The Week Behind: Free Fall

 

Saturday:  Up early this morning, half chilled.  John and I struggled for cover last night.  I'll remedy that tonight by putting my own blanket on the bed.  It's something I've learned from Bess and Katie.  They each keep their own blanket on the bed and when they get into bed, that blanket is theirs and theirs alone.  I practiced this last winter and slept quite well, thank you!

I put on my loose knit black pants today.  They were bought as dressy pants but were so loose, and unstructured and looked so loungewear that I couldn't bring myself to wear them out of the house.  So they became my lounge at home pants.  I don't wear such in the summer but the moment it turns off cool, I put on these pants and a loose t-shirt on a Saturday morning or Sunday after church and feel quite at ease when we're at home alone.  I look decent enough I might answer the door without feeling embarrassed, could easily have grandchildren here, yet I feel very much as though I've got on pajamas all day long and it helps promote the feeling that I am at rest.  

I've had a jag of minor breaks.  Five clothespins yesterday and today my little tea ball strainer...Sigh.  It could be bigger things, true, but it's so frustrating.  And John did finally ask, "You sure you didn't touch the dryer yesterday?", which made me laugh.

It was just a relaxed and easy day at home.  I gave in last night and asked for a prescription pain reliever which I generally avoid but doggone it, sometimes it's getting atop the pain that helps you move beyond it entirely.  It did it's job.  I've had only a little minor pain this morning and since I've not been on my feet for long periods today, I can safely say I'm completely pain free this evening.  Tomorrow I'll be walking about Walmart so we'll see how it goes.

We had a discussion this evening as we sat on the front porch.  It was about empty shelves and scarcity and such.  John's as adamantly disbelieving about this as he was about Covid 19.  As it happens, he was kind of right about Covid in that people are going to be exposed to it regardless of how careful they are same as with colds and flu, but I do believe he's missed the longer view of what these shutdowns have done to our economy and how it's going to affect our personal economy in that as consumers, we may have to adjust our expectations, etc., for quite a little while longer.  

I told him of something I'd read on someone else's blog, in the comments.  It was a Publix stores truck driver who mentioned that he was not seeing the warehouses he picked up from fully stocked any longer and that when he visited a store he'd delivered to two days before the products he knew he'd delivered were not on the shelves.  The shelves were,  in fact, empty.

Sarah mentioned in comments on Friday's post that many stores were now shifting over excess goods to fill the empty spots.  This, too, came up in our discussion this evening.  John mentioned the full shelves of paper towels and toilet paper he'd seen at Aldi.  I pointed out that we didn't see paper towel, nor were paper plates fully stocked.  We simply saw spaces on that side of the aisle filled with an excess of toilet paper, which is nothing to be sneezed at, but I reminded him that we need to be aware and not assume when we see a full shelf that we are seeing the product that might normally be there.

I also mentioned Lana's comment that Ingles had canned tomatoes at 3cans/$1 with no limit.  I pointed out that it was the second time we'd been to Aldi with no plain diced tomatoes on the shelf (and very little of the seasoned and fire roasted).  Ingles is not in our normal driving route for shopping but I think that the savings over a dozen cans of Kidney beans (also on sale at the same price with no limit) and the same quantity of tomatoes would more than pay for our gasoline to travel to the area where there is an Ingles.  

I went on to tell him that I am determined to look at multiple store sales sheets and will go purchase whatever is best price until we are stocked up to the point I feel comfortable.  

When he protested that we weren't going to (a) feed the entire family and (b) weren't going to hoard I reminded him that I have bought just 2 of the allowed 4 cans of  the canned goods at Aldi for months now.  That is not enough to last us one month...We are in no danger of hoarding but we are decreasing our stockpile in a desire to not short someone else when there are limited items.  If we were to be stocked to the level he himself had requested then he needed to work with me on this and agree to go to more than one store.    I expect I'll end up shopping alone some of the time but that's okay, too.  

I'm going to try to stick to my current budget but I'm also willing to take a little extra if the savings is substantial enough to make it worthwhile and quantities are in good supply.  I don't by any means want to take more than a reasonable share but if there is ample supply in one store and not in another which also limits you, then by all means use the unlimited supply store to stock a reasonable amount of goods.

And that's my thoughts for the day.

