So There You Go...

 

Exhausted

    Early this morning, Donald Trump won the election for President. 

 Yesterday, I worked from 6:45 a.m. - 10: 15 p.m.

     And that came after a month of busyness --  more than two weeks of working elections, hosting a houseful of hunters and a bunch of other stuff. 

     We woke up to a blizzard. It's supposed to be here for at least two, maybe three days. 

     That puts back a planned trip to Michigan to pick up the storage trailer. So -- now what? 

     While we ponder this, I'll stay by the woodstove, have some hot coffee...and work on reports and a restoration. I also have some comments about Trump's win...but that can wait. 

Take care of yourselves. Back very soon. 

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

     Voting in this election is soooo important! 

It doesn't matter whether someone calls you garbage, or accuses you of being 'anti-women' and 'anti-America' -- the important thing is that you have the right, as an American citizen, to decide who leads your country, your state and your county. How can you do this, if you don't make the trip to the election office, or drop off your ballot? And just as important: don't vote, based on commercials. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Double-check quotes...did they really say that? As one of my Gentle Readers pointed out: VOTE INFORMED. Don't just vote, based on soundbites, or a biased source.**

Please vote -- for your sake, our sake and our country's sake. Don't mail your ballot -- in most areas, it will be too late. But you'll have time to use a local ballot box -- or visit a voting spot near you. Don't put it off -- you only have through Tuesday evening. 

     I'll be headed to Costilla County's headquarters, to work my last few days as an election judge. Then it's on to continuing to work on other deadlines. Nothing exciting -- just work.

**I read at least three 'news' sites -- and often try for five. But I pick sources from the left, as well as the right. It helps me balance and double-check what that person really said. 

And I'm not even a registered Republican! 

But I do think of myself as a conservative, and for good reason, considering all the messes our country has been in lately.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Only a few entries this week -- I'll do better next time. 

A British submarine, on a secret mission, disappeared during WWII. Now HMS Trooper has been found, off the coast of Greece.

A 2000-year-old Roman dam saves a Spanish town, when all the modern 'improvements' failed. Says something for the Romans, doesn't it...

Lippy, funny comments that only improved on the original post. 

Jack Links Chili -- buy 1, get 4 free! See this link for more.

What's currently the best bargain in fast food meal deals? According to this survey -- it's Taco Bell.

Have a good week. And please...get out there, so you can say:

Frugal Hits & Misses: The October Report

     What a month. 

     It's felt like a very slow treadmill -- not difficult day to day, but relentless. We kept up with it (sort of), doing chores for winter and reports for appraisals -- but the Brick has enjoyed a week of hunting with his buddies while I trudged off to Elections in nearby San Luis. I came home at night, took a short break, then cooked supper for the guys (plus our friend Sharon). After the dishes were cleared and the dishwasher filled, I could hardly keep my eyes open. Since the guys were heading out around 5:30 a.m. every morning, we went to bed early, anyways. 

    The last hunter went home this afternoon, and second hunting season is over. The Brick celebrated it by getting the truck stuck on a mountain road -- and some people got stuck right behind him. They managed to get their vehicle out, and gave the Brick a ride home. We'll head up there in the morning to pull ihe truck out, then take me to work. (We borrowed a friend's Jeep during hunting, so will use that. The truck is normally our only transportation.) 

    The trees are rapidly shedding their gold now, and temperatures are dropping. We had our first hard freeze about the 28th, but my garden boxes were pretty much quiet, anyways, with a few exceptions. We had our first scrape of snow about the same time...but the Blanca girls have had their winter coats on for a few weeks now.

     A quick bout of flu took some of the steam out of both of us. So has doing Worship Team week after week. I have next Mon, then Election Day to work...and that's done. I need to catch up on a few tasks, too...like writing this report.

There the Blanca 'girls' are -- with their grouchy boy cousin, Mt. Lindsey, on the right.

