Hopefully your Memorial Day weekend has been a restful one.
I keep wondering -- The Mama was a stickler for putting fresh flowers on my dad's grave, as well as her parents' and grandparents' memorials, for Memorial Day. I put artificial flowers out before we left Michigan in March. Did anyone put fresh ones on the folks' and ancestors' graves this year?
It has been uneventful around here -- but a little wary and tense, as well. We are in a strange situation that hopefully will resolve itself this week. This makes dealing mentally with the Texas shootings and other uncertainties...interesting, to say the least.
Meanwhile, we work on this and that to keep busy. It helps keep you from thinking too much. Someday I will explain this -- but not now. At least we are home, in Colorado. That is a blessing, though I miss our Michigan family.
More on the Indianapolis:sunk in 1945, found again in 2017...and the 'missing' sailors who were actually buried at sea.
Harriet Hargrave died earlier this month. I was familiar with her store in the Denver area, Harriet's Treadle Arts, not far from my old office digs. (She'd actually purchased it from the Lemans after they decided to sell, and concentrate on their other business nearby: Quilter's Newsletter Magazine.)
But I knew her for more than that.
She was one of the few designers out there careful to make her reproduction fabric lines actually resemble the original fabrics. Her '1880s' and '1890s' shirtings and indigoes were generally spot-on, and perfect for backing and binding old quilt tops. (If you couldn't afford the original fabrics, that is. Sometimes you can't...or shouldn't.)
Harriet was one of the great pioneers for machine quilting techniques. Her books on this subject were some of the best.
And she was an inspired teacher, who paid special attention to details like fiber content, and the best ways to utilize those fabrics and battings. Granted, she didn't enjoy sharing the limelight -- I taught at a guild's annual conference one time with Harriet. In spite of my friendly overtures (and I tried), she would have nothing to do with me. Must have been the Crazy influence...it wasn't history and old fabrics. I know we shared those loves. In spite of this (and maybe because I am not that intimidated by strong personalities), I admired her very much.
She moved to Missouri in 2017, but was still very much a Coloradoan at heart -- and one of modern quilting's best influencers.
April showers may bring May flowers...but they brought a lot of strange weather, too, including snow, hail, rain -- and wind that would knock the average person down. I've spent a lot more time in the trailer than usual, thanks in part to an odd situation at our friends' ranch. But that is resolving itself, thankfully. I am looking forward to working more in the flower beds, washing windows -- and doing other stuff that will get me Outside.
Hopefully the heat will keep itself away for a month or so, while we enjoy this lovely weather.
The unpacking from The Mama's estate is done...and two laundry baskets of items taken to the girlies' homes. It's opened up the space wonderfully in the fifth-wheel. I even unpacked Bean and Queen, so they can wobble away and keep me company while I'm working. (Queen Elizabeth has an identical twin, since I brought The Mama's version back...but they don't speak to each other.) Bigfoot (see below) is keeping them company -- I wonder if they talk when we head for bed each night.
This month's dentist bill (see Misses) was a real hit on our budget this month. We also know that a six months' insurance payment, plus a hefty credit card bill, is due early in June. I tried to cut back in other areas, but it was difficult. We got the basics -- generally milk & eggs, and those only when they were on sale. That helped. So did staying out of the thrift shop and library booksale room. (Small economies -- but they made a difference in the long run.)
Yes, these are a bit early...but I had time.
FRUGAL HITS
*Taught at the DAR's Cameo Society luncheon in Broomfield, CO. These ladies are fellow history-lovers! (Sold some books, too.)
*'Rewards voucher' from Michael's for $5 -- on whatever I wanted! I used it for two octopus charms (60% off)...and two birthday presents for the girlies (BOGO 50% off).
*A good healthy slug of money deposited in The Mama's account, from the estate sale. The Mama would have been proud of that.
*The Mama's birth certificate, graduation diploma and some report cards -- returned by kind people who found them in a box of cards and letters they'd purchased at the estate sale. (I was so grateful.)
*Our internet has been going down regularly, late at night. The Brick complained -- turns up they're doing some kind of update, but didn't bother to tell their customers. Result: a $30 credit on our bill.
*The Brick used a hambone to make a pot of (delicious) bean soup -- then I added a can of chili-flavored tomatoes. Result: 4 meals (plus a snack) from a pot of Great Northern beans and a hambone!
I also used a few cups of Taco Stretch (a TVP product) to make a pound of hamburger, well... stretch. Checked our bins and regularly pulled items for meals. If we didn't have it, we generally went without it. (Or I used our dried milk supplies.)