Meals:  Eggs, Cinnamon Rolls

Sausage and Vegetable Pizza  Homemade pizza is my go to Saturday lunch these days.  I try to switch it up and put on different toppings each week.  I find it's easy, quick and always delicious.  I make a standard sized recipe of dough and half it.  I freeze one portion and will thaw it next weekend when I again make pizza.

Leftover Tamale Pie,  Green Salad with apple slices

Sunday:  Abysmal night of sleep last night.  I had one such night on vacation, too.  I slept on the couch in the living room that particular night.  Last night sleep remained elusive even after getting up to go to the guest room, even after taking a sleep aid, using lavender oil and swapping heavy covers for a comforting but not so heavy old quilt.  There's absolutely no reason at all why I shouldn't have slept.  I'd minded my carbs and caffeine yesterday, had read prior to bed, forgoing screen time and I had followed a good nighttime routine.  But there you are.  There is just no explaining sleep issues.

I was up before the alarm this morning.  We are still attending early service at church, which we enjoy a great deal.  Most Sundays we come home and watch the second service where the pastor refines his delivery of the first sermon.  Today we headed to Walmart.

I loaded my shopping list directly into my phone so that I had it handy.  I don't often forget my phone.  I almost always forget my list.

My first mission today was to look for a new tea ball. I found one that is a tiny ball strainer but it has a long handle rather than a tiny chain and hook as my old one had.  You squeeze the handles to open the tea ball.   I also picked up a new can opener (manual).  Do I need one?  Not at all.  In fact, mine is a pretty good one, but we used one that looked exactly like the one bought today at the condo on vacation and it cut into tin cans like a knife slicing through warm butter.   It was just so smooth and so easy to use.  Don't ask me the brand.   I think it was whatever the house brand of Walmart is. It cost a whole $4.97 I think and was probably whatever the basic Walmart line is.  It doesn't have a name on it either.  I just recognized it by sight when I saw it on the shelf this morning.

Stop two: Fabric department.   I wanted more of the Waverly fabric I'd used on the backs of the bookcases two years ago.  I want to make a new slipcover for my chair and ottoman.  The fabric will tie in all the various chair colors in the living room.  It's a very pleasing simple pattern, nothing fussy and fits well with my English country theme.   I don't know when I'll start this project as it will be a rather major one and I've already planned out my bigger goals for October, but we shall see.  I do know that when the good sewing Genie says it's time, it's time.  Otherwise it's a pain and will never be accomplished.

I bought all they had of the fabric even though I mightn't need it all.  It's a one way pattern so it will take extra to match things up and make them look nice, this I know.  Happily while I paid $11 a yard two years ago it was about 1/2 price now.  I still paid out a pretty big chunk of money on fabric today but I seldom regret paying good money for fabric that is good quality and makes me happy.  I mean, it's been two years and I still like this pattern very much.  So, I consider it a good buy!

Stop Three: shoes.  I said I need decent walking shoes.  I bought a simple pair of athletic shoes last fall at Walmart and it was those shoes I walked all over Old Town in without any pain afterward.  Ditto for Walmart shopping today.   They had no more in my size and the other shoes I sort of liked that were my size, John said flatly, "No!" to.   They were not pretty.  And he'd specifically asked me not to get ugly shoes.  He's no idea what a monumental task that is these days when you might have pretty but not comfortable shoes or you might have ugly but comfortable.  There doesn't seem to be any in between gray area.

Stop Four: Groceries.  The main purpose for going into Walmart today.  I wanted five dozen eggs, having seen on a vlog that Christine at Frugal Fit Mom had purchased 60 eggs for $4.98.  Not at my market, sweetie.  Nope.   $6.98, which worked out to $1.25 a dozen, which was 3c a dozen higher than Aldi this past week.  Sigh.   I glanced at 18 ct. eggs though and noted they were considerably less, just 96c a dozen.  That was a decent buy.  So I bought three cartons, not quite all I'd liked to have had but we'll manage.

There were a few items on my list that were never seen.  Admittedly, I am not familiar with the store so I might well have missed them and because it's Walmart it's equally likely that items were widely separated in other parts of the store.  I was reluctant to retrace my steps to any area.  Riddle me this:  Why, when you realize you've forgotten something, is it almost always at the back while you're all the way up front when you remember it? 

