I made it to the store this morning. Zach and I got up bright and early...well, for us. We were gone by 9:30 a.m., hitting the library by way of a sausage & biscuit at McSnacky's. It's the event, not the food really so we're back to dollar menu stuff and getting more satisfaction from it than eating the combos and such.
After the library we headed out to StuffMart where I priced batteries (affordable) and bought the groceries for the week. I've gotten the grocery bill down by about $40 which is nothing less than miraculous although we eat less meat. I bought some soup mixes, which I normally wouldn't have done but they are hearty soup mixes and can be fleshed out to make a meal for less than $5 for three of us. Pretty healthy too. Or is that healthful.
I made progress on the Sweeping Statement poncho, with the center panel being a wefted leaf pattern. I'm pretty much right back where I started on the design but it's moving quickly and easy to memorize, which is a criteria when knitting something that big. I haven't worked on the argyle sweater for a couple of days so I should make a point of it tonight. Nor have I worked on the worsted weight doily/altar cloth since hitting that bump in the pattern. I probably won't work on it tonight either but I must get back to it tomorrow for sure. Or else I'll lose my place.
I re-filled the bird feeder today because the greedy things are really consuming a lot more than they have in the past few months. Someone mentioned on their blog that it was a sign of an early winter. It may be as we're already having cooler weather. Although I'm positive there is another heat wave or two ahead of us. I've shut the windows but the window fans aren't far away if I need them again. I put up the smaller feeder, too, and re-filled the bird bath. They are so bold that they don't fly away while Professor is out there. Hannibal, too. He was out in the yard yesterday sitting on the hill watching them. That made him eye level with the feeder but they didn't seem to care. Today with both feeders they were all over the clothes line and the grapevine.
Professor killed a mole this afternoon. He doesn't mess around and play with them like Hannibal does. Hannibal will play, lose interest and they scurry off. Professor gets down to business and kills quickly. I hate the thought of an animal being killed but I don't need a mole in the yard. This is his third mole in as many years. He kills mice and baby rabbits, too.
We've got a visitor from a couple of houses down. A black, long-haired cat has been coming over. Professor barks at him but doesn't get hysterical like he does with dogs and squirrels. And of course the rat-bastard chipmunk. They've been nose to nose before without hissing or hackles raised. I don't have a problem with said cat visiting but we need to keep an eye out when Hannibal is outdoors. He's territorial and won't let another cat on the property. Dogs, yes, but no cats.
Tomorrow I hope to get a sourdough starter going because I want to get back to baking my own bread, but if I use my bread machine it's not cost effective at all since I only make one loaf at a time. I can use the oven; it's just not the most convenient thing to do with the door falling off and all. I'm also going back to making our own tortillas and snacks. That's been one reason why our food budget has gone down a bit.
I'm just not sure I can give up Gobstoppers though. Although they've been out the past few times I was at the store.
Well, time to get busy knitting and finishing up Northern Exposure. I finished up The Pillars of the Earth last night and loved it. Not as good as the book but I don't actually measure them against each other, being different media and impossible to translate equally. Movies and mini-series have different dynamics that make them work so to compare is really unfair. At any rate, if it comes my way and is affordable, I want to own this series. Most likely though it will be out of reach. I just hope the library picks it up.
I'm also hoping my poor aching body will adjust to this weather change. I'm so achy that I'm taking tramadol during the day, which I don't normally do. I must get outside and get the yard work done though so I will have to work past the pain and fatigue and get it done. We are the neighbors everyone wishes didn't live on their block because of the yard and junk we have on the back patio. Plus I have to get ready for winter. I'm not one to wait until the snow falls to have everything in place.
Off to crawl into bed and have at it with my knitting. And reading.
TTFN
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