*Read books I'd borrowed -- a LOT of books -- and watched episodes from all three seasons of the original Star Trek. All from the library. (I'd planned to buy Star Trek from Amazon -- but then the price went up. I'll keep looking. My monthly allowance remains unused, except for $2 on a book.) Bought a few videos at both the library's used book room, and the thrift shop. (But not many.) Sent some of the videos to our nieces and nephews.
*We have been gobbling up episodes of Doc Martin -- the GP who goes gaga at the sight of blood. He lives in a village full of odd, quirky characters stuck in funny problems. Between Tubi (seasons 1-5) and library DVDs (seasons 6-9) --all for free.
*Thrift shop buys: a 'new' coffeemaker for $5.99; set of queen sheets for $2; Skecher "Twinkletoes" shoes, $3-5 (resold for $), an appliqued pillow ($3), notes ($1 each), before a 20% discount---and free bread, bagels and English muffins.
*Regifted a few things, including a vintage cup from The Mama's farm.
*Scraped to keep grocery purchases at a minimum -- even milk and eggs. (But only on sale)
Good grocery buys: (Safeway) whole milk for $1.77 and 1.97 gallon; grated and sliced cheese for $1.95/lb; specialty corn chips 98 cents each; half-off catfood 'pate' (Ruby loves it) and 30% off Guinness stout; free cucumbers and salad greens. (Amazon Warehouse) Virgin olive oil; wild rice mix (19 cents/oz); British cherry preserves ($1.62 a jar, for 6); Hormel real bacon bits - 6 oz for $3.36 (equivalent to 1 1/2 pounds of cooked bacon, and incredibly versatile); Bush's Campfire Chili Beans, 86 cents each. Plus a non-food bonus: a Bigfoot figurine for an astonishing 25 cents! (More than $7 in 'courtesy credits' on this item from Amazon-- I'm grateful, though not sure why.)
*BOGO 50% at Red Robin - with enough leftover burgers for breakfast the next morning. Had another lunch there with a friend -- and she paid. (And yes, I brought the extra home. Thank you, Laura!)
*Wrapped some birthday presents, using paper that came round a flower bouquet. Some of the presents were antique cameras from The Mama's estate -- for Daughter #1's partner's collection. Mom would have been thrilled that they went to him. Son #1 got a pair of hunting gloves and a beer brewing book.
*Mother's Day goodies...a lovely mixed bouquet, plus a bunch of magenta carnations. All from the Brick, the thoughtful guy. Daughter #1 also gave me an orchid plant. These will last for weeks. The girlies, Son #1 and Daughter #1's partner sprang for a free supper too, the sweethearts.
*A lovely drinks & nibbles reception for the Denver chapter of ASA (American Society of Appraisers). Many of the appraisers there had different specialties than me; most were in engineering, power or medical areas. But we had a good talk talking, anyways.
*Some appraisals done. Some bits of other work here and there. (Pretty quiet this month...which is nice.)
*Wrote a letter to Days Inn/Wyndham Resorts, detailing a problem we'd had with one of the employees at the Chino Valley, AZ location. (Tip: Send a copy not only to the manager of the hotel -- but to the corporate offices, as well. It helps.) The outcome: a 20% discount on the bill, and 5000 bonus points on my rewards account.Complaining letters work, if they're done right.
*May shindig from Lord & Richards, featuring steak, chicken, salmon, and a jazz band -- all free. (Plus a rather sobering report on the current financial market...see 'Hits.')
*Learning all over again to come home for meals, a snack or drink, rather than stop for a quick one. This little economy has made a real difference this month.
*Free online lecture on 18th century workingmen's graffiti, from a British museum.
*A penny found at the back door of El Loro in Boulder. A friend beat me, though -- she scooped up a dime, nickel and penny from her own driveway.
*The Brick made several trailer repairs...and helped our friend fix his vehicle, as well. What a guy.
*Planted greens, onion sets (red and white), basil and cilantro -- beans and zucchini up on the balcony of our friends' house (so the deer wouldn't eat them). Also helped Daughter #1 plant her garden beds. (And yes, I bought seeds for her, too...at Dollar Tree.)
*A cute red plastic piggybank -- courtesy of our local credit union. Thank you!
*A hunting license for the Brick, first part of October. Hopefully it will produce results, especially since we've...
*Started to use more elk meat. It has rather an odd smell when you first take it out of the pkg, and this threw me off a bit. (He was an older bull, after all.) But the cooked meat is absolutely delicious.