My goals at Walmart were eggs, pear halves (bought 6 cans), diced tomatoes (bought 12 cans for 3c less a can than Aldi), and flour.  There were no 25 pound bags of flour.  There were 10 pound bags at 2.44 a bag, which was exactly double the price of the 5 pound bags and I'm pretty sure is slightly less per 5 pounds than Aldi's price.  I bought three 10 pound bags.   

We did pick up a few other items.  Bubble gum and lollipops to put in the candy jar for the grandchildren, a big multi bag of candy for the church Fall Festival, cabbages, Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes.  My impulse purchases were a bag of BBQ chips which wasn't totally impulse.  It was more miscommunication when we were in Aldi.  I'd said to John "Get two bags of your favorite chips and get me a bag of BBQ."  He heard 'Get two bags of your favorite..."  So no, not totally impulse.  

What was totally impulse was a tub of spinach and artichoke dip. I can make this myself.  In fact, every single time I pick it up, I remind myself that I can make it myself, and put it right back.  But today I also reminded myself that I never have any of the necessary ingredients on hand.  In fact, it would cost me far more to pick up all the necessary items than to just buy the tub of dip.  So I bought the dip.

While out today, we dropped off outgoing mail into the curbside box in town.  We stopped at our own box to pick up our mail from yesterday.  I received a package from Amazon of 100 clothespins.  Has anyone else bought clothespins of late?   

A few years ago in 2004 or so, while cleaning out Grandmother's house, I found a package of smooth hardwood clothespins that she'd tucked into a closet for 'some day'.  They were just lovely.  Foolishly I left them on the line outdoors.  John is notorious for yanking clothes off thinking he can slip them out from under the pins.  He can't.  The pins fly off and land in the yard or on the porch.  Where they stay and either a dog or lawnmower chews them up unless I see them and pick them up first, because apparently that's another one of those things that only I can bend my back to pick up.  But still, I own that I ought to have been bringing them in off the line.

I have, sadly lost all the lovely hardwood clothespins.  So I bought more and they were cheap and shoddy and often broke if used more than twice to hold clothes on the line.  Last Spring we bought two different types of plastic clothespins.  Not cheap in price but good gravy they were the most delicate things ever seen!  One set was terribly designed. The moment you squeezed the things that flipped inside out and could never be put right again.  The other set, which looked like the wooden pins but snapped in two at the tips when you tried to open them.

So I went looking for clothespins this past week, realizing that we really must have them.  I discovered that most clothespins these days are made of lightweight woods meant for crafts.  Crafts, y'all.  Not for hanging clothes.  

I wanted hardwood clothespins.  I looked and looked and there were none available at any store.  John took up the search and looked at Amazon and Etsy.  We discovered by accident after going to Lehman's that hardwood clothespins are no longer manufactured in the U.S.  The factory that produced them went out of business in 2003 or thereabouts.  Apparently at that time, it was felt that people no longer used clothespins, as they all had dryers.  I told John that is an absolute fallacy.  I can only name three people who use their dryers for everything.  The bulk of my acquaintances have a proper clothesline and hang clothes to dry outdoors.   Hence clothespins are now manufactured mostly for craft projects.

Yes, you can buy hardwood, handcrafted clothespins on Etsy and Amazon but you'll pay $16 to $20 for 10.  Ten is not about to dry a load of clothes.  And as I said to John, I'm not keen to pay upwards of $70-$100 to have enough to hang out a load of clothes.

So after looking for two days, I went back to Amazon and bought a median priced set of clothespins and hope that because I bought 100 they will at least last out the year.   However, if any of you know of a good source for hardwood clothespins that are not super expensive, would you please let me know?  My next option, near as I can see, is to look hard at estate sales and see if anyone is selling clothespins there.

I was reading blogs last night and came across this on Frugal Measures:

“Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward.” (President Spencer W. Kimball)

Meals:  Oatmeal with Banana, Peanut Butter Toast

Beef, Rice and Bean Burrito

BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Coleslaw, Sliced Apples

Monday:  I woke early enough this morning to see sunrise, which was lovely and over in about two minutes.  After admiring the morning world, I settled into my chair and took up my book.  I'd gotten pretty far along in  Rainbow Cottage by Grace Livingston Hill.  Not sure it's one I'd like to keep but I have enjoyed it.  I've also very nearly finished it, since I took it up later when I needed to sit and rest.

