Yard Sale Purchase

 Thursday was a very good day. Finally, I feel much better. We bought groceries today. Tommy made a return for me. 

We bought the largest pot of mums, tall and very full, lavender. I have a huge pot that I will fill with small pots and sit the mums in their original pot on top. It needs to be raised.

Coming from Publix, I saw a yard sale. Well, the guy was putting things out. We went back and there were two iron beds. Tommy purchased the queen-sized one for me. The guy only wanted $60! Someone will deliver it tomorrow. The design is beautiful. It is finished to look rusty, not my favorite finish. But, it can be painted. 

We stayed out until almost dark. Of course, dark comes earlier now. He suggested having KFC for me and for him Captain D's. They are next door to each other, so we shopped at both for dinner. 

I have bought my own pt equipment, small things. In addition to the three things I bought, they gave me the elastic bands for strength. I will have my own little gym soon. I suppose Tommy will use all this after his hip replacement.

Since the guy across the street was buried, his family is preparing for a yard sale tomorrow. I left a note, saying I needed a queen-sized bed frame and a bookcase. I suppose I will go over with my walker and see how long I can look, rather stand. I left the note before I found the iron bed. We may keep and use both if they even have one. 

After almost a month of no rain, we finally had a whole day of rain, almost 2.5 inches. We needed it. And, the temperatures are a little less hot and humid. How has rain and temperature been where you live?

 

Sentient Towels

 

The kitchen towels came in stinky again after a regular was and were made to stay in a spare bedroom. Today, I had Tommy take them and wash them again with a Finish Laundry tab. As he left to go out, he said, "If the towels were sentient, they would say, "What did we do wrong." He can be funny!

The kitchen towels were washed four times, once with the ALL and Unstoppables, once with vinegar, once with regular wash, OxyClean and All. This last time was with the dishwasher tab, Finish. 

Edit: Towels from dryer after ALL and OxyClean still smell of the Unstoppables, but very faint. Not the best outcome, but better than earlier washings.

Monday, I found a penny. This was the first time I had been out of the car and into the store in a month. YAY! Sandals on the ground is the secret. 

I bought a Pelee mum. I have promised myself that I will NOT buy another mum this year. I kept the one I bought last year outside. I want to keep this one inside, but it needs light, so maybe I will leave it out for a bit each day. 

This last week, we bought apples, bananas, and milk for Tommy. We get the ads on Tuesday, but not this last week. That's okay because there was not much, and those two things will be purchased with a raincheck. Food Giant had bscb for $1.99/lb but Tommy went to Publix because he thought I wanted the ones that were $3.99/lb. Since the Publix bscb are trimmed better, I decided to go with that as it was getting dark, sooner than usual. 

We will need to get started sooner from now on. We were spoiled being out until 8 pm., enjoying the later sunset. I will sorely miss the light. 

When I got in the car, waiting for Tommy to lock the door and come out, I happened to look at the Meyer lemon tree on the porch. There was something white at the end of a limb. I was so excited, thinking it was a flower. Tommy confirmed that it was a flower and there were several other buds. I think I might get a lime tree now. 

I wonder if the fertilizer was the reason for this blossom and the buds. Or, was it just time? 

Today, when Tommy was doing laundry, the door was open. I saw the UPS man walk to the other side of the garbage can and toss a package. The package was shredded, not from him, but from all the abuse it had experienced. Thankfully, Godinger understands abuse of cut crystal and packed it appropriately. And, Macy's had packed that box into a Macy's box that had huge bubble wrap and lots of it around the Godinger box. 

Last night, I could not sleep. I got up about 10:30 am and watched TV with Tommy. At noon, I was ready to go to bed again. We did get the bscb for $3.99/lb from Publix. Otherwise, nothing happened. 

Tonight, I had ground beef from freezer already cooked with a thin slice of cheese on it. Cheeseburger? I stuffed myself on vegetables--leftover slaw, and green beans opened tonight and soaked. Before I ate, I cooked vegetables in the oven--four potatoes sliced in 1/2 inch slices, two pounds of baby carrots, two lbs of sliced Brussels sprouts. I put Italian Seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder on all before cooking. 

Tommy said we have enough leftover vegetables to last for more than three days. I like it that way. He is eating the strawberries and I am eating the blueberries. 

Tommy had leftovers--baked chicken, kale, brussels sprouts. 

Just now, he went out to bring in the dried towels, but had forgotten to remove them from the washer. So, maybe I won't have a verdict on the stink until tomorrow. 

Have you found money this week?

Do you have any sentient laundry? Does your laundry wonder what you are doing?

Groceries, Stainless Steel, Coughing

 I need to get better so I don't send Tommy into a grocery store. He comes out with too many snack foods, all very salty. Fritos, Doritos, potato chips. I would buy one bag for him when it was bogo. No, he gets both of them. He even bought two Ruffles for me, and I am trying to avoid salt. 

Last night, I managed to make a list from all three stores. Publix had the most deals. I did find green beans for $0.39/can. I had him buy one can to see if we liked them. It is a brand I have bought before. The use by date is 22 Nov 2023. Well, pooh! That is not very good. 

We got food we needed and was bogo, nothing else:

2 Doritos 2 for $10

Organic Baby Carrots  2 1-lb bags organic $3

3 half gallons a2milk @$4.99 not on sale

2 Jello pudding 2@$1.79

Kleenex 3 boxes for $5

Hall's Mentholyptus Cough Drops 2@$2.77

Honey Nut Cheerios 2for $5.46

Red potatoes 5lb for $3.49

pork tenderloin @for $8.99

on Wednesday we stopped at the farmer's market and bought squash. It was not small like I like, but reduced to $3, so less that the usual $5 and more squash. 

Spice Island spices are in glass containers. They were bogo, and the spices I needed are sold out. We got two rainchecks, one for the Spice Island and another for moon grapes. I just want a few to try.

I try to go shop before Thursday since some people do their weekly shopping on Thursday. But, he always assures me that there will be plenty for us. 

I had to send him back since he bought two pounds of baby carrots for $3.49 and not organic, just more expensive. Well, I did not send him. He asked if he should return, so I said to go. 

Earlier in the week, we bought four bananas. When I opened the first one, there were little black nodules all over the banana. I feared it was some banana bug. Maybe it was fungus. They looked the shape and almost the size of an apple seed. ALL FOUR BANANAS had these nodule-like growths. 

I was saving one piece of banana with the black things to return. All I had left was down in the main bag still in the garbage. We did get a refund and bought more bananas. We can afford to throw away four bananas. But, I refuse to do so. 

At the Pig a can of corn or green beans is free with the purchase of $10. I forgot what we will get tomorrow.

