Chocolate Sleeping and Christmas Plans

Last night, I slept over eight hours and I awoke feeling energetic. Well, I am always tottering and groggy for a while after I wake. It's been this way all my life. It's like I have no ankles.

For awhile I forgot I had a computer available, so I did not get on it as usual. I puttered around about five minutes and lay back down. Since I cannot get the weather inside adjusted, there is a wadded blanket on the back side of the bed ready to pull over me rather than trying to adjust the heat and make myself too warm. Last night, I noticed I was lying on a lump but went to sleep before I could remove the lump.

A few minutes ago, I noticed the lump was under me. And, it crinkled. A bag? Yes, I slept on a WM bag full of something. I tugged and found I had slept on my Christmas candy--a bag of Hershey Miniatures and a bag of kisses.

It's an hour later. I tried a warm Miniature. Not quite right. It had a strange shape! It appears I have incubated my chocolate candy into a different form.

It's not Christmas without these two candies. They were an integral part of childhood Christmases and since.

Since exbf will be here on Monday, I decided not to fix a big meal for me on Christmas Day. Instead, I am going to make broccoli and cheese soup with turkey in the soup. Friday, I found the greenest fresh broccoli crowns and bought them for the soup. In the freezer are broccoli "cuts" for our dinner on Monday. I may put the frozen in the soup and save the fresh for Monday. Probably.

I could go to Birmingham for Christmas Day, but won't.

Right now, I need to warm me and cool the chocolate!

One year when I was an adult, I asked my mother if she loved Miniatures and Kisses so much that she bought them for our stockings every year. She said that she bought them for us because we were three very little children (eventually five) and the candies were small so she could give us "more" candy and it was a variety and cheaper than buying variety in larger sizes. I could trade for all the dark chocolate!

Merry Christmas!

Your turn
Do you have a BOUGHT candy that is part of wonderful Christmas memories?

Bargains

I last posted on Nov. 26 at about 1:30 am. It is now Dec. 24, about 1:30 am. It has been a long time! I have been ill with sinus and ear and lung problems. There was much scrambling and searching for my rescue inhaler around here.

This is not my laptop and is difficult to type on! The guy who is going to put in a new power port lent it to me. Yay! He is a very nice young man, twenty-one-years old.

For the last month milk has cost me $.99/gal. I bought enough to last me several weeks until Aldi put it on sale again. I have a gallon now, but will buy two more gallons by Tuesday before the ad ends.

Kraft cheeses were 3 for $5, so I bought 6 8-oz packages of chunk Cheddar Medium cheese for $1.67 each. I still have most of the bags of Five Cheese Italian, so I only bought chunks.

Land O Lakes Butter was 2 1-lb packages for $3. Six pounds of butter reside in my refrigerator. It seems dairy products were the big sale items.

Turkey, bone-in breasts are $1.38/lb. Since my freezer is full, I can only buy what I can thaw and cook. Oh, well! I am not quite ready to start canning meat since I am still weak.

There were other bargains, but those are the best or, at least, the most recent and most memorable.

 I need to sleep since my left eye hurt me all night long last night, so I got three hours sleep. The night before, I had a nightmare, totally horrendous, and only got three hours sleep that night. I napped about an hour each evening, but the sleep deficit still remains.

Miracle on 34th Street is on, not the one with Natalie Woods and Maureen O'Hara.. McDonald Carey is in this version.

Power port shot

4 minutes left. bye until it is repaired.

Price of Cranberries?

While I usually buy fresh cranberries to make cranberry sauce in addition to opening a can of Ocean Spray, this year the cost was too exorbitant to buy fresh cranberries.

Last year, I dehydrated cranberries and stored in canning jars for this year if they were not eaten before. Well, I could not find them in a cabinet after a cursory search at the last minute. I only had the can of Ocean Spray.

I could not find fresh cranberries on sale anywhere.  There was nothing to price match. I really thought that $4.98 for two 12-ounce packages was out of line. All other ingredients for a proper Thanksgiving meal were reduced one place or another.

Fresh cranberries will be on sale somewhere, but "where and when?" I wonder.  The ones out now will not be fit for sale at Christmas, so maybe this next week will be the time they are on sale. Maybe today.

Corrected to correct price  saw--$4.98.

Your turn
Did you find the price of fresh cranberries to be too high?

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

Exbf told me about this before we ate. I was rolling with laughter.
He told me about this episode of WKRP Cincinnati .  This was 1978, so I was probably doing something else when this aired. '

"I thought turkeys could fly."

I am going into a turkey coma. He just left and I can succumb to the stupor. Later.

Your turn
Did you see this episode? I hope you laughed as hard as I did.

Wednesday Night Progress

When I awoke this Wednesday  morning, I had slept more than usual and felt a bit better. I think it is because I slept and finally got enough cover on the bed to stay warm. And, the OTCs helped.

The chicken is ready to come out of the crockpot and the Jello is sitting in the refrigerator. At the right time, fruit cocktail, red Delicious Apple, and bananas will go in the big bowl. A little bowl is for exbf and without banana.

I am itching, so I must have gotten whole wheat in the dressing! argh, I hate this.

The list and progress below. This list was a great aid to my memory. Later, I will copy it and put on the refrigerator so I won't forget something in the morning.



So far, I have ready for Thanksgiving:

** things finished

**sweet potatoes
**apple pie

Plans for other food I need to make/cook:
**chicken instead of turkey (Wed)
**dressing
**gravy
**cranberry sauce (canned)
**boiled eggs to go into gravy (chopped now)
** deviled eggs
pumpkin pies (not happening)
**Jello fruit salad
**green beans in bowl to heat in microwave
mashed potatoes (nope)





9nope)

This Thanksgiving is controlled by my energy and now this cold or whatever coming on.

Right now, it's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for me. My son is probably watching this, too, since Snoopy is his favorite character.

Your turn
Did you watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving? How many times have you left something you prepared in the refrigerator or not served? What was it?

Tuesday and cooking

So far, I have ready for Thanksgiving:
**sweet potatoes
**apple pie

Plans for other food I need to make/cook:
**chicken instead of turkey (Wed)
dressing
gravy
**cranberry sauce (canned)
**boiled eggs to go into gravy
deviled eggs
pumpkin pies (not happening)
**Jello fruit salad

Today, I went to the church lunch: turkey, dressing,  gravy, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, pecan pie. Delicious. I returned two items to WM.

Hopefully, I will get two pumpkin pies baked, put the breasts in crock pot, boil eggs.

A guy came Tuesday and carried off the dishwasher for junk. I picked up the cardboard and junk left in yard. I tried to get it up on Sunday, but the dishwasher was on most of the junk. YAY  for not spending almost $230 on delivery, installation, and haul off. He showed up exactly when he said he would and had it in the truck in five minutes. Whew!

Since today is the last day of $0.98 gallons of milk, I bought two, one for me and one for exbf.

I cannot find my pumpkin pie recipe from my mother. So, there will be no pumpkin pie unless I find the recipe.

** indicates what is done.

Your turn
It is 4 pm here and I am getting sick--sore throat.  How are your cooking and cooking and preps and Thanksgiving plans coming together?

I Told You So

People insist they are eating yams and not sweet potatoes. No one believes me when I tell them the facts. Here is the truth about yams and sweet potatoes.

Basically, there are many varieties of sweet potatoes. However, if sold in the store as yams, the word sweet potatoes must be included. That is why you see signs with "Sweet Potatoes/YAMS" in front of the bins.

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that anything labeled "yam" that is not a true yam should always accompanied by the words "sweet potato," but that doesn't always happen. I often see a bin labeled "sweet potatoes" next to a bin labeled "yams" in the grocery store and both bins contain different varieties of sweet potatoes."

Yams are entirely different than any variety of sweet potatoes, no matter what the signs or the grocer tells you.

I read another article that said that unless you were shopping at an African market, you were not getting yams, just sweet potatoes.

You can read all about it HERE.

Your turn
Did you know this info about sweet potatoes and yams?

If I Disappear

The power port on my computer is failing, getting more loose every day. I certainly cannot afford a repair at all. Another Dell failed in the same manner.

I took it to a store and the young man said he would fix it at home for me. I will only have to pay for the part. The store does not repair computers, so he is not cheating anyone. Whew! I am so lucky. He is the young man to whom I gave a bunch of electronics and cords. He carried them and three dozen fruit jars to the storage unit. Come Hell or High Water, I will bake an apple pie tonight. Maybe I will boil the eggs for gravy.

The fifth load of dishes remains in the dishwasher. UGH Must remove them and load it again.

Canning jars, half-pint, are clean and waiting on me. I have put 16 oz. of dates in one jar. Three more bags of the same size await. Plus, another pint has walnuts--16 oz. . And, two more bags of walnuts need to be jarred. I wish these were pecans.  I was surprised that 16 ounces in weight fit in 16 liquid ounces container.

It is so cold in here that baking will be a good idea!

Today, I delivered four Christmas Child boxes. I have more boxes, but my friend did not get out the supplies for them. Oh well.

I tried to clean up after the installation of the dishwasher. There is still all sorts of stuff on the floor. I cannot sweep. I cannot hold the dustpan. Maybe my friend will do that for me. Then, I went into the yard and it looks like a tornado hit. The guy did what I asked and put the dishwasher in. I did not expect him to tidy up.  So, it will all be gotten up by Thanksgiving. Of that I am sure.

The computer is charging now, so all is well on that front for today.

Update: Friday night about 9:30 the pie came out of the oven. Then, I put the leftover cut apples into a tiny casserole with all the pie goodness over them for a snack tonight. Onion and celery have been rehydrated.

Your turn
What will you bake first? Do you wait until Thanksgiving day to cook everything?

