I used my Diet Coke reward points to get one of those electric grills. I grilled slices of eggplant and then made baba ganoush (or however it's spelled). It tasted great but I wish it didn't have such a dorky name. I call it eggpant dip. I think being vegan would be much more popular if we could replace the name of some of our foods: hummus, tofu, seitan, tempeh, texturized vegetable protein, nutritional yeast flakes, soy milk. Thay don't have appetizing names and/or are too hard to pronounce.
I made lentil burgers, which turned out VERY well. I don't like the name, but there you go.
I made brownies that were just alright. I need to try again and alter the process I used to mix all the ingerdients. I think they were so flat because I over-blended.
I don't know what I'll try next...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Ethical Eating
My latest cholesterol count was too high (233) so I am officially giving up cheese and other high cholesterol food. I have joined an Ethical Eating Group at church and have signed on to a 21 day vegan plan at
http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart&autologin=true
I made my first health trip to the grocery store and bought greens, salmon (in envelope), tomatoes, walnuts, and I already have mushrooms for salads. Also bananas. Am I right in thinking alvocados have high cholesterol? Also I bought no-fat dressing and some more soy yogurt. Eating out will be my downfall but I am going to give it a try.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Eating in London
Eating vegan (no cheese) would have been impossible in London - and Twiggy insisted on eating three meals a day. I ate a lot of mozarella and tomato; goat cheese salads and tortes; and other fattening stuff. Consequently I gained about ten pounds which I am working off. Getting back to exercise is helping, and not eating out.
I bought some nice books and learned a lot in the Children's Lit course. We had three field trips - British Library, V & A, and Oxford. Before the class we had a week of playing tourist and saw four plays. Touristing included Mme Toussaud's (very crowded especially around Michael Jackson and Obama), V & A Museum of Childhood, National Museum and Portrait Museum and the British Museum. I took lots of pictures and bought postcards when photos weren't allowed.
The plays were Stomp, The Calendar Girls and Oliver all of which we enjoyed. We also went to a new play, War Horse, which received rave reviews. The only good thing about it were the "puppet" horses worked by three people each. The play and the acting were overdone.
I am almost caught up. I only had one chance at e-mail so the accumulation was large.
I bought some nice books and learned a lot in the Children's Lit course. We had three field trips - British Library, V & A, and Oxford. Before the class we had a week of playing tourist and saw four plays. Touristing included Mme Toussaud's (very crowded especially around Michael Jackson and Obama), V & A Museum of Childhood, National Museum and Portrait Museum and the British Museum. I took lots of pictures and bought postcards when photos weren't allowed.
The plays were Stomp, The Calendar Girls and Oliver all of which we enjoyed. We also went to a new play, War Horse, which received rave reviews. The only good thing about it were the "puppet" horses worked by three people each. The play and the acting were overdone.
I am almost caught up. I only had one chance at e-mail so the accumulation was large.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saving with Slave Labor
I should have gotten pictures while we were doing it, but we were so busy working that I didn't have time to take pictures! Anyway, this is the finished project.
The boys worked 3 and 4 days respectively doing back-breaking labor helping me dig out all the bamboo from behind the garage, and repairing the fence. To save money, we used the same fence posts, just put in steel "sleeves" that fit around the base of the post and are then pounded into the ground with a 50-pound sledge hammer. We took off the old fence boards, and replaced the boards across the top and the boards along the bottom that were too rotted to re-use, then re-attached all the boards.
I say slave labor, but I actually decided to pay them $50 and $40 respectively for the work. They were so happy they were jumping up and down. I'm sure it will be the last time I get to see someone excited about earning less than $2.00 an hour for hard labor. The total to repair the fence was less than $200, including the money I paid to the boys, and my neighbor is going to pay for half.
Now I can spend that $1600 to fumigate the house.
I had previously fixed my front fence with the steel sleeves, also. Now that needs to be painted.
Why do home improvement projects always lead to MORE home improvement projects? Can't we ever just be DONE??
The boys immediately spent their money on "Gundums" which are a Japanese version of a mix of Bionicles, Transformers and GI Joes.
