Not Even Football Sunday Yet

 Well this is getting boring ... here we are yet again STILL shrouded in the cold wet stuff.  At least when it rains, you can see down the road.  With this fog, you can barely see next door.  It's another lovely 43 degree morning with highs barely reaching 60.  

Putting in solar, which admittedly cost a chunk up front, was the best thing I ever did.  I'm sure it has paid for itself by now.  My gas bill however, is ridiculous.  I'm paying $2.82 a therm.  That means I have a $200.00 bill every month JUST FOR GAS.   And I am VERY conservative.  I rarely cook with the gas stove and I keep the house temps at 67-68 degrees.    I can't even imagine the bills people are paying for actual electricity in California.  My next door neighbor said her bill runs $700.00+ every month.  Who can afford that??  By the way, mine was $99 a month when I bought this place.  It's just absolutely crazy!

Okay, rant over.  Here's Cooper tiptoeing outside.  That's not rain on the ground, that's from the fog.  It's so wet it actually runs in river off the concrete.

That's why Kitters tippy toes around the edges of the grass.  Here she is ... giving me that weird look with those really big eyes.  It's interesting to note she does not like people food.  I tried giving her a bit of Cooper's chicken (probably not a good idea) and she refused to eat it.  She prefers Meow Mix I guess.

By 9:00 she is sound asleep in her chair.  She and Cooper have become pals ... sort of.  She seems to want company, so she follows him around and lightly taps him on the butt to play.  She does the same to me ... comes up, stares, stick out her paw and barely touches my arm ... for which she gets scratches.  You all know I'm an animal lover!!

So here we are ... remember that puzzle Mr. Ed sent to me that I worked on for months with little to no success?  I'm just not made for hard puzzles where all the pieces are the exact same size ... TINY.  When in Quartzsite, I left it with Patsy, with the intention of us doing it when I returned.

Enter a sick puppy ... so I told Patsy to get it out and go to town.  She's a pro at puzzles, and was helped by another lady.  I told her to make it last at LEAST three days so I wouldn't look so bad.  Yes ... they finished it in three days ... maybe only two.  It's a stack of quilts ... and very pretty.  

I do better with THESE quilts.  It's a little wonky because it's not all sewn together yet.  I will finish it up today and see what borders I can add.  

That's when I remembered there are football playoff games in the making.  It's not even Football Sunday and there is football ALL DAY LONG!   AHA!!  I figured out why I bought all those snacks!  Here's what I learned.  The popcorn doesn't last long, it was stale.  The potato chips needed dip and the Cheetos were just okay.  But the DOTS Honey Mustard pretzels?  They won the prize of the day!!!

By the way, Patsy and Bill went to the Big Tent yesterday.  Patsy was looking for the pretzel/dip folks who sell their wares there every single year for $5.50 a package.  I think it used to be $3.00 when I first saw them.  They were not to be found.  The big tent will never be the same!  It's okay though, I still have four packages in my cupboard.  AND if you really want to spend that much, you can buy them online.

Time for a little football!  I was rooting for the Broncos, while one of my friends was for Buffalo.  We texted back and forth until the Broncos WON (after this picture was taken).

In between games I made this absolute disgusting looking beef stroganoff, poured over some leftover mashed potatoes.  It was really quite tasty and not something I normally make.  I remember my Mom making something on the stovetop, meat of some kind fried for a bit, then covered I think in onion soup mix and tomato sauce or canned tomatoes?  Does that ring a bell with anyone?  I would like to make it again, but I've no idea what the recipe actually included.  I know it cooked for over an hour until tender.

Next up San Francisco 49ers lost a terrible game.  It didn't help that most of their good players could not play due to injuries.  Seattle slaughtered them 41-6.  C'est la vie.  At least I didn't have any money on them.

Today you'll find me back at the sewing machine finishing up that quilt and maybe starting another one.  Mr. Cooper will be at my feet the entire day, followed closely by Kitters knocking everything off the tables.  She's not exactly coordinated.  Yesterday she fell over backwards onto the floor.  She landed on all fours, so she's okay!!

It's SUNDAY FOOTBALL time!!!