I won't spend anything today, so I did my April recap.

Gifts/Charity: $1251
Housing: $774
Groceries: $180
Utilities: $154
Vet/Pet Supplies: $126
Fees/Services: $55
Medical/Health: $54
Phone: $51
Household Supplies: $24
Personal: $21
Clothing: $16
Laundry: $15
Entertainment: $9

Grand Total: $2730

The month is skewed by the donation of my stimulus payment to my DIL's business. I do not ordinarily give at that level!

Groceries are higher than usual. I have not been in a grocery store for two months, so my groceries have come from Walgreens and shopping that DIL did for me. Both mean higher prices than usual. And I am keeping more stocked up, making sure I don't run out of essential items.

Pet Supplies are also higher than usual, because I stocked up on cat food and litter supplies. Should be good through next month, at least.

Fees/Services: My Sam's Club membership fee hit, and I gave $10 to AdBlock.

Medical/Health: Premium, prescriptions and a small copay for lab work.

Household Supplies: Includes toilet paper ordered from Amazon that I haven't gotten yet. Also detergent, paper towels, paper plates and toilet paper from Walgreens.

Personal: No haircuts, but I stocked up on pantyliners and hair conditioner.

Clothing: A pair of sandals, ordered yesterday.

I am feeling good about my spending and about the provisions I have on hand for getting through the coming month.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. The weather was miserable, so I didn't get out for a walk, or even to take out the garbage. I hung my grandkids' pictures, did some shredding (that seems to be endless), watched my shows, did a lot of reading and game-playing on my phone. A typical pandemic day.

Remember the shoes (booties) I sent back because of poor fit? I did get reimbursed. I wanted to exchange them for a larger size, but apparently that cannot happen without me initiating a new order. I have lost interest in winter shoes, for now anyway, so yesterday I ordered a pair of sandals. Only $16 after all the markdowns and deals. I just happened on this pair in an ad -- they have a closed toe and heel, which I need to keep my orthotics in place. They are Earth Shoes, and I am hoping they will be comfortable.

My other spending yesterday was $1.50 for laundry. Variables have risen to 63% -- still awesome! I will be able to transfer $400 into savings.

It rained yesterday evening and all last night, and it's still raining. It's supposed to be rainy today and tomorrow. I guess that will keep me happily inside. I'll be making blueberry pancakes for breakfast to sweeten the deal.

It's another street-sweeping day -- the other side of the street. Of course, I'm parked on the wrong side again and so must move my car. I'll drive it around a bit to give it some exercise but I don't plan to do any errands today. Just going to let the month play out....

I did some laundry yesterday, and will do a load today, also. No cooking to do today (other than warming up). I guess I'm really on top of things! I'm still quite well stocked and I can put off shopping for a week or so. But if DIL asks, I will give her a short list.

I am feeling quite content as long as I don't listen to all the arguing and haranguing. I know what I'm going to do -- stay home -- so I'm not interested in arguments. I turn the news off after about an hour in the morning and I let the house be quiet. I am avoiding my Google feed, too, which is full of contention. I am watching a few series, which I catch later in the day -- "Anne with an E," "World on Fire," and "Baptiste." I started a new book yesterday, and I have five more waiting. I am getting really good at Candy Crush!

I found frames for the grandkids' pictures, and I'll be putting them up today. I didn't have to order any. It turns out I have a good stock of picture frames! In fact, I have been constantly surprised during this period how much I find that I didn't know I had. I wouldn't say I'm disorganized, but I tend to forget what I have put away.

There is still a little painting I could do, but I'm no longer in the mood. Maybe it will come back!

Yesterday I took a walk on the access road that goes beside the lake. There were too many people on it, and I had to keep zigzagging to avoid getting too close to others. All in all, it was more stressful than it was worth -- but it was nice to see the lake. So blue and calm!

At least half of the people I saw were not wearing masks, which was disheartening. In our state they are now required. It may be that they are not required for outdoor use -- I'm not sure about that -- but it just seems like there is a growing lack of compliance. I think people honestly think they can wish the virus away. Ignore it away. If only! I am worried about what will happen this summer and fall, especially with other states, which are nowhere near ready, prematurely opening up for business.

I'm not taking a walk today. Don't want to be out there with the idiots.

This morning I washed my shower curtain, liner, mat and towels. I was reminded how much I hate my shower curtain hangers, which are really hard to open and close, and as soon as the month turns, I will order a new set from Amazon. I'm waiting, because I would like to end this month where it now stands, with only 60% of my variables spent. And nothing taken out of savings, unless you count the transfer of my stimulus payment to my DIL's business. But to me that is not a personal expenditure. It is the way I am choosing to stimulate the economy with my stimulus payment.

