Before roothy yells at us, I decided to break down and post even though I have nothing to say.
I went to Texas to "nurse" Momcat after her surgery for 9 days in the middle of the month. I haven't checked how that threw off my finances but I think I was able to get the tickets for not too, too bad. The food issue was another matter. The only soy milk choice was Silk (which I like, but I like to change around too), one vegan butter choice, Smart Balance Lite and finally, after going to several stores to look, we found some Yo Soy yogurt. The most annoying thing was we kept accidentally buying things with hidden animal products in the processed foods I guess we should have stayed away from anyway. Smart Balance regular has whey in it, I bought some whole wheat poptarts that I checked and checked again but Kipsy found gelatin in the frosting and most irritatingly because we spent 30 minutes looking at each brand, some canned biscuits that had beef tallow in them! I will never complain about only being able to get the Tofutti Sour Supreme with the white top at my local Safeway ever again.
Other than that I was able to get all the ingredients to cook healthy meals for Mom and Woody and sometimes Kipsy every day I was there. I pretty much made all my standards that I can make in my sleep but Mom really liked all of them and I was able to sneak in enough fruit and vegetables that I think we even made the minimum standards of 5 - 9 servings a day. My big treat was finally being able to go to Spiral Diner. I just love supporting a vegan restaurant in Ft. Worth Texas and it was packed on a weekday pre-lunch crowd!
I brought enough books and DVDs to entertain myself while waiting for Momcat to wake from her daily naps and/or Woody to get off work so I was prepared for a lot of sitting around. We did do a small amount of thrift store shopping but I was hoping Ft. Worth would be cheaper than San Mateo but it was not and the selection was not as good either. Oh well, as it turns out, DFW airport are sticklers for the 2 bag rule and they made me condense the "Bullet" off brand personal blender I bought at Macy's (for 19.99,regularly 49.99!) and wouldn't have been able to bring anything home anyway.
It was nice having Momcat all to myself for that long of time and I realized when I saw Woody that it had been about 10 years since I've last laid eyes on him and it was very good to here him being comfortable and secure in his new job that pays well, has medical insurance AND appreciates him. I didn't get to see Kipsy at all until the last day and 1/2 but she was looking beautiful as always and also very happy in her new position. I was very sad that Roothy, who is taking over the next weeks nursing duties didn't get there before I had to go to the airport but I would have loved to see her new car.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
So, my cheap Califonian sisters...
Did you vote today?
Looks like it isn't going to pass. Either way, California is going to have to figure out what the hell to do with its life tomorrow morning...
Looks like it isn't going to pass. Either way, California is going to have to figure out what the hell to do with its life tomorrow morning...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
My meager attempts to reduce spending...
The ticket I got a few weeks ago finally came in the mail. It is $202 plus an additional $57 to take the traffic school (which is a must to keep the insurance from going up) plus the actual cost of the traffic school: about $300 as I suspected.
I went online to see what my options were. I SWEAR I did not see ANYONE in the crosswalk, but to take the ticket to court would mean suggesting the police officer either lied or was mistaken. They could just as easily come to the same conclusion about me. But deep in the small print I saw an option to go to court and either plead "not guilty" or "no contest" and the judge might reduce the fine based on one's driving record. So I took that route. I went to court, spent about 3 hours waiting for my case to come up. I didn't really say much, because I couldn't figure how to plead my case without just sounding like I was whining, but the judge acknowledged my good driving record and reduced my fine. He reduced to it to $15 (yay!) which, plus the state fees and the traffic school charges, came to $183 (hey, wait a minute...) I guess that's better than $259. So I took an on-line traffic school (took about 3 hours) for $20, and now its all done. It still rankles me though. Thirty-one years without a ticket!!!
I fixed my front fence by myself, instead of hiring someone. Two of the posts were rotted in the ground, and were wobbly. I purchased some metal sleeves that go around the base of the post, and pounded them in with a sledge hammer. My next goal is to paint the fence so that it is again a "white picket fence". I also need to fix the back fence, but I need to work with my neighbor on that, and she needs to get rid of her bamboo forest first.
I think I told you already about fixing the leak under my sink. I had to replace several of the pipes and fittings, but I did it!
I'm hoping to put mulch down on the yard, to control the weeds, and make it look nice without having to have grass. Easier to take care of, and no watering!
