Thoughts and Tasks

I really don't have any subject to discuss this morning, so perhaps I'll just rattle on about the goings on around here.  Tomorrow I'll be attending my grandson's tenth birthday party.  He wanted to hold it at the bowling alley and invited just a few friends.   The kiddos bowl and the adults sit and jabber on.  It's a nice and relaxing time for me as I watch all the grands throw gutter balls.

S and I went to Wally World yesterday so I could pick up a few items on my list.  The camera is on the last batteries so I picked up those along with four large bottles of 70% alcohol.  The alcohol is used as a heat source when the power goes down.  The area I live in is relatively new so the infrastructure is in good shape.  Our wires are mostly underground so the threat of loosing power is minimal.  But,  I don't want to be freezing cold if there is an occurrence.  I have a rocket stove for cooking and heating a room.  The alcohol is poured over a roll of bathroom tissue and lit in the fire well of the stove with no ill effects to the environment.  Since I'm a safety Sally, I'll open a window just a smidge if I need to use the stove for warming.

C asked me why I've become so prepared for things.  I reminded her I have always been this way which brought up a memory for her.  She acknowledged I was right because she remembered  when she was young I had a supply of food and water in the basement in the event of a tornado.  They were rare, but did happen now and then.

As a matter of fact, one came by our area on the day of a celebration we were having in the back yard.  The patio table went over and the glass shattered sending my husband to the factory to purchase a new one before guests arrived.  I cleaned up the mess, he went for the glass insert, and no one was the wiser.

'In the Shadow of the Shield', my daughter's new book (number 2 in the series) is on amazon for .99 cents today.  You can find it here:  http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Shield-Secret-Lives-Book-ebook/dp/B018W98LEW/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1452731034&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=carolyn+laroch.  Once you begin to read her books, it will be difficult to wait for the next one.  Her publisher has listed her book as a must read for 2016.  The books are a combination of intrigue, deception, and romance. 

Today will be a lazy day, I can feel it.  I have a project that I'm working on for the office and feel tomorrow is a good time to continue it.  I bought a collage frame so I could put most of my framed family pictures in one frame.  I'm not fond of picture walls because of the business of the finished product.  I'm hoping this will be the one thing that will serve my purpose and steady my visual needs.  I won't put pictures of family, especially the kids, in the living room where they are visible to strangers.  It's just part of the safety Sally in me.

Also, while at Wal Mart, I purchased another case (of 6) two quart glass canning jars for the pantry.  They take up less space than the other available canisters.  Today may be the day I wash them out and transfer the items in the bigger canisters to the jars.  I also saw a bar of laundry soap for .97 cents to wash items by hand.  What an interesting concept.  I bought one to try it out.

The jars went from this to -

to this.  Pretty, isn't it?

Laundry bar soap in front of my fun purchase of heart decorated
straws.  I have a 'thing' for straws these days.

I just cleaned out the refrigerator and decided it would be a good idea to eat from the freezer and cupboards this week.  Normally I shop every other week so my grocery bill isn't all that high, but I'm still finding waste in the refrigerator.  I have to figure out how to stop the waste.  One thing I've been thinking about is breaking down my stubborn streak and learning how to meal plan.  There was a time I didn't need to do that because food flew in and out of the house with six people in it.  Talking to a friend who has offered to help me get organized in this area, I discovered that organization is a key ingredient in the process.  As she began to explain what she does to dispel food waste, a light bulb went off.  She has organized the days of the week with the food she puts on the table for her and her husband.  This means, for example, that Thursday is designated as soup and home made bread day.  Always a different soup, but soup none the less.  Because they go to Mass on Saturday the meal consists of sandwiches - either hot or cold.  This information has opened a new door in meeting the goal of the current quest.

It seems I have a lot to ramble on about today.  I'm not a big talker, preferring to listen to others most days.  Once in a while I can't talk enough.  My friends and family just let me ramble on when I'm in that mood.  Today, my readers have caught me in that mood.  So here is another revelation about myself.

I was washing the two quart jars before using them.  I lined them up in two rows of three on a clean kitchen towel, making sure the glass etchings were all facing forward.  Then I put the caps in front of the jars in a neat line - the wording didn't have to be lined up.  At first I thought it was a bit radical of me to line up the etchings.  Then I noticed the wording on the caps didn't have to be lined up.  Here's my thought process.  I was taught by nuns in my formative years.  We were taught that order made our lives run a bit more smoothly.  It was a good quality to possess in those days.  By current standards this behavior would be considered a personality glitch in the medical field.  I ask this:  When did a desire for order become a glitch?