I made popcorn yesterday with fresh kernels -- Pop Secret Jumbo Popping Corn -- and it turned out great! So it was the popcorn, not the popcorn popper. That's a relief! I wonder why there is so much bad popcorn out there. I have had a lot of bad luck with it.

I took a walk yesterday to the one tiny library that is still operating. I returned six books and took away five books, which are all sitting in quarantine right now. They are an assortment of mysteries, thrillers and family sagas. Not my usual authors, but I'm taking what I can get these days.

I managed to squeeze in that walk when it wasn't raining. It pretty much rained all day, and it was cold. A very dreary day. Good for staying inside.

I'm going to eat my last serving of tuna macaroni salad today. Woo-hoo! I'm thawing some ground beef, with which I am planning to make more sliders, and some spaghetti sauce. Those should get me through the coming week.

I am not too concerned with the projected meat shortages. I still have a couple of packages of chicken in the freezer, in addition to the ground beef I am thawing. After those are gone, I have plenty of peanut butter! And I will switch over to more of a vegetarian diet. I have plenty of frozen vegetables. I just got a box of wet cat food from Amazon for Iggy yesterday, which will last a long time.

I will continue to be staying at home through May. Though our curve is allegedly flattening, it is still pretty bad out there. More and more, I feel I am becoming accommodated to this lifestyle. I do not find it difficult. I don't really feel isolated, because I am in touch with others daily through email and texting and the occasional Zoom. I am keeping house better than I ever have, I'm stretching food better than I ever have, and I am feeling more gratitude for what I have. I think a lot of the gratitude comes from having been so frightened when my Oregon DIL got so sick. Now that we are on the other side of that, it seems like any other "hardship" is pretty much nothing.

I mailed the book package to BFF yesterday, including a couple of extra books because there was room in the box. It cost $11 to print off a label. I also refilled a prescription for $20 -- went through the drive-through.

In bigger news, my DIL accepted the offer of my stimulus payment to go to into her business. She had to talk it over with her partners first, hence the delay. I sent it yesterday by Zelle. It feels so good to do this! She is so grateful.

Our lockdown (somewhat relaxed) is going to continue through May, so her business needs all the help it can get. But I am glad the lockdown is continuing; our cases and deaths are still going up, not down.

No big plans for today. It's going to rain all day; I might try to walk between the raindrops. No cooking today, because I'm STILL eating the tuna macaroni salad!

Yesterday the Stir-Crazy that I got for Christmas failed to pop about half of the kernels. The machine got a lot of bad reviews on Amazon. I'm going to try it again today with fresh, better quality kernels; hoping that is the problem. Otherwise I'm going to dump the machine. I know from the reviews that West Bend won't honor a refund beyond 30 days. Sounds like they replaced a good product with a much cheaper model. Too bad for us. Shame on them.

I did a load of laundry yesterday. So far I've spent $12 on laundry, with just under a week left in the month. I usually spend near $20. I'm not doing it as much, because I'm wearing pajamas all day more often. Cheaper and more comfy. But I do shower and put on fresh pj's daily. Otherwise I would get depressed.

I finished "The Mirror & the Light" last night and today I'll box it up to send to my BFF. She says I don't need to do that, but I think I can figure out how to print a label at home and just drop the package off. It gives me something to do and she'll enjoy having something new to read.

I'm still eating that tuna macaroni salad! Enjoying the bagels for breakfast.

I did more paper sorting and today I have a batch of them to shred. The good surprise was I found some great pictures of my Oregon grandchildren that I had lost track of! I'm going to look around the house for some frames. Maybe I'll have to order them.

Today is a hair-washing day. What excitement! (I do it every three days.) So far my hair is looking fine. I trimmed my bangs once and the rest is pretty much one layer, so it is just growing longer and keeping its shape. Maybe I'll keep it longer when this is all over. Change is good, right?

I got the table set upright again. Finally realized that if I took out the leaves it might make a big difference. It did. Duh. While it was on its side I took the opportunity to vacuum well in an area that too rarely gets it.

Yesterday I had to move my car for street sweeping. Okay, I didn't really HAVE to; it's voluntary for the time being. But I was feeling stir crazy.

First I drove to the library, just to see if I could put my checked-out books into the streetside return bin. It was closed and locked, with a sign saying "Please keep your materials until the library opens again." That answered that question.

Then I went to Walgreens, intending to do the drive-through thing, but they have changed their system. Now you are supposed to order online and then they collect the stuff and have it ready when you drive through. Sounds like a good plan, but many things are unavailable online, even if they are sitting in the store, and you can't order them.

So I put on my mask and went in. There were not many people there and I was in and out fast. I spent $38. I know I said I didn't need more groceries this month, but I had some wants. I was delighted to find peanut butter cups, as well as toilet paper! OMG! I added 9 rolls to my stash. Maybe the toilet paper shortage is finally ending. I also bought coffee, ketchup, mustard, relish, crackers and cashews.

