Sunday Night Thoughts

      Valentine's Day is come and gone, and I I had not a hint of the day beyond stupid adverts popping up during the Olympics. My sister got home late Saturday night so I didn't have cat feeding duty today. We got along just fine and even the black and white one seemed to like me coming by weeks end. Of course, he knew I was good lady and he likes his food. I tried getting pup outside a lot with the warm temps, but as you can see from this little video, the melt freeze, melt, freeze makes for challenging walks with an old dog. 

     This week should be quiet and slow. My daughter has tomorrow off for Presidents Day so no big dog tomorrow. Friday is same sisters surgery. I asked for a few favorites from her for recuperation and lasagna and sloppy joes were instant requests so I'll make two separate pans of lasagna and a batch of sloppy joes. She likes goulash how my mom made it with leftover sloppy Joe meat. I'll make that too over the weekend but unlike my moms, I won't use tomato juice and overcook the macaroni as it simmers forever. I'll make my nice thick tomato, garlic, well seasoned meat sauce then add the pasta. A great cook my mom was not, bless her. But, some of my sister's still make their hot dishes her way. Sister's also a fan of waffle fries with seasoned sour cream for dipping so I'll splurge on those to go with the Joe's. 

     I'll shop for the week Thursday and I think do the lasagna for Friday. I don't know how long her surgery will take, but if all is well, she'll go home the same day. We were very low on fruit and coffee so stopped after the airport run Friday for those along with a few things to round out some meal plans. I think I'm doing well and should make my goal of lopping 20% off my average spend this month. I'm still making up for December and January free for all's though, so low spends might keep on through April. 

     I've got my annual eye exam Tuesday. I've been taking my blood pressure regularly and it's just a smidge out of the high normal, so a vast improvement from February 2 when I started the HBP meds. The non productive cough side effect is a thing though so I'll mention that when I go back for a recheck on my bloods and an official BP measure. At times it's a lot of scratchiness. I'm trying hard to stay on top of the health maintenance items. Part of my daughter's anxiety stems from, perhaps irrational, thoughts that she knows she's going to lose more people in her life. She's envious that her friends not just have their parents, but haven't lost aunts and uncles and most have at least two if not all their grandparents. For being so young, she's lost a lot of classmates from highschool too. I'm hoping a little assurance that for me, that's a long ways away. 

     My Sunday night thoughts aren't very stimulating but doing math on budgets, meal planning, and organizing my week feels like it gives me a tiny sense of control. My brain is occupied to what's in my sphere of oversight while the rest swirls in disarray. Here's a few other pics from my outside time this weekend. It's no wonder with this dirty pile of snow as my  front window view that February brings gray moods. New week ahead and more thawing, but snow ( which should melt fast) expected later and will cover the gross dirty snow. 

View from the road.

View from my porch of the snow pile- yuck.

Photo of the icy pond path-at least it's
not the ugly dirty snow.

The pond looks serene and there's
thawed patches throughout.