Speechless

 "Hallelujah" by Atticus Blue...and friend.

Here's What the Colorado Rockies SHOULD Be Doing...

 considering what a crappy season they've had. Again.

   Norman Rockwell's 1948 painting THE DUGOUT, honoring the Chicago Cubs (sort of).

Oh well -- maybe next year.

Frugal Hits & Misses: July Report

 Ten years of writing these monthly Frugal Hits & Misses reports?!? I can hardly believe it, but  my first report was in July 2016. published in early August. I've been writing this blog since 2007 -- that seems incredible, too. Thank you, thank you for sticking with me, Gentle Readers, over the years. It's been fun having you along in my life!

     It has been so hot here, pretty much all month, that it's difficult to get up enough gumption to Do Things. Nonetheless, both the Brick and I persevered. I did read more than usual, and we drank a lot of pop and iced tea. The dogs tended to follow me around, and snooze in the path of whatever fan was nearby. 

      At least we've had more fresh fruit and veg than usual, even if 'sale' prices were higher. (Peaches, which I thought were outrageous at $1/pound a few years ago, are now 'on sale' for $2.99.) We've got roses and other flowers growing, for the first time here. The greens are producing as well, though most are going to seed and getting pulled, so the three baby zucchini plants can do their thing. I have to water at least every other day to keep plants alive. We've gotten a little rain -- a very little rain. Grateful for what we've had, but we pray for more. 

      The Brick keeps saying that sooner or later, the heat will let up: "You'll remember that this winter." I want to believe him, but...

FRUGAL HITS

(as usual, some of these are from late June. The trip FH&M are from mid-month to July 1st. I know this report's early, but I have a few deadlines to finish before August rolls around.)

A $45 Land's End giftcard from the Brick. He got it as a special bonus from Capital One. I bought a swimsuit and corduroy trousers, with only $13 and change to pay. Thank you, Honey!

Saw a remarkable movie for free on Youtube: The Proud Rebel, with Alan Ladd, his son David and Olivia deHavilland. You need to watch this post-Civil-War brooding Western.

One ironic twist:  Dean Jagger, the bad guy in this movie, was the kind General in another movie the same director did four years before this one:  White Christmas.

More 'Buy 3, Get 1 Free' books -- including collectors encyclopedias for my work, and several birthday and Christmas presents. Free shipping, too. Every time USPS raises its shipping prices, I figure this deal is going to go away...but so far, they're holding on. 

A wonderful frugal day:  First, we went to the thrift shop in Monte Vista. (The Brick had noticed a chandelier there that he wants to install over the kitchen island. He got it -- for $15.) I used my $10 discount, and paid the rest with my coin machine bonanza. Then we stopped by the Amish grocery store. After that:  off to watch The Odyssey at our local theater, for $6 a ticket. Then a stop at a St. Ives Pub in Alamosa, which has 'Tuesday Twofers:' $1.50 tacos and chicken wings. They were delicious! (The twofer beers were a great buy, too.) We topped off our day by running an errand for Son #1 -- and getting a discount scratch repair kit for the Highlander, in the bargain. Wow. The Odyssey, by the way, is well worth seeing, especially in big-screen. 

Multiple sheets of stamps, including 'Happy Birthday,' Navy and Colorado stamps --all before the July 12 price hike. 

Thrift shop buys:  a few shirts for the Brick ($4 ea), two umbrellas in flower garden colors ($4 ea), an armload of history books, including Western topics ($1-2 each) and nine or so Diane Mott Davidson paperbacks (50 cents ea), two beautiful glass pitchers ($3 ea), a castle-shaped art glass vase for a buck, a $10 coupon (for filling a punchcard), and a $5 cooler  (Nazarene Thrift Shop, Monte Vista). A McCoy ceramic teapot ($2!) and several shirts ($1 each), plus a fork for a quarter (Dorcas Circle, Walsenburg -- a new place to me).

==========================================================

FRUGAL HITS & MISSES FROM THE TRIP

(Gettysburg, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD, Williamsburg, VA --                            and the Ark Encounter in KY)

*We shared travel with dear friends. That meant not only did we split gas costs, but we often shared hotel rooms (suites, often, with two rooms) and other costs. The Washington D.C. part of the trip was at a shared AirBnB, which was even more economical. 