I wanted to give the sweepers time to do their job before I tried to find a parking place. It's much tougher now, with everyone at home. So I took a drive up a major lakeside road and drove through several of our fanciest northern suburbs. It was so quiet and empty. Haunting. Most of the time I was the only one on the road. There did seem to be a lot of lawn activity -- not by the homeowners but by landscaping companies.

Eventually I turned back home and stopped at Panera on the way, where I ordered bagels, cream cheese and bread from my car, and they brought it out. $14.

I came home and found a parking place across from the park. I walked through with my bags, and who should I see, but my grandsons again! They must spend a lot of time in the park. These surprise visits have been so energizing! I was very pumped up when I got home.

In the afternoon I decided to fix some hardware on the bottom of my dining room table. I tried lying underneath it, but I just couldn't get to the area I needed to get to. So I had the bright idea of turning over the table, which I did, and I got the screws put in. But then I couldn't right the table back up again. It's a very heavy table and it's going to take two people. It's lying on its side now, like a beached whale. Trying to decide whether it's worth asking my son to come in and help. It's not like I need to use it right now.

I might just end up calling the refinisher to see if his crew can move it to his shop. He might still be working, since he can probably work in isolation. I'm mulling it over. I have the money, but my first priority is helping DIL with her business, if she needs it. And she is mulling it over.

I made a tuna macaroni salad yesterday rather than a casserole. After looking at recipes, I decided it was the best thing to do. Besides the tuna, there is cheese and hard-boiled egg in the salad. I augmented the mayonnaise dressing with some salad dressing that needed to be used up.

It turned out really good, but there is a lot of it. I'm going to be eating it for a while.

I took a walk yesterday and who did I run into but my grandsons! They were in the park and ran over to see me. They stopped at a safe distance and we talked a bit. I so badly wanted to hug them! There are some big hugs coming when this is all over.

I also took some pictures. Here are a few of the best:

When I looked up my bank's hours on the phone, I was surprised to see that my branch was temporarily closed. There was a branch open in a nearby suburb, but it did not open till 10. I got there about 9:50 and waited in my car till it opened. Others had the same idea and there were about 8-10 people who were waiting to get in.

Once the bank opened, we lined up, distancing ourselves from each other so the line went out the door. Inside the bank, there were markers on the floor delineating where to stand. Staff enforced the distancing. Anyone without a mask was turned away.

A staff member asked each one of us what our business was, so we could be streamlined for the quickest service. Since I wanted quarters, but wanted to use money in my account, I was directed to the ATM to get cash. Then I sat in one of the lounge chairs while they went in back to get the rolls of quarters for me. I asked for $40 worth, which should hold me for at least two months.

All in all, it was weird, but also comforting that they were taking so much care to protect us.

When I got home, I saw a young mother with little children standing on the sidewalk, talking (at a distance) to an older woman with a dog. Overhearing their conversation, I realized the young mother was a stranger to our area, looking for a place to buy cookware. She was stuck in an AirBNB due to the virus, and she wanted to cook for her children rather than get takeout all the time. Well, there is no place within walking distance to buy pots and pans. I told her I had a frying pan I could give her, and I went and got it. Meanwhile, the other woman was taking down her address info so she could deliver some of her cookware to her. It was heartwarming to see how nice people can be. A crisis like this makes you want to pull together.

I battled a headache all day, but I managed to do some laundry and clean the fish tank before I just gave up and went to bed.

Today is a hair-washing day. Whoo-hoo! And I'm going to make a tuna-macaroni casserole. After the news about temporary closures at meat-processing plants, I'm planning on making more meat-stretching casseroles. I'm still well-stocked though, and should be good for another month except for incidental purchases.

Had sort of a blah, nothing day yesterday. I didn't feel very good, mostly due to a bad night's sleep, I think. Started to feel better as the day went on. Since I think I already had the virus, I am not worried about this little blip.

I talked to Oregon son yesterday. He was very upbeat. They are all done with the virus at his house. Everyone is on the mend and feeling much better. As an essential worker, he has gone back to work. He mostly works outside, but they maintain safe distancing and wear masks when they have to be inside. On the home front, they have taken possession of their second house and he was working on spiffing it up a little. He says it is almost ready to rent, but doesn't know if there will be tenants right now. His original plan was to have it ready to AirBNB during rodeo season, but it is likely there won't be a rodeo this year.

I didn't paint anything yesterday, and I think I'm done for a while. I think I'll let the few things that could use it remain in shabby chic mode for a while.

I didn't do any cooking either, just pulled some wet burritos from the freezer. I'll be having them again today.