Fifth Load

When my dishwasher was installed, my back was hurting too bad to do anything but go to bed. Well, I did dip potato and chicken from the crockpot, heat carrots and serve it to exbf. Well, I told you about my effort for his dinner. I don't think I even gave him anything to drink. Poor guy. He is sometimes so tolerant. ...other than trying to get me run down by the vehicle behind him...lol,

I went to bed, watched tv, slept and did little for 24 hours. However, I have been busy since then. Just now, I put the fifth load of dishes in the dishwasher. This load is the load still in the dishwasher when they came to replace it for me. I load things where bowls are sort of leaning on the edges/backs of other bowls. Not now. These are dirty and dried, so everything is loaded lightly. I think there will be two more loads. Out of the last four loads, only about six pieces need rewashing and by hand.

A few minutes ago, I had a fright. I thought the dishwasher had quit working. It has a neat feature. It remembers the last settings so that I only have to press wash/resume. Every time I pressed wash/resume, the light came on and then went off. Possibly, I was not holding my mouth right? I don't think I could go through getting this one out and another one in place.

In the meantime, my kitchen is reappearing from the stacks of dishes.

It's only 9 pm, so I may make an apple pie to refrigerate until Thanksgiving. I have to pace myself! I may just get this load out and put another in the dishwasher.

Your turn
Have you started cooking yet? Do you have to pace yourself?

Fifth Load

When my dishwasher was installed, my back was hurting too bad to do anything but go to bed. Well, I did dip potato and chicken from the crockpot, heat carrots and serve it to exbf. Well, I told you about my effort for his dinner. I don't think I even gave him anything to drink. Poor guy. He is sometimes so tolerant. ...other than trying to get me run down by the vehicle behind him...lol,

I went to bed, watched tv, slept and did little for 24 hours. However, I have been busy since then. Just now, I put the fifth load of dishes in the dishwasher. This load is the load still in the dishwasher when they came to replace it for me. I load things where bowls are sort of leaning on the edges/backs of other bowls. Not now. These are dirty and dried, so everything is loaded lightly. I think there will be two more loads. Out of the last four loads, only about six pieces need rewashing and by hand.

A few minutes ago, I had a fright. I thought the dishwasher had quit working. It has a neat feature. It remembers the last settings so that I only have to press wash/resume. Every time I pressed wash/resume, the light came on and then went off. Possibly, I was not holding my mouth right? I don't think I could go through getting this one out and another one in place.

In the meantime, my kitchen is reappearing from the stacks of dishes.

It's only 9 pm, so I may make an apple pie to refrigerate until Thanksgiving. I have to pace myself! I may just get this load out and put another in the dishwasher.

Your turn
Have you started cooking yet? Do you have to pace yourself?

Settle an Argument

We have been having this discussion for years. Until Friday, it was a civil discussion, but exbf  has irritated my last nerve over this. Ready?

I have one question. Don't muddy the waters with how we should make an effort to let each other off at the curb. Okay?

He was letting me off in the shopping center so I would not have to walk from the car when he parked out in the crowded parking lot. Lots of people were shopping. Lots of cars were in the driving lane in front of the shopping center.

As I got out of the car, I wanted to cross in front of the car and only have to be careful or hurry across one lane, the one next to the sidewalk. He refuses to allow me to cross in front of his vehicle, holding back the traffic. He says he is in the way and people want to hurry up and drive. He was very emphatic, telling me he had never waited for anyone to cross in front of him, that they always go behind his car. I told him I had never had anyone NOT allow me to cross in front of the car.  No one has ever said to me that I should hang out and cross behind the driver's car.

That means I am deposited and must negotiate two lanes of traffic. He says that is the only way he has ever done it. So, I started getting loud, not screaming. "So, be careful with the feelings of the occupants of car behind you and just let me possibly get hit trying to hobble across two lanes." He knows my knees sometimes almost collapse!

Seriously, the whole idea of letting me out and then parking is so I will be on my feet less and have to hurry less across the one lane of traffic while feeling secure that I won't get hit in the lane we are driving. whew, long sentence. When I let my children out at school, I would never have dreamed of driving away and having them cross in front of the car behind me.

I know I am not a child, but I have never had an adult exit my car and I just drove away. I
allow them to cross in front of the car while I hold back one lane of traffic.

Finally, I yelled at him to let me go in front of his car. He was arguing as I slammed the door. But, I did get to cross in front of him. This has been a ten-year discussion and I am now willing to take a final stand.

I KNOW that circling the parking lot to get me on the curb side would work! But, the question is: do you let the passenger cross in front of your vehicle or cross behind your car, forcing the person to deal with the traffic going both ways? Front or behind?

Almost Dead!

Okay, indulge me in a bit of hyperbole. Actually, after what I have been through, I could be close to dead. I awoke at 4:30 and could not go back to sleep after exbf left at 6 pm. I did not get to lie down the whole time, so my back hurts so much. At times like this, I wish I had strong pain meds instead of an aspirin. This is why I pace myself.

We did a few things after exbf arrived at 9:30. At about 11:30, we were almost at our destination when I received a call that this guy was on his way to my house NOW.

If you remember, I bought a dishwasher about 3 weeks ago. It was almost the cheapest one in Lowe's and on sale. The total after tax was $304. It is a no frills model! VERY basic. Delivery was $79, installation--$120, and carry off of old dishwasher--$27, fill hose--$20. Total for delivery--$246. No way! Why don't dishwashers and washing machines come with fill hoses? Why don't stoves come with the electric cords?

As I was sitting at the church lunch last week, I saw a man walk across the room, going from the dessert table to his table. At that moment I knew this man could help me. I motioned him over and told him about my dilemma--I needed help but not money. He told me to leave my name with the church secretary. I did.

He could not find anyone to help him, so his wife came. Four hours later with two trips to Lowe's, and I have a new dishwasher in place. This guy works on pools, so at least he had a basic familiarity with water and electricity.

We had a chicken in the crockpot. After the guy and his wife came here, I dropped four red potatoes in the crockpot. Reheated  carrots and I called it dinner. At one point when I came home from somewhere, I could smell the chicken and sage from 20 feet from the door.

It's been a long, excruciating day. It is now Saturday morning. But, I can wash dishes! Well, when I can bend to load it, I can wash dishes.

Before exbf could get out of the driveway, I was searching the free ad paper for a haul off and the guy is coming Tuesday. So, there!

No, I don't care how good you are, washing dishes by hand. Be grateful you can stand that long! Just don't be sanctimonious here. I hurt too much. I am typing flat of my back!

Your turn
Have you ever had to pay so much for delivery, installation, and haul away for an appliance? Is this as outrageous to you as it is to me? Do you have a husband or son who can install things for you?

This and That and Sales

*Dominique won't eat oats. Consequently, she looks like she is shrinking. She is not ill looking or acting, just not eating her oats but everything else. Maybe a drink made of honey, acv, and garlic in water will wake up her appetite. I can hope.

*My last eye exam and measuring for glasses was yesterday. My right eye has almost perfect vision, just astigmatism. The left eye needs more correction for close vision. Far vision is perfect in both eyes. I could read the smallest line!

*Apples--$0.69/lb., price-matched from Sprouts. I have 10 lbs.

*The high will be 80 degrees today. Whaaaat? I cannot get my clothes right for the day or evening. Even taking a sweater on and off is not working to keep me from smothering. Doctor's offices are stifling.

*The car ac quit again. I am still using ac as the car gets hot just sitting in the yard. Plus, it is warm enough to use it! Saturday, I will need the heater.

*Have not used dryer in three months! The wash not hung outdoors is hung inside.

*Another free lunch or three is coming up this next week. I know I will go to one, but the other two are iffy as to my attendance.

*I picked up 20 Christmas Child boxes to fill by next Friday.

*Bought exbf a Batman t-shirt with cape attached by Velcro. It cost $1.08.

*The smoky haze from the Appalachian forest fires has drifted to the east of me. That was weird to go out and see so much haze.

*Since I finally feel well enough to use the curling iron, my self-haircut is receiving rave reviews.

*A hen will go into the crockpot tonight. In the morning, I will add four red potatoes, onion, and celery. Exbf will get all but the breast.

Your turn
Have you found the $0.98 gallon milk? What's going on at your place?

Milk $1 Gallon Heads UP

Aldi has milk for $0.98 gallon. I price-matched at Walmart. Exbf just bought a gallon of milk not on sale, as did I. He wants to take one home to freeze. I will drink it fast enough and don't have freezer space. This ad will be good through next Tuesday.

I need a recipe: UPDATE

I want to use two one-pound packages of dried dates to make date balls. Even though I have eaten date balls before, I have no recipe. I found recipes on all recipes but all require cooking then rolling. Is there a recipe that does not need to be cooked at all, either in pot or oven?

PLEASE don't direct me to the internet or a page of links.  Have you ever made date balls that just require mixing and making balls? I cannot find the recipe I know for sure is out there.

UPDATE: I went back and looked at the ingredients on the date balls. The almond date balls had date and almonds as the ingredients. The coconut date balls had coconut and dates. So, it seems two ground ingredients and rolled in either coconut or almonds is the recipe. Anne got it right below. But, I will still appreciate any other suggestions. By the way, 40 date balls, 4 varieties were $8.88. I can do better than that.

Correction above: I have two one-pound packages of dried dates--32 ounces.

Thanks.

Your turn
Recipes?

Accidental Lunch

About 4:30 mm or so, I was awake for good on Tuesday. But, since I went to bed at 5 pm or so on Monday evening I had about 10 hours sleep. I kept waking up to phone calls and going right back to sleep. My first breakfast was some of a goat cheese log with blueberries embedded in it and water.  My second breakfast was banana, milk, and chicken.

My doctor's appointment ended earlier than usual. On the way home, I stopped for some information and continued on my way. As I turned toward town, there was a sign, "Free Lunch on Tuesday." My car drove itself right in without consulting me.

Many church members and a few poor people attended. It seems churches for a space of time will have lunches or dinners for their members and anyone who wishes to come and eat. Good deal.

I had the best lunch and brought home another for tonight: turkey breast, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, a roll, iced tea, and choice of dessert. Tonight will be a repeat. I love free food. I love delicious free food even better.

