My Weblog

It ain't no fun being on a budget.............

particularly one I try so hard to control very tightly.

Today I saw a blog post on a tablecloth for outdoors. Ya know, I DO NOT need an outdoor tablecloth. It's too dang hot out there to breathe. If I were the kind of person who gets up with the sun, I could maybe go out there and drink a cup of coffee, but that's about the limit. And, in the evening, I'd have to allow hours after sundown for things to cool down to "tolerable". I do not need an outdoor tablecloth.

However, I was captivated by the beautiful striped (brightly colored) fabric. Now wouldn't that be a beautiful thing to see when looking out the door at my patio! 

 

By now, if you know me at all, you know I LOVE bright colors. I followed the link to check this stuff out. IT COSTS $47 PER METER!  I'd need at least 2 meters. That's $94 for an outdoor tablecloth! I don't think so! (But it IS pretty!) Okay, so maybe I can use that photo to pick a color palette for a future summery  scrapbooking kit, but it's not the same.............

So, what about today.........

Well, on the design side, I have started a "harvest" type kit that still needs 2 papers. Loving the color palette and I can knock out 2 papers pretty easy. Then it's on to elements..........

While being compelled to clean out my freezer, I happened upon a package of beef stew meat. With the price of beef, even stew meat is a rarity in my life, so it wasn't a surprise to find it, other than the fact that I didn't know where I'd stuffed it in the freezer. I'm planning on making beef stroganoff in the crockpot today. I also need to bake some bread in the crockpot. At first that stymied me. How could I do both. Easy peasy. I have an electric pot that my mother bought me. I can turn the heat on that very low and do the stroganoff in there. And that leaves the traditional crockpot free for my bread! 

The desk has potential to look like it might belong to someone who is sane if I spend time on it consistently over the next few days. I think I will definitely do that! 

I am going to "pull up my big girl panties" and work on that linen closet area again. I'm sick of risking life and limb every time I want to use the hall bathroom. I need to clean up the dregs of what has not yet found its permanent home inside that closet. 

I need to create my personal tower of Babel, built using books, to see if I can get my Total Gym put back together (see last night's post below if you don't understand the problem). I want to work out on that thing today. 

Sometime really soon, I have to go to the grocery store. The problem with deferring a trip to the grocery store for weeks is that you end up needing one of everything when you finally dare to cross the threshold of said store. That's where I am about now and the very thought of spending all that money makes me not want to go there. I don't have a choice. One of the things I am almost out of is dog food. I can either buy some or become some. I prefer to buy some so I have to go to a store. 

I have checked 15 days out. Today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, we have forecasted highs in the 3-digit range. After that, the forecast is for mid to high 90's. Even now, in the 3-digit range, it's the low 3-digits. I actually walked into the hallway, under the intake duct, 4 times this weekend and caught the a/c NOT running. Oh, Glory be! That HAS to mean my power bill will come down, right????

Alright. I've got to get to work. YOU be BLESSED today! 

 

reassembly............

Many years ago, I bought a Total Gym. I used it often, but not regularly and never really changed the height adjustment or folded it up. Then, in December, my entire living room and dining room ended up in my office (which doubles as my workout room). And, my Total Gym was partially disassembled, flattened, and folded. Before the end of January rolled around, I was sick, sick, sick. Finally, near the end of May, I was declared "well". What wasn't taken into account was that I had lost a lot of weight, particularly muscle tissue, during the time I was ill. Ever since, I've been working at trying to get "back in shape". 

Primarily, I have no muscle tone. This, I think, would be a fairly typical result of being REALLY ill and spending weeks and weeks in bed and being unable to generate enough "air" to walk across a room without huffing and puffing. I started trying to recuperate/rebuild with the treadmill.

I have not seen much improvement with the Treadmill. Maybe I need to have several hundred miles under my belt for that to happen. I don't really know. But, if that's the case, I'm going to be pretty darned unhappy and less functional that I want to be for a very long time. 