I find, now that I'm back to zone work, that I am excited to begin my week in each zone and tackle any tasks I see that I'd like to get done.   This morning, I really wanted to jump right into cleaning out that cabinet under the sink but...I knew full well that the best plan would be to start with the basic work first and then work on any projects.    Glad I decided on that course, because by the time I'd done the basic work and cleaning, I was over it all, lol.  Just wiping down cabinet doors and appliances and cleaning counters well, plus the other daily tasks took me nearly two hours.   I know this because I put on a concert with Ludivico Einaudi and I worked until the concert was over.

 I cleared the refrigerator and determined what needed to be used there.  I'll start a Gathering Fragments post shortly.  

We had lunch, then I called it a day and began my quiet work.  And no, I didn't even think about touching that math work..  I must move it to a more visible place obviously.

John and I discussed dinner tonight.  I don't have Parmesan.   That's kind of key for my Alfredo dish.  I considered making Macaroni and Cheese but I really want those Italian Roasted Vegetables with that and I don't have zucchini.   I told John my big problem today seems to be that I want exactly what I don't have.  I took cubed steaks out to thaw and hopefully they will.  I also took out stew beef to thaw.  I put beans to soak and I'm not sure they are Great Northern...I think they are Lima Beans.  I have a lovely sausage and Lima bean casserole recipe I haven't made in years so if they do prove to be Lima Beans I'll make that instead of the Cheesy White Beans.   For some reason, I cooked an extra chicken breast in the crock pot yesterday but cooked it in it's own foil packet so it wasn't BBQed.   This means I have a big breast to use up...So obviously my menus this week are going to shift about. 

 I did realize when planning meals today that the Basmati rice had to be cooked differently than I'm accustomed to cooking rice and got that started earlier in the afternoon this time.  And I successfully figured out the half portion I was unable to get my brain to calculate last time, lol.  I knew I just needed a fairly fresh head on me instead of an end of day, pressured to put out a meal, brain.

later note:  My dried beans are a mixture of white navy and tiny lima beans...Apparently I combined two different jars of beans into one.  So if I make baked beans or bean casseroles, it shall be a mixed bean.   Note to self: next time label the darned things; you can't tell them apart until cooked and will combine them into one jar to save space!

Meals:  French Toast, Fried Spam

Corn Dogs, Apple for John, the last of the strawberries for me

Cubed Steak, Green Beans, Rice and Gravy

Tuesday:  I had a horrid dream before I woke, not of awful things, but  totally frustrating incidents that piled one atop another until I woke gasping for breath, so tense my whole body and head ached.  Ugh!  I can do without those sorts of dreams!

Fortunately, I had coffee, lol. This morning, I did have coffee but I had planned a breakfast that took a little prep time and hadn't done it the night before, so I prepped breakfast and sipped coffee.  There's something cathartic about dicing and chopping and slicing after a dream of that sort.  I enjoyed the heft of the knife handle in my hand and the ease with which it cut down through things.   I got so involved that my coffee became lukewarm and I am one of those who thinks coffee and hot tea should both be HOT.  Fortunately my teapot came up to a full boil while I worked and I added a glug of water into the coffee and warmed it up enough to finish.

As the dish cooked, I jotted down the dream in my journal and then I glanced up to find two deer in the yard nibbling at oak leaves and zinnias...Well, at least attempting to like eating zinnias but it was apparently not so tasty as the young deer thought it might be, as she soon left off tasting and went around behind the shed.  It's not unusual to see deer this time of year here, but it is unusual to get to see them and not have dogs barking their heads off at them.  I called quietly to John who came to watch them with me.

We had a nice conversation at breakfast in which John discussed news items that had him upset and I talked of my dream and the insights I'd had into that as I sorted it all out in my journal during the brief cooking time for our meal.

After we'd hung out laundry, fed the dogs and cat, and gotten dressed, we headed out to do errands. I knew that John had planned only to do a simple errand in town and I'd asked if he'd mind if I came along to run an equally simple one but in the next town.  All told, we should have been home again in less than an hour, but we both took time to dress nicely, as though we had more plans than we did.  I was thinking as we completed my errand that it was a shame we'd dressed up and now had nowhere but home to go.  John was apparently thinking along those same lines and we drove slowly along a meandering road north of Butler.  It twists and turns and has lots of ups and downs and wide views across woods and fields.