Coughing is all I do, it seems! I take guaifenesin for the congestion which facilitates loosening my chest. I do use my inhaler. I am exhausted!

The Hall's cough drops are already stuffed into a Ball quart jar to keep them from going soft and sticking to the little paper in which they are wrapped. Someone pointed out that vacuum sealing would be better. But, how handy is that for opening a dozen times? Plus, there are plenty of Ball jars in my possession, most bought on sale. I have thrown away a small fortune in cough drops over the years, yet I have not thrown away a cough drop in the last five years. 

We still use disposable tumblers even though we never use disposable plates, saucers, bowls or forks and spoons. The tumblers are the last things we need to replace. Glass is easily broken. Tommy has a set of smoke glasses that I hate and he does not want to break. Neither of us has the balance we had. So, I settled on stainless steel for drinking milk or whatever. They are expensive but will not be tossed. I had one stainless steel "glass" but it developed an "off" taste. Has anyone ever had that happen or know why mine did?

Tommy is happy he can watch Auburn on TV now that Disney and Spectrum are playing nice. I know he enjoys Auburn and Alabama and the Iron Bowl. So, we were going to figure out how to watch the Iron Bowl, at least. 

I am limp from coughing and typing at the same time, hoping for accuracy in my keystrokes. Tommy will heat our dinners--chicken for me and sausage patty for him, potatoes, carrots, green beans. He will take it all out of the refrigerator and I will fill my plate and heat it. Actually, some times he has filled my plate, heated it, and brought it to me. 

The heat is still here but not so brutal. Plus, the humidity is lower. Good deal! 

Does anyone have a theory as to why expensive stainless drinking vessel would develop an off taste?

Did you find any good deals this week?

BOGOs and Groceries

 All this was bought over three days but not consecutive days. I did not have my list, was tired, could not find some items, and just came home, knowing it would be there another day. Besides, it is hard on Tommy bringing all this food inside. He has a ramp, but he has to lift his walker straight up about 8 inches to the living room at the front door.

Red Delicious apples

2 pkgs. yellow squash, less $1

matchstick carrots for Tommy's salad and my tuna salad

Arnold's Keto bread

Publix raisin bran

salted butter

red potatoes

Gallon milk

Dasani 24 pack

Diet pepsi b2g2

Ruffles and Dorito b2g1

Rice Chex bogo

Martha White wildberry muffin mix bogo

Red Delicious apples

bananas

Roma tomatoes

cut watermelon bowl bogo

zucchini 

ziplock pint freezer bags

Dr Pepper b2g2

I know I bought apples after Tommy did. He told me, giving me an apple, that this was the last apple. Well, I bought more. It did not register than he said the last of the older apples, meaning that the newer ones were the ones left. Oh well, I will not waste them.

The Martha White muffin mixes are only for two muffins. I put almost a cup of blueberries into the mix that already has blueberries or apples made to taste like blueberries. Then, I put it in a brownie pan and we slice it. It works. These were $0.79 each. In the cold weather they are good on a cool and damp night. By the way, 'wildberry' is just blueberry and strawberry. 

Some items I bought had an additional $1 off. I am really tired and rushing to get this done. 

Yes, we bought a lot of drinks for Tommy. He drinks a lot, too much. 

Tonight, there was a large helping of the zucchini/tomato casserole. Tommy did not want the cheese and bread. I would have shared it with Tommy. He said he would just pick out the zucchini, tomatoes, and onions. Well, I was not having him dig out what he wanted. So, I suggested he just microwave the zucchini and onions, sliced and refrigerated. He did and his dinner was ham, zucchini, onions, applesauce. I had the rest of the zucchini casserole and a tiny chicken tender. Later, I will have an apple and something else, not sure. 

Finally, He Changed His Mind

 "That is the way the law was written." That is what Tommy told me Medicare told him. I say, "Laws can be changed." He finally changed all his prescriptions from Walmart to Walgreen's. So, he has paid $105. extra for his meds at Walmart.  Yesterday, he transferred all his prescriptions (4) to Walgreen's. Including the insulin, he has 5. He says there is nothing he can do. Yes, laws can be changed. 

He did not get his Wags points, or whatever they are called with his transaction today. She was asked to do so, and she said she did. So, another call to CS in the morning. 

I suppose I will have to run down my own meds as pharmacy does not have Victoza for third day in a row. Tomorrow is the last of the prescription. Why can they not get a med with a three-day notice?

We did our grocery ad run and a little shopping.  At Giant Foods potatoes were 5 lbs for $3.99. He got a senior discount of $.20, so yay. We stopped at the Farmer's Market-- $5 box squash, and a strawberry lemonade. At Publix, he bought a half-gallon of a2 milk, 2 Life Cereal bogo, Carrots-- 2 1-lb. bags @ $0.99 each, 3 bananas. 

White grapes, mushrooms, and LED bulbs were on the list, all on sale. 

We did not buy cooking bags which we both knew we needed. That is what we get for leaving the list home. I can cook the pork loin naked in the pan, but he said that I said I was going to cook spaghetti. So, I am working on that. 

The people next door still allow several dogs to bark continuously. These women are so annoying. One woman berates one of the little boys all the time! She is so loud and mean. 

This next does not annoy me, but somehow the yard was mowed except for half the front yard. This was three days ago. Then, someone came on a riding lawnmower and mowed the whole yard, including all that had been mowed. The whole yard was then brown because the grass was skinned off to dirt and root. It all looked parched. I felt sorry for the grass. Of course, with our copious rainfall, it finally greened up today. People tell me the grass does not have to be cut so soon if it is cut to the ground. I had my St. Augustine grass mowed 4" high. 

It was nice out today, and Tommy went out to water the flowers. As soon as he came in, it rained, a hard, long rain. The heat and humidity are back, suffocating to me. 

More decluttering occurred, not much. One item gone is considered decluttering. I just hope to see the end of clutter eventually! 

Was there anything good in your Wednesday ads? At what height do you mow or have your yard mowed? 

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Stocking Up and Other Things

 Yesterday, I determined we would go to Cullman come hell or high water. No matter how little sleep I managed, we would go. I only slept four hours, if that.

Our first stop was the PO where I had six inches of mail waiting for me.

I have wanted to go to the store where I find the only pimiento that is grown and packed in the US. I had Tommy buy 10 of the tiny jars. That will last me for six to twelve months. Since I now add it to dishes without Tommy complaining, it might only last six months. That was my stock-up, not much, but all I had in mind right now. 

Then, I went to Publix for one thing and then did not get it. I decided to see if they had the items for which I received a rain check here. I made a mess of shopping and was exhausted when I left the store. I found Special K Original, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, and could not remember the third item, Angel Soft tp. When I saw maple syrup was reduced, I grabbed one of those. 