I then started with my free weights. This has made a visible improvement in my upper body, but still not seeing any improvement in the legs. Ugh! 

Next, I added yoga to the treadmill routine. This has made some impact, but I know I can do better with the Total Gym.

I decided it was time to get that Total Gym working again. Using the Total Gym, I can do some upper body work if I want to, but, primarily, I can do some work building my leg muscles.

EXCEPT, I am having a pistol of a time getting the darn thing back in working order. I got through most of it by common sense and experimentation. I've owned it so darn long, only God knows where the owner's manual is...........IF I still have it.............) However, right now, the board on which the body lies is flat.

I want some elevation to increase the resistance. I actually went online and watched bazillion youtube videos of much newer models with different mechanisms than what exists on my "antique". Very little help. I finally got it figured out, though.

Here's the problem: I need to lift the tracks on which the board slides up and then insert a pin to hold it in place. I am not strong enough to lift the tracks one-handed, and, even if I were, I can't see where to put the darn pin so that the hole on the track mechanism lines up with the holes on the bar that allows the elevation. AND, I have discovered that standing head down and grunting for long periods of time to try to accomplish this is not a very pleasant thing, particularly with high blood pressure. I keep thinking I'm going to get woozy and end up going down, head first. I am, to say the least, frustrated! I've monkeyed around with this thing now for about 20 minutes (not counting youtube, research time, and unfolding it) and it's still flat, no elevation, no resistance, no muscle building capacity. 

So, I'm giving up for tonight. My only consolation is the stretch I got bending over and the upper body workout I got trying to lift that thing one-handed. My right arm is now stronger! Most of the time, I manage to get along here alone fairly well. However, that is not the case tonight! 

I think I will give up for tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to take another run on this thing. I think I will try building a tower of books under the track mechanism to support it in an elevated position at roughly the height I want it. Then, maybe I can get the pin in place........... Well, it's worth a try.........

I don't feel as though I've accomplished a whole lot this weekend. I did, however, do some cooking, make a total mess of my tiny kitchen and get it cleaned up (more or less, LOL). I also ended up problem solving and grunting a lot trying to fix my ice maker. I have no clue what happened, but somehow a solid blob of ice froze in there. I decided to try to get rid of the blob. As it ended up, that involved a LOT of time. But, if it counts, I also cleaned out the freezer. I guess that's something. And, now, I can get individual pieces of ice out of the ice maker, instead of encountering the blob. 

I have come to the conclusion that there is NO SUBSTITUTE for suck 'em up bags. I ended up having to get rid of some things that were frozen in ziplock freezer bags. Freezer burn. That was maddening and made me sad all at the same time. The things I was able to keep had been vacuum packed with my machine. 

Here's a mystery I'm trying to solve: How the heck does one freeze bread so that it comes out of the freezer edible as something other than toast or french toast? I pulled a loaf out of the freezer that had even been double bagged (can't really vacuum pack bread..........). A few slices were bread-like; the rest of the loaf was hard and crunchy. Hard and crunchy or not, I'll eat it. But, it's not much good for sandwiches..........

I'm going to go refill my water bottle and head down the hall. One good thing to celebrate: the upper body workouts must be doing some good. I usually struggle when it's time to carry a 3 gallon water bottle in and put it on the dispenser. I did it tonight and realized it is getting easier! 

 

Decisions, decisions......

I had to abandon my idea of drying the woobie on the drying rack. The amount of dog hair in the washer is what forced the decision. I KNOW there's more dog hair on the blanket and it's not going to come off just hanging that thing on an indoor drying rack. So, it's in the dryer with a fabric softener sheet (the fabric softener sheet seems to help it "release" the dog hair). I SO wish I knew how to deal with this shedding problem................