I admired the autumn scenery with blooming weeds and grasses of all sorts.  In some areas this included pale pink flowers on short upright stems.  It is something I don't recall ever seeing before and it was lovely in wide swaths along the sandier patches of the roadside.  I'd have liked very much to have gotten out to see it up close.  I'll have to go back soon and try to do so and take a photo.  Then perhaps I can do a Google search for the image.

There are lots of ponds and streams, too that cross this road and in two places the beavers have dammed the water so that it forms a pool on one side of the roadway.   I marvel at this because whoever thinks of beavers in Georgia?  Not I, though I have seen them a few times, but mostly I see the evidence of them in log dams such as those we passed by today.

John just meandered along and when we came to the stop sign at long last, he went left and not right, so I knew we weren't going home.  We continued to drive along like we were true sightseers and we noted the new things we saw, a metal roof going on this house, or new paint on that one or where a tree had been removed in someone's yard, etc.  When we got to the next stop sign we were in a little town 15 miles north of our home.  He asked which direction to go in and indicated we'd pick up lunch at a small town restaurant at either side of the town.  I chose to go to the left and asked if we might eat out meal outdoors 'on the veranda' as he's prone to call them.  It was so pleasant outdoors it seemed a shame to waste time doing take out and going home or even going into the place itself to eat. 

So we sat and ate and talked.  We shared a bag of chips and a sandwich and I treated us to ice cream cones afterwards.  It was awfully nice and even though it's near a busy-ish crossing of two major state highways, it's not so terribly busy that we couldn't hear ourselves speak.  He asked if it was all right to consider this a date lunch and I agreed that it was indeed a date lunch and quite a nice one.  I pointed out that it was more than affordable and why we feel we must wait and do one big meal once a month instead of going out to enjoy dates such as this was really incomprehensible.  He agreed.  I'm not a lobster tails and caviar sort of girl.  I'm a country girl and I like simple dates, al fresco or picnic suit me fine.   

We stated our purpose when we returned home.  John had gone out to get some needed screws to fix an issue with his mower (I think) and I had planned that today would be my day to clear out from under the kitchen sink.  We both agreed that coffee would be nice, but we'd wait until our work was done and so we came home, changed into work clothes and tackled our tasks.  

I could not do all I'd planned to do under my sink.  Things just wouldn't fit as I'd hoped they would.  Never mind.  I did move the potatoes and onions to the cooler, dryer cabinet and put the sodas in the little section next to the sink cabinet that is out of the way of water.  Canned soda won't mind if the space is a little warm or cold at times, but the potatoes and onions do!

I noted as I finished up my task and sorted out a few other daily items in the kitchen that the broom closet is looking mighty messy...So guess what else is on my list this week?  Yes, the broom closet.  I'll see what I might do to neaten that area up a good bit better than what it is at present.

I made a beef stew in the crockpot.  My crockpot runs a bit hot, so I find I can start something about 1pm and it's generally ready to eat no later than 5:30p.  Sunday when I cooked the two chicken breasts, I'd put them in separate bowls I'd formed of foil because I wanted to barbecue one breast for supper.  Well when I took off the lid to check the meat, the liquid from steam buildup hit the crock liner and I hear a distinct pop.  It was loud enough that John heard it and asked immediately what was the matter.  I was sure I'd cracked my crock!   Fortunately I had not but it has certainly made me cautious about having a hot dry crock  even if I'm using foil bowls. I think in future I'll put a wee bit of water in the crock, too.

When all was neat and nice in the kitchen, I went out to remove clothes from the line and fold them and then put them away.  I made myself a cup of coffee but the Keurig didn't sound quite like itself...Hmmm.   John came in a few minutes later and started to make himself a cup of coffee and we heard the water run but when he went back to pick up his cup it was empty.  The pod was damp but the cup had nothing in it.  He put in a fresh pod and couldn't get the thing to work at all.  He unplugged it, got a mere trickle of water and then after a few seconds another trickle and eventually a full cup of coffee but it was clear something was wrong.  I went to look for a booklet but there was no booklet.

