March did happen... didn't it? (For that matter, I'm not so sure about February.)
After two bouts of pneumonia/flu, we went on a Mexican cruise -- and promptly caught "the cartel crap," as one friend puts it. More than two weeks of fevers that came and went, lots of coughing and achy bodies. We're starting to get over it....but the least little effort seems exhausting.
Mustn't grumble. Many people have it worse.
LOTS of wind. Very little snow in the beginning of the month, but by the end, we were OPENING WINDOWS. (gasp) The dogs love this, because they can sniff for deer. I love it because it freshens up the winter-stale air. And the Brick enjoys pretending to being SHOCKED (shocked, I tell you) because we're letting warm air out. (Even though the woodstove isn't going.) What a guy.
I did what work I could -- but it was an effort. Still is, even as I'm writing this. The report's coming out a bit early, too...I have some other deadlines to meet by the end of the month.
*No thrift shop visits.
*We didn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day much. I just haven't felt like it. I did have an Irish Blessing wallhanging for the front door - $1 from the thrift shop. And eventually I cooked up a chunk of corned beef Daughter #2/Son #1 brought us.
Friends are asking us over for Easter, so that solves that problem. (I'm bringing deviled eggs.) Daughter #2 and Son #1, along with friend Amy, stopped by a few times on their way to selling for various shows, and I did cook for them -- but it was nothing fancy. Our regular meals haven't been that elaborate, either -- but we get fed, and so do the dogs. My meal choices have been both experimental (using up things) and skewed toward Asian, thanks to my buddy, the Japanese Salaryman. The Brick finds this amusing: "Miso soup and hot dogs??"
*Bought an early 20th cen. kids handkerchief quilt! Didn't expect them to...but they accepted my $200 offer. (They were originally asking $750.) Yet another lesson in the value of Best Offer.
*We dragged ourselves to practices for the 'Ritardando' band gig at Lu's Cafe in Blanco. And yes, we did the performance, too. Came home and made supper...then crashed. (And had dear friends offer to bring us tea, or groceries from Alamosa. We were ok -- but I am very grateful for friends like these.)
*Paid our commitments for the year to the missionaries and causes we support. The $$ for the daughter we support via Compassion comes out monthly. I don't say much about this, but we do tithe our income monthly, as well. God has been so good to us -- it seems only right to give some of it back to Him.
*Found money: one shiny dime found by a gas station pump, on the way home from Galveston. (See below)
MEXICAN CRUISE HITS (and a few misses)===================================*Total cost for two people on a 7-night cruise? $668 and change. I am not making this up. We also got a free upgrade to a balcony cabin. Ummm...what's the difference between a regular and a deluxe balcony cabin? Beats the heck out of us...but it was nice.
*The kids took care of Bo and Tiger for us. We care for granddog Freya a lot, but this was really nice of them.
*We drove to Galveston, TX in the Highlander -- and saved a lot on gas.
*Packed two suitcases, plus a carryon and our snorkel equipment. If you're not flying, who cares!
*Careful as usual for food while traveling there. I also packed a few snacks.
*TWENTY DOLLARS for a stretch of toll road in Fort Worth?!? Incredible. And of course, we didn't find out about the cost until returning home. Sneaky, sneaky.
*Stayed at a Motel 6 seaside the night before. We paid more than usual -- but were able to park the car there all week, free of charge. (The hotel room was okay, just not spectacular.)
*Ubers got us to the cruise terminal -- and back to the hotel -- with a minimum of fuss. If you enjoy cruising, you really should try Galveston. It was much less crowded; 45 minutes after walking in the building, we were in our cabin!
*Kept our excursions limited. After all, we'd been recovering from being sick. We did take a $75 cab tour one day to/from a snorkeling beach, plus a stop at a Mayan chocolate factory. (I got a $20 decorative box of chocolate samples to pass around at home.) Unfortunately, some kind soul (at the chocolate factory, we think) gifted us with:
*More sickness, three days before cruise end! The Brick came down with it first -- then it was my turn. We had one day of feeling 'sort of' good -- but by the time we left the ship on Sunday, we were both miserable.
*A stop at our favorite souvenir shop in Cozumel: Soriana, a grocery/department store. We just followed the crew members going and returning with bags of snacks, esp. potato chips. I got galetas, Mexican vanilla and horchata mix. Two reusable tote bags, too.
*Two free 'Seascape' mugs dropped off at our cabin, thanking us for our "feedback." Only -- we didn't give them any! Still puzzled aobut this. (We gave one to friends Bill and Debbie.)