I checked out. I had gotten the wrong size Special K. The maple syrup rang up at the wrong price. Well, a guy up front was going to help me and got me the wrong Special K because I did not tell him what I had. And, I was mistaken about the maple syrup. The one on sale was smaller than the bottle I bought. Whew, so much to figure out. 

We had a BK sandwich and headed home. Once home, I tried to nap and could not. Usually naps are easy. 

There are two small packages of chicken breasts and the pork butt to cook, but I was not into cooking tonight. Tomorrow, the goal is to make a casserole of chicken, purple cauliflower, green beans, and pimiento and a can of soup. Plus, I need to cut the pork butt in half, freeze one half and cook the other, plus make slaw. That is the plan, but even talking about it tires me. 

Tommy was so happy to give me a 2023 dime he found Sunday under a car as he got back in his. He commented today that it was so shiny it was easy to spot. I think it was minted this week...lol. 

Tommy examined the flower he/we thought had two different kinds of flowers. He said there were two different stems side by side. They look like one. He said the leaves were different on the stems. I searched through 100 flowers and found two that looked like this one. However, none had poppy-like flowers on the same stems. I think the flower that looks like a poppy is a mallow. 

Remember I bought a new juicer and thought I had one already? Well, I took the stickers off the one I bought and washed it. Tommy was going to put it up and asked me where I wanted it to go. I told him. He came back in with two identical juicers! Yes, I did have one already. So, I put the stickers back on and put the receipt inside. I had put the labels on the back of the receipt since I just knew I already had one juicer. The clean juicer will be returned. Score! 

I had plants on the ground from porch and table after a brief and furious storm blew through here. Did you have wind or storm damage from Sunday? 

Grocery Ads

Friday night, I was sitting in my chair and felt something on my right arm. Thinking it was a hair, I turned to brush it away with my left hand. No, it was a tiny spider. So, I was hurriedly trying to squash it and brush it away. I am not sure if it escaped. At almost the same time, I heard a mosquito buzzing in my left ear. So, I was fighting right and left. I am not sure if I killed the mosquito or not. I think this is the third spider I have ever seen in Tommy's house. Maybe I should investigate further and stop this before it becomes an invasion I will not welcome. 

Since I must drive to get the ad even after viewing it on the internet, I only usually get the Pig and Publix. This week, we did decide to get Food Giant ad. It had more deals than the other two stores. I barely felt like going for a ride in the car, much less going in and shopping.

I circled what I wanted and he shopped, calling me with questions. The bananas were not on sale, but he got me two. Pork butt was $1.79/lb and they were all gone. This store does not give rainchecks. This store had two ads, one for Thursday-Sunday. The other is from Wednesday to Wednesday. So, today was the last day for the Memorial Day ad. 

Lemons were 1lb/$2. Tommy called and said they were tinted orange. I was unsure but had him get a bag. It says on the internet that Meyer Lemons turn a bit orange when they are left on the tree too long. So, not sure and I don't feel like trying one. Red or gold potatoes were 2 five-pound bags for $5. Tommy chose red. 

Dole Cole slaw and salad mixes were 2 for $2, bought two coleslaws. Pictsweet frozen vegetables were two bags for $5. The only thing I wanted that was left was the chopped broccoli. This will be for chicken and rice. He picked out four Vidalia onions at $.99/lb. 

I only slept three hours last night after going to bed for or five times. Sleep would not come. Finally at noon I slept for three hours. Hopefully, I can sleep tonight. 

The people across the street were firing up the grill when we left the house at about 4 pm and there was a crowd when we got home a little after 5 pm. 

Tommy was tired so said he would water tomorrow. One of my blueberry bushes has blossoms. The other bush looks like a four-foot dead stick. 

The pillow for raising my legs has been here since the 24th and still is not fully "inflated." That is four days, two days more than the 48 hours it should have taken. 

Today, we did no decluttering, but we did get a few, very few, things back where they go. That is a little progress, right? 

Friday, the skies were murky with smoke from Canadian fires. Today, the skies were a brilliant blue. have your skies been murky with the smoke?  

Today, Tommy chopped the ground meat and browned it. While he was browning it, I chopped a huge Vidalia onion and half went into the ground beef. The rest will be used this week. 

Dinner: Tommy had salad with onions, ham, and another vegetable. I had a sandwich--keto bread, MW, huge slice of beefsteak tomato, and spinach and other greens. This was a 6-carb meal. 

I will try tomorrow and Tuesday and see if they have more pork butts. 

Did you find good deals this week? What are you having for Memorial Day? Are you cooking out? Going away? To a parade? Do you have veterans in your family?

We Are Back

 It seems we are over the worst of covid. However, I tire easily. Tommy said he does, too. I can tell by looking at him as he does things like bringing in the groceries. 

Late Thursday night, my left knee quit hurting as quickly as it started. That meant the trip to the grocery store was not painful. However, after I came home from the grocery, it started hurting a bit again. I have to use the walker around the house, but the pain is less. 

Tommy went into Publix when I did and bought pepsi and Coke. He is drinking about five cans a day. I drink maybe a whole or half. Today, I bought zucchini, milk again, cookies, tomatoes, bag of onions, and something else. 

Tonight, we cooked. YAY! Carrots, potatoes, zucchini, onions, celery. We had the frozen, baked chicken we thawed last night. Tommy put bbq sauce on his. We forgot about the slaw.

When Tommy had a fever, he had the reddest face I have seen. It looked like he had a suntan and red feverish face on top of that. No matter how high my fever, I just have pale pink cheeks. When I was making slaw, he said it would hurt his throat because of the vinegar. So, I made the slaw with only a tsp of vinegar. It was sweet. However, he refused to try it, afraid it would hurt his throat which, apparently, hurt much worse than my throat. Today, when he got out of the shower, he said, "It sure feels good to get wet and clean all over." 

It is going to rain all night until early tomorrow. I hate that the grass will be wet, or that it might be raining for Easter Egg Hunts. We may go watch the one in the park like we did other years. 

Yes, we survived covid, but we both tire very easily, me more than Tommy. 

I Think I Hate Walgreen's

 I feel so much better since I quit that medicine! If I did not, I would have cried when I went to Walgreens. I always had nothing bad to say about Walgreen's, but familiarity does breed contempt. 

In the past Walgreen's has: given the prescription for someone else, handed me paperwork for another customer, given me the wrong dosage by two and insisted all I had to do was cut it in half and could not understand that half of 50mg does not equal half of 15mg. The list goes on but those are the most egregious. 

About ten days ago, I tried to get my Flonase refilled. I was told they had just given me three bottles. Well, I was so sick I just believed them. One night, I searched my room to no avail. Today, I was at a big box and saw it was otc. It seemed expensive, so I left it and decided to try to get it at Walgreens. 

