Retirement Ramblings, Friday Edition

We made homemade pizza last night for the first time, and I can see doing so again. I would want to buy pre-made crusts and freeze them or make my own and par bake them before freezing. Especially when you have two people with divergent tastes, this is so the way to go. We actually ended up with four pizzas in one, using leftovers and mushrooms and mozzarella. I also have a little bit better idea as to where all the ingredients come from this way. My son did do the math on homemade vs store bought, but of course that doesn't include quality control.

The good news in the Dallas area is that we've had rain, which helps us all around. I'd already been using a soaker hose, because the nice foundation man told me to soak around the house and remove some trees and roots and see if the house came up at all in the sinking corner. If you don't live in an area with heavy clay, I really can't explain it. On the other hand, we are now in the epicenter of the worst West Nile outbreak in the history in this country. I've given up my morning swims because I would find dead bugs in the chlorine, and I've tried not to go out after dark. I don't want to get paranoid, but I should probably get some bug spray for when I go out.

I'm going to be dropping, or at least switching out some of my fall classes. My son gently reminded me today that school is a full time job-especially when you take classes that require many labs as I do. While my twenty year old may be able to party, go to school and work, that's not real life for the rest of us. I want to take a week and go see the leaves in Colorado. I'm committed to organizing a Habitat house build. That doesn't take into account sewing, or socializing doing stuff around the house or any of my normal activities. While I am aiming for a degree, I'm going to school for fun as well. I need to do it on my own time, no matter how long that takes.

I'm making an effort to work on projects and with materials I already have. My sewing room is full, and I want more fabric.  Awhile back I took a picture of every single unfinished object in my studio (be it quilts, paper projects, soap making, or beading). I refuse, refuse, refuse to admit how many pictures that was. I made this Christmas quilt last year (threw it together in a night) and then never finished it because I couldn't decide what to stitch on the top. Now that it's out in front of my, I'll probably put gingerbread men all over the top. And, since I make many large (bed sized) quilts, I often have extra blocks. I always hang on to them. This one will become a little table topper. Since I also save scraps, it will have coordinating coasters as well. Finished projects mean more gifts done, more space, and more money when the items sell. More space and more money means more fabric-it works for me.

As part of my end of summer organization, Ive been working on the ole budget. I hate the B word, believe me. However, I've been both bringing in money in cash and spending money in. Unfortunately I haven't been tracking said money. Since I'm working on a two year plan with realistic budgeting, I need to know exactly where everything goes, so I know how much expenses will actually lessen if I downsize. I've also budgeted for my $500 holiday, but I'll share more specifics about that.

I do have one last thought this evening-and it's just a thought or two, not a debate.  First, I would simply observe that in the rash of shootings these days, I've in no way seen how a responsible citizen carrying a gun would have either prevented any of these shootings, or lessened their damage. In fact, there were gun carriers at all the locations, and those guns did not help. Just a thought. And finally on this Friday night, I have to say it. What is illegitimate rape, any way?

And on that note, what do you folks have planned for this August weekend. A little football, anyone?