I Am Cold! October Goal Met?

Written Sunday, but it is still cold!

My will is sinking. It was almost freezing here last night, I think. However, the heater is not in place yet, nor are the combustible moved. J has been going to help me "next time" she comes over. However, today it was a bit warmer and the temperatures will rise to 78 by Saturday.

Her host has offered to help me, so I may take him up on that. He is trying not to turn on his heat, either. I wonder how that works for the homeless people he has helped and housed. ???

I should have opened a window today to let in a little warm air. It is 4:30 pm and almost too late. I actually got lots done late, late last night, so I did not feel bad about sleeping late today. I am throwing things away slowly as I can often only get one or two small things from the cluttered porch into the trash.

A person gave me the whole Sunday newspaper, so I got the ads and coupons out. And, I have thrown away the excess. It is not a local paper, so most of it is of no interest. So, $2 saved again...yay me! Plus, I will not have to go to WM or newspaper office to get a paper this week. The newspaper is just about three blocks from me and not out of the way at all.

If I can last one more day, this will be the first October in almost 30 years that I have not been very ill and needed multiple antibiotics. Is it possible I have beaten this curse with the correct mix of allergy meds? And, a little luck? And, keeping my fingers crossed?

More trouble:

After her episode last week, I talked to her host. She could not even help him at his business on Saturday, so someone had to take her home. I went by there, and no, she could not help me either. So, it is cold in the house. Saturday afternoon, she be bopped here and smilingly gave me "$10 she owed me." I immediately told her it was $15. She ignored me as she ran to car, saying she and bf were going out to eat. You have no where to go on Tuesday and you can afford to go out to eat? You owe me money and you can go out to eat? grrrr

I noticed all the little things she did not do and decided giving her a list and WATCHING HER is my only recourse to getting things done. I gave her hot chocolate and she took it outside to smoke. I rinsed my cup and easily washed it the next day. I had to retrieve her cup off the porch and soak and scrub it to get it clean. !!!!

A friend came by. He has had a knee replacement. He said he would pay her to help him. When he came in, he thought I had bought a new car. He wants her to wash his, also white, as it sits under a tree like mine. He said she could stay with him. I have no idea what he has in mind, but she is better off with him than her bf.

This friend and his bil will come by to help me. Hopefully, they will and will behave.

It is 5:15, so the goblins will be out soon. Tomorrow, candy will be on sale!

Oh, J and bf rented a room by the week down near the junior college. He will drive 15 miles to work each day, and then have to drive back. They cannot make it. They rented it last night and stayed there....ewww...without sheets? This evening, they move.

Your turn
Are you trying to avoid turning on the heat? What day is your goal to use heat?

$20 sewing items for $6 and Busy Monday

Once again, I paid $6 for a coupon worth $20 at a sewing store. I decided to purchase needles for J. She has none.

*J.&P. Coats Sewing Needles $3.99 (for J) eyes were gold
*J.&P. Coats Gold Plated Quilting Needles $3.00 (only 2 needles in the package) size 8 (very tiny)
*Prym Quilter's Curved Needles (4) $3.59
*14 loose, ornate, heart-shaped, metal buttons, ten cents each
*1 2/3 yard black/grey ticking fabric

The quilting needles are the tiniest I have ever seen. I use betweens for regular hand sewing because I like the small needle. However, I am not sure these will ever be used for regular sewing.

I am not a quilter, so I was not aware quilters ever used curved needles. I cannot guess the application. There are two 2-inch curved needles and two 2.5 curved needles. The smaller would fit around a quarter and the larger around a half dollar. No, I did not fit them around coins, but that is my guess.

While I love these coupons, a person can only get one coupon per month per business. I missed calling at the right time to get the KFC coupon. Some weeks, I forget to call and some weeks, I am not quick enough dialing.

Monday, I purchased another sewing coupon. At Harbor Freight I bought 4 cleaning cloths for $0.43. At Publix I bought a half-gallon of a2milk. I had not had any for more than 24 hours! I returned something at WM because the purchase was just a waste of money. I had the checkup for right eye after it was lasered to remove a bubble from the cataract surgery. My ocular blood pressure is fine. Those five stops wore me out.

Your turn
Do you know how a quilter could use a tiny curved needle? I have used a curved needle, so I understand the concept. Do you ever use coupons for sewing supplies/notions? Do you find that a day with multiple stops that take only a few minutes is draining?

I Am Cold! Moon Pie Tin

These tins are about $9 with 12 Moon Pies inside. Nice!  Have you seen these? The singles are tastier than the double-decker sandwiches. When I was a child, there were only the singles. I got Moon Pies from Memaw's store.


At 6 pm on Sunday, it was 60 degrees in the house! My friend will move the heater. However, J said she would move things around for me...since the beginning of September. I can barely lift a fork because somehow I hurt my hand in a different place and it is twice as painful now. No, typing does not make my hand hurt.

I wrote a long post and somehow lost it.

Saturday night, I took a sheet I bought in 1970, folded it several times and put it over the pot with the potato plant. Since I was afraid it might blow off, I found a piece of pipe to put over the sheet. There was no wind to blow it off.  It seems to have survived the cold. It should be down to freezing tonight, so it will be okay. It is the only plant I have that must be protected. 

Saturday, J, all smiley and looking on top of the world came bebopping over here and paid me
"the money she owed me." No, I used $15 worth of gas, not the $10 she gave me. grrrr

Sunday, I posted in my daybook all the things I have to do in November and December. Well, doctor appointments were there. Now, I have put quite a few Thanksgiving and Christmas events, too. Many of them are eating occasions, even if they are brown bag events with a lecture.

Your turn
Do you have fond memories of Moon Pies? Is it cold where you live? Are there any food plants you must cover during the cold nights?

Big Mistake

I talk to exbf about twice a day. He was here last Tuesday for the Halloween lunch. We opened our candy and traded what we didn't want for what we would rather have. At the end of the meal, I put my purple bag in my purse. NOW, I remember he asked me to put his in my purse, too.

Well, I found candy in mu purse several days after and wondered how I had two bags. Friday night, he warned me not to eat his candy. "Huh, what candy?" I could hear a barely audible moan. "The orange bag is mine." He explained and then I knew--I ate his candy! I told him so and then there was a grunting groan. Even though I apologized profusely, I could tell he was not happy with me. So, I promised I would get him some candy before he comes this week. I am thinking maybe I could dress up in costume and go out alone or get a kid to take out to Trick or Treat.

Sure, I could just buy candy for him, but I would prefer not to spend the money. Plus, there would be enough for me to eat, and I just don't need it. And, there would not be the variety he had.

Maybe I could just offer to buy some from a kid? I only need six pieces.

The reason I think this is a big mistake is that I don't take it lightly when anyone eats my chocolate candy or any candy of mine.  My children had to watch me like a hawk when they had Halloween, Christmas, or Easter candy.

I really hate I ate his candy, all six pieces of bite size or fun sizes.

Have you ever accidentally eaten someone's candy? Or did you eat it on purpose and regretted it? How should I get candy? Dress up and go out Trick or Treating myself? Find a kid to take out? Pay a kid for six pieces?

A Reason to Turn on the Oven

It has been very cool in the house, cool enough for a tshirt, sweatshirt, and long pants, socks and shoes. However, outside it was still shorts weather. I didn't want to open the window.

While I won't turn on the oven to warm the house, I will take advantage of the warmth of the oven. I have a reason to use the oven.

At the Thursday free dinner, we were given two pounds of peanuts. There may be more. I decided to eat a few at lunch since I had nothing in mind to eat. I put one peanut in my mouth and was sorely disappointed. It is raw. yuck

I will put the peanuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them into the oven. Then, I will turn the oven on 350 F, leave the oven on until it beeps telling me it has reached 350 F. THEN, I will turn if off and leave the peanuts in the oven until the oven cools. The peanuts will be done.