FRUGAL HITS

     (some of these were from late September)

*The last check  from the tire claim arrived -- finally!

*An offer to appraise again during July's Black Canyon Quilt Show in Montrose, CO next year. Hooray!

*Rinsed, scrubbed then rinsed again the vintage 8x12 Karastan rug Daughter #2 and Son #1 gave us. It's on the floor in the dining room right now -- and looking great.

*The Brick finished 'screwing around' on the roof. (Yay!) Now the metal plates will hold firm during the winter winds.The garage door spring is next, now that hunting season is over. He also replaced a headlight on the truck. (The earlier one was bad.)

*Pulled tomato plants, and experimented at getting them to root in water.  Weird discovery: not only did a few grow roots -- but they developed small tomatoes from blossoms, too! (Our lemon plant also has a blossom.) I'll plant them inside this week, and hope for the best.

 *Hunting friends gave me a lovely bouquet of fall flowers. So nice of them!

*Free iridescent plastic tablecloths. These were used at a birthday party, and were headed for the trash before I asked if I could have them. They're a bit sheer, but two layers will make great wrapping paper.

*Stayed home from a trip to Castle Rock -- to take care of the dogs,  and work on deadlines. (See Misses)

*Quilt tops at incredible prices -- $28.88 each (two star quilts), $17.50 (another star quilt), $8.00. Even the shipping costs didn't ratchet up totals too much. Used my allowance money for some of this.

*Still cutting back on electrical and propane use (especially the clothes dryer), and keeping lights turned off when we don't need them. It has been warm enough this fall that we've needed an occasional fire primarily to keep the paper items from piling up (cardboard, etc.). A time or two, the heat came on propane-wise -- otherwise, we've relied on the woodstove. Our Excel electric bill this month: $28.33.

*More books bought -- but at least they're under $6 each, buy 3, get 1 free (which bumps the price down to $3.60 each) -- and shipping is free. Several are Christmas presents. (Thanks, Second Sale on Ebay!) Weirdly, they also included a book I hadn't ordered...but got to keep. Another Ebay seller sold me some DVDs for Christmas presents -- buy 2, get 1 free, and free shipping. I like that sort of math!

I also got a antique Cooking for Profit tearoom how-to that I thiiink is eventually going to be an article: $13.88, free shipping. 

*Did a few appraisals in person. Worked on a few others, via extraordinary assumption. (That means I can appraise them, using extensive photos, plus interviews with the owners -- via ASA.) Finished a big batch of reports -- but more to go.

*Served/serving as an Elections judge in Costilla County. (Two more days to go.) I worked 8 hour days, plus a 4-hour day on Saturday. We've had free snacks and a very nice spagheetti lunch, thanks to our bosses. I completed the online training, too. In some ways, it's very much like the Election judge work I've done in past years for Douglas County.

*My Money Diary was published!

*A very interesting t-shirt, from friends for my birthday:

*Fun meals:  our monthly church potluck -- plus a birthday party for my piano student, supper with friends, and the Brick's meals in Castle Rock with friends. Friend Sharon gave me a break, and made supper one night for the hunters -- and it was delicious.

*Grocery bargains:  two free containers of cottage cheese (rewards), 99-cent specials for bread, cream cheese, bacon, Cheez-Its and 10 pounds of potatoes (darn, only 1 allowed of each), whole chicken (87 cents lb) (Safeway). A free package of bacon, half-gallon milk (1.29), 99-cent pie pumpkins. (City Market) Coffee beans ($3.29/12 oz) and large containers of fresh salsa - 79 cents each  (SLV Amish grocery).

*A $30 credit for my first pickup order from Safeway. (True to form, I had to call customer service to get it.) 

*Free produce:  pumpkins, green bell peppers, zucchini, turnip greens, yellow and spaghetti squash from friends at church.

*A nice surprise package from an old friend:  hankies, quilt squares (from Gertrude Brick's estate in NJ -- go figure!), fabrics...and a Hanky Panky quilt she made, pictured in my very first book. Thank you!