Friday, July 24, 2009
More Reason Not to Get Too Excited
As the market go-go-goes, should we be breathing a sigh of relief? Probably not. For one thing, volatility is not the sign of a healthy market--in either direction. For another, I've already mentioned the false sense of solvency the changed in the accounting rules caused. But last and most important, this recent market surge has come on the heels of "less bad than expected" profit numbers from several big companies. But why are they less bad? Robert Reich, Clinton's secretary of labor, warns:
"[T]hose profits aren't being powered by consumers who have suddenly found themselves with a lot more money in their pockets. The profits are coming from dramatic cost-cutting -- including, most notably, payroll cuts. If a firm cuts its costs enough, it can show a profit even if its sales are still in the basement."
"[T]hose profits aren't being powered by consumers who have suddenly found themselves with a lot more money in their pockets. The profits are coming from dramatic cost-cutting -- including, most notably, payroll cuts. If a firm cuts its costs enough, it can show a profit even if its sales are still in the basement."
"The problem here is twofold. First, such profits can't be maintained. There's a limit to how much can be cut without a business eventually disappearing -- becoming, in effect, a balance sheet in space. Secondly, when businesses slash payrolls to show profits, consumers end up with even less money in their pockets to buy the things businesses produce. Even if they hold on to their jobs, they're likely to fear that they won't have the jobs for long, which causes them to retreat even further from the malls."
Read his whole blog post here.Thursday, July 23, 2009
Saving by doing it yourself
I'm back to cleaning my own apartment. While I was gone to New York/Texas/Germany, I had stopped my twice-monthly cleaning service, and I never got around to calling them back to start it up again.
And I realize that my apartment hasn't been this clean in years.
The trouble with delegating, well, anything, is that the person to whom you delegate almost always doesn't care as much as you do about whatever it is. Sometimes, it's worth it to farm it out anyway and accept lower quality for the convenience. But I think I'm back, at least for a while, to not accepting that trade-off for cleaning my house.
Maybe some day I'll be able to find someone who is willing to see dirt: remove cobwebs and wipe backsplashes and light switches without my asking; actually moving cords and furniture when sweeping, tucking in sheets properly, etc. In the meantime, I'm saving $120 a month and living in a substantially cleaner (albeit a sporadically messier) house.
And I realize that my apartment hasn't been this clean in years.
The trouble with delegating, well, anything, is that the person to whom you delegate almost always doesn't care as much as you do about whatever it is. Sometimes, it's worth it to farm it out anyway and accept lower quality for the convenience. But I think I'm back, at least for a while, to not accepting that trade-off for cleaning my house.
Maybe some day I'll be able to find someone who is willing to see dirt: remove cobwebs and wipe backsplashes and light switches without my asking; actually moving cords and furniture when sweeping, tucking in sheets properly, etc. In the meantime, I'm saving $120 a month and living in a substantially cleaner (albeit a sporadically messier) house.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Soapy cantaloupe
BC brought me a cantaloupe he bought from a guy selling them out of the back of his truck on the side of the road. It looked and smelled great. I washed, rinsed, and dried it off before I sliced it. It has a soapy taste. I am sure I got all the soap rinsed off before I cut it. Any of you ever had a cantaloupe taste like soap?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Snacking is my downfall
I read somewhere that to save money, you should buy full sized products and divide them into single serving sizes. I bought snack baggies and counted out 22 almonds per baggy. That's when I realized, I could eat 600+ calories of almonds as an afternoon snack! No wonder I'm having trouble getting rid of the 7 pounds I've put on in the last year. I divided my crackers, too. I haven't eaten any of them yet because I don't want to eat 120 calories. If they had been loose in the box, I probably would have nibbled 2 servings without even noticing. So, I'll see if this increased awareness has a positive impact on my belly. I can't believe how small an ounce of nuts is!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
What Counts
When I told the dietitians/nutritionists at WIC that you guys wanted to count garbanzo beans, brown rice and hummus as vegetables they laughed (and one's a vegetarian). I looked up on the USDA food website and you can get by with calling fresh corn, peas, and green beans as a vegetable but beans should be considered a protein and rice and corn that's made into a bread should be a grain.