I had a sheet that I folded and put away. I think that was the wrong decision. It is horribly stained. Honestly, it is so dirty in spots I can't begin to figure out what happened to it. I didn't want to throw it away, but I'd be ashamed to donate it! I darn near boiled it in lye trying to get it clean. I think I have to go back in there and put it in the trash. I'm trying to declutter. I'm trying to ask myself "Would I want to move this if I moved?" No, I really don't think I would. So, I guess it's going in the trash..........

By the way, have you looked at the elastic on fitted sheets lately? Could it get any cheaper (worthless)? Of course, with the price of king sized fitted sheets, I am going to Fix that problem, not get rid of the sheet. Years ago, my SIL took me to an outlet store for Olga lingerie. I bought a huge "bolt" of elastic--the kind they use for bra straps. It has stood me in good stead for probably 30 years. I used it to make clothes for my infant/toddler/young child daughter when money was too tight to afford store bought. I've used it to replace stretched out waistbands on sweat pants. (This dry desert weather is horrible on elastic). And, I've used it to replace that cheap disgusting elastic they put on sheets, now-a-days. Was that a good investment or what?!!

I found a rather important file on the computer that's never been backed up! How the heck did that happen? But, it's being backed up now! I have one file on my back up drive I've titled "permanent backup". I don't add any thing to the folders within that file from month to month. So, that poor, forgotten file now has a second home in the "permanent backup" file. 

I have one kit with odd bits and pieces in my download file. I don't have the kit. This has to be the result of a failure to back up or a computer crash or a combination of the two. Week after week, I've looked at those bits and pieces and just scratched my head as to what to do with them. Today inspiration hit. I searched my online file sharing site and the kit is there. Of course, none of my working files were there, just the "official" kit files--alphas, elements, papers and such. So, I downloaded those items, added my bits and pieces, and now I have some record of that kit for future reference. I feel inspired! 

For lunch, I ate dessert first. I waited too long to eat and found myself with a case of the shakes. I had to eat something FAST. So, I ate some ice cream. Now I need to fix something with a bit more nutrition and staying power. So, this was just a quick fly-by posting. Later, maybe...........

Wednesday morning............

Glory be! This is the day the SSI "check" hits my bank account. I will feel rich for all of 30 seconds or so after I check my bank balance, LOL. Then I'll start paying bills and "rich" will fade quickly. But, underlying it all is God's promise to "supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus". So, I guess I'm rich after all. Rich people have all their needs supplied, right? 

I am looking at trying to change my daily schedule. I am a night owl. And it seems that because I have stayed up to all hours of the night, I think I can/should just do it again. But, I miss that feeling of getting a jump on the day by being up earlier. You know, that feeling of satisfaction you get when lunchtime rolls around and you can see accomplishments already in your day. I was up til past 2AM last night and consequently didn't get out of bed til after 9 this morning. It does me no good to hate feeling discouraged when I wake up so late unless I'm willing to make the change and hit the sack earlier at night...........

I have no big plans for the day. I do need to do a BIG grocery shopping trip soon. Supplies of most everything are getting limited. Even staples are starting to look scant--stuff like sugar, flour, etc. I've managed to defer this trip for weeks and weeks, but I don't think I can last much longer. Today would probably be a good day to do that in that it's slightly overcast and so the temperatures won't go as high. But, then, there's the humidity....... When you live in the middle of the Mojave desert, your body is definitely not used to humidity! 

I know I am going to "feed some wood". I opened the cupboard under my sink and discovered a container of Liquid Gold. I'll use that first and if I run short, I'll resort to coconut oil. 

I didn't spend much time working in the kitchen yesterday and that's always a bad idea. So, more time in the kitchen today. 

I also didn't spend time working on the desk yesterday, so I'll have to do double duty on that today. 

I have a load of laundry to fold and put away. And, I think it's time to wash the woobie, my wonderful soft fluffy blanket that is probably completely covered in dog hair again......... I have been avoiding using my dryer lately by drying things on a folding indoor dryer rack. When the dryer is used, obviously, it draws electricity. Then there's the added heat it generates which tweaks the air conditioner. I wonder if I can dry the woobie on that rack. That blanket is really oversized and oversized on a king sized bed. I will have to at least double it to put it on the rack.........