I will not salt these. Exbf does not need the salt. He will always choose salty nuts. However, he never says a word when I give him unsalted peanuts.

It's evening, so a bit of warmth will feel good.

Your turn
How do you roast peanuts? Do you soak them in brine?

Recipe: Chicken and Bacon

As I was reading other blogs, I came across Frugal Things Every Day and a delicious recipe. Well, it sounds delicious. Have you ever made this recipe?  I would be cooking this right now if I had chicken breasts in the house.

Even crispy bacon is difficult to break into small pieces. I have found that using kitchen scissors is absolutely the best--fastest and easiest--way to get bacon into small enough pieces.

I use the blog to store recipes I want to make.

Free Dinner and Wednesday/Thursday Drama

I will start off with another free meal--Thursday dinner. The choices were chicken tortilla soup and beef/vegetable soup. Of course, I chose chicken and accidentally ate a few green chilies. The salad was great, just greens, tomatoes, cheese, and dressing. Plus, I had lemon pie and unsweetened tea. My gastro-intestinal system did not forgive me for the green chilies.

forgot to add--there were other items to put in the salad that I did not choose, like cucumbers, onions, croutons, and other things I don't eat. There were also crackers, cornbread, and some sort of rolls.

There was a flyer at each place listing some of the Thanksgiving dinners in town, including the ones that are on a different day because of Thanksgiving Day. I need to put that in my day book, keeping the flyer there and noting it on appropriate days.  These are not just the ones for poor people. I don't know where they are, but won't go.

This has been the most beautiful day. It's fall at its best. We will have rain on Saturday, but in the meantime, this has been glorious weather.

On Tuesday, exbf remarked about all the trees still being green. We saw two trees as we drove in some of the areas and neighborhoods full of trees. We saw one tree turning yellow and another started to lose its green. This has been the greenest Fall I can remember.

Trees in my yard--three oaks, cherry, and wild cherry, and a hickory, plus all the smaller trees are still green and have only lost a few leaves. It looks like summer out the picture window and as I look around the neighborhood. By Thanksgiving most of the leaves should have fallen. But, for now....

Your turn
Are the leaves late in turning this year? Late in falling? Are you having a glorious fall with sunshine and clear skies?

Drama below that you may skip.

This will be the condensed version of the drama. Wednesday, J came over and asked if she could talk. We did. Her bf had taken her phone from her again.

She had confessed to him that another guy whom she thinks is a saint found out where she worked and ate there with another woman. She went to his table and talked to him. So, for the last month she has wanted this man who was nice to her. She said it made her feel better to get it off her chest, her failure--the fact she saw him in that setting.

So her bf was screaming at her, calling her names, poking her hard in her chest, making her stagger backwards. He took her phone. He punished her for telling him how she was not over this guy with whom she had already cheated.

I told her that confessing infidelities only made the confessor feel better, and the person betrayed hurt. She said it was the right thing to do...and started talking Bible gibberish.

She said her daddy had gotten her a phone. I was so angry I volunteered to go get it, 70 miles from here if someone paid me for gas eventually. Forty or more times on the way and again that many coming back, she would sway around, frazzle her hair and say, "Oh, Linda, I am freaking out!" I just told her sharply to stop it, which she did. I don't think saying, "I am freaking out" means a person is freaking out. I was being played.

Then she got all weirdly religious. Every time I said a word found in the Bible, she would repeat the word along with a phrase in the Bible, and say, "See, (whatever) is in the Bible. I finally yelled at her and told her to shut up with the religion stuff unless it had something to do with anything. She said, "But, it is in the Bible!" I could barely form a sentence without her interrupting.

She said she knew how to get to daddy's house. NO, she did not. She used my phone to call him and he said to me over and over, "Just get on Bessemer highway and get on Academy drive." Even when I told him that meant nothing to me, he just kept repeating it. So, I hung up. She had no idea either.

You have to understand, I am afraid of the woods and getting lost. This was someplace called Adger, woods! She kept saying things, all untrue, about where we were. I was furious to hear her say over and over that she knew how to get there, just go here or there. That, alternating with her other crazy stuff was making me so angry, frustrated, and afraid.

Finally, I quit listening to her and made all right turns, four times! Accidentally, I arrived on the correct road. Then, she kept saying to look for a certain church because he lived across the road from that. we arrived and she started bellowing for her Daddy. I refused to allow her out of the car. These people are all drug addicts, supposedly recovered, alcoholics and had all been in prison. I figured she would act out and not leave. I was not afraid for my life. Oh, forgot to say, I found her walking on the streets in our neighborhood right after she took three Benadryl.

I held her coat and would not allow her out of the car. Her daddy hugged her and screamed she was hyperventilating. No, she was not. Her brother came to my side of the car and gave me the phone. I asked for directions out of there, and he had no idea. He told me to call his girlfriend and ask her. She left her house and went to her friend's house to go to another friend's house to get her to give me directions. That person started reading quickly as though from Google maps directions--go 2.3 miles SE to blank road, turn N and go ....you get the idea.

I told her I could not remember all that, and I was driving. She said she had sent me a text with it all on it. I had a flip phone! I hung up because I was driving on dark, unfamiliar roads with barely a center line and drop-offs that were deep, no shoulders in some places.

Then, people started calling and demanding to know where she was, what was going on, and garbage talk. So, I turned off my phone.

I finally saw a police car and the woman gave me the correct directions--one more turn. It was not the convoluted directions of the person on phone.

Once I got back on 59 headed toward Birmingham, I am okay. But, listening to J I managed to miss the exit to home up 65. I crossed the interstate, exited at 22nd street and wondered how to get back on 65 N. So, I headed South to University drive, and followed it to interstate and all was smooth from there on.

We went to bathroom in WM since were both in pain. I refused to let her out of my sight, so I had her go to family bathroom while I waited outside. Then, I made her stay in there while I went. We headed to my house and she came in. She didn't "know what to do, where to go." I told her she could lie down in my floor and sleep or I would drive her home. She said this at least 100 times in two hours.

She stood up and said she felt like she was going to faint. I nonchalantly said don't knock anything over when she fell. She tried to collapse, but it was a controlled fall. I just lay here and turned off the light. However, I stayed turned on right side so I could see her. In about five minutes, I saw her stand up and lean to look at me. Except for those five minutes, craziness came from her mouth from about 6 pm on Wednesday until 4:30 am on Thursday.

At 8 or so, she said she was going home. She came back about 2 pm today, showered and looking nice. Her bf not only took her phone, he left with her purse, three bags of her clothing. So, I suggested we go get it. She was all against that because it was wrong to open the door to his unlocked car and get her things. I insisted.

When we got there, she headed straight to the area he works. I screamed at her to come back. She kept turning back saying she needed to tell him, needed to see him. She said she could not just get her things without telling him. I am yelling at her to get the stuff and come on. She got in the car and said it did not feel right to do what she is doing.

Finally, I let her out at her house. I went somewhere and came back past the house where they live. She had met him at the car and was making the motions of explaining and switching around in an "I'm helpless" sort of way. He yelled at me when I passed by. When I got home, his phone was calling me. I am not sure if it were him or her. But, I ignored it.

This was a trip full of her "religious" type rants, looking up and saying she wanted to be up there, talking to Jesus, asking me questions, telling me the "truth" because it is in the Bible and I just said the word. And what does it all mean. Threatening to take the whole bottle of Benadryl so she could sleep forever, saying if she had a gun she would blow her brains out, saying she wanted to walk in front of a car.

I took her threats of suicide semi-seriously. People who threaten and people who try to commit suicide sometimes succeed. I told my friend who is allowing them to live there about this, but he seemed cold to her problems and cannot wait until the last day of the month when they will be gone. They still have no place to go. She said she was depending on her bf to find a place.