All went well as I talked to the tech who assured me they had the identical thing otc. Flonase. So, I ran down especially to get it. There were other people waiting, so I paid and we drove off. I screamed, Noooo! We had to go around and sit in line once again. She said it was Flonase. I said no, it says Walgreen Nasal Spray. The amount was returned to my card. 

It is not like I just believed everything she said. I repeatedly said the word "Flonase." I do take things that are not the brand I have used. I take generic Mucinex which is guaifenesin. I understand. 

Tommy offered to let me use his Flonase. It sounds icky to me, but I did it. I am sort of desperate for this medication. It helps keep my ears and sinuses from getting infections. 

Today, I talked to someone at Walgreen's pharmacy and told the person that I cannot locate the three bottle of Flonase that I was told I was given. I was told that was 1-26 of 2022! So, now it is Saturday and I have to wait until Monday to get a refill. 

I will be reporting this to someone higher up than techs, weekend pharmacist, and weekend manager. It is so frustrating that people I should be able to trust cannot get their heads sorted. I cannot imagine how older people or less cognizant people ever get help from Walgreens. If I had not called and questioned about not getting three bottles of Flonase, I would still be without any at all. And, I would not realize I actually needed a new prescription. 

I know you are wondering how I only used three bottle since January 26, 2022 if I need it so much. Well, a friend gave me four new bottles since he had too much. 

The one good bogo at Publix this week was for McCormick gourmet spices. I wanted garlic powder and onion powder, but there was no onion powder. I did get a rain check. They reinstated that program lately. Tommy got Kelloggs Raisin Bran bogo, too. 

We have another ham for Tommy to cut up for the freezer. The ham will not fit...lol. What food deals or any deals have you found. 

Gas went down to $2.99 this last week, a big drop that happened slowly this year. 

I have recently read that there have been many problems with the Walgreen's pharmacy. Do you or anyone you know have problems with Walgreen's?

Short Saturday

 I was looking over the broken china and may have a problem. Most of the designs that can be used are around the base/rim the plate sits upon. There is a lot of flower area that I can use. But, it seems the butterfly, ladybug and bee are on this thick area. Rae, how did you handle this? Or, anyone else?

My sleep pattern is back to normal, not sleeping until 6 am and then sleeping until after 3 pm. When it gets dark early, sleeping most of the day does not leave much time to be productive. 

One futile trip to drugstore and a productive trip to The Pig were all we had time for and then stayed out after dark with those two short trips. Tommy needed Diet Pepsis, so this was the cheapest we could find around here. I got a quarter dog toy for Lynda's dog, bologna, slaw mix with coupon, and a free bag of cereal which we will give to Lynda. 

Dinner: two hamburgers broiled with two zucchini, leftover mashed potatoes. I had my burger plain and half an apple. Tommy had his on a bun. 

I have not heard from the woman who cleans, so I have no idea whether she is coming or not! I hate I will have to get up early and she might not come!

My new healthcare plan is failing already. Anyone heard of or uses United Healthcare?

Does anyone know about using the rim of plates for broken China projects?

Good Day, Busy Day

 Friday morning, I had an appointment for an ultrasound. Since I could not eat or drink after midnight, I hope I could sleep. I would not have eaten in the night because I resist eating, just drink water. I slept really well on Thursday night. 

I got up at 8:45 and we left at 9:30 for my 10:30 appointment. The whole appointment went well, but the glitch when I arrived worried me. A woman with a very accusatory voice kept telling me that no one would come out with a wheelchair to get me, whoever drove me had to go get one and push me in. She was relentless. So, I told her I was following directions. Finally, she called back with a much softer attitude.

The woman who came to get me was really sweet. Little did I realize she was the tech who did the ultrasound. She was kind and patient about my difficulties and the need for two pillows under my legs. The doctor had ordered two ultrasounds, so it took about 45 minutes. Now, I have to wait for the results. I am nervous but hopeful.

The gel was mercifully heated! She helped me from the table. I have had techs say-Can't you get off the table BY YOURSELF? Unless you have had these people mistreat you, there is no way you can appreciate simple kindness in a moment of weakness. 

Across the street I saw Bama Fever and Tiger Pride. I had Tommy take me there. I bought him an Auburn t-shirt, since he is a fan and graduate. I showed it to him and said, "Happy Birthday" since I did not want to have to go back if it did not fit. I bought from the $14.95 rack. It fits, but he says the neck is too tight. 

I tried eating the Munchies peanut butter and crackers. NO WAY. They were cheese crackers, but I tried them. I have always hated cheese crackers. So, he got us both a plain burger. Now, he can have cheese crackers with peanut butter for a snack here. 

We came straight home and left immediately to shop from my list from the ads. At Publix there was one ham left on the shelf, a ham for $1.49. I got it as I just did not want to wait on another to be weighed and priced for me to choose. The $1.49/lb. turkey breasts were sold out! So, I have to go back again, tomorrow at 10 am. About once a year, I will eat corned beef which was on sale. Dasani was cheap. 

Carrot cake was $3.49/slice. A whole cake on sale was $19.00. So, I bought two slices. I forgot the ice cream but can get it when I get the turkey breasts. 

At The Pig I bought cole slaw, cheddar cheese, squash, correct Munchies. Tommy loves squash and zucchini cooked together, so I am making that for him.

Food Giant--one deep dish Pet Ritz pie crust. another box of Munchies since Pig only had one, two cans of VanCamps pork and beans for $.88/each because I use them for baked beans and Tommy loves mine, I also found a deep, round plastic container with a lid that sealed as well as the Tupperware! And, it was only $1.25. I won't store food in it, though. 

By the time we got home it was around 3:30. We were both exhausted, but the day had gone well except for the first glitch. Since we had so little to eat, I suggested we have a pizza with cauliflower crust. It took me forever to get it in the oven, so that ended up being dinner. I feel like we did not eat well at all today! 

I had a heated argument with a friend who thinks we should not have closed borders because borders are a social construct. I agree with the social construct bit, but she made upset me. I think she is an anarchist. I reminded her of state boundaries, lot descriptions and our own rooms in a house. I doubt she is willing to give up and inch of her place because someone else wants it. 

After cheese, hot pizza, tiredness from the day, and being upset, I slept upright in my chair. I hate to sleep like that. We watched some sort of country music Christmas show. It was cheery. 

Just now, Tommy went to the car and found the delivery of my new sets of fairy lights. Good. They were right on the table by the door. 

Cheap gas--$2.84/gal. Temperature--mid 70s

Oh, yesterday as I sat in the car outside Belk's, I watched a USPS driver throw huge and small boxes into a very large truck. So, if you ordered anything from Belk's and it arrives damaged. I know why! Who throws boxes for delivery? I wonder how many more times these same boxes were thrown by USPS employees. 