I tried to find a good vegan pyramid but I couldn't find one that listed serving sizes or one that I could easily see what constitutes a fruit and vegetable and what counts as a protein or grain.
Roothy, I like you're idea of having a smoothie at night. I haven't been able to force myself to make a smoothie in the morning because it's so cold and then I don't feel like cooking at night either when it's so hot. Why can't I have my smoothie at night and eat my toast or oatmeal in the morning?
So far today I have had a serving of avocado (on a sandwich), a large baby romaine lettuce salad (but the box still said one serving), and a cup of cantelope (with plain soy yogurt) I also had two pieces of toast with marmite, (does marmite count as anything?). Tonight I will have a smoothie and a left-over artichoke. That will clock me in at five servings of five different fruits or vegetables today.
I tried to find a good vegan pyramid but I couldn't find one that listed serving sizes or one that I could easily see what constitutes a fruit and vegetable and what counts as a protein or grain.
Roothy, I like you're idea of having a smoothie at night. I haven't been able to force myself to make a smoothie in the morning because it's so cold and then I don't feel like cooking at night either when it's so hot. Why can't I have my smoothie at night and eat my toast or oatmeal in the morning?
So far today I have had a serving of avocado (on a sandwich), a large baby romaine lettuce salad (but the box still said one serving), and a cup of cantelope (with plain soy yogurt) I also had two pieces of toast with marmite, (does marmite count as anything?). Tonight I will have a smoothie and a left-over artichoke. That will clock me in at five servings of five different fruits or vegetables today.
Crack gravy?
More like crap. First, I burned the flour/yeast flakes in the microwave. Then, it turned into a watery mess with burnt flecks inside. I will try stovetop method next. My bisquits turned out well, though.
So far today, I had a smoothie for breakfast: 1 banana, mixed fruit (a good cup), flax seed, and soy milk (16 oz glass).
Lunch: veggie stir fry with noodles (mushrooms, broccoli, sprouts, and carrots).
Snack: apple
I've had a Luna bar and some After 8 mints, too.
So far today, I had a smoothie for breakfast: 1 banana, mixed fruit (a good cup), flax seed, and soy milk (16 oz glass).
Lunch: veggie stir fry with noodles (mushrooms, broccoli, sprouts, and carrots).
Snack: apple
I've had a Luna bar and some After 8 mints, too.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Steal This Recipe #4: Sticky Rice with Mango
The sticky rice I had at the Taste was so good I thought I'd replicate it. Or try. It turned out pretty well:
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used lite, and then tossed in a tablespoon of powdered coconut)
1 packet of Splenda
pinch of salt
1/2 c frozen mango chunks
Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan, but don't boil. When hot, stir in Splenda and salt. Pour it over the rice. Nuke the mango chunks until they are only slightly frozen, put on top the rice. Voila! Simple and delicious.
Very filling--the above should get you two servings. Per serving: maybe 50 cents for the coconut milk, a dime for the rice, Splenda and salt, and depending on where you get it, a quarter for the mango.
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used lite, and then tossed in a tablespoon of powdered coconut)
1 packet of Splenda
pinch of salt
1/2 c frozen mango chunks
Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan, but don't boil. When hot, stir in Splenda and salt. Pour it over the rice. Nuke the mango chunks until they are only slightly frozen, put on top the rice. Voila! Simple and delicious.
Very filling--the above should get you two servings. Per serving: maybe 50 cents for the coconut milk, a dime for the rice, Splenda and salt, and depending on where you get it, a quarter for the mango.
Friday, July 3, 2009
New California Hijinks
So California is going to start paying certain vendors (including citizens awaiting their tax refunds) with IOU's. Nice.
Also, last night, the FDIC set a weekly record for this credit crisis by closing 7 banks in one day (6 in Illinois). Of course, they closed many more during the S&L crisis, but banks were smaller then and didn't have multiple branches. Dollar-for-dollar, including after adjusting for inflation, we've already outstripped the S&L, and we've only really just begun.
The stuff about the economy "stabilizing" is pretty funny/grim: the analogy is that we are no longer crashing into the ground at 300 mph, but instead only crashing into the ground at 100 mph. But in the end, we're still going to be smashed to bits.