     The kids watched the dogs while we were gone. Thank you, Dears!

*Used discounts where we could. Not only did the Love's gas discount come in handy (13 cents a gallon!), but we were able to take advantage of senior and military discounts. (The Brick spent 6 years in the Navy, and all four of us were technically 'seniors,' whatever the heck that means.) This helped us pay less for everything from event tickets to an oil change. 

*Freebies from hotel breakfast/rooms:  coffee packets, apples, cream cheese miniatures, shampoo and conditioner. (A lot of hotels are cancelling soap, shampoo and conditioner in favor of larger bottles mounted on the wall. Not a bad idea, that, especially when they stock higher-end products because of it.)

*Bought very few souvenirs:  just a few tote bags, at both the Naval Academy and Gettysburg. Everytime I use these, I remember our trip. We gave a few to the kids, as well.

*Paid for main events --- but not side events or trips. The costs for these can really add up. (Case in point: the zipline and 3-D event at the Ark Encounter. Basic tickets were expensive enough!) The few exceptions: a bus tour at Gettysburg, plus a downloaded auto tour. Both were well worth it.

*Paid for parking.  The first day in Washington, D.C., we used Ubers to get around. The rest of the time, we found parking spots. It still wasn't cheap -- but far more reasonably priced. And we walked -- a lot.

*Took advantage of free museums and monuments when we could. Unfortunately, the Museum of the Bible and the Holocaust Museum weren't free. Nor was the Ark Encounter. (All worth going to, however.)

*Restaurants:  ordered the special -- or ordered an appetizer, plus an entree. (We shared entrees, too, and didn't hesitate to 'pass a bite around.' These are very good friends, after all.) Two of us usually drank water; the guys often had a beer. Hey, it's vacation!

*Food in general:  They brought a bunch of snacks, which we supplemented by using up our $54 Devoted debit cards. We also got breakfast items, and generally made or got coffee at the hotel or AirB&B. 

*We missed out on the America 250 festivities. On purpose. It was crazy enough in mid-June, with police, soldiers and setup going on. Loved the practice flyovers, though -- especially by the Washington Monument!

*Priorities didn't always work out.  Our friends went to two baseball games. We didn't...and had a heck of a time picking them up afterwards. Some places were closed. Others were a long walk away. But mostly, we got to see what we'd planned to. (I still wish the Smithsonian's history museum and the DAR museum had worked out -- but our friend missed out on the American Indian museum. It is what it is.)

*The weather didn't always cooperate.  Do you know how HOT it is in Washington, D.C. during the summer? Let's put it this way -- you don't want to. 

*Tolls -- and construction traffic. Just going from Baltimore to Williamsburg took us THREE HOURS EXTRA, due to construction. Tolls weren't fun, either.

*Williamsburg... sigh.  I'd gone years ago, when everything was free. (Well, except the museum -- which was closed by the time we got there. Because of traffic delays.) Now you must buy tickets, or you don't get to watch the Colonial tradesmen in their houses. (We did peek in from the door a few times.) You won't be eating at any of the historic taverns, either -- they only take reservations made quite some time ago. Most of the buildings were closed, to begin with. (Traffic delays again.) And the church candlelight concerts I remembered fondly didn't happen -- because a very expensive concert was going on, instead. 

      Other than a 10-minute trip to the thrift shop there, and a wonderful brunch with our niece and her family, we could have easily skipped that part of the trip. To add insult to injury, it took us another few hours of construction delays even to get out of town. 

==================================================================================================================================================

Little Free Library: I used a decorative box to partition off smaller items in the LFL, took some books out and added more. Touched up paint spots on the outside, and scraped off loose paint on the trim.

Played/sang several weeks for church. We took weeks off in June, so it was time to do our part.

Found money:  a penny and a quarter in the washing machine. I was going to whimper about that until a last-minute stop at the change machine in City Market produced:  $14.68 in quarters, dimes, nickels...and three shiny pennies. Whoo hoo!  It literally took me three handfuls to get everything out of the 'reject' bin. 

Finished two BIG reports -- and took on several more. I'd thought July wasn't supposed to be busy! But it is helping pay for trip costs.

Sold books -- and gave away a few more.

Flowers for $1.75:  I split them with Daughter #2. For the rest of the month, we relied on roses from the garden, plus some wildflowers.

