Then, I went to my daughter's school and picked her up early.  She was 8 years old at the time and just started 4th grade.   I told her I came to pick her up early because there had been an attack in New York and she said that there had been an announcement on the PA system about it. 

I sat glued to the TV for the rest of the day.  Everything seemed so unreal.

Several days later, I found out that my second cousin had been one of the lucky ones.  He managed to evacuate the building.  He was photographed by reporter, as he emerged, all covered with dust and debris.  I just wish that everyone else was as lucky.

It's hard to believe it's been 18 years.  Today is a day of remembrance and prayer.

Cool on Tuesday

Today was a cool and cloudy day.  It didn't rain, but, the weather was such that it triggered an asthma attack.  I took my rescue inhaler and took it easy.  I had planned to go for a walk in the morning, but, I decided not to do anything to aggravate the asthma.  I just brought the trash cans in and collected the mail.

I changed my bed sheets and did a load of laundry.  Finished sewing my daughter's dress, which took a little longer than I thought because I had to do some unpicking and resewing.  I decided to do her friend's dress tomorrow and mended one of my blouses, instead.  Later, I watered the indoor plants.

Library Book

Last week, I finished reading this book I had borrowed from the library.  It contains recollections of Russians who were children during World War II.  I am still reading The Dictionary Wars by Peter Martin - I put it aside to read "Last Witnesses".   

Cousin V called in the evening and we had a nice chat.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter. 

Lunch had been egg salad sandwiches.  Dinner was chicken and vegetable soup from the freezer. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Rescue inhalers
- My sewing machine
- Library books
- Video chatting with my daughter
- What I was able to accomplish today


Tuesday's To Do List:
- Go for a walk
- Bring the trash cans in - DONE
- Grocery shop?
- Finish sewing daughter's dress - DONE
- Start hemming her friend's dress
- Water the house plants - DONE
- Dust the house
- Mend my blouse - DONE
- Do some cooking
- Put gas to the car

Wednesday's To Do List:
- Go for a walk
- Grocery shop
- Start on daughter's friend's dress
- Dust
- Do some cooking
- Put gas to the car
- Apply the spray to the peach tree

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

Parting on Monday

My daughter went back to Berkeley, this afternoon.

We spent a quiet morning at home.  Then, I drove her to the airport in the afternoon.  It's always hard to say goodbye to her, but, she will be back in three weeks' time, again, for her friend's wedding.  So, it won't be a long wait between visits.

On the way home, I went to the library to return the books and magazines I had borrowed from that library system and to drop off three batteries in their battery recycling bin.  I spent a few minutes looking at other books to borrow, but didn't find anything in particular.  So, I didn't borrow any new books.  I have plenty of books at home to read or re-read!  After I came home, I renewed the two books I had borrowed from the neighboring city's library system, that were coming due, tomorrow, because I hadn't finished reading one of them.  Now, they are due at the end of September.

Daughter ate the leftover milk rice for brunch and I had a banana.  After I came home from dropping daughter off at the airport and going to the library, I boiled two eggs to make egg salad, and had an egg salad sandwich for a late lunch.  Dinner was some frozen Chinese style chicken, with leftover pasta made over with zucchini and carrots into "chow mein".

It was a much cooler day, today, with the highs only in the mid to upper 80s.  Mid 80s is my favorite temperature.

The oncologist's office had called on Friday, saying they needed to reschedule my appointment.  The office had already closed for the day when I called them at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, which was when I received the message (they had called my daughter's phone and she didn't see the message until 5:00 p.m.).  I called them back, this afternoon, and rescheduled the appointment, bringing it forward by a week.

Today's mail brought a notice of confirmation from the medical insurance company, that the earlier claim, which asked for additional information, about which I had called the insurance company, had been paid, after all.  I was very relieved to hear that, as the amount was over $5,000! 

I changed the sheets on daughter's bed, today, and did two loads of laundry.  I hung one load to air dry and put only a few items in the dryer.  I will put away the items that are air drying before I go to sleep, tonight.

In the evening, I took the trash can and the yard waste bin to the curb for pick up in the morning and watered the garden, both front (by hand) and back (sprinklers).  I also washed the dishes and cleaned the litter box.

Later in the night, daughter and I had a quick video chat.  She said that she, too, did laundry after she got back to her apartment.

I didn't go for a walk, today; I shall walk, tomorrow. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter had a safe flight and subway ride back
- We had a nice visit
- She'll be back in October
- Having medical insurance and the bill was paid by them
- All what I was able to accomplish

Monday's Accomplishments::
- Took daughter to the airport
- Returned library books
- Renewed other set of library books
- Rescheduled oncologist appointment
- Took the trash cans to the curb
- Watered the garden
- Did two loads of laundry
- Did the dishes
- Cleaned the litter box

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Go for a walk
- Bring the trash cans in
- Grocery shop?
- Finish sewing daughter's dress
- Start hemming her friend's dress
- Water the house plants
- Dust the house
- Mend my blouse
- Do some cooking
- Put gas to the car

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