She knows there is no room here, or she would be wanting to stay with me. No way, even if I had room. She would allow him in the door and I would have to hurt him. Then, I would call police to him.

Oh, I suggested Victim's Services quite a few times and she would beg me not to take her there, like I could make her go. They would not even open the door for her since the police would have to bring her. I am privy to the location, but signed a confidentiality agreement.

I offered to take her to hospital where they can keep her for a day, I think.

She cannot leave him because she "loves everybody just like the Bible says to do." She says she cannot judge him. She wants to love everybody and think no one is doing wrong. I told her that "by their fruits you shall know them." So, she just has to look at his abusive actions. She does not believe in talking behind a person's back. But, she has told me tales about many people.

She would go off on another crazy rant.

However, she has lied about things around here and how they went down. My friend with whom she lives believes me as he has same problems.

Bible gibberish--she just says a Bible verse, or sees a name in Bible on sign and excitedly points to it, repeating the name and saying it is in the Bible. Hears me say "word" and interrupts me excitedly saying " 'Word' is in the Bible." Somewhere, she saw the name "David" on a billboard and got excited because "it is in the Bible." Oh, adding this--when I say she says a Bible verse, she just says something like "John 3:16." She thinks quoting book name, chapter number, and verse numbers is testifying.

Okay, gotta stop. I am still exhausted mentally and physically from last night that extended into this morning and resumed this afternoon. Whew!

Your turn
Are the leaves late in turning this year? Late in falling? Are you having a glorious fall with sunshine and clear skies?

Spectacular Free Lunch and Other Food and Stuff

Since the eye doctor locked the door as I left and the phones were off, too, I had no idea if I should be careful washing my hair or not wash my hair. I envisioned having a multitude of holes in my eye that might get infected. Consequently, I did not wash my hair before Tuesday activities.

Exbf came and we went to the Tuesday free lunch. So, half the town has seen me in greasy hair. Plus, I was going to wear the only orange blouse I own. No, could not find it but I looked for all of three seconds since I was running late and he was waiting in the car. The blouse was on sale for $1, so I thought it was a good price for something bought to wear once a year.

The decorations for the lunch were the spectacular part. All the round tables had black tablecloths and a bouquet of dead and half dead flowers and weeds. Each place had a Halloween bag of candy. All the people who serve and cook and work in the eating area dressed in Halloween costumes/attire. The whole scene was quite festive.

We had some sort of Mexican dish--huge bed of lettuce, chopped tomatoes on top, chopped onions, cheese, salsa, sour cream and a pile of chips on the other half of the plate. Of course, I only had lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream. I had the thinnest slice ever of pumpkin bread and the chocolate icing from a tiny square of cake and unsweetened iced tea.

I brought home a to go plate for both of us. They served me little cheese and practically no sour cream because they were running out. We went to store where I got an 8 oz container of sour cream. I had lots of shredded cheese, so I was able to fix my salad.  I ate all this well after dinner. He will probably eat his today.

For dinner here I had put carrots, potatoes, an onion, bit of dehydrated celery, two cloves of garlic, and bit salt in crockpot. He had two chopped German hotdogs with his. I had plenty of potatoes and found four carrots in the refrigerator, so we each had two carrots, one for dinner and one in leftovers. The onion had just started to go off, growing green in it. So, in a way I saved the food from doom.

With most of the potatoes I may make a potato, cheddar, bacon soup. I sampled this at Publix and loved it, unlike all the potato soup in my past. The cheese and bacon salvage it for me, I think. Daddy made potato soup, and I just hated it.

At the lunch the people I sit with are friends and relatives. They began talking about pecans and the trees one of them has. Last year, they got 25 5-gallon buckets of pecans. I was relating how I grew up with pecan trees, about 10 trees at both places we lived and how pecans were my favorite nut. I replace any nut in a recipe with pecans.

The woman with whom I sit at the lunch asked me if I would like pecans. We made plans for me to pick up some that day! So, I we drove over and it was given a quart bag of pecan halves. They had just come from the freezer, last year's crop. He sat in the car for the forty-five  minutes I stayed inside. After my late salad, I ate 10 pecan halves. I was in ecstasy. Then, she assured me she would give me more when this year's crop came in. Yesssssssssss!

I checked the potato I had planted and little bits of green sprouts had appeared. I thought they had grown out of the soil, but I think that the rain washed the soil from around the sprouts that were showing. I am debating as to whether to cover them again or leaving them exposed. Leaves are what should emerge.

Tuesday, I still felt awful with a lingering headache from the eye doctor, so I did not put the cabbage in the crockpot with the carrots and potatoes and onion because I lay down too long. The cabbage has been here forever and forgotten, so I will put that in the crockpot today with another bunch of potatoes and an onion. Maybe the potato soup will be cooked on Friday. hmmm

From the looks of my refrigerator, I don't need to go grocery shopping, or at least for vegetables. Plus, I have plenty of bananas and apples and grapes. The sweet potatoes are waiting, too. I won't need milk until Saturday, and I bought orange juice on Tuesday when I bought the sour cream.

I thawed a package of chicken legs to cook for exbf. A package of bacon is thawed for eating with eggs and for the potato soup. I am set for food!

Maybe I ate my Halloween candy. At the lunch each plate had its own bag of Halloween candy. Yes, I finished it during the day and last night. Hopefully, I will get more somehow...lol...not buying it because I will eat too much.

Yesterday's Headache

After cataract surgery, I still could not see clearly. The doctor finally said I had a bubble behind the lens. Yesterday, I had that zapped with a laser and ended up with the horrid headache I get from having my eyes dilated. It is almost gone, but maybe will get worse like it usually does, taking 24+ hours for complete relief.

Yesterday was the first time having my eyes dilated has caused a problem with driving. However, it was 5 o'clock when I left the office and had to drive directly into the low evening sun. Consequently, I had to exit onto the highway and go a different direction to escape being blinded. Then, about 100 feet down the road turned around and headed back into the sunset with one hand up to shield my eyes. Even those little glasses did not help.

My sinuses hurt a bit, so I hope the headache I still have from the dilation does not get worse when I sit up from lying here.

Next week, I have to go and see if everything is okay--no buildup of pressure. Then, I can go back and have the bubble in the left eye zapped.

I sat with my chin on the little support while the doctor used a laser on my eye.  I thought there would be a single zap with the laser. NO! There were seven to ten beeps as the same amount of red spots appeared in my vision. It was amazing. And, scary. I was not afraid, but I was not aware of what was going to happen.

Your turn
Have you ever had bubbles in your eye that had to be zapped with a laser? Does having your eyes dilated give you a horrid headache?

Garden Hose Dead and Car Washed

About thirty-years ago, I bought two 50' hoses. They were very expensive. Due to age and people using them around here and leaving them in kinks, they are breaking. So, I gave J the black duct tape to fix the huge hole so she could use the water hose at full power. I suppose next year I will need to buy new hoses. That is annoying!

I have repaired them with the hose repair metal pieces. Well, I had a friend do it since it very difficult to do. Maybe I will just keep taping them for a few more years. Maybe not since they crackle when the kink is straightened. They will make good irrigation hoses when I replace them.

Sunday, J was to be here at 10 am to wash my car for $5. She set the time. At 10:05, she called saying she would be here in a bit. Well, I am not upset at her being here a little after 10 am. It is when she sets the time and does not respond to my calling an hour after she plans to be here that I am annoyed. Usually, it is two or three hours later, and I am livid.

She did a great job on the car. It was filthy. However, she could not start until I went away. I had sat nearby on the stone bench, just because. She stood, talked, and smoked. She says she works better with music, so she would wait for me to leave so she could turn on her phone. grrr

I discussed this with exbf. Neither of us works "better" to music. If I listen to music when I work, it is because I want to listen to music. He said it was the same for him. Music is an extra for us, not a necessity, a must.