Alright, I don't know what else I'll find to keep myself busy and productive, but I'm determined to be in a position to pat myself on the back come bedtime. I do not want to miss the opportunity to be productive today in ways other than blogging. I'm gonna give it up and move on for now. YOU be BLESSED today!

I don't know what hit me......

but I have been a design and housekeeping dynamo today, at least in comparison to my recent performance. Please, God, let it happen again tomorrow! The day started with my multiple trips to the curb carrying bags of trash. The yard guys had left 3 bags of grass clippings yesterday from the neighbor's yard and mine.  I added an overstuffed trash can and 3 more bags. I'll bet they were surprised! 

I folded a load of clothes and put another load out to dry on my indoor drying rack. Trying to avoid running the dryer as much as possible..........

I went after a multitude of spider webs on the front porch. Geez......I hate that. I really really don't like spiders. And, I'll be darned if I didn't end up with one crawling on my leg when I was done. Lucky I live in a quiet neighborhood. Not good to run screaming into the street in heavy traffic. (I exaggerate, but not by much.....) Actually, I think I really need to give it one more go, but I had to stop and clean the broom. It got  to the place where I thought I might be depositing as many webs and I was removing. 

I dusted the furniture in the living room. Then I cleaned 60 panes of glass, one sofa-sized mirror and one smaller one. The mirrors have some sort of film on them that I'm having a dickens of a time getting off. Also cleaned the wood surface of the french doors. Tomorrow, I'm going to rub on some coconut oil. I was going to buy some lemon oil, but I just checked and coconut oil can substitute for lemon oil and I own some coconut oil. These doors have been in place for a long time and the wood feels pretty dried out. Time to do something about that.

And, I'm not giving up yet..........

In the meantime, I've just about finished a kit I've had in process for far too long. Also designed 7 papers for a new fall-ish kit. Loving this color palette. 

If you've hung around here long, you know I LOVE Oxiclean. Yes, I do! I pulled out a t-shirt to wear the other day and found a stain on it. It's not that that t-shirt is "special" but I like it. I know it was bought 10 years ago and I've been wearing it ever since. I have no clue when that stain happened but it's been on the shirt for at least a year as this is the first time I'd tried to wear it this year. Anyway, put some Oxiclean on it and ran it through the washer and the stain is gone! Give it up for Oxiclean! 

I mentioned last week that I wanted to try making bread in my crockpot. I finally got the last ingredient I needed Saturday and baked a small loaf of bread. It was edible, but just barely. I went by the suggested time in the recipe and apparently my crockpot doesn't get all that hot. Or, it needed to be preheated, I don't know which. In any case, the bread was slightly underdone and not at all impressive. I did another loaf yesterday (these are small loaves, y'all). It came out better--rose more and not underdone. I did let it "bake" substantially longer. I just might get good at this! Estimates are that a person who makes her own bread can save $.50-$2.50 a week. I'm up for that. 

Gonna move on now. YOU be BLESSED!

 

I don't know what hit me......

but I have been a design and housekeeping dynamo today, at least in comparison to my recent performance. Please, God, let it happen again tomorrow! The day started with my multiple trips to the curb carrying bags of trash. The yard guys had left 3 bags of grass clippings yesterday from the neighbor's yard and mine.  I added an overstuffed trash can and 3 more bags. I'll bet they were surprised! 

I folded a load of clothes and put another load out to dry on my indoor drying rack. Trying to avoid running the dryer as much as possible..........

I went after a multitude of spider webs on the front porch. Geez......I hate that. I really really don't like spiders. And, I'll be darned if I didn't end up with one crawling on my leg when I was done. Lucky I live in a quiet neighborhood. Not good to run screaming into the street in heavy traffic. (I exaggerate, but not by much.....) Actually, I think I really need to give it one more go, but I had to stop and clean the broom. It got  to the place where I thought I might be depositing as many webs and I was removing. 