Lettuce was $0.39/head last week, and I bought tomatoes at the market, so a salad and grapes will be my snack later tonight.

Three churches in this town have a free lunch once each month, all for the community and not just the poor. The food is delicious. If I lived in a larger town...okay, just dreaming of lunches I did not have to cook or clean up afterwards, not to mention being free.

Your turn
Do churches in your town ever serve lunches free for the community? Would you be there with bells on?

Managing Vegetables

Last Friday, I was offered all the peppers I wanted. I took three small ones and a jalapeno pepper. Another woman wandered in and said she would just take all of the rest.  ?!?! I might have take another two if I thought someone would take all the rest.

Since I don't eat raw bell pepper, I put one in the crockpot that was started on Saturday. The other two were pickled.

There is a huge jar of Vlasic Stackers, pickles cut lengthwise, in the refrigerator. With only one slice left, it was time to fill the jar with something else. I cut the remaining two bell peppers in slices after coring and put them in the jar. Now that jar has earned the real estate it was holding.

The exbf will eat these if I can remember to put in his salad or put some on his plate. I just cannot eat pickled food.

Dominique will love the bell pepper seeds and my apple core and bit of banana with a bruise.

Your turn
Do you ever put veggies into your jar of pickle juice?

I Hit the Wall!

For the last few days I have felt well and ambitious. Finally, today I had a list of things to do outside the house. Things were going well. When I walked, I was not wobbly. I felt like my communication skills were top notch. Some days, I have had a wobbly walk and words did not come.

Last night, I had three sleep sessions, interrupted by hours of wake and accomplishments. This morning I took from the crockpot a whole bowl of carrots and potatoes, two pounds of each. I was zipping around, making plans, making two lists.

Someone gave me 16 newspaper inserts of coupons. During one of my wake sessions, I clipped coupons and put a bag outdoors on the chair in front of the house. I had called my friend yesterday afternoon to come get coupons today.

Dominique was glad to see me with seeds from the bell peppers, carrot scraps, and chicken. I fed her much earlier than usual because I really felt well.

I got together broken Tupperware, my sewing scissors, lists, coupons, and a bottle of water. I took the Tupperware to a dealer who can get replacements for me. My sewing store guy sharpened my scissors. I bought groceries at WM and price-matched.

For only the third time I went into Aldi's and could not figure out how to get my cart quarter back. I was in there for only a short time. I carried my two items out in my hand and put them in a bag in the car. A bag costs a dime in Aldi and you bag your own groceries. That's okay.

Finally, I went to a third store. The cashier could not figure out what to do with a $4 coupon on a $3.68 package of freezer bags. All of a sudden I had no energy to deal with anything, I just needed to go and asked her repeatedly to just give me the coupon. She refused by ignoring and screaming for help. I was failing fast, so after asking her at least 8 times for my coupon and her refusing to do so, I just got the coupon by a long reach and left.

From that point on, I felt awful, tired, disconnected. It was all I could do to get into the house and put things away. My arms are still so heavy. I have been lying here for a little over an hour. I feel a nap coming on. Hopefully, this passes soon. There are things to do tonight. This whole week I have something to do, appointments, company, just more than I can think about.

Hopefully, this feeling will pass with a nap. This morning I was more energetic than I have been in a year. Right now a nap is overtaking me.

Your turn
Do you ever hit the wall? Do you have to give up and rest?

Crockpot Days, Thanksgiving, Macaroni and Cheese

Saturday, I put seven boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot with a stalk of celery. When they were cooked, I put in a frozen hen. Both were seasoned with ground sage, salt and pepper.  My Thanksgiving dinner may include one or both of these poultry offerings.

That was followed by two pounds of carrots and an onion and a stalk of celery.  Since I am using the much smaller crock pot, I cannot put in so much. However, it is working out.

There were no potatoes at the Farmer's Market and I failed to go to the fruit stand, a permanent structure that carries flowers, too. A trip to WM was in order for potatoes. Okay, I went to WM and paid almost $5 for a tiny bag of potatoes. The two pounds of carrots I used cost me a quarter last week.

Three days of cooking in the crock pot should yield: 7 chicken breasts, one hen, 4 lbs. carrots, 5 lbs. of red potatoes along with the celery, onions, and garlic. I will put the rest of the potatoes in as soon as I remove the potatoes and carrots in there now, mid-afternoon on Sunday. I am going to search for something else to put in the crock pot to maximize the amount of cooked, ready-to-eat food and minimize spoilage.

People talk about using poultry seasoning on poultry. Today, I smelled my poultry seasoning and prefer to use just sage. I'm not sure why I have this, but I must have decided to try poultry season in the past few years.

Right now, two breasts are in the freezer. Four breasts await me. Well, I think there are four. Five? Did I eat one? They will be the basis of dinners and lunches and snacks. I see chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, chicken casserole, chicken in sandwiches in my future. Plus, the chicken can be part of a meal of cooked vegetables. For variety, I will have a can of tuna in a salad and pimento and cheese.

Even though I have an invitation for Thanksgiving, I will probably just stay home. I have formulated simple cooking plans. I will try for the traditional home-cooked dinner. However, I have choices. Stovetop stuffing, a jar of turkey gravy, and canned cranberry sauce will be here just in case I don't get around to the real deal. Diced boiled eggs can be added to the gravy.  YUM! I have cans of green beans, frozen broccoli, and other vegetables. When I make pumpkin pie and apple pie, I may make them without a crust.

Now, for the most important subject: macaroni and cheese. At home growing up we never had macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving--EVER! I don't understand the importance people assign to it as a tradition.  I have never served it for Thanksgiving and never will. People say this is a Southern thing. Not in my experience!

As a matter of fact, I never remember my mother making macaroni 'n cheese. She may have gotten the blue box for my brother who is much younger and there long after I left home.

Your turn
What have you cooked in your crock pot lately?  Are you planning on a big Thanksgiving dinner? What time of day do you serve it? Is macaroni and cheese part of your Thanksgiving? Do you, as I do, think it is a strange item to serve? Are you from the South and think this is a Thanksgiving tradition?

Saturday Yard Sales

This yard sale was in a poor part of town and unadvertised. I'm not sure why I stopped. But, it turned out well. Everything I picked up, I bought. Nothing was priced! He priced it as I asked.

$2 items:
*A set of white, 100% cotton king-sized sheets with embroidery on pillow cases and top sheet. If If  never have another king-sized bed, these can be cut down, even the fitted sheet.
*Colander new with stickers still on, porcelain over steel, the pedestal and bowl are one piece, not welded. I wonder what this costs and what it would bring on eBay. ???
*Green colander, looks old, but has stickers still on
* pair of size 12 Rockport men's shoes for someone who needs shoes.
* two journal type books
* king-sized top sheet 100% with pink flowers, "Vintage Victorian" on the label. I would love to have this on a bed, but making aprons would work, too.


$1 item:
picture frame with labels, new

The king sheets in the plastic bag they came in and both the colanders will probably be sold. That was my Saturday.

We have had 55 days without rain! Yard sales abound this late!

Your turn
What is your latest yard sale haul? Or any yard sale haul? How did your Saturday go?

Ziploc Alert

First

Ziploc always has bags decorated for Christmas, pints and quarts. The day after Christmas, they are marked down 50% off and a few weeks later they are marked down to 75% off. For the last few years, I have bought Ziploc storage bags at 75% off. Sometimes, I have coupons which really brings down the cost. This year, I will watch more closely for coupons and maybe order coupons.

Second

I have had four $4 coupons for Ziploc in my purse for several years, $4 off one box. I did not want to lose money by spending the coupons on reduced bags. Finally, I used the $4 coupons.
 I purchased:
a box of 32 1-gallon freezer bags
a box of 38 1-quart freezer bags
a box of 152 sandwich bags.

All boxes of bags were $4.46x3=$13.38 minus 3x/44 coupons=$12.00
$13.38-$12.00=$1.38 oop.

There were boxes holding more bags per box, but the cost per bag is less when you are using a coupon if you apply it to the smaller size/amount whether it is detergent, Ziploc bags, or whatever.

Since I still have Christmas storage bags from last year, I am set. I do hate to have to buy storage and freezer bags even though I buy few. But, I can live with these three boxes costing me $0.46 each.

There is still one more coupon for $4 in my purse to spend when I figure out exactly which size bag I really need to replenish. I think I need pints.

Your turn
Do you ever snag any of the decorative Christmas Ziploc bags when they are marked down? Is there one Christmas item you try to find on markdown after Christmas?

My Brother

G was born exactly 14 months after I was born, on November 11, 1947. He would have been 69 today. I really miss him. We were close.

Mama said she took him to the doctor soon after he was born, thinking there was something wrong. It seemed he only pooped once or twice a day. She laughed about this. She explained to the doctor that I had poop in my diaper every time I peed. The doctor told her I was the one with an abnormal habit.  Since I was the oldest, she just accepted my habit as the norm.

Because I would not allow anything but the tip of a baby spoon in my mouth when I was fed, Mama gave me tiny bites on the tip of the spoon. When G was first eating from a spoon, Mama put a bit of food on the end of the baby spoon. She said he would raise his head, move forward, sort of jump, and get the whole spoon in his mouth. So, she started shoving spoonsful into his mouth and he was happy. Poor baby, having to follow me and my habits.

While I had dark hair and brown skin, he was a pale, translucent-skin little cotton-top. Mama said when we walked outdoors, I was brown after the walk and he was red-faced, red wherever the sun hit him. I was always tanned and he was sunburned.

We ate at a little restaurant in downtown Memphis when we walked to the park when I was two-years-old. He was so tiny and loved beets. I can remember looking at G eating, sitting in the booth beside me and wondering how he could stand beets.

Mama said G would at six-months take his finger and turn the wheels of a tiny car as he held the car. She said she showed him once and he kept doing it over and over.