Foods made (besides the usual):  iced tea concentrate (8 bags in a saucepan, fill with water, then let boil down), lemonade, macaroni and cheese, shrimp salad (using some of the greens in the garden bed), baked custard, apple pie/tart, berry and lemon tarts, waffles (18 of them - took forever). Some of the waffles ended up in the freezer. I also dried greens for use in the winter.

Grocery deals:  $2.07 salad kits, 25 cents each for corn on the cob, $2.72 for five pieces of chicken, $2.82 for pkgs of rolled pepperoni and cheese -- perfect for snacks (City Market). Dinty Moore beef stew ($2.48), Spaghettio's (87 cents) and Armour corned beef hash (1.80), cans of apple nectar (45 cents each) -- stock-ups for the winter, plus free shipping (Amazon). A variety of canned goods (including a $1.27 can of Dinty Moore!), plus imported cookies -- all for $1.59 or less (SLV Amish country store). I had to pay full price for grocery store milk most of the time, but at least our grocery allowance from Devoted covered it. 

     Certain indications suggest that we're headed toward harder times in the near future. We both prefer Dinty Moore stew and Armour (or Mary Kitchen) brand products for last-minute suppers. It only makes sense to stock up on groceries for the winter -- if the price is right -- instead of gritting my teeth and paying more months from now. Yes, these prices are higher, compared to years before. But it's not that bad, so far.

     And what if I'm wrong? Then we still paid less for the food we know we like. Boo hoo. Update: within a week of delivery, the price for the same case of corned beef hash went from $21 and change to $34 and change. Guess I figured right on that one.

Fourth of July celebration for friends -- using food we already had. I did the same for our monthly church potluck. We also treated the kids to an anniversary lunch at an upscale Japanese restaurant; I had lunch with a friend at Lu's, our local diner; and we had a date night burger. Money well worth spending. 

No fireworks here -- Colorado had serious (and much-needed) restrictions.

FRUGAL MISSES

For me:  bloodwork, mammogram results and yet another dr's visit in the future. For the Brick: a dentist's visit (with another one looming), plus a doctor's visit. Oh joy. 

$10 giftcard for doing a survey. (I bought a Chipotle e-giftcard with it, but accidentally deleted the e-mail. Had to work at getting it back.)

Haircut -- a necessary evil. I was looking pretty shaggy, after all. 

Unplanned fees on one credit card-- not interest, but extra fees we didn't realize would happen. (The stinkers.) Once we did notice, we paid the card off in full to stop the fees.

Some bad discounted lettuce.  Unfortunately, it got thrown away before I could return it to City Market.

Our local reservoir is draining. The local farmers need the water more than people fishing. On the plus side, I plan on scuffing around a bit, looking for treasures in the exposed dirt. 

Our remote camera birdfeeder keeps turning itself off. But we don't know why...

Oil change for the Highlander - done while on our trip, waiting for the Baltimore Orioles' game to finish. It cost more than if the Brick had done it himself -- but it was DONE.

The kitchen disposal broke and needed replacing. But as the Brick pointed out, it's 20 or 25 years old. So he wasn't terribly upset. It meant going without water in the kitchen for a few days while he got extra parts, but now it's installed and working. Clean dishes!

Granddog Freya ate a pillowcase. Sadly, it was one that had a basket motif her mom, Daughter #2, designed, and The Mama embroidered for us. I trimmed off the embroidery, and will use it as a label on the next quilt I plan to finish for her. (Daughter, not Freya.)

The woodpile is way down...but plenty more firewood is available to split and stack. Now if it would cool off some outside...

Last month's report is here.  Last year's July report is here.  And just for fun, the 2024 version.  Dare I hope August will be different?

Bunny Hop

 

Another Great Mystery Solved

 

Thanks to Geronimo Mattle, we now know what Grant Wood's American Gothic people were looking at. 

Figures.

(By the way, Wood's figures were based on his sister...and the family dentist.

 For more on the artist, go here.)

Consider Yourself Warned --

 

And...

(Thanks to friend Chris, who had this hanging on her wall)

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

      Did I say it's been hot?