DIL went to Target and asked me what I needed -- I had her get me some coffee creamer, but I was pretty much stocked with everything else.

So today I'm going out to get quarters at the bank. I'm kind of excited. I'll get in the car and everything! But I'm going to make it as safe an expedition as possible.

Other than that, it's time to clean the fish tank, and it's sheet/towel laundry day. So, a busy day on tap!

I have been calling this a plant stand/wine rack, but I really don't know. Does anyone know what this is? It doesn't have the curved cutouts you would expect on a wine rack. It is too lightweight to handle a plant. What is it? Is this why it was in the alley?

Anyway, it looks better in blue. I'm going to take it back to storage and figure out what to do with it later.



In addition to painting this piece, I painted the top of my dresser. The top was scarred and overall in bad shape. The new color blends in well.

I made some macaroni salad yesterday, using dressing that needed to be used up. I also made brownies, but I overbaked them. They are not burned, just hard. Oh well, I will eat them. Too many good ingredients went into them to waste them. I wish I had some ice cream to kind of soften them up, but I don't.

Other than that, I didn't do a lot. Today I'm going to do a load of laundry, and then tomorrow I will go out and get quarters so I can do more laundry in the future. I think I can make it real quick at the bank -- wearing a mask, of course.

I spent $50 yesterday, ordering pet supplies on Amazon. Iggy and the fish should be well stockpiled now -- better than me! You just don't want to run out of pet supplies, because you can't explain shortages to them.

I haven't reported on my variables in a while. They are right at 50% now, with 12 days to go.

Some of my free OTC products arrived yesterday -- two bottles of Banana Boat sunscreen and a bottle of CoQ10. Two more have been shipped and should arrive today -- vitamin D and dairy relief caplets. The package that came yesterday was correctly delivered to my vestibule, even though it had a wonky address. Hope today's package will be delivered correctly as well.

I was very tired yesterday after a sleepless night, so I didn't accomplish very much -- just did some shredding, and general housework. I made a simple meal of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. I am troubled by nightmares, which I am always prone to, but I am having more now, so my nights are restless. I would sleep later in the morning to make up for it, but Iggy is relentless about getting me up around 6.

I heard from my brother yesterday that he has safely arrived in Michigan. When the pandemic hit, he and his family were at their new winter home in Florida. The rest of his family went home immediately, mainly to get his elderly in-laws back home. He stuck it out, for whatever reason. I was worried that a long road trip in mid-April would be difficult, as far as finding hotel rooms, gas, food, etc. But he had no problem.

I finally heard from my sister, who is so bad at keeping in touch. She and her husband have a lot of health issues, but they do not have virus symptoms, and they are staying home in North Carolina. She let me know that her son and his family are also safe.

I don't have particular plans today. More papers to process, more housework, more reading, more cooking. The new normal.

I paid my mortgage this morning, and my balance owed is finally under $60K. Just under - $59,955. It's taking a long time to bring it down, but I haven't been throwing much extra on it lately, just rounding up to the nearest $10. When I pay off the CC I put my car expenses on, I will throw that $300 extra at the mortgage.

Big expenses are coming up, though. You see in my sidebar that replacing my living room ceiling is a short term goal. For a long time the ceiling has been stable, and it still is, but the area that is bowing is more obvious now. This is the old original plaster ceiling, and it cannot be patched, it must be replaced, probably with drywall. I think it's going to be a costly process. But I don't plan to get started on it till the stay-at-home order is lifted.

I don't want to give up on the table, either. And a trip to Oregon, when travel is possible again, is something I must do. I haven't seen my son and his family for so long.

I have been lucky that my computer and my smartphone are holding up better than I thought. But the exhaust fan in the bathroom is important, too. Moisture has been affecting the walls and paint, even though I vent by cracking the window and leaving the bathroom door open when I shower.

Yesterday I painted a little lamp table in the same blue I used on the little chair. I'm working on the plant stand (which may be a wine rack, I don't know) to remove stickers and goo before I paint it. I found this piece in the alley and decided to rescue it some time ago. I don't need it, so I may try to sell it after I am done. I'm enjoying this so much, I may try to rescue other treasures to sell. When life becomes normal again.

I've identified two more pieces I will paint -- a small chest of drawers where I store gloves, scarves and hats -- and just the top of my dresser, which is marked up. The rest of the dresser is in great shape.

I finished painting the little chair and I am so pleased with how it turned out! The color is great, especially considering I mixed about 8 little bottles together and was just going on faith that it would be a pretty color.

There is a big crack that I couldn't fix without wood filler, so I will have to do that when I can get out again and buy some. Or perhaps I can order some.

My Oregon son sent pictures of his new AirBNB house. He could have backed out of that deal, because of the pandemic, but he decided to go ahead. He won't be able to rent it for a while, but he is looking at the long view. The house is fully furnished and decorated and it's really cute.

