Overboard

I only had two things on my shopping list, and I almost didn't even go, but I was out of ice cream, so off to the store I went.  Where I went a little overboard.  

My reasoning was that since I didn't have any bills to pay this week, I could splurge a little.  Alas, that little turned into quite a bit.  Let me show you some of what I treated myself to.

First up, I found some flannel pants in the women's department.  

  

And look at this, pockets!  Functional pockets!  Don't believe me?  Look at here.  Do you see my phone in this pocket?  

No?  Because it fits all the way in it!  Usually in women's clothing, the pockets only go so deep that the phone has to stick out like this.

I don't understand why clothing designers think women don't want pockets.  Here's a hint:  WE DO!  Give us pockets please!

OK, moving right along.  What with it getting a bit cooler at night, I wanted to create myself a little hot chocolate bar in my kitchen.  I already had some plain and some peppermint marshmallows, so I put them into little jars, then I got some sprinkles to add to it. 

The peppermint sprinkles were left over from last year, but as soon as they switch from fall baking to winter baking supplies, I'll pick up another jar of those.   The other two I got this morning.  Plus, there is whipped cream in the fridge, so I am all set.

Now I just need the cold weather to get here. Except that I still need to find some firewood.  Except also, we are under a burn bad due to the drought.  I don't think it includes fireplaces, but it's been so very dry why take chances?  I mean, hypothetically it's possible a spark could go up the chimney and catch something on fire, right?  

Any excuse not to have to make a phone call...

Speaking of drought, here is the latest map, released just a few days ago.

My county is half severe and half extreme drought.  Even though it's been gloomy and overcast the last two days, we haven't gotten a single drop of rain, and there isn't any in the forecast for at least 10 days.  

Yesterday at work, I over heard two of the other brazers talking.  I mean, they talk all the time, but something they said caught my attention.  

"I don't mean to be getting all up into your conversation," I said, "But I heard you say chicken and dumplings, and now I want some."  Then we got to talking about chicken and dumplings.  One of the other ladies was telling us she always makes her dumplings from scratch.  I mentioned that I used to, and we mentioned the frozen kind you can get from Walmart.  Dumplings, that is.  You still have to cook a chicken and make the broth and stuff.  Honestly, I was going to get them because I still have half a chicken in the freezer, but then I said, "Nah" and got the next best thing.

Despite the fact that I got some chicken noodle soup out of the freezer, I might just eat some chickens and dumplins for supper tonight. 

The last impulse purchase I made was this.

I'd seen people posting on Facebook about getting it, but I hadn't found any until today.  Now I have some!  Then I checked out, got all the way out to my car, and realized I hadn't even gotten the ice cream.  Oh well, I've been eating too much sugar here lately anyway. 

I got home and put my cold stuff up, and oh, by the way finally got the live vole this thing brought into the house

back out of the house.  Then I put on some gloves and picked up quite a bit of deer poop to add to my compost tumbler.  The instructions say to tumble it every three to five days, and I guess I'll do that once the newness wears off, but right now, I'm tumbling it three to five times a day.  Since yesterday, I mean.  And I keep peeking inside to see if my stuff is composting -- even though I know it takes more than one day.  While I was out there, I got my compost fork out and stirred up my big pile of compost.  I really need to sift the dirt out and use it to fill in some of my low spots in the yard.  Maybe in the morning I'll do that.  Or maybe not.  

And finally, remember the protective cage I made for Marty Mac?  And remember how just two days later, something dragged the whole cage across the porch?  Well, yesterday, it occurred to me I still have some concrete chunks from when I dug up that old fire pit that was behind the fence.  Yeah, I don't think anything is going to be dragging this around.  

If it does, I'm selling the house and moving, because I sure don't want to run up on anything that strong.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to get a few more hats knit for my charity box before I mail it off. 

Laters.