The world's most expensive sauce pan

Our old pots and pans, or as K calls them, our "cookware", were pretty much crap.  We had been talking about buying some good quality replacements, but it seemed to just stay on our (my) back burner.  Until yesterday.

We received one of Bed, Bath, and Beyond's coupons in the mail and figured we'd might as well take advantage of it....20% off is nothing to sneeze at.

 

See that sauce pan on the right, above the griddle?  I went in thinking we'd just buy that for a start, but instead we came out with the whole set.

But wait....there's MORE!

They had a special promo going on:  if you buy enough Calphalon products they give you (maybe "give" is the wrong word) a $50 gift card, too.  20% off PLUS $50.  Sweet!

But looking back on our shopping experience I think I came up on the short end.  I mean, K got some new pots and pans cookware AND a $50 gift card, but she wouldn't let me buy anything I wanted. 

K made me put her back.  How fair is that?  *pout*

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I read an interesting article in the paper that said yellow, orange, teal, and green cars, in that order, had the highest resale values, on average about $1,500 more than similar cars in the more common white (21% market share), black (19%), gray (17%) or silver (15%) colors.

 

Maybe by the time I buy my next car (no time soon) VW will bring back their Fahrenheit Edition GTI.  I dunno....you think it would be a cop magnet?  The last thing I need is to drive a cop magnet.  I thought it interesting that red wasn't on either list.

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I did NOT see this coming!

We had a gray drizzly day yesterday, which was rather nice as it kept the temps down.  But last night when I took the dog out the skies were clear.  I just assumed (yes, I know) that we were back to "hot and dry".

Instead, this ^ is what I woke up to.  Yikes!  No complaints here....we desperately need the rain.

It's been pretty intense so far this morning.  Lightning, thunder, 60-70 mph winds....luckily I had just enough warning to get my outdoor furniture safely inside.

We're currently under Stage 3 water restrictions:  Lawn watering only one day every other week, limits on car washing, swimming pool filling, etc.  And it's just the START of summer.  

They say unless we get lots of rain soon we'll go to Stage 4 restrictions....no lawn watering at all.  Imagine how this will impact lawn maintenance crews, landscape contractors, car washes, etc.

Meanwhile, less than 100 miles south it's flooding.  Go figure.

S

Old habits are hard to break

What happened to our nice, uncluttered, minimalist, downsized lifestyle?  Five years ago we gave away, sold away, and threw away tons of seldom-if-ever used stuff and cut the size of our living quarters by 2/3.  Surprisingly, everything fit comfortably, and life was a lot more relaxed.

OK, slight exaggeration.

Now we're moving again and we're going through our "stuff" to see what we can ditch and not have to move, even if the move is just to the other side of our building.  OMG....where did all this crap come from?  Without even realizing it we've brought back in over time a few (OK, a lot) of new books, magazines, small appliances, "gizmos"....the list goes on and on.  

Today it's a load to Half Price Books for disposal, then on to the stores to buy the new stuff we're going to need for our new place.  

Ummmm....DOH!

S

Listen...what's that noise? *silence*

Be honest now....how many of you are thinking, "Whew, thank goodness THAT'S over with!"  It's OK....I won't tell.

I suspect most of us feel that way.  Maybe generations ago Christmas was as simple as taking a dish over to grandma's (just a few blocks away) where the family assembled to exchange hand-knit sweaters and potholders and enjoy a meal, but those days are long gone.

Now it's hours of agonizing what to get everyone, and figuring out how to juggle the "no payments 'till March / June / September".  And nobody you know, much less are kin to, live "just a few blocks away."  Families are now scattered across the country, requiring driving hours to get there.  And those are the lucky ones.  

Some have to endure air travel, lost baggage, airline employees who really don't want to be there, and increasingly (due to "climate change") sleeping on the cold airport floor with your coat for a pillow as you wait for better weather.

And holiday cooking:  I've always questioned why we do it?  I can remember the cooks in my family planning for weeks, and cooking for days, so we could sit down, say Grace, and woof it all down in 30 minutes.  (The original "wham, bam, thank you ma'am"?)  The holiday china and crystal and silver and table linens would come out, and of course have to be hand-washed and put back later.  

