Farewell brave pioneers

Lamp lit evenings

It has been an interesting week here.  With the exception of entertainment we did pretty well on the Pioneer Week challenge.  Of course, entertainment was going to be the biggest challenge for us anyway.  We already try to conserve energy and water and I cook most of our meals from scratch or nearly so.  But still, it was an interesting week.  I never did get around to trying to make my own ricotta cheese but we did make pasta and I've got the lasagna in the oven.  A few bread sticks ready to pop in when it comes out, make a tossed salad with the last of the garden veggies and we'll be ready to feast.  

I did do some shopping today.  When we were cleaning before J14's party a few weeks ago, we stumbled across a $50 gift card that my MIL gave me for my birthday in June.  So J14 and I went to Michael's craft store.  I would have liked to shop locally, and I know there are small yarn shops here in town but they were having a yarn sale (50-70%off) and having publicly stated that I am incompetent at either knitting or crochet, I have vowed to learn.  So I got some yarn, a how-to book and some needles.  J14 also scored a beautiful picture frame and mat for  $4.50 to frame a print she received from her mentor. It's been so long since I actually purchased a picture frame I hardly knew what to do.  Most of ours have been salvaged from dumpsters or such and then refurbed.  J14 also got another ball of hemp so she can make some more bracelets for her friends (and I'm guessing herself).

V finally got up on the roof to clean the gutters before winter really sets in.  Unfortunately it was already down to 29 and some of the leaves were frozen in since it was raining recently.  I brought in one last hanging basket from outside.  I hadn't planned to bring it in and was just going to let the annual flowers in it freeze but they had survived last week's killing frost and the pink geranium was bravely blooming up a storm so I relented.  It looks lovely sitting on the floor but I didn't really need ANOTHER plant in the house.

Tomorrow is back to work (SIGH).  Gotta go uncover my lasagna.

Oh, I nearly forgot... For Rob's make do and mend, not much to report this week.  Sewed a button back on but not much else mending.  Did a lot of making do but then don't we always....