*Tips for the crew: $112 x 2. Our waiter certainly deserved this; our steward, unfortunately, didn't.
Was it worth it? Of course. Being sick wasn't fun, but we enjoyed the shows, scenery, warm air and especially the evening meal food. And the company. Normally, when we find a bargain like this, we'll book TWO cruises, back to back. This time, we didn't...and I'm so glad.
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*An extra-low Excel bill: $26 and change. Because we weren't here to use the energy, maybe? (Actually, we're now members of a 'solar garden,' which charged us about $25. So in the long run, we saved $2 and change. That hopefully will increase as the months go on.)
*Thanks to our new Medicare supplement insurance, the Brick's med renewal went from $81 -- to $5! Now that's the kind of math I enjoy.
It's an exciting world out there somewhere... I'm sure of it. But not here. Yet.
Feeling mostly better -- but still exhausted most of the time. What's going on here?!? I work on reports that need to go out this week...do some household chores...and take naps. The Brick works on his COS research, takes care of the dogs (mostly), plans for outdoor projects...and takes naps.
Two of our kids are back in the booth zone -- they just did the balloon event in Albuquerque, NM, and are headed to a Castle Rock health conference next. They should be here full-time by the first part of May...which is wonderful.
Thanks to good friends, I won't have to come up with Easter celebrations...but I do have to go up to Denver for some appraising work sometime in early April. Meanwhile, we Get Stuff Done.
Chuck Norris died this past week. A very interesting man. Not the best of actors -- but hey, who cares with those wonderful roundhouse kicks.
Ten of the most important gold discoveries from the past century. From The Hand of Faith nugget to King Tut's tomb. Or, if you're just interested in the nuggets, see this list.
Hoaxes?? No, these 'legends and myths' were later proven as true.
The 'Dirty Dozen' of IRS tax scams. Be careful!
Heart-rending stories...and more than ever, reason for believing in the human spirit's courage and kindness, as well as its capability for survival, deception and revenge. It's still out there, Gentle Readers.
The 'Cowboy Chef' -- with cooking tips ranging from extreme heat to heavy winter temps.
A Roman artifact -- tucked inside an undisturbed Mexican tomb?? Hmmmm..
...I was the quiet kid that nobody could get a rise out of. Naturally, because they couldn't get a rise out of me, everybody tried to get me flustered by insulting me, or framing me for things that no teacher ever believed because it was never the quiet kid.
Essentially, I walked into class one day, and the teacher wasn't there, but this other girl, S, was up at the whiteboard writing out a long-running joke about our teacher that pissed him off. It was about his assigned teacher number, and two years of developing a joke is a bit hard to explain. It became a bit of an inside joke. Either way, I sat down, she finished, and the teacher came in, noticing what was written on the board. He asked who did it, and immediately, this girl and a few of the girls around her said, "Sebaren did it!" Note, we were about 15 at the time, so they should have been beyond this.Chuck Norris died yesterday, after a medical emergency in Hawaii. He was 86.
I know I am not the only one who grew up with Walker, Texas Ranger -- not to mention Chuck's kungfu expertise. (Though he couldn't beat Bruce Lee!) Not to mention umpteen jokes, like:
When the Boogeyman checks under his bed every night, he's looking for Chuck Norris.
But this was one actor who actually seemed like a nice guy. His movies were great fun, if you enjoyed the bad guys getting theirs, not to mention a lot of punching and kicking.
And he certainly encouraged many people to get more exercise and eat healthy.
Sure, his skills were exaggerated. But done with a sense of humor.
Rest in peace, Chuck. And thank you for sharing your life with us.
Ruth Richean (Checkley) Cumings passed peacefully at home with members of family at her bedside on March 12, 2026 at the age of 97.
She was born in the Bronx, NY on September 29, 1928. She grew up in Leonia, NJ and soon after high school, left for Chicago, Illinois where she attended and graduated (1951) from Moody Bible Institute.
She met her husband-to-be, Loyd Cumings, while both sang in the Moody Chorale. They were married in December 22, 1950 and began in youth ministry in St. Paul, MN. Four children were born in Minnesota: Daniel Loyd (1951) Rick Allen (1953) Linda Ruth (1955) and Sharon Richean (1957). They served in youth ministry in both Kingsburg, CA and Sioux Falls, SD where Loyd was suddenly taken to Heaven after suffering a heart attack at age 34 in September 1962.
She took a position with the Stonecroft Christian Women’s Business organization just outside Kansas City, MO. She worked there until retirement in 2001.