She was yelling at men going by who were looking at her, or us, or her antics, or just because no one and no car is ever in that part of the yard.  Who knows why people look? I don't.  I really don't like that kind of trashy behavior in my yard. Besides, I am not a traffic watcher to see who comes and goes in the neighborhood.

She took out my trash as she was leaving the house to wash the car. We looked at the pot with the potato planted. It is there, not disturbed. I saw the largest, fattest chipmunk in my yard today. It will be just my luck that he likes potatoes! I had not seen a chipmunk in ages, so I thought all the cats had eaten them.

Occasionally, there is a Sunday paper in my driveway. She brought it to me. So, I didn't have to buy a Sunday paper today. Yay me! Saved $2.

After much insisting from me, J showed me her resume that a friend of her generous host wrote for her. It is a disaster. So, I will rewrite it for her to give her the best chance of using it for a job.  The resume she has will not help her and probably hurt her chances of getting a job. She insisted she did not need for me to look at her resume because it was really good.

Every place she worked, she listed "friend." She put down all the same people as references with our phone numbers. I really did not mind she listed my name and number, but I told her should never list anyone as a reference, personal or business, without asking permission first. I thought she was going to cry as she said she did not think I would care. sigh

She was strange and moody today. But, my car is clean, very clean. I think she is not happy with what she made. She was here from about 10:15 until 1 pm washing the car. She knew how dirty the car was, so she should have spoken up if I was not going to give her enough.

Oh, I forgot--bf was there at home and she had to get back to him!

We ate Reese's Ghosts. This is a ghost shape of Reese's cups but coated in white chocolate. I highly recommend them.

Sunday was a great day-- a clean car and mowed yard, and the potato survived its first night! The temperature was pleasant and the sun was shining. What should I plant next?

Your turn
How long do your water hoses last? Remember, I am planting in a thick pot, not a five-gallon bucket. It gets sun and I can keep it warm. What should or could I plant?

Potato Planting

The potato has been sprouting indoors for two months. About three weeks ago, it had leaves. I put it outside two days ago on a shelf and sheltered by the porch. Then, after one chilly night, the leaves disappeared. The little sprouts remained green.

Saturday, after J mowed back and side yards, I gave her the $25 money order, and we went to mail it. She had worked here portions of three days.  I like to see money go into the mail! Then, I took her to the little free pantry to see what was there that she needed. She got sugary cereal and angel hair pasta. Her bf refuses to eat regular spaghetti pasta. I hate angel hair, but I will eat it rather than go buy more.

Then, we came home and planted the potato. I had her put the pallet in the back yard in front of the rock wall. She put the pot on that. The holes are big, so the dirt could fall out. She got the broken pot from the trash for me and got a brick with no idea why I asked for them. I smashed the brick into the piece of pot. She knows my hand hurts so she was trying to figure out how to hand me the brick and not hurt me. She was so shocked. I think I scared her when I smashed the broken piece of pot. I mostly just let the brick fall without much support from my right hand.She has no understanding of planting since she has never done it. I instructed her how to put the pot pieces in, put in dirt, put in potato, and more dirt.

I keep telling her to read about planting. Lots of knowledge can be gained by reading. She does not like to read that kind of stuff.

I told her she now knew how to grow food. Her bf likes meat and potatoes, and pasta with anything. So, she can grow potatoes! I hope she takes this life lesson to heart. Maybe I will find another potato that wants to sprout and give her a bucket, watch her plant the potato. She can take it to her apartment (when she gets one) and grow more potatoes. It will be easy enough to carry without much dirt in it at first.

I asked her to bring a hose to water the potato and soil and to put the hose on a light mist. Well, she put it on a hard mist and shoved the hose into the pot and watered the potato about two inches from the potato. I yelled not to hit it so close and pulled the hose up. It was a yell of alarm not anger. When she got it on a soft mist, she wanted to water closely again. This is a mix and does not need to be watered so long and hard. It blows away even in a mist. It had definitely had enough water. I explained it all to her. She has never heard this, so I hope she learns.

While I was sitting in a chair, waiting for her to bring all supplies I asked her to bring, I examined the potato up close. There was a potato starting to grow. It was about half the size of a grain of uncooked white rice. There were other little nodules, some as small as a period on this page. It was fascinating to observe how badly that potato wanted to reproduce more potatoes. I know I am anthropomorphizing the potato. But, nonetheless, it was following it destiny, its biologic" urge," if you will.

If I had planted the potato when I should have, I would never observed dozens of dust-sized potatoes. That alone, the observation, the knowledge, added a zing to my day. Hopefully, J learned something, too. When the potato has grown through the dirt a bit, I will show her how to add leaves, pine straw, and dirt.

If a raccoon or other animal turns this over, you will hear my primal scream from the ends of the earth. I could put it into the chicken pen...good idea, Linda. Sunshine comes in there. And rain.

Sunday morning
Nothing had dug up my potato.

Your turn
Have you ever grown potatoes from a potato? In a pot or bucket or the ground? Have you ever observed the minute potatoes on a sprouting potato? Would this be a good science project for kids? I think so.

Free Produce

Again, I went to the food giveaway that is not means tested. There were other people there who were not anywhere near needy but enjoy getting free food.

I received two pounds of beans and two pounds of rice. There were potatoes, sweet potatoes, and free apples, too. The five Granny Smith will go into the crock pot. I will bake all the sweet potatoes in one oven, dip the meat from the skins, and save some for when exbf comes, and maybe freeze a serving or two after I have enough for four meals for me.

A gallon of milk, five pounds of sugar, and eggs were offered, too. I turned down the bread as my freezer is full, and I can only eat so much and need even less.

It is a beautiful day that will lead to colder weather. The oven will be used when it is very cool in the house.

I have had one potato that was just barely starting to sprout. It then had green leaves which have fallen off. the potato is shrinking but still viable. The afternoon, I will have J help me plant it in a bucket. The bucket will go onto cap blocks. I have large flat stones I will put around the bucket. This will sit in front of the back wall, a rock wall, of the house. The bucket should grow a potato or two. I will cover it when it gets to freezing. Let's see how many potatoes one potato will grow.

J promised she would be here at noon. It is now almost 2 pm and she will be here when bf goes back to work after lunch....urge to kill.

your turn
What free food have you found lately? Have you ever grown potatoes this late?

In the Yard Again

I am so tired. Today, I sat while J picked up and moved stuff in the yard and cut down green things. There was a lot to do, mainly because she was always going to do it later, AND I have pots and buckets galore. Plus, she cut more wisteria to free two tables and a rack to hang clothes on that I am giving to her--not the tables, just the hanging rack. Most of the buckets went to the road for trash day. I am quite sure they will be gone in the morning.

Since she trips over wisteria and has such a hard time cutting it, I am quite sure she will never allow it to live in any yard she might have...lol.

She was wondering why I am saving all dirt from various pots. I need to fill in the trench in the yard made by the water being pumped out of the basement. And, the trench dug to put in the water line still needs more dirt in it to make the yard right. Most of the length is filled in but not some in the side yard.

My nice neighbor with whom she lives picks up black nursery pots of dirt he finds on the side of the road. He uses the dirt to fill in little divots in his yard. She thinks that is strange. ??? She thinks I should throw the dirt in the trash.

She never got around to mowing today. I had other plans. She sprayed the picnic table with something to clean it off--grime, mold, green stuff. Then, my plan was to have her paint at least the top on Saturday. It has been dry enough that painting is a great idea right now. We will see.

