Maybe Not All Those Nigerian Princes Were Fakes...

 Then again, maybe not.

Monday (er, Tuesday) Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Please Sir, May I Have Some Internet?

 We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our kids. (Hope you enjoyed yourself, too.) A storm was brewing in Colorado, but didn't turn out too bad; another one is headed our way on Thursday. 

    Week #3 just finished, without a reliable internet source -- and we don't always have enough bars on the phone to do even simple tasks. (Like posting this blog.) Jade, the big company around here, said we'd have fiber optic trenched in 'within 3-5 weeks.' Well, we're waiting. Meanwhile, I work on reports I can't send, which is also frustrating. 

Patience, God. Teach us patience.  Meanwhile:

Working from a coffee shop here might be an option -- if one was nearby. Which it isn't.  (Hey Mavis, I can relate.) 

Where's the stadium? Michigan fans pack the playing field after Michigan beats Ohio State. (Poor old Buckeyes.) On to the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday against Iowa. GO BLUE!

Charlie Munger died. Fans of Warren Buffett will quickly recognize this name. (He was 99.) His money rules are simple -- and effective. 

This makeup hack is supposed to 'erase' your double chin. Did it work?

'Sweet penny treats' candy to make for the holidays.  (From Little House Living)

Hazelnut marzipan truffles...5 ingredients, majorly delicious candy!

A 300-year-old painting stolen by an American GI in WWII finally goes home to Germany.

The artist Banksy's real name. This has been speculated for years! And more on him...was his name deliberately kept quiet, so his work would cost more?

A frugal (and scruffy) trailer park groundskeeper bequeaths $3.8 million to his small NH town. Yow!! Fort Garland, do you have anyone like that living here? According to his sister:

'He always told me that his main goal in life was to make sure that nobody noticed anything,' she said, adding that he'd say 'or you might get into trouble.'

Tips for hosting a more frugal holiday meal.  (From One Hundred Dollars A Month)

Tips for airplane travel. 

Have a good week. 

Don't Forget...

 

Things I Don't Understand: Thanksgiving Turkey-fied

      Holidays are always a bit odd in this department. But you might enjoy a silly look at one of our most treasured holidays -- whether or not turkey's on the menu this year. (Uncle Cal might act like one, instead.)

You're not serving chipmunks, are you??

        The Mama had this happen to her, on the way to Daughter #2 and Son #1's wedding. She was holding the wedding cake...and ended up wearing a good share of the frosting. (Sorry, Mom.)

Turkey... for me? Thanks, Mom!!

And finally:

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Thanksgiving Approacheth

      It's snowing while I write this -- been doing it on and off all day. The mountains have pulled their blankets up to their chins, and only show themselves occasionally. The flirts. 

     The fifth-wheel is winterized now. It's still parked outside the front door, while we get the rest of the things out of it. But everything freezable will be transferred to the house by tomorrow, and the heat turned off. Which is a relief. 

     We still don't have internet we can count on. Hotspots via the phones are working... sort of. But when it gets really cloudy, we basically have nothing. Frustrating -- particularly because I can't access photos from the Cloud for reports. We've waited two weeks for fiber optic -- hopefully it won't be much longer. 

     Like many of you, we'll be spending a good share of this week with our family -- not just our kids, but friends who've become our family, too. How I wish The Mama and my dad could have seen this house -- they would have loved the view. My grandma, too. 

Even earlier this year!

 It's also a time to think about the Fullers, an ancestor couple who came on the Mayflower -- and died the first winter. Fortunately, their sons survived. A good friend proudly remembers her ancestor, William Brewster, during this month, as well. 

Meanwhile:

The workhouse that may well have inspired Oliver Twist: Charles Dickens' family lived just down the street from it. 

'Browser' the cat keeps his job at a Texas library -- and the councilman who tried to get rid of him loses his, instead!

A Jack Russell terrier named Finney guards her master's body for three months in the Colorado mountains. She's nearly recovered from her ordeal. Brave dog!

'I know that she was with Rich to the very end and somehow that should be a comfort. I don’t know how she did it, but she was there when he needed her,' said Holby. [his wife]

Back in October - rescuers who had come to collect Moore's body were able to coax loyal Finney away from his remains with a can of dog food - after loyally sticking by for three months.

The gaunt dog, who had dropped to around six pounds, was still wearing her purple collar with 'Finney' written on the tag, but the personnel said that she was so skinny it was drooping off of her neck.

Finney, who had most likely had to fend off other wildlife during the 72 days and nights alone in the mountains, had long scars on her nose.