Everywhere she lived, she was active in church attendance and service. She was part of a committee to found Woods Chapel Baptist Church in Blue Springs, MO in 1977 (now Crossway Bible Church) where she was a member for 49 years.
She leaves behind the four children, 9 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren, all of whom absolutely she loved to be around.
She is remembered especially for her musical gifts of violin and piano playing and singing, as well as her chalk artistry, which she performed for many audiences.
A memorial service will be held on May 2, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at CrossWay Bible Church at 701 NW Woods Chapel Rd., Blue Springs, MO 64015.
In lieu of flowers, family requests that memorial contribution in Ruth’s name be made to Resource Health Services (formerly Rachel House).
Happy one-day-past St. Patrick's Day, by the way.
Take the ingredients of corned beef hash, with a few tweaks...
and you've got something delicious.
Recipe is here. Yum.
We're starting to come out of Whatever This Is - just really, really tired. I stayed home from church; the Brick went and covered for us. Sleep seems to be the only thing that really helps. Even then, life just seems to have this slight haze over everything. But at least we do seem to be improving.
I think it's going to be a quiet week, except for work.
P.S. No news from Bill and Debbie yet -- I keep hoping.
Meanwhile:
Of course, the Oscar winners -- but even more interesting, the costumes they wore. (I'm a big fan of Michael Jordan; it's about time he was recognized for his work.)
Real men posts.. Wow.
101 Incredibly Stupid Financial Mistakes. Hey, we can't all be smart...
Weird thrift shop finds...including an emotional support Brick! (No, it wasn't us.)
Has Alexander the Great's long-lost capital really been located?
The ghost town of Shaniko, OR is saved -- by a guy who lived there as a kid.
A strange (and intriguing) Roman carriage decoration -- found in Essex, England.
An easy cilantro lime sauce. (Thanks, Frugal Girl!)
Jeremy Renner is being sued -- by a woman who says even if he wasn't the real scammer...he should have known better. This is one of the stranger catfish accusations I've ever seen. (Poor guy.)
Three murderers -- who did national pleas for the murders they actually caused. Some of their "tells," if you watched those reports...fascinating.
...and more updates.
Oh, and updates, too.
This week has been no better in the Feeling Awful department. We are coughing less at night (which is good), and the fever comes and goes usually once daily, instead of several times. (Even better.) I have a big appraisal project that is overdue. I need to get it done. But we both are exhausted.
Whoever feels the least worst (!!!) puts the dogs out/brings them in, does laundry, takes care of internet issues, and chooses something from the freezer or storage to heat up. Thankfully, a singing gig we committed to months ago is now done -- that happened last night. (We slept in until noon to celebrate.)
And our aunt Ruth, the last direct tie to the original Cumings siblings, my mom included --
died Thursday morning. She was one of the most honorable Christians I have ever met, and had a long life full of good. I loved her -- and I love her kids.
When we find out her memorial service, that will be another commitment to take care of.
-----------------------------
During the cruise, we made some dear friends. Bill was an Army vet who'd retired from the VA; Debbie did a lot of volunteer work for their church, and enjoyed baking cakes.
They live in San Antonio. (Debbie has only visited the Alamo once, which put her in for teasing.)
I gave Debbie my business card. She gave me her address and phone -- which, somehow during the fog of getting sick and making it home -- disappeared. We want to keep in touch...and I have books to send. Bill or Debbie, if you see this, e-mail us!!
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And life goes on.
I'm back... sort of.
I took some time off to keep up with work -- then we had a last-minute chance to take a Mexican cruise. Which we did! And generally, it was wonderful... until toward the end, when the Brick came down with a 400 or so degree fever and plenty of coughing. Which he shared with yours truly.
Somehow, by the grace of God, we managed to collect our stuff, get off the boat, retrieve our car (parking was free at the local Motel 6) -- and then drive 14 1/2 hours home.
The rest of the time is a blur.
The high fevers went down a little each day, and the coughing is less. But we are still not over Whatever This Is.
It is nice to be home, though. And I see a few daffodils poking their heads up near the stone wall.
Meanwhile, I just have a few very interesting videos to share: fake 'rich moments,' and 'liars that got theirs in public.
Have a good week. I'll be around. Maybe not 100% coherent...but I'm here.
I have rarely felt so ambivalent about a month. In some ways, February's felt like three months. The first part: icy cold, putting things away from the holidays and working on appraisals. The second: warmer, with a slug of flu. And the third? A last-minute cruise...and struggling to get at least some things done before we left. Update: we're back, but brought a Very Bad Guest with us. More on this in a bit.
