Food Shopping

 I was the best of trips. It was the worst of trips. Publix, I mean. Special K was not bogo as someone told me. She must  be in a different area. Miracle Whip was bogo. He got two jars. 

His Cheeerios bogo, got two. Coleslaw mix bogo $3 each. Two chicken tenders for $4.46. I would rather have chicken breast than dessert. $17 spent.

Sometimes, we pass a place that is selling items cheap on sidewalk. Once we bought ALL. They gave me two skeins of crochet thread. The skeins were a surprise. They told me that two stores down items would be free in two days.. 

Next time I passed, I got one free item. Today, we passed, rather stopped. People were lined up getting items and putting items in bags to take. We waited at the curb, asked the man if he could give us something. 

He gave us choices of bread, and I chose marbled rye. I love it with cheese. Then, he gathered up five small bags--10 lbs, cherries, 2 bell peppers, 7 ears of corn, 18 kiwi, turkey hotdogs, 1 lb, ground round, 1.5 lb ground beef. There was a donation jar. Tommy had a $100 bill, and I had a $5, so I got to donate. I would say we certainly got a deal. 

Now, lots of this needs processing. I have never bought more than two kiwi at a time. So, I had to search for how to store them. I love kiwi but rarely purchase them. When I see them for $1 each, I pass. 

Tommy came and reported we have had a cabbage for a long time, two packages of Brussel's sprouts and something else. He is Refrigerator Master, Lord of Cold Storage, Duke of Earl. 

I need to take a nap and the get onto food processing later. 

We made the rounds for the three ads, And, we drifted into a used car place, drove around, talked to a salesman, promised him we would come back. We only shopped at Publix and the free food table.

My two breakfasts are 1) Special K, banana, milk or 2) pb, MW, banana sandwich. Neither of these requires me to take my hurting back to the kitchen to prepare.  Actually, I would prefer scrambled eggs and one piece of toast. Sometimes, I like a bowl of beans--black eyed peas or navy beans with maybe tomato or slaw. Maybe I will have cleaner scramble nine eggs again. That will last for 3-4 days. Hopefully, Special K will be bogo soon. 

Only 3 ears of corn were okay. 

What are your choices for breakfast? 

Do you ever pass a random place with free food? 

A Few Answers and a Few Questions

Today, I went to the Farmer's Market and there were no tomatoes. Bummer. I looked around and got two small cups of crookneck squash. I paid $6 for the two of them. Because I was out and had things to do, I did not go home.

My question: Was the price exorbitant? While I had the bag in WM, I stuck it on the scales--2.64 lbs. That makes the cost per pound $1.52. In WM squash was $.99/lb.

I know all the positives of Farmer's Market--local food, supporting local farmers. However, I know for a fact they use pesticides.

Not bringing the bag home meant I carried a bag of squash into the doctor's office. I did have a bit of a problem in urine, but doctor downplayed it. I cannot think of anything else that causes this malaise in me. I continually have problems with gastrointestinal tract. I feel queasy all inside. So, now I have ten days of meds for uti.

So, after this ten days, I will start taking the prophylactic does of meds to keep bladder sterile. I refused to take small doses without first clearing things up entirely.

My question: have you ever taken a prophylactic dose of meds for uti and not had a full prescription to make sure bladder contents are sterile before you start taking the lesser dose, prophylactic dose?

Since I have been queasy, I have not eaten salads. I feared it would keep me in bathroom more than I already am. So, I gave away more of the salad.

My ac is dying, so I suppose I will, too.  It's a scorcher today, up to 90 already.

The tomato plants I bought had not been hardened off. The seller is not a good liar. He did not even know what it meant to "harden off" a plant. He said in reply to my question and under his breath, "I set them out at night." That did not answer my question.  He quickly and cheerfully volunteered, "I picked off all the suckers for you." WHAT?

These were leggy plants and he had stripped all but a few top leaves off.  Do you pick suckers off plants are a foot high? I think you wait until they are planted and are surviving to even look for suckers. These plants were looking puny, so he pulled off all the leaves that looked less than healthy!--my belief.  This man retired and decided he wanted to make money--what he told me and said he could figure this out.

I bought the red and white onions from him, just took the bag. When I got home, the onions had dirt all over them. I wonder when he pulled these. Did he lay them out to dry? I do not want my vegetables washed because they rot faster, but do you think knocking off the dirt would have hurt? I don't think he laid them out like they are supposed to be done. The dirt seemed too fresh.

Okay, I am going out now to buy a squash plant and a zucchini plant. Hopefully, I can handle the sun and heat to plant them tomorrow along with the two tomatoes and two cayenne plants. Today, it makes me dizzy.

I bought a yellow and a black container of Plaid paint and sponge brushes. In a few moments, I am going to look for things in the yard to paint black and yellow since I was inspired by the bee theme from Tuesday.

Remember the garbage can that was crushed and the guy said someone would bring me another? Well, a brand new can showed up next to the crushed one. The crushed one sort of healed itself. It did not seal itself, but the bottom is not so gapped as when it was crushed. I am going to keep it since it does have a lid. It was the one kept right outside the chicken pen so I could drop things in it after I fed the hens. I did not tell the mower to put the garbage can on the street. I should have told him to empty it like I TOLD him to do in the beginning.

I feel lousy but ambitious!

After I wrote the above, I went out again. Before I did, I used the bathroom and the uti symptoms showed up and I screamed a bit. I am so happy I did not wait until tomorrow.

Plant shopping is so much fun. I love squash and zucchini, but the Farmer's Market vegetables are too large. I just won't buy them. Small ones are the ones I want. If I get 7 small squash off my squash plant, I will have broken even considering the price I paid today for squash.

I bought one crook neck squash plant, one zucchini plant, and one bell pepper plant. Exbf was eagerly listening and gave a little grunt of approval. He like all three. It will be six weeks before it get any produce from them, but that's okay. I will just purchase what vegetables I want until then. Everything I plant will go in buckets, even the squash.

Someone is coming to mow the lawn in the morning...yaaay!