Poor puppy -- glad she's doing better.

The family known for their famous Christmas lights display -- now we know how they could afford it. They've been squatters for years!  This is a wacky one -- be sure to read it.

"My husband, the conman."  Fascinating.

A blanket, watch and first-class menu from the Titanic -- sold at auction for staggering prices.

A financial checklist for year's end.  Time to start thinking about this...and prepare for next year.

Stealing art -- while on a cruise??  (The couple was arrested, by the way, thanks to photos on his Facebook page. Stupid, stupid.)

A library book, a century overdue, just returned to the library.  Well, it's about time...

The Supreme Court REJECTS Chauvin's appeal for his conviction in the George Floyd trial. 

The 'Bleu Royal' diamond sold for nearly $44 million.  Just a pittance.  It was appraised beforehand at up to $50 million. What's $5 million less between friends...

A Wyoming man is acquitted of road rage, using the "stand your ground" rule. (You've got to read this one.)

A delicious mustard vinaigrette dressing -- via Ina Garten. 

Sooo... was the 'violent pro-Palestinian protest' at the Capitol anything like Jan. 6?

How to reduce your 'widow's penalty' -- you may ending up paying more tax on less income, unless you take some steps beforehand. P.S. Applies to widowers, too.  (From Liz Weston)

Nine (or more) people who cracked 'unbreakable' codes. Including the Voynich Manuscript! Also interesting:

Rare (and fascinating) artifacts, including one of two authentic Jolly Roger pirate flags in existence.

A three-guild quilt show at DIA! If you're traveling through Denver's airport, be sure to stop and view the 'Perfect Patchwork' exhibit.

Easy chicken nuggets -- the spices work on broiled chicken, too. Pair it with a copycat recipe for Wendy's Chili.

Insanely cool drone photos. Including this one of Niagara Falls:

Is there a Regal Theater in your neighborhood? $5 holiday movies all through the holidays...naturally.

This is a weird one -- killed by a robot after being mistaken for a box of paprika. 

The first Christmas tree. A wistful (and affirming) memory by Donna Freedman.

Two very creepy military sightings of a UFO referred to as "The Red Square."

US Presidents with strange hobbies.

Getting your boyfriend's name tattooed on your forehead? Really??

Funny "I don't work here" stories.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/fudgy-one-pot-brownies-3415275

Indiana Jones' original shirt -- found in a charity shop, but now selling on Ebay. The current bid: 78,000 pounds. Yow!

Easy recipes for college students -- and us.

Decorate your balcony! Some nice budget ideas here, too.

A pastor gets stuck out in the Wyoming wilderness -- and lives through it. Learns from the experience, too.

'Nearly forgotten' Thanksgiving recipes. (Well, not really...but interesting, just the same. 

Fall pie recipes that don't require a pie pan. 

Have a good week. If you celebrate -- enjoy your Thanksgiving.

What Does Mom Do?

 

The Brick used to work in the plumbing department at Home Depot. Makes you wonder what his picture would look like!

Back On the Air!

 Apologies for the long silence... but we've been Dealing With Things.

We moved to the new place on Sunday, and managed to take a few loads into the house before dark. 

Every day since then, it's bringing in items from the fifth-wheel and the truck...

     Figuring out what I need to make that day's meals...

     Getting those items from the fifth-wheel and truck...

     And putting them away. 

We're making progress, but it's taking time -- and a few trips to Alamosa to get supplies for winterizing the fifth-wheel, and ordering a mailbox.

(That's right. We're just at the cutoff point, and the previous owner had a P.O. Box, instead. If we put up a mailbox down at the corner, she'll deliver.)

We have plenty of wood for the coming winter -- the Brick figures about FOUR cords. (Wow!)

We've got enough propane, too...and will have the tank refilled shortly. (The price went down.) 

BUT --

The fiber optic promised on the sale doesn't exist. 

So no internet. Or not much...because we have to use up precious hotspot time on our phones. 

The internet people say it will be 3-5 weeks. (The Brick explained the situation, and asked them to expedite things. I second the motion.)

I tried going down to the library in Blanca, just a mile from Fort Garland. It's there. A tiny room with books, primarily from the 70s and 80s, plus DVDs and a whole shelf of VHS tapes. (Does anyone use VHS, anymore?? Apparently, yes.) But their computer service isn't a steady option. 

Which means that it's going to be quiet for a while -- only a few posts weekly, instead of the daily ones I try to send you. I need to reserve my time for work, as well as this blog. 

We're here, though, and very content in our new place. And the storage! Once everything gets put away, we'll still have empty shelves. 

