Hawk, Freezer Jam, and Another List

 Had lunch with my middle son for my birthday.  We live in the same county but are still an hour away from each other.  This is an elongated county with a HUGE LAKE  that you always have to go around in order for us to see the middle son and his family.   It is so nice to spend time with grown children one on one.  No spouses, no grandkids.  Precious time for me. 

We have a hawk that hangs around our street.  He is usually on the powerlines and just hangs around hunting for his next meal.  

The other day, the hawk stopped by and perched on our broken-down fire pit and then spent time in the bird bath. I suspect he was waiting for the smaller squirrels that run up and down the trees in the yard. He hung out for about 5 minutes, and of course, the crows were long gone. 

 Yesterday was a busy day, I did get a lot of things accomplished. I started a new list for today both here and on my phone. Maybe I need to make a shorter list, as I don't quit until I finish every last thing on the list. 

List for Tuesday: 

• Gym 45 minutes
• Walk Cricket
• Plant more garlic ( instead of throwing it away)
• list three things on eBay
• Start cleaning fence panels ( may take all summer)
• move rain lilies before moving rocks
• Need to move more rocks 
• run to Target for watermelon ( we eat watermelon every night)
• Dust living room 
• vitamins  

Yesterday, I did make strawberry freezer jam.  I overestimated the number of strawberries I would need, so I ended up making two batches of freezer jam  12 pints and I still have two containers of fresh strawberries left.  

I may just freeze them whole and vacuum seal them for later or maybe make a cake or pick up some shortcake for strawberry shortcake.  We don't need the calories, but it still sounds pretty good. 

I did save the tops of the strawberries so I can make strawberry syrup for later. I saw several recipes for this on TikTok. Part of making the syrup includes water bath canning it for long-term storage. I have to pick up more jars while I am at Target.   This is new for me, so I will keep you posted.  TikTok creators say it is very easy... Ok.

We have been spending quite a bit on medical appt copays, most are specialists and the appt is $40.  So far this month, hubs has spent 180 on copays alone.  In a way, this is good for us as we need to learn to budget better for these costs.  In the past, it was not such a concern, but as we get older it seems to be something we will need to plan better for. 

We are still waiting on the result of hubs colonoscopy, he has a history of polyps. They should show up in his patient portal any day now.  He is still struggling with his back/leg pain (pinched nerves) but is able to get around better than last week.  He is still out on leave from work, it is so strange to have him home all day.  That is why I get up at 5 AM to start my day.  I have about 4 hours to myself until he gets up.  And it is nice to putter around the yard and garden in the AM before it gets too darn hot. 

Today I am picking up my granddaughter from gymnastics again. I have to set an alarm on my phone as a reminder to leave on time and not be late. My grandson is feeling cruddy, according to his mom, he has been running a temp for a couple of days and now is experiencing cold sores on his mouth. Hopefully, he is on the mend. 

Have you ever made strawberry syrup from strawberry tops?  

  

Weekly Menu and a Daily List

Here is a list of possible meals for us this week.  The meals can switch days but this will help me stay accountable and hopefully out of the grocery stores for random shopping which is so easy to do. 

Except I still want to make freezer jam as Publix has strawberries on sale for $.99 cents per 16oz and I will need
sugar and SurGel. I do have the jars, so there is that.  That is all I did pick up.  Spent $13.05 on 5 packs of strawberries, Certo and sugar. 

 Monday: eggs, air fried potatoes sausage patties

Tuesday: Grilled chicken breast, salad with fixins

Wednesday: Crock Pot Ravoli

Thursday: Soup and sandwich Hot dogs and tater tots instead

Friday: Pulled Pork and tater tots Chick Fil A 

Saturday: Turkey ( I have a whole frozen turkey to defrost and do something with) 

Sunday: Frozen Pizza ( on sale at Publix which I still need to pick up before the ad changes. )

I do better when I write things down and then have something to refer to later on and I can change this menu up If I find something hiding in the freezer. 

Today my to-do list includes going to the 

• gym
• planting garlic ( cloves that have started to sprout)
• paying bills
• cleaning a rolling shelf rack in the garage
• listing at least three things on eBay
• make strawberry freezer jam (will let you know how it goes lol)
• wash and put up clothes
• vitamins
• give dog a bath 

I will also be picking up my granddaughter from her gymnastics camp. That is always a pleasure, she is the apple of our eye.

Hope your Monday is fabulous!