My earliest memory of him was when he poked out the eyes of my doll, my only doll. I was two and he had just learned to walk. The eyes opened and closed until he poked them. I never, ever, trusted him again with any of my toys. That one incident made me very territorial. He threw a rock at me and chipped my front tooth. I was teasing him, so we both got into trouble. However, I, the injured one, got in more trouble. I learned not to tease when I could get hurt.

When I was eight- and he was seven-years-old, our family was going to the Fair in Jackson, MS. I contracted measles and could not go. The rest of the family left me with a sitter. At the fair, we only had a certain amount to spend. He took his money for rides and bought me a little heart with my name engraved on it. You know that by jewelry standards it was and is cheap. It was and is precious to me. I still have it. When I mentioned that heart about a year before he died, he was all choked up, saying he figured I did not remember it at all and had thrown it away. He was touched that I treasured it. I cried and told him what the heart with my name on it meant to me.

When I was ten- and he was nine-years-old, we were picking plums on the side of the road, but still on our ten acres. I looked down and fire ants covered one leg to my knee and the other leg to my very short shorts. I ran and jumped off the bank into the ditch, cutting my foot on something. I continued to run and scream to get home. He ran me down and pulled me to the asphalt and took his hands and scraped the fire ants off as I screamed. Fire ants hold on to sting so they must be forcibly removed. I was forever grateful!

I remember how we played baseball in our huge front yard. Daddy finally relenting and getting a television when I was fourteen ended lots of outdoor playing. We rode our bikes and traipsed in ten acres of woods. Since I was afraid of snakes, I made G go first...lol.

He was very smart and talented. He taught himself to play the guitar, could sing, wrote poems and could draw and paint. I can do nothing on that list! He could build things and did. I remember being shocked by the fact that at 18, he cut a door from the kitchen in my mother's house to the utility room that opened to the outside. Of course, he framed it and hung the door, too. When I married and had a new house built, he hung the wallpaper and did a perfect job.

He liked to shoot squirrels and frog gig. He even ate the frog legs! Squirrels, too, I suppose.When there was no more corn in the serving bowl, he was so sad that I scraped mine off my plate and gave it to him. He didn't like birthday cakes; he wanted a cherry pie, so that is what he got.

One time when we were visiting my mother, my son who was four went to the backyard and stayed for a bit. My son came in and told me that Uncle G's girl had a beard. This was in 1972 and my brother had long hair. My son saw the other guy from the back and just assumed the person was a girl because he had long hair. I explained it was a guy. Then, my son told me that Uncle G was undressing a squirrel and that the squirrel had catsup inside and running out. I sent him back out to watch. G was highly amused.

2001 was a terrible year for me. First, in May my best friend died, the hoarder who died from his hoarding habit. Second, the World Trade Center was attacked in September. Then, in December, my brother died. He was born on 11-11 and died on 12-12. I was very depressed when my friend died, devastated on 911, and devastated in December. He was 52.

G called his son's name and was dead when he hit the floor. While he had a job with good insurance, he had not been to the doctor in 25 years, according to his wife. He had been complaining of his chest hurting, feeling tight, for two weeks, but ignored it. He had three sons in teens and early twenties. His wife was beautiful and a saint.

It was a hard trip to Nashville for his service before the cremation. Actually, so service, just friends meeting in a room and talking, sharing things about him. I took my sterling silver charm bracelet to a jeweler and had all the charms removed and put the little engraved heart on it. His friends and co-workers in Nashville were touched by the little heart.

Your turn
Have you lost a sibling? A younger sibling? Have you ever had a year that absolutely devastated you?

Small Economy and Oven Door

While I have plenty of 60 watt incandescent  light bulbs/lamps, I have needed two appliance bulbs for a while. The oven bulb blew earlier this year. Then, the vent hood bulb went.

When I shopped for the oven bulb, I was told by a guy at Lowe's to bring in the bulb to ascertain the correct appliance bulb. It seems that an appliance bulb is an appliance bulb. I went back and just bought a 40-watt bulb, two in a package.
.
I tried using a 60-watt bulb for the vent hood, but the bulb cover would not go back on. Besides, I am not sure if the vent hood is rated for 40-watt only. If a regular base bulb fits the oven, I am gold.

While I was there, he picked up a bulb in an opened package. He said I could have it for $1 even though the regular price was $4.94. It seems is was returned because it was "warm white" instead of "daylight."

It's Sylvania Ultra LED replacement, 6.5 W, 22+life. Even though the bulb/lamp is dimmable, according to the box it may not be compatible with all dimmers. Lovely.

Yes, it is a small economy, but $3.94 savings works for me, amortized over 22 years...works for me. I won't be purchasing $5 light bulbs any time soon. So, SCORE.

In my house I have LED, curly bulbs, and the incandescent ones. I will never switch completely from incandescent because it is the only one that does not hurt my eyes.

By the way, when did they start making ovens with doors that could not be removed? I almost killed myself trying to get the door off the stove to change the bulb. Taking the door off makes cleaning the oven and changing a bulb or replacing an element soooo much easier. I will never use the self-cleaning feature for the oven.

Your turn
Do you buy the LED bulbs? What kind do you use? Do you miss removable oven doors?

Deals This Week and Brown Gunk

Since I love cheese and had run out of some bought on sale several weeks ago, I was happy to see that I could buy Kraft for $1.69. Four 8 oz. chunks of Medium Cheddar and four 8 oz.bags of Five Blend Italian. Price matched at WM.

Milk was $1.99/gallon. Price-matched from Aldi.

Cascadian Farms Granola, a cereal, was marked down from $3.69 to $2. I bought four and should not have. This is good eaten as cereal or out of hands three or five times a day. This was marked down at Publix.

Cantaloupe for exbf was $1. Price-matched at WM.

Kraft Parmesan Cheese in the green shaker canister was $2.79 instead of $3.89. Price-matched at WM. Since I don't have freezer room, I only bought one. There is still one on the shelf and two opened ones in the refrigerator. When I was too ill to find the open one in the refrigerator, one from the cupboard was started. I will eat it before long, especially if I eat spaghetti.

Pet milk, one can for $0.88 instead of $1.28. Price-matched at WM. I bought four at the same price last week or the week before, so I have enough for my projected needs for the year.
...................................................................................................

Today is Wednesday, so another ad is out. Well, it is early in the AM, but when the mail runs, I will have ads for about 6 more grocery stores.  Red, green, and purple grapes are all $1.88/lb. I won't buy many but this is a better price than $3.98/lb., as they will be later on.

There are 18 varieties of apples for $0.88/lb. at Sprouts. I need to get many apples price-matched once again at WM.

The blasted turkey from last spring is in the freezer, hogging room. It needs to come out so I can cook it. I fear there will be an avalanche. In the past exbf has held back the rockslide while I pulled things out. A pound of frozen sausage really hurts my toes! Since I am not as agile as I once was, it is hard to jump out of the way. It depends on when he comes next week as to whether he will participate. I could put several boneless turkey breasts in the space the turkey occupies.

Since I have over-frozen several cans of Cokes, the inside of the freezer looks filthy. It grosses me out, and I know what the brown stuff is! It continually falls onto the floor when I remove food and then I must get the brown ice from the floor. If it escapes me, then I have a brown puddle or dried stain, depending on when I find it.

This evening I am feeling a bit better. Of course, I am fighting the lung/throat/head/ears thing. The uti may have subsided, but I still have meds to take for that to knock it out completely. brown Gunk

Your turn
What deals are at your grocery or market? Have you ever had a Coke spew all over the freezer and then frozen back all over everything as brown gunk?

Not Wasting Okra

As you may remember, I entered dehydrated okra and tomato in the fair last year. Since there is no way I will eat okra in any form, it sits, still. I have asked around and it appears no one wants it. Several months ago, I thought I would ask exbf if he wanted it to eat as a snack.

Second Man from Two Men and a Little Farm wrote about baking halved okra and First Man's liking it. So, I remembered to mention it to exbf. Mine was sliced for frying.

Supposing it might be hard as a rock and not something anyone would want to crunch, I tried it first. Don't think for a moment I ate it. One piece crunched between my teeth once and I gagged it out into a napkin I had at the ready. The okra readily crunched into pieces.

I put it on the sofa next to the chair he sits in and left it for two weeks, forgetting to ask him. Finally, I asked him over the phone. He said, "Oh, in the pint jar on the sofa?" I wonder he did not ask me why it was there. Oh well.

When he came last Friday, I reminded him to try it. He popped one piece into his mouth and commented immediately that it was good and yes he would eat it. He said, "It tastes just like fried okra without the coating." I asked him if it needed a sprinkle of spices or anything on it. He said it was fine like it was.

Bonus: It is not fried. I scored twice with his acceptance: 1) Food is not wasted. 2) This is a good snack for him since I always find something snack-y for him.

Well, if feeding it to him failed, I was going to toss a piece to Dominique and see if she would consume it.

Sunday, I awoke more ill than ever, but this time it was my throat, chest, and head. But, I am still taking meds for uti. Voting will be a struggle, but I will vote.

Remember to vote on Tuesday!

UPDATE: I voted and was in the car by 7:06. I was second in line.

Your turn
Have you ever had dehydrated okra? Seasoned or plain? Did you like it? Do you have someone who, like exbf, will just try any food you present? Well, I never would try to get him to eat banana or eggs!

She Is Doing it Again

Slugmama has a giveaway with lots of chocolate and some makeup. There are pictures of it all right HERE.  You can enter every day, making your chances higher, so hurry.

Things I Did Buy Today

Of course, KMart is on my radar lately since they are closing our store.

I found two pair of the pants I like for only $4, marked down 60% from 9,98. 

Black leggings were unmarked and no one knew the price and acted as though that were the end of it, like I would leave without them. I told them I thought they should be about $2 for me to buy them, so they sold them for $2.

Vaseline and Vicks were marked down enough for me to consider them a deal. I am not going to look for the receipt. Just take my word for it.