I dusted the furniture in the living room. Then I cleaned 60 panes of glass, one sofa-sized mirror and one smaller one. The mirrors have some sort of film on them that I'm having a dickens of a time getting off. Also cleaned the wood surface of the french doors. Tomorrow, I'm going to rub on some coconut oil. I was going to buy some lemon oil, but I just checked and coconut oil can substitute for lemon oil and I own some coconut oil. These doors have been in place for a long time and the wood feels pretty dried out. Time to do something about that.

And, I'm not giving up yet..........

In the meantime, I've just about finished a kit I've had in process for far too long. Also designed 7 papers for a new fall-ish kit. Loving this color palette. 

If you've hung around here long, you know I LOVE Oxiclean. Yes, I do! I pulled out a t-shirt to wear the other day and found a stain on it. It's not that that t-shirt is "special" but I like it. I know it was bought 10 years ago and I've been wearing it ever since. I have no clue when that stain happened but it's been on the shirt for at least a year as this is the first time I'd tried to wear it this year. Anyway, put some Oxiclean on it and ran it through the washer and the stain is gone! Give it up for Oxiclean! 

I mentioned last week that I wanted to try making bread in my crockpot. I finally got the last ingredient I needed Saturday and baked a small loaf of bread. It was edible, but just barely. I went by the suggested time in the recipe and apparently my crockpot doesn't get all that hot. Or, it needed to be preheated, I don't know which. In any case, the bread was slightly underdone and not at all impressive. I did another loaf yesterday (these are small loaves, y'all). It came out better--rose more and not underdone. I did let it "bake" substantially longer. I just might get good at this! Estimates are that a person who makes her own bread can save $.50-$2.50 a week. I'm up for that. 

Gonna move on now. YOU be BLESSED!

 

Food Fail...........

I made an emergency run to Trader Joe's last night. I figured I could do a better job of keeping impulse purchases to a minimum in a small store. One thing I bought was a package of pre-made potato latkes. I have decided that if these things are an example of what potato latkes really taste like, it's a good thing God sent me to a German/Irish family. 

My tastebuds tell me these things are just YUCK. My Irish mother used to make what she called potato cakes. That was how she used up leftover mashed potatoes. Believe me, her potato cakes make these store-bought latkes taste like garbage. 

So, there you have it. If you go to Trader Joe's, buy those potato latkes at your own risk. The good thing about 'em is that they are cheap...........I'll probably be hungry again in an hour or so--they're small (like silver dollar pancakes) and I cooked 4 and fed 1 to the dogs. I just couldn't eat one more, small or not.............

You've been warned!

Nostalgia..........

One of my favorite songs is "Mary, Did you Know?". I used to come stumbling out to the office first thing in the morning and Joe would have that song all cued up on the computer. He'd hit "play" and I'd wake up to that song...........

Today, I found a link to that song, sung by Clay Aiken, on my Facebook feed. It moved me just as it always has, but with an added element of nostalgia and wishing I could share it with Joe again. 

So, life is moving along. The days are short but the weeks are long. Just another reason why I need a job, LOL.

I am still peeling. It started with just the feet and ankles again, but now it's everywhere AGAIN. Legs, forearms, upper arms, and on and on. Normally when I decide it's time to vacuum it's because there's visible dog hair somewhere. However, the last time I dragged out the vacuum cleaner, it was because of the white piles of "snow" (skin) on the acrylic pad under my desk. I keep doing what I can to moisturize the skin, but it seems to make no difference other than that it peels off more easily. 

In spite of the back problems, I climbed into the bathtub the other day. I had intended to take a shower but decided I was a little too unsteady on my feet for that. So I got into the bath and prayed that God would help me get out. I went after my arms, legs, feet, etc with one of those "net" loofah type things and felt pretty proud of myself, just sure I'd finally gotten rid of the bulk of the dead skin. But, by afternoon, I looked worse than usual. There's no getting away from it and maybe I just have to face up to waiting it out til my thyroid meds get straightened out. 