      Add humidity and just a bit of rain to the mix, and you've got general weirdness. We're still getting smoke in the air, too, which means itching, irritated eyes. We keep the fans going, drink a lot of iced tea and take naps whenever needed. Thankfully, the fresh evening air cools things off. We sit out on the deck, watch the sun go down...and look for the bats. (Our pair comes out every night at dusk.)

      What a July.

Meanwhile:

Spain beat Argentina for the World Cup! England and France came in 3rd and 4th. Whoa.

The Atocha is still letting its treasure go.  A big silver bar was just found: 22 1/2 pounds.

Scottish runner Josh Kerr broke the 27-year-old men's mile world record -- and did it nearly a second faster than his 1999 predecessor. Eric Liddell would be proud.

A cache of 130-year-old wine is found under a medieval chapel floor!  It was discovered in 1985, but only recently has been made public. More here, as well.

Lottery winners that just pretended to be poor. And saved themselves from a boatload of pestering and begging, in the process. Smart.

And... lottery winners that took the sensible approach.

An interesting interview with Burt Reynolds: "If you met me in 1978, I'm really sorry."

A closer look at the life of Charlton Heston. 

A cool watermelon trick.

Plus a reader tip from Amy C on the Nonconsumer Advocate blog:

Got the large Starbucks lite latte and caramel macchiato drinks in the refrigerated section-one of those is the price of one drink at Starbucks, and I can get four out of one bottle by adding a little milk and ice. Still just doing that weekly, which is saving me the money for the drink AND the tip.

If you really want a Starbucks drink, this is definitely the way to go!

Have a good week.

Great Art?

 

New York City's Hotel Chelsea, a swanky 'beatnik' spot, is trying to evict one of its longtime residents, artist Gerald Decock. He argues that he should have gotten a rent-controlled rate...and anyways, the hotel bought a bunch of his paintings. How could they evict someone whose paintings hang on their walls?

    (I -- and you -- already know the answer to the second question.)

What caught my eye about this unusual subject wasn't Decock -- it was the studio he lived in. Every wall is jammed with color and movement. Turns out that other well-known people lived there before he did... though I suspect Decock has added to it.

A bit reminiscent of Gloria Vanderbilt's infamous 'quilt room,' isn't it?

I honestly don't know who's right or wrong on this. Decock has lost several court actions about it, but Might doesn't always equal Right.

But I love the effect... even if it doesn't contribute to peaceful sleep at night.

P.S. For those Gentle Readers who have been wondering -- our dear friend is out of the hospital, and staying in a transitional therapy facility while she recovers. 

Your prayers would be wonderful for her, as well as her husband.

How About A Nap, Instead? Plus Updates

 

"Yeah, Mom!"

It has been a discombobulated week so far -- and we've done little of what we'd planned. 

Yesterday we got a phone call at 8:00 a.m. A dear friend suddenly went to the hospital. We spent the day there, watching her sleep while she recovered, and talking to her husband. Then we sped home, 2 1/2 hours drive each way...because the kids were headed to their next rock show. They were watching Freya, Bo and Tiger, and we needed to take over for them. I'd put off some work earlier in the week -- well, now THAT needs to get finished up. 

We're thinking the Brick will head back up to the Springs -- and our friends -- while I hold the fort. 

It continues to be hot and sticky. Thankfully, things tend to cool down before bedtime. 

Sigh...the fun never ends around the House of Brick.

AI and Me... #3

 

Yet another reason I don't trust this form of communication...

Serves the Brat Right...

 

Speechless... Sort Of

 Yes, this is rude. But I'll bet it gets people's attention!  (No ifs, ands or... well, you know what I mean.)

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Just Routine

     I'm here. How 'bout dat. 

     It's been hot hot HOT. The ground is so dry and powdery that the winds kick up regular duststorms. Gratefully, we have had a little rain...but we need more. A lot more. Daughter #2 and I keep watering the 'planties,' and hoping for the best. We're also grateful that the fires in our area have died down some.

     Otherwise, not much is happening around here. Which is actually kinda nice.

     I have a number of new appraisal reports to work on, and was thinking about what Rose Wilder Lane did while writing in the heat -- soaking a slip, then wearing it while it dried on her. (Rinse and repeat.) I'll stick to occasionally using the luxury pool, instead.

Ummm... not exactly.

P.S. England beat Norway in the World Cup -- but there are questions whether they deserved it or not. You can watch the highlights on Youtube via this link.