All in all, it turned out well on deals. Next Thursday, there will be another markdown. I am looking for tshirts or tops to wear around the house under a sweatshirt. I have three tshirts
 at this point that are beyond wearing for good, so I would like three more but at a greatly reduced cost.

Your turn
What deals did you find this weekend?

Two Things I REALLY Wanted But Did Not Buy

Every time I have gone down Action Alley in Walmart, I have seen things I really want and need. Yes, it is true. I need these things.

In the aisle have been stacks of an Oster Turkey Roaster. I liked the look even though they were in the box, unreachable. Maybe I am silly, but I like to see and feel items I buy.

Finally, yesterday, there was a roaster on display. When I read the manual with the roaster, I changed my mind. The instructions said to put 2 or 3 quarts of water in the roaster. ??? That made no sense. Then, put the turkey in?

After I struggled to my feet, took off the lid, and lifted the roaster pan, it all made sense. The instructions said to check it often and add water if necessary. It seems water goes under the roaster. It is not like a crock pot where the heating element will be ruined by water.

It would be difficult for me to lift the roaster pan with the turkey in it once, much less lifting it periodically. So, I will not be buying the Oster Turkey Roaster. For $29.99 I knew there would be a catch! I will be using the oven.

Then, I saw a cute calendar that I just had to have. At $4.99 it seemed precious.  I left it there and got a free one from the utility company today.

Could you say I saved $35 in one day? What was I thinking? I have never, ever bought a calendar, just usually get a free one from the pharmacy.

Your turn
Do you ever need and want something so much and then talk yourself out of it once you learn more? Find reasons not to purchase? What was the last temptation, bargain, or desired item that you left behind? Did you consider and realize the item was not as it seemed? Do you buy a calendar or use a free calendar?  I am talking about the calendars that are about 12x12 inches or probably a bit larger.

This is such a beautiful home HERE. I love the style! What do you think?

Socks! What Can I Say?

Socks are problematic for me and most people when they disappear in the wash. I am loathe to throw out a sock because its mate strayed. This has paid off. Every year I get out my winter things and find a sock in a sweatshirt sleeve or up a pants legs. EUREKA!

I then get out my lost sock stash and match the sock to its lonely mate. People have suggested I just toss the mate-less socks I have kept. No, I won't give up. But, I solved the problem.

Two solutions: First, I buy bags of socks so that there is always a mate as they stray sock hides out. Second, I find a new use for socks.

Finally, I put the lonely socks in the laundry room, tied in a plastic bag. Someone saw this and volunteered to toss them....nooooo.  I never toss socks in the trash.

While I have been ill, I have piddled. This bag of socks attracted my attention. In a lucid moment when my arms were not like lead, I ripped the bag open for a few surprises. There was a pair of white nylon-type, thin socks that I have had for 30 years, wore little. My beloved red socks that have so little heel that I could put my head through the hole where the heel was. Really, they felt wonderful. But when the hole in the heel hole was evident when I was wearing shoes, I quit wearing my red socks.

No, I am not a hoarder. In the bag were all the socks with an alternate destiny--dusting or cleaning. And, boy, do I need them for dusting right now.

I threw away the nylon socks. I put the dusting socks in a pile. Lo and Behold--I found a sock (I think) that is a mate to a dozen other bag socks. Otherwise, it is a dust sock. I need to slip a sock over the yardstick or on the handle of the broom and work on the ceilings but not the eleven foot ceiling, just the lower ones.

When these are used for dusting or cleaning, depending on how dusty or dirty the cleaning was, they will be washed and stuffed in my rag bag or tossed. I know these are not fancy dust cloths bought at an exorbitant cost, but they work for me and maybe for you. The microfiber cloths give me the creeps to touch them. It's just as well I like these because the few microfiber cloths I have are rarely used. No, I did not pay for them. They were a gas station give-away.

As soon as it gets cool enough that flies and mosquitoes are not fighting to get in the back door, I may use these socks to clean the outside of the side door. Those socks will certainly go in the trash.

The other use I have for these socks is to put dark ones on canned or dehydrated food. This way, the light will not degrade the nutrition in the produce. Of course, I still put canning jars in dark cabinets or boxes. Just cut off the top of the sock and slip it over jars. This way, the jars will not clink against each other, either.

Somewhere on the internet I saw dog sweaters for tiny dogs made from socks. Socks have been used to cover casts on broken limbs. I just know all of you have other uses!

(post not edited) I am too tired.

Your turn
Do you use old clothes or socks to dust or clean?  Do you use socks to dust, clean or to protect jars, clothe a dog? What other uses do you have for socks that are beyond redemption? Do you have favorite socks you wear even when they are shabby?

Not So Much

I feel so much worse and am on another round of antibiotics. A nurse seems to be in control.  I called for an appointment but must go through her. No one wants to listen to me! I refuse to die because she is in control of his time. I love nurse practitioners, but this is wearing thin. I would be in the hospital if not for my walk-in doctor. Going on three months now--I believe I have a persistent uti. It won't clear up with a week of medicine and three days off meds, then on again.

Storing Halloween

For many years, I did not need to stash Halloween items in a certain place. I did stash them, but just on shelves and drawers. However, since I have bought many things on sale and to send to grandchildren, I buy more, and I have needed a place to keep them all together. Actually, I have gotten more into Halloween as I get older...lol.

Enter: huge orange Rubbermaid bin bought for one purpose. It's so easy to put things into it and successfully find your stash the next year. I have rarely bought a magazine Halloween edition for recipes or decorations, but I place those in the box along with pages ripped from magazines I am tossing. Because I want my cabinets for other things, not storage for things used once a year, I have begun to store ceramic Halloween candy dishes in this orange box.

I have one rule: I can buy no more Halloween stuff than will go into the mostly-full Rubbermaid container--no matter how cheap it is.

Maybe that container needs a good purging after Halloween.  My kids will love getting Halloween stuff eleven months early. NOT!

Your turn
Do you have a special place for Halloween items? A drawer or shelf or cardboard box? Do you have Halloween items stored in scattered places like I had for many years?

Halloween Costumes Past

As I related stories about my kids' Halloween to exbf, I thought I would share one Halloween. My son was about ten and daughter about eight. That made the baby three.

My son wanted to be the Fonz. If you remember, the Fonz wore a denim jacket at first. So, J wore his denim jacket and jeans and tshirt. The hair was important for the look, if you remember. So, at the last minute I just used Vaseline. As I was relating this to exbf, he moan, groaned, and laughed. The rest of the story I had not told him was that I washed my son's hair at least twice that night, once the next morning and several times a day for two weeks before it even looked like it might come out.

His moan, groan, and laugh puzzle me. But, he and a gang of guys did the same thing in college to attend some sort of musical revue from the same era. He said it took them all three weeks to get out the Vaseline. It appears I am not the only person to use Vaseline for hair pomade.

The daughter wanted to be Wonder Woman. The base for her costume was a red dance leotard. I made the gold wrist bands, head piece. and belt. She was thrilled. Since she had long dark hair, she made the perfect Wonder Woman!

I don't remember what the younger daughter wore! A dance costume would probably be my choice for her. It was so easy to put those costumes on and not have to worry about thinking up something. I probably put makeup on her.

The one other costume I remember was the year the younger was born on September 27, 1975. Kmart had a costume contest. One of the categories was the youngest Spook. I just knew I had this one won.
The baby had a soft, terry cloth sleeper--very pale pink. In my stash of fabric I found some pink fabric and made a bonnet with bunny ears. A pompom stuck on her behind transformed her into a bunny.

Since she was such a floppy/relaxed baby, she could sleep and still allow me to position her where the bunny ears and tail were visible. Her cute little face helped, I thought!

At KMart anxious parents gathered. Of course, the older children and I looked for the young babies. When it came time for judging, we all had big smiles, holding our babies, just knowing our own infant would win. My bunny won by about a week or two. She won a gorilla holding a yellow banana.

This gorilla/monkey holding the yellow banana sat in the corner of her baby bed for a long time. She loved it. Given the choice, she would choose something yellow when she was older. Then, she switched to pink.

My children were also a cowboy, cowgirl, a clown, a devil, ghost and Little Red Riding Hood. Yes, I made all those costumes. I think the older girl won a costume contest for her Wonder Woman costume.

When my daughter was married and living in NYC, she wanted a Wonder Woman costume again. I made all of it with her measurements. It fit perfectly! Whew! I have a picture somewhere, but not on my computer or I would share it.

Since I could sew and imagine, we never bought costumes, just gathered things from around the house or I sewed the costume.

Your turn
Did you ever sew costumes? Gather things from what you had? Buy costumes? Did your children ever win contests at Halloween?

Heating Up

We are breaking records right and left as the temperatures almost reach 90 degrees F in N Alabama. It was 87 on Saturday and expected to be the same today and on Halloween. There are record lows--highest lows--also. We have not had rain for 42 days and there is none in the foreseeable future. I think one day I had five raindrops on my windshield. That does not count.

I suppose all the little spooks can wear their cute Frozen outfits tomorrow night and not have to bundle up with a coat over their costumes.  When my kids were little, I was always sad for them as they wanted everyone to see their costumes.

When my son was five- and daughter was three-years-old and we lived in the Northern part of KY, we had the most amazing Halloween. It was so warm that the parents sat together in front yards and allowed the children to go to a few houses in sight, alone.

My daughter had to go to the bathroom and went across the street at our house. Soon, she emerged, pants down, and in her little-girl voice yelled, "Maaamaaa, come cleeean meee" as she stood in the open door with her panties around her ankles and a short top on. As we all laughed and I was trying to get up from the ground, she yelled again. People were laughing up and down the block. Yet again, she called out the same words as I was hurrying across the street. Now, she knew how to clean her own bottom, but she was still in the stage where I "checked."

A warm Halloween always reminds me of this incident. I can still hear in my mind her little voice ringing so true and cute.