I read an article about checking ones toilets for leaks. It suggested putting food dye in the tank, and if the dye is in the bowl after about 15 minutes, there is a leak. Well, the dye was in the bowl, so I bought new flapper valves (I believe that's the technical term) and replaced them. Then the toilets did a double flush, which obviously used way more water than the stupid leaks did! I called the water department, to yell at them for suggesting I replace the valves to save water, and now they were using even more. She thought I was crazy for asking HER, she said I should call a plumber to fix it (yeah, right!) Anyway, I asked the water department to come out to do a water use survey and to check for leaks. When the guy arrived, I explained about the toilets, and he said I should have replaced the valve with the same kind of valve. The valves SAY they're "universal" but they're not. My old valves had little floats on them. So back to the store for valves with the floats (couldn't take the old ones back for a refund, because I'd had to cut a tab off them to install them.) Now the toilets flush fine. I talked to the guy about my concerns about my water bill. Almost every month, I use 4 ccfs of water, and then one month it went up to six and then was 5 for a couple of months. I wanted to ask if it could be a leak or something. He said, "That's a very low bill. Most people on average use about 2 or 3 ccfs per person per month. How many people live here?" "Uh, five." "Wow." So anyway, I'm not getting much sympathy or help to lower my bill, but it should be lower now that I've got the toilets fixed!
PG&E just replaced our electric meter for one that they can read remotely. I was talking to the installer, joking about how in ten years the meters would be obsolete since we wouldn't have any energy left. He said no, there was lots of natural gas, but acknowledged that it didn't address the global warming problem. He said he expected a lot of people to switch over to solar, and I said I had looked into it, but since my electric bill was only $50 a month, it would never pay for itself. He was amazed my bill was that low, even though we have a washer and electric dryer (which Pammy does her laundry in also.) So I guess I'm doing a pretty good job at conserving, huh?
However, Max has taken three showers this week (which is more than he's taken in the last three months.) I explained that it's great that he's taking more showers, but if he's going to take one every day, they need to be 5 minutes. A half- to an hour-long shower is only allowed if you take only one a month!!
Just think how much money I could save if I didn't have these rotten kids!!
I went online to see what my options were. I SWEAR I did not see ANYONE in the crosswalk, but to take the ticket to court would mean suggesting the police officer either lied or was mistaken. They could just as easily come to the same conclusion about me. But deep in the small print I saw an option to go to court and either plead "not guilty" or "no contest" and the judge might reduce the fine based on one's driving record. So I took that route. I went to court, spent about 3 hours waiting for my case to come up. I didn't really say much, because I couldn't figure how to plead my case without just sounding like I was whining, but the judge acknowledged my good driving record and reduced my fine. He reduced to it to $15 (yay!) which, plus the state fees and the traffic school charges, came to $183 (hey, wait a minute...) I guess that's better than $259. So I took an on-line traffic school (took about 3 hours) for $20, and now its all done. It still rankles me though. Thirty-one years without a ticket!!!
I fixed my front fence by myself, instead of hiring someone. Two of the posts were rotted in the ground, and were wobbly. I purchased some metal sleeves that go around the base of the post, and pounded them in with a sledge hammer. My next goal is to paint the fence so that it is again a "white picket fence". I also need to fix the back fence, but I need to work with my neighbor on that, and she needs to get rid of her bamboo forest first.
I think I told you already about fixing the leak under my sink. I had to replace several of the pipes and fittings, but I did it!
I'm hoping to put mulch down on the yard, to control the weeds, and make it look nice without having to have grass. Easier to take care of, and no watering!
I read an article about checking ones toilets for leaks. It suggested putting food dye in the tank, and if the dye is in the bowl after about 15 minutes, there is a leak. Well, the dye was in the bowl, so I bought new flapper valves (I believe that's the technical term) and replaced them. Then the toilets did a double flush, which obviously used way more water than the stupid leaks did! I called the water department, to yell at them for suggesting I replace the valves to save water, and now they were using even more. She thought I was crazy for asking HER, she said I should call a plumber to fix it (yeah, right!) Anyway, I asked the water department to come out to do a water use survey and to check for leaks. When the guy arrived, I explained about the toilets, and he said I should have replaced the valve with the same kind of valve. The valves SAY they're "universal" but they're not. My old valves had little floats on them. So back to the store for valves with the floats (couldn't take the old ones back for a refund, because I'd had to cut a tab off them to install them.) Now the toilets flush fine. I talked to the guy about my concerns about my water bill. Almost every month, I use 4 ccfs of water, and then one month it went up to six and then was 5 for a couple of months. I wanted to ask if it could be a leak or something. He said, "That's a very low bill. Most people on average use about 2 or 3 ccfs per person per month. How many people live here?" "Uh, five." "Wow." So anyway, I'm not getting much sympathy or help to lower my bill, but it should be lower now that I've got the toilets fixed!