I'm still working on papers. I got down to two bags (terrible, I know!) but then I found more in drawer. Yikes! Are they multiplying? Once I get this done, I will never let it happen again. The up side of this pandemic is that I finally have the time to tackle projects like this and no excuse not to do it.

My stimulus payment, as well as my social security payment, hit my bank account this morning. I paid my bills. It's nice to have a plump balance in checking.

Yesterday my grandson delivered my groceries to my door, and I paid my DIL $40 via Zelle. These groceries should get me through the end of the month.

I made a batch of chili, which is now in the fridge, and I'll have a serving today. Then it goes in the freezer.

DIL forgot to get quarters for me. I still have enough to get me through the week. I think, when I run out, rather than bother her again, I will try to get them from the bank via the drive-through. I think they can send them through the tube. If not, I will go early, wear a mask, and practice social distancing.

I glued the little chair that I want to paint today, but there is still a major crack that the glue doesn't reach. Oh well. It will continue to be a chair that only the cat can sit on. Today I'll mix the paint and get started on making it prettier. With the paint I have left, I think the color will turn out to be in the blue-green family. I'm also going to paint a little lamp table, as well as the plant stand that is now in the storage unit. Not all of them today.

It snowed last night. There is snow on the lawns, the rooftops and the trees. There was a 50-vehicle crash on one of our major highways. Snow is in the forecast for the next few days. It feels like the world has just gone crazy, a pandemic and a winter that lasts forever.

I shredded more tax documents yesterday, and uncovered some genealogy material that I put in a file. I'm going to have to adjust the file drawers soon, which means I'll have to find a home for some of the other stuff stored in the file cabinet. Sigh.

I had a pretty quiet day yesterday. Yeah, they're all quiet, but some are more quiet than others. I washed my quilt and towels, and put the quilt away for the season. I made the cheeseburger sliders, three extra patties cooked for today. I cooked and crumbled the rest of the ground beef. It's ready for making chili, but I need more ingredients. My DIL has my list, but she is instructed (by me) not to shop until she is ready to shop for her own family. I have tuna and chicken in the freezer, so lots of other options.

I checked my bank account this morning, but no notice of any pending stimulus payment. I get my SS payment tomorrow. Perhaps they will come on the same day. I'm not anxious for it, just interested. I'm looking forward to paying my bills tomorrow. I consider that entertainment. And I will be ordering a few things online.

My DIL says her business is doing okay, even though it is an event-planning business. Right now they are helping clients with virtual meetings. She is working from home, of course. Both of my sons are still drawing paychecks, so overall we are very lucky.

Our Easter dinner on Zoom went great! My son went and picked up the order and delivered my portion to my door. Then we got by our computers and visited while we ate our meals. It was fun. Such a lift! It was good to see everyone.

I never got around to making those cheeseburgers sliders, so I'll do that today, as well as crumble and cook the rest of the meat.

It's also laundry day for sheets and towels.

The book I ordered on Amazon arrived yesterday, almost a week ahead of the projected delivery date. I am so delighted to have it! It is the third in a series of historical novels about Thomas Cromwell. My BFF is already clamoring to borrow it when I'm done.

I've watched several movies in the last few days. I tried to watch "The Actor Prepares," because I love Jeremy Irons, but I didn't like the movie, so didn't get all the way through it. But I did get through "The Upside" with Kevin Hart and "Letters to Juliet" with Vanessa Redgrave. Showtime was having a free weekend -- at least I think it was just the weekend -- I'll check today to see if it's still on.

I'm also planning to watch the PBS show about World War II -- can't remember the name -- I have missed two episodes so will catch up today. I am caught up on "Call the Midwife," which is one of the high points of my life right now!

Another plan -- which I might not get to today -- is to repair and then paint a little chair/bench that I got free at a garage sale. And I also have a plant stand in my basement storage I've always been meaning to paint.

Staying busy is the key to staying home, I find.

Did anyone get the stimulus direct deposit on Saturday? I thought I might, being pretty low-income and having received a refund by direct deposit the last several years. But not yet.

Yesterday, in my paper-purging project, I came upon a number of old journals I once kept. Most of them were done at various times after my divorce, and they were very sad, full of anger and angst and lot of self-pity, too. I was also constantly terrified and broke. I read them all through, gave thanks that I have survived and thrived and overcome, and then I shredded them all. I wouldn't want my kids reading them after I am gone. It feels cleansing to have them gone. It's my history, but it is history.

Today, there are plans in the air to have an Easter dinner via Zoom with my local DS & DIL. I don't know if others will be invited as well. I downloaded Zoom and now I'm waiting to hear what the next steps are. Not sure whether it will be a lunchtime or dinnertime event. They are going to order the food to be delivered. It will be Mexican food, per our tradition.