The car ac decided not to work on Friday, making me think I had turned on the heater. No, I was sweltering and on my trip to the country. My house ac was turned off two days when the temperature dropped to lower 60s for two nights. Unfortunately, the sun sets on the back of the house, so the ac is now on for the unforeseeable future.

Your turn
Is your weather unseasonably warm or cold or just right? Do you have any memorable Halloween memories?

Abject Failure Today, But It's Okay

First, I went to the market, finding only one guy there, a guy from whom I had bought. He was helping a woman, so I was patient. Finally, after she talked and TALKED for fifteen minutes, I went over to lean on a column, saying I had to lean on something. She said, "OH, here, you go ahead." She had her bags and remained rooted to the spot and her mouth did not cease to move. I

"I have to sit in the car." She said for me to just go ahead and talk to him as she kept rambling on. "I will just talk to him, too."  "Blankety, Blank, No!" I said in my head as I struggled to get my feet and legs in the car. Still, she did not leave, just yelled for me to come on back.

When I do go back, I will not shop at his booth. He was the only person left today, or I would have gone to another booth. Besides, he was selling half-rotten tomatoes at an exorbitant price. There were huge flat boxes of better ones on the truck. THAT is what I wanted to talk about. He kept telling me to pick out the basket on the table that I wanted.

I will go to a different market on Monday.

Second, I drove for miles, maybe 30, looking for a salvage yard. A guy was going to put two new lights in my car. He called and found them but never got them like he said he would. His mother became ill and many trips to hospital and working two jobs made it impossible. He said I could pick up the lights.

Well, that was in August. Since I have not been able to even take care of myself, a trip to the near country did not seem like something I wanted to try.

Today was the right day, brilliantly sunny, light breeze and warm. Well, the first part of the directions I understood. When the salvage yard did not appear, I kept stopping for directions in the country. "Just take the next right, go through a big curve, turn next to the church, go around two more really big curves, turn right." As I opened my mouth, the guy said impatiently, "You will see it!" He turned and limped away.

He was the third person I asked. I was done. I decided after an hour and a half of bad roads to call it quits and try to find my way home, not going back the way I came because who actually knows where I turned to get where I was--lost. All of a sudden, places, trees, signs, houses started looking like ones I had passed.

Aha, I just kept making turns and finding familiar  things. I was soon home and exhausted. I drove on country roads, narrow, hilly and curvy, so I could not go over 40 mph, sometimes around 25 because of road conditions mentioned.  Finally, I was home and exhausted.

Since I have a county road map and now know the co rd the place is located, I will use it to find my way to the salvage yard.

Third, I thought I would get a pneumonia shot at WM, but the pharmacist I wanted was not there.

Since he will probably there tomorrow, I will get a shot when I get my Sunday paper.

Fourth, Dominique was not eating well. She would leave oats from the day before. She leaves meat. Today, I had some salad that was going south, so I put oats on top of that and she was gobbling salad when I left. Lately, I have not felt like bending to get grass for her. For weeks, even when I was ill, I would snatch a handful of grass for her. Now, that some of it is browning, I just have not taken that extra few step to get it for her. All is well now.

Fifth, my goal of hanging up the black clothes in the washing machine did not happen. It is after dark, but I can still do that.  I never hang black clothes outdoors, just in the house.

When I feel well, which I do  (I know I keep saying that), setbacks are not draining at all. I will have a can of tuna in salad and call it dinner.

Bummer! As I was talking just now to exbf, he said abruptly, "The Auburn game is on." I said 'bye' and hung up. The man has few passions and Auburn is one of them. And, Dr. Who. He is an Auburn graduate. He gets testy if I keep talking when a game is on...lol. I only care who wins because my son is an Auburn fan.

To make things better, I did have butter pecan ice cream at the end of all this inconvenience.

Your turn
Do you hate country directions like the "second big curve" or the "stand of trees"?  Or, the person who cannot shut her mouth and go away so you have a turn at a vendor's table? Do you have a sports fan that you know will want you to be very quiet during a game? When you feel well are inconveniences less annoying when you feel well? Conversely, if you are not feeling well and things are thwarted, does it make you fell worse and testy?

Lowering Communications Costs AND Retaining Services

The cost of communications has gotten out of hand for many of us. I remember forty-years ago when I was stressed by a $12 telephone bill and could still get TV without a cable or antenna. For the last few months, I have been actively seeking cheaper sources for home phone, cell phone service, tv and internet.

*The first thing I did last year or the year before was to get an antenna. Now, it seems every month I get fewer channels. I am down to two channels that don't get religious channels, most of which are in Spanish some nights. Then, both of those two good channels had football games last Saturday. Aaaargh!

*I thought I was getting a cheaper cell service from ATT last year. But, no! It is higher because I have to pay for the phone monthly, besides the fee for the service. I am looking at PCMetro. I would have to pay $150 dollars left on the phone to leave ATT. Does anyone have or know anything about PCMetro? I need to beat $57/month ATT bill.

*Yesterday, I had internet service that was soooo slow for about $40/month. I switched and at midnight was receiving a faster and cheaper internet service--$10/month + taxes and fees, making the total about $15.

*Magic Jack works for the home phone at less than $3/month. Plus, the phone never rings. An email is sent to me. If it is not a 30 second message, I delete the call. I love it and the price. If I want the phone to ring, that is possible, too. It did ring for many months and then I must have sent the phone to email. Plus, you don't need a computer to access Magic Jack.

The phone does ring! You have to choose the email route.

 I am wary of calling any of the many phone numbers listed in various internet sites for Magic Jack. A friend who has used MJ for a long time gave me this number which is a legitimate number: 844-866-2442.

*Getting more channels or programs was the next project. I heard about Hulu for $5.99 and signed up for that. Today, I signed up for Amazon Prime, getting something similar to Netflix, not sure. I had to buy a $28 Roku box, which I did several weeks ago. The $99 charge will be put on exbf's credit card in one month. I have that long to pay him $99. I can do it with the savings on other communications' lower rates. Amazon Prime can be paid with $9.99 a month. (I think that price is correct.)

Additionally, Amazon Prime gives me free two-day shipping. I order little from Amazon and only do so when there is free shipping. This will make it easier to take advantage of cheap prices.

Immediately, I cancelled Hulu. Since I am in my first month, cancelling meant I did not have to pay that $5.99. Plus, with Hulu there is no contract and a person can cancel at anytime. Hulu was a great deal, but I think Amazon Prime is better. If you use this, can you tell me if it is worth the money for the programs you can access?

I am breathing a sigh of relief as my costs have been lessened by a little over $30/month today just with the addition of cheaper and faster internet. I have plans to increase my benefits on other programs. Stay tuned!

Your turn
Do you use Amazon Prime for free shipping? For streaming and getting programs? Do you use a Roku box? Hulu? Antenna? Do you, too, think the prices for communications are exorbitant? Do you have any opinions, good or bad or caveats, about any of these programs?

Two Days in a Row!

I awoke too early with too little sleep, but I felt great! It has been so long since I felt so well that I am reveling in the feeling.

Exbf came today. Since he has such a difficult time getting up and down the steps and has to walk with a cane, I try to make it easier for him. Instead of him coming in and then waiting for me to get ready, I get ready and he calls me when he arrives.

Today, we made a stop to pick up some documentation. The person to give it to at the next stop was not there, so I have to go back Friday. Walmart was a stop for milk. My doctor was not in today. Hopefully, every bit of the uti is gone. I canceled my appoint with eye doctor. When we went by the sewing shop, it will be closed for two weeks. My scissors need sharpening! I was busy busy busy not getting much done. We just got home earlier.

I had to lie down before I made lunch. So, I worked then, too. I made appointments while resting my back. Tomorrow, I will tell you how I am lowering my communications costs while lying down today.

Lunch was chicken on a bun with salad greens. I forgot the tomatoes. Then, he took a nap. I had to sit up, so that made my back hurt. I forgot to give him grapes! When I am in blinding pain, forgetting happens.

Dinner was easy peasy. I lined a casserole with foil, sliced zucchini and yellow squash, poured on olive oil, and ground herbs over that. I forgot the onion and garlic, but I was hurting so much. The grape tomatoes from lunch could have gone in, too. I put the casserole in the oven while it was preheating to 400 degrees. Then, I turned on the broiler for a few minutes and sliced chicken into the casserole of veggies. On the top when it was on his plate, I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top. He said next time I could leave that off. This was the first time these things had been cooked together.

When I wad up the foil, the dishes will be done. Hey, that is a good feeling, knowing there are no pots and pans to wash.

I forgot to put the already-cooked carrots in the casserole. Still, he enjoyed it and took the tomatoes and carrots home.

Today, I was still hurting from yesterday's activities as I did not get enough sleep last night. My joints, skin, muscles, and flesh hurts. He rubbed my back and arms. It is like a miracle how the pain subsides.

At 6:30 pm, my body feels better than it did this morning. That's a good way to end the day. And, for the second day in a row--I do not feel ill! The day was mild and beautiful. Still, I needed the ac last night and today.

Your turn
Do you have fibromyalgia and PAIN? Or back pain? Who has a repertoire of one-dish meals that are so easy? What is your favorite one-dish meal? I would prefer spaghetti. Do still use the ac here at the end of October?

Today Was A Good Day; Today Was A Bad Day!

Today, Tuesday, was the first day I washed my hair and went out.  On Monday, I awoke for the first time since about the fifth of September and felt well. I piddled and went to WM for milk with ratty hair. It was not so dirty, combed, but had been so badly tangled I think I must have pulled half the hair off the back of my head. I need a satin pillowcase.

The Tuesday lunch was today. I could not eat the meatloaf (mammal meat) and did not like pinto beans. I gave away the cornbread to a ninety-two-year-old woman who thought mine looked better than hers. I did eat the mixed greens and chocolate cake and three glasses of unsweetened iced tea.  Dominique ate only part of what I gave her. But, she did give me an egg for which I thanked her.