Unfortunately, tomorrow we get up early and start all over again. I need to get the ice cream I forgot and get turkey breasts, among other things. This way, we do not need to go out on the weekend for anything. I am looking forward to a lazy day at home, at least a day at home doing things here. Medical things are never relaxing. At least I got all the ad items bought except for the turkey breasts. We had too much produce already except for the two squashes I bought for Tommy. 

Do you get out the ads in order to make a list of loss leaders? Items you need? 

Do you have a friend whose ideologies appall you and seem very radical?

Busy Grocery Day

 Today, we left early (about noon) with a list in hand and did a quick shopping trip. First, Tommy went into Aldi's and they had no goat cheese with orange and cranberry. So, he bought two cranberry vanilla goat cheese. The man loves goat cheese. 

Food Giant had bscb for $2.19/lb. I bought about 6 lbs. of bscb. It is in the refrigerator thawing right now. Plus, since Tommy loves zucchini, I bought 3 for $2. The squash was not fit to bring home. I bought Ziegler hot dogs for the freezer since these have been absent in stores for most of the summer. 

At The Pig, I was looking for a telescoping backscratcher like I bought there before. They had none, so I left.

Publix had the most things on the list. I bought Beggin Strips bogo for giving to Lynda's dog when we go by with Lynda's permission. Her dog was as afraid of me as I was of her when I tried to give her a strip. Those things stink, not at all like bacon, but she loved it. My a2milk was 3 half gallons for $10, so I bought 6 half gallons, a 4 cup round bowl with snaplock lid bogo. Cella Chocolate Covered Cherries will be saved for Christmas. Yes, I will leave them alone. I don't want to have to go from store to store looking for them closer to Christmas. Herb goat cheese will be great and Tommy loves it. 

So, that was it for this week. They did not have the Kisses that were bogo. Publix has started giving rain checks, so I got one for the Kisses. I sort of looked for eggs, but did not get any even though I should have. Somehow, it is hard to pay $7.97 for 18 eggs. That is 44 cents per egg--still doable, but it hurts, not my wallet, just my feelings. I really feel for people who cannot afford to feed eggs to children. 

I did not find Pet Ritz Pie Crusts. The Pillsbury I bought last time were not as good as the Pet Ritz. I found some pecans in the freezer. There may not be enough for a pie, so the top will be skimpy, but that's okay. I do have two crusts, but I need two more, at least.

We came home and I put the bscb in the refrigerator to thaw. Then, I took a nap. I wanted to see Dolly Parton, so I took a nap. Tommy called me 15 minutes before the show began. Then, between the two of us, I got the whole chicken from four days ago into the oven with three minutes until Dolly came on. 

I really love Dolly Parton, so it was hard to turn her off. The first hour was not good. So, we are watching Home Alone in New York. 

An Amazon package came while I was asleep. It had hair color, fairy lights, a plate rack, and an otc. That is all unwrapped and sorted. The new fairy lights are in the red Kiss and look beautiful. I did not put them on "twinkle" since that is rather disruptive near the tv, just on slow fade. I love the remote and timer that comes with these. 

I finally have an appointment with a cardiologist, two as a matter of fact. And, I got a refill called in, something I needed to do for days. So, today was a good day on the health front.

It has been a productive day! It was also dry and sunny, not very warm, though.

The day has not ended. After the news goes off at 10:30, we will load the dishwasher. It must be done. We have procrastinated. 

Has your day been busy? Productive? Laid back? Procrastinating? Weary?

Saturday Successes

 Saturday, we needed to pick something up in Cullman. Since it was supposed to rain, I was leery of going. Tommy woke me at 7:15 as I asked. Even after leaving at 8:10, things went well. We needed to miss the rain forecast for Saturday and get home in time for the Iron Bowl.

Hoping to find a cheap turkey breast, I went to two stores and found two for $1.69/lb. Publix was an in and out trip. The turkey breast was $17.88 for a 10.58 lb. breast. 

In the other store, Betty Crocker brownie mixes in a pouch for $1.29--got 4. Three disposable bread pans--came to $1.40 for each pan. The turkey at this store was $8.72 for 5.16 lb turkey breast. I wish both had been smaller. 

We both went into this store. He bought five cans of the Double Luck green beans I love for $0.69 each. He then had a receipt to enter the drawing for $100. Of course, I had my receipt to enter, too. As I was inside before him and well into the store, I called him and alerted him to apples reduced--$1 per bag of 4, so he bought a bag. 

In about 2018, I won this drawing and had $100 to spend on groceries. Maybe we will have a repeat of good fortune this year.

Got the mail from the PO. 

The turkey breasts were the only food I looked for and seemingly the only good price I found except for the green beans. However, I searched for them, so maybe more bargains were out there.

Have you found any good prices still left from Christmas ads? Any deals at all, food or otherwise? Are you still eating Thanksgiving food and enjoying it? Or, have you reimagined it?

Tommy wanted to eat at Chicken Salad Chick again. He is really a fan of this place. I had the Classic Chicken Salad again, no soup. I had to order a sandwich or could not get the scoop of chicken salad. So, I order a croissant on the side. It is lying in the box in the car, wasted. Tommy had Fruity Fran on wheat bread. We drank water even though Tommy asked if I wanted a drink. I let him have my cookie. 

We drove by my lot and came home! We beat the rain and arrived home about 1 pm. By 2 pm I was in bed for a nap. I only slept three hours and feel like I need another nap. 

I worried I would not be able to easily fit the turkey in the two holes in the freezer, but had absolutely no trouble. I think we might have to return to Cullman for business, so maybe I can get two more at that price, hopefully, two small turkey breasts. Turkey breasts are less than the cost of bscb--half the price per pound. 

Today was a good day despite my lack of sleep and worry about rain. If Auburn had won the Iron Bowl, it would be nearly perfect. Tommy is a little discouraged, as is my son. 

Gas price is down to $2.91. 

In a few minutes we are watching a Lifetime Original premier of the The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve. Okay, this looks good...a Scrooge-like character. Tommy is heating a roasted chicken leg, sweet potato, and frozen mixed vegetables.

If you have checked, what price are turkey breasts where you live? 

FIRED!

 My friend lost her job. Yes, she did, all for a child deliberately shoving her down. I forgot to say that the child ran to one side of her and chanted--"that's what you get! That's what you get!"

Wednesday morning, she received a voice mail or text, forget which, saying to just stay home today because of her injuries.  So, this is how she fires people all the time. Then, she told her that safety was her primary goal at her daycare. This is how she fired the last woman who lost her job this week after being out ill. She also told her just to stay home one more day to be sure she was well. 

