Blessings, Darlings!
It's Monday. I usually do most of my grocery shopping on Mondays, because one chain of stores near me has GREAT prices on meat on Mondays (they reduce the stuff that didn't sell over the weekend).
So off I went this morning, with a list carefully made up after talking to husband and son yesterday. Shopped at 3 stores. Noted gas prices, posted them on Gas Buddy when I got home, after putting the groceries away.
I have been home for 3+ hours. NOW my husband tells me he has only one beer left, and that he'd really really really like it if I could pick up some today or tomorrow.
Growl.
Mutter.... gas prices .... already shopped.... checked with him BEFORE shopping..... gas prices .... my time .... it's not even GOOD beer, it's just f'ing Killeans..... gas prices....mutter.
I really am frustrated by this. Less because I will go out for it, again, but because of the waste of gas involved if ANYONE goes.
And ... this is the man who whines that I don't review my lists in detail before I leave and make sure that I have everything I need to do all that is on my lists. What good is it to go over my lists when I know HE hasn't told me everything that needs to be done?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Easter Weekend
Blessings, Darlings!
This is the hardest weekend for our mixed-religion family. Passover for the Jewish Spawn, you see, doesn't mesh well with the Chubby Hubby's Methodist Easter Feast. The Spawn loves his flakey layered rolls, but .... it's Passover. And Easter baskets were out when he was a kid, too.
So what can I serve that makes everyone happy?
Traditionally, we have a rib roast as the main meat. But the stores here in WV don't have them on sale for Easter - the stores in Maryland do. And with things being as they are, I couldn't afford one this year, at $35+.
What to do? What to do?
The answer - read the food ads, stupid.
Aldi's had a sale on frozen ducklings. We haven't had duck in AGES and AGES. We used to rub them in 5 spice powder, slit the skin, and roast 'em indoors. But the smoke filled the house - fatty little delicious buggers!
The duck is thawing, we're going to salt & pepper it and grill it out in the smoker. With a pan of taters under it, so the taters can roast AND get the fat dripping on them. We'll have salad (Spawn will have strawberries in with his greens), duck, taters, broccoli, and baked apples for dessert.
Everyone should be VERY happy.
Or else.
Frondly, Fern
This is the hardest weekend for our mixed-religion family. Passover for the Jewish Spawn, you see, doesn't mesh well with the Chubby Hubby's Methodist Easter Feast. The Spawn loves his flakey layered rolls, but .... it's Passover. And Easter baskets were out when he was a kid, too.
So what can I serve that makes everyone happy?
Traditionally, we have a rib roast as the main meat. But the stores here in WV don't have them on sale for Easter - the stores in Maryland do. And with things being as they are, I couldn't afford one this year, at $35+.
What to do? What to do?
The answer - read the food ads, stupid.
Aldi's had a sale on frozen ducklings. We haven't had duck in AGES and AGES. We used to rub them in 5 spice powder, slit the skin, and roast 'em indoors. But the smoke filled the house - fatty little delicious buggers!
The duck is thawing, we're going to salt & pepper it and grill it out in the smoker. With a pan of taters under it, so the taters can roast AND get the fat dripping on them. We'll have salad (Spawn will have strawberries in with his greens), duck, taters, broccoli, and baked apples for dessert.
Everyone should be VERY happy.
Or else.
Frondly, Fern
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Gas Prices
Blessings, Darlings!
You might not have noticed - but since y'all are brilliant enough to read my blog you almost certainly HAVE noticed - that gas prices have been going up incredibly. As in the prices are up almost $1.00 over the past year. As in a 33% increase in one year. How's THAT for an inflation rate?