Meanwhile:

The 2026 iphone photography contest winners. 

Overlooked women in history.  Some VERY interesting examples here, including their backstories. (Megan Markle is not included, poor thing.)

Recession-proofing your pantry.  (From My Tireless Retirement)

The last-known polio survivor using an iron lung has died - because her old machine broke, and no one could fix it.

One of the ultimate horrors for a caterer -- dropping the wedding cake.  Been there, fortunately didn't do that. (Mine just sagged.)

ANOTHER English king found buried under a parking lot???  This time, it's Alfred the Great, instead of Richard. 

The Marco Rubio couch memes out there.  Hopefully he's got a sense of humor about this.

Marvin Gaye's songwriting partner's family is suing Ed Sheeran -- and Gaye's family is thinking about doing it, too. The only problem: the song they're using as "proof" of plagiarism sounds nothing like it! I really, really hope Sheeran fights this, instead of settling out of court.

'When the rest of the yard sale story is even better...'  from Thistlewood Farms.

A Viking grave -- with Christian overtones!

Animal stories around the world.

A brown Wilt Chamberlain Lakers jacket turns up in the Goodwill bins in Oregon.   A VERY RARE Wilt Chamberlain jacket!

Ilhan Omar's magically changing financial worth -- it's gone from 30 million to 100 thousand.

    That's weird enough. But no one seems to have a problem with her incredible amounts of student loan and credit card debt, also listed on the filing. Really?!?

Terrifying scuba diving stories.

A 'psychic spy' for the CIA is absolutely sure there are alien bases on earth.  After all, he's seen them!

Have a great week. Stay cool.

AI...and Me #2

 

Okay, and #3, as well.

AI-- and Me

 I wouldn't mind this alternative as much, I guess.  Don't forget the vacuuming, either.

They've Got A Point...

 

If you're not sure what this is referring to, I'll give you a hint:

Belgium 4          U.S. 1

Shhhhh...You Don't Want to Startle Them

 

Frugal Hits & Misses: June Report

     Oh my...what a month. I worked hard to tidy up and put away things, and clear away several appraisal reports. The Brick worked hard to finish up the stairs on the back deck (see below) and get the car ready for a long trip. Which we took -- with our dear friends. Twelve states (including D.C.), 2 1/2 weeks, thousands of miles. We got home at midnight just before June ended -- and are still recovering a bit.

     I'll give you hits & misses on the trip next month. Meanwhile:

   Our Brickhouse Rose is loving all the water and special attention paid to it.

FRUGAL HITS

(some of these may be from late May)

The Brick got 20 cents a gallon discount for the last truck fillup. Normally, it's 10 cents at Love stations, so why 20?? We have no idea...but he didn't get any discount with the last visit. Maybe they were making up for it. Considering the total was $110 (yes, you read that right), we were grateful. During our trip this month, he got 13 cents a gallon off -- when we could find a Love's.

Homemade stuff:  iced tea,  potato salad (with a lot of leftover condiments used up), chili, apple crisp, a sort of apple pie/tart/crisp, peanut butter bars, pickled mushrooms (from the May mushroom haul). I also froze two pounds of sliced strawberries, and enough sliced apples for a pie.

Found money:  The Brick came bouncing out from Walmart -- he'd found a dime in the change machine! ("I was in Customer Service anyway," he said.) The kids borrowed the truck -- and left $3.81 in change in one of the cupholders. (They say to keep it -- they did it on purpose. But I wonder... :

Finished more appraisal reports, plus a few extras.  This month has been quiet -- totally normal for summer months. It's helped me catch up.

Two dozen fresh eggs every week. I pay a reasonable price, and it helps our friends, as well. We have enough for ourselves, and the kids, too. You really can't beat the taste of farm-fresh eggs. (I get an extra dozen now and then from them -- so kind. They also said I could have some manure for the garden beds.)

Got a Walmart order of deodorant, mouthwash, wipes, etc. -- that we didn't order! (They said we could keep it. Thanks, Walmart. Shared it with Daughter #2 and Son #1.)

Girls day out with friends to La Veta. The breakfast was a bit on the pricey side, but delicious. I made up with it, though, with DVDs  (including Monk seasons 3-5 -- $2 each!) A few packs of napkins, 50 cents each...and a painting in a Walsenburg store I just could not get out of my mind. 