The daycare owner told her she would put her on-call all this week. She tells all people she fires this, too, before firing.

The kicker is my friend was due to receive a $3K bonus in October! She will never get it now. She really needed that money. There were witnesses and video, but it will all disappear, probably has by now. 

As we drove by her house at 9 am this morning going to Cullman, her car was home when she should have been at work. I told Tommy I was worried and would call about 10 am when I knew she was up. Well, that was stupid. So, if she had fallen or was dying from a concussion, it might be too late. I called and she relayed the info to me. She will go to Walmart to try and work there. 

We drove to Cullman to sign papers and use a cc. That done, we went to Publix for my milk. We would rather stop there than after we had driven back to Publix here. I went to another store to get the Double Luck green beans. I counted out 10 as I felt for dents. I managed to get 11 cans...lol. Eggs were expensive $6.99 for 18 eggs (39 cents/egg). At the second store I paid $4.89 for a dozen eggs (41 cents/egg. I was at the second store and was not driving back for 2 cent/egg saving, 24 cent/carton.

At the PO I gave Tommy money to pay for my PO box. As it turns out, I paid it online. I do not remember that. Hopefully, I have not signed up for autopay. 

Dinner tonight: Tommy had the other hamburger from last night, peas, and mashed potatoes. I had cheeseburger, whole tomato, whole can of green beans. Neither of us had bun. 

Today, it was 75 at noon and really hot in the car with humidity of 33%. I love that humidity. Outdoors, the weather was perfect, not hot at all. The skies from the time we left until we came home was deep blue sky for miles, all the way to Cullman and back. 

Gas in Cullman was $2.98/gal. So, I guess we can use the gas savings to buy eggs. 

Are prices for things like eggs and gas coming down at your town? I hope everyone is safe from Ian.

Much Free Food; We Won; Even Cheaper Gas

 Wednesday was so busy. It was a matter of getting up to leave at 9:30 and go to Cullman. Getting my mail was important since I have not picked it up at PO in almost two weeks. There was the pickup lunch, and a lecture to attend. 

I awoke too early, hot as usual! But, I was able to watch a bit of the Today Show, eat breakfast leisurely, read blogs, read some news, and bathe without feeling rushed. I had scrambled six eggs for breakfast yesterday and put up three for today. Usually, I bathe, get dressed, and take my eggs and a glass of milk in the car. 

The day was so bright I could barely see! We picked up four lunches and went to the site of the pickling lecture. We eat in the parking lot under a tree. When we came to the site, we saw a beautiful white horse out in the sun eating a tall weed. There were four other horses, all brown, under a stand of trees that were planted for harvesting. The brown horses stood so still, sort of looking off into the trees. I surmised the heat did not affect the white horse so it could stand the sun and heat. I could be wrong. Maybe that breed can stand heat better. ???

Lunch today: hamburger, hotdog, condiment packets, huge slice of beautiful tomato and good amount of lettuce leaves for the hamburger. Since we got four, we had dinner tonight, too. 

As soon as we went into the building, there were Covid tests to take home. I got one but Tommy did not get one when he came by.  The young woman gave a demonstration of quick pickles along with a six-page handout. Each person also received a little bag of bay leaves and one of dried dill seeds, Mrs Wage's pickling mix. There was a lunch, too.

I got a portion of a sub with spicy meat and turkey and a tiny egg sandwich and a tiny tuna sandwich. I ate the filling of the tiny sandwiches and took the slice of sub with me. There were five jars of pickled relish and other stuff the young woman had made. The handout had the recipes for those. There was a huge container with water that had herbs in it. Tommy tried all the pickled garnishes for the sandwich but not the sandwich. 

Toward the end there was a drawing for door prizes--jar of blueberry jam, two small jars of smoked honey, quart jar of pickled pears, pint of canned pears, two half-dozen cartons of fresh eggs, two pints of freshly-picked grape tomatoes. All the door prizes were locally prepared. My name was drawn fourth and I chose blueberry jam, changed my mind and chose fresh eggs. Tommy's name was drawn and he chose the pint of pears. We were so pleased both our names were drawn. We came home with 6 pretty, colored eggs and a pint of pears. 

There was a donation jar for the catered lunch. We only had a $1 bill between us. So, that was that. The day was hot (heat index of 105). The only time Tommy got out of the car was to go into and out of the building. I did the same, plus went into and out of the store. He did go out to water the flowers after 7 pm. He said it was very warm, but not hot. At 10 pm, it is still 83F. 

We went to one store. I bought the huge can of Argo peaches for $1.99, and four pouches of Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix for $1.19 each. These were $1.09 about four months ago and $0.99 last year. These are small and make few brownies, but we don't need many brownies, if any at all. Freezing extras won't help since I like frozen fudge brownies.

About ten miles down the interstate, we realized we had not gone to PO! Well, I was in no mood to return, and he did not offer. He would have if I had asked. 

These days, we carry two bottles of water apiece. Tommy insists he does not need even one bottle. But, after seeing reports about the dangers of the heat and how people need to carry water, he does bring along four bottles. Of course, I do emphasize that water could save our lives if the car breaks down. I usually grab one from the table where I have been drinking it and carry it along, too. 

Gas was $3.51. Amazing! 

When you go out, do you make sure you have plenty of water? 

Do you like or attend demonstrations?

Is the price of gas falling more where you live? 

Dentist Monday and Another Shortage

 Monday, I got up washed my hair, bathed, and we left with my scrambled eggs and milk. Thankfully, the weather was nice, not rainy. 

We stopped at PO and got Tommy a burger from BK. Then, we went to my dentist. The dental tech cleaned my teeth. I had flossed and brushed after the eggs and after the burger I suddenly wanted. Stress made me eat it. 

After xrays, the dentist told me I had no cavities. I just could not process what he said since I had only two hours of sleep. I sat with my mouth agape. Finally, I could speak, "Then, why does my tooth hurt." He said I probably had a cracked tooth underneath the huge filling. 

When I mentioned heart disease and needing stents, he put both hands up and said he would do nothing until I had stents.  "I don't want to give you anesthesia and get things stirred up." That is exactly why I mentioned the stents. 

So, that was that. 

We went to PO and he went in since I was staggering from lack of sleep. I went into two grocery stores, got Kraft Parmesan Cheese in the green shaker bottle, and peanuts for Tommy, both were bogo or two for. I don't remember which. At the other store, I found they had Argo canned peaches, a brand I thought was not going to be in this area anymore. Argo is the best canned peaches I have ever tasted. They are not pretty, but once you eat them, you will never eat another brand of canned peach. These will be good next winter. Oh, I bought large eggs for $2.99/dozen. 

