Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: September, So Glad You're Here!

   It's been way too hot and humid -- and odd, anyways. One of the strangest summers in many years. I've heard a LOT of people say that -- and the same thing about 2020, in general. Do you agree?

    We're back, from a rather strange but needed trip to Michigan. Whenever you go from high to low altitudes, and vice versa, you go through a few days where you feel extra-tired and achy...like you're coming down with the flu. But it's really just adjusting. 

     That's almost done, which is good -- I've got work to do this week. The Brick has plans for finishing off some repairs, and we both need to do some painting on the property. It still gets extra-warm during the day, but the nights are cooling off beautifully. My sluggish brain is finally starting to wake up. So here we go...

The Mama's kitchen table, notepad for ideas/lists in hand.
Popcorn is nearby, in the big plastic tupperware.

Joe Biden's acceptance speech at the DNC -- along with 'fact checking' by National Public Radio staffers and experts.

Donald Trump's acceptance speech at the RNC -- ditto.

   Compare the two. Were they both treated with equal respect and fairness? Did facts actually GET checked, or were personal biases displayed, instead? Did the experts provide strong proof for what they said, or were they making vague statements attributed to general "well, so-and-so said" unnamed groups and people? (By the way, I think some bias was displayed on both speeches. Comparing them brings this out. We were able to hear Trump's speech while heading back to Colorado -- I want to lisen to Biden's, as well. Speaking brings out verbal nuances that words don't always point out.)

Who's helping fund the riots? This needs to become public info...Rand Paul and his wife were surrounded and attacked, and are among the people shouting against this. Try reading Mrs. Paul's op-end on "our harrowing, dystopian night" and see if you don't shudder a bit, as well.

Chadwick Boseman died recently. An elegant, dignified presence in Black Panther -- the movie could have been better, but the actor was great.

How to make dinner when you're not going to be home long to cook it. (From Cheapskate Cook) Her post on 10 recipes for Real Food in busy times is a good one, too.

Would the stock market be kinder to a Republican president -- or a Democratic one? What's the historical look? (From Financial Samurai)

A beluga whale gives birth...while you watch.

A REALLY unusual floor mat...and it's not that expensive, either. 

Ten leaders who broke their own rules and restrictions for Covid-19.  (From Listverse) 

     Twinkletoes, are you paying attention??  (Michigan's governor, whose foibles I love to categorize, is actually on the list.)

A pilot who sacrifices his life to get his plane landed. He saved hundreds of lives doing so. What a courageous man.

$250,000 USD in huge gold nuggets -- found in the same day, by a guy and his brother-in-law, helped out by their dad.

A radio burst from a 'galaxy far, far away' shows up every 157 days: one of two that do this, out of hundreds. What's going on?

Ever wonder what 10,000 liters of Coke, if combined with baking soda, would do? Thanks to this video link...now you know.

The strange, yet strangely poignant love story of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson.

The kitten who thought she was a husky. This slideshow is just charming.

T.R. Wright -- and one of the biggest insurance scams ever in the great state of Texas. (He's due to get out of prison in 2022.)

A four-year retirement update. Want to know how someone who decided to retire early...actually retired early? Here's your chance. (From ESI Money) 

   He also does an interesting series of Retirement Interviews -- here's #24 and #25.

Ten secret tunnels and underground passageways in Ireland. (From Listverse)

Two Israeli teens on summer break find a jar of 425 9th century gold coins...at an archeological dig. Wow.

Have a good week.

Our granddog Karma -- full of her usual 'p & v'

Frugal Hits & Misses - August Report

The Strange Summer continues, with one final smackdown of heat, thanks to Michigan and its humidity. We did our jobs -- got things done -- but it was an effort. The dogs agree; those heavy coats are not conducive to activity, except in the cool of the evening. And Michigan hasn't exactly been cool, even then.

      Now comes September, one of my favorite months of the year. Fall colors (in Colorado, anyways); cooler air, trips up in the mountains to scout for hunting; or just Look for Things. 

FRUGAL HITS

(some of these will be from late July.)

*'Stuck at home' most of the month -- which was really a blessing. (Except when we were cleaning up dog poop or vomit, which happened a lot for a week.) Tried to group errands as much as possible; if I was headed to town for one thing, I'd try to do two or three more, as well. Spending more money in a day, rather than spreading it out, actually helped curb impulse purchases -- and helped me spend less.