I gave up on the black and white puzzle. It was just too hard and not fun. I boxed it back up and put it in the Goodwill box. I wonder when I'll be able to drop off Goodwill stuff again? Or shop there again?

Well, I guess that's about it. I hope everyone has a happy, safe, social-distancing Easter!

Another day, killing time at home. I finished shredding old tax records yesterday, babying my shredder all the way, but it pulled through. I have a big bag of shredded paper to carry to the dumpster today. I still have many papers to go through, but getting that part done was big.

I got most of the edge of my puzzle completed. There seems to be two pieces missing. But it's a brand-new, unopened puzzle, so they can't be missing. I guess I'll find them eventually as I start to fill in the middle. If I can fill in the middle! The edges were a challenge, and that's the easy part!

I asked DIL to get me quarters the next time she goes out, and I gave her a no-hurry grocery list. I still have enough quarters to do several loads of laundry. I wish the company that manages the washers and dryers in our basement would make them free for this period of time, but maybe that isn't an easy thing to do. It's challenging enough getting quarters in normal times!

Today I'm going to thaw some ground beef and Hawaiian rolls, and make cheeseburger sliders. Then I'll cook off the rest of the beef in readiness for making chili. I do have to wait for the groceries to be delivered before I can make the chili, though, as I need tomatoes and chili powder.

I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast yesterday, and there is plenty of batter left over for today, and maybe tomorrow.

I got a text from GS1 yesterday that said "Go to your window." He was standing outside, just wanted to wave and blow some kisses. He was probably out on a picture-taking mission. He has just started an online photography class, and I can hardly wait to see what he produces.

I sent the Easter money to the grandsons, electronically, yesterday. Today I'm going to put together two little bags of mini candy bars, and tomorrow I'll set them out for my son to pick up. What a weird Easter.

I ordered my free OTC items from Walmart (via my Medicare Advantage plan). I was skeptical about how quickly it would be filled, considering all that's going on, but this morning I got an email with delivery dates -- the 17th and 18th. They are the one vendor I just can't get to change to my correct address, so I will have to look for the package at the most likely place it will be mis-delivered. Who knows, maybe it will come to the right place this time! Wouldn't that be nice.

I ordered dairy relief pills, sunscreen, CoQ10 and Vitamin D. Retail value is $45. I am entitled to $50, but it is impossible to find anything for $5 or less. Wonder if it will roll over? Probably not.

It looks like the book I ordered from Amazon will come on Monday. Yay! The toilet paper I ordered will be delayed. It is already scheduled to arrive no earlier than May or June, so who knows how late it will be. I didn't cancel, because I'll probably appreciate having it whenever it comes. I'm doing pretty good on toilet paper now, with 11 rolls on tap after I finished the current one.

The one thing I am running low on is quarters, which I use for laundry. I guess I'll ask DIL if she can get them for me, as well as a few more things from my ongoing grocery list.

Speaking of laundry, I'll be doing a load today.

Tomorrow I will have been sequestered for a whole month now, and I live alone, so I am really cut off from others. Except for Iggy, of course. Between him and socializing via phone and text, I'm doing all right. It's what I must do. But I will be glad to see the end of this.

I had a prescription refilled yesterday (electronically) and this morning I went to the Walgreens drive-through to pick it up. I took advantage of the opportunity to buy a few more items without having to go in a store. I spent $27, which included the prescription. I got paper towels, canned pineapple, tomato soup, crackers, hair conditioner, and a bag of mini chocolate bars.

Buying stuff there is always hit or miss. I check online ahead of time and only ask for items that are shown to be in stock, but nevertheless, there is always something already sold out. That's okay; I will take what I can get. This time I could not get a frozen pizza, which was a disappointment.

I hadn't checked my mail for several days, so I picked that up, and I'll go through it later.

It's odd to be buying groceries and not paying any attention to the price. Availability is king. But I am saving money in other ways. I'm spending almost nothing on gas. Haven't had a haircut lately. No eating out. It all evens out.

I started my black and white puzzle and it's a nightmare! I've only put a few edge pieces together. It has an allover repeating pattern so the pieces all look alike. I'm only going to sit down with it a short time each day so I don't get frustrated.

They are saying Illinois is going to peak soon. I hope so, just because I want to get the worst behind us.

It was 80 degrees yesterday! But not today. And strong storms rolled through last night. I will need to go check my car to see if there was any hail damage.

I opened windows during the day but did not go outside. I didn't see a lot of people walking around other than the dog walkers, so I think people were pretty compliant. Police did have to break up a soccer game in north Chicago. ????? Stay home -- save lives.