After living with restricted space for years...that's wonderful.

F-R-E-E-B-I-E-S.

     Our friends know me as the ultimate scavenger.

 If there's meat or a potato left on their plates, and they're not getting a doggy bag, I'll snag it for our dog's sake. (And sometimes ours, if the steak is uneaten.) We used to have a friend who washed dishes in a restaurant, and sometimes brought back a chicken breast or sandwich for his beloved Ruby. Meat is great, but garnishes or leftover vegetables add color and flavor to a casserole or soup; so do take-home cuplets of sour cream or barbecue sauce. 

    Then again, there are other ways to stretch your meal. One set of friends usually orders one entree for both; if it's skimpy, they'll get extra fries. (We've started doing this, too.) In the case of places where sides are unending -- Red Robin always has unlimited fries, including (drool) sweet potato fries -- we'll make them most of our meal, then take the half-eaten burgers home. I did even better at Chili's, using a current special: the Brick got unlimited chips and salsa, I got soup (two bowls, since it was supposed to be unlimited, too) -- and we took a LOT of our burgers home. (Too bad I had to argue with the waitstaff, who apparently hadn't seen the commercial. But eventually they took off the extra charges.) 

'Freebies' like that translate into extra meals, when served with a salad or bowl of soup. That makes us happy. The crumbs and bits go into Ruby's supper bowl -- which makes her happy. (She gets some soup, too.)

Little things like this not only delight a Hollander like me. (And increasingly, the Brick.) They also really help stretch your budget for everything from food to furnishings. Case in point: my recent job working for elections.

    *Snacks (brought by everyone, me included) kept us going through the dull periods. The last day, we all chipped in for pizza (a substantial lunch), and the county people brought over a 'snack basket' of chips and such. I snagged a leftover pizza slice (used as an appetizer with a supper bowl of clam chowder) and a few bags of chips to take home.

     *Winter kale, pumpkins and pansies graced the planting pots outside the town hall. Some of the kale was overgrown; a few quick snips took off the damaged leaves, and gave me a handful of kale for a wonderful soup (recipe coming). (I really wanted to swipe one of the pumpkins, but behaved myself, even though they were 'mushy.' They would have made excellent pie.)

     *Several long discussions inspired a coworker to bring in several plant clippings. I got permission to clip a few more off the plants in the town hall. Hooray -- fresh greenery for our new house! (Now I need to talk a friend into donating a strand or two of Christmas cactus.) Another lady gave me an elephant ear plant. 

     *The library was just across the street. During two lunch hours, I visited there -- including the used booksale room. I snagged a number of holiday videos ($2 each) and kids books (an astonishing 50 cents each). We'll keep a few, and the rest went to nieces and nephews for Christmas. (I also gave the coworker with the plants a book she admired.) 

See what I mean? A free items here, a great deal there...it all adds up. 

But it also means paying attention -- asking permission to pick the apples the neighbor isn't using. (Or grabbing the 'drops' off the sidewalk. No fair shaking the tree!) Replanting wilted pansies or iris roots from a friend's garden, or cloves for next season's garlic. Asking for the hambone from the ham brought for a holiday potluck -- because it's going to be thrown away. (Makes great soup -- and beans.) Using  leftover fabric from another project to make a little quilt or potholder, accented by beads, buttons or sequins you scavenged from yet another project. (My current one will be framed by a string of purple LED lights from the dollar store. Also a bag of marked-down candy corn, for a friend who loves it.)

Sometimes you lose out: the item is already meant for someone else, or you didn't speak up in time. (The Brick and I both noticed a garden pot on a recent trash run to the dump -- and didn't say anything. Shame on us.) Sometimes you don't have room to store it. But more often than not, you'll not only be reducing waste, but saving money. It also lets you share generously with others. A pot of soup, or a refilled flowerpot -- it all adds up. 

We learned this to our benefit with our recent house purchase. When you move into a house from a fifth-wheel, you don't have much to sit or sleep on! And much of our remaining furniture is still hibernating in a snowmobile trailer in Michigan. (Yes, we got the trailer for a bargain, and Niece/Nephew are kind enough to let us store it on The Mama's old farm.) We won't pick the storage trailer up until spring. Some careful bargaining, plus generous offers from friends, gave us enough to get by for now. But...

 We tried to get the furniture included with the house; nothing doing. However, we did say the seller could leave anything he wanted to. Which ended up as:

    *One beautiful leather chair (upstairs), a white chair, desk, tv and bookshelf (downstairs),

The one on the right... wish he'd left the other chair, too.