*Found money:  four nickels from a VFW mailing, three crisp dollar bills from Nielsen surveys, plus two dimes in one of the bags I was emptying at the house. Also: two dimes and a penny in the washing machine. (Still counts, right?)

*Several free books from the San Luis Library -- one went gratefully into my permanent stash, and the others are destined for the Little Free Library establishing in Blanca. (Look for more about that in November.)

*Took care of Freya, our granddog, pretty much all month. Why is this a hit? Because it saves Daughter #2 and Son #1 SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS a day. Plus, we love this wriggly rubber band girl. Even Ruby's grown fond of her; the Brick calls them "the Honyock sisters."

*Froze more tomatoes -- and some squash. Plus some of the bargain salsa. Started collecting seafood for the Seven Fish Dishes.

*Tidied up -- tried to unpack two bags/boxes a day. I brought in firewood, and the Brick split some for kindling; we'll have to do this regularly from now on.

*Started a clothes donation bag -- it will get dropped off in mid-month.

*Three snowflake-patterned metal candelaria, with battery-powered candles inside -- for $5. These will look lovely outside our church in December. I plan to borrow them during the week, as well, for our place. 

*Another reproduction coverlet for my collection -- Bicentennial era. This one was a lot more reasonably priced, thanks to a Best Offer on Ebay, and some dickering.

*Royalties for Arcadia book sales...a bit less than the last payment, but still helpful.

*Planted the mum plant that's been decorating our front porch.  Took out the other plants. A few kale and lettuce seedings came up in the planter on the deck. (I put a glass cover on top, to keep them growing.)

*Bought a few pumpkins for decorating. Just three: 99 cents each. (I just couldn't afford any lavish decorating at $5.99 a pop. Mavis, you must be a bazillionaire.... or you lucked into some real steals on those 50 or so. P.S. They're gorgeous.)

*Continued to play and sing on Worship Team at church. The Brick coordinated two of those Sundays.

*Thrift shop goodies:  a number of 50-cent and dollar items for Operation Christmas Child boxes; a few dollar books, quilting and Native American collectibles (worth WAY more); a new Henley shirt ($7); several 'clear glass' items (on sale for 75% off),, and two badly needed suitcases, high-end brand ($20 & $25) -- Nazarene Thrift Shop. 

*A promo package of Christmas cards, notepaper and a music CD - free!  (The charity also sent a small check -- weird -- but we burned it in the woodstove, a la Molly Brown. They sent a second one, which I'm currently using as a bookmark.)

FRUGAL MISSES

*I drove all the way to the county building for an Elections training session. Got there, to find out it had been cancelled. (Two of my fellow judges also did the same thing.)

The 'w' key is sticking on my keyboard   -- again. It seems to have refixed itself in the past few days...but I'm skeptical.

*More truck repairs: $1140 and change. (sigh) Plus the time and effort the Bruck used up, driving roundtrip to Castle Rock for the work. (I stayed home. See above.)

*We hit a deer. Poor little doe -- she slid right under our front bumper. Thankfully, she died quickly. She's hung, cleaned and skinned, for a week to season the meat. We should get some venison burger for the freezer... at least something good came out of this sad incident. (The truck was fine.) 

*WAY overspent my budget on Ebay goodies in September. (Darn those Best Offers!)  At least I got several Christmas presents while doing it. But still...

*Used up a lot of meat from the freezer for feeding the hunters, including two packages of steak. On the other hand, they left some groceries I can use during November, including canned chili, milk and eggs. (I ate the potato chips!) Another plus: I have more space in the freezer.

Last month's report is here.  October 2023 is here -- and October from the year before is here. I'll be finishing up several things...and doing my best to keep the black dog at bay. We'll be close to paying off the house loan, so we can start looking for a second vehicle. A gas-efficient smaller car this time. Hope springs eternal -- 

Me Too, Buddy... Me Too