As I stepped outside the church fellowship hall, the guy leaving at the same time told me to look up. The sky was the clearest blue ever, not murky or even a cloud in the sky--not even a little fluffy cloud.  From the heat in the car, I think it was in the high 80s today....just perfect.  At 6:30 pm it was 80 degrees, 38 days with no rain, humidity at 50%.

Two hours is all it took me to get my internet bill straightened out at the bank and at the corporate ATT. That exhausted me. I spent $5 at KFC getting the Tuesday Special and another meal of leftovers for Dominique. I asked a fellow diner if I could have her leftovers. She gladly gave them to me, saying her cat was picky and would not eat KFC.

Since I awoke too early with a nightmare, I feel a nap coming on and hurt all over. I sat up too long today.

There is a raccoon just waiting to be trapped.

Your turn
Did you have blue skies today? Pain?  Don't you love the first day you can get out after an illness that keeps you bed bound many days? Do you wear yourself out like I did?

Shoe Polishing...Almost One Hundred Years Ago

As I was searching for shoe polish on my shelf where I thought it was, I thought back to my grandmother and mother.

My grandmother walked a short distance to town. I don't know how far or for how long. But, I seem to remember it was one mile and for a short time. Mama said when her mother walked to town, she always wore old shoes and carried her good ones in a bag. Memaw then sat down in edge of town and changed to her good shoes.

Mama said all the other women who walked to town wore their good shoes to town and thought it strange that my grandmother changed shoes.

When I was a child, I remember my mother polishing our shoes. Before I wrote this, I tried to remember when she did this, the time frame. I remember her polishing our shoes from first grade through eighth grade. I was the oldest, so she did this much longer. Plus, I remember polishing my own shoes in seventh and eighth grade. Maybe she did it sometimes for those last two years. Since my youngest brother was born when I was in high school, I suppose she polished shoes longer.

My mother did not just polish our shoes once a week, she polished them every night. We were poor, but we had the cleanest shoes in school, of that I am sure. I remember noticing other kids with scuffed shoes.  We only had one pair of shoes, so they were worn at home, in the yard, walking to the school bus stop, and on the playground at school.

I don't remember anything but lace up leather shoes. But, each night she faithfully washed the mud or dust off, rubbed on the wax polish and buffed all four pair of shoes. She performed this act of love whether she was ill, overworked, abused, or pregnant. I never went to school with shoes not freshly polished.

For Sunday, we three girls wore patent leather shoes. Did you? I took a wet cloth and removed every speck of dirt and put Vaseline on them to make them shine and rubbed it all off and rubbed them often before leaving for church. I suppose all the Vaseline I put on my shoes just drew dusty dirt to the shoes...lol. Mama told me not to use so much. I cared for these shoes.

Outside church before entering I knelt to get all the dust off. I remembering carrying a bit of toilet paper in my patent leather purse to wipe off my shoes before entering the church. One day, some ladies were smiling at my wiping my shoes. I thought they were smiling because my shoes were shiny. Now, I imagine they were smiling at the third-grader keeping her shoes shiny.

I don't know if we used shoe polish or shoe cream. As for the difference in shoe cream and shoe paste (both are shoe polish): Shoe cream has a higher oil content and a lower wax content, and shoe paste is just the opposite with a lower oil content and a higher wax content.

She used a small rag to apply and spread the shoe polish. Then, she held the shoe between her knees and buffed them with another rag drawn back and forth, like at a shoeshine stand. She finished them my buffing them all over with the same rag.

Back to now. One shoe toe is exceptionally scuffed to the point of little polish. This is from dragging my foot on the one high step at the door! This is an older pair, but it is the pair without a hole in the sole. It cannot be seen on the other pair, but water does seep through. I just hope the best old pair will work with polish and not have a leak. Maybe Santa will bring me new shoes!

Kiwi was the brand at WM. It seems that we used Cavalier brand.

Your turn
Did anyone else have a mother who polished school shoes every night?  Did you ever use Cavalier brand? What brand did you use then and now? Do you polish your leather shoes regularly? Do you have these kinds of memories about your mother's loving sacrifices? Share with me.

Then, I Lost

I had set my large, new crock from the crockpot given to me outdoors on the bottom step of the porch. When I heard a noise outside Saturday night, I looked out the door and saw nothing amiss. Sunday afternoon, I found the crock broken. Bummer. I suppose a nosy cat knocked it off the bottom step.

In the past I have seen many crocks at thrift stores, but cannot go there to search.

I'll trade you an umbrella for a crock!

Your turn
Have you found the crocks are easily broken? Do animals ever bother food dishes if you set them outdoors?

I Won Again!

When I went to the mailbox about 10:30 pm on Saturday night, it was the first time I had left the house that day except to feed Dominique. It was so dark I could not even see my white car. I was three feet from it before I could make it out. Then, I could not find the door, window, or keyhole. I felt until I could find the post between front and back door, followed it down to door handle and still had to feel the keyhole since I could not see it.

After finding what I wanted to take in the house and placing it on the driver's seat, I walked down the driveway and stumbled when I came to the street. DARK! I walked in the street to the mailbox about ten feet from the mailbox. If I had tried to walk in the gutter, no doubt I would have stumbled on the rough asphalt broken off in places or sticks or tree limbs. When I walk in the yard to the mailbox, I step in a present from a dog.

The mailbox was visible, barely. What I noticed was the door was hanging open. Sometimes, the mailman does not get it to catch. Sometimes, I don't. So, I put my hand up and moved it to the open cavity of the box above the door. Ouch! Why did I jam my fingers on the empty space? Knowing I did not hit the door or the mailbox, I was puzzled. Gingerly, I felt about. There was something long sticking out of the mailbox, the thing I jammed my fingers on. I thought I knew what the cylinder was.

As I took things from the car that I wished to be in the house, I looked at address on the long, round package. YES!

After I came into the house, I opened the long cylinder to find the umbrella from the TV station where I emailed my name and address in order to receive an umbrella in a drawing. YAY me! It has the spring to open it with one hand. 

This makes two gifts from this station as I won a weather radio from the station this spring. I like winning useful things.

About 35 years ago, I won two tickets for the theater from a radio station every month for about a year. It was a trivia question to the first caller who answered a trivia question correctly, and a person could only win once each month, or maybe it was once a week. I have forgotten but there were only two of us who consistently won. Neither of us ever answered a question wrong! That is why they had to put a limit on the winners...lol.

Soooo, I have a new umbrella. If it did not have a logo, it would be a Christmas gift.

Your turn
Do you enter drawings and win things? Are you like me and can always use another umbrella?

Let's Interrupt the Candy Post for Financial News

I added a new finance post to the list of Good Reads on the left sidebar. Check out My Dollar Plan for an Amazon FREE $60 deal. Now, you can go back to the Halloween candy post.

This Could Turn Me Off Halloween Candy!

In my head I was saying, "Nooo, tell me it isn't so!"

What does this list do for you? I probably won't buy anything but candy corn, but I want a snack-sized piece or four of Mounds and a handful of Tootsie Rolls. Reeses' Peanut Butter Cups cannot be that bad! Tell me it isn't so!

Make sure your chocolate goodness is not "Dutch processed," "Dutched," or "processed with alkali." I think all this candy is processed with alkali. That won't stop me...lol. However, I don't plan to eat much of anything.

Check out the bad news about Halloween treats right HERE.

Your turn
Which of the treats for Halloween trick or treat is your favorite to eat? If you buy treats, what do you hand out?

Cooking Advice

When I served exbf his meal of carrots, potatoes, onions and pork loin, I was turned away when I heard him moan with pleasure. I thought it was the pork loin and the bbq sauce he had chosen. No, it was the carrots he was moaning about.

He said they were delicious, so much better than carrots from a can. Poor guy. I had given him an extra large portion and was glad I had cooked so many. He was so happy when I sent home a bag of carrots, potatoes, and pork loin. Yes, I put it all in a storage bag as it was not going to run all over each food.

I got the hen (plus clove of garlic and an onion) out that I cooked and strained the bits out and put the broth back in the crock pot to fill with potatoes and carrots. There were only three of the free potatoes and they were starting to turn green under the skin. So, sadly my tired body had to peel them. I washed and trimmed three pounds of carrots and added to the pot.

When I told him just now (Thursday night) that I was cooking three pounds of carrots and three potatoes, he eagerly asked me, "Did you put in an onion? Well, make sure you put an onion in!" It wasn't that he had NEVER mentioned what I am going to cook. It was how eager he sounded, excited about an onion.

Usually, I just slice and sometimes dice the onion so we get the flavor and the onion floats around and sort of disappears. When he was here Monday, I peeled the onion and quartered it, and carefully placed the quarters in the places with no carrots, pushing them down. That way, I could actually dip out onion. He obviously loved the huge hunk of onion, too.

These are Vidalia onions that have been sitting here in a bag since July.  Of course, I bought them on sale. The garlic is in a tall and skinny jar in vinegar. I bought it from the sale rack at Publix. Carrots were $0.49 for 2 lbs. They are so much more delicious than baby carrots!

When I get the carrots and potatoes out of the crockpot, I will put a head of cabbage, zucchini, and yellow squash in to cook....and another onion.

The hen cost me $2 on sale and had huge breasts and little tiny thighs and skinny legs! What is with that? Some sort of starlet?

So, this is as close as he has ever come to giving me cooking advice.  I am glad I keep the crockpot going for about four days straight, just adding stuff to the chicken broth. When I told him how long the crockpot had been going on Monday, he remarked that was what people did long ago, just keep adding food each day to a pot over a fire.

I thought I had more potatoes, so I will look for those for tomorrow's pot, too. Plus, I may make bean soup in the pot with broth when the cabbage comes out.

Your turn
Does your SO or anyone suddenly like what you cook so much that he or she starts eagerly requesting you cook things a certain way? Have you ever left the crockpot on for four days, adding things each day?

Fall Finally?

The last two days have been record setting days here in N AL. The temperature on Tuesday was 89 and the temperature on Wednesday was 87. Today will be mid-80s and 68 on Friday. I think I got that all right.