     *A large bookshelf (in the office) and a few lamps. (We also found a wooden twin bedframe stuffed up on top of a wall unit. Not sure what to do with that.)

     *A wall unit full of nails, bolts, screws, etc., along with several spray cans of paint and other doodads. Perfect for household jobs.

     *A single tiny can of V-8 and a single cheesestick in the fridge (!!!), plus an odd mix of foodstuffs, including cornmeal, instant mashed potatoes, a single pack of cheese crackers...and smoothie mix. (???)

     *The seller also left a big batch of older books and National Geographics on the bookshelf downstairs. But what we can't use, we'll donate. Same with the food. 

His final offering was an odd one, discovered by friend Bert while looking for the septic system opening. There, under a wheelbarrow, was a fresh deer head, complete with rack. Ummmm... should we boil the head? Let the animals clean it off? Just saw off the rack and bury the rest? 

    Probably the latter -- but one of the strangest freebies ever.

Who, me??

Veteran's Day Discounts and Freebies

 If you've served (or are serving) in the U.S. military, Friday and Saturday are full of restaurants, grocery stores, haircutting salons and retail stores offering free meals plus all sorts of discounts.

Take a look here -- this is Colorado's version, but includes many national chains. 

Note: Although most offers are for Friday, Nov. 10, some are good through the weekend. And the ever-popular Golden Corral promotion is on Monday, Nov. 13.

Veterans' Day is actually Saturday the 11th, but celebrated on the 10th this year.

The Brick comes from a long and proud line of men who served in the Army, Air Force and Navy, including his dad and brothers Jon and Jim. The Brick himself put in six years in the Navy. My own dad put in his time in the Army, along with my grandpa and one uncle. 

Thank you for your service, veterans. We salute you.

Just The Car!

 

More funny wrong numbers here...

Wait... What??

 

This brings to mind the year we and friends got multiple deer, and decided to process the meat together. By the time we finished, there were several leg bones sticking out of their trash barrels -- and crows sitting on the bones, pulling bits of meat off. It's a miracle we weren't all arrested.

More "catches-you-weird" photos and comments here, thanks to Bored Panda.

P.S. Elections are over, thank God. No more weird commercials -- at least for a few months. (The 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. workday wasn't that fun, either.) We're holding off moving to the new house for a few days, thanks to an incoming snowstorm. 

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Well, Did You?

    Oh, what a week. 

We lugged a trailerful of furniture down to the new house, on our way to closing. We are now homeowners again! And we actually have something to sit on, sleep on and eat on, thanks to Marketplace and kind friends. (We'll get our storage trailer, currently in Michigan, in the spring.)

    I've spent the rest of the week sitting at the check-in table at elections. Two more days -- you can still vote, and probably even if you've never done it before. (At least you can, in Colorado.) Get out there and get busy!

And after you've done your civic duty:

Yes, Michigan won -- and got little respect to show for their effort. That's ok -- keeps them humble and working.

The Buffs -- well, we won't talk about it.

Peter Lynch's take on stocks today.  I have done very well, following his methods...see what you think.

Veteran's Day specials and discounts -- Veteran's Day is Sat., Nov. 11. If you've served in the military, these are great for stretching your $$ further. (More here, too.)

Plane comfort: how to get your aisle armrest to go up! A little hidden button does the trick.

What some lottery winners did with their money.

An easy Christmas terrarium! (I plan to try this.)

And if you're the plan-ahead type:  ten Christmas cookies to try. 

An ancient Roman road -- discovered underneath a garden in England.

Bearded...and proud.  She should be -- she's gorgeous.

"What is your favorite 'poverty meal,' that you will eat, no matter how money you have?" (Yep, Quora.)

A seamstress plans to embroider the entire Bayeux Tapestry. (She's making progress, too.)

Ten last photos of extinct animals.  (Or they may not be.)

A bunch of moneysaving tips and tricks.  (From The Frugal Kitchen)

The power of a blazer, demonstrated by Kate Middleton. (Looks great on her, too.)

Some very funny animal commercials.

A map trinket dish.  (Might be a good present for your favorite guy.)

A wonderful 'hidden' auto collection -- squirrelled away by a mechanic over the decades. 

A slow-motion goat dance...this is funnier than it sounds. And even a little bit graceful.

Keep these 16 items in your trunk when you're on the road in wintertime. 

Have a good week. 

Extra note: Son #1 got a buck! But I couldn't include a photo until I heard it was ok. 

"I'll take the cute guy on the left..."

 

adsf kj;

Ghosts: Americans vs Europeans