     We went back the next day -- and couldn't find it. I honestly wondered if I'd imagined the whole thing. So I went back the day after that -- and there it was! Right environment, wrong store. I got a $10 discount, which was nice.

      And here's the painter's other paintings. And her prices.   I paid $55.

Did a trip to Trinidad with friends. (This time, with the guys included.) We had a yummy Chinese 'family dinner' from Wonderful House, spent some time at the animal rescue thrift shop, and toured the Space Cowboy exhibit that Dundee and Lee released. The leftovers from the restaurant made supper the next night, and an appetizer the day after that. 

Watched Freya. Then the kids watched Tiger and Bo while we were on vacation. 

Here she is with Tiger, back in February.

Threw away a bunch of chewed blankets. (Courtesy of Tiger and Bo, who thankfully seem to be past this.) Tidied up other areas, and put things away. That in itself makes a huge difference.

Used greens from the planting beds on the deck for soup a few times. (Little secret: some of the greens were lamb's-quarters which are technically a weed. They tasted good, anyways.) We also started a new garden bed down by the stacked firewood, lining it with cardboard before shoveling in the dirt. Then some buckets of rich soil from under the trees. 

Free food:  a free gallon of milk from the kids, who also shipped a package for me. (And wouldn't let me pay for both.) They've also been bringing up meat from their freezer for our corporate use.

Grocery buys :  half-price snow peas, broccoli and carrots; BOGO sour cream, plus a free one; strawberries for $2/lb; chicken breast, 88 cents/lb (Safeway). Marked-down purple cauliflower (King Soopers/City Market).  Sadly, I paid full price for milk for most of this month, but am happy to say I can actually see daylight in my freezer. Grocery costs in general are definitely higher -- something that's a bit scary. True, we still have our $54 x 2 debit cards from Devoted, but they can only be used at certain stores. 

Finished the steps. Added lights (sale priced, naturally - $24.), plus wedge lights. They worked so well that we added some to the front steps, as well.

Aren't these great!! The Brick, Cousin Phil and Son #1 did a terrific job. 

Book buys:  4 haunted books plus 8 for research -- buy 3 get 1 free, free shipping. (The haunted books are for research too, actually.) One more research book, full price: $6.99 plus free shipping. Add this to the dozen or so books I found at the Goodwill bins for 25 cents each, plus the batch from the Trinidad thrift shop -- and now you know why I needed to tidy up and restock our shelves.

     I also sent a batch of books to the Brick's brother and wife...a sort of early Christmas present, before the postage hike.

Thrift Shop Deals:  A silk Caribbean-style shirt for the Brick ($7.50), plus a rare Colorado history book - for our pastor, who loves this subject, too -- a half-gallon blue canning jar ($10.50) and antique painted bowl ($17.15 - worth way more), plus 10% senior discount and free bread  (Treasures in the Park, Castle Rock). Millenium-themed fabric, Goodnight Moon fabric (!!!) and a $1 quilt pattern; 50 cent Fourth of July pinwheel and a package of tiny flags -- 50 cents for each (Nazarene Thrift Shop, Monte Vista).  Lovely 50-cent books, many of them on Western history for my research shelf (yayyyy!!); a half-price swag bag, with many expensive items inside; $3.50 plaid throw (Animal rescue thrift shop, Trinidad). We walked away from a $50 down coverlet, similar to the one the Brick found in the bins, and a $35 partial set of hand-painted dishes. I half-wish we hadn't.

My luxury swimming pool.  It's great for keeping cool -- only I can't get the dogs to try it yet. (They do drink out of it, the stinkers.)

Little Caesar pizzas - 2 for $5.95 each. Tasty, and a nice change from cooking. 

Two Fourth of July banners -- one for church (below) and one for home. About $12 and $25 each, respectively, with free shipping. (The company accidentally sent me three of the big ones, and said to keep them. So I did!)

Church

Home. 

This will become a quilt back when the celebration's over!

Best offer on some cool photos and fabric -- including this intriguing shot of Leadville, CO's Tabor Theater. (I wonder what the play was?)  These were buy 2, get 1 free on Ebay, plus free shipping. Plus a few discounted ones purchased separately. 