When I heard that, my question was--where are my sweatshirts? I will wash a load of those old purple sweatshirts. Someone told me they are periwinkle blue. Not in my book. Purple! The time I found sweatshirts for $1, they were all the same color. Since they were to keep me warm when in the house or out and about at mailbox or with the hens, at that price I didn't much care the color.

No one has ever seen one on me when I am out!

I know where my socks and shoes are, so the transition from sandals will be easy but traumatic. I hate socks and shoes. My ubiquitous gray pants will be put away the change to my ubiquitous black pants. Nightgowns will be worn less and pants and sweatshirts worn more in the evening and to bed. It's not quite time for the fuzzy pajama pants.

As I was sorting through things to toss, wear, or cut up, I found a new purple sweatshirt, never worn. Remember, I bought eight of the sweatshirts? The plan was to use two to cut up and make something for my granddaughter. But, when the first one pilled so horribly after the first washing, I gave up on that idea. Still, for $1, they are a bargain considering that they have gotten stained and been used for hair coloring.

There is a hen in the crockpot that has been cooking all night with an onion and garlic. When I take it out, I will throw potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, and garlic in for my vegetable for a few days. Oh, I did not get the zucchini and squash in the other day when I was so ill. Maybe those should go in right at the end of the cooking period.

A few years ago at the church that had the weekly dinner, the children made soup mixes--beans mixed by them along with a packet of seasoning.  While I don't like bean soup at all, exbf does. So, before I wash the crockpot, one of those will be cooked for him. He can take it home in a quart jar.

Well, those are my plans for the beginning of Fall and cooler weather. And, I think I will bake a pie one cool evening.

Your turn
Did you ever come upon such a bargain that you had to buy multiples, extreme multiples to everyone else? Has cool weather arrived at your place yet? What did you do or are you going to do to prepare? What is the first thing you cook at the first sign of cooler weather?

Can't You Just Control That?

This teen is so ignorant! Where was he during biology/anatomy class. You must read this while sitting down. Actually, after my surgery, a guy made a remark that we discussed. He is in his 60s and was just as totally confused.

Since "97" is part of his name, I can guess that he in now 19-years-old, old enough to know better.

My son knew when he was seven. Daughter, middle one, knew when she was eight-years-old. Younger daughter knew when she was four...well, that babies came out a separate place, the one in the middle. She was curious and precocious.

Your turn
If you are a guy, how long have you been aware of this basic anatomy fact? Even gay guys know this, right? If you are a woman, do you know anyone over twelve-years-old who still doesn't have this basic fact down? Mothers and fathers, did you teach this to your boys? Did anyone teach them?

Life Is Good When Produce Is Free!

No means test. No sign-in. Close by. No waiting in line.

5 apples
1 tomato
1 spaghetti squash
1 acorn squash
5 large potatoes (well, not new potatoes)
mess of greens

6 almost dead bananas from the fruit market when I stopped by and not part of the giveaway

I had one of the bananas, salvaging about nine-tenths of it. Dominique will enjoy the one-tenth.  I will eat another tomorrow and probably freeze the rest for smoothies because they won't last until the day after tomorrow. Everything else will last for a bit with no deterioration.

Enough fruit and vegetables for a week for one person?

Making Soap Vlog

No, I am not making soap.  I am still flat of my back. But, since I want to save these instructions from Justin Rhodes' wife, I am putting these Instructions in this post. Soap making always seems so scary and intimidating. However, this video doesn't make me afraid...lol. Some day, I will make soap. Making soap won't be because I think soap will never be available again or because I want to be a purist.

However, I once made a trade for postage on a bread maker I sent to someone. She paid the postage and sent me soap for my trouble. Sending me soap was totally unnecessary, but she sent it anyway.

The homemade soap was the first I ever used. My only specification to her was "no scents." I do use scented soaps, but only pink Dove. The homemade soap was wonderful, soft and creamy, leaving no residue on my skin and lasting a long time. Surely, I can make something as wonderful.

As for the thermometer, I am sold. I love it and can think of other applications. Many times I don't make different food items because I don't have a candy thermometer!

Also, I don't have a stick blender because I think it might splash stuff around and get it on the top of the blender, especially where the pieces of the blender join.

Your turn
Do you or have you ever made soap? Do you do anything different from the soap maker on this vlog? Have you ever used this type of thermometer? Are stick blenders as easy to use and mess-free as she makes it seem?

We Should Cocoa

What a lovely idea! Check it out HERE.

Not Quite Right Sunday

I have slept most of the day. On and off, I wake and find nothing on TV and drift right off the sleep again, a deep, heavy unrestful sleep.

Dominique was hungry when I got out there. I brought a few things in from the car. I was so exhausted I had to lie down for an hour.

About 4pm, I decided to try to hang up the clothes I had washed yesterday. Maybe I could hang up a few outdoors and the rest inside. Well, there were no clothes in the washing machine. That was a puzzlement. When I staggered in to put a few things in the washer, there was a basket full of wet clothes. ???

The washing machine is still not filled. Oh, well. Maybe I will hang up those clothes on hangers and on the towel racks to dry.

Maybe Cheerios would be good, eaten from a Hefty glass to keep from spilling the bowl onto my bed like I did yesterday. I poured milk, got the Cheerios and a spoon. Then, I got the milk out again and was shocked to find milk in the Hefty glass. You can tell I really don't feel quite right.

When I got back to my bed, I decided to just eat dry Cheerios and drink milk. There were just  a few Cheerios, so I just ate from the bag. When I finished eating Cheerios and drinking milk, I discovered I had more Cheerios down my nightgown than I got into my mouth. At least there was no milk down my nightgown. My head really hurts!

Exbf is driving me to the doctor tomorrow.

Today was a beautiful day, soft breeze, brilliant sun, blue skies, fluffy clouds, moderate temperature not hot at all. It's a shame to miss it. However, the big picture window helps me to keep track of sunshine and blue skies. The window is mostly filled with green from the trees not yet turned and leaves not fallen.

Your turn
Have you ever felt so sick that things were confusing? Was there beautiful weather where you are?

Dead Dishwasher

I did not get the clothes hung out, just slept lots. My flanks hurt! Exbf  will come Monday and take me to doctor. Today, I am just here, typing while lying on my back.

There is a new dishwasher waiting to be installed. However, installing the dishwasher will cost just about as much as the dishwasher did! I finally figured out why it is not washing dishes even though it slings water around and just leaves stuff on dishes, gunk that was not on before I put them in and washed them. Plus, the food/gunk on the dishes is like concrete.

Last month, I washed one load about ten times, each time on a different setting. The result was a higher electric bill. That was puzzling.

Yesterday, even though I felt horrid, I leaned over, hanging onto the counter and watched what happened when I pushed the buttons. First of all, the dishwasher no longer heats water. Secondly, the button to turn off the heat drying to go to air dry is not working. So, I have been washing in cold water and baking on what gets left on or slung around. This is in addition to back flow INTO dishwasher when I run water in the sink. The water that flowed into the bottom of the dishwasher then ran out all over the floor!

When I just left the dishwasher open to air dry, as soon as I closed the door, the heat dry option came back on. It was a hopeless case.

Obviously, it was time for a new dishwasher. If I had to wash all dishes, I would quit cooking and eat sandwiches and raw food. Since I cannot stand long and bend to wash dishes, it would be the only choice.

The last time I bought a new dishwasher, about 25 years ago, I did not have to pay for installation. Now, it turns out that the installer must be a licensed plumber AND a licensed electrician because there is water and electricity involved. ??? All a person must do electrically is twist the wires together. I can do that safely. This is not a new installation with wiring involved going to the box.

The delivery is free. But, they will charge me $20 to carry the old dishwasher away. I will put it on the curb for people who look for recycling things before garbage day. Or, I will call one of the numbers for people who will pick up things to recycle. The delivery people will remove the old dishwasher and only sit it in the yard. This is a racket!

In the meantime, I do not have access to a dishwasher! No, I don't know anyone who will do it for me. Exbf knows nothing about plumbing or electricity, even less than I do. He can follow directions, though. There are videos on youtube about installing dishwashers. I am not physically capable. Neither is he.

Your turn
Have you paid to have a dishwasher installed? Or, have you heard of a place charging over $200 for installation? I know, some of you have husbands or family to do these things.

Have you ever had a dishwasher fail so catastrophically?

Kmart Deal? PO Done!

I came across a blouse someone gave me. It is not in a color I like or in my size. Surprisingly, the blouse actually is large enough. Of course, it is from a better store than WM or Kmart.  Thursday, I decided that a necklace and earring set at Kmart would give me another outfit when worn with black sweater and pants.

When all was said and done, I decided $8 was too rich for my blood. Then, I realized all the jewelry that had been marked down before, was marked up! When I went to WM to get milk, I found a necklace there that I like better and was cheaper. When I can walk hanging onto a cart, I will look at Belk because they have some things marked down at a deep discount some days. They have no electric carts, so I will have to feel better.

Just before closing time, I dragged myself into the PO and mailed the two packages--one to NY and the other to TX.  I put out one line of clothes to dry and took them down when I fed Dominique. These two things, PO and clothes on the line, were the total of my accomplishments today. I forgot, I folded them, too.

Tomorrow, I will hang out the clothes I washed today. Slowly, I will get all the laundry done. When I was younger, I was like a whirlwind with laundry, washing and drying as fast as the washer and dryer got the clothes washed and dried. Now, well, I am sick today and don't, even on a good day,  move like a whirlwind.

The results of culture for the doctor is still NOT in! Monday, I am doctor shopping. I am so ill that I am not even eating right. I need gravy from KFC! No, KFC gravy is not eating right, but it will make me feel better.

Your turn
If you do things more slowly now, do you fondly remember the days when you worked long and steady and recovered easily? If you still work long and steady, do you believe you will ever slow down? Have you ever had a culture or heard of one that takes 6 days?