Welcome to February -- ever-changing!
I did go overboard on some purchases for the business (shamed face). So I reminded myself to behave by reading back posts of Katy's The Nonconsumer Advocate. She keeps me on track, frugal-wise. Fortunately, we have a ton of food in the freezer and fridge, and our general necessities are good. March should be okay.
FRUGAL HITS
(Some of these are from late January)
*Slightly -- and I mean very slightly -- warmer outside for a good chunk of the month. Which I'm grateful for. Cold floors and icy steps are no joke -- though we sleep a lot more peacefully under the down comforter. We keep the house pretty cool, compared to many people, and use the woodstove regularly. That's probably why our Excel bill this month was still quite low. ($51 and change)
*Dickens of London -- a five DVD set on Charley's life and writings that's always been way out of my reach, $$-wise. Found a set for a bit more than $12, including shipping, thanks to Best Offer. (The set usually starts around $36.)
*Valentine investments: a $1.50 heart-shaoed wreath, a wallhanging of a Thomas Kinkade painting ($1), cards ($1.25 ea)...a marshmallow heart, plus a box of Dove chocolates and a loving-themed cup (25 cents), for my dear Brick. I also got friends a large heart-shaped box of peanut butter cups from Amazon's Warehouse Deals. (I'd already gotten Valentine chocolates for the kids.) Our Valentine's supper: ribeye steaks (on sale at City Market), baked potatoes and stuffed mushrooms. Yum. Plus a private showing of P.S. I Love You.
*Found money: zippidy-doo-dah, so far.
angel found 1936 standing Liberty half dollar in Coinstar machine --
*Now planning for a roadtrip in the summer, with our friends from the Europe trip. They want to visit as many baseball stadiums as they can -- we want to finally see Gettysburg. Researching is half the fun!
*Bought 80 Bigfoots. No, I'm not making this up. They'll come in handy for a future project. (More to come on that soon.)
*Thrift Shop Buys: a board game (50 cents); several antique and other books ($2 each); note and greeting cards (25 cents each); a skirt for the cruise ($3) and a lovely moleskin shirt ($7, but brand new and worth far more) plus Valentine items, all free! (Nazarene Thrift Shop, Monte Vista). Two of the antique books had loose covers, but were easily glued.
I got some bargains at Treasures in the Park (Castle Rock) -- mostly half-priced books, plus Ticket to Ride ($6!!!) two leather picture frames ($4 each). As usual, 10% off for being a senior, plus some free bread they offer to store customers, which I shared with several different people. Someone asked if I was 'stealing' from the Food Bank clientele when I did this -- I'm not. Treasures only offers bread to thrift shop customers when they have extra. Which they usually do. But I do appreciate being able to take extra back to Fort Garland, and share it with friends who are on limited incomes. Which I usually can.
*Played and sang at church. We've been doing this steadily since October, with only one exception. (Our fellow Worship Team partners have been in Michigan or Florida since early November.) This was mostly by the Brick; the flu -- and my voice -- have come and gone all month.
We also went to dinner and a concert in Alamosa with our friends. (In true form, made a second meal from the leftovers.)
*The dogs celebrated their first birthday. Here they are, when we first got them:
Bo, looking noble: "Let's see... what kind of deviltry can I get into next?" Tiger (looking at Ruby): "Who the heck are you??" Ruby: "Ummm, Mom...who ARE these animals?"
And here Bo and Tiger are now, in all their long-legged glory:
Still a few accidents and 7-8 hr disappearing acts (thank God they've come back) -- but by and large, they're starting to grow up.
*Update: A wireless 'dog fence.' Initially we thought this was a waste of time, when Bo blasted through and took Tiger with her. But that's no longer the case. Put the collar on Bo, and she obediently stays within range. (In fact, surprisingly, after gettting zapped a few more times, she insists on staying close to you, instead of 'doing her business.') We can let both dogs on together now, as long as they have the electronic collars on. So far, at least.
*A true Hawaiian pikake quilt top -- $200. It's basted and ready to stitch. True Hawaiian quilts easily go into the thousands. I can show this, as well, while I'm finishing it. That may take a while...and yes, I used Best Offer on Ebay.