Ground beef was $2.78/lb only in family packs. It appeared there were at least 10 lbs on the Styrofoam tray. I did not need any and had no place to store it, so did not even consider it. 

Have you tried to buy a yardstick?

We went to a local hardware store and Lowe's. Neither had a yardstick because they cannot get them! Can you believe it? All I wanted was a stick of wood. Has anyone else found a shortage of yardsticks? In my house, I lost a 40-yr-old yardstick, one that was 90-years-old, and another that was about 50-years-old. Yardsticks were always free, but now I cannot buy one for love nor money. What is the world coming to? Yes, I ended the sentence with a preposition! 

At Lowe's I found a yellow zinnia, originally $19.95, marked to $5. Yes, it is mine. Best of all, it is in a pot with a hanger. So, I brought it home and trimmed the deadwood and dead leaves, gave it a sip of Miracle Gro and expect that at the end of Tuesday, it will be transformed. I gave it a little sweet-talk, too. I truly think plants like us to talk to them. Do you?

Have you found there is a shortage of yardsticks?

Aloha Kona Pineapple and Grocery Deals

 

I believe I have Calibrachoa Aloha Kona Pineapple. I could be wrong.  Susie and Sue identified it last post as a Calibrachoa  without seeing it, just from my description. I looked it up and found this picture above. I like them. So pretty and bright. 

Wednesday, I went shopping but was still exhausted from the "event" so just shopped at Publix. Thursday, I went to Piggly Wiggly and needed a stop at Publix. 

The Pig:

Pepsi --Tommy b2g2, bought 4

zucchini--forgot what I paid but not on sale

Graham Crackers--Nabisco Originals, one box

Breyer's Chocolate--one-half gallon or what passes for a former half-gallon

Stuffed Marshmallow--Had to try them. Never again.

Piggly Wiggly:

Daisy Sour Cream

2 lbs carrots--$1.78

Celery--$1.78

Kraft Medium Cheese--$3.53, big mistake

2 bags Kraft Cole Slaw--$1.12 each

The pork butt roast had more fat than I had ever seen on a piece of meat, so I left them at The Pig. On the way home, we stopped at Publix and I got two pork roasts there, much less fatty. Kraft cheese was bogo there, so two for $4.49, making each $2.25. 

When we got home, I put one pork roast in the crock pot and it will probably stay there until Friday morning, maybe not. The other is in the refrigerator until I can slice it in half and freeze. Or, maybe I will cook it and freeze. I have not decided. I bought 5 beautiful ears of corn 5/$2. I have called this Peaches and Cream, so I don't know if their name of bi-color is the same corn. Do you know?

I have been dizzy since about 3 pm. I think I forgot to take shot for diabetes. I was dizzy in the kitchen, lurched about and my left knee moved wrong, gave out and hurt. So, Tommy got to put the roast in the crockpot and bring me a glass of milk. Well, it was in the pot but I had him cut off the huge layer from the bottom. Do you cut that off? At The Pig there was two inches on each roast. The marbling was horrendous. 

Thursday evening, my mentor in the gardening program called and apologized for not coming over to speak to me. I had been embarrassed I had not gone speak to her. I think we were hurrying off to get the goodies. She won a hanging flowerpot, too. And, she managed to snag other plants and bags of soil, amongst other items. 

Okay, I think Peaches and Cream Corn is a bi-color variety. 

After the "event," I found a 13 lb box of books from a friend. Tomorrow, I will tell you about that.

I asked Tommy if he wanted our Memorial Day meal then or just eat it until then. He said to wait. I mentioned the pork roast and bbq the meat, cole slaw, and corn on the cob. He was so happy and said that sounds like enough. It is settled. If I can find the can of pork and beans, I may surprise him with baked means. I make really good baked beans. I only keep one can of pork and beans on the shelf as it is not something I make for myself. 

Death Again, List, Shopping

 Still Wednesday here. I got in touch with the woman who knows Tim, the guy who came and dusted and cleaned. The recliners will be delivered on Friday between 11 am and noon. So, he is coming at 10 am and work until noon. He can drag Tommy's recliner out and vacuum there and the corner and move his table and vacuum. He can drag the other recliner and get that corner. Under my chair is filthy, so that needs to be done. Tommy's short bookcase needs to have a shelf of books removed in order to move it. Tommy wants to just vacuum around it! NO! 

In the meantime, we are carrying out things small and large, throwing stuff out, carrying some to other rooms where they go or can live. I have a red sandal and a black one under a table that is so heavy I could never lift it. So, a good job for Tim, plus it needs to be moved for my recliner. 

It is my curb table. I begged Tommy to bring it to his house about five years ago. Now, he is claiming it. Nope!

We need to be somewhere Friday by 1:30, so this schedule works for us, thankfully. The furniture guys can put the two recliners on the road on Friday morning, and it should not rain until next Wednesday or so. Friday will be a heavy schedule and hard on me. 

Wednesday, we went to The Pig and Publix. I bought strawberries, blackberries, one navel orange, bologna, two pounds of carrots for $1.34 and one pound of baby carrots for $0.99, bell peppers for $0.49. The first carrot is for cooking and the other carrot for salads and snacking. Tommy wanted the baby carrots. Everything was on sale one way or the other. Bought two chunks of medium Kraft Cheddar, I found a package of Ball regular lids. (but not on sale) There was one left and I got it...ha ha! There was an empty space where I suspect wide-mouth lids or lids and rings were. 

The reason I only bought one navel orange was I should not have oranges, especially navel. I like to remove the thin orange peel and leave the thick white underneath and eat that along with the pulp. I think the white part is delicious. However, I am not supposed to eat much fiber. 

Tommy keeps all his clean clothes in plastic bags or hanging on the coat/hat rack. He puts the dirty clothes in a pile atop and inside mail carrier box. Someone gave it to him and he uses it for a laundry basket. He is very violent talking when I mention better clothes storage but still beside him. On Monday, I proffered an idea--how about getting a collapsible laundry basket, clothes that can stand and hold more clothes, take up less carpet real-estate, and look nice, too. He just looked at me like it was okay. At least, he was not against it. So, I will do that. You know the kind I mean, the tall one that collapses?

One day, this place will be fit for company. I told him soon we could invite his cousin here. He seemed happy about that. His cousin takes him and now me to Bright Star, but Tommy meets him at the door and leaves before he can see much inside. We can also invite Lynda, neighbor down the street. One day, I will get the bathroom cleaned (hire someone) and maybe he will put in the shower he really wants, the kind that has just a floor with a drain it it. The money he saved on these recliners will probably pay for the shower and bathroom remodel. 

A friend died in 2014, unbeknownst to me. I found out in 2016. We were close at one time but I pulled away as she was very dismissive of me, told me how poor I was compared to her in very unsubtle ways. They were millionaires. When I called him in 2016, he was in the last throes of dementia. I am not sure he really knew who I was. Well, today, I discovered he died shortly after we spoke. So, two long-time friends are gone. 