So, one of the people I follow shares an article about this on Facebook. And someone - Gods, may it be a troll and not a supposedly thinking individual - responds "You know, if $6/gallon gas would make people decide to own fewer cars, drive less and give up the gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, I think I could find a way to live with it." It's the first time I've seen the bumper-sticker stereotype "Democrats think high gas prices are a good thing" actually from a supposed liberal. Because, of course, it's not like high gas prices are actually going HURT anyone, ya know. They aren't going to make anyone have to choose between travel to work and food. They won't cause food prices to rise. It's not like the people who have the least ability to HANDLE gas prices - and they aren't the stereotype SUV/Hummer drivers - are going to suffer. No, no, the rise in prices will just affect people who can afford new cars. And, of course, manufacturing new cars takes NO oil products, no fossil fuels at all, let alone more fossil fuels than using them saves. Oh, wait, manufacturing them takes MORE Energy than they save, and MORE petroleum products than using up existing cars. Who'd have thought that? Not the writer, clearly. Or she doesn't think that the poor suffering is too much for THEM to pay for HER goal of getting 'the rich SUV owners' to buy different cars. The poor, especially the rural poor, are either invisible to her or don't matter to her. Or both.
I hope, the everyone's sake, that the writer is a troll, not a fucking moron.
Fern
You might not have noticed - but since y'all are brilliant enough to read my blog you almost certainly HAVE noticed - that gas prices have been going up incredibly. As in the prices are up almost $1.00 over the past year. As in a 33% increase in one year. How's THAT for an inflation rate?
So, one of the people I follow shares an article about this on Facebook. And someone - Gods, may it be a troll and not a supposedly thinking individual - responds "You know, if $6/gallon gas would make people decide to own fewer cars, drive less and give up the gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, I think I could find a way to live with it." It's the first time I've seen the bumper-sticker stereotype "Democrats think high gas prices are a good thing" actually from a supposed liberal. Because, of course, it's not like high gas prices are actually going HURT anyone, ya know. They aren't going to make anyone have to choose between travel to work and food. They won't cause food prices to rise. It's not like the people who have the least ability to HANDLE gas prices - and they aren't the stereotype SUV/Hummer drivers - are going to suffer. No, no, the rise in prices will just affect people who can afford new cars. And, of course, manufacturing new cars takes NO oil products, no fossil fuels at all, let alone more fossil fuels than using them saves. Oh, wait, manufacturing them takes MORE Energy than they save, and MORE petroleum products than using up existing cars. Who'd have thought that? Not the writer, clearly. Or she doesn't think that the poor suffering is too much for THEM to pay for HER goal of getting 'the rich SUV owners' to buy different cars. The poor, especially the rural poor, are either invisible to her or don't matter to her. Or both.
I hope, the everyone's sake, that the writer is a troll, not a fucking moron.
Fern
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Banking
Blessings, Darlings!
No, I'm not going off on the Banksters and Quantative Easing ... I've been trying to iron out issues in our Online Banking and on our credit cards (from a different bank!
I love the people who work in the local branches of the bank we use for business and personal checking/savings accounts. They are professional, personable, and work hard to make my life easier. But our account is an OLD OLD OLD one - we started at Mellon bank, it got bought by yet another bank, and that got bought by the bank we are now with. As a result, suddenly the software or something realized that they don't have signature cards for us - they were with the original bank, and no one knows where that paperwork is now. So, when I went to link our personal account with our business account for online banking ... things blew up.
But I went in and filled out the paperwork, took it home, had the Chubby Hubby sign, brought it all back, the person helping me faxed it all to the main office, called the main office, and was assured that I'd have everything online the next day. I went home, relieved, but didn't need to do anything online right away - I had done it at the bank at the same time.
Fast forward one month .... to yesterday.
Knowing that I'd be going to the bank (some 30 miles away), I checked the online banking. STILL no access to the personal accounts. Went to the bank. Spent an hour with the branch manager HERSELF calling and being transferred around Main Corporate Office as she tried to figure out what had gone wrong. We ended up having me do all the paperwork over, now for both business accounts and both personal accounts. I'll take the paperwork back on Friday, after the CH again signs it, and see if we can get it done then.
Sigh.