I finished my second jigsaw puzzle yesterday and I actually found another one, which I will start today. I must have bought it for a gift once. It is a black and white puzzle and there are markers included for coloring it after it is completed. Double the fun! I'll post a picture after it's all done, to flex my picture-posting muscles.

Meals today -- I'm going to have toast and applesauce for breakfast, tuna sandwich for lunch, and supper will be mac & cheese liberated from the freezer, as well as a vegetable. No cooking required today.

DIL in Oregon continues pretty much on the same course. I am hoping that she is improving in small ways that are not obvious. Meanwhile, DS is doing a good job of taking care of her, the kids, the house, and the dogs. He even build a playhouse for the kids the other day.

I usually give $10 apiece to the grandchildren on holidays like Valentine's, Easter and Halloween. I sent $20 to DS in Oregon via PayPal so he can take care of it himself. I don't think this is the time to send cards and paper money. I'm going to likewise give $20 to local DIL via Zelle so she can put the money on the boy's debit cards. Not that they can buy anything, but it will be there when stores are open again. Variables are at 25%, not yet counting the $20 to the boys.

One week till pay day! Can't wait. My budget is recovering, if nothing else is!

I downloaded Allstate's app and set myself up for the payback they are offering. Not sure how much it will be -- I am not even sure if I will get it, as I am not a monthly payer, and the program seems to be organized around monthly payments. But I went through the motions anyway. A little bit of money, even potential money, is better than no money.

I started to make cream of asparagus soup yesterday but as I got started I realized I didn't have enough asparagus to make it worthwhile. Instead I had scrambled eggs with asparagus bits for supper, and I'll have it again today to finish up the rest of it.

I have made a serious dent in my paper pile. Believe me, it's been a big problem, and it will be nice to get rid of them all. Progress is slow, because I sometimes stop and read things along the way. And sometimes I have to make new files. I have found a lot of things that made me wonder why I was saving them. My shredder is getting a workout.

It's supposed to be a nice day today, but I'm going to stay inside. I'll open a window!

Yesterday was a pretty calm day. I read, watched an episode of Broadchurch, worked on my puzzle, filed and shredded papers, did a load of laundry, and communicated electronically with friends and family. I wore my new mask when I went to the laundry room, but I didn't see anyone, so I guess it was just a rehearsal.

I'm hearing that the peak is coming soon, and it is time to really stay in -- not even go to the grocery or pharmacy, unless it is a true emergency. I figure I'll be in until at least the end of the month. Then we'll see.

I have another load of laundry to do today. Meals are planned: bacon biscuit and apple for breakfast, chicken tortilla soup and crackers for lunch, and a tuna salad sandwich for dinner. I'm going to use up some leftover asparagus, probably make cream of asparagus soup, but I won't eat that till tomorrow.

After my DIL went grocery shopping for me, my freezer is comfortably full, just the way I like it. I am going to stretch out my food to the max.

I finished my ebook and returned it. Now I'm working through the three physical books I have on hand, and in a couple of weeks a new one will be delivered. So I may not be getting another ebook for a while. I will wait until I don't have anything else, because I read on my phone, and I don't like all the interruptions, and I also don't like to have to stop to charge the phone, nor the pressure of getting through the book before it disappears.

I paid $5 to my healthcare provider yesterday. It was for the portion of lab work that was not covered by insurance. The lab work was done before all this came down. Variables are at 23%.

I hope everyone is well out there in these troubling times!

My local DIL did some grocery shopping for me yesterday. I paid her $60 (electronically) which was a little above the cost of the groceries. She was able to get toilet paper! I now have 12 rolls. Also a variety of other things including canned cat food. I feel I am set for a while.

She also sent with the groceries a face mask she had made and some art work from the boys. My son carried the bags over and set them down outside my door. Through the door, we said "I love you!" Strange times.

I finished the jigsaw puzzle and started another. This one, though made by the same company, was lower quality. I had to tear paper off the back of many pieces to get them to separate. Very annoying. But I got all the edges done and today I'm ready to fill it in.

I should be finishing my ebook today. I still have 2 1/2 books from the tiny library (the half book meaning I've read half of it), and there is a book coming from Amazon, due to arrive the 21st. If I run out in between, there are my college textbooks! I was an English major, so lots of reading material. I could have sworn I had a copy of "War and Peace" that I was going to read someday, but I can't find it. It must have gone in the garage sale.

If I get desperate for reading material, I believe I can order books from Barnes & Noble and pick them up curbside. But I'm really trying to stay in as much as humanly possible, and reading isn't really an emergency.

Meals today -- the rest of yesterday's soup, and a homemade hot pocket from the freezer. For breakfast I had a bacon biscuit from the freezer. I don't believe I'll do any cooking today, but I do have a load of laundry to do.