I took my computer to the kitchen and began to see what it said the trouble might be.  I removed the water tank, emptied, poked a gym clip I'd untwisted into the water holes.  I cleaned the needle in the top of the machine.  All the lights were on and fixed.  It wouldn't cut off, wouldn't brew and just sat there looking at me.  I unplugged and waited and started again.  All lights on.    I watched a video in which  a young woman said you should unplug for 30 seconds, plug back in  and hold the On/Off button and open and shut the lid.  That did nothing at all despite several attempts.   There were many other far more complicated fixes that I absolutely refused to even consider trying.  I mean seriously...I could buy another coffee pot if need be but I was not about to become a full on engineer to attend to a problem.

I kept watching videos and a man with the same model and the same problem said to hold down the On/Off button and the biggest cup button for 10 seconds.  Nothing happened.  We tried it again and held it for 15 seconds.  Nothing.  John did it one more time and suddenly the thing spurted and water trickled out and then quit.  We tried again counting out the 10 seconds and we got a full cup of hot water and all the button lights went off just as it ought.  We haven't made anymore coffee this evening, but we're assuming our Keurig is fixed.  

Meals:  Corned beef Hash, Toast

Sandwich, Chips, Ice Cream, Fresh Air

Beef Stew and Cornbread Muffins

Wednesday:  Sigh.

Not a great night.  I did finally get some sleep but slept entirely too late this morning, having failed to hear John get up.  I had especially wanted to get up early this morning, since I had planned a day out with Mama and I wanted to get things done at home first.

John came to the bathroom door as I stepped out of the shower and said the Keurig was not working once again.  He is sure it's not a clogged needle but I think it is.  I'll have to see if I can work with it some more.  However, we figured out that using the reuseable K-cups I'd purchased netted us coffee but using one of the purchased pods did not.  I do not have coffee on hand that is not in a purchased pod.  My oversight, and one I'd meant to remedy, just in case.   Well, we improvised and removed the tops of our k-cups and filled the reuseable cups.  

Apparently we're in a season of minor repairs and making do.  

I made a simple breakfast, fed the dogs, made the bed and got ready to go to Mama's.  I am never sure what I'll have to do while visiting her but equally as often she will opt to do nothing and simply want to go through drive thru for food and have a ride.  Today that's what we did.

Nothing to really say about that visit except that it was a visit and Mama was herself and then the visit was done.   

When I arrived home, I picked up our mail.   The annual house insurance bill arrived and is due next month.  Happily the notice in the local paper said our property taxes would be slightly decreased this year instead of raised as reported in the last meeting minutes.  We do not pay high taxes here.  It's beyond reasonable but that is due partly because it is a Tier 1 poor rural county.

When I got to the door, I could hear John playing the guitar.  This always is a conundrum.  I know he'll never hear me come indoors but I also know that it often frightens him is I just suddenly pop into the music room to say I'm home.  After mulling over what to do, I decided to just come in and make my usual amount of noise so he'd perhaps hear me between songs and realize I had returned.  That seems to have worked best.

After changing clothes, I settled to clearing out the broom/trash closet.  This job took about a half hour total and turned out rather nice.  I did not plan another chore for today, just this one.   I wasn't sure what I had to do today nor how much energy I'd have to spare when it was done.  As it happens I had more energy than I thought I might.

Meals:  Cheese Toasts

Panda Express for me and Mama, Subway for John who picked up and dropped off for Katie's household.  Katie is the only one still sick in the house.  The baby is well and so is Chad.

Frappuccinoes for Mama and I...

We're each on our own for supper tonight.  There are a variety of leftovers.

Thursday:  This week has not leant itself well to my plans, lol.  Some weeks are just so.  

The Keurig continued to be problematic but Katie suggested yesterday evening on the phone that I try descaling the machine.  Well that did the trick.  I ran vinegar and water through the machine and then several tanks of water and suddenly I had four streams of water instead of three.   It was lovely to have such a nice long chat with her.  I've missed her these three weeks, sigh.  And that little boy, too.  By the way, I got to see him via Facebook phone last night and he was fascinated by seeing us.  I think he's missed us as much as we've missed him.

Back to the Keurig, it's definitely fixed!   I am so glad of that.  It was lovely to come along and make myself a cup of coffee this morning without any drama of a non-working machine, lol.

After breakfast this morning, I made the bed and washed dishes both by hand and in the dishwasher (full load).  While I was attempting to do Bible study, I saw the UPS truck coming along the main drive.  And like the last five drivers (all new ones) he hesitated at our drive up to the house then decided for unknown reasons to pull forward on the main drive which goes into an unkempt looking area where John mows only enough to keep it from being a jungle and branches are down etc.   It's also a darned tight spot to get into and have to turn around and yet every single one goes on.    