PG&E just replaced our electric meter for one that they can read remotely. I was talking to the installer, joking about how in ten years the meters would be obsolete since we wouldn't have any energy left. He said no, there was lots of natural gas, but acknowledged that it didn't address the global warming problem. He said he expected a lot of people to switch over to solar, and I said I had looked into it, but since my electric bill was only $50 a month, it would never pay for itself. He was amazed my bill was that low, even though we have a washer and electric dryer (which Pammy does her laundry in also.) So I guess I'm doing a pretty good job at conserving, huh?
However, Max has taken three showers this week (which is more than he's taken in the last three months.) I explained that it's great that he's taking more showers, but if he's going to take one every day, they need to be 5 minutes. A half- to an hour-long shower is only allowed if you take only one a month!!
Just think how much money I could save if I didn't have these rotten kids!!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Easy Lentil Soup
I don't know if this counts as a good lentil soup but it's what I do when I'm lazy and trying to use up cans of tomato soup in my pantry and the last veggies in my fridge. (actually this was the first time I used lentils, usually I use leftover pinto navy or garbonzo beans)
Saute 1/2 chopped onion (remove the parts that are starting to sprout)
After is has cooked for a while add last few carrots from baby carrot bag (okay if outside dried out, they'll rehydrate in the soup) and about 4 half celery sticks (sliced) and saute for another few minutes. Add 1 cup dried brown (washed) lentils and 1/2 half bag frozen chopped mustard greens (or whatever greens you have fresh or frozed, just make sure they're chopped).
Stir in one can of no-name tomato soup plus 3 cans of water.
Add 2 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp oregeno and 1 tbl paprika.
Simmer on low for 45 mins. (or if you use old lentils like I did it might take a little longer). Make sure to check every now and then to see if you need to add water. Finish with juice of one slightly old lime.
Elliott gave it a 6 (out of 10) but said he doesn't like lentil soup. He did eat a whole bowl though. I give it an 8 but I think I'd have liked it better with spinach instead of mustard greens.
Saute 1/2 chopped onion (remove the parts that are starting to sprout)
After is has cooked for a while add last few carrots from baby carrot bag (okay if outside dried out, they'll rehydrate in the soup) and about 4 half celery sticks (sliced) and saute for another few minutes. Add 1 cup dried brown (washed) lentils and 1/2 half bag frozen chopped mustard greens (or whatever greens you have fresh or frozed, just make sure they're chopped).
Stir in one can of no-name tomato soup plus 3 cans of water.
Add 2 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp oregeno and 1 tbl paprika.
Simmer on low for 45 mins. (or if you use old lentils like I did it might take a little longer). Make sure to check every now and then to see if you need to add water. Finish with juice of one slightly old lime.
Elliott gave it a 6 (out of 10) but said he doesn't like lentil soup. He did eat a whole bowl though. I give it an 8 but I think I'd have liked it better with spinach instead of mustard greens.
Happily Back to Being Part of the Problem
Last week, I purchased a brand new, 2009 Honda Fit.
I settled on the car after doing online research, and finding that it is very well recieved. I found out the MSRP and the invoice price by buying a report at Consumer Reports for $14 (though I probably could have gotten the same information for free if I looked hard enough), then I simply emailed about five or six dealers and asked them for their best price on a base model with manual transmission. About three dealers started bidding, and I managed to get one for about $650 below the dealer's bottom-line invoice price--a price that also included a $299 keyless entry system which is not standard equipment (my only upgrade). I don't think I could have gotten it any cheaper--I'm kind of amazed I managed to get it as cheap as I did. Dealers are really desperate right now to move product, even companies like Honda.
So the final price which did not include local taxes and registration fees which are uniform and fixed by the state and county, was just under $14,000. After the 10% (yes, 10%) local sales tax plus other licensing fees, I paid about $16,300 "out the door." Thanks to the stimulus package, I should be able to deduct $1400 (the sales tax) from my income next year, so I'd get 1/3 of that back, or $470. This means complete out-the-door price for me including adjusted taxes was about $15,800.
You can subtract the value I got for my 2001 Toyota Prius, which needed a $4900 repair to the hybrid battery and controlling computer. Amazingly, my old mechanic bought it from me for $2500. So true final price to me of the new car was $13,300. Because of all the safety features, amazingly, my monthly insurance cost is almost exactly the same. Also amazingly, I am getting about the same mpg as I did with the Prius--in the neighborhood of 40 mpg.
Thus blowing all to hell my plans to save, save, save and be frugal this year. But the car, she is cool. And my bike fits in the back.