It's 100+ these days and in spite of the heat, all I want to do is hide in long pants and long sleeved tee shirts! At least that way, I don't feel as though folks are looking at my goofy skin and wondering what sort of communicable disease I might be carrying! 

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to get moving. YOU be BLESSED today!

I am beginning to hate the medical profession.........

I woke up yesterday with a muscle spasm in my back. I've had worse, but it did hurt significantly when trying to do simple things like going from a sitting position to standing, trying to remain pain free while in the bathroom trying to attend to necessaru things, bending to put dishes in the dishwasher, and so on. I have had muscle spasms of varying intensity and varying duration for decades (I am not willing to tell you how many decades but it's certainly enough to qualify as "a lot"), this stuff started when I was just 14 and since then I have been rear-ended in two car accidents. I would say I have a lot of knowledge gained from a lot of experience.

I discussed all this with the doctor during out last appointment. I didn't want him to be surprised, thinking I was just some sort of "drug seeker" when the need arose for more meds. I still had some Flexeril but was completely out of Soma. Flexeril puts me to sleep. In fact, if I take it and continue to try to get on with my day, I usually end up hurting myself even more. The only safe place for me, after taking Flexeril, is in bed. Soma, on the other hand, allows me to continue on with my day with a modest amount of pain.

So, I contacted the doctor's office, asking for a small amount of Soma, 5-6 would get me through the current situation. More would carry me through a number of recurrences without needing to bug him. And the response: "No". 

Big help! So very glad I rehearsed the whole story with him the last time he was here--NOT, total waste of time. It looks like I am going to have to make a trip to Mexico, whether or not I want to. I can bring back 3 bottles of 100 pills each from there. My experience tells me that will be PLENTY to last me for many months to come. While I'm there, I'll have to pick up some Flexeril and some diltiazem. I will avoid US prices and I will avoid US complications such as though I've experienced this week. 

I won't try my Mexico adventure til I am at "situation critical" on the Flexeril. I've seen the little town I go to at 100 degrees in temperature on the 1st of November. A cooler temperature would suit me just fine, particularly given the complications of taking a vehicle across the border. But, undoubtedly, I'll have to go.  

Unresponsive.........

1) Today I am truly grateful for a brain that questions and researches and is resourceful.

2) Thank God for little tidbits of "inspiration" that drop into my brain at random moments.

3) Thank God (and Al Gore) for the internet. There is so much information at our fingertips and, shame on us, if we don't take advantage of it! 

Okay--so I'm really not thankful to Al Gore--Joke--that was a JOKE!

So, night before last was a pretty scary night. Talk about not feeling well! I really considered the possibility that my time to move on up had come. When I woke up HERE yesterday, the one thing I knew was that, last night, I didn't want a repeat of the night before. I don't want to take all the credit here; I know that I got some heavenly help. I HAD to get heavenly help because despite 3 phone calls and an e-mail, my doctor's office was completely unresponsive. 

My blood pressure had soared Tuesday night, up into heights that are pretty much "unthinkable". It was so high that I was experiencing other symptoms that made me consider the onslaught of a stroke. I was in really questionable shape for a solid 5 hours. Finally my blood pressure meds kicked in and I was able to head to bed about 5 hours in. 

Yesterday, I began thinking about my own previous experience. I take one medication which I am told is for blood pressure and another which I am told is for my heart. Years ago, I took 2 of the "heart" pills per day and that was what controlled my blood pressure. Then I went into the hospital and the medication routine was changed. That's when I started taking the "blood pressure medication" along with 1 of the "heart pills". About 8 months later, just at the time I needed to travel across country, my blood pressure went off the charts. My doctor quadrupled the dosage on the "blood pressure medication" and left the "heart medication" alone and things quieted down. 