We each had a booth at same craft shows. So, for a while we were just friends at venues. Our friendship progressed until we talked and visited. Since they lived in Huntsville, it was easy and only 50+ miles north of me. At one point when I quit doing shows to go to school, I worked some shows with them. They had a double booth and each of us had a cash register. Then, I did a show for them.  They each were working different shows. 

Now, they are both gone and it seems like the end of something. Well, it is. People just keep dying! She was older than I am, but she died at a younger age than I am now. He died at 83. 

Thursday now. I called the WD40 company and they said to use Dawn and hot water. I am ready to toss them now instead of working on them. 

I have lots of plans for Thursday. Some are calls I need to make. Some are bills to pay. There are refunds to be collected when I make returns. The list is so long that I will not finish today. There are 14 items! One is done. Gotta go! 

Do you ever make a list so long you cannot get it done but it is what you need to do shortly? Like in a few days? 

Chair and Food and Sleep

 Since I have had 24 hours to use the new chair, I am happy. The guys put the chair down and said, "Is that okay?" I agreed it was and asked if they could move the table back. They had to move it to get to the space to remove the love seat. The lamp was not plugged in, so I could not see the edge of the table was not even with the chair or the door. 

I immediately called the store and asked if they could move the chair since we cannot.  She said they had gone home and she would be in Atlanta. So, it would be Monday. I hurt myself trying to yank the chair, and then I quit. 

Sleep did not come until after 6 am. I got up when Tommy called me at 9 am and said I was not going to Cullman. Then, I could not go to sleep. Finally, I went to bed and he called me loudly just as I was drifting off. I ran from the bedroom in a knee-length summer nightgown and a sweatshirt over that and barefooted. He was telling me the guys were here. Since he only had on shorts, he went into the kitchen. It would take him at least 3-5 minutes to get his pants on. 

I know they thought I was crazy to have them come back here to move a chair two inches. But, that is the degree of my back problems. And, I forgot to give them money for their help. 

After that, there was no way I could sleep! I suggested going to the grocery store. Well, he finally was ready to go about 2 pm. As we went here, there, and yonder, we have tried to get someone to take this love seat. 

Groceries:

Bread Store:

read Store:Six huge brown rolls, the ones sold at Outback $2

envelops of cheese sauce $1

Publix:

18 eggs $4.29 yikes

Bread $3.49

Mott's Applesauce 3 for $6

grape tomatoes $1.48

Chocolate 2 for $4 Sugar Free

Wheat Thins, Lightly Salted 2 for $6

Diet Pepsi for Tommy bog2  $14

Cheerios bogo 2 for $5.79

Then, I had a $1 coupon for purchasing two. for $5.79 I got an extra $1 off for buying two, making it $4.79 for two and $2.40 for 18.8 ounce box. 

I may have to get chickens again if the price of eggs does not drop! The bread store had no reduced bread and we drove a long way to get it.  Applesauce cups are for the car. 

Wednesday and Thursday night, we had chicken, brown rice, mushroom soup, green beans and a small jar of pimiento. 

I may get out frozen pieces of chicken and figure out vegetables. It is tiring to keep going to sleep or almost going to sleep and not getting completely asleep or have someone wake you!

Some people can go straight back to sleep. That is not me. How about you? Can you go back to sleep when you are awakened?

I Thought I Was Well Tuesday and More Bargains

Tuesday, I wanted to shop the ads since Wednesday is the day new ads come out. I felt better, so no problem. Well, not well, not really. 

In Publix, I always check the sale rack. There I found the ziploc  bags with Christmas designs marked down. I ended up buying 10 boxes at $3.15 apiece. I checked the shelves for the regular, non-holiday theme. There were more bags in a box in the holiday-themed ones at a cheaper price. So, check Publix for cheap storage and freezer bags. The Christmas designs make me smile in July! Plus, I think of what a bargain I found. Oh, part of the bags with Christmas designs were still on the shelves with regular products, so check there if the sale rack has none. 

After the Publix trip, we went to Piggly Wiggly for coleslaw and potatoes. There was a third store to visit, but suddenly I became tired. All I bought in Publix was bscb and ten boxes of Ziploc. 

Before we went to the two grocery stores, we went to a food giveaway. Some weeks, there are only three cans of food and a pack of hamburger buns. Not much. Other weeks, there are 8 kinds of breads and rolls. It is all inconsistent, but I have no complaints. Today was a good meat day. We got:

Huge pack of Publix ground chuck $19.99

2 chicken breasts $13.66

2 organic chicken breasts $12.77

4+ lbs of chicken thighs $6.81

apple bourbn pork tenderloin

$13.00 shoulder blade steak

6 huge, sweet potatoes

4 bags and boxes of salad greens 

Low sodium potato pancake mix...will give away. 

The thighs are thawing so I can cook them with the two packages of chicken breasts I bought for half price (bogo) at Publix. I could barely get part of the meat in the freezer. I left the flank steak to cook for dinner on Tuesday night; So, four packages of meat went into the freezer. 

Two of the bags of salad greens went straight into the trash. One was slimy green and the other was turning bronze and wilting. 

At 5:30 pm, I was staggering and could barely walk, so I told Tommy to put the meat and the three potatoes in a freezer bag with half cup of water and tie it up and stick six holes in the bag and cook it on 300F degrees, wake me in an hour and a half and let me look at it. 

Folks, he can cook!

As I came out of the bedroom, I asked him if he put salt and pepper on the meat. He said he thought about it and did not want to put too much. "Salt and pepper it as you would something on your plate, but not heavy." 

The shoulder blade steak looked like it would be fatty and tough. It was.  However, I will cook it again to make it more tender. Since it was frozen solid, it did not cook long enough to tenderize. The taste was delicious. I asked Tommy how he liked it..."It was beef and not ground hamburger meat." 

We did a drive around the neighborhood to find a pink bag of ads and coupons. Tommy cut all them for my friend who is in charge of the food bank. We saved out the coupon for Cheerios. Tomorrow, we will get more packs of coupons in pink plastic. We only want the Cheerio coupon. We ask people if we can have them or take them from vacant houses. 

So, I was not as well as I thought I was today and now I am worse! I have med to last Wed and Thursday. Then, these meds will quit making me feel so awful. But, I did have a good day. Today, I really needed to be out. The temperature was 53F and the sky was a brilliant blue, not a cloud in the sky! 

I know the weather is rough in some places and people are stranded in cars. Here's hoping you are snug and warm in your house or other abode. 

Have you ever bought the Ziplock freezer and storage bags with holiday designs?