Grocery deals: Bags of salad mix: $2.07 each; $2.70 for a large bag of green beans; shank ham, 89 cents/lb; Bananas for 47 cents/lb; a $1.50 mesh bag full of ginger root; BOGO snack tacos, beer-battered fish, beef taquitos, Korean meat dumplings (bulgogi); and a free pound of butter -- yay, coupons! (City Market). Boxes of shelf-stable firm tofu, $2 each -- a good source of protein (Amazon). I've been watching a lot of my new buddy, the Japanese Salaryman, on Youtube, and craving Asian food, as a result. The ginger went into a quart jar filled with sherry -- it will keep for years this way. (Really.)
giftcard from solar program?
rolltop desk?
Safeway freebie -- tub of sour cream
*Free birthday burger from Red Robin
*A trip to Denver -- had to go by myself, but stayed with the kids, plus a second night with friends. (Brought some goodies as a little thank you, and bought lunch for the kids and an old friend.) Stopped at the thrift shop in Castle Rock (25-cent kids books for the Little Free Library!), and shared a few slices of little Caesar's pizza with friends before bringing the rest home to the Brick.
*Worked on a book I'm editing -- and did some appraisal work, as well.
*At the last minute... did a Mexican cruise with the Brick! This was a 'hit' -- really. Specifics will be shared in the March report.
FRUGAL MISSES
*Our food debit cards are working -- but only after several bobbles. Our Medicare B plan allows for $54 monthly for each of us, which is wonderful. But first, I didn't understand how to use them -- which meant I ended up paying on the regular credit card. And then I didn't realize that they can't be used at certain stores -- like Safeway, of all places. (The regular card gets pulled out again.) And THEN I didn't realize it wouldn't be easy to add up totals while I shopped...so spent more than I'd planned, and the debit cards allowed. Which meant pulling out the credit card for the overage.
Finally, I did it right...but bought not only extra food, but some items I wouldn't have. Ah well. It's nice to know that I can try again, with March's installment.
*Property taxes are looming: a necessary evil. That's what we get for buying a house. At least, thanks to our protest, we didn't get nailed for considerably more than we paid for the property.
*A snowglobe I ordered from Amazon arrived frozen and leaking. And no sound, movement or light, either, poor baby. Fortunately, Amazon replaced it for free. (I returned the damaged one.)
The Brick had to return a shirt that arrived in the wrong size, as well. Returns are generally rare for Amazon -- at least for us.
*Xcel cranked up our electric bill for December -- then just as suddenly cut it back in January. (February's okay too, considering.) They just replaced our regular meter with a digital one -- did they mess up? The pole next to our barn was also replaced.
*Bought fabric -- and STUFF. I have a few gigs coming up that this will come in handy for. I also waited to charge them, plus the Hawaiian quilt, until the credit card bill's next-month payment posted. That gives me an extra month to pay -- with no interest charged. One of the perks from paying our credit card bills in full every month!
I also bought a few groups of antique blocks I could afford -- but didn't actually NEED. No matter - they are rare enough that I'll make my money back, I think. Nonetheless, considering property taxes are looming... I am a bad girl. Here's one set -- it's charming. No idea who the designer was, but I'm researching to find out.
*A few spoiled veggies -- and a little meat. Sigh.
*I discovered something: I do not like asiago cheese. Guess that tells you often I've had it before this. (Too much like blue cheese...grimace.)
Last month's report is here. February 2025's report is here. And here is 2024's version. Enjoy.
ad kj;
Yep, that's right.
We have some commitments coming up -- and I won't always be able to post. So I'll be incommunicado for at least a week, plus a day or two.
Be good while I'm gone. Mama don't allow no rowdiness playing 'round here.
Meanwhile (just a few this time):
Want to save on milk? Dilute it, the Mavis way. (Thanks for listening, One Hundred Dollars A Month!)
The ten best scammer conversations from 2025:
Frugal tips from TikTokers. Some good -- some just plain weird. But inspiring, nonetheless.
An easy quilt pattern that uses up a LOT of scraps -- a classic from yours truly.
Do you have this Pokemon card??
If so, it just sold for more than $16 MILLION DOLLARS.
Robert Duvall died - age 95. An amazing actor who did his work subtly -- and very, very effectively.
Chernobyl workers' children are showing some odd DNA mutations. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be disease-causing. But still, it makes you wonder.
An easy way to make meatballs!
And finally -- a song inspired by getting caught in Colorado (actually, the Boulder area) during a blizzard. Ridin' The Storm Out by REO Speedwagon. (The Brick knew this song -- I did not.)
Take care -- talk to you soon.
Or carpet. Our last house had grubby carpet throughout...and when I surreptiously pulled it up in the closet, I found beautiful oak floors...