20% discount, plus free shipping, on a nice batch of Goodwill stuff -- including Christmas presents and several Rusty Wilson Bigfoot collections I've been reading for years, and wished I had in my library. (If you're reading this on Aug. 28, the special's still good -- just order two or more items, and use the code LEARN when you check out.)

*Finished The Book. Whew.

*Small paycheck from a class-action lawsuit. Every bit helps.

*Free geranium and houseplant cuttings, from a friend.

Petunias will root well in water, too.

*Fixed an appraisal revision -- it took some hours, but just a $10 payment. (To the notary public, ironically.)

*More Christmas presents from Amazon -- plus some honey-roasted peanuts for an emergency stockup. (15 cents an ounce -- I could have spit, barely missing some selling for 14 cents an ounce!  Thus is the drama in a Hollander's soul.)

*Found a dime at Safeway -- in the automatic change dispenser. (Too bad it wasn't a nickel..)

*Kept our granddog, Miss Karmanator, while her parents were away rockhounding. Just a little payback from when they kept Charley and Ruby while we were on the cruise.

*Sold some stock -- just in time. The rest is invested heavily in index funds -- with a chunk staying in cash. That way, it's available for purchases When the Bottom Drops Out. (It's coming. Just a matter of when.)

*Found some birthday presents for the girls on sale. (The Mama and both daughters have August birthdays, along with a handful of cousins. This makes present/party/special meal purchases verrry interesting.) Got some for The Mama, too. 

*Cleaned out cupboards. Found some things I didn't know we had...then we ate them.

*Turned in reimbursement requests for the Virgin plane tickets. And the cruise deposits (for the new cruise that got cancelled when CMV west bust). And the cruise partial refund (promised when the cruise was cancelled while we were in Indonesia).

'Attended' a class 'Embroidery Up-Close' from the Winterthur Museum, via Zoom ($15). Another lecture, on 'famous fakes' in the art world, from Skinner Auctions, was free online. (I need these to keep the 'education' part of my ASA membership covered. Another $35 one, on clocks, happens in the fall.)

*Missed out on some Ebay purchases. (I didn't really need them, anyways.)

And the cat's response:

*Bought some more photos -- including railroads and some very cool ones from Denver's July 1912 flood. Because I bought more than five, they were 25% off -- in effect, purchasing the last 1 1/2 photos for free. Still way cheaper than renting them. (Used my Ebay bucks to take a few more dollars off.) A second batch of postcards was $1 each, plus shipping. Even better. These will pad out The Book, and be handy for future publications.

Nice, huh?

*More $2 videos. (Slowing down now, as the library's not cleaning out old inventory as quickly.) Gave a few to friends. Took a few back to Michigan for gifts. Beautiful books in terrific condition for Christmas presents; $2-3 at the library's used-book room. (But I get to read them first!)

*Milk and eggs. Milk and eggs. Milk and eggs. I miss our chickens...

*Specialty craft beer -- $21 per case! About 88 cents a can -- that's a STEAL in our area. We bought three cases; some six-packs will be presents. This is not for me, by the way; I'm more a tequila girl.

*Treated to supper out by friends. (Thanks, guys.) Their trash pickup happened while they were gone -- we added our trash to theirs, saving the Brick his bimonthly trip to the dump. (It helps our landlord out, too.)

     To my surprise (but not the Brick's), we only went out to eat twice in July on our dime: once to Red Robin and once to Burger King. Then again, we made up for it on the trip to Michigan this month.

*74-cent packages of 'Tuscany frozen veggies:' broccoli, peppers, onion. Half-price chocolate milk. (Guess I'm just a kid at heart.) Celery heads: 99 cents each. Bacon: approx. $2.75/lb. 

*Replenished my bakeware -- higher-quality pans, including a french ceramic piece, for 50 cents - $3. Half-price day at the thrift shop. Whoo-hoo! (I also walked away from several home dec pieces I would have loved to get...thanks to hearing the Brick's voice in my mind: 'Where are we gonna put that?')

*Made my own carrot cake and cheesecake for the girls' birthday party. Instead of paying for a restaurant dinner, they wanted to eat at home -- two bags of $3.99/lb shrimp did the trick. (I forgot to bring the mushrooms and sweet corn I'd also planned...duhhhh.)