Plus, I took her (my idea) to courthouse so she could go find out about getting a driver's license. Supposedly, she has to pay $150 to reinstate her license and about $2000 in fines. She was driving someone's car and got a ticket for wrong plates. The woman today said even if the car was owned by someone else, the owner had to pay fine. That does not seem right. Plus, another time, she did not have proof of insurance on the same car. It belonged to someone else, but she has to pay the fine. That does not seem right.

She is very depressed by this news. But, I am going to find out of this is true. Legal aid is the only thing I can suggest for her.

Her bf is crazy. He had to come by here and say "bye" after lunch. I want him to stay away from here. I suspect he was just checking up on her. Maybe he just wanted to prove to me he can come here.

She cannot drive a stick, and that is what bf bought. I am going to find someone to teach her. He does not want her to learn. I had a friend in her 50s whose husband only bought a stick. I thought it was to keep her home. He had to drive her everywhere. I know how to drive a stick!

For lunch, I had the last of my fresh eggs, scrambled and with a glass of milk. Dinner was a Chicken Caesar salad and too many cookies with a glass of milk. Later tonight, I will have a fruit salad--banana, grapes, apple. Later, I will put vegetables in the crock pot.

I went to Lowe's for something I did not get, and bought a yellow mum for $1.50. It is tiny, but I put it into a pretty blue and yellow pot and placed it in the kitchen window. I can only afford tiny mums and plan to keep them over the winter.  Hopefully, the will live and grown larger next year.

For a few weeks I have been talking up a drive on the Natchez Trace to ex bf. Keep your fingers crossed. We won't drive the whole thing, just a section.

Your turn
Do you throw away dirt in a pot or do you find a use for it? Can you drive a stick shift? Have you ever heard of a driver of a car having to pay fine for changed tag or lack of insurance?

In the Yard

I have to watch practically every move j makes! For whatever reason, she does not follow directions. Plus, some stuff she does not know how to do or what to do. We went through this yesterday with the front yard. Today is back and side yards.

Yesterday, she had to take off the hour her bf is home for lunch. Then, he did not get home on time, so she wanted a half hour more. NO! So, she is home for her lunch now and to get long pants.

I slept from 7 pm yesterday until 9:30 am today. I awoke for an hour three different times and passed out each time from exhaustion. More on that later. Sitting or standing watching her is killing me. But, the yard will be done right. And, I will pay for her driver's license. Otherwise, bf will want cigarettes or to go out and eat!

Ugh! Just had scrambled eggs and milk for lunch. She should be back in three minutes. Yes, I get picky about the time she returns. When she is five minutes later than she says, I go ballistic in my head, not to her. So many times she just never comes back or calls three hours later and apologizes. Grrrr

My knee and shin hurt so bad last night, I almost cried. But, I resisted taking anything for pain.

Be back tonight if today does not finish me off.

Loved the comments yesterday.

That Special Time of the Year

About a month ago, I received my first unsolicited Christmas catalog--Fingerhut. It seems the items they sell now in Fingerhut are more upscale than the first catalogs I saw about 30 years ago. Well, it was more fodder for trash and recycling. It is just more upscale fodder now.

Then, the KMart catalog came. I loved it. All the toys get me excited about Christmas coming soon. There were toys in there I wish I had gotten. I never got a Barbie. Who could afford $3? The other thing I have really wanted all my adult life is a train. I know that is silly. I can afford neither now.

Walmart stores are alive with toys. They are exciting. I remember how my children loved the Batman figures they received about 1975. The excitement of little children is infectious. One little girl in WM kept squealing "toys, toys, toys" as she was obediently holding onto the cart her mother was pushing. She did not bolt at the sight of the toy aisles! She was fairly dancing on tippy toes as she squealed.

Thankfully, I won't have to be on the toy aisles around Christmas. If I want to see toys, I go in after midnight.

The catalogs are rolling in at the rate of one a day. If a day goes by without a catalog, I get two or three the next day. I do look at them all. Catalogs add to our cultural knowledge. Some are scanned very quickly. Others call for a bit more careful perusing and thought.  I tend to critique them. I yell at catalogs like guys yell at the TV during sports. The senders of catalogs depend on our curiosity to tempt us to buy. Well, it won't work with me.

I suppose the catalogs will help keep the Post Office afloat. The postman carries stuff in and the garbage man/recyclers carry it off!

Most of the catalogs warn me that this will be my last catalog if I do not respond. Last? Some catalogs have never ever come here since last year. Some catalogs with warnings have never darkened my door.

That Special Time of the Year--Catalog Season.

There was a time when the Wish Book was the only "catalog" I ever saw. Sears still holds a special place in my heart. my mother had several dozen years of Wish Books when I last looked before she died.

Your turn
Do you look at catalogs out of curiosity? Are you continually amazed at the products available, some new? Some silly? Some weird? What is the most ridiculous, amazing, or wonderful thing you ever saw in a catalog? Did you buy it? Can you be trusted to look at catalogs without ordering?

Milking the Lymph Glands or How to Beat a Viral or Bacterial Infection

I started the milking as an informal way to feel better when I was so ill with something in my head, ears, and sinuses. I did this for about five years. Not five years solid, just as need for about five years. One day, I sheepishly related my self-help technique to my nurse friend who was visiting.

She said, "Oh yes, that's 'milking the glands'." I was shocked it had a name. I thought that I thought this up all by myself and thought she would laugh.

I started by stroking lightly from under my ear to my collarbone. In later sessions, I progressed to rubbing behind my ear to collarbone. Later yet, I rubbed under chin to collarbone. In all cases, I followed the exact motions in the diagrams I will give you.

Before I give you the link, please ignore all the Chinese herbal advice. Well, let's put it this way--I don't use these herbs and have no opinion on them. However, if you like, skip to the section titled "Second."

I have been doing this for two days now in addition to taking OTCs.

A lymph gland in the ancillary breast tissue is enflamed hurting so much and has been for about 15 years while the doctors "watch it." What? Until it becomes cancerous?

Yesterday, I decided to see if there were instructions for "milking the lymph glands." Lo and Behold! There are instructions to do as I have been doing to my head and neck. Later on in the article, there is a diagram for milking lymph glands in the area of the breast.

First, I am going to have the mammogram done. Oh, the breast tissue on the other side is hurting worse than the long time achy breast tissue.

Take this site with a grain of salt. Well, you may want to take Chinese herbs, but I don't and am not suggesting it.

When I go to the breast doctor, I will discuss this before I start.

Here is the site. There are others if you google "milking the lymph glands."

This edu site gives you complete information on the lymphatic sytstem. Well, I spelled "system" wrong but I am not going to redo the link.

There is a new fad called "dry brushing" where the person uses a brush to stroke any part of the body, always toward the heart, to clean out the lymphatic system. Have you heard of that or done it?

Your turn
Have you ever done this "milking." Has a doctor or a health professional ever suggested this for you? What were the results for you? Have you ever heard of "brushing"?  If you will talk to me but not here, you can email me at pparsimony@yahoo.com

Christmas Gifts: Stored, Lost, and Found (sometimes)

When my children were little, sometimes I could buy a gift right under their noses,  store it  practically in sight, and wrap it on a table they could  not see over. Plus, they slept a lot.

Then, they grew up and were getting curious about everything. You know how toddlers become. Nothing escaped them. Things had to be hidden high and behind things and in a bag.

My children were about five and seven and volunteered to stay home while I shopped. Of course not! They confessed a few years later that they did a Christmas hunt when I was out of sight. Apparently, I did not have to leave the house.

One Christmas when son was nine-years-old, I bought a Boy Scout knife for Santa to leave in his stocking. Well, I brought it home from the store and never saw it again. I had to go out and buy another. I had hidden the original one so well and in the bottom of a large bag with other things that I obvious threw it out.