For Father's Day, the Brick got a case of his favorite Monster Mango Loco drinks, a book on the Adams Diggings...plus a new robe. (He's been wearing his old navy one since before we married 44+ years ago.) Those dogs -- they know how to spoil their dad!

Played and sang on Worship Team -- and set up snacks for class one Sunday. (I'm on the roster now, once a month.) The Brick taught a Sunday School class, then led music that same Sunday. I helped out at the potluck afterward. And once everything was cleaned up... we went home and took a nap.

Turned down a music gig -- just too many other things to take care of this month.

Rediscovered the Complete Tightwad Gazette.  (It was in the trailer...in the bathroom. Of course.) I've read it so often that the cover was tattered and worn. So I taped the heck out of it. Yes, it's in the bathroom again. This is one of the BEST frugal living sources ever. 

And if you're curious how the Dacyczyn kids turned out, here's a link to 2013 interviews with all three daughters. Jamie's is especially interesting.

FRUGAL MISSES

Wasted a dollar on the Devoted OTC allowance for CVS -- $59 versus my $60 quarterly allowance. (Yes, I know I'm being silly, but a dollar is a dollar.) We use this for toothpaste, aspirin, etc. (The Brick managed to use all of his allowance, by the way.)

Truck license renewed. Brickwork LLC renewed. Both were important. 

More than a thousand dollars of tires ordered and installed. The plus side: they're supposed to help keep mileage up on the Highlander, do well in snow and rain (if we ever get more!) and are warrantied for 60,000 miles. And this was the best price the Brick found, after extensive research. Otherwise -- ouch.

Last month's report is here.  The 2025 June report is here.  And the year before that: here.  Hopefully we can keep the heat at bay in July...otherwise, it's just going to be HOT.

The Brick, cleaning off the platform leading down to the steps. 

Another Great One Is Gone: Jenny Veldt

    Jenny Veldt died last week, June 24. She was 93...and we loved her. 

    Her husband, Don "Doc" Veldt, was on staff when I (and Brother and Sister-In-Law) attended Grand Rapids Baptist College. (Now called Cornerstone.) We developed a close relationship with him and Jenny over the years -- which only grew deeper over the months the Brick and I played/sang at the church, North Chester Baptist, that Doc and Jenny pastored. (One of the few positive results of that long period we spent in Michigan during The Mama's sickness and death.) 

     Jenny was kind, sharing and simply an elegant woman. I admired her very much.

Her service last Friday is below. 

Here's her obituary:

Genevieve “Jenny” Veldt age 93 of Casnovia, MI died Wednesday, June 24, 2026 peacefully at home. She was born February 8, 1933 in Amber Township, Mason County, MI the daughter of the late Nels Peter and Agda Margarita (Westin) Knudsen. She graduated from Scottville High School in 1951, completed a certificate in Biblical Studies at Grand Rapids Baptist Bible Institute (now Cornerstone University), and received her Elementary Teaching Certificate from Western Michigan University. She taught elementary school in Kent and Kalamazoo counties until their first child was adopted. In August, 1957 she married Donald Veldt, of Kalamazoo, who survives. Also surviving are her daughters, Loralene M. Veldt of Rockford, Lynnette E. (Patrick) James of Goodyear, AZ, Kristina K. (Keith) Kutzli of Sparta, Kathleen D. (Ray) Weidmann of Belmont; daughter-in-law, Karen Veldt of Comstock Park; 15 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son, Peter James Veldt; sisters, Elsa M. Morris (Rex), Barbara A. Knudsen; and great grandson, Easton David Kutzli.

Jenny enjoyed being a mother, a grandma, and a great grandma. We will all feel her loss deeply but know that she is now without pain and discomfort and in the presence of her precious Lord. Read these words she wrote for you: “I want to thank the Lord for the wonderful family He gave me. They will all join me some day in heaven. I have now met my Savior face-to-face and fallen at His feet to worship Him. And then, I expect to embrace my son Pete, my sisters, and my parents. I look forward to that “forever” time to renew relationships with so many friends. I hope all of you will be there too.”

In addition to her family and teaching, Jenny thrived in serving the Lord in multiple ways as a Sunday school teacher, AWANA leader, camp counselor, teacher of women’s Bible studies, and in many other ways along with her husband in the churches where they were members in this country, and in mission churches and schools overseas. She especially loved the trips to Europe to assist individual missionaries, churches and schools from 4 weeks to 12 months at a time. The family would like to thank Faith Hospice for the wonderful care Jenny received.