Also, last night, the FDIC set a weekly record for this credit crisis by closing 7 banks in one day (6 in Illinois). Of course, they closed many more during the S&L crisis, but banks were smaller then and didn't have multiple branches. Dollar-for-dollar, including after adjusting for inflation, we've already outstripped the S&L, and we've only really just begun.
The stuff about the economy "stabilizing" is pretty funny/grim: the analogy is that we are no longer crashing into the ground at 300 mph, but instead only crashing into the ground at 100 mph. But in the end, we're still going to be smashed to bits.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
I'm Still Here
Thanks to the excellent care I received from 3 of you I am feeling great and am back to my exercise class - plus a new one that is harder. This will help get me ready for London although I think Twiggy is going to be the one who is dragging.
Chip, I loved the dress. I agree with Roothy - you have a career.
I am making vegan spaghetti tonight for two friends (and Charles) using veggie burgers in the sauce. I have cut WAY down on cheese - I seem to eat a lot of butter, however. One thing at a time.
I will have a better blog when I get back from England.
Chip, I loved the dress. I agree with Roothy - you have a career.
I am making vegan spaghetti tonight for two friends (and Charles) using veggie burgers in the sauce. I have cut WAY down on cheese - I seem to eat a lot of butter, however. One thing at a time.
I will have a better blog when I get back from England.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Let's Get the Party Started!
Roothy, you're back. As soon as I saw your post I got up and ate a grapefruit. Okay, 1/2 a grapefruit, the 3 smews are here and I didn't feel like cutting up four so I just cut up 2 and said 1/2 is a serving. I have been trying to practise the 5 a day but so far have only been successful on the weekends. I can't remember if anyone else said they were going to give my challenge a go too.
Momcat? Kipsy? Anyone, Anyone?
Momcat? Kipsy? Anyone, Anyone?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Mrs. Spottletoe moves up in the world
Two years ago, Sharon helped me make a skirt for Dickens Fair. I wore it with a white blouse (boring!) I needed to make a bodice to go with it.Anya had a pattern that was the wrong size for her, so she gave it to me. I found that I did not have enough matching fabric to make the whole bodice, so with Sharon's advice, I decided to cut off the bottom of my skirt (gasp!) to make the sleeves for the bodice.
I found a bed ruffle at Savers that was the same gold color as the stripe in my skirt, and sewed it to the bottom. Then I found some old curtains at Savers with this really great tassel fringe on them.
I'm going to use the curtain fabric (sans fringe) to make a 50s dance dress (the pattern for which I won on ebay for 10 bucks.) I also got some old pink curtains which I am using to make a cartridge-pleated skirt (to go with the white blouse) for the Victorian Picnic that I hope will happen again this year.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
What I've Done with UncleSam's Leftovers
Uncle Sam left a lot of delicious leftover vegan ingredients. So far, I have made (listing only the ingredients she left behind):
a nice sambar (recipe earlier in the blog) using celery, onions, potatoes, carrots, zucchini
a mock chicken salad using tofu, celery, green pepper, Veganaise, and Bacos (served on spring mix--though that was on its last legs)
lentil soup using onions, potatoes, carrots, celery
cut cantelope as a side dish
I also ate her leftover bechamel/macaroni/fake meat casserole thingie.
It's been a lot of fun trying to use it all up so it doesn't go bad. It made me think that there should be a reality tv chef show where the contestants have to show up in a randomly selected US household and cook a meal using whatever happens to be in the fridge and pantry.
a nice sambar (recipe earlier in the blog) using celery, onions, potatoes, carrots, zucchini
a mock chicken salad using tofu, celery, green pepper, Veganaise, and Bacos (served on spring mix--though that was on its last legs)
lentil soup using onions, potatoes, carrots, celery
cut cantelope as a side dish
I also ate her leftover bechamel/macaroni/fake meat casserole thingie.
It's been a lot of fun trying to use it all up so it doesn't go bad. It made me think that there should be a reality tv chef show where the contestants have to show up in a randomly selected US household and cook a meal using whatever happens to be in the fridge and pantry.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sorry, haven't posted in a while.
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.
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.
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.
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