     The irony of all this? My family, plus our landlord, loved the homemade carrot cake, far more than the storebought kind. 

*Mended a pair of jeans and the Brick's favorite shirt. (He was going to throw it out. Ironically, I have never cared for this shirt -- but he loves it.)

*Made a flying trip back to Michigan -- the last batch of things for storage out of our landlord's garage went with. We attended two cousins' funerals, and celebrated The Mama's 83rd birthday. (Made her a chiffon cake, too.)

*Bought 10 storage bins to carry the rest of the garage items to storage in Michigan: $9.99 each. They worked beautifully, and kept our stuff safe and clean. (And of course this time there was no rain to deal with, unlike other trips carrying stuff back to Michigan. Figures.)

*Took nearly all my books back to The Mama's for storage. It hurt, but the Brick is right; we need to cut weight in this fifth-wheel, to make it easier to pull.
    It also helps that The Book is done, which means fewer books are needed for research and writing.

*The Brick continued to make repairs -- both on our house, and The Mama's. He's wonderful at this.

*Got haircuts at our friend Anne's in Michigan. (The dogs will be getting washed, clipped and their nails trimmed when we get home. Yes, we'll do it ourselves.) Charley's allergy meds were renewed at Wal-Mart -- no doctor's visit needed. Both dogs got sick - we combined home remedies with patience until they got better..

*Went swimming several times at a cousin's pool. Took our grandnieces and nephew one afternoon -- they loved it. A stop at McDonald's for lunch, plus a swing by the thrift store for a toy and book each, and they were happy campers. (I have to instill the thrift shop gene early!)

FRUGAL MISSES

*Bought a generator. And it wasn't cheap. But it was the best for the money that the Brick could find.

*Prices are heading up in the Denver area -- big-time. A recent week trumpeted $2.87 boneless chicken breast -- on sale. Before this, $1.60 or so/lb was the usual sale. Milk -- and food prices in general -- have jumped about 20%. If the price hasn't changed, the package size has gotten smaller. Sigh...

*Broke a sandal strap on a favorite pair of sandals -- which meant I had to do an appraising appointment with one bare foot. (Bet they never saw that before!) Found another pair of leather sandals damaged while cleaning up our friend's garage. (Mice?) Two nice pairs gone. Sigh.

    (On the other hand, found the two pairs of Chaco sandals I'd squirreled away 'for safekeeping' when we sold the house last year. Just in time, too.)

*Booked another cruise! But this time on Royal Caribbean, with cousins. (Yes, it was on sale. We also got extra discounts for the Brick's age and military service.)

*Still waiting on any money back from CMV for our cancelled cruise...or from the credit card company. Sometimes that works. (We did get our deposit back from the 2021 cruise we'd booked with them.)

*Bought a gold tooth (!!!) and a small handful of garnets from The Mama. She needed cash for her insurance payment. 

*Ate out. A lot. Paid for most of it -- cousins and The Mama paid some meals, though.

Last month's report is here. Last year's is here. 

Hurry, September -- come quick!

Columbine = 'endurance' in the Language of Flowers.
(It's also Colorado's state flower.)

Charley and Ruby's Wish

 

Aaahhhhhh...

Woof!

 Today is National Dog Day! 

(No, I wasn't paying attention. The Brick, who enjoys All Things Weird, noticed it.)

In honor of Man's Best Friend:

Charley and Ruby had pancakes this morning, thanks to The Mama

Or makes him 'woofles...'

And finally...

A Simple Lesson In Endurance

 

Hopefully this will inspire you, too...it did for me.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Keep On Keeping On

Hot and sticky...two of the things Michigan specializes in for August.

    We'll be here a bit longer, after 1 1/2 weeks in Michigan, staying at The Mama's. Her 83rd birthday was last week; two cousins' funeral services also happened. These were outdoors, one actually at the cemetery, due to tight Covid-19 restrictions by the governor. (She finally allowed public pools to open just a few days ago -- about two weeks before pools usually are drained for the season. Go figure.

    Another cousin has a beautiful pool -- and has generously urged us to use it whenever we can. (Thank you so much, Niki!) Monday is supposed to head up into the 90s. Humid too, of course. Guess where we'll be headed in the afternoon? Then... back to work.

Meanwhile:

Denver had its share of attackers masquerading as protesters during the 'Give 'Em Hell' anti-police attack Saturday night. Could have been worse...people (including Colorado's government, thankfully) are getting very tired of this.