I still have an older version of the "heart medication". The older stuff is in caplet form whereas the stuff I get now is encapsulated. So, last night, I broke one of those old-style pills in half and took it about 6 hours after the morning dose of blood pressure meds. And, I sailed through the evening, not a problem in the world! 

What I think this means is that, once again, the blood pressure medication has reached it's limit. It's failing again. I can cope with that til I run out of caplets. Not sure what I do then........... Hopefully, I'll see the doctor again before that happens and I'll be able to see what he has to say about this situation and my stopgap measure. Meanwhile, this morning, the "heart medication" I took last night is doing a decent job of controlling my blood pressure. Just took my blood pressure. It is on the high side of normal, but still not anything to cause concern or panic. I just took a "blood pressure" pill and if that keeps the blood pressure where it is or lowers it, I should be good for at least 6 hours. 

It's not particularly fun to use your own body as a "guinea pig", but I knew I wasn't going to the hospital and obligating myself to pay another $1260 deductible (I'm still making payments on the last hospital trip and will be for months and months to come). And the doctor's office was UNRESPONSIVE. I like this doctor. He doesn't do what I want all the time, but at least I can tell he's done his research and formulated a treatment plan. What is really giving me trouble is his office staff. If I finally decide to change doctors, the office staff will be the reason...........

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.............I actually felt well enough last night to do some vacuuming. My big black dog continues to shed. I don't get it; I don't understand how a short haired dog can lost so much hair. I guess I don't have to understand it, just try to keep up with it. I did a cost estimate a while back on vacuum cleaner bags. I came to the conclusion that it was costing me a few cents more than $2 per week just for vacuum cleaner bags! And that was a couple of years ago so, no doubt, it's costing more than that now...........

Recently I read a hint on a blog which I am trying. I read that you can open the bottom of the bag (cut the bag off), dump out the gunk that's in the bag, staple it shut again, and put it back in your vacuum cleaner. And, apparently, you can continue to do this til the bag has been cut down so many times that it's worthless. Then you start the process all over again.

So, last night, sure enough the bag was full. I can always tell because the vacuum seems to lay down as much or more dog hair than it picks up--except, it lays the hair down in a strip which is visible on the carpet. So, I've performed "surgery" on the bag and stapled it back together with a row of heavy duty staples. Today, I'll re-install the bag and see how this works. Just in case you decide to try this, I'll try to remember to come back here and let you know how it works. 

I did a fair amount of mail sorting and bill paying last night. Thank God, most of the payments are due AFTER my next SSI check arrives. My bank account is getting a little anemic..........

Here's a not so fun statistic for you: The last power bill I received represented almost 20% of my SSI benefit for the month. Happily, by the 29th our high for the day is supposed to be 98 with temperatures dropping into the mid 90's during the next 5 days. I will celebrate anything that causes my AC to work less.

I have been working hard to minimize my usage of electricity. I am the kind of person who likes to have lights on throughout the house when it becomes dark outside. It makes me feel less lonely. But, it is obvious I am going to have to treat that as a luxury I can't afford, so I'm policing that every night. I do have LED bulbs pretty much throughout the house now, so, probably the savings is small, but I'll take what I can get. For my next trick, I will be going through the house, unplugging anything that is electronic..............

Another trouble spot is the water bill. I just calculated that between the mortgage payment, the power bill, and the water bill this month, it amounted to 67% of my monthly income! And there are still things like internet, car insurance, sewer bill, trash collection bill, all these darned medical bills, and food to pay for! Geez, talk about the impossible dream!  I went out and adjusted the sprinkler clock to cut 1 minute of watering time off of all stations. Hopefully, that will help a little......... I'm already using the Navy method of showering: wet down, turn the water off, soap up, rinse off and get out. I don't think I can pare that down any more! Maybe I should rig up a privacy enclosure of some sort so I can shower outside when it rains, LOL! Of course, this is the desert, so that would severely limit the frequency of showers!

Well, I've got to get some more work done around here. YOU be BLESSED today!