One year, they were old enough to leave home and very nosy. So, I hid all the presents in the trunk of the car. We had a two-door car. The three of them had to get in the back seat with a dozen bags of groceries. They were very unhappy having to ride so cramped. I told them the trunk was full of lawn chairs because their daddy had not gotten them out yet.

They harassed him to get stuff out of the trunk. Finally, my son said to just give him the keys and he would take everything out himself. Then, I had to guard my keys...for over a month!

Years later, when my daughter was an adult, she asked me where all the toys were that year because she and her brother had searched the whole house. That was the moment she told me they always hunted for their gifts.

The year they were getting rink skates, the older two did not know they were getting cases, too. I had to wrap those and say they were for my family. Finally, I told them I got them something extra but they did not know their skates were in the boxes.. Into each skate case I put a Tupperware tumbler with pecans and bells inside. So, they amused me and kept themselves entertained shaking those two boxes with skates and a case. The little one got plastic Superman skates that worked well on the carpet.

When I was about eight-years-old, Santa forgot to put some things out. My mother and father "discovered" something up about a foot from the floor in the limbs of our Christmas tree and near the trunk. Later, I remembered one of my parents disrupting our Christmas with something so the other could hide the gifts in the tree. They wondered aloud why Santa put gifts there.

For many years I used several drawers in a 7 ft. dresser to save gifts for any occasion. No one was looking for anything, so just sticking them in worked well. Now, I have things all over and often go though a feverish search for something I know I have stashed somewhere.

Your turn
Can you share a few stories of nosy children, gifts lost never to be found, or gifts misplaced and found? Any gift story will work.

Recipe: Cowboy Casserole

I found this recipe on Cheryl's Frugal Corner. This looks so delicious. I will use ground pork instead of beef.


COWBOY CASSEROLE
1 lb. of ground meat - browned
1 chopped onion
4 - 5 potatoes - cut into chunks
1 can red or black beans (drained)
1 can chopped tomatoes (I used Rotel like tomatoes)
Garlic  (to taste)
salt and pepper
1/4 C shredded cheese
Throw it all in crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Toss in cheese at the very end and let it melt - then it's done!  VERY GOOD & easy and cheap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I very seldom have potatoes on hand, but today, I do. I won't be using Rotel, just a can of chopped or diced tomatoes.  I may eat this for several days this week. Maybe I will freeze some for future meals.

Right now, I am still washing dishes from the dishwasher. It's a real chore. I have to heat water for the dishpan in the sink.

I an still having sneezing spells followed by runny nose spells. I feel a bit better and not so prone to drop off to sleep. I won't cook during either of these spells...lol.

Too cold then too hot

I like the fact that it is getting a bit cooler outside and inside. However, if I turn off the ac, I immediately get too warm. The worst part is I cannot breathe as the air is stifling. With the ac on at night, I am a bit chilly, even if I can breathe well. So, I put cover on me. With that move, I am too warm. So, I just cover my feet and have the sheet over the rest of me.

When, I get too warm, I sometimes sweat around my neck and head, just from the sheet, and that makes my throat hurt. Then, my chest feels tight. My ears pop and I have too much earwax. What's that all about?

I have been sneezing all day, usually grabbing my blouse and sneezing down inside it when I could not grab a Kleenex. My nose has been running and my eyes are blurry from being too dry and then my eyes water.

Remember, October is the month I am most likely to be very ill. My allergies run rampant. I am very tired all the time. I suspect this is the allergies. It could be all the allergy meds I must take. Who knows? (rhetorical)

At any rate, I did nothing today and seemed to be resting up from drama with J all week. I awoke at 6:30 am and took three naps before 9 pm tonight. I feel like I am recovering from something. Maybe I am.  However, the day is soooo dreary with not one bit of sunshine. Maybe that is it. Lack of sunshine really does a number on me.

I went to WM late afternoon/early evening and worked on Shopkick. I thought it was me because I had so much trouble working with it. No, something on my phone had been turned off or on, not sure. Once I got that fixed by employee in electronics, all was better, almost. the site then had problems. ugh

While there, I bought a $2.98 salad in a bowl and bananas. I really needed to buy nothing, and the salad was quick, cheap meal, and good for me. Well, it was cheap for eating out. That was my splurge for the week...lol. I ate it at home with a glass of water. It was delicious and healthy.

And, there was/is nothing I want to watch on TV!

Hopefully, the sun will be out tomorrow. Hopefully, the allergy symptoms will leave. Yes, I am taking allergy meds, all of them. Today, I have been discombobulated!

Your turn
Do you ever have a day where you are discombobulated? Almost ill? Too cold and then too hot?

Movie Recommendation

A movie with Keanu Reeves, "A Walk in the Clouds," comes to mind when I hear of the fires destroying vineyards in California. Vineyards do burn. It is set after WWII complete with period clothing. The movie is a poignant love story with a twist. I highly recommend this movie. I looked to see if it was online. It is.

On Friday at about 4:10 J texted me, asking me if I still wanted my yard mowed. I told her it was too late, how about tomorrow. She said tomorrow is her daughter's birthday and she is going to B'ham to celebrate with her. I just texted "Oh." and not one word more. She always wants to come to work here when there is so little time to do what I need done. Usually, she has to come late and leave to be home for bf from 2 pm to 3 pm, his lunch.

Daughter was given up for adoption at birth, but the aunt of child, aunt on father' side is her mother now. She is talking about her and bf maybe spending the night. Hopefully, the mother will not allow this. It will be a prelude to wanting to move in to get their feet on the ground.

Tuesday, she left in a run. When I went into the kitchen, dishes were shoved in everywhere, cereal bowls and other bowls shoved in on their sides. So, the next day she had to spend 20 minutes straightening up all she slammed in cabinets. I suppose she thinks I will pay her twice for the same job. No way.

She wanted to mow so she could have money to go to B'ham. No, it is in a money order for her to pay to probation officer. She leaves things undone in the yard and will "do it later." The thing is, "later" never comes.

One of the cats that hangs out here is heavily pregnant. Hopefully, she will give birth elsewhere! I believe she belongs to someone.

"They will just have to deal with it" + spending less on eating out + less for sewing supplies

This was J's response to what about the money she had said she would pay to probation office--Well, they will just have to deal with it.

Well, to state or wherever it goes. I was horrified and told her she needed to deal with the obligation. She did this to get out of jail. I calmed down and said, "Oh, yeah, they know how to deal with it--put out a warrant for your arrest, AGAIN. J looked surprised and said, oh, yes, they might.

She obligated herself to mow my yard months ago and has not mowed it in over two months. Actually, she has never finished it once. She just puts me off. She waits until she "has to cook supper" and just leaves with promise of I will come back and finish it. AND, in the meantime, she has been paid because she is desperate for money. NO MORE. She got mad and yelled at me and will not mow. However, I will not pay her for other things until she did the day before until she mows. This money will go to pay a money order for the time she stole from WM.

In 17 days, she will be homeless.

I call in to try to be one of about six callers to get the chicken deals on a local TV station. It is also broadcast on radio at same time. Well, this week, I could only catch a DQ deal. I paid $6 for $17.52 worth. At Dairy Queen that buys a  two chicken baskets that holds four chicken strips each, two French fries, two buttered Texas toast and two soft drinks, all yucky Pepsi products...gah. Of course, the drink can be refilled.

There is no way I would ever pay $17.52  for two lunches. Neither would exbf. Yet we can both eat for $3 each. We never eat out unless there is a coupon. Last month, we ate with a $10 gift certificate he won at the Senior Christmas party last year. Of course, he paid for the rest the coupon did not cover at Cracker Barrel.

(I did purchase a cheap restaurant meal deal from TV and I hated the food. Who put hot peppers in cole slaw??? Everything we ordered hat hot peppers in it.)

