My fuzzy new friend

We have a new friend.

He was there when I got home from the store today.  I'm not sure if he's an indicator of what winter is going to be like, but he's come to call anyway.

The trip to town was fraught with excitement again.  The stupid battery terminal was corroded again so I had to take it all apart and clean the terminal.  Remember, the battery is located underneath the light assembly and the air filter so of course it's going to get moisture on it constantly.  If we can hang on another year or so maybe we can afford a new/used car next summer.  'Cause we sure can't right now.

I managed to get the grocery bill down some but I had prescriptions on it so it was still up there.  I'm going to try very hard not to go back for a week.  I think I got enough to last and if we run out, we run out.  I'll make do.  Something has to give.  Our water bill has nearly doubled (correction:  it's up 50%) and groceries are $50 a week more than they were last year this time...same amount of stuff.  We have to just tighten the belt even more.  Fewer trips to town will mean less gas, too.  And once the temps cool off I'm going to ask Tom to start taking the car so we can save even more on gas.  The truck uses much more gas. Plus the truck is crap on snow and ice.

The garden is watered without having to use any from the faucet.  I've got everyone on board so we're using either the bucket to pour stuff into (just liquids but not kool aid or sodas or stuff like that) and I pour the dishwater into the bucket and take it out to water the garden.  I have to get out there and take out the tobacco tomorrow so I can lay out the compost and turn it under of the course of the next week.  Then planting lettuce.  I'm pretty sure the tobacco really drained the soil of nutrients, according to the book we got about it.

It's back to being hot and sticky and is only going to get hotter and stickier.  My sleep schedule is getting back to what it used to be.  I went to sleep early last night (well, for me anyway...about 10:30) and woke up at 2:30 a.m. when Tom got home.  I had it in my head that he had gotten up and it was around 5 a.m. but no, and I didn't get back to sleep until 5 a.m.  So I slept until 10:30 this morning.  Not rested but then I never feel rested.  So that's three nights in a row of little or interrupted sleep.  Oh, well.  It was nice while it lasted.

Supper is cooking so I need to go tend it.  I'm hoping to get some baking done tomorrow and more laundry.  I'm going to have to figure out how to hang clothes around the tobacco on the clothesline.  The dryer isn't really drying the clothes anymore.  Should be interesting this winter.  We can't afford to replace anything in the house anymore.

TTFN