A hissy fit over our First Lady being a "foreigner" who dared to 'rip up' history in the form of the White House rose garden. Ummm.... buddy, she's a U.S. citizen, though she was born in a foreign country -- like so many of our distinguished immigrant citizens. She actually oversaw the rose garden renovated, following its 1965 form used by Jackie Kennedy. It's still there -- not like the people who tried to get rid of the rose garden altogether...and had the ghost of Dolley Madison admonish them. 

    He eventually deleted his tweet, and added an apology -- but made himself look not only like a bully, but a historically-misinformed doofus, as well. Sad.

Mrs. Obama did something rather similar by denigrating immigrant children's 'cages' as solely Trump's doing -- even though those cages, the program -- and the nasty 2014 photos often used to 'prove' how meanhearted Trump is -- actually started during her husband's administration. Oopsies.

Two Michigan boys return a wallet stuffed with cash. The owner was more than grateful:

“It’s super easy to do the right thing when someone is standing there and sees you do it,” he told the station. “It’s a whole other level of integrity when no one knows what you’ve found and what you have, and you still do the right thing.”

Amazing 15th century artifacts -- found under the floorboards in an English mansion.

Two-ingredient bagels. Actually, there are a few more...but they look great.

A very 2020 garbagefind encounter.  This guy's blog is a fascinating look at his dumpster and curbside finds -- including gold and silver. (From Things I Pick Up in the Garbage)

Yep, just as warned, some riders attending the Sturgis rally went positive for Covid-19. Lots and lots -- just like all the naysayers warned!

    So how many is that? Well, out of the some-250,000 or so who attended...less than 25, so far, including 15 Minnesotans who seem to have had connections with each other. One guy is in the hospital -- and yes, I do feel badly for him. But do those numbers terrify YOU??

So the mystery of the Roanoke Colony has been solved...or has it?

Ben Cross died last week. We admired his work in Chariots of Fire -- and elsewhere.

Forty way-over-the-top celebrity homes. 

Fun Victorian era ghost stories. Good for telling late at night, around the campfire.

Have a great week. Stay cool.

Save On (While Saving) A Book!

To celebrate National Thrift Shop Day (August 17), Goodwill is offering a special on its  'Books' website,  which is really books, videos, music and games. 

order 2 or more items, get 20% off. Whoo hoo! Free shipping on everything only sweetens the deal.

Just put in 'LEARN' when you check out. And you help a quality organization help others, while yo're doing it. Enjoy -- but the special's only good through August 28.

Saturdays in Michigan

It's a quiet week in Lake Woebegone.

I spent the afternoon with Sister and our great-nieces and nephew yesterday: McDonald's, then swimming. ("Squirt Aunt Cindy one more time with that watergun, and you're gone!") Then the crowning moment: a stop at the local thrift store to pick out (gasp!) YOUR OWN TOY AND BOOK. I had no idea this would be such a thrill. Then back to Grams' farm to get some candy from her, and some goodies we'd brought from Colorado. (Also via the thrift shop, but they didn't know that.) They are dears, and I love them. Sister, too. 

   The Brick spent the day installing a screen door for The Mama. She (and he) was very happy with the results.  

It is REALLY hot here, with a blessed cool breeze easing things up. We're headed to a memorial service for our cousin, tonight around 6 p.m. in a park. The blackflies have been horrendous -- the last service we attended  (last Saturday at a cemetery, for another cousin), I could see them pooling on my ankles and gnawing away. There was nothing to do but stand there and endure. 

      This time, I'll wear long pants instead of a dress, spray heavily with 'bug drug' and hope for the best. Hey, the excitement never ends around here. Hopefully, though, it's the last funeral we have to go to on this trip. 

Need a Fat Quarter or Two?

 

We're in Michigan right now, for our cousin's memorial service. 

Back in Colorado next week sometime

A Customer Service Note

 

Not That They Ever Act Like This...

 ad j

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Michigan Daze

Boy, has it been hot here. 

We've been in Michigan since Friday -- first for a funeral of a family member, next for The Mama's birthday (Happy Birthday, Mom!) and finally for another memorial service this coming weekend. 