I've been lobbying for a gate on the entrance to our property which we might leave open but it's still an indicator that this is no field lane to be casually driven through by strangers...But now I'm doubling efforts and demanding that we also put up a chain across that extended portion of drive.  Since it leads to my brother's property I can permanently cut it off, but it's not necessary to do more than just hook it on one side rather than lock the chain to the pole.  This past year has been the worst for having strangers driving through out of curiosity or ignorance.

We've had a second 911 sign posted at the head of our house drive.  I felt it was likely too low and therefore being missed, so John mounted it to a tree at about my eye level when standing.  Surely they'd see that?  Obviously not!  So while I hullooed and hollared to the UPS driver today trying to get his attention, I was more than a bit frustrated.  

He was very apologetic when he came up.  He said he'd make a note for other drivers (and the question begs to be asked why the others couldn't do the same?).  I directed him about how he could turn around and he thanked me and went on his way.

The delivery by the way, was the thermal fuses for the dryer.   John went to work installing those and it seems the dryer now works just fine once more.  So perhaps we'll go another year or five or ten with it.   When I shared with my friend that my dryer was only 24 years old she suggested that when it did die we give it a proper funeral and burial since it's such a senior member of the household, lol.

After the dryer was fixed, I finished Bible study.  Then put away the dishes from the dishwasher and there it was lunchtime.  How on earth had the whole of a morning escaped me?

After lunch I decided to tackle the upper cupboards in the kitchen.  This was an easy enough job.  It took a few minutes and I found a lost item or two.  No big discoveries though and not any excess items.

Then I began to slowly get ready for our evening.  We'd been asked to a vow renewal for a couple at church.  I chose my outfit and tried on several pairs of pants.  I need to hem the black pants which are still sporting their tag. I know good and well I bought those pants at least two years ago!  I've tried on three other pairs, all Ponte knit, and that was the only pair that needs to be hemmed.  I ended up wearing something I've had for quite a long while but it took me a little while to decide.   I went ahead and showered and made up figuring I'd at least be pretty much ready when it came time to get dressed.

And then at 3pm, Sam texted that he needed us to pick up Josh...I was shocked.  I'd explained to Bess the day before that I couldn't be on standby for picking him up because we had an engagement and needed to leave home by 4pm...Well there was no help for it but to go get the child, he couldn't very well be left alone and I knew that we wouldn't be asked if it wasn't necessary.  But it did make me very nervous about our evening plans.  I told John, "If this all goes wrong, please, just go on without me."

I got fully dressed and went to the bus stop to wait on Josh's bus.  He was so happy to see me.  And we'd no sooner gotten to the house and in the door than Sam arrived in a great rush to take him home.  Bless that child, he was good as gold about going even though he'd told me on the way up to the house that he'd begged every weekend to come to my house and all they said was "No No No!"  lol.  I'm sure there's good reason why they said No and hadn't even asked if he might come.  I suspect he might have been having difficulties behaving...Grammas tend to know these sorts of things.  

However, if all goes well, I'm going to call and ask if the boys might come over on Saturday morning...I miss him as much as he professes missing me!

We left home immediately behind Sam and Josh.  I don't know a lot of people at church for all that we've been attending for a few years now.  I joined a couple of small groups but it's a large church and when they swapped to two services this year, we chose to attend the earlier, less crowded one, so the few faces and names that were familiar to us are no longer going to the same service.   John's attended men's breakfast with this man and I met his wife the day we were leaving to go to St. Augustine after service.  It was then they invited us to come to their vow renewal.

Well we both wanted to attend.  It was such a sweet thing.  They renew their vows each year at the husband's insistence and they share it with a few people and have a different church pastor to do the service each year.  This was their sixth anniversary.   The bride wore a proper wedding dress, too!  I'm glad I made the extra effort to wear something nicer than I usually do to church.  It seemed fitting to me and especially in light of how much effort the two of them made to make it a proper wedding.  They were sweetly nervous and excited after their day of preparing for this and their voices shook with tears.  They are not a young couple and I supposed some might think it was silly to 'marry' each other all over again each year but I think it's very sweet.  All throughout the ceremony the bride would periodically turn and look at the attendees and smile gently and sweetly at each of us as though our presence made her day complete.  

