Since Sue Asked

 It's still Saturday, and I am exhausted. We left the house about 1 pm and arrived home at 5 pm. We needed to return things and decided to do it now instead of putting it off. I really wanted to go earlier, but that did not happen. Gunsmoke was on. 

Tommy did the returns while I shopped...lol. But, customer service computers or something was down for 20 minutes. An hour or more later, Tommy was going home, nothing else would do. I convinced him to go to another store for the returns. We did and he was out in a few minutes. Neither of the dresses fit and they were too hot. The stainless steel was 18/0 instead of 18/10, so that went back. 

I bought a set of reusable snack and storage bags. Hopefully, these work for me. And, I bought a bag of panties. The returns more than offset the purchases. 

Sue asked why I am going "no tp." (1) Toilet paper leaves residue, unseen stuff, that makes my lady bits itch! So, there you have it. (2) Canada's old growth forests are being leveled so we can wipe our butts.  Using a wad of leaves would exacerbate first problem. Using washable possibilities would still not erase our impact on the earth's resources. However, no tree would have to be cut for my use in the bathroom. And, I do reuse the washables. They add no more loads of washes to my life and are not an additional burden to the environment.

What will I do? I use wash cloths. Tommy has many yellowed tshirts that do not fit him and that were given to him by a cousin. He is not attached to them and they are too small. I may wash them and cut them up. If I had my serger set up, I would serge the washcloths in half. 

The washcloths work for liquid. As for solids I need to wipe, I rarely have much to wipe. If there are occasions where there is a lot of residue, I can throw away pieces of t-shirt. Or, I can use tp. I have many packages of disposable wipes, some flushable. NO, we will not flush them. But, we have options for all occasions.

At one point, there was no tp in my house. When my son came to visit, I asked Tommy to bring a roll. He did and took it back home with him when my son and his family left. He said I could keep the roll, but I didn't want it. This time, I will keep tp in the house and probably on the roll. 

Too icky for you? Well, I washed gross diapers for three children. It does not faze me at all. I hung the  washcloths in the sun and felt they were well-washed and good for reuse. After cloth diapers, washcloths are a breeze!

Tommy won't give up tp. He would need a whole t-shirt every day. So, he won't go there. TMI. I know.

I am still well, although the returns problems have made me very tired, exhausted, in fact. That's ok because I am not feeling ill in the least. 

Have you given up tp? What do you use instead? No, I will never use a bidet! Anything under the level of the seat is liable to get peed on or splashed, so not sanitary water. So, bidets are disgusting to me. But, you may use them...lol. I have enough problems with UTIs, but you can use them. Do not try to convince me. 

This and That

 We went out for one thing today and forgot the watermelon to eat with mustard. But, there is a list for tomorrow and the watermelon is on the list. 

About ten days ago, I talked with two friends. These were the conversations that leave a person happy and filled with a satisfaction. You know the kinds of conversations I mean. 

Dinner Friday night was turkey breast slices, carrots, and potatoes, all baked in the oven. 

I received a pair of pants and two blouses I ordered from Amazon and nothing fit. Bummer. 

The neighbor that mowed Tommy's yard had to have someone mow his yard and had the service mow Tommy's, too. I think another neighbor is sick. Remember, one died. 

Instead of using storage bags, I mostly use sandwich bags for short-term storage. Tonight, I put two pieces of chicken in a sandwich bag instead of a storage bag. We will eat the chicken tomorrow. Sandwich bags are cheaper. 

Once a month, whether I need it or not, I buy a package of Northern in the purple pack, any size. 

Tommy lets oranges waste because he does not eat them regularly and just lets them sit. But, when he does eat and orange, he eats three. I don't understand. I rarely eat an orange, actually never because I cannot eat much fiber per doctor's orders. 

Tomorrow, I hope to get my car jumped off. The battery has been dead for about two months. I doubt I can help Tommy with the battery. I can sit in the car and start it...lol. We need someone to help us. 

Thankfully, we are eating down the food in the refrigerator. Tommy had two gallons of milk and I have five half-gallons. I cannot search, so he has to. Now, I can find things on my own. 

I had the nose-pieces changed in my new glasses from the ones that came on the glasses to new silicone ones. The tech said the ones that came on the glasses were plastic. The plastic ones make my skin, hurt, burn, sweat, and turn red! So, now I get to wear my new glasses again. 

Do the little nose pads on your glasses bother your nose/skin? 

An Outfit

This is one of the two Rafaella outfits I bought the end of last summer on sale at Belk's. I was going to wear the other outfit to my reunion, but Tommy hates it and wanted me to wear this one to my end of September class 55th high school reunion.

Thankfully, summer lasted here for a long time znd spring stated early. I last wore this in October with a black cardigan. The legs are wide. It has been a long time since I wore a top with armholes cut back so far like this. But, my arms are not too fat...lol.

Today, we went to Cullman where I replaced some of the chicken for $1.59/lb. BBQ sauce was on sale--got two. I found children's fluoride mouthwash on sale for half price, so got that even though it is bubblegum flavor. At least I won't have to swallow. I found a 4 oz. bottle of Pompeian Olive Oil. Rats, i don't think it is virgin. Oh, well, I wanted the bottle to decant a larger bottle over time.

Since I did not go back to Publix for another two cartons of a2milk on Friday as I planned, I ran out of milk last night. There was no milk or banana for my breakfast. I bought three cartons today. I put it in a cooler in the back of the Rogue. One carton was just sitting in the back, but I will drink it first. No problem!

Triscuits--$0.99 for Tommy
1 Gerber Chicken and Gravy  baby food @$0.29 for me
Mouthwash for me

I feel this post is disjointed!

