To Do To Do To Do

 No, it's not a song, although I admit it may sound like my singing sometimes ... it's me mumbling all morning long about my to-do list.  Just when you think you get to relax and do nothing for a few days, it hits you right between the eyes.  SO much to do!!!  So many honey do's and no honey to do them.  Let's get to work!!!

My timing isn't all that great since by the time I got up off the couch the winds had arrived.  20 mph hour breezes come down through the mountains, whipping everything into a frenzy.  I figured it would help me in throwing the little stuff over the fence.  Instead, it all came back in my face.  Note to self ... test the wind first.

I chopped down all the Mexican bird of paradise that grows in the corner, getting yet another cactus thorn in my hand.  This picture is my front yard in July.  

They die back and turn into big brown spiky sticks that need to be pruned completely.  Hopefully this year they will grow back again.

It was rather chilly at 53 degrees.  Mother Nature is changing it up as only she can.  We will be in the low 70's for two days, then back down to the mid 50's.  Yes, that's the daytime temps!!  A nice little packet of cocoa I found in the cupboard helped me warm up a bit.

Almost TOO much, since then I didn't want to leave the house.  That's when I took a good look at Cooper. You know what this is ... it was haircut time.

Doesn't he look better?  He wasn't exactly happy about the whole thing, but he's pretty good at just standing there.

I finally got off my duff and headed out to Ace Hardware with a long list of to-do solutions.  See the bottom of the steps where all those holes are?  There is a clevis pin ... or something like that ... holding the rails in place.  You can adjust them up or down depending on whether you are level or not.  

It's ridiculously hard to pull these little pins out, as Ray can attest.  I had to adjust them in Yuma by pulling them out with a pair of pliers.  Even harder is getting them back in.

I got a slightly thinner version with a hole at the bottom for a pin.  Pull the pin and it drops out the back.  SO much easier to adjust.  I'm hoping it works long term.  

Boy do I love Ace Hardware.  This store is now twice as big as it was, but that 7% inflation rate is about 25% higher.  I got eight things that added up to $104.00.  And I thought EGGS were expensive!

Back home, here's the next problem.  My 50 amp electrical cord will not stay plugged in.  Think Nancy ... who can you ask for help with this AND the two plugs in the kitchen that still do not work AND my blinking ceiling light when I turn the iron on.  Ding ding ding!!!  My neighbor Denny had an outlet put in for his motorhome, AND I need an oil change for my truck.  Denny's dad owns the automotive repair shop.  

I'll kill two birds with one stone.  I'll call for an appointment to get my oil changed while also getting an electrician recommendation.  And it worked!!!  Denny had an electrician friend who works on stuff in this area.  Believe it or not, he even called me back!  I sent pictures and he will repair it next week.  I'm hoping he can also fix the INSIDE of the house.

With that under my belt, it was time for dinner.  Cindy and Ray had given me some freeze dried food to try out, so here goes.  This was one small package of my favorite ... funeral potatoes.  It was barely half a cup of crunchy dried weird looking stuff.

It's hard to believe you could make that edible, but just add water Cindy said.  Let it sit a bit and add a little more until it looks kind of like this.  I wasn't really too sure about it until it came out of the microwave.

Yes you can put a larger amount in a casserole dish, smother it in cheese (those are my words, not Cindys) and heat it in the oven.  I opted for the faster microwave.  Dinner is served!  I was shocked.  It tasted exactly like MY funeral potatoes.  Even the texture was exactly the same.  How could that be?  It's weird I tell you ... just weird ... and DELICIOUS!!

I'm really looking forward to testing out the other things they gave me ... zucchini, chicken, sausage ... this is going to be an experiment in cooking!!!  How can I go wrong ... you just add water!!

Now for the REAL challenge ... balancing my checkbooks that I haven't touched in over a month!  YIKES!!