Now businesses that sell complete holiday meals with all the trimming's in a box do a thriving business.  I think it's safe to say "the thrill is gone".

Oh sure, I bluster, but I was actually good this year.  Normally I catch hell for being such a Bah Humbug at Christmas time, but this year I pretty much behaved myself.  I smiled and complimented K's Christmas decorations, watched Christmas shows and concerts on TV, sang "fa la freakin' la", did the shopping with a minimum of profanity, and even loaded the car and traveled with a good attitude.  Normally I'd rather slide down a 10' razor blade into a vat of alcohol than do any of that, but this year I was a veritable Kris Krinkle.  My family has one more get-together, this one to see the grand kids open their gifts from Grandpa and Miss Kelly.  It should be nice.  ;)

Am I getting soft in my old age?  

OK, I guess we can do it again next year.  Now, where's that TV Bowl Game schedule?  *wink*

S

Retirement

I've had several comments recently asking why I'm building another house when I'm supposedly "retired"?  OK....here's the deal:  I'm frankly not sure what to do with myself.  

While I'm retired, K isn't.  She's up at 6 AM and I'm not far behind. I like to watch the news, but after watching for an hour or so they start repeating themselves. I live in a nice apartment (by choice) because there is no....NO....maintenance.  Which also means I have no yard to "putter" in or garden to grow, not that I would if I had the space anyway.

I take the dog on a long walk every day, weather permitting, and I regularly check email / internet, but neither requires that much time.  And of course I read... A LOT.  Maybe a volunteer opportunity will present itself one day, but it isn't here yet.

I have for 30 years done all the household grocery shopping, and I actually enjoy it.  Because I have the time I've taken over the majority of laundry chores, too, which is really a non-event.  (We have machines that do most of the work.)  We have a housekeeper because 1.  I don't clean bathrooms (this goes back to my bachelor days); and 2.  Geneva has become almost like family, and she depends on us for part of her income.  She stays!

Regarding work....for 30+ years Bro and I have had a good working relationship:  I handled operations, and he handled the office.  He really doesn't have a solid understanding of what holds the roof up.  I told him that after I retire I'd still come in to take care of the early phase of construction (foundation, framing, mechanicals, etc), then he could take over more.  I'm still allowed to make a few $$$ on top of my Social Security, so this works out just fine for both of us.

Over this recession I've sat around for long stretches at a time, which made me look forward to the next small job.  I like having something to do, without having anything I HAVE to do.  (I don't ask for much, huh?)  Maybe over time I'll learn how to whittle or rock or build ships inside little bottles, but not yet.  I'm still a rookie retiree.

S

What I learned from K about grocery shopping....

....she can't do it.  She wants one of everything.  She was almost trembling with excitement she was so overwhelmed with the grocery shopping experience last night.


I usually do the  grocery shopping by myself.  Years ago my ex told me I could either do that or stay home on Saturdays with 3 kids while she did the shopping.  DUH!  No brainer.  Over the years I developed a system; I made a map of our preferred grocery store by aisle listing those things that we regularly buy.  Aisle 1 might be salad dressing, mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc.  I keep this map/list in the kitchen and as we see we're running short of something we circle it on the list.  I go in the door of the store, up and down each aisle in order with my list, get what I need, and end up back at the checkout and out the door.  Wham, bam, thank you ma'am.  30 minutes, tops.


I normally go on Thursday afternoon on my way home after work.  Things were hectic at work this Thursday and I couldn't keep to my schedule, so K and I went together after our dinner out last night.  BIG MISTAKE!  I've learned she's a major compulsive shopper.  She's a sucker for "end caps", those places on the ends of each aisle where you turn the corner.  People's eyes go right to that spot and they often buy whatever's there, whether they need it or not.  She was possessed, I tell ya!  They need to rename them "K caps".   


Bottom line, it cost us about 20% more last night because K just had to have things she saw she couldn't live without.  I'm sure they'll use the store video surveillance camera footage in marketing classes for years to come, and re-write marketing textbooks, too.  The "K" effect, they'll call it.

Next week, I'm goin' it alone.


S