Out & about! in A small but passable life.

I actually got out of this chair. For the last four afternoons in a row Liam Dog and I went out for a long walk. There were sunny skies and it was in the fifties. Nice. We walked this way and then that way and then over that-a-way.

This morning we woke up to an overcast sky. It is supposed to clear up later. And then we’ll head out again.

A few days ago I made a big pot of pinto beans in the crockpot using the leftover ham bone and a bit of ham from Thanksgiving. Last night daughter and I put together a casserole consisting of Thanksgiving leftovers- turkey (there’s more in the freezer!), corn, green bean casserole, and then fresh stuffing, a can of mushroom soup, a bit of shredded cheese, and at the end a dab of homemade cranberry sauce. It was delicious.

We figured out that fourteen pounds of hamburger meat lasted seven weeks. That’s not bad at all considering that for a few meals we used two pounds of meat.

I’ve tried to stay away from the news sites. It seems like they run through the same scripts every time something like what happened Wednesday happen. Predictable and disgusting, really.

Read Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” and you’ll soon realize that the US will probably end the way it started when the last handful of deluded psychotic white people get on a boat and leave.

I still haven’t picked up a book to read. I pulled a few old favorite novels off the shelf to just sort of thumb through. I’m still waiting on an email from the library. And I found another title to put on the library hold list.

I’ve decided to not rake the leaves. The back yard is nothing but a clearing in the forest and the leaves in the front yard have mostly blown away already. I’ll let the leaves and dog shit lie until Spring and then maybe mow and rake or possibly find a mulching mower.

I’m still on the shave and shower every Sunday whether I need it or not routine. I occasionally toss in a Thursday session. Why not?

One of my favorite T-shirts finally disintegrated and I tossed it into the rag bag. That is always a sad time. I have to scissor them in two or else I’d be tempted to rescue them.

I’m finally getting things organized. My only hang up now is the two carry-ons. One is just for an Arizona trip. Everything I’d need and nothing more. That’s the roller one. The other carry-on is the really nice Columbia shoulder bag I’ve never actually carried on a plane. I’ve always just used it as a place to keep clean clothes instead of a dresser. It’s been more than twenty years since I’ve had a dresser. So, that’s my undies, socks, hankies, T-shirts, and a few odds and ends. Theoretically all that could be kept in the big Winter bag because after I went through that bag there is now extra room. And if and when I return to the desert the only thing I’d take out of there would be my undies and hankies. So I could eliminate that bag. But it’s a cool bag. The other way I could go is to eliminate the Winter duffle since I plan on refining that pile of Winter clothes. I’ve already cut it in half. Now I’m left with just my favorite items. But I can’t wear everything at once so what is the point of keeping everything?

All I can do is keep whittling away at it.

Anyway, the sun is starting to break through the clouds, I’m almost finished with my third and last cup of coffee and I need to get up and possibly out on the sidewalks again.