I settled on the car after doing online research, and finding that it is very well recieved. I found out the MSRP and the invoice price by buying a report at Consumer Reports for $14 (though I probably could have gotten the same information for free if I looked hard enough), then I simply emailed about five or six dealers and asked them for their best price on a base model with manual transmission. About three dealers started bidding, and I managed to get one for about $650 below the dealer's bottom-line invoice price--a price that also included a $299 keyless entry system which is not standard equipment (my only upgrade). I don't think I could have gotten it any cheaper--I'm kind of amazed I managed to get it as cheap as I did. Dealers are really desperate right now to move product, even companies like Honda.
So the final price which did not include local taxes and registration fees which are uniform and fixed by the state and county, was just under $14,000. After the 10% (yes, 10%) local sales tax plus other licensing fees, I paid about $16,300 "out the door." Thanks to the stimulus package, I should be able to deduct $1400 (the sales tax) from my income next year, so I'd get 1/3 of that back, or $470. This means complete out-the-door price for me including adjusted taxes was about $15,800.
You can subtract the value I got for my 2001 Toyota Prius, which needed a $4900 repair to the hybrid battery and controlling computer. Amazingly, my old mechanic bought it from me for $2500. So true final price to me of the new car was $13,300. Because of all the safety features, amazingly, my monthly insurance cost is almost exactly the same. Also amazingly, I am getting about the same mpg as I did with the Prius--in the neighborhood of 40 mpg.
Thus blowing all to hell my plans to save, save, save and be frugal this year. But the car, she is cool. And my bike fits in the back.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Coal's Grandmother died
It's technically his step-grandmother, but he knew her all his life. She fell out of the shower sometime after Thursday (when Coal's uncle last spoke to her). The uncle found her body on Saturday. We're waiting for the autopsy report to find out what happened. We just hope she didn't fall and lay there for a long time in pain. She had one of the strongest faiths I've ever witnessed, so I know dying wouldn't have been that scary for her. When she got to talking about heaven, she started making me wish for brake failure on the way home, so I won't have to wait so long!
Also, Coal's first gun-dog Jake died 2 weeks ago. He had been sick and was pretty old. He just laid down and didn't get up again. He was alive Wednesday morning when Coal left for the mud farm and was dead when I got home that afternoon and went to feed the dogs. He looked peaceful. I figure Roxie is next. She loses her balance easily.
Other than that, my job is still going well. So is Coal's. He gets 3 weeks of vacation a year now since he's been there 5 years (his FT job, not the mud farm).
Also, Coal's first gun-dog Jake died 2 weeks ago. He had been sick and was pretty old. He just laid down and didn't get up again. He was alive Wednesday morning when Coal left for the mud farm and was dead when I got home that afternoon and went to feed the dogs. He looked peaceful. I figure Roxie is next. She loses her balance easily.
Other than that, my job is still going well. So is Coal's. He gets 3 weeks of vacation a year now since he's been there 5 years (his FT job, not the mud farm).
Monday, May 4, 2009
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Since our minister is vegan, members have been creating special items in our pot-luck lunches. Here is a vegan cake that is very good:
Wacky Chocolate Cake (aka Vegan Chocolate Cake)
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
6 Tblsp cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. oil
2 Tblsp vinegar
2 c. cold water or coffee (I use decaf coffee)
2 tsp vanilla
Blend, by hand, the flour, cocoa,sugar, baking soda and salt.
Add oil, vinegar, vanilla and coffee.
Blend well. Pour into a greased and floured 9 X 13 inch pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes
Chocolate icing (off of the back of the Hershey Cocoa box with minor variations)
1 stick oleo (sometimes its called margarine spread, just look that it has no dairy or milk in it)
2/3 c. cocoa
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk substitute (soy, almond or non dairy creamer all work well)
1 tsp vanilla
Melt oleo. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and 'milk', beating on med. speed to
spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla. I sometimes use the whisk attachment on my mixer if I want it less fudge-like.
Wacky Chocolate Cake (aka Vegan Chocolate Cake)
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
6 Tblsp cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. oil
2 Tblsp vinegar
2 c. cold water or coffee (I use decaf coffee)
2 tsp vanilla
Blend, by hand, the flour, cocoa,sugar, baking soda and salt.
Add oil, vinegar, vanilla and coffee.
Blend well. Pour into a greased and floured 9 X 13 inch pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes
Chocolate icing (off of the back of the Hershey Cocoa box with minor variations)
1 stick oleo (sometimes its called margarine spread, just look that it has no dairy or milk in it)
2/3 c. cocoa
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk substitute (soy, almond or non dairy creamer all work well)
1 tsp vanilla
Melt oleo. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and 'milk', beating on med. speed to
spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla. I sometimes use the whisk attachment on my mixer if I want it less fudge-like.
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