*Stocks down. Way down. Ouch. Bought more index fund shares, now that it's down, and more Red Robin shares (RRGB) too. (Don't buy Red Robin, unless you're prepared to wait things out -- it's now down about 50%.) The Brick noticed a petroleum gas stock (LPG) that's doing quite well, even in the downturn, and offered a healthy dividend this month -- so I bought some of that, too.
*The Brick needed a physical to renew his CDL license. Ah well...it was important. (He went to the local clinic, which saved a bit.)
*A few hundred $$ spent on various hobbies. Once in a while, it's ok.
*Gas prices are INSANE: $5.29 in our part of Colorado, at Sam's Club. And yes, the lines are long. (A 'hit:' the Brick noticed that the sign said $5.12/gallon, and took pictures of both the sign and the pump. I went to Customer Service a few days later, and argued that we should have been charged $5.12 -- a $3.91 difference. The manager agreed -- and cut me a $5 giftcard, 'for my trouble!' What a nice guy.)
*Buying smaller amounts sometimes -- like the 12 pounds of flour I purchased at Sam's Club that worked out to 42 cents a pound, versus 38 cents, if I'd bought a 25-pound bag. Yes, I know it's not that big a deal -- but when you're devoted to the smallest $$ per pound, it bugs you. (I made up for it by getting yeast much more cheaply at Sam's, than at Walmart or Amazon. I guess.)
*Went to see The Northman on a Friday night, complete with popcorn and a drink (for us to share). Our first movie out, except on discount Tuesdays, in years -- and now I know why. Total: almost $50. Really?!? (I later found out that if we'd gotten there before 5:30 p.m. that night, the bill would have been $6 each. Needless to say, the cinema people did NOT tell us that.)
*Out to lunch with friends -- full price. But we took our time, had ceviche too...and it was lovely. (We did have leftovers to take home.) I am not sorry. Sometimes you just do this, on the spur of the moment.
*Broke a plate -- and a cup. And a bowl started leaking. It goes like this sometimes.
*Lemon curd ordered from Amazon -- four of the six jars were leaking. (Money refunded, as well for an order of Biden stickers that never arrived.)
these guys...yes, they're rude.
*Realized we had a $40 credit to spend (through Medicare) in a health products catalog. Free shipping, too, as long as we spent $35. Why was this a 'miss?' Because the Brick is allowed $40 every quarter -- and if you don't spend it, you lose it. We didn't even realize it was possible until this month -- which meant that Quarter #1 had already gone bye-bye. Ergh. Prices are higher than we'd often spend, but we can make it stretch for this quarter, at least. (Note: If you're old enough for Medicare, make sure to check -- you might be eligible for this benefit, too.) P.S. The order arrived -- all things we can use.
*Went to a fundraiser for the local fire and rescue - even bought some raffle tickets! We didn't win anything...darn. But the green chili-topped burritos were delicious.
*Dental bills. By the time I had my teeth cleaned, x-rays done, a crown replaced, a filling, and paid for a maintenance plan, it was up to $750. OUCH, in more ways than one.
I can't do much to affect the charge of inflation...or our government's decisions. (Effect it either, for that matter. I do write letters and e-mails now and then, which have all been dismissed or ignored. Weird, because I write very good complaining letters.) However, I also author this blog -- and am hoping that it not only helps you-all...it helps you THINK. That's why I read blogs like My Tireless Retirement , One Hundred Dollars A Month and The Prudent Homemaker. If we all THINK together -- maybe things will change!
Charley's keeping a close eye on Bigfoot, until things settle down around here...
And don't give me that argument of 'Well, it was in Texas. They're like that.'
No, they're not.
The 'United States School Shootings Honor Roll' has Texas as one of the LAST states for school shootings. For those of you who like to point the finger at Colorado because of Columbine, our state's number is way down there, too. The clear winner? California.
Do you really think, as our esteemed president seems to, that magically making all guns illegal is going to suddenly solve these murders? (And the rest of the crimes, mass shootings, etc. etc. will just disappear.) If you believe that, then you could also be certain that criminals would be meekly linking hands, singing 'Kumbaya' and throwing their firearms in one big happy pile. (After all, they would never dare to keep them anymore -- that would be illegal.)
And the world would be a better place. For you. And me. Just wait...and see.
It's not going to happen. Even in countries that ban gun sales, people are still getting shot with -- guns.
What would be helpful, in my humble opinion, is not selling firearms to people who are 18. Or 19. Or 20. (That, based on the schools list, would have made it a heck of a lot more difficult for most of the shooters.) Also helpful would be a longer delay in actually finalizing gun purchases, so the purchaser's background could be double- and triple-checked before they take delivery.
But would this solve the problem?