Afterwards they had a reception complete with cake and cupcakes and little sandwiches and a fruit plate, all of which the husband made himself responsible for .   I had a lovely conversation with two women who were either the bride or groom's mom and the other their next door neighbor.  It was really nice and so sweet, all of it.  I know I keep saying that but it was!

On the way home, we had a beautiful sunset, not a spectacular one, but one to admire.  It was a fitting end to a gently lovely evening.

Meals:  Cubed Steak, Biscuits

Pulled Bbq Chicken Sandwich, Chips, Mandarins

Wedding Reception (Finger Sandwiches, Fruit, Cake)

After we got back this evening I reviewed this week's goals.  I'd already planned that I'd mop floors tomorrow...And so I'll have tackled every item on my weekly to do list except scrapping paint off the back porch floor.   A pretty good week considering that I've been spontaneously doing all sorts of things beside my at home work.  

Tomorrow Bess and I are going to run to another town to do some grocery shopping and then I'll tackle home jobs...And that will make a week, won't it?  But I don't believe I've done a thing about October goals.  Ah well...This whole week has been a sort of free fall and I've only accomplished a few things but at least I've plugged away and gotten a few things done.

Friday:  Ugh on sleep.  I checked my blood sugar which was right where it ought to be.  Reluctant to take sleep aids twice this week I decided to just sit in my chair and close my eyes and listen to a You Tube video which put me right to sleep.  After about an hour, I was ready to go back to bed and try to sleep there and did so until 8 this morning.  That was a little later than I wanted to rise this morning, but one luxury of my life is that I can sleep in if I don't sleep well at night.

I stripped the bed and bath, started breakfast and had coffee.   I remade the bed, hung out clothes, loaded the few dishes we had used last night and this morning and then called to see if Bess was ready to go.

We went to Walmart and it was a successful morning shopping.  We failed to look for one item that Bess wanted for Josh's classroom.   I was after shoes, and a short list of items I haven't found elsewhere or was newly out of and wanted to restock.   I found two pairs of shoes, both athletic, which I hope solves some of the issues I'm having with feet and knees.   

I found underwear though I will share now that I've gotten home that there were five pair in the carton which said Six pair...Having looked long and hard for underthings for months now, I'm happy to have them even minus the one pair but I had noticed other packages were short a pair as well.  Is someone helping themselves to just one pair?  Or did they change the number in a package and fail to change packaging?  The package didn't appear to be tampered with...So mystery to me!

But our main objective was to get baby food for Millie and pick up a few grocery items.  Bess got next to nothing beyond baby food, which was her main objective today but I personally had my little list.  I bought two big cans of Crisco shortening, which I prefer over any other type regardless of cost.   I also got a 25 pound bag of all purpose flour and it cost just $5.83 which I felt was an excellent buy.  Now I know where I might buy it and about how much I might have to pay for it.   I checked for turkey Spam (nope!), and one other item I can't recall which was also unavailable.  I also bought bulk ground coffee just in case the Keurig decides to take another vacation from working.

All in all it was a good shopping trip, reasonable, with no impulse items and knocking items off my shopping list.  Officially, save picking up lettuce later this month, I am done with grocery shopping until the first of November.  We'll do fine with what we have on hand until then.

We stopped for a quick lunch, which we took in the cemetery with Elizabeth who likely saw days of plenty of days of scarcity and hardship too in her long life.  Bess and I had a lot of conversation today which ranged over all manner of subjects and concerns about life these days and prognostications about the immediate future and personal matters and menus...In other words, we had a nice coffee chat and it was quite nice and very pleasant.

It's a damp and cloudy day.   The clothes on the line have taken their time drying.  That means the floors won't dry well, so no mopping this week.   My big plans for this afternoon, late as it is now: prepare supper, plan meals and go clip a few flowers for a fresh bouquet on the table.   John vacuumed while I was gone and all else is looking rather nice.

Josh is out of school next week for Fall holidays so I plan to have him and Isaac here one morning next week.   Tentatively I'm thinking we might make some fall leaf shaped sugar cookies with sprinkles.  We'll see...I'm not quite sure I'm over the Christmas mess with that yet, lol.

So that was my week.   How was yours?  Did you accomplish tasks?  Find good bargains?  Let us know all about it!