I had a nice long conversation with my son in Oregon yesterday. His wife is still pretty much the same as far as symptoms go, but I can tell that he is feeling better about it. She is not having an experience as intense as his, but it is hanging on longer, and he is confident that she will eventually recover.

That made me feel a lot more cheerful.

I continue to stretch my food supply as much as I can. I made more enchilada sauce and reheated the wet burritos. After having a serving, I put the rest in the freezer. I made some chicken broth and I used some of that and a little of the burrito filling to make soup, which I will have for lunch today. The rest of the broth will go in the freezer.

I finished the jigsaw puzzle yesterday -- it's only 500 pieces. I have one more. I sold a lot of puzzles at my garage sale last summer and now I wish I hadn't.

Financially, I am doing fine. I have spent 16% of my variables. Pay day is a week and a half away, and there will be plenty to pay all my bills and put something into savings. That's not counting the stimulus payment. I have offered to donate that to my local DIL's event-planning business. So far she has declined, but I'm going to put it into savings because I think the business may need it. I know they can get a loan, but I think that may be an unwieldy and long-drawn-out process.

If, in the end, if it is not needed there, I will keep it in savings to put toward paying for my table refinishing, once we get past the COVID-19 outbreak.

So, I did post the picture of my table. It's on my previous entry. Thanks for the help, Petunia! I'll try to remember now. Maybe post a picture every once in a while!

I got an email today about curbside service at PetSmart, which reminded me that Iggy's dry kidney care food is getting low. I tried to go through their steps, by ordering online, but the food was not available online. And the store is closed. So I decided instead to go through the vet, and they were very agreeable. They checked for the food, let me pay for it on the phone, and then brought it out to the car when I called to say I was in the lot. $35.

I figured while I was out I would go through the Walgreens drive-thru window again for a few groceries. I asked for eggs, cheese and butter (or margarine). None were available, so that was that. I am not out of any of those yet, but those are the shortages I see in the future.

So now I'm back home, hands scrubbed, and looking forward to an exciting day of washing my hair, working on my puzzle, reading my ebook, and trying to avoid the news, which is horrifying me.

No updates on DIL. I am hoping no news is good news. Or at least neutral news.

I would post a picture, but I don't remember how -- it's been too long -- and these kinds of things just don't come to me intuitively, I'm afraid. If anyone could share simple directions, I'll show you the side table I painted.

My Walgreens visit via the drive-thru window was a success. I got six out of seven items on my list, and the only reason I couldn't get the seventh was that it was too big to fit in the drawer (bulk paper towels). I spent $14 on groceries and $26 on non-food items. No toilet paper, of course. I didn't get out of the car, didn't interact with another person except through the window, and I didn't have a long wait because I was first in line.

I also placed an Amazon order. $7 for toilet paper (will arrive May-June!) and $43 for a bulk order of cat litter pellets. Those will arrive tomorrow.

I found a couple of jigsaw puzzles in my game bookcase, so I started one yesterday.

My cooking plan for today is to make wet burritos. The burrito filling is already made. I just need to make enchilada sauce. I have all the ingredients except tomato paste. I'll substitute ketchup. It's only a couple of tablespoons, so I hope it won't affect the flavor too much. I don't have cheese, except for parmesan which just wouldn't be right, but it should be good enough without cheese. In these times, I'm accepting good enough!

My DIL is neither better nor worse, as of last evening. I'll settle for not worse, reluctantly.

DIL, as of last night, was feeling no better. I told her I wouldn't rest until she was feeling better and she messaged me, "REST!" with a heart. Maybe today.

I'm going to test Walgreens' drive-thru service for non-pharmacy items today. It's not clear how to do it, so I made a shopping list of seven items online and printed it out. I don't want to get out of the car. If this doesn't work, I'll go back to the drawing board. I plan to be there at nine when it opens.

Yesterday I painted a side table that I have been planning to paint for literally years. I thought, okay, what am I waiting for now? I had to mix some paints to get enough, but it turned out a very nice barn red and the table looks great. I'll post a picture if I can.

Here is my March recap:

Housing: $774
Fees/Services: $189
Utilities: $152
Groceries: $115
Clothing: $58
Vet/Pet Supplies: $56
Phone: $51
Entertainment: $49
Eating Out: $47
Medical/Health: $38
Car Repair/Maintenance: $36
Laundry: $20
Gas: $17
Fares/Parking: $1

Grand Total: $1603

My lowest month this year, no wonder! The fee was for Ancestry.com, the clothing was booties and a scarf and a backpack (booties in the process of being exchanged), entertainment was a movie and a book, the eating out all occurred before the virus hit, the car repair was an oil change.

The next few weeks will be bad for the country. I'm going to try to stay in as much as possible, as I've said before!

Edit -- sorry -- forgot to try to post the picture. Dont' see a way to do it in the edit.