I also scored another $6 coupon for $20 at the cloth shop. I am going to look around and see if there is a chance I can get a Christmas gift there. All the coupons are for local items.

This last Wednesday, a2milk was 2/$6 instead of $4.29, so I bought two half gallons.and saved $2.81. Before the deal goes off on Tuesday, I will buy two more half gallons for $6. One of the half gallons is dated Nov. 21. I will drink it well before then. Maybe I can catch this on sale all the time and never pay full price.


We can buy lunch cheaply. Exbf would prefer grilled cheese to spending money some days, okay, most days. If we eat fast food for lunch, we dig around in his console and find a coupon.

Your turn
Do you always try to use a coupon to eat lunch or dinner?

MamaHen's Eggs

When MamaHen came to adopt Dominique, I was in the midst of watching water being pumped out of the basement. I knew she and my friend pumping were coming at the same time, so it was all planned and not a problem. Neither had to work where the other was working.

She brought me a dozen fresh eggs, gathered the day before. I took them and was very, very pleased. However, I did not comment on the eggs. At the moment, I was feeling shaky and just did not want to drop them. Plus, I was under so much stress. In hindsight, my actions or lack thereof, must have seemed rude and very ungrateful.

I did open them later to see the beauty of fresh eggs, laid the day before, she said. However, I was surprised with what I received.  I am not quite sure of the name of the type of hen that lays colored eggs, Ameracauna perhaps.

There were Easter egger eggs! Since the eggs were all laid the day before, she obviously has a dozen layers. AND, several of these from Eastereggers  were different colors than the ordinary white, brown, tan and various shade of brown. I received colored eggs!

Go on over to Sluggy's latest giveaway. Once again, there is chocolate! It's a girly giveaway. But, guys, you can get this for your favorite female or females. Think stocking stuffers.

Your turn
Does anyone have hens that lay colored eggs?

UK Batchelor's Beans and Sunshine

First, I am sitting here at 10:40, waiting for J who was going to be here at 10:00. She was at fault for getting herself fired, and I can see why! She rushed out yesterday after two hours, swearing she was through and all was done right. NO, not so. She knows she will have to correct what she did yesterday. Has anyone seen anyone stack bowls on their sides?

Okay, on to the subject at hand--beans.

Batchelor's is obviously a brand in UK. The picture of the beans on the can look like Pork and Beans. And, they taste almost the same, but better. I don't like pork and beans. I did put one bean in my mouth and thought I would rather  eat these than our brands. These had a bit more spiciness and flavor. Exbf approved, too. So, I sent the rest home with him.

When I was a child, we ate pork and beans straight from the can. I ate them because they were what we were eating and I was hungry. I think we ate these with a sandwich for lunch or something. With a meal they were heated, and I hated them heated and still do.

They were used for baked beans, not a favorite dish at all. But, my kids loved baked beans. I think the UK brand would make excellent baked beans.

Today, the sun is exceptionally bright, it seems. But, after four dreary days, I am in love with today. I hear it will cool off next week. As long as the sun shines, I don't mind the temperature, whatever it is.

10:51 and she is still not here and has her phone off.....urge to kill.

By the way, "straight from the can" means we poured them out and ate them without warming them or making any additions. We did not take a spoon and eat out of the can.  Even Nick (in Hemingway's Big Two-Hearted River) who was on a camping trip, poured them into a pan to heat. But, then he added a can of spaghetti. Just gross. Hemingway ate his pork and beans with spaghetti. Just yuck.

Your turn
Is the sun shining at your house today? Have you ever eaten Batchelor's Beans? Do you like them? If your are from UK or have eaten these beans, how are they prepared?

Cute Plant

Last Friday, I was in a rare mood when I was in Lowe's. There was a sea of gorgeous mums, several seas in various colors. I really wanted a pink one, but they had none, not even one. Well, not one in the seas of $1 mums.

There was a pretty pinkish/lavenderish color that appealed to me. As I lifted each one from the flats, I was appalled how skimpy each plant looked. The sea of color was actually mostly tops of mums since they had been grown in the flats for a while.

When I picked up one near the edge, it was the one for me. One whole side is a side and not just a top. It sits inside, still in the original pot, but plopped into an apple green ceramic pot. Since the pot has no drain holes, it will live there for a bit. The colors of the mums and pot are striking together. I took a picture and someday might post it.

Now, it sits with the barish side toward the window and the side where the flowers meets the pot facing me. It's a happy spot against lace curtains where green from the tree can be seen behind it

Knowing this will live over winter encouraged me to buy it small. The really large and full ones are just too expensive! Generally, I am not fond of mums. But, I was in the mood on Friday when I saw the price...lol.

Often, I buy things small and let them grow. When they reappear the next spring, I am thrilled. When the plant is an annual and reseeds, I am doubly thrilled.

When I picked up my little plant grown in a pint pot, I remarked to the sales woman that it would be good next year. She said,

"All that plant needs is a little love."

Yes!

Do you buy small flowers/shrubs and allow them to mature over the next year or even over the summer? Or, do you only buy display worthy plants? Have you bought mums this year?

Samples and Small Economies

Did you ever come home from an event with many samples? It is a great thing, but often I will not use what was stuffed in my bag by someone at a demonstration table. Sometimes the people with samples just put it in my bag without my knowing what I was given.

The Customer Appreciation Day was no exception. I was given Tide pods. They will go into a donation bag, maybe to J. I have to keep these samples in a quart bag in the laundry room. They just fall off the shelf after a while. I think I have about a dozen right now. I will only use these if I have something I do not wear but needs to go to the laundromat. They do serve a purpose. However, I cannot bear the smell of Tide on anything. And, it makes me itch.

One really useful item is a sample of a new Crest toothpaste--Crest 3D White, Whitening Therapy, fluoride anticavity, enamel care. All that was on the front of the box. If I did not drink cola drinks, tea, eat meat that is browned, or use dark spices, I would have shiny white teeth. Yes, wouldn't we all? I will use this toothpaste sample to try out the new variety of toothpaste. What kind of whitening toothpaste do you use, if any?

The biggest surprise at the table for breast cancer was a whole PG coupon insert that was also in the newspaper this past Sunday. There were four big-dollar coupons I have already used. So, now I have more. The rest of my coupon inserts I cannot use go to my friend who is in charge of a food bank. This was especially helpful to her when another friend gave me dozens of inserts each week.

Several people who ate sack lunches did not want their tiny bags of Fritos, Doritos, and other chips. I bought those home for exbf. He eats them during ball games, I think. At least, he will not have to buy snacks for a while.  I will eat the regular chips people did not want.

These same people did not want to throw out the little packets of mustard, catsup, and mayo in the sack lunch. Sooo, these are kept for giving away to someone, maybe J. She never wanted them when she was living in someone else's house, but now she might since she has no job and is losing her fully equipped kitchen and well-appointed home with a well-stocked pantry/refrigerator.

I received a clever little cardboard dial thing (ten-inch diameter) that shows how much electricity various appliances and electronics use and the yearly and weekly cost at various rates charged for services. This is fun to see how much my dryer and other appliances cost to use per year.

TVA had a booth where I filled out an energy survey. For this effort I will receive in the mail LED bulbs and lots of the foam things to insulate outlets and switch covers. Plus, they gave me a water bottle that was made in the USA. Most giveaway bottles are not made in USA. I really want to use this, but it has the sport top where you squirt the water into your mouth. This might come in handy when I am really hot and dribble the water all over me while squirting it toward my mouth. I can just drink from the bottle after removing the top.

Okay, so all of these were not samples, like the chips, but they come here to be given away in various places, exbf and J, people who will use them. The toothpaste and water bottle are what I want and like. The rest goes away. I did get the 10 oz bottle of Downy fabric softener last week that was a generous sample of something I do not use!