While I was at the bank I deposited a check from a client into the business account, which we still can't do from home but the bank has explained to us how to set up. I get home, ready to pay bills, but cooked dinner instead. This morning the CH tells me that one of our monthly bills didn't get auto-paid due to a credit card problem, I need to look into it. I call THIS bank. The robotic voice tells me what our balances are, and that there is about $2K in headroom. But I added the balances on that account (both of us have cards that contribute to the total) and in fact we were within a few dollars of our credit limit, so of course the charge wouldn't go thru'. I made a payment so we SHOULD be able to clear this up tomorrow .... but I do NOT understand why the robot info says we have lot of headroom on the card!
Just one of those frustrating financial times, with the bank central offices NOT helping.
Frondly, Fern
No, I'm not going off on the Banksters and Quantative Easing ... I've been trying to iron out issues in our Online Banking and on our credit cards (from a different bank!
I love the people who work in the local branches of the bank we use for business and personal checking/savings accounts. They are professional, personable, and work hard to make my life easier. But our account is an OLD OLD OLD one - we started at Mellon bank, it got bought by yet another bank, and that got bought by the bank we are now with. As a result, suddenly the software or something realized that they don't have signature cards for us - they were with the original bank, and no one knows where that paperwork is now. So, when I went to link our personal account with our business account for online banking ... things blew up.
But I went in and filled out the paperwork, took it home, had the Chubby Hubby sign, brought it all back, the person helping me faxed it all to the main office, called the main office, and was assured that I'd have everything online the next day. I went home, relieved, but didn't need to do anything online right away - I had done it at the bank at the same time.
Fast forward one month .... to yesterday.
Knowing that I'd be going to the bank (some 30 miles away), I checked the online banking. STILL no access to the personal accounts. Went to the bank. Spent an hour with the branch manager HERSELF calling and being transferred around Main Corporate Office as she tried to figure out what had gone wrong. We ended up having me do all the paperwork over, now for both business accounts and both personal accounts. I'll take the paperwork back on Friday, after the CH again signs it, and see if we can get it done then.
Sigh.
While I was at the bank I deposited a check from a client into the business account, which we still can't do from home but the bank has explained to us how to set up. I get home, ready to pay bills, but cooked dinner instead. This morning the CH tells me that one of our monthly bills didn't get auto-paid due to a credit card problem, I need to look into it. I call THIS bank. The robotic voice tells me what our balances are, and that there is about $2K in headroom. But I added the balances on that account (both of us have cards that contribute to the total) and in fact we were within a few dollars of our credit limit, so of course the charge wouldn't go thru'. I made a payment so we SHOULD be able to clear this up tomorrow .... but I do NOT understand why the robot info says we have lot of headroom on the card!
Just one of those frustrating financial times, with the bank central offices NOT helping.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Exercising Sucks
Do I really need to say more?
Blessings, Darlings!
Today I re-started exercising, for about the 20th time. As a result, I'm in full whine mode. My feet hurt, my knee hurts (okay, it has been pissy for the past few days), my arms hurt, my back is getting ready to hurt..... I've taken an ibuprofen so I will be better able to sleep without pain tonight.
I do NOT enjoy exercising. I like being able to say that I exercised any given day, but that's not been enough to sustain the habit of actually doing it.
Incidentally, by training/degree I'm a Health Educator. Never mind my overweight, out of shape, high cholesterol/triglycerides/blood pressure self. I know WHY I should exercise and be fit and eat right. I just don't do it.
But, again, I'm going to try. I'm also, again, giving up procrastination - yes, starting immediately.
My plan is to get my pasty white ass up every day at 7, brush teeth/wash face/feed cats. Meditate. Do some warm-up exercises, then get on the exercise bike for 20 - 45 minutes (right now 20, will work up to the 45), then jump in shower, then healthy high protein breakfast, then on with my productive day. Add another round of exercise in later most days (weights, stuff to increase core body strength, etc) and a walk.
Doing this, I should be in great shape in about 30 years.
Stay tuned.
Frondly, Fern
Blessings, Darlings!