   It has been blazing hot and dripping with humidity. We spent the first few days sleeping (or not) and sweating. Thankfully, the temperatures have been dropping some and rain is supposed to come in. It may mean not being to swim as much as I'd hoped...but at least we can breathe easier.

   Boo dee hoo hoo -- just got word that college football will be postponed until spring of next year. What in the world will we watch during the hopefully-upcoming crisp days of fall?

A man donates $100K of his own salary to help restore damaged monuments. What a guy, huh? 

A 'floating' staircase, more than two centuries old, discovered in an Irish prison.

Time to sell, if you're in stocks? One of Warren Buffett's 'crash indicators' is flashing, according to this. Honesty admission: I sold nearly all my stocks a few weeks ago - it got too nerve-wracking. (I did keep my index funds.) Just a few left, and they may need to go on Monday.

Fund managers haven't been too successful this year predicting stock twists and turns, according to this study.

"Stop calling it white privilege" -- and call it for what it is, instead: racism.

Staying frugal when you feel like the world is crumbling. Some good practical ideas here. (From I Pick Up Pennies)

Modern time & space portals that might actually exist. (From Listverse)

A student finds one of Scotland's lost Govan stones. (This is an odd one - you might want to read the Wikipedia entry on them to understand how important they are. I needed to.) More unusual archeaological discoveries from Listverse here, if you're curious.

The most popular cake the year you were born.

Michigan's 'Cascade Flasher' has finally been caught.  Another strange story from Michigan:

A dog is rescued -- four miles out in Lake Michigan! No explanation why it was out there, treading water. Maybe it got turned around? (Reunion with its owners followed, thanks to a microchip.)

The world's greatest grilled chicken marinade -- at least according to Len Penzo. (I'd add some lemon juice, but this does sound good.) Plus:

9 guilt-free ways to rip off your credit card company. We do this by paying our bills in full -- every month!

10 strange historical events -- that really happened. (From Listverse)

Ebay sellers and fake art -- a cautionary tale.

17 sweet little old ladies -- who were really murderers. (From Ranker)

Carrot cake in a mug -- quick!

The Lakota nation is blocking Sturgis bikers from its land -- including numerous checkpoints. We have good friends who went to the rally this year...and pretty much every year. 

Hassled because she named one of her patterns 'Good Ol' Boys?' Take a look at Ragmuffin's dilemma.

"I am the one thing in life I can control." Some practical ideas on how to proceed with that, from Get Rich Slowly. While you're at it, go read his two-week travel post in Europe. 

The Union Star quilt block -- and sewing warblers. (From Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts)

Sumner Redstone died last week - age 97. You may not recognize his name, but his company controlled CBS and Viacom. Redstone also had some interesting arrangements with various women, which is what drew my attention to him -- that, and his declared intention to live forever. "I have no intention of dying," he said in 2014. As the Brick said, "Well, good luck with that, buddy."

Are dinosaurs still flying in modern skies? Some people think so. Or maybe a Thunderbird or two, based on this recent report from Alaska.

Have a great week. Stay cool.

Summer sunset, country dirt/facebook

This Actually Made Sense At 1:00 A.M...

 

Dog Days

 It has not been fun around here.

     While we were having supper with friends, Charles and Ruby found their rotting elkhead, from a hunting trip last fall. (Out here, you leave the skull to clean itself off naturally, so to speak -- it's called a 'Western Mount.') When we got back, the Brick found Charley gnawing on the elk's jawbone -- and we thought that was the worst of it. (After all, you can wire the jawbone back in place.)

But it wasn't.

Over the next 5 days or so, Ruby got terribly sick. When we could get her to eat something, we fed her a little chicken, rice and applesauce -- what people would eat in the same situation. But she ate little, slept a lot...and decorated our floor every night, no matter how early or late we got up. Finally we just left her outside for most of the day. Twice a day, I held her down while the Brick cleaned off her backside with personal wipes, wearing rubber gloves. Poor puppy. Poor Brick.

When she finally started to improve, Charley got sick! Then it was HIS poop all over, night after night after night. At least we could rinse him off, instead of the personal cleaning. 

This joyful experience is nearly over. Thank God. And next time we see our friends, I'm going to make very sure that elkhead is up and out of reach.

Meanwhile, here are some doggie-do memes for you to enjoy. 

Charley can snore loud enough to be heard the next block over.

I'll be back soon with meatier posts...but for now, I needed some amusement. Figured you did, too.