Ms. En (AKA The Book Shredder)

Word of the Day

Shmeg - A unit defined as the amount of wood a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

I picked and juiced 10 pounds of prickly pear fruit and ended up with 3+ quarts of juice. Plenty to make a double recipe of Prickly Pear Wine. Heck! I might not like this new recipe. There's no point in brewing more a double recipe.

Today, my friend and I enjoyed at girl's day out. Can we really refer to ourselves as "girls" at this point in our lives? I digress. We had a light lunch at The Pita Jungle and then sallied forth to inspect the merchandise at our local Saver's Store...a thrift store run by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. We both noticed that the place was packed...lots of customers. We also noticed (we think "supply and demand") that the prices have gone up....LOTS...on everything. However, despite these higher prices, I did pick up a used bread-maker for $12.50 but...I was shocked to find that if it didn't work...I couldn't return it? What the heck?! Aside from the fact that $12.50 was twice the amount that I expected to pay for a used bread-maker, I couldn't return it if it didn't work?! *sigh* I gambled. Thankfully, it seems that my gamble paid off and the bread-maker works just fine and I now have two functioning bread-makers. This is twice as many bread-makers as most people own but...HTP and I love home-made bread and HATE the taste of store bought bread. Actually, I didn't put this new (used) bread-maker through all of its paces but I really only use bread-makers to knead and make bread dough and it seems to be working for that part of its repertoire. At that point, I prefer to form and bake the bread myself...in my own oven...and I have a loaf of made bread baking in my oven as I write this. The slices of my own bread fit better in my toaster.

While at Savers, I also picked up a Golden Book called The Monster at the End of the This Book. Ms. En seemed to love this book so much that she shredded it while HTP and I were baby-sitting...while DD Daughter and GI Joe were occupied bringing Mr. T into the world. She loved it to death. *shudder* Ms. En's Great-Grandma, the Librarian would be horrified. However, even though this new (used) book isn't a Big Golden Book...it's still a Golden Book and it's the same story. I'll have to mail it off to her....or maybe to DD Daughter. Hopefully, DD Daughter and GI Joe can do a better job than me and HTP when it comes keeping this book safe.

The weather here at our home in Arizona has been lots warmer than the average for this time of year. Thank goodness for air-conditioning! When HTP and I first arrived home, the temperatures were average for this time of year and we were able to open the windows at night to enjoy the cool night air. Unfortunately, both the average temperatures and that cool night air have disappeared. We've had to depend upon our air-conditioning. I'm told that temperatures will cool down again...next week...maybe. Global Warming is such a fickle thing!

Random Thought of the Day

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball - the further I am rolled, the more I gain.

- Susan B. Anthony (1820 - 1906)