When people go to the Southern Women's Show in Birmingham, they carry a tote with them for the various samples that are not edible...lol. Of course, a few booths do give out tiny tote bags for samples. Also, people carry a tote when going to our Senior Christmas Party since we all get fruit and different stuff.  A tote bag is always handy!

I do know the argument against taking samples--it is wasteful to package these small amounts, an increase in carbon use by producing more packaging.

Some samples make good Christmas gifts/stocking stuffers.

Your turn
Do you receive good samples and ones you intend to give away? What are the best samples/giveaways you have gotten? Do you ever put them in with a Christmas gift?

Bingo or Not

As part of the Octoberfest Celebration in session, the Catholic Church had bingo in their school cafeteria. I discussed this with the two women I sat near at the Power Board Customer Appreciation Day on Friday.

The Bingo cards were a quarter apiece. I can handle that. So, I thought about it and budgeted $2, eight quarters to play. There must have been at least 200 people there, so the games went really quickly.

There were two doors to the cafeteria, so naturally I picked the furthest away, making my life difficult. It was the only door being used, so I assumed it was the correct door. NO! I was at a table selling raffle tickets instead of Bingo cards. I was told to go to the front of the room for Bingo. sigh... 

I hobbled there and there was no one. ugh  I asked the nearest person, an old guy. He said the guy would be right back and he would pay a quarter for my card. He assured me I could sit next to him. He was at the end of a table in a wheel chair and I sat at the side near him.

As I was sitting down, he told me there was a basket with dog items. It was a huge basket with lots of items. I would estimate it was about $100 worth of dog items. I laughed and said I did not have a dog, so that would not do me any good. He said I could just keep the basket and give the contents to him. He told me he would buy a card for me.

A younger guy came by and the old guy said I was playing bingo. He said he was going to help me so I could learn to play. ??? I was still settling myself, trying to pull the chair straight. I thought the old guy paid a quarter for me. When the young guy asked me for the third time, I said he is going to pay for me. The young guy laughed and said that was his father and he was not going to pay for me. I promptly told him the old guy offered, that I had quarters! I paid him and the old guy reminded me to win the dog basket and give him the contents and I could keep the basket. Right! Not!

As all this happened, the game was over. I told the young guy that they talked to me so much I could not pay attention and I was playing again and NOT paying. The young guy said that was fine.

In the middle of the second game, J called like I told her to do. So, I finished the last 30 seconds of the game and left.

So much for Bingo!

J was fired this last week from her fast food job. She was going to mow my yard for some money. However, she wants to pick up sticks one day and mow four days later. The wind will just knock down more limbs, so she will have to pick them up on Tuesday, too.

Plus, my very nice neighbor who allows bf and her to live there, told them to be out by the end of the month. She is very depressed. Her abusive bf is yelling at her for getting fired. She was very depressed today. They have been there for a year, and this will make 13 months when they finally move. The bf asked for a just a chance to get on his feet...I suppose I need not say more.

Bingo lasted until 8 pm, and I could have gone back since it was about 3pm. I had lost the urge.

J brought my new crockpot in the house since I cannot pick it up or carry it. I still have not unpacked it yet. I can see it--beautiful stainless steel.  I gave her some food. We took a box of food to the Little Free Pantry, the small place for people to help themselves.

We went to the Shaved Ice shack and got strawberry flavor with cream on it. I wish I could eat one of those every day. I supposed I could if I had $100 spare money, did not mind gaining weight, and dying from complications of diabetes.

That was my exciting Saturday. This morning, I was still hurting and exhausted from yesterday. Rest and a lack of excitement was all I wanted on Saturday. But, I still wanted to go play bingo.

Overall, it was a good day. I don't have one complaint!

I Won!

Friday was Customer Appreciation Day at our Power Board. It started at 10 am. I had somewhere to be at 8 am, but came home, put on makeup, and arrived by 10:10.

One of my son's friends helped me park. He let me inside the area with a parking spot that I had just passed by. So, I did not have to walk too far. Hamburgers in a sack lunch were supposed to be ready at 11:30, but the guy who helped me went and brought me a lunch and water right away. He was a very nice little kid and very cute. He is a nice adult and still cute, same age as my son.

The sky was beautiful, clear blue when I arrived. Only little fluffs of clouds arrived around noon. The wind was a little more than gentle. Friday was the perfect summer day right here in Fall. There was not one hint of Fall in the air. While there was no chill in the air, no one was warm until about 1 pm. Last year, the same Appreciation Day had perfect weather, too.

A trio was playing when I arrived. The music was a nice mixture of old country, Elvis, one number from "O Brother, Where Art Thou."

Thursday, I put my entry in a box for the Yeti cooler, one big enough to hold a body. However, there were about a dozen other prizes with entries put into a different box. The first two prizes were smallish--a weather radio and a handy, dandy flashlight. The next prize was a Black and Decker weed eater, corded and 7.5 amps.

The manager of the Power Board remarked that some woman could win this and get her husband to use it. I thought--right, and I need a husband first. Then, as he was handed the name and he read it, he said, "I have seen her here today." THEN, he called my name! So, I went up and someone carried the weedeater to my car.

Later, I remarked to the manager that if anyone wanted to trade the CrockPot still amongst the prizes for the Black and Decker weedeater, I was willing to trade.

Soon, the 6 qt. CrockPot was carried to my car and the Black and Decker weedeater went to someone else! Yay me! It has a latch to keep it shut so it can travel without spilling.

My big 7 qt. CrockPot mailed to me as a surprise has no crock since it was broken outdoors by a raccoon. The 3.5 qt. CrockPot I bought for $3 at a yardsale is not quite large enough some days. So, this is a great win for me.

The Black and Decker is worth $70 before tax. The CrockPot is the same price. I won twice on Friday.

While we were eating and listening to music, a bank was robbed just three blocks away.

And there was a woman who sat across from me and inserted her finger up her nose to the second knuckle. Then, she wiped her finger on the tablecloth. Surely, she has dementia. GAH!

Bargains--Food and Otherwise

Since I always check Publix markdown racks, I find bargains often. A Mr. Coffee teapot was marked 2/$14.95, making it $7.50.  The next time I was in WM, the cheapest teapot was nearer $20. So, I returned to Publix and purchased a teapot. It is candy apple red, not my preferred color, but certainly acceptable. I won't pay another $12 for a different color.

At Publix I found Kraft Parmesan Cheese canisters, 2/$6. Since these are usually $3.89 at WM, I bought two canisters. Unfortunately, I had no coupons.



Warehouse Discount Grocery had Kraft chunk cheese, 8 ounces, for $2. This is as good as I can usually get when price-matching. I bought three. These are $2.89 in WM and higher at other stores.

Walmart has 42 ounce canisters of Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats for $3.98. Usually, the same product is close to $5, about $4.89.  Since I had a coupon for $1 off two canisters of 42 ounces of oats, I saved a bit more. I actually bought 6 boxes, figuring this will last me all winter. I will put all this in Ball jars, and freeze for three days, storing it in the cabinet. This way, no bugs will hatch that were in there when I purchased it.

Plus, afterward someone gave me two of the 18 ounces canisters of Quaker Oats. Yay me! I eat hot oats all year long. However, this winter I will have a bowl each day.

In WM a guy was giving out free samples--10 ounce bottles of Downy Fabric Softener. WOW, such a large size. Usually, these type products have free samples that are a little pouch, about twice the size of a catsup packet. I don't use fabric softeners, even free bottles, so I will give this to someone.

An organization gave me two gift cards, one for $50 and another for $25, to help with the cost of going to doctor for cancer--tests, surgery, and checkups. There was valet parking that was not free most of the time. I had to supply drivers with money for the valet parking. At other times, I had to give gas money. This $75 will help plug that hole in my wallet.

What freebies or bargains have you received lately?