I bought a single roll of 2-ply TP and bought it to see what was the quality. It is 4X 4.25 " and 550 embossed rolls. If I cannot use it, Tommy can. I wondered if it was like the Scott.  There was about ten feet on the shelves, and maybe hundreds on each shelf. It was quite amazing. This store is not going to run out of tissue. Have you ever seen this tissue in the mint green paper package, on roll, with darker green print?

So, I am exhausted and must get the chicken on for dinner. Today was a beautiful spring day with fluffy clouds and a breeze that was strong at times. I hope you had pretty weather today.

How do you like my outfit?

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Surprise! Surprise!

Say it like Gomer Pyle. Okay?

On Thursday morning Tommy and I were in one of his spare bedrooms where over the years I had asked him to store things for me. I was looking for metal shelves for the kitchen. I used these when I taught GED. They are solid metal, not perforated ones. So, they should hold anything I put on them.

I can tell from the outside of the box what is in each box because I label all six sides, a good idea as the label can be viewed without having to unstack and move boxes.

Lo and Behold! One box was labeled "TP." I was overjoyed. There were 16 rolls of tp. This is cheap stuff given to me. I cannot use it. I was using wash clothes instead of tp at that time, anyway. Now, Tommy can use it.

16 rolls!

We went to Cullman today where we had something to do. While there, I bought all the nuts and bolts to attach the shelf unit--$50. I was shocked. It took forever to get them.

I took the pink comforter to a laundry up there because I have not seen one here and I know the one there is clean and we were going. It cost me $4 to wash it. Dryer prices are ridiculous--a quarter for 7 minutes. I brought it home and have it draped across my walker in the dining area. His dryer only blasts hot. There is no lower heat setting.

There was no mail. Pooo!

Tommy bought gas for $1.79/gal. at the Marathon.

I went to a food bank where I got  deli chicken, half gallon of milk, and gallon freezer bag full of ham. It was as though half-inch slices were cut up. I am going to cook Great Northern Beans and add some of the ham along with the four teeny packs of baby carrots we got with a meal. I will slice the carrots. Tommy seemed to think it would be delicious. I hope so.

At the food bank, they had a table outside. We were instructed to stay in our cars. They wrote our name on a list and brought the two boxes to us. It was so much faster than sitting inside with people with body odor and cigarette smoke smell wafting up my nose.

The cans are still in the car along with sweets. Tomorrow, we will find someone who needs the cans we don't need. We do not need the sweets.

The Thursday meal was a drive by. We pulled up one by one and the meals were brought to our window. We got--two pizza slices, salad, teeny bags of baby carrots and a delicious chocolate chip cookie. We drank water and  ate in a park.

There were no clouds in the sky all day. But, the blue sky was dimmed a bit by sort of a high haze. It was 85 today. Spectacular weather.

Life is not the same. However, for me it is improving instead of being sad and closed in. It seems my lethargy is lifting. I was energetic for just a while today. YAY!

Is life improving any for you?

Toilet Paper and Sanitizer: Found and My Garden

Today, I had to go out to get my McAfee protection for my laptop renewed. I keep getting a pop up warning me of time running out for my coverage. I refuse to open a popup.  It appears I could not call it in. I was told to go to a store. I now am good for two years with McAfee. While in Office Depot/Office Max in Homewood, I came upon alcohol sanitizer in the front of the store. A sign said only one purchase per person. I got one--$2. It is all I have and all I have found.

When I came out and told Tommy, he said he noticed people with large purchases, all carrying one small bottle of alcohol sanitizer. He wondered. This store in on Hwy 31 in Hoover.

In another store, I passed toilet paper being unboxed and asked about Northern. I could only have one 6 pack, exactly what I had a coupon to purchase. I got another hair color, not the right color, but it will do. I found lawn chairs, wicker ones that fold, just what I need for the yard. But, I am not buying those now. Plus, the Amdro Fire Ant Bait will have to wait. I am using Tommy's cc, so I did not want to push my luck.

He found gas at Jet Pep in Hoover across the street from the Galleria--$1.82/gal. I pumped it for Tommy. It hurts me to do so, but he cannot walk and must hold onto the luggage rack. I hate to see him struggle so.

I had to go to Joanne's Fabrics to get a seam ripper to deconstruct the jumpsuit to make pants. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I saw the electric cart. Tommy will have to bring lunch and something to read, take a nap and listen to the radio while I spend a lot of time in there some day. I am soooo happy. I went right in and out today.

We had a grilled cheese sandwich just before we left, so we had no need for anything to eat.

We went out to the backyard yesterday to check my garden. Everything is standing up nicely, no wilting. The watering is all into a tube on the side of the box. A reservoir holds it and it soaks into the soil. Tommy managed to fight his way past the backdoor steps to go in and out. I help him with the walker.

I have cabbages and broccoli and other things planted, forgot what. The woman took the little plant markers that come with the plants.  I need to get out there and get the carrot seeds into the ground.

So, we have no socialization with anyone else. One dinner we attend is now a carryout dinner. Another lunch is up in the air, Maybe it will be canceled, maybe not. Hopefully, a carryout.

Tonight, I prepared a lot of sweet potatoes to go in the oven. Tommy voluntarily took all the bags and went through them. Now, he has put all the ones I need to attend to in one bag. He has always done that for me. At one time, he would carry 40 lb boxes to the yard. He did this after dark tonight and in the living room.

Tonight, we will have baked chicken from the freezer, baked sweet potatoes, and slaw. I am getting hungry thinking about the feast.  The slaw mix was bogo at Publix. We have two pieces of apple pie, so that might be eaten, not sure. So far, we are eating well despite the situation in the US.

How about you? Do you need a few things at your house? Eating well?