Sadly, because people are people -- and there is evil out there --
Update: Or Spider-Bros?I'm embarrassed...just saw the movie Spiderman: No Way Home. Had no idea the three Peter Parkers acted together! It's nice to see the real creator of Spider-Man, Steve Ditko, get credit, along with Stan Lee. (He created Doctor Strange, too.)
My MIL had a new boss who hated her. She was about three years from retirement, and she felt like he was trying to push her out early so she’d lose part of her pension etc.
She asked me to check her answering machine while she was gone after her mother died and let her know if anything important came in, and to water her plants.
The third day or so I’d been there, there was a message from this boss giving his condolences. Then you could hear the click where he thought he’d hung up but must have placed the receiver just wrong and was still on the line. He ruthlessly made fun of her with his wife for the next five minutes before saying “Oh, s**t!” and hanging up.
She was at a really low point in her life, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her or leave the message on the machine. It would have absolutely crushed her. But I did record it, and then I deleted it from her machine.
Then I called and told him what I had, why I wasn’t telling her RIGHT NOW (but absolutely would if needed in the future), and told him I’d better hear nothing but how wonderful work was going for her and how well she was treated until she retired. I told him I didn’t even understand what a piece of s**t you had to be to talk about someone like that behind their back, and especially at such a time in their life.
And that’s exactly what happened. She had a wonderful last few years and figured that her mother dying had opened him up to treat her kindly and with respect.
That was twenty years ago and I never told her and never will. I wouldn’t want to ever take those last few years there away from her.
(This is horrible to admit...but I actually forgot where I stashed this t-shirt graphic, before I could slide it in place. Five minutes after I selected it. Pathetic.)
Staying home a lot right now -- because we need to. We did enjoy a Mother's Day supper with the kids on Thursday. The restaurant was open-air, which was fine until 8 p.m. or so, when the cold air and wind started. It literally went from the 80s to freezing in just a few hours.
Mr. Bear stopped by one morning at 1 a.m. or so, and tried to drag off Ruby's dogfood bag. The Brick dragged it back while I shone a flashlight on the malcontent. Then we put three more food bins in the garage, until we can figure things out. (Ruby took one sniff outside, then promptly went and hid under a chair. Smart dog.) The bear has been back several days...but nothing edible is out there. He'll soon get tired of visiting.
Meanwhile, we do chores, watch movies and political news...and wait it out. More snow is expected. Then I'll do some planting, and enjoy the sunshine.
Two engineering students bumped into each other at school and one noticed the other’s new bike. He asked, “Where did you get such a wonderful bike?” The other student replied that a blonde rode up to him, threw her bike on the ground, took off all her clothes, threw them on the ground and said, “Take whatever you’d like to have.” The first student says, “Good call, I’ll bet her clothes wouldn’t have fit either of us.”
Or...
Conventional wisdom: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Mechanical Engineer: If it ain’t broke, consider adding more features.
OR...
What's the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers? Mechanical engineers build weapons; civil engineers build targets.
Can you tell I'm married to an engineer? The Brick can fix ANYTHING.
This happened at Eldora Ski Resort, not far from where Daughter #2 and Son #1 live. (And we used to.) Accidents have happened so often in recent years that some skiers have taken to calling it 'Dead-ora,' instead.
Thieves return 16 idols they stole from a Hindu temple -- turns out they were couldn't sleep at night, due to frightening dreams. But -- only 14 were returned. Where are the other two, and what are they doing? Ya mean -- there's another side of reality, beyond what we can see and touch??
Koko the Gorilla's final message to the world. (Or maybe it was heavily edited by her human managers. Interesting, anyways.) Her meeting with Mr. Rogers (whose show she adored) was interesting, too:
Did you see the blood moon lunar eclipse Sunday night?We thought we were supposed to miss it, here in our part of Colorado. When the Brick took Ruby out for an evening run, he said, "Come out here -- quick!"
Wow.
It's back to its bright white self now. I always thought of a reddish eclipse as an autumn thing, i.e. a "hunter's moon," but it's springtime. Nobody's hunting, while the animals are having babies, and birds are nesting.
Lessons learned from Bill Gates -- a classic from years back by yours truly. Obviously Bill didn't learn much from his own life lessons, considering his current messy family situation. But at least he was famous before he died, right?
Speaking of art -- a Botero painting is headed for auction. This 'rare opportunity' is there, if you enjoy the full-breasted-and-backsided look of Fernando Botero's work. Estimate is $1.2-1.8 million USD. Chump change. (I paid more attention to Botero's work, after Jeffrey Archer rhapsodized about him in the Prison Diaries.)