Today I re-started exercising, for about the 20th time. As a result, I'm in full whine mode. My feet hurt, my knee hurts (okay, it has been pissy for the past few days), my arms hurt, my back is getting ready to hurt..... I've taken an ibuprofen so I will be better able to sleep without pain tonight.
I do NOT enjoy exercising. I like being able to say that I exercised any given day, but that's not been enough to sustain the habit of actually doing it.
Incidentally, by training/degree I'm a Health Educator. Never mind my overweight, out of shape, high cholesterol/triglycerides/blood pressure self. I know WHY I should exercise and be fit and eat right. I just don't do it.
But, again, I'm going to try. I'm also, again, giving up procrastination - yes, starting immediately.
My plan is to get my pasty white ass up every day at 7, brush teeth/wash face/feed cats. Meditate. Do some warm-up exercises, then get on the exercise bike for 20 - 45 minutes (right now 20, will work up to the 45), then jump in shower, then healthy high protein breakfast, then on with my productive day. Add another round of exercise in later most days (weights, stuff to increase core body strength, etc) and a walk.
Doing this, I should be in great shape in about 30 years.
Stay tuned.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, March 28, 2011
Elders
Blessings, Darlings!
As a consumer, I love Groupon. When I lived in DC I got several wonderful deals using it. Now that I'm rural, it's not as useful to me.
However, I have subscribed to it in my Mother In Law's city, South Bend, Indiana so I can follow deals there and maybe pick up coupons for her. Over the weekend they had one for the Studebaker Museum, for example, and that was a good option for her.
And then there was today's offer.
Tandem skydiving. For $70 off.
I pointed it out to the Chubby Hubby, who laughed. "And everyone thinks that the Eskimos are tough, 'sticking old folks on ice floes' and all. But even THEY don't throw them out of air planes!"
Frondly Fern
As a consumer, I love Groupon. When I lived in DC I got several wonderful deals using it. Now that I'm rural, it's not as useful to me.
However, I have subscribed to it in my Mother In Law's city, South Bend, Indiana so I can follow deals there and maybe pick up coupons for her. Over the weekend they had one for the Studebaker Museum, for example, and that was a good option for her.
And then there was today's offer.
Tandem skydiving. For $70 off.
I pointed it out to the Chubby Hubby, who laughed. "And everyone thinks that the Eskimos are tough, 'sticking old folks on ice floes' and all. But even THEY don't throw them out of air planes!"
Frondly Fern
Saturday, March 26, 2011
It's Spring
Except it's not, because we're getting more snow.
Blessings, Darlings!
I've been starting seeds, and getting house plumbing issues fixed, and all that neat stuff lately. OTOH, I'm going to have to turn lawn into a garden, AND fence it (groundhogs and deer), using practically no money. I'm afraid to borrow a tiller
from a friend because I fear that I'll hit a huge rock while using it and break it.
The spring wild veggies, dandelions and wild onions, are growing in the yard, and I'll be added them to omelettes and such. But due to the cold weather we're going to have this week, on the stove as I type this is veggie barley with beef soup. We finished the miso soup today, but will be having that again soon - it's easy to make and I'm pushing sea veggies on the family just now.
I'll probably post the soup recipes in a few days.
Blessings, Fern
Blessings, Darlings!
I've been starting seeds, and getting house plumbing issues fixed, and all that neat stuff lately. OTOH, I'm going to have to turn lawn into a garden, AND fence it (groundhogs and deer), using practically no money. I'm afraid to borrow a tiller
from a friend because I fear that I'll hit a huge rock while using it and break it. The spring wild veggies, dandelions and wild onions, are growing in the yard, and I'll be added them to omelettes and such. But due to the cold weather we're going to have this week, on the stove as I type this is veggie barley with beef soup. We finished the miso soup
today, but will be having that again soon - it's easy to make and I'm pushing sea veggies on the family just now.I'll probably post the soup recipes in a few days.
Blessings, Fern
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