The family will greet friends 10:00 am Friday, July 3 at North Chester Baptist Church, 23231 16th Avenue Casnovia, MI where the services will follow at 11:00 am. Officiating Pastor Don Veldt. Interment Algoma Township Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Jenny’s honor may be made to Shalom, Inc., PO Box 265, Kalamazoo, MI 49004 or to Women At Risk International, 2790 44th St SW, Wyoming, MI 49519.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Recovering from the Fourth

     It was fun watching the 'State Fair' celebration on tv, particularly the flyovers. We recognized several places we'd just been to a week or so ago. But did I want to be on hand for all the hoopla? NO WAY.  It's been hot and muggy enough here. 

     Both the Brick and myself have been feeling wornout since we got home earlier last week. Maybe it was the hours and hours of driving...or the hot weather...or the 11 states (plus D.C.) and thousands of miles we did. It always takes some time to re-adapt to the altitude. (We live at roughly 8600 ft.) I probably compounded the fatigue by asking friends over to celebrate the Fourth -- but we (and they) enjoyed ourselves.

     A dear friend died a few weeks ago, and we could not go to her funeral on Friday. That felt terrible. We've had several fires, not close to us, thankfully, but close enough to darken the sky and give the air an irritating effect. Some, like the Aspen Acres Fire, are only an hour or so away. 

     Fortunately, I have a few days beffore the next appraisal sessions. I'll take those to catch up on some writing/editing, clothes washing, etc. Maybe a nap or two, as well.

P.S. The U.S. lost to Belgium in the World Cup. Darn.

No fireworks for us this year -- the fire danger is too extreme. 

Meanwhile:

A Bicentennial time capsule opened!    Now they're looking for contributions to the next time capsule...

Forty thousand pounds of Frank's RedHot Sauce blankets the interstate in Ohio.  Where's the mac and cheese??

A very rare printing of the Declaration of Independence...discovered in a British ship's papers!

'Lightning Kills Makeup Mogul's Yak.'  Nope, I'm not making this up. Says Jeffree Star (who is a bit of an oddity himself), "He was more than just a yak."

Homemade toaster strudels.   While you're at it on her site, check out the "how to stay cool without air conditioning" post. We're all going to need it this summer. (Thanks, Little House Living.)

Some fascinating ancient artifacts...including this church, with a curved 'St. Andrews Cross' effect. (This shows up as a setting in quilts, as well. Know what it's called that? Because St. Andrew was martyred on a cross shapred like this.) 

Have a temper tantrum because a Denver BBQ restaurant plays the national anthem every day... and has been doing so for years.  (Be sure to march out, protesting loudly -- then afterwards, admit that they have the right to do this. See what happens.)

Hey Girl posts from yours truly, collected over the years:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

(I know. Pathetic.)

Gabby Barrett, the country star who says she slept in a car before American Idol changed her career.

"And it's really just like, you know, the author has not given us the script for everything," Barrett continued. "We don't have the blueprint of life right in front of us. And so we just have to trust God even in those uncomfortable circumstances… I've had uncomfortable circumstances, I'm sure, like we all have. And I've gotten past them as time moves on. And then I look back, and I actually can peel some valuable things, even though it didn't feel good at the time, I still made it through. And so, just again, trusting, having faith that God has a plan for your life that's bigger than you can see right now."   -- Gabby Barrett

Have a good week. 

A Prayer from Our First President -- For the Fourth

 

Happy 250th, America!

 

They're probably surprised we made it...but we did!

Dead Beat and Plum Tuckered Out

     Back in the saddle again...but tired.

    We've been on vacation with our dear friends: 12 states in a little more than 2 weeks, including Gettysburg, Washington D.C. and Williamsburg (which was a bust). We left D.C. on the heels of people flooding in for the Fourth...what a madhouse that is going to be!

We finished up by visiting the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.  The last day was a 15 1/2 hour drive to get home. The Brick and yours truly (our friends, as well, I'm guessing) are putting away things, and catching up on sleep. 

More to tell soon. Glad to be home, loving the puppies up and sleeping in our own bed.